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Local Remodeler Recognized for Quality Achievements

Boardwalk Builders, a $2.15 million remodeling company in Rehoboth Beach, DE, that engages in ongoing exchanges among managers, employees, trades, suppliers and customers to monitor progress against its annual business plan and three-year strategic plan, received the 2004 Silver National Housing Quality (NHQ) Award in the Remodeler division.

The award, which is modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, was presented at a ceremony during January’s International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. The NAHB Research Center and Reed Residential Group, publisher of Professional Builder and Professional Remodeler magazines, administer the annual awards program.

Boardwalk’s mission is “to build high-quality remodeling projects and custom homes, offer personalized service throughout the construction process and build a business whose reputation for professionalism and customer service is unparalleled by our competition,” Patty McDaniel, the company’s president, said at an IBS educational session.

Through its efforts to improve quality, Boardwalk had a zero-percent employee turnover rate in 2003, and repeat customers represent one-third of its current volume. By the end of 2003, Boardwalk had signed $2.9 million in contracts for 2004 projects.

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In its surveys of customer satisfaction, Boardwalk has found a 97% approval rating, McDaniel said. The company’s clients are mostly remodeling second or vacation homes, she added, and “they want us to know about what we’re doing, want to be listened to and want to have their houses treated respectfully.”

McDaniel said her company focuses on several factors for customer satisfaction:

• Being on time
• Keeping the job site clean
• Delivering high levels of craftsmanship
• Acting with integrity
• Demonstrating intelligence
• Making it seem easy when they are demanding

Preparing an NHQ application is an important step in every applicant's quality journey. Program participants benefit from the introspective process of preparing an application, as well as the insightful feedback received from a judging panel of industry experts. “Going through the application process really shifted my business plan,” said McDaniel. “It didn’t tie together before. Now it’s a document that is definitely connected from year to year. It’s more proactive than reactive.”

Winners of the NHQ Award are featured in Professional Builder and Professional Remodeler magazine articles that highlight their company's quality management practices and serve as a model for the benefit of the housing industry.

For more information on the National Housing Quality Program, click here, or send an e-mail.
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