10 Questions With Sarah Ruth Gilbert-Staley

A bad personal experience with a home contractor inspired her to start Ruth's HomeWorks four years ago.

BY DENISE NEIL

The Wichita Eagle

You can call her Sarah. You can call her Ruth. Or you can call her Sarah Ruth.

Sarah Ruth Gilbert-Staley, 41, the owner of Ruth's HomeWorks -- a local contractor referral business -- just wants you to call her.

A bad experience with a home contractor -- and a desire to find a better work/home balance -- inspired her to start her own business almost four years ago. Her purpose is to connect homeowners with qualified, trustworthy contractors willing and able to do remodeling, repair or handyman work.

She left her career as a print buyer and embraced her inner entrepreneur -- a decision she's now happy she made.

1. What's the hardest part of finding a contractor for the average person?

Most folks tell me they just don't know who to trust. Sometimes they'll hold onto lists of projects for years until they discover what I do. It can also be difficult to find talent to do repair work. Loads of companies quickly schedule new installations. But clients tell me a lot that repair projects are more difficult to get other contractors to respond to.

2. What type of home projects are your customers usually most interested in doing?

It's cyclical. This time of year, a lot of homeowners realize they need to begin the process for remodel projects. So I typically get calls for bathroom and kitchen remodels about now. Spring is the time lots of homeowners want their houses painted, too. In the fall, requests come in to install or repair windows, roofs and doors. For several months of my first year, I had requests to connect with electricians just about every day. The next year it was plumbers. I can't explain it. Hands down, the most common requests year round are handyman tasks and ceiling/drywall repairs.

3. How did you choose the name for your business?

My parents named me after their mothers. I've always been very close to my grandmothers. I even chose a college in their hometown and would skip frat parties to hang out with them. They were wonderful. I chose Ruth's because it's simple, one syllable.

4. Do female business owners face any special challenges?

I think women business owners tend to have to work harder at networking. We're prone to be hard workers, so to pull ourselves away from actually running the businesses and cutting lose on the golf course or setting aside time to attend business mixers or socials is a little out of grain for us.

5. Have you always been business-minded?

I've had the entrepreneurial spirit as long as I can remember. My sister played with baby dolls while I ran a pretend pet store with fluffy stuffed animals and a receipt book I'd bought with my own money.

6. What is your marital status? Children? Pets?

I'm single, with a wonderful son, Aidan, who is 11 ½. He's into war history, football, baseball, jumping on his trampoline and drawing. Sugar is our 10-year-old golden Lab. She's the most dedicated, protective dog I've ever had.

7. What do you like to do away from work?

I'm addicted to weightlifting. I'm in the gym as much as I can. I started working out when my son was 6 months old and haven't stopped! I recently discovered another addiction... bike riding. I trained all last summer then rode 150 miles to raise money for multiple sclerosis. I just signed up for Bike Across Kansas this June. Can't wait!

8. Where are you from? How long have you lived in Wichita?

I grew up in Charleston, W.Va., amidst the Appalachian mountains. Yes, I'm a mountain girl at heart. I've been in Wichita 16 years.

9. What was your first job? I bagged groceries in my grandfather's store and stamped prices on cans. My first paying job was taking care of the salad bar at a fast food chain in West Virginia. The polyester suit and hat, plus smelling like a big french fry at the end of every shift, convinced me even more to get my degrees!

10. What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now? Twenty? In 10 years, I'll be sitting on the front porch of my cabin in the mountains somewhere, putting on my hiking boots and enjoying the view while Aidan and his friends get the kayaks out for a river expedition. In 20 years, I hope to be living on the East Coast, bouncing my grandkids on my knee, surrounded by family.

Here are additional questions we asked Gilbert-Staley:

Who would play you in a movie? Julia Roberts. If she can pull off gritty "Erin Brockovich" and then a forward-thinking scholar in "Mona Lisa Smile," she can nail my character in a heartbeat.

Have you ever had a cool nickname? My family calls me "Rooster." It's a spin-off of "Ruth." It always brings a smile to my face. We're big on hugs, so usually I'd hear, "Hey Rooster!" right before a great big bear hug.

What was your favorite club or after-school activity in high school? I was in the co-op program. That meant I'd go to school half a day, then work the other half. My job was in Sears' accounting department. In junior high, I managed the girls' basketball and volleyball teams. I kept stats and traveled with the team. I liked that a lot.

What chore are you a real stickler about doing properly? Ironing. I love to iron. When I'd come home from college, my mom would have all her ironing saved up so I could do it. Even now, I'll get all the shirts and pants from our closets, set up the ironing board in the living room and put in a movie.

What store is your favorite place to shop? It's not exactly a store, but the Wichita River Festival Juried Arts & Crafts show. My mom is flying in this year, the second in a row, to go with me. She's my favorite person to shop crafts with. She has a great eye and an inquisitive mind.

What do you most enjoy about your job? Serving others and making a difference in their lives. One time, an 85-year-old client called to thank me for helping his 92-year-old lady friend get her refrigerator fixed by a trustworthy contractor from my network. That put me right up on cloud nine.

It tied with the day a retiree called with a plumbing emergency in the late afternoon. He didn't know who to call and didn't think a plumber would respond immediately to his needs anyway. I had a plumber there within the hour. The gentleman told me he was able to take a shower so he could treat his wife to dinner out for their 50th wedding anniversary! Now, that's making the kind of difference I want to make for others.

Where is one place you want to visit before you die? Italy. My heritage is from Palermo, Sicily, and Northern Italy. I want to visit the Vatican and go to Mass in old churches every day.

What is your favorite food? Scallops. Basically anything seafood. Hot Stone Korean Grill on North Rock has a delicious squid dish.

What area/neighborhood/landmark do you think best showcases Wichita? I like Chisholm Creek Park, but I'm a nature buff. I think the Epic Center and Friends University -- both lit up at night -- personify our city. Aidan and I experienced Broadview at Halloween for the first time. It reminded me of a much friendlier version of Mardi Gras. How wonderful to have such a homegrown, family event be a tradition here!

What is your television guilty pleasure? I read The Eagle, but -- believe it or not -- I don't watch TV. About 10 years ago, I decided to disconnect the cable. If I did have it, I would be glued to "Planet Earth" and reruns of Jacques Cousteau. I'm a sucker for animal and nature documentaries.

What is your favorite family recipe? Spaghetti sauce. When I was little, I'd watch my grandmother, Sarah, make it from scratch. Her measurement was her hand... a pinch of this, a palmful of that. Her meatballs were delicious! The first time I made her sauce and meatballs on my own, I made them from the memories of watching her all those years.

What's your favorite beverage? Regular Patron Margarita. On the rocks. Lots of salt.

What possession/product can you absolutely not do without? My Heno de Pravia soap. A girlfriend brought it back from her hometown, Madrid, Spain. The scent is subtle, calming and very sensual on the skin. Best of all, it doesn't have any detergents in it. But help, I'm down to only one bar!

What sport do you play regularly? None!

What Web site do you visit most frequently? I visit www.ruthshomeworks.com, of course! I'm always taking a peek to make sure it's current and to see what else could be added of value for my clients. Sometimes I have to pinch myself that this is really real.

If you could drive any car, which would it be? Cars really don't do much for me. I'm content to drive my Nissan. I've had great performance from Nissans. This is my fourth. As long as I'm driving one with a sunroof, Bose stereo and especially a stick shift, I'm content.

What is your closest brush with fame? I ran into Muhammad Ali in the Daytona, Ohio, airport one Christmas. I got his autograph. Wichita's very own artisan, Tom Otterness, called me for a connection to reliable contractors last year. And I went to church for years with Steven Tyler's aunt and uncle.

What are you passionate about? Whitewater rafting! I rafted the New River Gorge in West Virginia for the first time in college. Since then, I raft every time I'm there in the summer. I rafted the Green River in Colorado, too. I took my son kayaking recently. There just aren't words to describe the feeling of being out there, far from highways, cars, phones and airplanes. Ask me what it's like to be in the middle of the river in a kayak with your favorite person in the whole world and it starts pouring down rain... but make sure you have time to hear the answer. It was a little slice of heaven.

What is something no one in Wichita knows about you? Well, I was elected Miss Golden Bear my sophomore year of college. Came as a complete surprise. My whole family sat in the bleachers as they called the names for Runner-Up No. 3, Runner-Up No. 2, and then Miss Golden Bear 1986 was my name! It was an unforgettable moment, especially for me because I was such the dork in junior high and high school. My mom always told me, "Your day will come, sweetheart." And was she right!

What music do you like? Anything live. I saw Ray Charles, Clint Black, then Loretta Lynn at the Wichita Orpheum. I saw the Wichita Symphony only two weekends ago. I got to see Dave Matthews Band twice, then REM and later Aerosmith at the Sandstone Amphitheater in Bonner Springs. I even had a front-row seat to Pop & the Boys (featuring The Wichita Eagle's very own Dennis Hardin) recently.

So, what DO you prefer to be called? Sarah? Ruth? Or Sarah Ruth? I like them all! I will answer to any of them. I get asked this a lot by business acquaintances, contractors and clients. For the record, "Sarah" is just fine.

Reach Denise Neil at 316-268-6327 or at dneil@wichitaeagle.com.