A year after John Newland and his wife arrived in Athens, Ga., the computer software engineer found himself out of work. By coincidence, it was also a time when local building codes had changed, resulting in a flood of single-family residences going on the market. The Newlands bought one, rehabbed it, and re-sold it for a profit. That was 2005 and JOMA Construction was born.
Since then, the couple has lived in seven different houses, six of them they renovated and sold themselves. In 2008 and 2009 the operation took on another dimension, when Newland started renovating homes for other people. That is now JOMA Construction’s exclusive business.
Work orders have doubled in the last year and Newland has his hands full. He sells his company’s work and feels that “the jobs we get are the jobs we’re supposed to get.”
Takeaways
- Company proposals are a collaborative effort involving himself, project managers, and the client. They include lots of pictures and notes, plus plans in hand—either from outside designers or developed in-house—make for “a full-line item breakdown.”
- Trades are more and more in demand as the housing market has lifted and remodeling activity along with it. Prompt payment helps keep them aligned. “If you give us an invoice at 8AM on Friday, we will get you a check that day. We don’t hold up money even if the client holds up a check.”
- JOMA uses cloud-based Co-Construct software to streamline its ongoing design/process, keep clients updated on job progress and know where project managers and trades are at on any given day. That’s especially helpful because in a university town like Athens, which is also a medical center, the company frequently finds itself working with homeowners who aren’t in residence year round.
