What do you do when you tire of being a nuclear engineer? Mark Benzel (center) became a remodeler. He learned the trades hands-on, running his own small company for 10 years, then learned more about estimating, costing, and handling big jobs while working for a larger remodeling company. In 2000, he was contacted by Eric Holloway (fourth from left), a former client, who wanted to diversify his commercial furniture installation business.
The pair set up a high-end remodeling company and drew many employees from Holloway's work-force. They nearly doubled their first year goal of $500,000 and have been growing ever since. Benzel and the Holloways have a teamwork approach: Holloway manages the back office side, sharing personnel with his several other small businesses; his cousin Dan Holloway (fifth from left), the other principal owner, manages client relationships; and Benzel, as general manager, manages the design and construction side.
This system has allowed them to build a strong company, completing high-quality projects, with satisfied clients. During the past year, SCD has also begun doing in-house spec remodels of high-end houses.