Dusty DeVore went to Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga., on a baseball scholarship, where he set school records for the most home runs in a season and career. He’s now the president of Core Roofing Systems in Alpharetta, Ga., and his records have since been surpassed, but DeVore still has an athlete’s mentality. He believes that in business as well as sports, the key is to focus on the fundamentals. Do all the little things right, and the big things will take care of themselves.
It’s a belief that was put to the test during the recent recession. “Four years ago, one of the things we focused on was, ‘Don’t watch the news.’ We’d kick off meetings with that all the time,” DeVore recalled. “We can’t control everything that goes on out there, but what we can control is the quality, the growth and the communication at our company. We can focus on the little things. I use a lot of baseball references. Can we bunt a guy over? Can we steal a base? Can we hit the cutoff man? If we can do those things, these next few years are going to be fantastic. And that’s what’s happened. We were able to grow every year. We know we can survive those tough times by focusing on the little things that matter because all the little things add up to the big stuff. The next thing you know, you’re hitting a grand slam or a three-run home run that really pays off.”