Harry Morrell on His Journey Through ASHI and the Keys to Great Business

May 1, 2022

Harry Morrell was a teenager when he got started in the building and construction industry. “My first job in construction was as a roofer. I lied about my age when I was in high school and got onto one of the biggest roofing companies in Miami, Florida at the time,” he said. “I just loved construction.”

He’s now been a home inspector for more than 20 years—nearly all of those with ASHI; He said those early days were formative. His father was an engineer, and the family lived in Venezuela when he was growing up. “I used to love watching the big cranes and heavy equipment build these huge oil refineries. The construction industry was always in the back of my mind,” Morrell said.

How He Got Here

From childhood in South America to working part-time in the summer as a roofer in Miami, Morrell has many memories of hard work and tar and gravel roofs. He worked on commercial buildings, but soon joined the US Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees. It was the late ’60s and early ’70s, and they built everything from airports and roads to firebases for the Marines. He ultimately served two tours in Vietnam and was last stationed in The Philippines, building a large airport.

When Morrell returned to the States, it was a time of recession, complete with long gas lines and virtually no construction. So he finished his degree at Florida State University and moved on to Dallas—an area that was still booming with construction thanks to the oil industry. Dallas is where he met his current business partner, fellow ASHI member and cofounder of Allied Building Inspections Allen Sebaugh.

Starting—and Growing—a Business

Morrell said his partner Sebaugh is an engineer who likes to specialize in certified structural inspections, and Morrell does much of the rest (including marketing).

After more than 20 years in Dallas, Morrell moved to St. Louis in 1996 and quickly joined the St. Louis Chapter of ASHI. Since then he’s served as chapter president three times—most recently in 2020. “I’ve always been on committees, and I’m currently the legislative chair for the state,” he said. “I love to be involved.”

Morrell said that level of commitment has been easier now that his children are grown, but his plan was always to be involved with ASHI. He said it’s simply good business, as ASHI is well-known in St. Louis. The Midwest city is home to at least four ASHI national presidents—including current president John Wessling. Morrell said everyone he talked to was either a member of or supportive of ASHI—from home inspectors to lawyers to real estate agents.

“We’ve got a great reputation here,” he said. “Some brokers tell their real estate agents, ‘You have to be in ASHI. Here in St. Louis that’s an unwritten rule.’ So being involved in running the chapters was certainly an asset for successful business.”

Building Relationships

Even through hard times like after 9/11 and the financial crisis of 2008, Morrell continued to find work. He attributes part of that to the many relationships he’s built through ASHI. “I was very fortunate,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of brokers, lawyers, and REALTORS® who are very loyal. You do a good job for them, and they’re going to stick with you. I’ve had REALTORS I’ve worked with for more than 20 years.”

But it’s not just time that builds relationships. Morrell said a lot of it comes down to being included. The St. Louis Chapter of ASHI has long invited real estate agents and others in the industry to watch the home inspectors train. “They don’t like to see any surprises on how we inspect, so we said, ‘Listen. Come on over and have a seat and a coffee and sit in on one of our training sessions.’ They really loved that.”

Being available to answer questions goes a long way, Morrell said. And from there, he said, word spread—in a good way. If someone in the area needed a home inspector, they often turned to Morrell or one of his colleagues.

An Evolving Industry

Of course, the industry has changed a lot since Morrell first joined ASHI. When he started he used a handwritten checklist for a report. He remembers when his oldest son, now a computer engineer but back then still in high school, said he had to get on the computer. It was Morrell’s first printed report with photos. People loved it. “Pretty soon everyone got into the computer aspect of it.”

Today there are tons of software programs to help write reports, and social media and a strong website are key to many businesses, though Morrell doesn’t worry about social media much. Instead he focuses on maintaining relationships and offering the very best services. That’s where today’s many auxiliary inspections come in. Morrell said this has only made inspections that much more professional and comprehensive. Morrell himself does building, termite, and radon inspections, and he has trusted subcontractors he can offer to do most anything else, from mold to gas pressure to asbestos testing. He was considering buying a drone, but one of his colleagues, another ASHI member, is now a drone pilot, so he turns to him when needed, too. “When people know they can make one phone call to me and I’ll set everything up, that’s a plus.”

Advice

Morrell said he’d advise any new home inspector to join ASHI, no question about it. “Join ASHI national and come to our chapter meetings. You’ll meet all the inspectors,” he said.

Once you’ve met a lot of other home inspectors and heard about their journeys, including how they market themselves and what tools they use, he recommends finding your niche. See where you can fill in and make a difference. “Make your own company and your own way of doing things,” he said. “We’re very fortunate here that we have such an involved chapter. People can sit in. That’s the only way to break in,” he said. “It’s a very specialized industry that you really don’t go to college for and come out and start doing it. You have to learn a lot on the job, and fortunately the members in St. Louis are very eager to talk to people just coming in.”

That said, Morrell said he is concerned about the industry’s growth. He said fewer people seem interested in starting careers as home inspectors, which is a shame because the work is out there. “Last year I had my best year. I was turning down business,” he said. “We could use many, many more inspectors.”

Award-Winning

Harry Morrell was recognized for his contributions to ASHI and the profession at large with the 2021 John E. Cox Member of the Year Award. The annual award recognizes an ASHI Member who has made exceptional contributions to an ASHI Chapter. Morrell has been a dedicated member of the St. Louis Chapter of ASHI since early in his career, taking up multiple posts and serving as a member of the education committee for nearly 20 years.

Opinions or statements of authors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents, or editors. Always check with your local governmental agency and independently verify for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.


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