2012 Top 500 Remodelers Respond

3. The single biggest change in how we do business is the level of detail that we offer in all of our business whether it is our accounting, project management, hiring, attention to branding/image, and workmanship.  We truly are more detailed in all facets of the business.

5. Prior to the changes in 08’, I sensed that I needed to create an avenue for smaller jobs that were not necessarily luxury based.  This led to a new brand called L J Huseby & Company that markets itself as an exterior renovation specialist.  The new company also offers a maintenance plan that opens doors for many smaller projects.  People will always have rotten wood and need repairs on their homes.  This new brand is complementary to our activities at Huseby Homes.  The two companies provide referrals to each other and benefit from the lessons learned in each arena.

Another opportunity is to hire good employees.  If you are able to secure the enough work, there are many great carpenters and other craftsmen available for hire that would not otherwise be available.  On the same note, our trade partners appreciate us more than ever.

6. Our business is deeper in each area, whether it is the sales process, estimating detail, marketing efforts, branding, production, or the way we manage jobs financially.  In short, we are simply better than we were because we are not willing to decline and will thrive.    We have also reached out to more consultants such as RA, Judith Miller, sales coach Craig Deimlar, and David Lupberger.  We are also very proud of our presence in our area and we have a lot of mojo!

#123

Jackson Design and Remodeling

San Diego

1. The remodeling business has changed in that consumers are much more savvy and well informed. Their money needs to go farther. We create a project within their budget and then give them options to meet their final desire. We find  that success is in store for design build firms. Consumers want a unified team of designers, architects and construction professionals all under one roof for ease, communication and cost. They enjoy having one firm with the same vision.

2. As a remodeler that has grown, we feel it was important to not stray from our core business model. Also a commitment to market and tighten up policies and systems for efficiencies and surround ourselves with long term industry partners.

5. The changing market conditions gave us time to focus and assess what we could do better. We gained market share and even purchased assets of other companies.

6. JDR’s commitment to communication is the key to our success. Established in 2011, we created a CRM (we like to call this a Communication Relationship Management instead of Client Relationship Management) system. This custom designed CRM is not only the pinnacle of departmental interaction and client communication but also is a one-stop shop universal location for employee HR needs and company announcements. Along with streamlining communication, it has also provided better productivity and has given us back hundreds of hours to devote to things that matter.

#452

Michael & Robin Baine

Baine Contracting, Inc.

Brick, N.J.

1. The remodeling industry has definitely changed - the economy, social media, communication, knowledge at homeowner's finger tips, home builders now remodeling - just to name a few.    We feel that moving forward you have to be sensitive to the changes and adjust your business accordingly so that people want to work with you.  We have so many living generations now, that you need to tweak your presentations, marketing, communication styles to accommodate them and moving into the future it will be very important to incorporate this into sales, project management and final product for our companies. 

2. We actually had one of our best years in 2010 and that is because we become creative with our marketing and jumped into social media as a way to reach out and have a internet presence.  This enabled us to stay in current customers’ minds as well as tap into our past customers for referrals and relationship building. 

3. We have had to reinvent how we obtain leads and market our company.   Our most significant change was keeping in touch regularly with our past customers via mailings, telephone calls and social media.