As the bid turns.

It is amazing how nice weather changes things. We had things pretty busy early in the year only to have the cold snap put a damper on the calls. Things stayed slow until just recently. I think the word is getting out that we are in a position with the recent hires we have done, our start times are greatly reduced. Tony is always looking for just the right people to round out our team. After talking with him  he thinks we definitely have the right people in the right positions to make us an unstoppable force in the universe of remodeling.

We have been bidding some great projects! Katey has made some great drawings which make it easy for the client to see the project come to life. This is great because you can explain things a million different ways and still not get the idea across as good as a picture. With a 3D walk through a client can easily see what the new concept will look like, right down to the wood and counter top. That is one of the coolest things I have seen to date.

If you have something to bid or have drawn call us and have Slade and Katey show you what could be!

Growing by Leaps and Bounds

Wow! Busy times in the HR department lately. We have added three new people within the last three weeks. Had a great young man named John come to us from another contractor. He is very green but very eager to learn. We love a go getter and so it was a no brainer to snap this kid up and teach him a thing or two. After a couple weeks he is doing great, and the guys love working with him.... over all a win/win!

Next up, our long awaited Interior Designer Katey Fortun. Katey just graduated from Stout a couple weeks ago and started with us last wednesday. Let me tell you, she is another eager beaver! She got thrown right into a project and within a realitivly short amount of time she had it knocked out of the park! Way to Go Katey, glad to have you with us.

Last but not least we have an intern this summer who is a senior at UW Platteville. He is majoring in Building Construction Management and will be assisting HL and Slade with the estimating. We are thrilled to have him on board.

With these additions to our team we will most certainly be able to  make your commercial or residential dreams come true!

Big 50 Q and A

Big50 Fact Sheet

 

What is the Big50?

Started by Hanley Wood’s Remodeling Magazine in 1986, the Big50 were originally identified as the 50 remodelers running the biggest remodeling firms in the 50 metro areas with the most residential remodeling. The foundation of the award was that each company must have a stellar reputation, do quality work, and exhibit the professionalism needed to counter the industry’s long-tarnished image. Key to success was customer satisfaction.

How has the Big50 changed?

Although it’s still focused on those same principles, in its second year, Remodeling’s Big50 began recognizing contractors who ran smaller, well-run businesses. The magazine’s editors slotted recipients into categories of business and industry excellence, such as teamwork and industry impact. That’s still the case today, as the magazine focuses on the owners of the best-run companies that have a tight control on costs, know how to target work, and do good, quality remodeling, with honesty and integrity. By 1990, the awards program had become firmly established as the remodeling industry’s Hall of Fame.

What are the criteria today and how are they set?

Remodeling’s editorial staff sets the criteria, based on longevity, profitability, and firm commitment to customer service and best practice standards.

How many people have been named to the Big50?

Some 1,785 individuals in 1,237 companies, in all states and the District of Columbia (except Mississippi and Wyoming) – and even Canada -- have been named to the Big50. This is a small percentage of the industry, which has more than 62,000 remodeling firms with payrolls. The reason these numbers aren’t even multiples of 50 is because before standards were tightened, a few owners won more than once, as did accomplished non-owners from previously named companies. Today, all individual owners get named to the award. With few exceptions, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime honor. The state with the most Big50 companies is California (128), followed by Maryland (78) and Pennsylvania (66).

How are companies nominated?

Remodeling editors, columnists, and industry leaders – including those at the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Association of Home Builders Remodelers – make the nominations. We also ask remodelers to nominate themselves or their peers, by filling out a form available at www.remodelingmag.com. Once individuals and their companies are in Remodeling Magazine’s database, they remain there until a determination is made to name them to the Big50.

How are companies selected for the honor?

Each year, Remodeling editors interview people at the nominated companies, and often talk to competitors, suppliers, and subcontractors. Also weighing into the decision are multiple nominations for a single company, geography, longevity, profitability, and best practice standards. After research is finished, Remodeling’s editors select the 50 remodelers who exemplify the very best of the industry that year, and who have something to offer other remodelers in proven practices. Winners are put in some or all of the following categories:

• Business Savvy: Remodelers with especially effective, established business systems.
• Fine Design: Remodelers with high aesthetic standards for their projects.
• Industry Impact: Remodelers who have taken active leadership roles in industry-building activities.
• Market Wise: Remodelers who have built their business around a keen understanding of their markets.
• Movers & Shakers: Owners of larger remodeling companies that aggressively expand market share while maintaining service standards.
• Niches: Remodelers who have built successful companies serving an easily overlooked but profitable corner of the market.
• Sales & Marketing: Remodelers with effective systems for obtaining leads and closing sales.
• Teamwork: Owners of remodeling companies whose personnel work together effectively to achieve more than the sum of their individual work.

Is there a customer service component of the award?

The 2009 Big50 launched the debut of the Big50 Service Excellence Award. Created in partnership with GuildQuality, this award recognizes Big50s that deliver a consistently exceptional customer experience. GuildQuality surveyed more than 5,000 customers of Big50 candidates who elected to be considered for the 2012 Service Excellence Award. Virtually all of these who were selected for Big50 scored high in customer surveys, but six in particular were singled out for delivering service of the highest standard.

How does Big50 live on past the May awards ceremony?

Winning individuals see Big50 as a graduation of sorts, and each spring many of them return to the Washington, D.C. area to celebrate and learn from incoming Big50s at the Remodeling Leadership Conference (www.remodelingconf.com). The conference also helps Big50 contractors build strong relationships with national manufacturers. It’s been called the highest level of remodeling education in the industry. Conference-goers appreciate how the gathering brings business perspectives from outside the industry and applies them to remodeling.

How does Big50 help the companies selected?

Remodelers see their Big50 honor as an objective, third-party endorsement for their business. Their clients enjoy doing business with a notable firm. And the award helps to differentiate their company as the best in the business. The award also helps them recruit employees, as good people like to work with industry leaders. And remodelers frequently use the honor to help build an employee culture focused on quality and customer commitment. It’s not uncommon to go on a jobsite of a Big50 contractor and find the Big50 logo on company shirts, jackets, and caps. Clearly, Big50 is a badge of honor and respect.

How does the Big50 help the remodeling industry?

Big50 has become a community of top-notch remodelers, who are always willing to learn to improve their systems, and ultimately, to better serve the public. A section in Remodeling Magazine each month shares their best practices with other remodelers seeking to reach the same benchmarks of performance and integrity. In the end, the name “Big50” is a misnomer, since the awards have little to do with company size. The award recognizes excellence and leadership, and the individuals who belong to this select group set the vision for the entire industry.

 

For other questions, refer press contacts to Sal Alfano, Editorial Director, Remodeling, (202) 736-3359.

Big 50 is Big News

Wow, what a humbling and exhilarating thing to go through. Empire Development and Construction was named to the 2012 Class of the Big 50. Our thanks to everyone who made this possible.

Here is the Press release..... Great info.

TONY SZAK Honored With Big50 Award

ONALASKA, WI – MAY 14, 2012 –TONY SZAK, owner of EMPIRE DEVELOPMENT & CONSTRUCTION, has been selected by Remodeling magazine to join the Remodeling Big50. The Big50 awards were presented at a gala dinner at the Remodeling Leadership Conference in Baltimore, MD on May 11, 2012. The 2012 Big50 winners are featured in the May issue of Remodeling, a national trade publication read by more than 80,000 professional remodeling contractors.

Each year since 1986, the Remodeling Big50 inducts 50 owners of remodeling companies that have set exceptionally high standards for professionalism and integrity through exemplary business practices, craftsmanship, and impact in their community or the industry at large. Big50 remodelers run successful, often growing, companies of various sizes that have taken the lead in raising industry standards.

The Big50 selection process has become increasingly rigorous in recent years, and the result, Remodeling editors believe, is one of the strongest classes to date. All 2012 inductees “stood up to detailed examinations of their businesses and their books, and they all demonstrated an admirably deft ability to restructure, retrench, and flat-out hustle to remain viable in a challenging economic climate,” according to Remodeling.

“We are very honored to receive this distinction,” says TONY SZAK, OWNER of EMPIRE DEVELOPMENT & CONSTRUCTION. “The award recognizes excellence and leadership, and we are privileged to be named to this select group of remodelers.”

Remodeling editors, columnists, industry leaders, and the companies themselves make the nominations each year.  Following a lengthy evaluation and interview process, the editors select the 50 individuals who exemplify the best of the industry that year, and who have something to offer other remodelers in proven practices. Winners are selected in these categories: business savvy, fine design, industry impact, market wise, movers & shakers, niches, sales & marketing, and teamwork. TONY SZAK was selected for the category of NICHES.

Remodeling, published by Hanley Wood, LLC, is the leading publication in the home improvement industry. Designed to address the specific concerns of residential remodeling pros, the magazine is both a business tool and an industry leader for a market that reached $278 billion in 2011.

Busy time in the old town.

Last week was the first week of truly nice weather and you could tell. The phone had been ringing periodically but really started ringing again like crazy with this weather turning. Seems that when the weather turns nice for the long haul is when the estimates double. While the weather pattern in  La Crosse has been quiet Blair and North Arcadia got completely beaten up by a strong storm on the 30th. We have received some calls from Blair and are quite possibly some work for a life long friend I have in Arcadia. We got together as a group and drove through Blair and checked out the damage first hand. You wouldn't believe it if I told you about it. The west side of every house is stripped clean. There is not one place except for Kwik Trip that was not touched by the wind and hail. We are currently estimating as quickly as possible. If you have anyone in that area that needs an estimate call them up and have them give us a jingle. Slade will get them taken care of and if they mention you referred them you will get a 50.00 gift card if they sign a contract! Check out this pic!

1 show down.

Ok, so the first home show is down and in the books. We got some solid leads. People around us were saying that it was a slow year.  I can tell you from experience that we were busy most of the time. It was the first year I have had to work the show and I can say it was fun. Lots of people around to talk to and most were very friendly. Now to get ready for the next show at the la crosse center. Come on down and see us on March 23-25th.

See you there.

Long time no post

Wow almost a year???? well lets fill you in. We have had a tornado in may that ripped up the south side. After narrowly missing it by a couple blocks at my house the city got back to picking up the pieces. We were fortunate no one was killed, only slight injuries.

The damage created by it kept us busy roofing and siding all summer, fall, and part of the winter. We landed a huge job doing the storm restoration for the Gundersen Lutheran resident housing that was in the path of the tornado. That kept our guys going steady there for a very long time. We did some work out in Waterford Valley from a hail storm that came through a month or so before the tornado. Although awful for the homeowners of La Crosse it was great for business for contractors.

 Lots of out of town storm chasers rolled in and confused the clients on who was a home grown business and who bought a temporary store front so they had a local address and phone number. Although difficult for the clients to figure out who was who they made their way to us by the droves. Worst of all was a company that came in and used part of our name for theirs and used sometimes shady tactics to get the customers they wanted. I received many complaints about them by people who would call me yelling to leave them alone, they did not want solicitations by anyone. I had to explain it was not us since we don't call anyone unless they call us first. Frustrating but kept things interesting.

Can't say enough about the patient and wonderful customers we had this last year. We hope to have many more this year.

Hope your new year is starting out great.