2006 Top 500 Stars: Earning Customers For Life
Among the ways we can appreciate the accomplishments of the Top 500 remodeling companies (which are compiled in our newly published annual listing) is to drill down on the source of their new business.
On the Top 500 application we ask remodelers to break out the percentage of their jobs that come from previous customers, the percentage from referrals and the percentage from new marketing initiatives. I sorted the Top 500 spreadsheet according to those with the highest percentage of repeat business and found some very classy remodeling organizations.
I have a great deal of respect for those companies that continually manage to draw new business from old customers.
Don’t get me wrong. I also respect those who grind it out year-in and year-out working a system that generates new leads that are scientifically captured then pitched and re-pitched. This is truly the American Way – growth through sheer force of will.
But when it comes to defining success in the remodeling business – providing excellent quality while earning a good profit – there is not a better barometer than those who’ve built businesses that are nearly self-sustaining through the amount of business that comes in from existing customers.
Below is a list of the 40 or so remodeling companies that drew at least 40 perecent of their new business last year from previous customers. Among them are a mix of design/build firms as well as speciality companies. The list shows tht repeat business is not the province of one type of company.
| Rank |
First Name |
Last Name |
Company |
| 428 | Andrew | Sallee | Tri-State Siding & Windows, Inc. |
| 75 | Aaron | Banach | Polestar Construction LLC |
| 68 | Robert | Ciepielowski | Rolar, Inc. |
| 315 | David | Knetzer | Oak Grove Construction Services, Inc. |
| 379 | Peter | Schrader | Schrader and Company, Inc. |
| 493 | Walter L. | Maxson | Maxson Remodeling & Construction, Inc. |
| 378 | Paul | Winans | Winans Construction, Inc. |
| 432 | Jon | Vogel | New Outlooks Construction Group, Inc. |
| 19 | Brook | Gardner | Gardner/Fox Associates, Inc. |
| 266 | Kevin | Townsend | Chastain Construction, Inc. |
| 397 | Daniel | Harrison | Harrison Construction, Inc. |
| 61 | Marc | Stelzer | American Home Renewal, Inc. |
| 488 | Erich | Eggers II | Remodeling Designs, Inc. |
| 314 | Dan | Stebnitz | Stebnitz Builders, Inc. |
| 338 | Chad | Asher | Asher Enterprises, Inc. |
| 269 | Charles | Russell, Jr. | Westhill Inc. |
| 401 | John H. | Allen | John H. Allen Company Inc. |
| 342 | David C. | Brady | OAK Design & Construction |
| 458 | Jeff | Moroso | Moroso Construction Inc. |
| 389 | Lorin R. | Miller | ABC Seamless of Northeast Ohio, Inc. |
| 419 | Dale | Van Lydegraf | Dale’s Design Remodeling |
| 485 | Dan | Morin | Morin’s Siding & Window Co., Inc. |
| 25 | Joshua | Wiener | Silverlining Interiors, Inc. |
| 55 | Michael | Jenkins | Renaissance Doors & Windows |
| 95 | Richard J. | Zaccaria | Remodeling Consultants of Westchester, Inc. |
| 122 | Craig | Plekkenpol | Plekkenpol Builders, Inc. |
| 133 | Greg | Jackson | Bennett Contracting, Inc. |
| 226 | Keith | Brown | The Classic Group, Inc. |
| 247 | Glen | Wiese | AAA Remodeling Company, Inc. |
| 258 | John | Spry | Innovations/All American Remodeling |
| 404 | Mark | Hout | UNI-Design, Inc. |
| 405 | James | Strite | Strite Design + Remodel |
| 411 | Leo | Albert | Accent Remodeling Inc. |
| 480 | Robert J. | Johnson | Johnson Building Company |
| 202 | Jerome | Quinn | Sawhorse, Inc. |
| 145 | Dale | Brenke | Schmidt Siding & Window Co. |
| 402 | William J. | Farnsworth | Custom Contracting, Inc. |
| 36 | Pat | Easter | NCRI |
| 134 | Iris | Harrell | Harrell Remodeling, Inc. |
| 470 | Robert | Petrone | R.C. Norman Construction Co., Inc. |
Good point! As another QR Top 500 company, we agree that referrals is THE BEST source of leads. Typically 40% of our business is repeat clients, 10% is their friends, 40% are professional referrals (designers, subs, suppliers). Only 10% is truly “new” business generated from job signs, PR, etc. That tells me that 90% of our business is generated from our reputation, which we work very hard to protect.