Ventana Construction’s work takes place primarily in a neighborhood of 100,000 situated on a peninsula in Seattle. Most work comes from referrals sent by satisfied clients, as well as architects. “We like the clarity of an architect’s point of view,” Clarence says, “as well as the contractor’s point of view, completely separate from our clients. It’s a more organic process.”
To keep in touch with past clients, the company throws annual holiday parties at the office. While enjoying catered food, clients can reconnect with the lead carpenters who ran their jobs and meet other Ventana staff.
Ventana also generates a fair amount of business via Houzz, where Anne pens stories about company projects and remodeling in general. Several of her articles have ended up on Forbes’ website. One such article even generated 250,000 reads.
Takeaways
- For the past three years, the company has thrown a catered party at the office after Thanksgiving. Clients can reconnect with the lead carpenters who ran their jobs and meet the Ventana staff. “It’s a relatively inexpensive thing to do,” Anne says. “It keeps us top-of-mind with everybody."
- The team maintains top-of-mind awareness with an annual holiday card featuring photos of the company’s larger projects from the previous year.
- Ventana also sponsors a food bank; a theater; and West Side Baby, a social service agency that distributes free clothes, books, and toys to local children.
- The staff tracks the managing stage via BuilderTrend.
- Payment-wise, the company bills weekly for time and materials, including a percent completion with every invoice so clients are aware of the total running cost of their project.
- A company representative checks back with clients via email after job completion at three month intervals to make sure everything is working out.
