Acquiring a Company & the Status Quo
When Chris Benyo acquired All Weld, Inc., he wasn’t just buying a business—he was stepping into a world far different from his 25-year career in sales and telecommunications. “I had the most fun when I owned my own company and was doing my own thing,” Chris explained, reflecting on his decision to buy All Weld. With decades of experience leading sales organizations, including teams of up to 750 people, Chris had taken companies from $150 million to $650 million and thrived in fast-paced environments. While Chris was no stranger to running manufacturing companies, acquiring an already established welding and fabrication business presented unique challenges.
One Person with a Calculator Doesn't Scale
The previous owner had been running All Weld for nearly 40years. “He had two calculators, a pencil, and a fax machine. That was how he did all the quoting,” Chris said. “It’s not reproducible for me.” While the old system worked for the former owner, Chris knew it wasn’t scalable, especially with his ambitions for growth. “He had a sixth sense for it, and after 38 years, he knew exactly what piece of business he wanted and how to make money on it.”
Chris, coming from a tech-driven background, recognized the need for modernization immediately. “I knew from the beginning,” he said, explaining why he started looking for a software solution early on. “His method was fascinating, but it just wasn’t sustainable.” Chris initially tried to use spreadsheets but quickly realized it wasn’t the right path for the future.
Seeking Solutions Familiar to a Former Sales Executive
“I come from a world where everything’s automated,” he said, recalling his experience with CRMs and CPQ tools. “So I knew there had to be a better way to approach this.”
That’s when he discovered SecturaFAB, estimating and quoting software designed to streamline the process from receiving RFQs with parts files to sending out a professional quote. “I went out and looked for something that would replace the spreadsheets I built,” Chris explained. “I needed a method to get to that baseline quote as quickly as possible.” SecturaFAB turned out to be exactly that solution.
Speed-to-Quote is a Competitive Advantage
Now, thanks to SecturaFAB, All Weld’s quoting process has become one of its strongest competitive advantages. “I’m almost always the first one back with a quote,” Chris said. “Being the first one back is critical because it delights the customer and gives us a competitive edge.” The speed of SecturaFAB not only makes All Weld more efficient but also strengthens customer relationships. Chris now has more time to focus on relationship building and expanding the book of business
The speed advantage doesn’t just come from SecturaFAB’s automation capabilities, but ease of use. “I trained him in four hours,” Chris stated referring to the summer intern brought in to assist in the office. “He’d never worked with a CRM or ERP system before, but he picked it up so fast. It showed me that this is exactly what I need.”
Efficiency Gains Today Lay the Groundwork for Future Machines and Companies
Looking ahead, Chris sees SecturaFAB as a key part of his growth strategy, especially as he considers acquiring other companies. “I’ve got three companies lined up that I’m trying to buy,” he explained. “And SecturaFAB is going to be essential as we expand. We’ll need to quote for a broader range of machines and operations, and this system will help make that possible.”
Chris is also looking to continue improving efficiency. “I spend a lot of my day typing, and that’s not the best use of my time,” he admitted. “But this system allows me to delegate. I trained an intern to do most of the typing, which freed me up to focus on growing the business.”
Despite the challenges of scaling a newly acquired company in a unique industry, Chris remains bullish on the future. “We’re not all the way there yet, but SecturaFAB has already helped us automate a lot of the quoting process,” he said. “It’s reproducible. I can pull up a past quote, copy it, and send a professional quote to a customer in seconds.”
As Chris continues to lead All Weld toward growth and add-on opportunities, SecturaFAB will remain a cornerstone of the business’s strategy.
“I’d recommend it to anybody,” Chris concluded. “There are so many businesses out there that have no idea how they’re pricing or how to scale. SecturaFAB has helped us take our business to the next level.”
