Using real-world examples, Victoria Downing offers pointers for running productive meetings. More
Remodeler opens a new location with a tight budget and minimal staffing and waits to see if the investment will pay off. More
Ed Lane had run a successful remodeling company for 20 years before he hammered out an effective bonus plan for his project managers. The breakthrough idea, suggested by his production manager and finessed over a period of months, was to focus on actual job costs, rewarding project managers for each job they completed on budget. More
Training yourself, your managers, and your field crews will turn your chaotic circus into a well-orchestrated troop. More
Remodeler: Jess Arroyo Company: JFCI Design & Remodel, Boise, Idaho Product: DuPont Tyvek FlexWrap, www.tyvek.com. When DuPont introduced Tyvek FlexWrap window and door flashing, JFCI readily switched. More
Stephen Howell, owner of Howell Design & Build, North Andover, Mass., remembers what it was like when he founded his company six years ago. "I don't know a bonus system that exists that doesn't have the potential to be interpreted as unfair," says David Bryan, owner of Blackdog Builders, Salem, N.H., whose four-year-old bonus system based on gross profit distributes rewards to field crews for productivity. More
