Randy Winter holds eight licenses in the state of California. Not bad for a guy who got into remodeling nearly 40 years ago as a salesperson. His company, he says, survived the recession because of his experience and that expertise.

• Winter keeps customers happy by being on the jobsite at least once a day. “I make sure the customer gets my attention,” he says. “They paid me for it, and they get it.” Recently, for instance, he stopped a bathroom tiling job before it was grouted and had an employee redo it.

• If the job is stopped for any reason, R.G. Winter always has an employee visit the site at least once a day.

• The company does many kitchen and bath remodels. In bath remodels, Winter says he often — with the customer’s permission — relocates shower faucet handles outside of the shower “so you can turn the faucet on without getting your arm wet.”