A new industry association, North American Contractors and Remodelers Association (NACRA), is offering contractors a low-cost membership and hopes to generate leads for its members. Founder Spencer Smartt, a general contractor in Dallas, says that the association’s goal is to help organize and educate small contractors who, he says, are less likely to join more established or larger organizations. “It’s put together by contractors, for contractors, for the benefit of contractors,” Smartt says.
The NACRA’s annual fee is $25, but there is currently a $100 charter membership for those who opt to help fund the initial launch of the organization. Another key issue facing the industry is affordable lead generation, Smartt says. The association’s lead-generation plan involves charging homeowners a $25 fee to get responses/bids from three association members. The member that wins the bid then refunds the client’s $25 fee. The association will use funds from this lead-gen plan to benefit its members and generate more leads.
Smartt created a basic outline of a constitution for the NACRA, which is available to members so they can make comments and recommendations. The association’s acting president is Bob Jaskiewicz and acting chairman is Paul Lesieur, both practicing remodelers. The association currently has directors in New Jersey, Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri, and is interested in expanding to markets nationwide. For more information on the association, visit Lesieur’s website, RemodelCrazy.com.
—Nina Patel, senior editor, REMODELING.
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