Exceeding Expectations

emodeled into a modern office facility. A separate shop facilitywas constructed. The architect for the project was Fred Williams ofArchdale, North Carolina, whose work on the Unity Church project hadfavorably impressed the Wayne Brothers. Although the new buildingswere initially only partially occupied by the company, Mr. Williamslater commented that he knew “he had not been allowed to designthe building large enough” to meet the future needs of the business.Mr. Williams also noted that the new office building, now used as theoffices of Eric Wayne, Inc., was one of the finest structures constructedoutside the municipal areas of Cabarrus County, due to the quality ofmaterials and workmanship. The renovated offices were dedicated atan open house held less than ten days after the passage of HurricaneHugo through the area in September 1989.John Ashworth hard at workfinishing a concrete floorAlthough the company’s rapid growth could be traced to itscommitment to quality results and meeting scheduling deadlines, it hadconsidered safety to be an essential part of its developing corporateculture. In a 1989 company newsletter, an article entitled A Messageto All Wayne Brothers Employees emphasized the need for seriousattention to safety issues. It stated in part that “safety is everyone’sresponsibility; we need the interest and input of each employee toassure we will have no accident that could have been prevented.”During this period of expansion, Wayne Brothers had been buildingits relationship with Fieldcrest Cannon, the successor to Cannon Mills,Inc. From 1986-1989, Wayne Brothers had completed projects as asubcontractor for Crescent Construction Company, and directly forFieldcrest itself. In 1990, Ed Boone, who was the corporate engineer forFieldcrest, described the relationship of the textile giant and WBI:Our association with Wayne Brothers, Inc., began in 1986 while theywere working as a subcontractor doing concrete floors. We werevery impressed with the quality of their work and with their abilityto hustle and meet our timetables. We used Wayne Brothers, Inc.in 1987 as a general contractor on a variety of concrete relatedprojects and in all cases found the work to be exemplary.26 EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS