Management

Ep.138: A Trade Contractors Point of View with Nick Kozar

February 15, 2021 00:32:21

We have addressed the remodeler/trade contractor relationship in past episode; one from a Production Manager and the other from an on-site Project Manager, but both from the remodeler’s perspective.

Learning a different point of view of who you’re working with is crucial to running a smooth business and a lot of remodelers could benefit from hearing the perspective of a trade contractor.

In this episode, Nick Kozar, owner of Chelsea Plumbing, does just that.

Located in Chelsea, Michigan, Nick began his career with Chelsea Plumbing as an apprentice with no knowledge of the plumbing trade. After 13 years as an employee and receiving Journeyman, Master, and Mechanical Contractor licenses, he purchased the business from its founder who started the company in 1979.

Tim, Steve and Nick talk more about:

Top three “things” that are important to the trade contractor.
Effective ways to address scheduling between remodelers and trade contractors.
Dealing with higher costs of trade labor.
Strengthening trade and contractor relationships.
The perspective of a trade contractor.
And more…

FREE Webinar: The Slippage Blame Game

How to Look at Slippage from All Perspectives
Perhaps more devastating than lost profit, the slippage blame game, typically between estimating and production, can wreak havoc on company morale and affect the entire culture of the business.

This FREE webinar, on Tuesday, February 23rd, will focus on the challenge of getting the numbers right and how to look at the problem from all perspectives.
[Click Here for More Information + Registration]

Ep.137: Work Force Development in Non-vocational Schools with Rhonda Hanaway

February 8, 2021 00:33:34

We have done a number of podcasts on work force development. We have spoken with contractors, vocational school teachers, and trade associations like NARI about the topic that is so important to the future of our industry.

In this episode, we are expanding by talking to a Career Advisor who works in the guidance department of a Charter School here in Rhode Island.

We have worked with Rhonda Hanaway on in-person and virtual career days and learning sessions with her school and others in our region.

Rhonda is the Career Advisor at Blackstone Academy Charter School in Pawtucket, RI and has recently been appointed to the Governor’s Coaching Corps in the state of RI. This is a cohort of 35 professionals chosen out of a large pool of people around the state to work on essential questions for Workforce Development.

Tim, Steve and Rhonda cover:

The difference between a Charter School and a Regular School.
What Remodelers and Builders can do to get involved in the non-vocational schools in their own areas.
What the approach should be and what person or title should they should reach out to.
How to get schools involved that may not have a similar program in place.
Job Fairs; what are they and how can they be started.
And more…

FREE Webinar: The Slippage Blame Game - Who's Fault is it?

As long as there has been estimating, there has been the blame game when the estimated price doesn’t match the production costs… that gap is referred to as “slippage” and when left out-of-control, can be devastating to a growing remodeling business.

Tim Faller will lead this FREE webinar on Tuesday, February 23rd, and will focus on the challenge of getting the numbers right and how to look at the problem from all perspectives.

[Click Here for More Information & to Registration]

Ep.135: Let’s Revisit Zero Punch List Production with Mike Volochuk

January 25, 2021 00:37:26

On our third episode, back in March of 2018, we talked with Mike Barkhouse from Amsted Design Build about achieving “Zero Punch List” production.

We heard from a few listeners about that episode, and the concept of Zero Punch List, so we wanted to revisit it and we are now evangelists in pushing to see the term “Punch list” eliminated from the remodeler’s vocabulary.

Punch list is so ingrained within the industry, that it is a tough thing to conceive of not having one. Every blog article written about working with a contractor says something about that punch list. Usually, “Don’t pay until it is done.”

Our guest for this episode is Mike Voloschuk, Production Manager at Hurst Design Build Remodel in Westlake, Ohio. Mike is a member of our Roundtables for Production Managers peer group and when he mentioned how his firm had adopted the Zero Punch strategy, we invited him to join us and discuss it.

Mike has been with Hurst since 2008 and has moved up from Carpenter to Production Manager over the years.

Tim, Steve and Mike talk more about:

Background on Hurst Design Build Remodel (size of projects, type of work, etc.).
Why Hurst moved to Zero Punch List production.
How Hurst made the transition and how the team reacted and adapted to the change.
How Hurst is doing with the new production mindset and how the clients have responded.
And more…

This Episode Brought is Sponsored by LL Flooring

We are excited to welcome LL Flooring as a sponsor for this episode. For over 25 years and with over 400 locations nationwide, they have focused on doing one thing – hard surface flooring – better than anyone else. Check out their website here – LL Flooring

Ep.134: Seeing Projects from the Client’s Point of View with Meghan Haines

January 18, 2021 00:34:41

Have you ever gone through an entire job thinking that the client was delighted with your work and then discovered afterward that they liked most of it, BUT…. (you fill in the blank). So, the question remains, how do you ensure customer satisfaction or, as some call it, creating “Raving Fans?”

There is no better way to explore this than by asking real clients, and even better when the client has a remodeling background and can look at it from either viewpoint.

Meghan Haines is the Production Coordinator for Hercules Design Build, a remodeling company in the St. Louis area. Meghan has been with Hercules for a little over a year and a half; However, before joining the company, she was a client for three remodeling projects in her own home.

Tim, Steve and Meghan talk more about:

Background on Meghan’s household (size of house, family, pets, etc.).
Description of the projects that Meghan contracted for.
Sales & production: did they match and meet expectations.
The most critical action an on-site manager can take while working on a project.
Things that the contractor did that made the projects more bearable.
Advice for remodelers from the client’s perspective.
And more…

This Episode Brought is Sponsored by LL Flooring -

Ep.133: Talking About Constraint Management with Chris Peterson

January 11, 2021 00:31:19

The production professionals that we work with in our Roundtables Peer Group Program for Production Managers are creatively solving problems and finding new ways to manage jobs.

Whether it is motivating their teams, finding new way to drive profit or measuring dollars with a new metric, sometimes we just hear about a cool idea. During our fall meetings, we heard a few new concepts and strategies that we wanted to learn more about.

Therefore, in the spirit of talking with people that are solving challenges, we welcome back a former guest, Chris Peterson, VP of Production at Schloegel Design Remodel in Kansas City, MO to talk more about how he and his team address and handle constraint management.

Chris has been with Schloegel for 24 years and has served in every role on the production side of the business. Three years ago, Chris and his business partner, Charlie Schloegel, purchased the business, which just celebrated 40 years in business!

Tim, Steve and Chris talk more about:

Background and description of Schloegel Design Remodel (size of team, type of work, etc.)
What constraint management is and how Schloegel handles it.
How you spot the constraint and what to do when you know where it is.
Does the constraint ever really go away?
Being proactive with constraint management.
And more…

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Ep.132: LEAN Process Improvement in the Real World with Spencer Jacobson

January 4, 2021 00:47:10

We have discussed the concepts of LEAN process improvement in several past episodes.

In episode 47 we had our own Director of Consulting, Doug Howard, join us to introduce the LEAN System and we have referred to the various concepts of LEAN in others.

Over the past few years, Doug has worked with remodelers and builders on implementing LEAN into their production systems.

We wanted to look a little further into LEAN and how it is actually used in the “real world” of production and we brought in Spencer Jacobsen to talk about how his firm, R.J. Doerr Company, has implemented LEAN.

Spencer is a Site Foreman for R.J. Doerr Co., a general contractor in Easton, PA and solely focused on historical restoration. After almost four years with the company, Spencer has begun to integrate LEAN process improvement concepts on the job site and within the company.

Tim, Steve and Spencer talk more about:

Background on R.J. Doerr Co. (size, type of work, # of jobs, etc.)
Background on LEAN (concepts, vocabulary, etc.)
LEAN Concepts that Spencer has implemented in the field.
How using LEAN reduces stress within the production team
Training your team on LEAN
And more…

Books and Additional Resources:
Spencer’s Website
2 Second Lean by Paul Akers
Getting Things Done by David Allen
The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker
The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership by Jeffrey Liker and Gary Convis

Imagine being more profitable than your competition, without having to be more expensive.

Remodelers Advantage has taken the core principles of LEAN and developed the LEAN Remodeling System (LRS), which addresses the specific challenges facing remodeling businesses today. [Click Here to Learn More…]

Ep.131: Shifting From Lead Carpenter to Project Manager with Rob Moss

December 14, 2020 00:34:53

In shifting and changing roles within an organization, there are many paths we could take to get to the destination we desire.

This is also true for implementing Project Management systems.

The 3 most commonly used these days are The Lead Carpenter system, the Project Manager system, and then a hybrid of these two.

What we find is that companies have trouble either shifting from one to the other or getting caught in one system when they should be moving to the other.

The transition from the Lead Carpenter system typically occurs when volume and job size demand a shift in personnel and oversight.

Our guest in this episode, Rob Moss, has made the transition from Lead Carpenter to Project Manager and shares his thoughts on the process.

Rob is the Director of Production for Sun Design Remodeling in Northern Virginia, and serving the Washington DC metropolitan area. He has been with Sun Design for 15 years, starting as a lead carpenter and transitioning into the Director of Production role 4 years ago.

Tim, Steve and Rob talk more about:

Background and description of Sun Design (volume, staff size,type of work, etc.).
How production was operating before the shift.
What the motivator was that prompted the change.
Process and timeline of shifting from one system to the other.
How focusing on customer service and satisfaction was maintained.
Things Rob would do differently if he were to go through the shift again.
And more…

Is Your Production Team Ready to Take on 2021 ?

Keep your production team sharp throughout the Winter and preparing for 2021 with weekly Production Team Training with Tim Faller. Whether they are in the office or in the field on a phone, tablet or laptop, now is the time to plan and prepare for the surge in business as we head into the new year.
[Click Here for More Information & Registration]

Ep.130: Managing Growth Effectively with Kevin Schultz

December 7, 2020 00:35:35

There are many things that can destroy a company. Recession, pandemics, and yes, even growth; especially, if the growth occurs with no planning or control.

In the past few years, our economy, and our industry, have grown significantly, and many companies have struggled to keep up. Growth is usually controlled by the amount that a company can sell and subsequently produce.

Sometimes it is planned, and sometimes it just happens. If planned, the team can prepare for it and make the necessary adjustments. If it “accidental” or spontaneous, often the production team gets caught with too much work and not enough time or personnel.

So, what is the key to effectively manage growth?

Kevin Shultz, Vice President of Revision LLC outside of Minneapolis, joins Tim and Steve in this episode to talk about how he and his team have managed tremendous growth at Revision.

As a 28-year veteran of construction and residential remodeling, Kevin brings an immense amount of knowledge to the team at Revision, where they have recently celebrated their 10th year in business.

Tim, Steve and Kevin talk more about:

Background on Revision LLC (number of employees, average project size, etc.)
The growth Revision has experienced over the past 5-10 years.
Was growth planned or accidental, or spontaneous?
Managing and controlling Sales out-selling the Production team’s capacity to produce.
Forecasting tools for jobs coming through sales.
Changes made in production to anticipate and prepare for growth.
And More…

Get Your Production Team Focused on Profit!

Ep.129: Dealing with “The Runs” with Joe Betz

November 30, 2020 00:43:30

The Runs! Most of us think of two situations. There is an unfortunate personal issue, which is not good.

And then there are “the runs” from the job site to the store or lumberyard to pick up $10 worth of stuff.

Both scenarios are bad, but the latter will quickly eat away at your job costs and profit margin.

Lumberyard runs are notorious among production professionals; a necessary part of the project, but if not planned correctly, can throw things off track quickly. You are factoring in the time it takes to leave and return to the job site into your cost per hour for labor and then expanding that over the life of the project.

To look at this more closely, Tim and Steve welcome Joe Betz to the show. Joe was listening to our podcast and invited Tim for an on-site consulting gig with Buraski Builders Inc. in Springfield, IL – and the lumber yard run issue was one they were able to tackle.

Joe is currently the Production Manager for Buraski Builders and has been with the firm since 2009, working his way up from Carpenter, to Foreman, to Construction Manager and onto his current role with the award-winning remodeler and home builder.

Tim, Steve and Joe talk more about:

Background of Buraski Builders (the type of work, number of field staff, etc.)
Lumberyard run situation before the change and during the transition.
The process Buraski went through to implement change.
Getting buy-in and acceptance from the team.
The results of making changes to the lumberyard run process at Buraski.
And more…

Ep.127: Controlling the Chaos with Tim Faller & Steve Wheeler

November 16, 2020 00:38:14

In episode 177 Marion Faller joined us to discuss dealing with the stress that we are currently seeing in the industry, specifically in the production departments.

In Tim’s Production Manager Roundtable groups, he is hearing about it and seeing the symptoms that Marion described in her conversation with us.

We are facing the “perfect storm” of a booming remodeling/building industry in the midst of a global pandemic that seems to be getting worse, not better.

Unfortunately, the production teams and their leaders are on the front lines of this battle and we are seeing and hearing about the breakdowns.

In this episode, Tim and Steve breathe a little fresh air into a troubled environment and encourage people to control the chaos as much as possible.

Tim and Steve talk more about:

What we are hearing and seeing out there.
Producing more work with less people.
What is causing this issue now more than ever before.
The impact it is having on business owners, production teams and leaders.
What do companies need to do to take a breather and evaluate where your company is.
First Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham.
And more…

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