Miami is a tough place to do licensed construction, and Alta Home Remodeling owner Moises Montanez knows it. With ever-tightening codes and serious licensing enforcement following the hurricanes in the ‘90s, licensed contractors can gain an edge by knowing the system. “Inspectors are always out looking for things done without a permit, or incorrectly,”  Montanez says. 

Though the company started out subcontracting and installing other remodelers’ kitchen and bath projects, it now does in excess of a dozen full-on remodels a year. The company also works with two architects, one north and the other south of the Broward County line. Today, Alta generates about 40% of its clients from referrals through Business Networks International as one of only 10 general contractors in the 30 BNI chapters located in South Florida.

Takeaways

  • Generates a big portion of its business—about 40%—from referrals through Business Networks International, being one of only 10 general contractors in the 30 BNI chapters located in South Florida.
  • Currently implementing “a trial version” of UDA construction software, which automatically generates a proposal from estimating information, including a work order and a schedule of installation.
  • Developed an aggressive way to market handyman work by compiling a Honey Do list for clients and sending crews out for eight hours at a time, charging a flat rate to do everything from caulk baseboards, change garbage disposals, change out trim around a door. “We pushed it hard from 2009 to 2012,” Montanez says. “We did things a handyman couldn’t do and we’d go and pull a permit.” The company still offers that service “but we don’t promote it.”
  • This year, as part of the company growth plan, ALTA is set to launch a division that aims to win some set-aside contracts in government facilities, once the company has been certified as owned by a disabled veteran. (Note: Montanez suffered a collapsed lung and hearing loss while in the military.) The plan, Montanez says, is “to take small projects that are prime” as a way to gain experience and build relationships for further, larger projects.