Guilderland, NY – This past October I attended a national building trade conference in Baltimore, Maryland. It was nice to have a change of scenery, enjoy some local cuisine and most of all get completely inundated with all the new and upcoming ideas, materials and practices in the residential construction industry. After three days of classroom lectures and live demonstrations I was ready to come home. I picked up a few goodies at the airport for the wife and kids and boarded my plane. I met a nice couple from Washington D.C. who were going to visit their son in college in Saratoga. As we exchanged conversation about our families and other topics, careers came up. I mentioned that I was a building contractor in the Albany area and had just attended a trade conference. The woman described a remodel they had done recently and then asked if I could make a living with my profession. I said yes and described how busy our company was with several new jobs and a number of upcoming jobs. The conversation tapered off as the drink service began and I took a quick nap.
As I was driving home from the airport, I thought back to my conversation with the couple. I don’t think the woman was trying to insult me with her comment I think she was just trying to determine if my job allowed me to support not only our company and employees, but also a growing family. Over the next few weeks I thought about her comment and the conference a lot. The main theme I took away from the conference was the importance of working with and paying attention to my existing and potential customers. I also thought more about the woman’s comment and put myself in her shoes as she was talking to me and thought to myself that the whole process of remodeling and construction can be exciting and result in a new kitchen or bathroom, but that the whole process can also be overwhelming and difficult when deciding who to trust with a project. All of which brings me to the focus of this article.
Five or six times a month we are trusted by new and past customers to remodel a kitchen or bathroom, install new doors and windows, build a porch, remodel a basement and numerous other jobs. It can be easy at times to overlook the intricacies of a job when we as a company are focused on the job as a whole. From the first meeting to the last clean-up of the job, we take the time to build that relationship and trust with our customers that is crucial to making the project go well. Being on time for appointments, taking time to answer questions, explaining our company background and history, providing phone call and in-person references, weekly or bi-weekly schedule and job meetings and ongoing communication in person or via text or email with our customers is how we work. All of our customers are also provided with all of our legal information, insurance, workers’ compensation policy, a working contract for the project and all the permits and inspections as required for the local municipality.
Now, months later when I think back to my conversation with the woman on the plane and her question I answer with a definite yes, my job does allow me to support our company, our employees myself and my family. We have built our company on a policy of customer service and high quality remodeling and construction and have a lot of happy customers as a result. I don’t see my work as a job. It’s a profession, a career where we get to meet all kinds of people looking to complete a project on their home. We help customers turn their vision into a reality and provide the best experience they can possibly have with a building contractor.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year from all of us at RTS Construction.