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Issue link: https://qualifiedremodeler.epubxp.com/i/293310
In a wide- ranging exchange, four remodelers share their views about post-recession survival, subcontractor quality, pleasing the client and the importance of dust collection A s a means to seek and share different ideas and insights for today's remod- e l i n g i n d u s t r y, Lebanon, Ind.-based Festool USA continues to host a series of round table discussions with successful remodelers from around the country. Moderated by Festool's vice president of marketing Michael Williams, the most recent conversa- tion included: Andrew Gregor of CG&H; Builders in Celina, Ohio; Brian Drumm of Drumm & Associates in North Wales, Pa.; David West of Meadowview Construction in Hamilton, Mass.; and Anthony Schwaller of Paceline Construction in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Powered by Festool and published by Qualified Remodeler, we hope you find this discussion infor- mative, insightful and useful. M i c h a e l W i l l i a m s : Gentlemen, thanks a lot for joining us. I suppose I'll start by asking about this last reces- sion. How have your roles as company owners changed? How did you get through this? Andrew Gregor: As the recession rolled in, in 2008 and 2009 particularly, it was really slow and desolate for both new construction and remodeling. We weren't bringing much part- time help in. We were only doing one or two little jobs, and we were happy to have those. Brian Drumm: We're prob- ably in the same position as Andrew. We found ourselves, in the last couple years, tak- ing just about everything that came in the door, even down to handyman work here and there, because it was a foot in the door to look around a home, and be able to talk with the people a lit- tle more, find out if they needed anything further. AG: Brian, did some of those handyman jobs lead to a bath- room, kitchen or basement remodel that they had wanted to do for three to four years, but had put off due to the economy? BD: Exactly. A few years down the line and a lot of these clients are feeling a little more comfortable about spending money, so they call us to do larger remodels. It turned out to be worth our while. Anthony Schwaller: I focused on the business to dif- ferentiate myself. Rather than taking everything that came our way, I really tried to go back to my past clientele and let them know we'd be more than happy to do any small work they need- ed. But, more importantly, we keep a small office that operates 40 hours a week with an admin- istrator. I think working on the business at that time is what really kept us afloat. Meanwhile, some of the smaller contractors weren't able to get enough work flow to keep the income coming. AG: I think really what you're saying is, it isn't just advertising dollars, but it's networking. MW: Could you talk a little about the quality of subcontrac- tors compared to regular employ- ees? How high is their quality and how dedicated are they? David West: We weren't the type of company to hire a kid out of school and train him to be an amazing carpenter. We started out with highly skilled guys, and we groomed them to fit our way of doing things. That's not something that is easy to replace, and I think it's very difficult to get somebody to buy in, have that company loyalty and have my back like I would if I was an employee. AG: I agree; it's hard to convey that through any sub. There are certain things that you care about and attention to detail that only you give, and you can probably convey that through an employee a lot better than a sub on some of that stuff. BD: We've had some pretty good luck over the years with subcontractors, but it definitely has been a process finding the right guys. MW: And how do you find them? How do you gauge some- one when you're hiring? BD: It's a tough thing. A lot of times I've used the subs either on an existing client, or I've used some of them on my own house, to see how they work first and try them out before I turn them loose on anything. AS: As far as qualifying them in terms of their abilities at work, you know, per skill level and cleanliness, I ask them ques- tions about some of the dust extraction that we use. I say, "Are you familiar with using ZipWalls or certain hand tools?" And when it comes to installa- tions and certain procedures, I'll ask them, "Have you ever used such-and-such implement before?" You can usually feel right away if they actually have that experience or not. AG: Modesty is a big key. If they come out of the gate with a bunch of stories about how well they do stuff, and they're the best in their business. They've been doing this for 20 years and that they don't need to be taught anything, then most generally those are the guys that are full of it, and you can run away from them. You want confidence, but you don't want arrogance. 42 April 2014 QR ForResidentialPros.com PROFITS: Business Solutions QUR_42-43_Festool414.indd 42 3/28/14 10:32 AM