The year 1989 was significant for Garett Radke. He was named Big50, went through a divorce, and took a trip that would change his life. He was running a $500,000 design/build company with three employees when he went on vacation to the Caribbean island of Nevis.
After 42 years in the northwest Chicago suburb of Niles, Ill., LaPelusa Home Improvement (Big50 1992) could lay claim to any chunk of the sprawling Chicagoland market. But the company's target audience is within a two-mile radius of its office and showroom.
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What, specifically, do you do with information received from customer satisfaction surveys?
The past five years have been rough, admits Bill Connor (Big50 1990) of Connor & Co., Indianapolis.
Vailes Brothers (Big50 1997), in Fishersville, Va., conducts customer surveys for several reasons. First, the “quality audit” gives the company a chance to immediately address any issues. Robert Vailes says the firm relies on past clients for future leads, so making sure they have a positive...
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What do you do to ensure that subs show up on time and communicate with on-site supervisors?
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When Ken Whyrick was named Big50 in 1988, the Nebraska remodeler had been going strong for eight years and would continue for 10 more.
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So far this year, 52% of Tom Poulin's volume has come from past clients or their referrals. The president of Poulin Design Remodeling, in Albuquerque, N.M., says that is typical for his company. And high on the list of reasons why? The two-year warranty Poulin offers on all the company's work.
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How do you respond when prospects or clients ask what your markup is?
Max Isley, named Big50 in 2000, can remember the exact moment he knew he had burned out.