When Stephen Howell's neighbor asked him whether he'd ever considered starting a construction company, Howell replied that he didn't want to wreck a hobby by turning it into a business. "We really stress mentoring and try to have the leads mentor the production carpenters." 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
Stephen Howell of Howell Design & Build, North Andover, Mass., found a great carpenter's helper through one of his customers. The client's son was interested in the construction field, and Howell agreed to have the teen work for him over the summer. More
Many companies survey clients at the end of a project, but Stephen Howell of Howell Design & Build, North Andover, Mass., takes follow-through to another level. More
