Fitts

Steve Fitts, Sr. Co-Founder (with his wife Rosemary Fitts) and Chief Executive Officer of The Fitts Company, Inc. founded in 1998. As Chief Executive Officer, Steve oversees the corporate direction and strategy for FITTS field operations, sales, customer support, consulting, and marketing. With a sharp focus on strategy, leadership, innovation, and customers, Steve is an industry pioneer. Steve brings more than 30 years of extensive industry knowledge, leadership, product engineering and executive management experience to FITTS.

In the early 1980’s, Steve was one of the first to deploy the vinyl plotter, CNC router and AutoCAD in the signage industry. In the late 1990’s, he was one of the first to implement 3D solid modeling within the signage industry. In 2015, FITTS was once again an innovator when we implemented the use of a point cloud scanner which captures the physical dimensions of a space and allows for the 3D modeling of custom products that integrate seamlessly into the scanned space. Steve was also instrumental in developing The Fitts Company’s proprietary web based project management system which allows us to effectively and efficiently manage projects.

Steve got his start in the signage business in 1980 as a founding partner of a sign company where he was employed until he founded FITTS. Steve has extensive knowledge of interior and exterior signage along with ATM buildings, kiosks and surrounds. His signage experience includes retail, hotels, business parks, financial institutions, industrial parks, medical and corporate office buildings.

Steve graduated from Clemson University in 1974 with high honors in civil engineering. He started his career with Columbian Nitrogen Corporation, a large chemical company located in Augusta, GA. He worked for Columbian Nitrogen for three years as a project and purchasing engineer before starting his first business.

Steve recently purchased a 450 acre ranch in St Matthews, SC with Rosemary, his wife of 45 years, where they spend as much time as possible with their three children and their families which include eight grandchildren. Steve and Rosemary also enjoy spending time at their second home located in Edisto Beach.

Rosemary Fitts is Co – Founder, (with her husband Steve Fitts) Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of The Fitts Company, Inc. Rosemary was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 1998 and became Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2002. As Chief Financial Officer, she is responsible for the financial operations, including all of FITTS financial planning and reporting, balance sheet management, audit, tax, and banking relations. Rosemary has been instrumental in developing the company into a nationally acclaimed solution based design and manufacturing company.

An industry innovator, Rosemary began her career in manufacturing over 30 years ago. During this time, she held several leadership positions within FITTS. As Plant Manager, she was responsible for implementing best practices within project management, production control, purchasing, material planning, quality control, shipping and receiving.

In the community, Rosemary designed and implemented several volunteer programs. These programs connect employers and parent-employees with the needs of the local schools and athletic programs. For instance, the “Parent in the Classroom” initiative allows company paid volunteer hours to parent-employees. Rosemary believes in the importance of parents being involved in their children’s school life. She is also an active supporter of domestic and international missions. Rosemary holds a Master’s degree with high honors in Christian Education from Columbia International University.

With all things considered, this South Carolina business owner, wife, mother, and grandmother deems her greatest accomplishment to be her family. Beyond the business – she is planning outings with her eight grandchildren, exercising her passion for music as a member of the worship team at church or on the banks of Edisto with her husband, Steve of 45 years.

Steven Fitts was appointed President of The Fitts Company, Inc. in June of 2006 and was appointed the position of COO August of 2015.

As President and COO, Steven provides day-to-day oversight of FITTS operations and leads a 12 member leadership team responsible for all of FITTS business lines, including manufacturing, product development, estimating, project management, installation, IT, and procurement.

Steven reports to his father, Steve Fitts, who is co-owner and CEO. Steven works closely with his father to help identify and create business opportunities that will ensure the continual growth of FITTS while sustaining the high level of customer service and quality products to our existing client base.

“Having the name of the company be your last name gives you a great feeling of pride, but an even greater feeling of responsibility. Being able to innovate and create some of the latest and greatest products in the industry could not be done without a great team. We will continue to create and innovate, but that comes second to growing our team of dedicated employees.”

Prior to joining FITTS, Steven played football for the Chicago Bears before a knee injury ended his career. In college, Steven was a 4-time lettermen at the University of Illinois where he was the starting punter. Steven ended his career as the greatest punter in Illinois history. He is most proud of being a part of the class that took Illinois from 114 in the country to number 8, winning the Big Ten Championship and having the opportunity to play in the BCS Sugar Bowl.

There is nothing like being a part of a team. It is truly a joy to have the opportunity to lead this team at FITTS. It is fun to be able to draw on some of the past experiences to help push and motivate the team. The thrill of going out and playing in front of 100,000+ fans is something that is a once in a lifetime experience. I feel fortunate that I am able to have that same feeling when I see our team at FITTS accomplishing things that previously seemed impossible. I have been a part of a lot of winning teams, but I am most proud of the team we have at FITTS, the accomplishments we have made, and the opportunities ahead of us.

Dee Dee Simmons began her employment at The Fitts Company in June of 2001 and has since proven to be a multi-faceted asset to the company. Her current role of Chief Marketing Officer combines the cumulative knowledge and experience of 17 years in various segments of the financial services industry which is a tremendous benefit to her customers.

After graduation from Clemson University in May 1999, Dee Dee pursued a career in the health and fitness industry before accepting a position as Graphic Designer with FITTS. Working with logos and implementing brand philosophy onto the proposed signage, she learned every detail from logo placement to color accuracy is important in maintaining brand integrity. As the company grew, she transitioned out of design and into a dual role of Graphics Manager and Project Management where her responsibilities included all aspects of managing a signage or ATM project: code research, scheduling surveying, working with graphics to create the necessary drawings, obtaining engineered drawings, filing for permits, creating proposals, developing rollout strategy, and ensuring installation ran as scheduled and in accordance to the budget. Dee Dee’s client base grew to include both regional financial institutions as well as two banks on the US Top 10 list. As growth of the company continued to expand so did her responsibilities to now include installation management of her projects. Valuable knowledge and insight was obtained during these years which serves her customers well as Program Manager. Dee Dee has the ability to look at a project in an all-encompassing view due to her past involvement in so many critical areas of the company. She understands the details required in order to have a project run smoothly and successfully.

Dee Dee resides in Chapin, SC with her husband, three daughters, and their cocker spaniel. Her greatest joys in life are times spent with family and friends. She enjoys life around the (water boating, swimming, scuba diving), trips to Disney World, mountain weekends, running, yoga, and learning new things. Dee Dee is actively involved serving her church family as a small group co-leader of both adults as well as middle and high school girls. Building a strong community is very important to her so she participates in and leads numerous efforts during the year assisting local food pantries, volunteering at area schools, attending events with a local orphanage, and organizing outings to local nursing homes to visit with the residents.

Christina Fitts Rucker serves as the lead Project Manager and Chief Relationship Officer at FITTS.  She  has over 17 years of experience within the company.  She began in 2000 as an office assistant, a position she maintained for two years part-time. She then began a full-time position in Design and Operations, using the Solid Edge 3D design program, as well as working with purchasing and estimating. In 2006, Christina transitioned into the role of Project Manager, managing several different accounts and working with customers to better understand their needs. Christina became EVP and Program Manager in 2008, which involves meeting regularly with FITTS executive members to discuss current company operations and future plans. During this time she also took on the role as Wells Fargo Senior Project Manager. She has managed the Wells Fargo account for 8 years.

Christina lives in West Columbia, SC with her husband and two children. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and is extremely active in their extra-curricular activities and school improvement boards.