Larry Henderson, a Northern Virginia handyman, was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to bank fraud in federal court, the Washington Post reported. In Henderson's case, the elderly victims suffered from "diminished mental capacity," according to the Post, so Henderson was able to convince them to pay exorbitant prices for simple work, including $20,000 to trim the shrubs.
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The treated wood industry has agreed to voluntarily phase out lumber preserved with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a compound containing the carcinogen arsenic, for "virtually all residential uses," EPA Administrator Christine Whitman announced in February. A flier produced by the Healthy Building Network and the Environmental Working Group.
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The Dallas Police Department fought quite a campaign in the war on drugs last year, seizing a fair share of cocaine, methamphetamine, and, of course, pulverized wallboard.Two officers involved in the arrests have been suspended with pay, and a Dallas Police Department investigation is ongoing.
NARI and the Stanford Graduate School of Business have completed the first phase of a three-part research project designed to help the association better meet the needs of its members and help all parts of the industry -- from manufacturers to contractors to consumers -- work together more efficiently."The Harvard study is based on census data and on what happened," says Les Cunningham, chair of the NARI Board of Directors, referring to the Joint Center for Housing Studies' "Remodeling Homes for Changing Households" report.
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The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection arrested 21 "contractors" last year for violating the state's Home Improvement Act with the help of a multi-agency operation known as "Sting House 2001." All arrests led to convictions, and in several cases, the plea agreements secured restitution for consumers with outstanding complaints against the perpetrators.Connecticut's Home Improvement Act reads like a remodeling customer's bill of rights, and department commissioner James Flemming says the department "will continue to monitor the industry to be sure consumers benefit from those rights."
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When electrical subcontractors come onto a job, they usually have two questions for the homeowner: What do you want and where do you want it? Phil Blosser, owner of Blosser Electrical, an electrical company in Blooming Glen, Pa., has many more questions than that.
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Want to turn your lead carpenters into salespeople and add easy money to already sold projects? Ask Tom Capizzi Jr., president of Capizzi Home Improvement in Cotuit, Mass., how it's done.
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Shawmut Design and Construction, a $300 million dollar commercial remodeling company in Boston, estimates that they earn double the net profit of that of their closest competitors. The people we hire must fit our core values, such as being client focused, having long-term views of the future, having a sense of urgency, being honest and outgoing, and deriving energy from one another," says Hughes.
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In a turbulent economic environment, there are plenty of opportunities to get discouraged, depressed, and despondent over low sales. Here's how sales pros fight back against tought times.
Scott Watson of Taylor Watson Construction in St. Louis recently participated in a 12-week television show segment dubbed "Rescue My Kitchen," where viewers voted on nine key homeowner selections via the Internet. Watson had done work for a sales rep at the NBC affiliate, KSDK, who produces the program "Show Me St. Louis." The rep approached Watson about participating in a remodel that would take place on the show.
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A suburban Kansas City remodeler has found that a radio and television campaign featuring a jingle has increased the number and quality of leads he gets.After learning Home Depot was coming to Lawrence, Kan., Marc Ridenour of Natural Breeze Remodeling decided to do something so his firm's name stuck in homeowners' minds when they thought "remodel." A survey was cited in which 1,000 Lawrence residents were asked, among other things, which companies came to mind when they thought about remodeling services. After the seminar, Ridenour paid $2,200 to an Indiana company to write and produce a jingle.
With construction complaints usually ranking in the top three grievances at the Better Business Bureau each year, it's nice to hold a BBB award that says your company's tops in customer service.Photo: Ron VanderKolkJoy and Kirk Morris of Morris Builders, with their Better Business Bureau Best in Customer Service award.