The demand and absence of skilled labor is a huge challenge for remodelers across North America. We hear it from our Roundtables Members as well as from our associates, sponsors and Podcast guests.

In this episode Victoria and Mark explore different ways to tackle the issue, and welcome Dan Hurst to the show to talk about how his firm effectively creates a culture and career path that provides opportunities for his staff to learn and develop new skills.

Dan is the President / General Manager of Hurst Design Build Remodel in Westlake, OH and is actively involved in NARI as well as a Master Certified Remodeler and Certified Lead Carpenter.

Dan, Victoria and Mark talk more about:

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In this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Iris Harrell discusses the importance of having women in key positions within remodeling companies. They make up half of the US workforce, so there is a sizeable recruitment pool, and they also relate on a deeper level with female customers, who often drive decision-making. Women are multi-taskers, organizers, collaborators, and task-oriented, making them assets to any organization. 

Iris founded Harrell Design Build, a large, female-led, employee-owned, full-line remodeling company.  Harrell has consistently committed to high-quality design and craftsmanship and conscientious customer care since their inception in 1985. They also employ only people who share these ideals, including their reliable, rigorously selected subcontractors, and they are very proud of their commitment to women and diversity in the workplace.

Iris, Victoria, and Mark discuss:

Listen…

The post How To Double The Number Of Top Leaders In Your Remodeling Comapny: Hire And Train More Women, Featuring Iris Harrell – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E8 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Lauren Campuzano joins the show to discuss outsourcing 3-Dimensional (3-D) Design. 3-D designs can help remodelers sell their plans, but finding the right talent can take time and effort. Lauren found that 3-D designs were great communication tools within the design department, construction department, and sometimes with clients. Creating 3-D models in-house was difficult for Lauren, so she outsourced them.  

Lauren is the Principal Designer at New Market Builders LLC. After working within the Design- Build industry, and many years teaching Interior Design at The Art Institute of Philadelphia, Lauren joined her husband, Michael, at New Market Builders to launch and oversee the Design portion of the company.

Victoria, Mark, and Lauren talk more about:

The post Outsourcing 3-Dimensional Design with Lauren Campuzano- [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E7 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Today on PowerTips Unscripted, Jeff Borovitz joins the show to discuss the top 5 remodeling sales secrets every business owner must know. In addition, Jeff talks about how sales professionals should establish a clearly defined future with clients and how that helps eliminates surprises during the sales journey. 

Jeff Borovitz is the President of Sandler Training, a company that helps train remodeling professionals. Known for triple-digit revenue and profit increases, Jeff has 28 years of experience as an award-winning quota-busting salesperson and has trained over 1,000 salespeople. Jeff also runs SalesEdge, a program exclusively for Remodelers Advantage, where Roundtables members can receive sales training.

Victoria, Mark, and Jeff talk more about:

The post Top 5 Remodeling Sales Secrets You Must Know with Jeff Borovitz – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E6 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

A successful remodeling business isn’t only dependent on tactics or the larger strategy behind them. A company’s culture plays a crucial role in executing any business strategy. 

In this episode, Brian Gottlieb discusses the key steps needed for a business to implement their desired strategy with Victoria and Mark.

Brian Gottlieb is the founder and CEO of Tundraland Home Improvements, which serves all of Wisconsin. He started his business on a plastic folding table, with just $3,000 in cash. Today, Tundraland employs more than 220 people, and revenues  are in excess of $42 million. 

He defines strategy as an integrated set of choices an organization makes to position against the competition, add value to their customers, and add value to the company. Brian’s “a-ha” moment came last summer, when he understood that when a community is at its full potential, we’re all in a better place; and when an organization is at its full potential, we’re all in a better place.

He calls Tundraland a training organization — developing an employee to his or her full potential is a key point of the company’s  strategy. Brian describes the four ways to define your culture, and how to make it stronger, including:

The post Strategy Isn’t Enough with Brian Gottlieb – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

On this episode of PowerTips Unscripted, Jody McLeod joins the show to answer legal questions, including whether companies are set up to withstand a legal challenge. Jody discusses the best way to ensure having a complete personnel file for each employee, including documentation of conversations and key facts,  so that you can support yourself and your company during a legal trial. Jody also advises business owners to help them avoid lawsuits through a complete onboarding process and proper training for all managers.

Jody, an attorney, and former Fortune 500 legal executive is the Founder and Principal of McLeod Legal Solutions (MLS). MLS partners with business owners to protect their business during HR and employee relations disputes with direct access to litigators, employment lawyers, and legal executives from Fortune 500 companies.  Jody specializes in employment law, litigation and litigation management, compliance, investigations, and training.

Jody, Mark, and Victoria talk  more about:

The post Will Your Personnel Files Survive a Legal Trial with Jody McLeod – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E5 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Everyone would love to have raving fans — and today’s guest knows the feeling. Tom Burgoyne has had a 30-year career as the person behind the Phillie Phanatic — the most popular mascot in sports. 

In this episode, Tom talks to Victoria and Mark about what the Phanatic has taught him about the importance of customer service — and how it can be a great differentiator.  Tom has learned, while in costume, that the love people have for the Phanatic, and the love the mascot shares, can be applied to your everyday working life. 

Tom was working in sales when he answered a blind ad to become the backup to the original Phanatic. He was the backup for four years before assuming the primary role. He’s also the author of Pheel The Love!: How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies — Phillie Phanatic Style!  He applied this principle to improving customer service through love and fun, including:

Tom shares some of his most enduring memories as the Phanatic, including leading the 2008 World Series parade, how hot it gets in the costume, and what the Phanatic and Remodelers Advantage have in common.

Tom also has a podcast called Phillies Backstage with Brazer and Burgoyne. And you can check out his page on LinkedIn.

This episode was initially posted in 2019.

The post Pheel the Love — How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies, with Tom Burgoyne – [Best of PowerTips Unscripted] appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

Sean Castrina joins the program to discuss why everyone should think like an entrepreneur and the importance of developing a strategy for determining what business you want to start. He shares that when he lost his job, he found another one so he could take his time to figure out his next steps. 

Sean Castrina is the Founder of The Weekend MBA, host of The 10 Minute Entrepreneur Podcast (a top 10 entrepreneurship podcast), an author of 4 bestselling books, and a serial entrepreneur.

Sean, Victoria and Mark discuss:

The post Everyone Should Think Like an Entrepreneur with Sean Castrina – [PowerTips Unscripted] S4 E4 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.

In today’s episode of PowerTips Unscripted, we are featuring one of our more popular episodes. If you have topic ideas for an episode or a guest we should be interviewing, send an email to [email protected].  Enjoy!    

The Kaizen practice focuses on improving existing, standardized processes by eliminating waste and was first practiced in Japanese businesses after World War II.  Kaizen translates to “Change for Good,” and that can mean many great things for your growing remodeling company. The process of constant improvement, with every team member participating, allows your company to constantly raise the bar on its target metrics.  

In this episode, Victoria and Mark learn more about the Kaizen practice of process improvement by welcoming Michael Sauri, CEO of TriVista USA, to the show.

Michael and his wife Deborah started TriVistaUSA in 2005 with the goal of providing an outlet for creativity and a Ritz Carlton-level client experience. “Our Thoughtful Design Builds Fine Living,” is their mission statement and their mantra as they bring phenomenal, award-winning design to the Design/Build community in the Washington DC area.

Victoria, Mark and Michael talk more about:

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Today on Powertips Unscripted, Dan Hurst joins the show to discuss the handoff from design to production. Dan talks about how to define the minimum standard of completeness and quality for each function or role involved in preparing the handoff packet. Dan also discusses how to use checklists for each role to ensure that quality standards are met.

Dan Hurst is the COO and part owner of Hurst Design Build Remodel in Cleveland Ohio. Dan and his brother Pat have been a part of Roundtables since 2006. Dan was also on a panel at the 2022 summit at the Gaylord in the National Harbor.

Victoria, Mark, and Dan talk more about:

The post Why The Design-to-Production Handoff is Worth Measuring – [Powertips Unscripted] S4 E3 appeared first on PowerTips Unscripted.