A company's foundation built by family, faith

For Tim and Britney Sessoms, their family business is more than just a way to make a living — it allows them to put their faith into practice.

“God is the first and foremost behind all of this and He has blessed us beyond measure,” Tim said. Comfort Shield HVAC of NC and Old Mill Remodel and Restoration are two family businesses that they built from the ground up, with their family working by their side.

Comfort Shield, their first business, began in 2012 out of necessity, with Tim, Britney and his son T.J. needing a way to support themselves. “We started Comfort Shield with the family's last $340. We would ride around and throw out Ziploc bags with a rock and our business card in them to advertise,” Tim said. “From recycling metal out of our yard to get by, to where we are today, it’s just unbelievable.”

They expanded their services later into a multi-trade business to meet the needs they saw in the community, and Old Mill emerged in 2017 as their home construction and renovations branch. Old Mill maintains an unlimited general contractor's license. “If you can conceive it, we can build it,” Tim said.

T.J. began working with his dad as a teenager and was the youngest person in the state to get his mechanical license, according to Tim. “He had to wait until his 18th birthday to get credentialed,” Tim said.

Since then, more and more family members have come alongside them. Tim’s brother Jamie moved from Virginia to add his expertise to the plumbing side of the business, and his daughter Courtney is the office manager. Courtney’s husband is an electrician with the company. “The whole family plays a role,” Britney said.

The family team has been successful in all aspects of the business. Their project demonstrations have won “Best of Show” for Old Mill for two years in a row at the Southern Ideal Home Show in Raleigh.

In addition to their family members, the employees of Comfort Shield and Old Mill have been a huge part of the company’s growth. “God has just put the right people in place,” Tim said.

Stephen Turner, VP of Operations for Comfort Shield and Old Mill, said the integrity of the company is what attracted him to come to work for them.

“Ninety percent of their decisions are based on how it will impact the community and their faith,” he said. “A lot of people wait until they make it to the top and then give back a good bit of the bounty they’ve received. Every step along the way, the Sessoms family has done it the other way around,” he said.

The company focus has been on living according to their faith and family values, and the business has grown as a result. “It’s hard to measure that. You don’t see that on a P&L line,” Stephen said.

From using a company box truck to make food bank deliveries to serving in ministries with Vision Church, Lion’s Lair and Thee Redeemed House, and even establishing their own nonprofit organization, the Sessoms faith is put into practice in everything they do. Their nonprofit, Angels Unawares, is based on the Bible verse Hebrews 13:2: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Working with the Hope Center and Thee Redeemed House, they volunteer to teach life and vocational skills to those in recovery.

The Sessoms family also goes out of its way to give job opportunities to those in greatest need, reaching out to the homeless, former members of the military and those who have struggled with substance abuse.

“We’ve got technicians working here that literally used to live under a bridge,” Tim said. They make a point to reach out to those in need and offer training, shadowing and supervision and give them an opportunity to build trust and prove themselves, and some of them have turned out to be their most valuable assets. “Everyone needs a hand up at some point,” Tim said.

“When we first started, it was to survive and earn a living, but now giving back is what it’s about. The better our companies do, the more people we can help,” Britney said. “We use our blessings to bless others. That’s our calling. The Lord tells us to be a distribution center, not a warehouse."

In addition to running the two businesses, Tim and Britney have continued to expand their family with children of their own and through fostering and kinship placements throughout the years. They have a heart for helping children and are even working with local politicians to improve the laws to protect children in the system.

After all, the notion of taking something small and transforming it comes from Matthew 17:20: “... For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

“What we’re doing is being the hands and feet of Jesus,” Britney said.