Recently named the foreclosure capital of America, Merced County has tested John Price’s mettle as a business owner. The company has taken on almost any residential, handyman, commercial, and government work to keep operating. “It could be discouraging and I could become a pessimist, but I try to see it another way,” he says. “Our goal is to still be in business next year. And we’re being proactive to engage in new practices to see that come true.”

With an office and a warehouse, and solid infrastructure, Price, who has been in the construction industry for 30 years, knows ACD’s value lies in more than just its assets and reputation. He keeps in touch with former clients, uses social media to increase visibility, and is also working with a local college to sponsor a prize for its business society to create a marketing plan for ACD.

Price (left, with son Byron Price, a site supervisor) uses his downtime to hone systems, keep job descriptions up to date, and learn new things. “I don’t want to assume I know anything anymore,” he says. “Every day I get taught what I don’t know.”

Best Practices

  • 2009 Winner of a regional Contractor of the Year (COTY) award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). 
  • 2008 Named Small Business of the Year by the city of Merced. 
  • Has won numerous Chrysalis awards, including a 2008 “Image of Industry” award. 
  • Was a 2002 Western Region Remodeler of the Year. 
  • Member of NARI and president of the Central California chapter. 
  • President of the local builders exchange.

 Goal: company adoption of a regular charity.

- Stacey Freed