B.J. Werzyn
When B.J. Werzyn opened the first location of his home remodeling business in Mechanicsburg in 2006, he held tight with an unusually lofty goal for a local entrepreneur.
“I wanted to create a national name since day one,” he recently recalled.
Today, after 17 years of constant expansion, West Shore Home appears to be well on its way to reaching Werzyn’s ambitious vision as the nation’s first home remodel installation chain. West Shore Home now installs high-quality baths, windows and doors in some 36 U.S. markets that crisscross 17 states, with a total of nearly 3,000 employees.
“One of our biggest competitive advantages is that we employ our own installers,” said Werzyn, now 45. “We don’t subcontract out, so we can have that operational excellence. Today, we have over 800 W-2 installers.”
Despite its rapid expansion, West Shore Home’s roots remain squarely in this area. Its corporate headquarters in Hampden Township opened in 2021. Due to rapid growth, it opened its second headquarters in 2022 on Westport Drive in Mechanicsburg.
Werzyn credits his company’s success on a “problem identified.”
“It’s not easy to do home remodeling,” he said. “In fact, it’s a big problem for many homeowners, and it’s an important problem. We provided a solution to the problem. People’s homes are their most valuable possession and the most intimate. It’s where they raise their families and make memories.”
Real Catalyst
Werzyn was introduced to the home remodeling business as a child. His parents owned a window company, offering him a depth of experience when he later started his own business.
About eight years ago, Werzyn decided to expand West Shore Home outside the Harrisburg area. To do so, he hired a consultant with a vision to “create a national footprint with a least 30 markets at that time.”
The company’s first venture outside the region was a greenfield site in suburban Pittsburgh. Following that, in 2018, Werzyn accepted a proposal for buying out a similar company, a move that gave West Shore Home nine new locations in outlying areas.
“That really wound up being a phenomenal acquisition for us, a real catalyst for our growth, and then, 13, 14, 15 more greenfields is how we got to the 36 locations we are today,” Werzyn said.
The company now stretches as far south as Atlanta and as far west as Salt Lake City. Its newest location, which opened in February, is in Oklahoma City. However, that still doesn’t satisfy Werzyn’s ambitious vision.
“I’d like to double this company again and again,” he said. “We hope to have 60 offices by 2025. Now, we’re focusing on going out west. There are still markets available for us in Chicago and Kansas City, to name just a few.”
Across the Nation
Recently, West Shore Home was honored with a 2023 “Top Workplaces USA Award,” a program celebrating organizations that build great work cultures. Winners are chosen based entirely on employee feedback.
That workplace culture includes an emphasis on giving back to the community through public service.
“It’s really important for us to help out the community where we live,” said Kirsten Page, West Shore Home public relations director. “It’s part of why we do what we do—to bring happiness to every home.”
Page said that part of her job involves overseeing the company’s community outreach endeavors at all of its U.S. locations. Food insecurity is a big focus of the company’s charitable efforts.
“For instance, January was Poverty Awareness Month,” she said. “So, we urged all of our branches to donate to local food banks in their communities.”
West Shore Home’s more extensive public outreach effort is serving local veterans’ communities, according to Page.
In February, for example, the company provided U.S. Army veteran Gerald White, of Columbia, S.C., with a new, safety enhanced walk-in shower as part of its West Shore for American Warriors Initiative. The donation helped White, a World War II vet who participated in the Battle of the Bulge, to continue to live independently.
West Shore Home branches across the nation also take part each year in U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program. Over the past two years, the company donated more than 6,000 toys nationwide, as well as a total of $20,000 to the organization. The program also aligns with West Shore Home’s mission to support military veterans.
Additionally, the company has supported the United Way, Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, Susquehanna Service Dogs, and several additional local and national charitable causes.
“We try to find organizations we can support across all of our branches nationwide,” Page said.
For more information on West Shore Home, visit www.westshorehome.com or call 866-885-0316.
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