T h e Remodelers C O N N E C T I O N A monthly publication of the Central Ohio Chapter of NARI December 2005 IN THIS ISSUE From the President New Members Breakfast Roundtables Benefits of Design/Build Certification Battling Stress And more... CALENDAR of EVENTS December 10th COSI CotY Awards, ACE Awards, Installation of Officers & Holiday Party January 11, 2006 Roundtable Discussions NARI offices 7 a.m. January 19, 2006 General Meeting Location TBD February 1 & 2, 2006 Ohio Design & Construction Expo Cols. Convention Center February 25 March 5, 2006 Central Ohio Home & Garden Show NARI s 2005 Celebration of Stars Saturday, Dec. 10 th 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. At COSI 333 W. Broad Street Columbus, Ohio 43215 6-7:30 p.m. Cocktails, Hors d oeuvres, Entertainment Tour COSI s Progress and mingle 7:00 p.m. Installation of Officers with Regional Vice President Anna Mavrakis 7:30 p.m. Dinner & Entertainment 8:45 Awards Ceremonies ACE Awards CotY Awards Chapter Awards And so much more. Join us as we launch our newest awards program. $50 each Black tie optional. Please RSVP by December 1 st. (614) 895-3080 NARI of Central Ohio, 285 N. State Street, Suite 102, Westerville, Ohio 43081
Page 2 The Remodelers Connection Fellow Members, Our President s Message Central Ohio Chapter 2005 OFFICERS Jim Turner President Regency Wallcraft Mike Rosati Vice President Rosati Windows Mike Lange Vice President Oberfield s, Inc. Doug Brownfield Secretary Lowe s Companies, Polaris Dave Marsh, CR Treasurer J. S. Brown & Company DIRECTORS Linda Davis Modlich Stoneworks I would like to reflect on the focus of my presidency in this, my last president s message. First, I want to thank the wonderful people who have served with me on the board of directors for the last two years. The board is a well oiled machine and has been working to its full potential during my terms as president. Thank you all for your time and commitment to our organization. Over the years you have heard me speak of building company profile making your company stand out from all the rest. During my two years as your president, one of my goals was to do the same for NARI of Central Ohio, and with the help of a very capable board of directors and fine committees, I believe, we have started to make our mark. In 2004 we held our very first tour of remodeled homes the NARI Home Improvement Showcase. This year s tour actually generated income for the chapter. And under the leadership of Mike Rosati as PR Chairperson, we have made our mark in the radio arena with a 6 week radio campaign which concluded on November 20th. From the reports I have had, it was a huge success. And finally, in the coming year you will hear more about a resource to help leaders adopt and co-advocate adult character-building best practices...together. This area of character building can be a huge asset to your business as well as our industry. In an industry ranked #2 in consumer complaints (only out done by used car salespeople), it has been a neglected priority for years. As I sit on the board as immediate past president in 2006, I will continue to encourage more activities like these to continue to build our organization s profile. Consumers will be asking: Are you a NARI member? Jim Turner Regency Wallcraft Steve Edgar, CR Columbus Construction Company Frankie Foster Chapman MDSE Publishing Tim Garner Campbell Builders, Inc. Bob Quayle Clear Choice Building & Renovations Ivan White, CR White House Remodelers Executive Director Shari Bates
The Remodelers Connection Page 3 The following companies have applied for membership in NARI of Central Ohio. Blanchard Builders & Services 445 Glenmont Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43214 Ph. 614-263-4304 Fax 614-263-4324 Represented by Mike Blanchard Sponsored by Mike Lange of Oberfield s Inc. George Thomas Contractor 5197 Trabue Road Columbus, Ohio 43228 Ph. 614-870-1950 Fax 614-870-0577 Represented by Sandra Thomas Handyman Network 6740 Huntley Road, Suite 203 Columbus, Ohio 43229 Ph. 614-786-1800 Fax 614-786-1881 Represented by Terry Eddy Housetrends Magazine 5195 Hampsted Village Center Way #115 New Albany, Ohio 43054 Ph. 614-506-8474 E-mail: steve@housetrends.com Represented by Steve Hesson Mont Granite, Inc. 2365 Setterlin Drive Columbus, Ohio 43228 Ph. 614-876-6677 Fax 614-876-6671 Represented by Jordan Cain Sharper Impressions Painting 4430 Tuller Road Dublin, Ohio 43017 Ph. 614-889-8383 Fax 614-889-8361 Represented by Geoff Sharp The Tile Shop 1000 Morse Road Columbus, Ohio 43229 Ph. 614-430-9800 Fax 614-430-8465 Represented by Dana Barge Sponsored by Ivan White, CR of White House Remodelers ARE YOU DISPLAYING YOUR NARI LOGO? Need the logo in digital form? Member Highlights Mike Rosati of Rosati Windows was named the 2005 Small Business Leader by the Columbus Chamber on November 15th at COSI. Rosati was one of five finalists. In is acceptance speech, Mike commented that his fine team makes awards like this possible. Congratulations Mike! Business First names their FAST 50 Four NARI members were among Business First s listing of Central Ohio s fastest-growing privately held companies. #7 The Basement Guys #27 North American Cabinet Corp #38 APCO Industries, Inc. #47 J & D Basement Systems Congratulations!
Page 4 The Remodelers Connection NARI CERTIFICATION Join the Elite! It s time to prepare for the 2006 Certification Study Group sessions that will begin in January. Anyone interested in the next Certified Remodeler (CR), Certified Kitchen & Bath Remodeler (CKBR), Certified Lead Carpenter (CLC), or Certified Remodeler Specialist (CRS) study group needs to contact the NARI office at (614) 895-3080 in order to register. Study materials should be ordered soon from NARI National as it takes several weeks to receive them. Submit a letter on company stationary requesting a certification application packet, identify name of applicant and which certification you are seeking: Certified Remodeler (CR), Certified Kitchen & Bath Remodeler (CKBR), Certified Lead Carpenter (CLC), or Certified Remodeler Specialist (CRS). You can review additional information on each certification on the NARI website at www.nari.org. Include a check, made payable to NARI, or credit card information to cover the application and material fees. These fees are not refundable. NARI National accepts VISA, MasterCard, and American Express. (For credit card payment, include the name on the credit card, card number, and expiration date.) Mail your letter and payment, or fax if paying by credit card, to NARI National at the following address: Education Department, NARI, 780 Lee Street, Suite 200, Des Plaines, IL 60016. (Fax 847-298-9225) NARI National will send your certification materials as soon as your request and payment have been processed. Your One Stop Remodeler 771 S. Hamilton Rd. Columbus 235-5000 Since 1960 1776 W. Lane Ave. Upper Arlington 485-3000 NARI of Central Ohio Mission Statement To promote professionalism and ethical conduct within the remodeling industry in Central Ohio by; providing member education fostering sound business practices monitoring and influencing legislative and regulatory issues promoting member networking providing consumer awareness through education and community service.
The Remodelers Connection Page 5 Business Benefits of Design/Build: Anticipate Upcoming Work The savvy remodeler monitors ongoing design contracts for a clue to future work. But monitoring backlog - a sure thing - is also crucial. Backlog is simply work under contract but not yet done. It may be the as-yet-not-produced fraction of a job in construction or it may be a job you haven't started yet. Don't count a job as backlog unless and until it is under construction contract. Here's what backlog means to you. It means gross profit not yet tapped. If you figure out how much gross profit is anticipated for work under contract but not yet produced and you divide the resulting number by your monthly overhead (including your owner's salary), you will know how many months of overhead you have "in stock." It's a good feeling, for instance, to know that if a downturn arrives tomorrow, you have 5 months of overhead covered in the work you have under contract and not yet produced. Backlog also means secure work for your personnel. If you look at how your crews will be scheduled on the backlogged work (and this may be fewer months than the gross profit will cover) you have a sense of how secure personnel would be if a downturn came. Knowing that your three crews have 11 weeks of work contracted is a security measure. Sometimes owners unwittingly defeat this backlog security. They typically do it in two ways. The first is by "selling on demand." Owners don't worry about the next sale until they see work drying up. The owners keep a number of prospects waiting and feel they can get those contracts signed when necessary. However, when the stock market takes a dive or the next Persian Gulf War starts, those prospective contracts will dry up overnight. You - and your personnel - need the security of backlog. Another way owners sometimes destroy a comfortable level of backlog is by adding crews whenever work begins to build up. There is a point beyond which buyers do not want to wait and won't buy because of the length of time before their job can start. You want to set an ideal dollar volume for backlog and monitor current levels so you know when it is dropping or increasing. An excerpt from "Mastering the Business of Design/Build Remodeling" Breakfast Roundtables Meetings will be held from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the NARI offices, 285 N. State Street, Suite 102, Westerville. Space is limited to 15 attendees. A light breakfast will be served. Cost is $20 per person and no shows will be billed due to limited seating. Make your reservations now by calling the NARI office at (614) 895-3080. Wednesday, January 11th, Problem Clients More topics to come.
Page 6 The Remodelers Connection Fall Seminar Filled with Powerful Business Building Ideas From the of NARI Over 75 members attended a full day of business building seminars on November 10th at the Concourse Hotel. Included with Management and Marketing topics were table top demonstrations by NARI member suppliers. Thanks to all who made this event a success including committee members Randy McGarvey, CR, Mike Lange, Tim Garner and Doug Brownfield. NARI s future workforce is increasing all the time. Just look what talent we will have in about 20 years. Congratulations to Jeff Worly and family of Worly Plumbing Supply on the birth of their second child, Abigail Rose Worly born on October 22nd. Congratulations to Dan and Stephanie Custer of Finish Line Custom Building on the birth of their first child, Jamie Marie at the end of October. Congratulations to Regina Readd of Marble & Granite Works on the birth of her sixth grandchild on November 10th, John William. This will be a very special Holiday Season for all of these families. Enjoy!
The Remodelers Connection Page 7 Battling Stress Any business that is so dependent on schedules and on orchestrating a multitude of people and materials to make the job successful is bound to be stressful. Combine that with the fact that many companies work on too low a markup resulting in constant cash flow concerns. Then mix in the level of overwork that many remodelers sustain, and you have the recipe for burnout. Here's a six-step prescription for battling debilitating stress: 1. First and most important, make the company profitable. Money means you are well paid. Money means you can hire the right number of staff. Money means you can solve the client problem without feeling it will sink the company. Money allows you to relax. 2. Second, develop a sensible schedule that keeps both business and personal life in balance. 3. Hire excellent people who can be trusted to do their best. Then delegate to them so you are relieved of much supervision. 4. Keep your mind fit. Pursue other interests. Read, relax, enjoy family and friends. When you feel yourself getting uptight, take action to cool down (go walking, exercise, or meditate). 5. Keep your body fit. Eat well and regularly. Don't skip lunch. Avoid eating at your desk. Exercise regularly. 6. Understand how business fits into your total life. Get too serious about business and everything else will get out of kilter. An excerpt from Mastering the Business of Remodeling Reprinted with permission by Remodelers Advantage, Inc. www.remodelersadvantage.com Article Courtesy of Remodelers Advantage Inc. Founded by industry experts Linda Case and Victoria Downing, Remodelers Advantage, 535 Main Street, Suite 211, Laurel, MD 20707, tel: 301-490-5620, fax: 301-498-6869.
Prsrt Std. U.S. Postage PAID Westerville, Ohio Permit No. 490 Central Ohio Chapter 285 N. State Street, Suite 102 Westerville, OH 43081 Ph. (614) 895-3080 Fax (614) 895-3085 Celebrating 20 Years of Remodeling Excellence In Central Ohio NARI ACE Awards Group Health Insurance Program Group Rated Workers Compensation Contractors Business Liability Insurance Program Discounted Payroll Program with Paychex Sample Safety Program for contractors Prospector Lead Generation Program Industry Library Membership Directory NARI at the Home & Garden Show NARI Home Improvement Showcase Monthly local & national newsletters Use of Trademarked Logo Educational Seminars Dinner meetings, networking and education Supplier Trade Shows Contractor of the Year (CotY) Awards Program Special Events; golf, casino, holiday events Legislative watchdog Local & national websites Mentor Program Community Service involvement Specialized Legal Services available Free Industry magazine subscriptions SuperFleet Fueling Program NARI of Central Ohio www.nariofcentralohio.org (614) 895-3080