Hank Wall

Wood Wise Design & Remodeling, Raleigh, NC

Award category: Teamwork
Speciality: Design/build remodeling
18 years in business
2008 volume: $2.6 million
Staff: 6 office, 7 field
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Credit: Tom Edwards

Some say, “those who can, do; those who cannot, teach.” Hank Wall does both. Early in his career, Wall taught at Yestermorrow construction school. He moved to Raleigh in 1990, leveraging a strong economy and a hand-picked staff.

“In addition to carpentry skills, we look for family guys who you feel good about having in peoples’ houses,” Wall says. “We also find that the more experienced guys tend to make better decisions, so the field staff is a little older.” In the office, younger staffers “are self-motivated and just eat up work,” Wall says. “We really learn a lot from each other.”

And Wall hasn’t stopped learning about business. Industry involvement and local home shows haveWood Wise Design & Remodeling well-positioned for 2009.

 - Lauren Hunter