Back in 2001 Jason Hampel was working for Exxon Mobil, and his father Pete Hampel had recently transitioned from an executive role at a large IT company to a local remodeling business. It was a natural transition for Pete. During the course of his IT career Pete had remodeled his own home, constructed an addition and learned about remodeling from the inside out.
Jason was working for ExxonMobil in New York City from 1996 until 2001 where he had the opportunity to spend significant quality time with his Grandfather (Pete’s Father), Paul (Moss) Hampel. That time was bittersweet because much of it toward the end was when Moss was in cancer treatment at Sloan Kettering hospital in New York City.
That time not only allowed Jason to rekindle his relationship with his Grandfather, it also gave him the opportunity to receive some fateful advice from him that would change the rest of his life.
That advice, given the day Moss passed away, was to continue to work hard but to always remember what he was working hard for. ExxonMobil is a great company and took great care of Jason but there seemed to be something missing from that path. It turns out what Jason really wanted to work hard for was to use his business skills to do some good in the community by creating an environment and business with his own mark that was extraordinarily honest, fair, and took good care of people and the community. The fact that this exactly what his father (who he’d always admired and respected) wanted was a wonderful coincidence of goals and timing.
In July 2001 Pete and Jason launched MOSS with a very simple plan… be honest, be fair, always do the right thing, and hire and take care of good people, empower them, and charge them with taking care of our customers and each other. All the things that Jason’s Grandfather and Pete’s father, Moss, embodied. And all the things that the remodeling industry was lacking.
The execution of that simple plan has resulted in remarkable growth and performance. The growth required augmenting the management team along the way. Justin Schopp (Pete’s son-in-law) joined in 2003 as MOSS entered the Kitchen and Bath arenas. Justin jumped in with Jason and Pete in a broad management capacity and continues to be a critical member of the MOSS management team. By 2014 MOSS had grown into one of the leading remodelers in Northern Virginia. To properly manage the MOSS high standards at that volume and continue delivering quality projects and happy customers, two additional executives came onboard.
Paul DesRoches brought his operational experience onboard as COO to systematize the operational procedures and maintain focus on the full customer experience. Dave Greksouk joined as Executive Vice President shortly after Paul to solidify our unique consultative sales approach. Both Paul and Dave continue today to be critical members of the MOSS management team.
Though our repeat and referral rate is the ultimate validation of our hard work, MOSS has won many awards and distinctions that also serve as validation. Most recent and significant is the ISO 9001 certification (only remodeler in the country to achieve this tough quality standard), OSHAS 18001, Washington Post’s “Best places to Work” awards, several Contractor of the Year awards, and countless awards from publications and consumer websites. No doubt MOSS would be most proud of the “Best Places to Work” award.
This is why we are proud to be MOSS. And this is why after over 19 years in business we have a team of incredible people and a healthy and thriving business that has successfully serviced over 10,000 customers and is the leading home improvement contractor in Northern Virginia.
MOSS lived a simple, honest, and helpful life and there was a lot of beauty and joy in that simplicity. That is why his retirement picture sits in the middle of a graphic that houses our guiding principles. Though he is not with us, there is no doubt he would be proud to see his name connected with this group of people all across D.C., Maryland, & Northern Virginia. And we all work hard to earn his name every day.
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