The shadows of the past often loom large. You don’t just represent the present… you are a culmination of the past, and hope for the future. Your time is now, only because of the toils of past generations.
Life changes.
How often we don’t realize where we are is because of who brought us here.
But sometimes we can, and that perspective can be magical.
Nick Leist you see is the 8th generation of dispatchers at our mother ship in Campbellsport.
Nick and his family.
It is solely the most important position within our organization. He is in control of the one thing we can control. The one thing that adds true value to what we do. Deliveries made in full and on time at our largest and founding location.
This is not to minimize any other position. Billing, estimating, ordering, receiving, purchasing, design, service, installing, selling, and so much more is very critical as well. And of course no location is more important than the other.
But the core of Drexel is our delivering and scheduling services…and it all started on Main Street in Campbellsport.
Everything we do that is right can be made horribly wrong by a delivery or install team arriving at the wrong time with the wrong product. It takes a team of experts to make a load perfect, estimating, the right mix of product quality and price, certainly good service and good billing practices… but one person can make a huge mess out of all it.
Ultimately, it is in the scheduler’s/dispatcher’s hands to make us look good.
That is why the 8th generation of dispatchers is so closely fostered, trained and coached. That person has to be just the right mix of saint and sinner, therapist and enforcer, mathematician and mechanic. With a little magician throw in.
Here are the 8 that have had the reins of Team Blue in the last 30 years, all continue to work here except Dick who left this world much too young:
Albert Fleischman
Dick Dornacker
Scott Rosenthal
Joel Fleischman
Jay Enright
Eric Beck
Jake Junk
Nick Leist
Albert believed that we will NEVER say no to a delivery until every person in the company was on one or every truck was gone. In 30 years we HAVE NEVER had a load that didn’t make it out because we ran out of time.
NO LOADS HAVE EVER BEEN LEFT BEHIND UNTIL THE NEXT DAY.
Which of course has led to many stories, including…
Kris Ballard (at that time Kris was the secretary and cabinet designer) taking out a load of 4’x’8′ styrofoam that peeled off the back of the truck like a deck of cards as she drove….
Starting to pull a delivery at 4:30pm on Friday July 3rd…and arriving home just in time for the fireworks in town…
Receiving material purchased from a freight train that ran off the railroad tracks…
Making deliveries by boat, helicopter, and by hand… to prisons, schools, churchs and countless more…
16 hour work days…
I’m sure most of us has a story like this, something we just HAD to do to please the customer.
We’ve delivered to Florida, Nebraska, and dozens of other states…we have done online sales to Alaska. Our first delivery to Canada is starting next month.
And we will continue to do the un-doable….safely…on time…and complete…
When do you need it by?….and we will get it done by then. The only thing stopping us is mother nature, and even then we win most of those battles. We can and we will continue to BE the difference.
It’s simple really. We are a logistics company. Taking product from one truck on to the next. Barb and the flooring team install it too. At the core, that’s really all we do… we do make this small task, moving materials from one place to its last, fantastically hard!
History has taken us from no communication in any trucks, to a system where you called “base camp”, to beepers and pagers, to cell phones, and now to Drexel logistics.
Pictured in front of Drexel logistics: Rosie, Carl, Benson, and Pigeon in front of Drexel logistics. Drexel Logistics captures a picture of all materials delivered and the time driver arrived at site.
Our current dispatchers and schedulers are:
Andy Feld, Kiel & Sheboygan Falls
Andy Krause (in yellow), Berlin
Ryan Michalak, Brookfield
Barb Wolf, Scheduler flooring and window treatment installs, Brookfield
Brendan Biller, Wrightstown
Thank you dispatchers, both current and past, for being the glue that holds the puzzle together. And to all those that surround them… you are all part of what we do. It is the daily “doing” that makes what we do so incredibly awesome.
Being on time and in full takes an army of blue. Each of you make that delivery go perfectly, and currently we are doing it 92% of the time. We will continue to improve.
WE ARE ON A MISSION FROM GOD.
– Joel Fleischman. Joel is Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply. (drexelteam). You can follow him on twitter: @JoelmFleischman. Since 1985, our business success has come from building others UP.
I know I have to get better. I am nowhere near the person I want and need to be. Getting better takes effort and patience. It’s nothing to stress about, but it is something to focus on. BETTER TODAY THAN I WAS YESTERDAY.
If we look back on our lives and didn’t improve daily and forgot to have a bunch of fun along the way, really what was the point?
You can be better at anything. Your family. Your career. Your emotional bandwidth. Or get better at simply as starting to floss daily (I am not there yet!) Just focus on doing something better each day by a little bit. Not so much to chew on that you puke. Just get better and focus on it.
We are all rockstars here at Drexel. How am I so sure of that? Caitlin and Toria go over 100 applicants per actual team member that we bring aboard (and even then only about 75% work out the first year). So you are one of over 100 people that fit our culture and our core values. And even beyond this, many of you were referred and recruited because of your own “rockstar” qualities. You are all rockstars!
And not many of us dreamed of working at a building supply company. Some of us seem like we have always wanted to do this… people like Bronco, Wojo, Dave V., Al M., Dewey… but I am guessing this was not our dream job when we were 10.
But now that we are here… the reason we are here… is to get better. And having fun along the journey.
People don’t want to work here to be stagnant, they truly want to move mountains (of lumber usually.)
Now, if all of us top level people, (yes that’s you, we are all top level) decide to all get better each day, say 1% better at something each day, imagine how good we will be in 6 days, 6 months or 6 years from now!
Our mission is to get better. It’s really that simple. We all have things to improve on. Be it a better attitude right when we walk in the door, being more organized, being more efficient, or making less mistakes… we all can improve.
It doesn’t matter your position or your career, we are all in this together.
It really eases the mind when you think, I will get better today. The past failures are just learning lessons.
It will never get easier. There is no finish line. The journey is life. It’s about getting better.
So this week start making habits of getting better. It’s not where you came from, it’s where you are going that matters.
You all inspire me to be better. Thank you Drexel Team.
– Joel Fleischman. Joel is the president & Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply. (drexelteam). You can follow him on twitter: @JoelmFleischman. He has provided solutions for builders and their clients since 1996 and a whole bunch of other stuff that you probably don’t care about.
Sept 26- 2013
(On a train bound to nowhere… um back from Chicago to Milwaukee)
For the last two days I spent my time at a convention in Chicago put on by Hanley Wood for the marketing leaders for manufacturers of building supplies. Here is what I learned and my thoughts there.
It was called Future Forward, Hanley Wood 2013 foundations. #hwfoundations for you twitter freaks, more on that later!
If you are still reading this…you must be in the trades. And welcome!
First, thank you for Pro Sales and Hanley Wood asking me to be on a panel discussion group. They paid for my stay at the Ritz-Carlton as well as a round trip train ticket. Man, I love the train. Get a ton of work done, relax. The ONLY way to travel Mke to Chi in my opinion!
Ok, on to the goods.
The first two speakers were economists and strategists and they focus on the numbers and data of the United States building economy.
Here’s the stats you need to know:
Building index up 11 of 12 months
Increased activity for 6 consecutive quarters
Phoenix is hot.
Good lots are hard to find. The “surplus” of lots is misleading. Good lots are going, going, GONE, in most markets.
Mortgage rates will stay historically low, and even if they go up they will not effect the market until it hits over 12%! That’s splendid news.
Housing recovery is still in its infancy a lot of growth is COMING!
Here’s a good quote/joke and funny: THE MARKET IS SO BAD I CANT SLEEP AT NIGHT, I SLEEP LIKE A BABY I WAKE UP EVERY 2 HOURS AND CRY!
2014 best year since 2007, total spending perspective (residential spending)
2011, spending on construction, falling more than 1/2
Remodeling bigger than new construction
2014 forecasting stronger than this … a year to two year… to surpass…
maintenance sector is growing, and new con finding gas
New home prices up 22%.
Investors helped get rid of homes… % of investor buying slowing so remodeling coming back up.
12%of those surveyed believe we need to be worried about mortgage rates according to hanley wood!
life drives housing NOT the fed
51% change in household size
39% favorable interest rates, gone up prior to this ?
31% simply tired of current home, best indicator of pent up demand 22% said increase in income
NOT your median person
Gen y, rental market strong. gen yers expecting rent to go up 4.2% , they don’t care, they love it and will continue to rent are they planiing to rent or buy? looking to staying rent. they don’t expect to change
24% of the future new home demand is baby boomers, 24%!
baby boomers…
plunking down a lot of cash! active adult community. 75% cash up to all ca$h.
bougie– new catch phrase (what?)
anything upscale, latte instead of coffee it’s so bougie much more upscale buyer
#bougie
quality is #1 issue when building ! QUALITY, materials significant!
get lucky
share of the largest builders in the country is growing
responsible for over 1/2 of the homes builders
200 largest builders to the 60%! woah.
more for land, means most expensive homes. since land is more, house has to be more.
cost material labor has not kept pace, builders are more profitable.
dealer economic look out. 68% market would be up. 2013 would 81% up up 24%, 83% up over 10%.
location matters… above average madison HOT our market orange (2nd best)
red hot in our areas!
1 mil can’t hold us!
1.16 mil starts 23%
538 new home sales 22%
remodels 7%
600bil 31%
Thank you!
data insights
brad hunter, jonathan spoke
what inning are we in…
better metaphor, a indy race.
2012-13 straightaway
hairpin turn
a skill driver knows to brake during the turn how you manage in the turn will be how you come out
15-20% in a year for home prices cost… fast!
Going to slow next year, competition from more affordable existing homes
Affordabilty WILL suffer
Real up turn in mortgage rate
Entry level, banks loosening up, but down payments coming low (school debt big factor) new kind of g.i. financing…generous in laws
Buying a bigger house now than last time around. Despite all what is happening hasn’t effected volume or home prices…
the haves or our society.
entry level is MISSING yet… kb homes sales are down…because they sell to entry level buyer and home prices up 22%. whew.
how do they deal with mortage rates that are invetible. will they pay less for home? sure…but really what they will rely on …drive til you qualify….
lack of development loans, lot shortages will resolve as funds become available
private builders going public or being acquired. more public builders
the fed has spoken!
the punchbowl is being topped off again, they will not be reducing purchase of bonds. the feds going to taper… no taper. seems like they decided they are too addicted to the financing of America.
Inventories are very very tight in many parts of the country
don’t want to go to 2005 levels. sensible level. 1.5 or 1.6 starts maybe 3 years away
Supply vacant new homes industry spiking. supply was too high.
leading indicator…. was supply
lot supply…. coming down and in fact, lot shortages. 100 months of supply to 45 months supply.
running out of lots…having to buy lots back to peak prices… in some parts of the country
a and b sub markets, lot shortage… most of the supply is spoken for in some markets
lots are being developed. 161k lots to be built, down from a peak of 1mil in 2006. future lot count is 700k
where is it occuring …texas booming phoenix booming.. reno is dead, worst
where is the market headed in 2014?
#hwfoundations2013
2/3 of clients think up only 14% look at slow down
builders
luxury homes going up up up
kitchen big opportunity, than bath
architects really got their butt kicked
decidedly they are more optimistic, building index on arch is up 11 consecutive months
more optimistic is office stuff, bread and butter. 28-34% up ward trends
31% of people want to buy a house, tired of house in, means they delayed gratification, means they will REMODEL
sense that homeowners delayed doing something happier place for their family ready to move ahead
2014. residential remodeling, see the big JUMP in custom housing.
small dealers still go to local banks. those banks were regulatory backed away. beginning to rebound, architects are aware of that.
bldg product manufacturer= dealer. contractors architects and builders and contractors every day. optimistic. busy again. busy getting busier. dealers beginning to create inventory again,
200 top builders in the us, 60% of the activity of the usa. 60% closing this year was of the 200 builders.
Big opportunity, double anything else, WINDOWS!
best housing markets, fl, salt lake city, phx, sc, al, dc, nc, co, tx, az (hot!)
HOUSING RECESSION IS OVER AND IT’S GONNA GET BETTER OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS
pain is a stressor. numbers may go 22% up in starts in 2014. D E F E N S E.
ADD LABOR! PAIN, DISORDER AND UNCERTAINTY, pain points into opportunities into solutions.
*** social media ***
Day 2. Worked out, had some coffee, you know the usual hotel routine. Didn’t find a wing man the night before, in bed by 10.
@cryswashington gave a really high energy, informative, presentation on how to use social media.
b2c
emotional ties
b2b
expert insight
How can my brand connect with key decision makers in this space each network has a culture linked in business facebook, community, emotional Triggers, most social of social facebook is to build relationships with people twitter culture is real time information and adding value. Youtube feeds the other social networks, connect with things that are visual VIDEO IS KING FOR CONTENT
1. gather intellegince
* sales research
* listening
2. get found
* keywords
* profiles
3. compliment trade show/magazine ads/purchased media
“filetype search…. xls” home builder association filetype:.xls
go to linked in and ask for introduction via email.
32-49 year olds lives on email.
linkedin message, gen y. social media platforms.
baby boomers gonna have to call em.
use technology to be more efficient, not less
facebook graph or email on google, find their phone number
if you know there first and last name
“joel fleischman” “*@drexelteam.com ”
LISTENING
active listening campaigns on social media
actively listen to thank people!!! – USE YOUR PERSONAL NAME WHEN USING YOUR BUSINESS FACEBOOK PAGE, ADD THAT TOUCH! (thanks for the message about your windows. – Joel)
GATHER INTELLIGENCE
social media GET FOUND, low hanging fruit. SHOW UP
concept of key words, linked in runs of key words as well
wonderful to build BACK TO WEBSITE, that’s the hub.
like sending a limo to going to website for a shack.
form partnerships as well.
post testimonials… from contractors MOST EFFECTIVE
installers! installers! installers! ultra lightweight all purpose
joint compound for examples
don’t get caught up in the numbers
b2b numbers smaller, that is ok…
testimonial booth at the expo… ???….!!!!
build and reinforce brand
attach your name. as you post. a really good connection, listen, thanks and use your first name.
measure results
how to do it. SEND MONTHLY SNAP SHOT comments, shares…wonderful and a guage, not sales click throughs, coming from facebook and twitter, etc!
mirror pages, promo or something
promotion redemption
email list growth, track it. own the data.
SALES
leads that turn into sales, track it, track it, track it. in house sales, pretty simple, to do spreadsheet on metrics!
****
taylor made golf guy…. the CEO Mark KING OF GREEN BAY! was next on
sales enablement
good company in future, new bright smart talent and keep it.
when you are trying to move your organization, what gets in way of success, difference speed of which it is changing. managing a business, uncertainty makes it more difficult, lots of pressure.
what is driving successful companies today: CREATIVITY he says the world will never look like it did before.
13 years incredible journey
revenue went up, what did they do to break thru???
fall of 199, he is given the job, parent company adidas i need a 3 year strategic business plan they told him.
300 mil losing money by 2002 we will be in the black. not good enough1
if the leaders of the company say it’s ok to be mediocre, who are we to be.
he said why don’t we become the best performance golf brand in the world.
an environment wants to work in our company… that’s a lot sexier plan
double size of company and be profitable
story 2 reasons:
a lot of it happened. we wouldn’t of done it. gosh, we are going to be great. people starting to be excited about thinking about doing things if you want to drive creativity into your organization. create a gap between aspiration and resource.
CREATE A GAP BETWEEN ASPIRATION AND RESOURCE.
from that gap comes all of that new thinking, trying to push the envelope.
any company should not be afraid to aspire to do great things. mark king
“not gonna work” …. “my bat. my ball. my game.”
change the rules of the game
i really think that every industry is waiting to be reinvented. how do i do better, faster, and less expensive.
if you don’t do it differently you are not going to succeed.
stuck at 700mil… so then what, how did they stay on top…
most leaders face this all the time. that’s why you see them rise and fall…
he said the reason the speed of change in market place. legacy systems, if it’s not always in transformative state, going to lose its space.
vision strategy from the top, then execute. great way to control, NOT COOL.
flexibility and speed and new thinking!
DISTRIBUTE LEADERSHIP
where every team member takes control of creating the future. it’s my job to make the company better.
really a difference of command and control. tip it upside down.
THINK! THINK! THINK!
EVERY FRIDAY MORNING, category managers come in.
instead of painting metal with black why don’t we paint them white.
i said, because bill has really stupid ideas.
market share went from 35 to 52% with one decision.
without his ability to raise hand it never would of happened…
BETTER CHEAPER FASTER AND MORE FUN
2014 GOAL- DREXEL BUILDING SUPPLY
Innovation can come anywhere…it doesn’t have to be technology!
Don’t accept follow the gender trend. break thru.
Find your white paint. (Taylor Made’s white drivers.) You find it by asking more people to think about it!
think about things … think!
if you want to grow your business,,, there are only 2 ways, steal market share or come up with something different or follow trend.
great companies ARE GREAT because the people that work there are inspired to do great things. #GOOSEBUMPS
unleash the potential!
cant’ be done… do it!
i truly believe… EXTRORDINARY THINGS HAPPEN because leaders have the courage to do it. willing to create a new lense.
distribute leadership, their ideas not your ideas. and takes courage.
He was told by her oldest daughter an over achiever:
Our greatest fear is that we are powerful to beyond measure.
success of the month. an online show and bring people in every month.
huge online social network, start an idea and join in…
more touring professionals play our equip than the other 5 combined.
john daly, i love her a little bit more than i hate her.
take risks, push the envelope. we don’t penalize failure.
That’s the random notes. Thanks for sticking with me.
– – Joel Fleischman. Joel is the president & solution provider for Drexel Building Supply. (drexelteam.com). You can follow him on twitter: @JoelmFleischman. He has provided solutions for builders and their clients since 1996 and a whole bunch of other stuff that you probably don’t care about.
Are you doing it the normal way…? Did the normal guy on the Bachelorette get a rose last night? No, they did not. Did the idiot with his shirt off (I believe now called ab guy) get a rose? Yes he did.
So, do you have the following problems?
Boring e-mail signature?
Standard away message?
Voicemail that is factory installed?
Yeah, and you are wondering why you are “just a number”, “quoting and hoping”, and “stuck in medicorcy”.
Captain obvious here: To be DIFFERENT you have to be DIFFERENT.
***
Take risks, but be yourself. It’s actually pretty simple, but yet rarely applied. We are too scared, busy or simply not passionate enough to be ourselves. We are scared and over (or under) think every opportunity to SHINE.
A great example happened to my wife over the weekend. She bought shoes at zappos.com. That is certainly not news, in fact it seems like a daily phenomenon. But…Shoes… online? Barely even makes sense. Yet they are a dominant player in a huge market.
Zappos… 75% of it’s customers are repeat customers, their marketing is largely word of mouth. They started in 1999, and sold in 10 years for 1.2 billion dollars to Amazon. That’s a “B” people. They do over 1 billion in annual revenue. That’s a ton of shoes.
***
So… yeah that’s not normal. BUT IT IS AWESOME!
* and I apologize for the Taylor Swift quote. I know I can do better, but it just worked.
– – Joel Fleischman. Joel is the president and solution provider for Drexel Building Supply. (drexelteam.com). You can follow him on twitter: @JoelmFleischman. He has provided solutions for builders and their clients since 1996 and a whole bunch of other stuff that you probably don’t care about.
One of the things I hear parents, coaches, and teachers preach to our kids is to hustle and do your homework. I think it is universally taught that doing your homework and hustling is the best thing to do to get better at any given task. And the best in fact ALWAYS hustle and do their homework.
Now fast forward from first grade, to high school sports and then to the so called “real world”. Tuesday afternoon in a cubicle. Friday afternoon in the car as an OSR (hate that term by the way). Driving truck. Cutting hair. Waiting tables. Are we still hustling and doing our homework. The answer is often a very reluctant, “No. But I mean to. I was going to start. Um, what?”
We all celebrate Charlie Hustle (ok, not the creepy weird Pete Rose that sells his autograph on the Vegas strip for a few bucks) but the mythical one. The person that just out works everyone. You know, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Business leaders need to find people that hustle and do their homework. But beyond that…leaders need to set the example. Are you hustling? Are you doing your homework?
Homework can and should be reading books that relate to your industry, and also business books that are not in your wheel house. Oh, I get it, you don’t have time to read. But your fifth grade son has time to do their homework right? Ok, let’s move on. Go on factory tours; learn your craft. Again, if you think you already know, you are an idiot. Seriously. Another great way is to “secret shop” or any way so you can learn about your competition. Roundtables and factory tours of your product line, all the way up and down the food chain, in your business will help you become an expert as well. And if you are new to your industry, study, study, study. Become an expert not only of your industry but of YOUR COMPANY. Do you know everyone’s role? Do you know what your boss expects of you? Do you know where you are going and why? This is your adult homework.
Homework can also be social and charity endeavors. You will learn a lot about yourself and your surroundings. The old cliche you get back twice what you give is so true. I don’t know anyone that isn’t submersed in these things that are not better people because of it.
Now on to the big obvious secret (oh, see how I did that?). Hustle. Of course we all hustle. Riiiiight. But what do we REALLY do…what are you doing? Are you really sprinting or are you jogging? Are you going a second early in wind sprints and instead of touching the line? Are you going about one foot short of the finish line? Are you crusing? Your coach, um boss, or even more important your customers and those around you, they know. You don’t think they know. They know. Trust me. And deep down you know they know. Do you care enough to change? Or you happy with your fate? That’s up to you. But when someone steals “your promotion”, “your account”, “your next big thing”, and you have 100 reasons why “it” left you, my instincts will tell me that you got out hustled. When that ball was going out-of-bounds did you dive into the stands or did you reach out your arm and let it go out? Were you the first one at practice or just getting there on time? Hustle doesn’t lose you your job. It doesn’t always cost you the game. It doesn’t always cost you your career. But it might. And certainly with hustle you will do better.
I’ve met so many people who have great ideas for great causes. Great things they plan on doing. Great intent. Talk is cheap. They aren’t willing to hustle. So it never happens.
So really it’s up to you. Will you hustle and do your home work? Will you practice what you preach? You just read this whole article. So I believe you will now go do it.
Feel bad that you haven’t been doing all this? A Chinese proverb reminds us of the possibilities: The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is today.
Proverbs 6:6-8 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest
– – Joel Fleischman. Joel is the president and solution provider for Drexel Building Supply. (www.drexelteam.com). You can follow him on twitter: @JoelmFleischman. He has provided solutions for builders and their clients since 1996 and a whole bunch of other stuff that you probably don’t care about.
Selecting the Right Builder for Building a Your Dream Home
Choosing a builder is likely the most important decision in the custom home building process. The Metropolitan Builders Association (MBA) offers tips to select the right builder.
Choosing a builder early in the process – ideally before you’ve settled on a site or design for your home – can set the stage for a successful home-building experience. The building process is complex and most owners need professional guidance from the beginning to avoid mistakes in site selection, home design and setting a budget.
Your budget shouldn’t be among the top criteria in selecting a builder. No builder can quote an accurate price for a custom or semi-custom home until he or she knows the type, style, finishes and features of the home, the site conditions and the type of contract you want to use for construction. Rather than focusing on cost, you may want to base your decision on the builder’s competence, reputation, professionalism, warranty coverage, experience.
Here are a few things to consider when selecting a builder: 1. Types of Builders: Custom Home Builder: A truly custom home has an original and unique design. It is designed to be built on a specific site and purchased by a specific buyer. Semi-Custom Home Builder: A semi-custom home starts with an existing home design, which then is modified to fit the individual home buyer’s needs. Production Home or Model Home Builder: A model is built according to a standardized plan. Spec Home Builder: A home built “on speculation” by a buyer who hasn’t identified a specific builder but hopes to sell it during construction or shortly after it’s completed.
2. Builder Reputation:
Look for an established builder who is a member of the Metropolitan Builders Association.
MBA members have met stringent membership eligibility requirements set by the MBA to protect consumers.
3. Areas of Operation:Choose a builder who is familiar with the area where you want your home to be built. Local knowledge is important in handling variations in local building codes, subcontracting practices or other factors.
4. Type of Home:
Select a builder who has extensive experience constructing homes in your price range and general design style.
5. Compatibility:
Building a home is a highly personal and emotional experience. You’ll want choose a builder with whom you’ll feel comfortable.
6. Warranty:
The builder should be willing and able to offer you a comprehensive written warranty on your new home.
7. Financial Stability:
Make sure the building company you select is financially viable.
8. Financial Strength:
Successful builders are in the best position to contract for the services of top subcontractors and suppliers – the people who will actually build your home.
9. Quality:
Cost is not a direct measure of quality. Good quality is the merging of good design with appropriate products and materials that are installed with superior workmanship.
10. Contact me.
Seriously, if you are building in South Eastern, Central or East Central Wisconsin give me an opportunity to use my 20 years of networking to help you, you can e-mail me at joel.fleischman@drexelteam.com or kick me on twitter @JoelmFleischman. I’d love to help you get started.
Bottom line: Building a new home is not like buying a car. Apples for apples for builders just doesn’t exist, every builder will build a different home. GO WITH THE BUILDER YOU CAN TRUST. THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE. So many things will happen after the contract that will require communication and yes money, go with the builder you have the connection with and can trust.
Bonus Bottom Line: Building a home will require a ton of your time. Don’t assume it won’t. If you are not prepared for that, I would recommend not building at all until it’s better timing in your life.
— – Joel Fleischman. Joel is the president and solution provider for Drexel Building Supply. (www.drexelteam.com). You can follow him on twitter: @JoelmFleischman. He has provided solutions for builders and their clients since 1996 and a whole bunch of other stuff that you probably don’t care about. Article from the MBA, and is a press release.
Joel Fleischman's Blog 
