Navigating a Challenging Market- Succes Stories from MBA Members

Welcome to a new feature brought to you by the MBA of Pierce County. Navigating a Challenging Market will feature tips, tricks and success stories from you-the members. In time we hope that you will find this monthly feature to be a valuable resource for ideas, positive local coverage and more. Thank you for reading.

Keep Asking Questions

Many of our members are reaching out finding creative ways to market their products to consumers. Member Dave Graff and his company Harr Family Homes have found that they are constantly reinventing themselves as builders.

“Now isn’t a time to stand still and wait for sales to happen again. We all should know by now nothing is going to happen overnight,” Graff said. “We are up against a lot of hard, but worthwhile work.”

Nearing the end of the tax credit for new homes in June, Harr Family Homes, their real estate and escrow agents, and banks had some serious work ahead of them. At times they even had to agree to guarantee the credit. However, he found once the credit ended, it was very evident that sales dramatically dropped off and they had to look for a new hook.

“We have a home plan that has this formal dining room that everyone used to have to have. Then it just stopped. We kept asking, ‘what would you need to buy a house now,’ or ‘what are looking for in a new home.’ We took a look at what we could adjust and the dining rooms ended up becoming dens and selling again,” said Graff.

Graff’s best advice to other members is being able to adapt to whatever the current needs may be and sometimes be willing to spend money to get results. He says his company has reevaluated and reinvented itself at least five times in the last three years now. The company did so by market research, and by asking questions.

Bottom Line: Be ready and open to change. Make an effort to find out what is selling and why it’s selling. Right now, adaptability is your most effective marketing tool.

Master Builders Association of Pierce County Announces Annual Award Winners

TACOMA, Washington- The Master Builders Association of Pierce County (MBA) recently announced their Awards of Excellence recipients at their annual ball held on December 16^th, 2010 at the Landmark Convention Center.

The 2010 award recipients are as follows:

• Builder of the Year:  Gordon Neu, Neu Construction, Inc.
• Remodeler of the Year: Laureen Skrivan, Wren & Willow, Inc.
• Company of the Year: York Enterprises
• Associate of the Year: Leslie Jensen, Signature Woodworks, LLC
• John Slott Recruiter of the Year:
• Dave Graff, Harr Family Homes
• Kent Arola, Wind River Homes
• The Robert Camp Award: Sean Comfort, AHBL, Inc.

Also that evening the 2011 Board of Directors was inducted, including the 2011 Executive Committee consisting of:

2010 President, Gordon Neu, exchanges
pins with 2011 inducted president, Rick Hjelm.

·         President, Rick Hjelm, Phase II General Contractor, Inc.

·         Vice President Treasurer, Jim Yurina, Pacific Bay, Inc.

·         2^nd Vice President, Sue Zimmerman, Horiuchi  Zimmerman Bartels, PS

·         Vice President Secretary,  Joe Maxwell, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate-Pacific Commons

·         Immediate Past President, Gordon Neu, Neu Construction, Inc

Click here to see more photos from the event.

Welcome New Members

The MBA would like to welcome some of it's newest members. Take a look at your December 2010 Newsletter for more information!

Beyler Consulting	Landon	Beyler
Great West Property Management	Mariann	Hanratty
Lazer Trends, LLC	Jason	Webster
Pacific Northwest Title Co.	Bonnie	Buffington
Pacific Northwest Title Co.	Nick	Abdelnour
Premiere Floors & Design Center	Jon	Engels
Rohrbaugh Engelland Group, LLC-Builder Division	Eric	Engelland

Members valid with NAHB as of 10/31/10

Help York Enterprises fill their truck for NW Harvest at Remodelers Council

Members York Enterprises are doing a food drive to benefit Northwest Harvest. Their goal is to fill their biggest truck as seen in this photo. MBA members can help by bringing non-perishble foods to the next Remodelers Council Meeting at Anderson Appliance, Inc (5306 Pacific Hwy E, Ste D, Fife) on Tuesday November 23rd, or you can drop off your items at the York offices at 3517 S 13th St, Tacoma. Thanks for participating!

Navigating a Challenging Market- Success Stories from MBA Members

Welcome to a new feature brought to you by the MBA of Pierce County. Navigating a Challenging Market will feature tips, tricks and success stories from you-the members. In time we hope that you will find this monthly feature to be a valuable resource for ideas, positive local coverage and more. Thank you for reading.

MAKE YOURSELF WORTH IT

Sometimes we find ourselves jumping to lower our prices to keep competitive. While this is good for short term sales, MBA President Gordon Neu, Neu Construction, Inc. disagrees that this method is effective for the long term sustainability of your business. "Part of the home building process is building a relationship with your customer," says Neu. "I often get over the hurdle of cost by explaining how my services differ from my competitors and listening to the customers’ needs."

Recently, Neu had a customer make additional changes his products after pricing a kitchen remodel, resulting in a hefty increase on their bid. Instead of lowering his price, he asked the buyer to think it over for a night. Neu recalls, "The customer called me back the next day, and said 'you know, at first I was really upset. But after I calmed down, I thought to myself, is Gordon worth it?' I'm happy to report he is having me do three more projects on his home." Neu's advice to members would be to stick to your company's standards. You may lose a sale, but often times if a consumer's main focus is the price, they may be more difficult to work for than they are worth. When putting together a bid make sure the potential customer knows every step in your thought process, and definitely be upfront about costs! Make sure they understand your company's quality and craftsmanship is worth it!

Bottom Line: Make it "Extra Special" - Basic marketing boils down to what do you do that's different. What's your competive edge? Make everything you do something "extra special" and clients will take notice. Not only will they come back for more, they'll tell their friends.

MBA of Pierce County Inducts Local Publisher to Board of Directors

The Master Builders Association of Pierce County recently inducted South Sound Magazine Publisher Josh Dunn to their Board of Directors. Dunn will act as a State Director for the Association.

“The local building industry is always looking for fresh ideas. Josh is an entrepreneur and has proven to be a valuable asset to this Association,” said MBA 2010 President Gordon Neu.

Dunn has been a member of the MBA since 2002, and is an active member of their Remodelors Council and Public Relations Committee. The Association works with South Sound Magazine to create promotional material to coincide with their Annual Tour of Remodeled Homes. Dunn’s company Premier Media Group also publishes 425 magazine and has won numerous national publishing awards.

The Master Builders Association of Pierce County (MBA) is a non-profit trade association comprised of more than 850 builder and associate member companies employing over 10,000 people in Pierce County. The MBA's purpose is to promote through membership involvement, legislative action, networking and education, the opportunity for affordable housing to all while striving to maintain the highest ethical standards.


MEDIA CONTACT:

Laura Haworth, MBA of Pierce County Communications Coordinator
253.272.2112
communications@mbapierce.com