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Remodeling's Market Leaders 2007

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Remodeling's Market Leaders 2007

The 2007 Market Leaders list highlights the top remodelers in 20 of the largest U.S. remodeling markets in what will be an annual feature in Professional Remodeler.


By Jonathan Sweet, Senior Editor June 30, 2007
This article first appeared in the PR July 2007 issue of Pro Remodeler.

 

Sal Ferro, president of Alure Home Improvements in Plainview, N.Y., recorded the highest 2006 volume on our Market Leaders list, at $49.9 million.

Photo by Matt Peyton/Getty Images

The 2007 Market Leaders list represents the top remodelers in 20 of the largest remodeling markets throughout the country in the first of what will be an annual feature in Professional Remodeler.

We compiled the Market Leaders list through a combination of our own research and information provided by the companies on the list. Companies whose annual volume could not be verified were excluded, as were large national or regional remodelers that serve multiple markets.

The list uncovers some interesting regional variations. For example, the list for many markets in the northern half of the country and on the coasts feature larger firms. On the other hand, many southern markets seem to be much more fragmented with a large number of smaller companies dominating the local remodeling landscape.

Following are profiles of the top firms in each market.

Click here for a graphic PDF of the 100 Market Leaders.


 

 


REMBRANDT REMODELING INC., Marietta, Ga.

 

 

Full service remodeler 

rembrandtremodeling.com 

Principal: James B. Bishop, president

2006 volume: $8 million

Projected 2007 volume: $10 million

2006 projects: 400

Employees: 30 field, 25 office

Target market: Homes of any age with a household income above $50,000

Major challenge: "Finding qualified leads is becoming increasingly more difficult. The cost to produce a lead has gone from $30 for a telemarketing lead in the old days to $300 for a lead today. We have to look at it constantly to manage our costs.

"Top opportunity: "Our new EnergyClad siding system is something the marketplace has not seen. We've made a James Hardie siding system that has a lifetime finish warranty. People don't want vinyl siding anymore, and they want energy efficiency, so I see this becoming the majority of our business."



 

FBN CONSTRUCTION INC., Hyde Park, Mass.

Full service remodeler

www.fbnconstruction.net

Principal: Robert Ernst, president

2006 volume: $6.5 million

Projected 2007 volume: $8.6 million

2006 projects: 75

Employees: 15 field, 12 office

Target market: "Homes in need of construction services, owned by discerning and financially secure clientele."

Major challenge: "Bringing new and appropriate systems into existing culture to manage information flow."

Top opportunities: "Leveraging our excellent reputation and skills at making important business connections to drive revenue and profit."


 

 

NORMANDY BUILDERS INC., Hinsdale, Ill.

Full service remodeler

normandybuilders.com 

Principals: Reginald Marzec, president; John Steindl, vice president; Andy Wells, vice president/general manager

2006 volume: $21.4 million

Projected 2007 volume: $28 million

2006 projects: 165

Employees: 11 field, 40 office



Target market: Young professionals making more than $100,000, who have children

Major challenge: "Controlling expectations. No matter what you do, somebody always expects more. Our client base has a lot of money and is very demanding. It's also a more demanding world today," Wells says.

Top opportunity: Growing referrals. "Referrals are the bulk of our business, but we'd like to make it even more because advertising is becoming much less effective," Wells says.


 

 

AMERICA'S REMODELER INC., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Full service remodeler

www.americasremodeler.com  

Principal: Steve Colopy, president

2006 volume: $3.9 million

Projected 2007 volume: $4.5 million

2006 projects: 30

Employees: 19 field, 8 office

Target market: Homes in a 100-mile radius valued at more than $120,000, with homeowners who have been in the home one to five years and have an income of more than $60,000.

Major challenge: "Attracting professionals to work for us in a field that's not glamorized by colleges and universities."

Top opportunity: "We live in a great area that has consistent home values and growth."


 

 

ELITE REMODELING, Frisco, Texas

Full service remodeler

www.elitehomeremodeling.com  

Principal: John M. Todd, president and owner

2006 volume: $2.7 million

Projected 2007 volume: $3.4 million

2006 projects: 97

Employees: 4 field, 5 office

Target market: Homes within 15 miles of the company's showroom and design center, and values between $200,000 and $500,000

Major challenge: Improving quality of construction and managing gross margin percentage. "We are challenging ourselves to deliver our constructed gross margin to within 1 percent of our sold gross margin."

Top opportunity: Business growth through the opening of new locations and the expansion of the business into handyman services.


 

 

BOA CONSTRUCTION INC., Denver

Full service remodeler

www.boaaaa.com  

Principal: Timothy G. Pleune, president

2006 volume: $16 million

Projected 2007 volume: $18 million

2006 projects: 200

Employees: 30 field, 10 office

Target market: Homes at least 30 years old, within five miles of the office, with a household income more than $200,000

Major challenge: Ownership transition. One partner recently retired, with his stock being sold to other people in the company. BOA is now in the process of transitioning Pleune's stock to the employees as well, so he can retire. "We didn't want to sell outside the company because of all the confusion of doing something like that."

Top opportunity: Growth in infill of urban core neighborhoods.


 

 

ROLAR INC., Troy, Mich.

Full service remodeler

www.rolarinc.com  

Principal: Robert E. Ciepielowski, president

2006 volume: $9.8 million

Projected 2007 volume: $11 million

Employees: 8 field, 5 office



Target market: Any project within a 50-mile radius of the company's headquarters

Major challenge: Finding good employees and managing the costs of benefits for those employees

Top opportunity: "Being able to provide a full service for any customer and completing work in-house if necessary."


 

 

CRAWFORD RENOVATION, Houston

Design/build remodeler

www.crghomes.com  

Principal: Ben Crawford, president

2006 volume: $10.7 million

Projected 2007 volume: $13 million

2006 projects: 30

Employees: 6 field, 8 office

Target market: Properties that are at least 10 years old within 10 miles of the office (45,000 households), with home values of more than $300,000

Major challenge: Ramping up staff to handle increased workload as demand for services increases.

Top opportunity: Building a 20,000-square-foot design center to showcase work and increase presence in the market.


 

 

THE KITCHEN CONNECTION, Los Angeles

Kitchen/bath specialist

www.thekitchenconnection.com  

Principal: George H. Steinkamp, CEO

2006 volume: $27.5 million

Projected 2007 volume: $29.9 million

2006 projects: 2,202

Employees: 110 field, 82 office

Target market: Homes of any age and any value in Southern California

Major challenge: "Incorporating new machinery and technology into our business without impacting sales negatively."

Top opportunity: "Wider assortments of product offering that we manufacture without having to purchase from a third party vendor."


 

 

BUDGET EXTERIORS INC., Bloomington, Minn.

Full service remodeler

www.budgetexteriors.com  

Principal: Kenneth J. Thompson, president

2006 volume: $9.9 million

Projected 2007 volume: $10.8 million

2006 projects: 1,188

Employees: 30 field, 25 office

Target market: Homes that are at least 10 years old with a household income of more than $60,000

Major challenges: The Do Not Call list has changed marketing from telemarketing to door-to-door canvassing and job-site flyers, coupled with home shows and other events. It's also a continual challenge to find quality salespeople.

Top opportunity: "Homeownership is at the highest percentage ever."


 

 

ALURE HOME IMPROVEMENTS, Plainview, N.Y.

Full service remodeler

www.alure.com  

Principal: Sal Ferro, owner/president

2006 volume: $49.9 million

Projected 2007 volume: $60 million

2006 projects: 1,970

Employees: 53 field, 46 office

Target market: Homeowners that are 35 to 55 years old with a household income of more than $100,000

Major challenge: "Maintaining strong growth in spite of difficult economic climate."

Top opportunity: "There are so many opportunities out there. Leveraging a strong team of management and employees will prove to be our best business opportunities."


 

 

GARDNER/FOX ASSOCIATES INC., Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Design/build remodeler

www.gardnerfox.com  

Principals: Brook Gardner, president; Mark Fox, vice president; Mark Pennington, secretary/treasurer

2006 volume: $36.4 million

Projected 2007 volume: $40 million

2006 projects: 644

Employees: 66 field, 40 office

Target market: Homes of any age or style in Philadelphia and its suburbs and a variety of commercial fit-outs and renovations for the hospitality, medical, retail and general office markets

Major challenges: "An ongoing challenge is to find quality leads and convert them to revenue, particularly considering the size of the organization that we have developed over our 20 years in business," Pennington says. "Additionally, providing residential clients with customer service that meets their expectations is a continual challenge considering the emotional process of home remodeling."

Top opportunity: Capitalizing on 20 years of growth and business.


 

 

LEGACY CUSTOM BUILDING & REMODELING INC., Scottsdale, AZ

Full service remodeler

www.legacyaz.com  

Principal: Mark J. Olson, president

2006 volume: $9.5 million

Projected 2007 volume: $10 million

2006 projects: 66

Employees: 20 field, 15 office

Target market: Any home in the Phoenix metro area

Major challenge: "It's always personnel. Our growth is limited by the number of competent people we can attract and retain on the sales side and on the construction side."

Top opportunity: Continued population growth, with 100,000 people moving into the area every year. "There are a huge number of homes in that five to 10 to 15 year age group that people are buying and wanting remodeled."


 

 

KITCHEN MART INC., Sacramento, Calif.

Kitchen/bath specialist

www.kitchenmartinc.com  

Principals: Jim Bartol, CEO, and Dave Hollars, president

2006 volume: $9.5 million

Projected 2007 volume: $11 million

Employees: 75 field, 13 office

Target market: Homes 15 to 30 years old within a 40 mile radius, with a household income of more than $120,000

Major challenges: Competing with low bid, unlicensed contractors ("kitchen cowboys") and the rising gas prices that make it expensive to keep a fleet of 40 trucks on the road.

Top opportunities: The company's 75 percent referral base and 33 years in business.


 

 

MOSBY BUILDING ARTS, Kirkwood, Mo.

Design/build remodeler

www.mosbybuildingarts.com  

Principal: Scott Mosby, president/owner

2006 volume: $6.2 million

Projected 2007 volume: $8 million

2006 projects: 40

Employees: 35 field, 20 office

Target market: Clients in metropolitan St. Louis and southern Illinois who want quality and customer service rather than the lowest bid

Major challenges: Having to turn down potential customers because the company doesn't bid with other companies; having to schedule sales calls with limited sales resources; and educating consumers.

Top opportunities: Universal design and green remodeling/energy efficiency.


 

 

MARROKAL CONSTRUCTION CO., Lakeside, Calif.

Design/build remodeler

www.marrokal.com  

Principal: Gary Marrokal, president

2006 volume: $15.9 million

Projected 2007 volume: $18 million

2006 projects: 95

Employees: 11 field, 18 office

Target market: Homeowners who are 35 to 55 years old, with a household income above $150,000 and homes within 50 miles of the office

Major challenge: "We use trade professionals for all aspects of our projects, and maintaining a labor pool of like-minded, customer-friendly trades has been a challenge."

Top opportunity: "As the new home market recedes and people are staying put, we have a great opportunity to enhance their homes as well as their lives."


 

 

AMERICAN HOME RENEWAL, South San Francisco, Calif.

Exterior remodeler

www.renewal.com  

Principal: Marc Stelzer, CEO

2006 volume: $14.3 million

Projected 2007 volume: $15 million

2006 projects: 500

Employees: 27 field, 7 office

Target market: Homes that are 30 years old within five miles of office, with a household income more than $200,000

Major challenge: Finding excellent installers

Top opportunity: The company works with several homeowners associations to make sure its products are approved, so when someone in a neighborhood wants work done, American Home Renewal is the first company recommended.


 

 

STATE ROOFING, Monroe, Wash.

Exterior remodeler

www.stateroofing.com  

Principal: Lance Smith, president

2006 volume: $18.6 million

Projected 2007 volume: $19.5 million

2006 projects: 1,450

Employees: 102 field, 43 office

Target market: Single-family homes that are at least 10 years old and that the current owner has occupied for at least 10 years in the Puget Sound area

Major challenges: Increasing customer expectations, dealing with the no-call list and finding qualified employees.

Top opportunity: Unique roofing products, such as exclusive lines of metal and rubber roofing. "It allows us to have some separation from others in the roofing market. Not too many roofing contractors have exclusive roofing products they can offer."


 

 

HOME-PRO INC., Oldsmar, Fla.

Exterior remodeler

www.homeproext.com  

Principal: Randy F. Angelocci, CEO/president

2006 volume: $15.3 million

Projected 2007 volume: $17 million

2006 projects: 471

Employees: 8 field, 16 office

Target market: Homes with a value of more than $150,000 and household incomes of more than $100,000

Major challenges: Maintaining growth of at least 10 percent per year and generating more leads.

Top opportunity: Increasing product lines the company carries, as well as branding throughout the area by "making sure our name is everywhere."


 

 

CASE DESIGN/REMODELING INC., Bethesda, Md.

Full service remodeler

www.casedesign.com  

Principal: Fred Case, owner/CEO

2006 volume: $49.7 million

Projected 2007 volume: $52.6 million

2006 projects: 4,539

Employees: 161 field, 155 office

Target market: "The target Case client is a well-educated, affluent professional (most likely a baby boomer) who has a household income of more than $120,000."

Major challenge: "Staying abreast of the changing dynamics of client's needs and maintaining the high level of service that they have grown to expect from our company."

Top opportunity: "As the remodeling industry continues to expand, an abundance of new business opportunities will emerge in areas such as green remodeling and new financing products, and with key groups like minorities, seniors and Generation X."

 


We profile the largest remodelers in 20 top metro areas


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