Clients — nearly half of which are referrals — feel the same way. Says one remodeling client, “We’re big fans, and it’s not just the craftsmanship, it’s the way it’s delivered. We felt like family, and from the moment we moved in, it’s felt like home.” “You can’t get raves like that,” White says, “without an entire production staff dedicated to customer service.”
With nearly 50 people working on each job and four profit centers to focus on — maintenance, design, construction, and the cabinet shop, which takes up three-quarters of B&S’ 14,000-square-foot building —White makes it his business to streamline and systematize processes and procedures. “The complexity of our finished product necessitates a lot of coordination,” he says, adding that even estimates work as management tools. “They not only help us manage costs, but client expectations as well,” White says. “Our estimates actually drive the schedule of the cabinet shop. They’re created to be real, useful information.”
Even with 30 years of success, B&S continues to tinker with its business plan. “Geno drove this business into the spec-house market when the remodeling market hit a soft wall,” White notes. “We’re expecting the spec work to fill in about 20% of our revenue stream this year. Without our ability to change direction, this organization would be dead in the water.”
Stacey Freed is a senior editor for REMODELING.