Featured as one of Paul Davis’ “20 Women of 2020”, Marketing Director Julie Mercer plays an integral role in the fluidity of communication and building solid relationships between this Southwest Missouri restoration business, its internal team, and external audiences including residential and commercial customers, vendors, first responders, insurance professionals, and key community and business influencers.
When did you start working for Paul Davis, and what is some of your background with the company?
I joined the Paul Davis family in Nixa, Missouri more than 21 years ago. At that time, our focus was on building relationships with local insurance agents and adjusters. I was the first, full-time marketer for our franchise office. The position has grown and evolved as we continue to market to local insurance agents and adjusters to building relationships with local fire departments, commercial accounts, and property managers. I enjoy mentoring new marketers joining the Paul Davis family also a vital role to the success of our entire network. As a key player who was instrumental in marketing the office and its Continuing Education (CE) classes, we have dedicated ties to local insurance agents in our three Missouri locations, and in our sister offices in Lincoln and Columbus, Nebraska. The CE courses have proven to provide key elements to building trust with these important audiences through increasing our brand, visibility and credibility within the local insurance and real estate community, among others. I hold a certification with the IICRC in Water Damage Restoration. The Paul Davis Continuing Education (CE) program provides trained instructors and course presentations for insurance agents and adjusters in 47 states and Canada. These courses not only allow insurance professionals to maintain and renew their licenses, they also create and build relationships with local offices and staff.
Expanding into Lebanon, Missouri in 2011 and then into Joplin, Missouri in 2019, I continued my passion for developing relationships while growing our territory. I have also established trusting relationships within the local Business Network International (BNI) membership organization where members network and get referrals locally, and also among 120,000 active members worldwide. This and more helps me greatly as we continue to grow and increase our Paul Davis brand and market share.
Additionally, I have served as the office media spokesperson since starting with the company and have appeared on numerous newscasts and in print about our construction expertise and disaster response capabilities. I am also actively involved as the event spokesperson for the Springfield Area Memorial Stair Climb events. I have also been honored to represent our Paul Davis office on-the-air to commemorate lives lost during the 9/11 disaster with community event partners the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).
What was your employment background before onboarding with Paul Davis?
Prior to joining Paul Davis, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. After graduation, I immediately went to work as the Group Sales Director for four years at the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri. While there, I built strong relationships with tour operators and motor coach companies in the U.S. and Canada. Developing and maintaining relationships with local receptive services that book shows, vendors, and ticketing agencies were also key to securing group bookings for shows as the company’s sales leader.
What interested you in becoming a part of the Paul Davis company? What steps did you take to make this possible?
Above all, the opportunity to help people in their greatest time of need by providing peace of mind when their world has been turned into chaos from disasters at home and the office, along with my genuine passion for building lifelong relationships as my foundation. I was most impressed with Paul Davis of Southwest Missouri through a long-standing relationship with a friend who first introduced me to the company. During this time, my friend’s husband worked as a Project Manager for the business and spoke with me about the benefits of the industry. He facilitated an introduction with the former franchise office owner, and we met several times. I also met with the company team to discuss the position and future growth before joining the Paul Davis family. During my work with the owner at the time, his illness permitted me to carry more responsibilities in the office and to assure the team and our customers that we would continue on with exceptional expertise, and as a highly staffed and well-trained, capable organization.
What does a typical workday for you look like? Would you mind elaborating on the daily duties of your position and what each include?
My typical day is spent nurturing established relationships and creating new relationships with local insurance agents within each of our three offices. I secure appointments with agent district managers to discuss upcoming meetings and trainings that allow us opportunities to sponsor or provide CE classes for their agents. I also coordinate and teach CE classes for the local insurance agents while representing our three offices in Missouri and in Lincoln and Columbus, Nebraska year-round. I also communicate with insurance claims managers to discuss claims volume and processes for Paul Davis jobs. I can also be found meeting a homeowner or business owner during a board up from a residential or commercial catastrophe.
I am honored to serve on the steering committee for the Springfield Area Memorial Stair Climb where I serve as the volunteer marketing and public relations coordinator. The climb honors the 343+ fallen heroes of 9/11. The fundraising efforts benefit the families of the fallen through the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). Marketing the 9/11 Springfield Area Memorial Stair Climb to local fire departments provides an opportunity for me to interact with each firehouse while informing them about the upcoming climb, and Paul Davis services for homeowners and businesses. We sponsor fire department trainings at our Paul Davis warehouse and conduct live burns, while donating materials such as tarps, oriented strand board (OSB), and batteries during their individualized department trainings.
My membership involvement in BNI of the Ozarks region for more than 12 years involves me as an essential member of the local chapter. I also serve as a Key Skills Workshop Facilitator for the region to mentor and help local businesspeople grow professionally through networking and building relationships.
Tell us some more about yourself.
I have been married for 24 years and gained a son who is an Registered Nurse (RN) with Cox Hospital in Monett, Missouri. He also serves as Fire Chief in Purdy, Missouri. He recently married and we now have a wonderful daughter-in-law who is also a firefighter. Additionally, I love crocheting baby blankets for those I know are expecting and also donate the blankets and other items to local pregnancy care centers, shelters and hospitals. I am active within my church and participate in community events. Each weekend during NASCAR you will find my husband and me in front of the TV cheering on Martin Truex Jr., our favorite American professional stock car racing driver. I also admire him and his girlfriend as founders of the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation to support children with pediatric cancer.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
The vision for myself is growth, both personally and professionally which includes building and growing a marketing team at Paul Davis as we increase our market share and expand into new territories. It is important to me to develop the next generation of staff members at Paul Davis through cultivating an environment of confidence and authentic long-standing relationships. Striving to be the best version of myself each day is important to me. My overarching philosophy is to continue being a positive influence on my team and others by helping people become their best selves. Finally, I will continue to live my legacy to love, serve and care for each person I meet, one at a time. “The Best is Yet to Come!”.
For more information about Paul Davis of Southwest Missouri, please visit the website at https://southwest-missouri.pauldavis.com/ or find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PaulDavisRestorationSouthwestMissouri/.