Cowboy Contractor
Southwest Insulation, Inc. nears 40 years of serving Texas markets
Phil Wright knows about training, teamwork and patience. He’s learned those things from working with his father, Ron Wright, at the family-owned Southwest Insulation, Inc. But, he’s also learned those traits atop the back of a horse as one of the best amateur horse cutters in the country.
For 38 years, Wright family patriarch (and company President) Ron Wright has held the reins at Southwest Insulation in Fort Worth, a company that serves as insulation contractors as well as a provider of cold and heat insulation materials. Phil has worked alongside Ron since graduating from college. Today, a third generation of Wrights has joined the firm, with four of Phil’s sons on the job now. Jordan works as an estimator; Karson is a foreman; Cory is a foreman and an installer; and Jackson, who plays baseball at Ranger College, works on his breaks from school. Phil’s late son, Taylor, also worked for the company for a while, as well.
“Each of them had to start at the bottom and work his way up to learn how important each role is to the firm. There is no special treatment; they might even be held to a higher standard because they have the name,” Phil says.
Hot & Cold Commercial Solutions
“We do mechanical insulation on large commercial projects,” Phil says. “We insulate all of the plumbing and piping from roof drains to air conditioning ductwork. We do heat and water piping and steam systems in hospitals and assorted things like that. Essentially, we keep a building heated and cooled and insulate all the plumbing to all the sinks, toilets, etc.”
Ron worked for a temperature controls company for several years before being recruited by a contractor he had worked with on a controls project. A quick learner, he was soon put in charge of insulation and the sheet metal division. After gaining such valuable experience, he launched his own firm in 1980.
As a child, Phil was typically helping around the warehouse. He worked summers and during school holiday breaks and drove a delivery truck as soon as he got his driver license. “It was the family business and I grew up expecting to be part of it,” Phil says.
After Phil graduated from college and joined the firm, he brought more technology with him, including computerized estimating with digitizer boards. He also brought technological advances to the firm.
Day In, Day Out
Southwest Industries owns a 5,000-square-foot combination headquarters and warehouse in Fort Worth that was purchased in 1995. With seven full-time staffers and about 40 installers, foremen and mechanics, the specialty subcontractor works directly for general contractors.
“We’ve worked with our customer base for a lot of years, and we maintain it with top-notch personalized service and by performing on the jobs to meet or exceed expectations,” Phil says. “Most of the work we acquire is through competitive bids because, when it is all equal, our clients prefer to use us because they know we’ll finish on time and get it right the first time.”
Longevity has been a constant for the staff at Southwest Insulation, Phil says. “Most of our key employees have been here 15 years or more. Our full-time field superintendent, who manages the team in the field as well as managing the jobs, is our longest active employee, having been here since 1980,” he says.
A Simple Philosophy Simply Works
“We operate on a foundation of integrity,” Phil says. “We do what we say we’re going to do; we’ll do what it takes to get the job done right. We ask our employees to be team players and we complete our projects on time and on schedule.”
“I learned from my dad that no one is going to step up if you’re not willing to do the job yourself because no one cares more about your business than you do,” Phil adds.
This philosophy has helped Southwest Insulation to earn some big projects, including the development of the two City Center skyscrapers in downtown Fort Worth, originally developed by the Bass family, as well as Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
The firm also worked on three projects for Samsung in the Austin area totaling more than $2.5 million in contracts, as well as on Project “Lonestar,” a data center for Citigroup in Georgetown, Texas. The owners wanted to fast track the $1 billion facility, building it in just 12 months. It included miles of chilled water piping. The Southwest team worked six days a week for months to meet the schedule.
“There were a lot of logistical challenges to overcome, including sequencing and material challenges,” Phil says. “But, that’s the fun part of the job; finding solutions.”
Home on the Range
Away from the office, Phil likes to relax on horseback. He started riding in the 1980s on the weekends and got his first cutting horse in 1983. But as his life evolved, the horses took a back seat to family life and to coaching five boys in baseball over the years. When his youngest son entered high school, Phil knew his coaching days were over, and he bought a horse in the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Super Stakes in Fort Worth. Now, he’s returned to the cutting horse arena.
Cutting is a western-style equestrian competition in which a horse and rider work as a team before a judge or panel of judges to demonstrate the horse’s athleticism and ability to handle cattle during a 2 1⁄2-minute performance, called a run.
Phil tries to practice twice a week. “It’s a lot of fun,” he says. “It is a tremendous feeling to be on the back of a 1,000-pound animal and put your head down and they keep a cow from returning to the herd. You’re cuing with your feet, but you’re a team with your horse. You’re not using the reins, and the horse is moving as hard and fast as it can. It’s very exhilarating, and it’s a fun competition,” he says.
He tries to compete in a couple of shows each month around Texas, and he’s really good at it, too. In 2018, he was the American Cutting Horse Association (ACHA) High Point Non-Pro Rider and finished as the ACHA Non-Pro Classic Reserve World Champion, ACHA $15,000 Novice Horse Non-Pro Reserve World Champion and the ACHA $50,000 Non-Pro 3rd Place. In 2017, he was the AFCC (American Federation of Cowboy Churches) Non-Pro Champion and the AFCC Amateur Champion. In 2014, he was the ACHA Non-Pro Classic (5- and 6-year old horse) Reserve World Champion.
“I’ve learned a lot through cutting,” Phil says. “You can only control what you can control. With a cutting horse, you’re working cattle, and you can’t control the cattle. You can only do your best. If you try to do more than the best you can, you will drive yourself crazy worrying; just do the best you can and have fun. If you win, you win, and if you don’t, you don’t,” he says.
“It’s very similar to life in that respect; just do your best and love what you do. If you hate your job, then you don’t want to get up and go to work, and I think that would be terrible,” he adds.