From the day it was founded in 1988, VB Contractors (Big50 2006) was a 50-50 partnership between Chancey Walker III (far right) and his son-in-law, Chris Ettel (second from right) ó until a couple of years ago, when they saw the opportunity to bring on two new owners. More
Until recently, roughly 90% of The Lykos Group's work was done on condominiums, according to company president Tom Lykos. That changed, he says, when the condo market ó like new homes ó started its sharp decline. So he began focusing on marketing to the single-family segment. More
Remodeling activity fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the outlook for the first quarter of 2008 is worse. More
Legislation passed last month in the District of Columbia mandating paid leave for employees has some business owners up in arms, but their colleagues in California say it's nothing to get sick over. More
The sluggish remodeling market hasn't hit Curb Appeal Renovations, in Keller, Texas. More
Like many across the country, the once-booming Northern Virginia remodeling market has hit a rough patch. And though Bob Benedict, president of Northwood Construction, in Sterling, says he hasn't had any potential clients back out of their scheduled projects, he has noticed that they seem to be in less of a hurry to break ground. More
John Hanson says he doesn't necessarily ascribe Hanson General Contracting's recent cash flow problems to an economic slowdown, but it's a decent bet that the two are related. More
Recent legislation in Illinois and New Jersey places new emphasis on proper classification of construction employees in those states. The impact of these new laws on remodelers could be as major as a complete restructuring for some companies, and as minor as a clerical inconvenience for others. More
How do remodelers measure their companies' financial performance? More
Final tallies on the destruction due to October's wildfires in Southern California were not available as of press time, but estimates in early November ranged from 1,500 to 2,500 homes destroyed, with more than a half-million acres burned. More
