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Coach, salesman extraordinaire, industry statesman, And to knowing how to manage large, high-quality jobs -- his 45-employee company does about 50 remodels a year, worth $4 million.Klein shares his hard-won business mettle through a lifetime of service to the Remodelors Council, the NAHB, and its...
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For every 10 parties who are interested in purchasing our handyman franchise, we find that only one or two are appropriate," Mark Richardson says. "You have to have the staying power to let the baby get out of its diapers," Richardson says.
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If life goes according to business plan, an Owens Corning basement finishing system franchise will be Gary Eichhorst's ticket to future retirement. "Once I get it developed the way I want, it will give me an exit strategy because it will have proven revenues year after year."
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In 1990, Don Strong started Brothers Strong, a house painting company, with his son Michael, in Houston. For Dennis Gehman of the $2.5 million design/build firm Gehman Custom Builder in Harleysville, Pa., the ideal annual growth rate is 20%.
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By Christopher Walker. A study by New York market research firm Scarborough Research this year found that individuals who use the Internet extensively to research and to shop are 19% more likely than the norm to begin a home improvement project.
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By Christopher Walker. that figure to attendees at the NAHB Spring board meeting in June. The Center for Responsive Politics, citing Federal Election Commission data released on June 3, reports that 63% of the NAHB's contributions went to Republicans and 37% went to Democrats.
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Whirlpool tub manufacturers Jacuzzi, Kohler, and Lasco are the defendants in a class-action lawsuit that charges their tubs persistently spew residue from their jets, denying the tub owners the bathing experience they paid for. The suit, filed by Waco, Texas, attorney John Malesovas, claims the...
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By Christopher Walker. A handful of school districts across the country are partnering with local construction firms and unions to create the next generation of vo-tech schools for high school students. A union-run vo-tech charter in Toledo, Ohio, closed last year because of lack of enrollment, but...
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Here are some tips on how to avoid sending mixed signals with your Web site and materials.
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Dave Bryan of Blackdog Builders, Salem, Mass., wants to more than double the size of his $4 million company in the next several years. --Victoria Downing is president of Remodelers Advantage, Fulton, Md. (301) 490-5620, victoria@remodelersadvantage.com.
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To usher in 2002, Mueller Nicholls sent 5,000, 8-inch-long, 13-ounce 2x4s to 5,000 former clients, prospects, architects, and vendors -- nearly two tons of Douglas fir in all."At $2 apiece to have them milled, printed, shrink-wrapped, labeled, and mailed, Nicholls figured the blocks for solid...
Convince Mike Brunswick, senior producer at Brunswick Media, that your project will dramatically transform the house and that the story behind the remodel is captivating, and you may get the chance to have your work shown to HGTV's 75 million households in three, 21-minute segments. HGTV contracted...
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Companies that depend on repeat and referral leads for business need to know how clients feel about their project -- and the process. That's why, earlier this year, Dave Brady, owner of Oak Design amp; Construction, Oak Park, Ill., rewrote his company's client satisfaction survey.
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By Mark Richardson. It may not be there today but, due to reasons beyond your control, it could pop up tomorrow, and you may find yourself liable for remediation and repair. --Mark Richardson is president of Case Design/Remodeling, Bethesda, Md., (301) 229-4600, mrichardson@casedesign.com.
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The owner of J.R. LeFaivre Construction, Taneytown, Md., has subcontractors he uses regularly. So when a roofing contractor (with licenses and insurance) walked in his office looking for work, LeFaivre was noncommittal. This was a big mistake.
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By Jim Cory. When you tear up the bathroom floor and find mold, it's tempting to just ignore it. But unless you identify the point where water enters or the source of excess humidity -- two common reasons mold grows -- simply repairing and replacing the floor leaves the homeowner uninformed and the...