REMODELING
MAGAZINE
Publication date: 2004-05-01
By David Zuckerman
Welsh Construction
Lexington, Va. Full-service remodeling and historic
renovation 10 years in business 2003 volume: $1.9
million Staff: 4 office, 8 field
Empathy, Tim and Janeen Welsh say, is at the root
of their company's success. It's essential "to
visualize yourself as the client in the home with
that chaos around you," Janeen says. "By
doing that, we try to pre-emptively address client
concerns."
At Welsh Construction, that concern for the client
perspective isn't just found in the owners' office.
The Welshes know that creating the ideal customer
experience requires that everyone at the company
buy in. "Employees have to want to please the
clients,"Tim says. To encourage long-term commitment,
Tim and Janeen provide health
insurance and incentive-based bonuses; at monthly
meetings with the production crew, the owners name
an employee of the month and give him $20. It's
not the money, the owners say, but the positive
reinforcement that makes the practice worthwhile.
The Welshes also take their entire crew to industry
events like JLC Live, as well as on company trips.
One year, the whole crew went deep-sea fishing.
"We try to let them know we're invested in
them," Janeen says.
