Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherri Taylor.
Sherri, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a local girl who graduated from Lewisville High School that grew up as the oldest of three to a single mom. I never had the means for continuing my education so I went directly into the workforce. I actually started working full time (40 hrs. a week) as a Junior in High School through a work program. Once I graduated I was out on my own so I worked 3 jobs to stay afloat. Days, Monday through Friday, were at an office job. Evenings 3-4 nights a week (every other night in order to catch up on sleep) was spent bartending in Lewisville at private clubs. And weekends were odd jobs such as cleaning houses, etc.
The first 10 years I changed jobs a few times which included 2-3 years at the Apple Computer Manufacturing facility in Carrollton, TX. While there I transferred into the McIntosh team reporting directly to Steve Jobs. The McIntosh computer was originally going to be manufactured in Carrollton, but a last minute decision by Steve moved the automated facility to Fremont, CA. I spent about 6 months commuting to San Jose so that I could relocation the Engineering team that had been assembled. I was offed a relocation to San Jose with the rest of the group, but opted to stay in North Texas where the quality of life was much better and cheaper, and my friends and family were here. They didn’t really have a place for me and within a year or 18th months they closed down the Carrollton facility anyway, so I took a layoff and 6 months paid salary and benefits. When I went back to work, I took my remaining severance pay and bought Apple stock with it in 1984 just before the Mac release. That is a whole other story.
I eventually landed at a Semiconductor Manufacturing facility as a secretary where I met (again) my future husband. We married in 1984 and not wanting 2 salaries coming from the same place, I left and took a job at one of the first Cellular phone companies in North Texas. This is the time frame where you could get a cellphone hardwired into your car with a little pigtail antenna. I was lured back to the Semiconductor Industry by a startup company formed specifically help downsize Semiconductor Manufacturing Plants by divesting them of Equipment and caring for the files/records until all legal and tax issues were resolved. This was my entrée into Records Management.
After working for the new company for a year, I left on maternity leave with my first son and when I returned I was told the job managing the office of the sales department had been given to someone else. The job they had for me was a new start up department for records storage. They had agreed to keep the records of their clients for 5-7 years, so now they wanted to see if they could add more companies records to what they had. I’d never heard of “record storage” and didn’t know there was such a business, but the “big-dog” of the business in the Dallas area at that time was Security Archives. We contacted them and set an account as a customer and learned about the business through dealing with them.
There was a pivotal moment where the Archives Division of this company really took off through managing and being the central file room for one of the largest toxic tort lawsuits in the State. This lawsuit lasted 10 years and produced thousands of boxes of records. From that one we developed enough of a reputation that we handled several more class action suits included the Breast Implant cases and the Phen-Fen cases.
As time went out the Archives company flourished but the Parent company floundered through legal troubles and bad management. The Parent company continually took the cash produced by the Archive company and spent it on other ventures. It got to the point where I wasn’t sure if I was going to come to work and find the doors locked because the rent had not been paid, and making payroll was a constant struggle. During this time, a sales person at Armstrong Relocation had called several times to ask about how different aspects of managing a Record Storage business. Things eventually became dire enough that I called Armstrong Relocation back and asked them if they were opening a Records Management company, and the response was “yes, we are thinking about it”, and my reply was “Would you like some help?”
So, in January 1996, I joined Armstrong Relocation and formed Armstrong Archives. We started with nothing. No logo, no name, no customers, no stationary, and built it into a $2M per year business, with 120,000 square feet of storage space and 400 customers. We offer storage, scanning, destruction, indexing, logistics, and just about anything else the customer needs. We don’t turn down business we just figure out how to get it done if it’s not in our normal menu of services.
There are several more parts to this story but that’s the basics.
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think there is such a thing as a smooth road, and I identified several of the struggles in my previous dissertation.
Additional struggles would include learning and teaching myself everything as I went along. And what I didn’t know, I just made up.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Armstrong Archives – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The company is Armstrong Archives, and we are a full service Records Management company. We offer all stages of document management from picking up and moving a customer’s files by boxing and transporting them, to the secure shredding when their useful life is over. In-between we may store them, retrieve and deliver them, or scan them, or index them. Sometimes we ship them to another location. We have records that have come from as far away as Montana or McAllen. Some date back to the 1930’s, and some are schedule to be in storage for the next 100 years … long after I am gone.
In this industry, what sets us apart is our Customer Service and flexibility. Our competitors are mainly HUGE behemoth companies that are publicly traded on the stock exchange with shareholders to answer to, and locations all over the world. We service North Texas mainly and only answer to our customers, not shareholders. We partner with other independent records management companies around the U.S. to provide coverage for large customers that want multi-market service. I tell clients it’s like buying clothes at Walmart where nobody knows anything about anything, or going to the boutique on Main Street that individually picks and chooses their clothes specific for their customer’s needs. Funny thing in this business … the independent retailer offers a better product and service, but is also more cost efficient.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Awww … trick question. I am from here, grew up here. I love this area and everything about it. I love the heat in the summers and an occasional ice day in the winter. I love the Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks, and Stars. I love that I can hop a plane 10 minutes from my house and go anywhere in the world I want to go. I love the growth we are having and the diversity that it brings. I love the lakes, and I have my own pool. I love the laid back attitude and relaxed atmosphere. I love the friendly people, and I’ve never met a stranger. I love the State Fair and go when I can, and have been since I was a kid. I love the western and the cosmopolitan.
Least …. traffic, eh.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1515 Crescent Drive,
Carrollton, TX 75006 - Website: www.armstrongarchives.com
- Phone: 972-242-7179
- Email: info@aarchives.com
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
