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Superintendent Training Key to Boosting Quality, Industry Image

Late last year, a series of negative newspaper articles and television reports about construction quality appeared in the Central Florida media, diminishing the public's perception of the home building industry.

But about that same time, an article by Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) Executive Vice President Paul M. Thompson in the December 2003 issue of Florida HomeBuilder magazine reported on a successful and growing superintendent training program that is going a long way toward improving construction quality and customer service, as well as enhancing the industry's image.

Started earlier last year, the program — the Residential Construction Superintendent (RCS) program developed by the Home Builders Institute (HBI) and the FHBA — is a training program created in 2001 that debuted at the Southeast Building Conference (SEBC) in Orlando. Featuring eight courses, the program attracted more than 500 participants when it debuted.

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"The eight, four-hour courses cover the gamut of what a superintendent should know, from building codes and customer relations to contracts and construction management," said RCS instructor and Florida builder Paul E. Mashburn. "This training is critical to our industry not only here in Florida, but nationwide. As builders we rely on our superintendents, and the program takes their professionalism and reliability up a notch."

The first two superintendents in the country to earn the RCS designation were from Sweet Homebuilders in Destin, FL. Since the program’s start, RCS has attracted more than 2,000 superintendents nationwide with about half from Florida. In addition, the program has sparked interest among larger builders including Atlantic Builders in Jacksonville, FL, and John Cannon Homes in Sarasota, FL, which began hosting RCS courses for their superintendents last November.

Atlantic Builders has already put 10 of its superintendents through the program. "For us, this is not some feel-good, team-building exercise. We expect this training to yield tangible results, making us more efficient and more profitable," says Bill Holt, president of Atlantic Builders. "I believe when you do things right, customer satisfaction naturally follows."

The Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando is among the six associations offering RCS courses in February and March; a total of 29 HBAs have scheduled courses in their areas. For information on the RSC program in Florida, contact Suzanne Cook at 800-261-9447 or scook@fhba.com. Nationally, contact Steve Kramer at HBI, 800-795-7955 x8925 or kramers@hbi.org.

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