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Jeff Whitebear — The Best Sub Ever?

I don’t normally use real names in this column. But today is different.

Jeff Whitebear owns a small siding company — maybe five employees. He recently did the siding and exterior trim on my house. I’ve worked with, and managed, hundreds of contractors in my career. It could be that Jeff Whitebear is the best of them all.

You wouldn’t guess it by his looks. Jeff comes to work in sweats and rubber boots. His hair is worn long, and shaving is not a priority. Far more important, however, is what he wears on the inside: a friendly smile and an ever-cheerful attitude.

Here is how a siding contractor (not the most glamorous profession) earns the Builder’s Engineer top honors:

• The Bid. Jeff’s bid was not low. In fact it blew gaping holes in my budget. I explained this to him, and rather than blaming it on the architect or his supplier; or on me for estimating poorly, instead he offered money-saving tips. We negotiated openly and honestly to a price and work scope agreeable to us both. This is called win-win negotiation. In my book, it’s the only kind.

• Communication. Jeff went to great pains to keep me abreast of timeframe, costs, material status, problems, solutions… everything an owner needs to know. I never had to guess, and more importantly, never did I have to initiate the conversation.
• Quality. Jeff understands the right mix of perfectionism and production.
• People Skills. You are human — you know how you like to be treated. Is this how you treat your customers? Regardless of how much or little formal schooling Jeff has had, he is a master at human interaction. He worked cheerfully and tirelessly with my wife and me to ensure a thrilling final product.
• Change Orders. As issues and problems arose, Jeff discussed each with me prior to doing any extra work or spending money. His change order prices were very reasonable — no gouging, skimming or bid compensating. Talk about thrilled! That is the kind of service that yields referrals.
• Safety. One of Jeff’s employees thought it was cool to shoot nail gun nails around like bullets. This simply is not tolerable and Jeff warned his crew accordingly. When word got back that the guy kept doing it, he was down the road the next day. No B.S., no messing around.
• Checking In. Perhaps most important of all, Jeff Whitebear himself was at my site every day. He didn’t necessarily stay there working, but he was absolutely on top of each aspect. As a result, my expectations were exceeded, very few mistakes were made and he finished on time.

The bottom line is this: Jeff Whitebear has the right stuff to be as successful as he wants to be. We can all learn by his excellent example.

Tim K. Garrison, P.E., M.S.C.E., of ConstructionCalc.com has authored a book and several short courses and lectures on topics relevant to builders. Reach Tim at timg@constructioncalc.com.

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