Remodelers move away from traditional print marketing to opportunities for in-person meet-and-greets. More
Although there are no hard statistics announcing a substance abuse problem in the remodeling industry specifically, the construction industry's issues with it have been documented and widely reported. With concerns about liability, client and worker safety, and lost revenue, many remodelers are turning to drug screening. More
As the market softened in the second half of 2007, Jerry Liu, president of D.G. Liu Contractor, in Dickerson, Md., saw the company's leads slow dramatically. Liu knew the company had to change its marketing approach to pump up the lead flow, which would feed production needs. More
Hundreds of thousands of construction jobs will be created in the U.S. during the next several years. Many remodelers are beginning to wonder whether they'll be able to fill even a few of those positions with the kinds of employees they feel comfortable sending into clients' homes. More
A well-planned training program gets apprentices up to speed. More
We'll address finite solutions to the remodeling workforce in the February issue of REMODELING. In the meantime, we asked some of our sources to think big. Here's some of what they had to say. More
Jody Kenote took up framing at the age of 14, sharpened his carpentry skills in vo-tech school, and worked for a handful of companies before joining DG Liu Contractor, Dickerson, Md., in 1997. He was 31 and “a framing Yoda,” says his boss Jerry Liu, who quickly promoted him to lead carpenter. More
Rodney Webb isn't your typical home improvement salesman. He boasts a 91% close rate. He has sold $3.6 million of replacement windows and siding in a single year. He's also black, and that sets him apart in the industry almost as much as his varied work history and remarkable accomplishments as a salesman. People may have come a long way toward accepting different ethnicities, but minorities still face discrimination and additional challenges in the remodeling industry. More
Each of these employees has been given a certain amount of autonomy by the company owner; each has backup and support from colleagues; each has had training and experience in his or her field, which can be passed on to others; and each buys into the company's culture and vision. More
