Monday, April 30, 2012

Terrific DC-area Job Opportunities

Dear d5R Remodeling Community:

I’m pleased to share these outstanding career opportunities on behalf of Delbert Adams Construction Group, an award-winning remodeler, builder and home-maintenance company with a distinguished 25-year history in the Baltimore-Washington market. If you are interested in joining this expanding, high-end company, and you meet the criteria described below, please send a cover letter, resume, references and salary history to info@dacgllc.com.

The positions are based in Baltimore.

Best regards,

Leah Thayer
daily5REMODEL


Delbert-Adams-Construction-Group

ESTIMATOR, DACG COMMERCIAL

Must have:
Commercial construction and estimating experience, excellent communications, high energy!

Delbert Adams Construction Group is looking to hire a professional estimator to support rapid growth and expansion in our DACG Commercial division, serving the Greater Baltimore, D.C. and Northern Virginia areas.
DACG Commercial specializes in commercial construction, tenant improvements and professional construction management for education and religious facilities, car dealerships, retail outlets, offices and private clubs. This position will be based in our Baltimore office and will estimate jobs in Baltimore, D.C. and Northern Virginia.

Qualified candidates must have experience in commercial construction and a solid history of estimating projects small and large. You must be an excellent communicator, highly personable, and have a high energy level -- able to juggle several assignments simultaneously while managing day-to-day responsibilities. You must also have mastery of Microsoft Office programs, particularly Excel.

Competitive salary. Benefits include health and dental insurance and 401(k) retirement plan.

Additional job duties:
  • Prepare estimates from blueprints and written specifications for new construction and remodels and retrofits/tenant improvements of existing facilities.
  • Coordinate with department personnel to assist them in establishing project scopes and standards.
  • Assess project scope and location.
  • Estimate equipment, manpower, materials and other costs necessary to accomplish each project.
  • Develop sketches or blueprints to detail work to be accomplished.
  • Help establish job priorities based on general guidelines.
  • Inspect buildings to determine work needed to maintain them to code and desired standards.
Additional skills:
  • Solid knowledge of building construction methods and materials.
  • Solid knowledge of building codes and electrical, plumbing, or mechanical and related codes.
  • Solid knowledge of the laws and ordinances regulating building construction.
  • Skill in reading and interpreting plans and specifications.
This position offers terrific growth opportunities for the right professional. If you meet these requirements, please email your cover letter, resume, references and salary history to: info@dacgllc.com.

ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES

Must have:
Energy, enthusiasm, commitment to excellence!

Delbert Adams Construction Group is always looking for talented professionals to join our company, including our new Gold Seal Services division, which provides home maintenance, repair and property-management services to busy and discerning homeowners.

If you have strong expertise in the construction industry, are looking for long-term career opportunities and share our client-focused values, please drop us an email with your areas of interest and your relevant work history: info@dacgllc.com.

Visit Delbert Adams Construction Group.


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

reset at d5R -- it's a good thing!

Just sent this letter to the entire d5R readership this morning. Already, the feedback has been tremendously affirming and even exciting. Can't thank my remodeling friends enough. 





Dear d5R Community --

Yesterday’s issue of daily5REMODEL was the last you’ll receive for a while. The site isn’t going away, but after more than 17 months, 290 issues, 1,500 articles, thousands of news links and all the joys and tribulations of running a small business -- whew -- I’m ready to press the reset button and explore new options.

d5R has been the most gratifying accomplishment of my career, and for that I thank you, the readers. Whether you were with me from the beginning or just came aboard recently, your feedback, encouragement and on-site engagement have been vital to the site’s success.

Also vital has been your generosity in sharing strategies, challenges and triumphs from within your own businesses. Collectively, you have posted nearly 2,400 comments -- hundreds of them provocative and worthy of articles in themselves. There’s great value in your comments, and I'll be contemplating how to direct that value to the benefit of the remodeling community.

What else will I be contemplating? Well, stay with me and you’ll continue to receive the occasional d5R in your email bright and early some mornings. (Several people have already suggested I rebrand it as w5R -- what do you think?) In either case, heaven knows there are infinite other remodeling business stories that haven’t been told or even experienced yet.

Many of you have approached me about working directly with your businesses, and I now welcome the opportunity to explore those and other possibilities as well.

Those of you who upgraded to d5R Premium will hear from me in a separate correspondence. Remodelers have taught me the importance of treating your best customers right, and I’ll be happy to offer a refund to anyone who requests one. In the meantime and for the foreseeable future, all content in the d5R Premium Library remains accessible to you, as do most other Premium benefits.

I still believe that the remodeling industry is far more dynamic and sophisticated than any existing media recognize. I’m proud of the audience-driven dialog we have created together, and proud to have had you out here on this limb with me. Progress is happening, and I, for one, have enjoyed being a part of it.

Thanks for your support, and please keep in touch!



Leah Thayer
daily5REMODEL
leah@daily5REMODEL.com

p.s. Don’t want to receive any more emails from me? Click here to unsubscribe from this list.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Needing Projects, Sizing Up Leads, Getting Queasy Feelings...

I love it when remodelers really get into the discussion on d5R. Lately, there's been a lively back-and-forth on the matter of assessing the profitability of any one project lead, based on what you know about your past clients. Fantastic comments -- and here's the most colorful so far. Thanks, Michael Anschel!
Listen to your gut. 
My gut tells me that you are right, but my brain is happy to inform my gut that it is easily influenced, and being a digestive organ, lacks the requisite intellect to make informed rational decisions.   
My heart wants to get in on the action as well, and proceeds to pour out the most moving anecdotal rhetoric. It is so powerful that my brain would have fallen for it, except that all that sappy garbage made my gut sick, gave me indigestion and pretty soon heart burn. 
Released from its trance, my brain, in control again pointed out that I run a business. And while my gut and my heart are useful tools, at the end of the day it is the brain that must run the show. 
No clue what he's talking about? See the full discussion (and add to it) here: How Profitable Is That Lead?

Friday, January 13, 2012

Protect Your Time, Qualify Your Prospects

what you might have missed in the January 13 d5R:

Protecting Your Time, Qualifying Your Prospects
Serious remodelers don't have time to chase after unserious and/or unqualified leads. What information helps you assess whether a prospect is worth pursuing?


Industry Snapshots: the d5R Dish
High-end homeowner seminars (with fancy koozies), thwarting no-shows, promoting awards, outdoor living breakthroughs, life before the EPA.

Millions and Millions of Homeowners
... are on Facebook. As social media giant careens toward its billionth user, remodelers are still playing catch up. All the better for those that have a presence.

Under Contract: the Short Form Proposal
When this remodeler started a new business, he brainstormed how to do everything better. One result is a one-page iPad proposal, rich with hyperlinks and sparing of ink and paper.

Smarter Homes, Closer to Reality
Web-enabled heating and cooling, gesture-controlled appliances ... Consumer Electronics Show serves up a feast of new home-automation products backed by big names.

Plus all the relevant business, economic and housing-related news! Click through for the full news roundup.




Monday, January 9, 2012

An Open Letter to Building Products Manufacturers

As every small-business owner knows, letters like this make the long hours and hard work worth it. Big thanks to David Roberts of Roberts Architects for the kind words.
For more info on sponsoring d5R, click here. -- Leah Thayer




Dear Building Products Manufacturers:

I made the mistake in 2008 of ignoring what was happening just outside our company. We were so busy that I didn’t believe that it could change, Okay, I was wrong! These challenging times have taught me how important it is to keep up with the remodeling industry trends and news, I’ve got to know what’s happening around us so we can look ahead and plan the strategic adjustments for our business.

How do you keep up with the latest news and trends in our remodeling industry? There’s so many sources for the news and data, I can’t spend my valuable time searching, collecting and sifting through the Web and trying to figure out what sources to trust. We’re a small business and can’t allocate the resources to find and research market trends, latest developments, new products and services available to us. 

So where do I look every day? I’ve learned to turn to Leah Thayer’s daily5Remodel as a source for the very latest remodeling industry news, developments and trends, Plus we’ve found a variety of products and services though the webinars and interesting stories that d5R has quickly become known for.

d5R is like a lens looking into our remodeling industry. Leah Thayer directs that lens, focuses it and then projects the images onto d5R, providing us with an invaluable resource that's neatly packaged and ready to use. 

David Roberts AIA  CR  UDCP
Roberts Construction Group Inc.