Elite General Contracting: Storm damage restoration and more

BY CYNTHIA J. THOMAS, Staff Writer

Ask anyone who owns a home or business about property restoration after storm damage, and you could get some interesting stories: Waiting for estimates, unclear fine print in insurance documents, and fly-by-night contractors are just a few problem areas. Kory Buettgenback and his crew at Elite General Contracting want to help make sure those crazy stories don’t happen.

Elite General Contracting & Restoration, with offices a home office in the Walnut Shade area, serves an approximately 60-mile radius, with satisfied customers in Christian, Taney, Stone, and Greene counties. Services include roofing, gutters, vinyl siding, garage doors and more.

Buettgenback’s experience in contracting, especially restoration following weather damage and other unexpected disasters, goes back more than 20 years, when a work injury led him to sales work for a contractor and then assisting homeowners caught in the insurance process when the contractor went out of business. He worked for other contractors, landing in Branson to help with recovery from the 2006 hailstorm and in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, before officially moving to Branson.

In 2016, Buettgenback decided to open his own business. “I realized I had the experience to educate people about the process and really help with their stress,” he said. “I’m local, so it’s important to me that people know they can trust me.” Elite is also a frequent sponsor of local events, often through contacts made by clients.

As a general contractor, Elite General Contracting works with trusted established area subcontractors, which Buettgenback says helps keep his services affordable and ensures quality workers, especially in today’s labor market where committed employees can be hard to find. He has partnered with most of his subcontractors for several years and only uses those who are well-established, have a reputation for quality work and multiple references, and carry the necessary worker’s compensation and liability insurance.

In addition to quality work in a timely manner, Elite is committed to integrity in dealing with insurance. Having been an insurance adjuster himself, Buettgenback knows the procedures and terminology with which homeowners may not be familiar, to make sure the settlement is fair and correct. He is also available for questions and issues, even after the warranty period is over. “In the construction business, it’s just a given that things do come up, and we respond promptly to get them taken care of,” he said.

One satisfied area customer is Sam Howard, managing partner of the Stone Castle Conference Center in Branson. During a microburst wind event in 2018, the pressure destroyed many facets of all three buildings, which resulted in the full exterior restoration of the buildings, changing the entire look of the property. “Kory was there the next day,” said Howard. “We walked through and came up with a plan, and he got right on it.”

He complimented Buettgenback’s help with the insurance process, resulting in no cost overruns for a $1.3 million restoration. Howard also said the timing was well-coordinated for each phase of the ninemonth job, enabling the hotel to remain open during much of its busiest tourist season while still ensuring safety of guests and employees.

While not every job is a conference-center sized one, every job is important to Buettgenback, and there are many reviews from satisfied homeowners at Google Business or at Elite General Contracting & Restoration, LLC, on Facebook. Call 417-593-1897 to discuss your project needs.