April 2021
San Antonio’s Homebuilding Industry Publication
VE Luxury
Homes Dean & Sherry Buescher
Provide Turnkey Excellence
PHOTO BY JASON ROBERTS
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Building Savvy
SAVVY’S A-LIST A-LIST SAVVY’S Air Conditioning Architectural Photographer Classic Services AC Jason Roberts And Associates 830.358.1499 210.789.2033 www.classicairconditioningandwww.jasonroberts.biz heating.com Architectural Photographer Building Materials Jason Roberts and Guido Companies Associates 210.789.2033 210.344.8321 www.jasonroberts.biz www.guidoco.com
Building Materials BMC MG Building Materials 512.977.7400 210.623.4770 www.buildwithbmc.com Guido Doors Companies 210.344.8321 The Front Door Company www.guidoconstruction.com
Doors Drywall The Front Door Company R. Hernandez Drywall 210.340.3141 210.733.6437 www.thefrontdoorco.com
Flooring Flooring Sunn Carpets and Flooring Sunn Carpets and Flooring 210.349.7866 210.349.7866 www.sunncarpets.com
Mortgage Company Mortgage Company
Electrician Electrician JPI JPIElectric Electric 210.233.6638 210.233.6638 www.jpielectric.com
Garage Doors Hollywood-Crawford Garage Doors 210.494.3434 Hollywood-Crawford www.hollywoodcrawford.com
Pest Control Accurate Pest Control Pest Control 210.495.0499 Accurate Pest Control www.accuratepest.net
www.hollywoodcrawford.com
www.accuratepest.net Plumbing
www.sunncarpets.com
210.494.3434
www.jpielectric.com
Elevators Home Elevator of Texas Elevators 210.340.5702 Home Elevator of Texas www.homeelevator.com
Home Warranties Centricity 727.385.7599 Granite Countertops
Venetian Marble & Granite
210.340.5702
StrucSure 210.695.3505 830-624-4450 https://venetiancountertops.com www.strucsure.com
www.homeelevator.com
Fireplace Installations Integrity Fireplace Installations 210.294.1383 Fireplace Installations
210.340.3141
Integrity Fireplace Installations
www.thefrontdoorco.com
210.294.1383
Home Warranties Insulation StrucSure Klar Insulation 210.296.5499 830-624-4450 www.strucsure.com
Insurance Hotchkiss Insurance Insulation 210.581.0420 Klar Insulation www.hiallc.com 210.296.5499
210.248.2556
Lumber and Millwork Roddis Lumber Insurance 210.226.1426 www.roddislumber.com Hotchkiss Insurance 210.581.0420
www.alignedmortgage.com
210.495.0499
Diamond Plumbing 210.967.6100 www.dptexas.com Plumbing Diamond Plumbing
Roofer 210.967.6100
Kendall County Roofing 830.331.2650 Dr.www.kendallcountyroofing.com J. Plumbing Contractor www.dptexas.com
210.681.7555
Specialty Electronics and Appliances HomeWerks Roofer 210.499.5760 Kendall County Roofing www.sanantoniocentralvac.com 830.331.2650
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Specialty Glass and Mirror B&T Glass 210.656.8507 Specialty Electronics and Appliances www.btglassandmirror.com HomeWerks
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Luxury Iron Doors and www.hiallc.com Interiors AMS Group Lumber and Millwork 210.366.0490
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DISCLAIMER: Any articles included in this publication and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily re ect the views of N2 Publishing but remain solely those of the author(s). The paid advertisements contained
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within the Building Savvy magazine are not endorsed or recommended by N2 Publishing or the publisher. Therefore, neither N2 Publishing nor the publisher
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[from the publisher]
Best Practices of Today. Must Be Continuously Developed Into the Better Practices of Tomorrow Necessity is the mother of invention, and in the construction
weather, and any and everything else. Can the genuine
industry, that means building failure is the driver of building
resolve find the necessary solution be stronger than our
science. Today’s high-performance windows are twice
divisive political parties’ desire to pander to voters? The
as efficient as yesterday’s double-pane units; some even
answer will determine just how much our state legislature
narrow the performance gap between the opening and the
can accomplish or not accomplish in this year’s session.
wall on which they’re installed. That means, when it comes
If we truly believe that necessity is the mother of invention,
to windows and doors (the subject of this month’s Focus
let’s hope some of our elected officials will rally behind the
Section article) we can enjoy an increase of daylight without
necessity to come together and find some real solutions.
sacrificing comfort or energy efficiency.
Fortunately for all of us in this industry, the distraction of
The painful examples of defects and failures, and our
being busy can keep us from getting too frustrated over
study of what needs to be done to prevent problems from
challenges that seem never-ceasing and the resulting
reoccurring, should help us to be better prepared for an
divisiveness of opinion over them. May your opportunities
inevitable “next time.” I pray that our state legislature can
abound as we warm-up for the spring and summer sales
find solutions to Texas’ lacking power infrastructure that
season! Stay busy and Press On!
put us in the national news headlines last winter. The perfect storm and our state’s lack of being prepared for it provide ample opportunity to point the finger of blame
Terry Kemmy
at politicians. But we’ve seen far too many examples of
Publisher
both parties’ opportunistic responses to COVID-19, the
210.844.1542
[association news]
The Greater San Antonio Builders Association is a not-
One of the most important committees GSABA has is
for-profit trade association established to represent
the Government Affairs Committee, which works in
builders, developers, remodelers, and affiliated industry
conjunction with the association staff to address issues
members in cooperation to benefit and promote
that impact the home-building industry at the city, county,
homeownership.
state, and federal levels. One of the primary goals is to protect the industry from onerous regulations that could
GSABA members include but are not limited to: homebuilders, developers,
raise the cost of housing in the Greater San Antonio area.
remodelers, architects, suppliers, general contractors, mortgage lenders, interior
To learn more about the benefits of membership, or if you
designers, title companies, banks, service providers, tile, and masonry, and many
need help getting started, contact GSABA Membership
more trade contractors and home-building categories.
Director Feliz Morin at (210) 696-3800.
There are several ways and opportunities to get involved with the association.
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[industry news]
Utility Outages
Left Many Angry The snowfall and deep freeze this past February set records for low temperatures, total inches of snow, as well as second-guessing and finger-pointing by elected officials.
For the record, 6.5 inches of snow were recorded in San Antonio, and on February 15, the city recorded a low temperature of 8 degrees. Neither are records but they fall in the top three for our city. We also endured multiple consecutive days of below-freezing temperatures. Starting on Friday, February 12, temperatures started to dip below By Jim Leonard
freezing. Normally when it ever snows in San Antonio, we are not below freezing for so long before the snow. This contributed to the snow lasting so long and not melting away. We had snow on other days as well.
M
any in San Antonio looked outside on Monday morning and
have no power for a little bit but it would
delighted in seeing snow. For many who grew up here and
save the grid. But many people who lost
never saw snow in person, they headed outside to play and enjoy
power did not get it back on for days.
the event. Most figured it would be gone by the next day which is
They were freezing to death in their own
what usually happens around here. But the chain of events that led to
home. Later water would fail as the pumps
catastrophe for many was just beginning.
needed electricity to supply water. Since
Record prolonged freezing temperatures put tremendous pressure on the power grid as people cranked up the heat inside to stay warm. CPS leaders warned of conserving energy or we would have to have rolling blackouts that could last for fifteen minutes and then come back on. This would roll through the service area so everyone would
water pressure was so low and people were getting dirty water from their faucets, people were told to boil water before using it. A woman on television who was utterly frustrated said she could not boil it without electricity. This is about when most of us for the first time became aware of the name ERCOT, or the Electric Reliability Council of Texas who proved to be anything but reliable as their name states. ERCOT’s job is to supply power to retailers such as CPS and move power to areas where it is needed most. With such high demand, electricity was being purchased on the spot market and users were paying exorbitant prices to be able to have it. This was completely lost on the end customer who just wanted to be warm in their home. No one was
Downtown Waco during the February 2021 snow and ice storm.
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expecting utility bills to be in the thousands of dollars for one month. Then we learned that members of the ERCOT board of directors, five of them, did not even live in Texas. As pressure ramped up against ERCOT, those board members all resigned their positions. ERCOT claims that their actions prevented a blackout of epic proportions that would have kept us without power for weeks. Governor Abbott has appointed a committee to investigate that and see what can be done to ensure that this never happens again. Between green energy, fossil fuel, and solar power, Texas should not have been in this position. But who knew a wind turbine could freeze? Or that gas could freeze inside a pipeline? Like many homeowners who put off maintenance of their homes, the state legislature put off investing into the infrastructure needed that could have prevented any of this damage to our power system from happening.
February 15, 2021, Austin, Texas. Historic Arctic blast, winter storm.
There is plenty of blame to go around and this will be hotly debated for months to come. The response from Paula Gold- Williams, CEO of CPS, the city-owned electric provider, was that they could allow people to pay the bill out over ten years. Mayor Ron Niremberg pushed back hard on that, stating that CPS should send the bill to ERCOT and that citizens who nearly died should have to pay any of the increase. She later walked that statement back but then said they would have to collect all the data to see what they used before they could accurately bill customers. That was still a hard no from the mayor. Over at SAWS, Robert Puente was dealing with his issues. Frozen pipes were breaking all over the city, flooding houses, causing main breaks, and in many cases, leaving parts of town with no water at all. To their credit, SAWS set up distribution areas around town where people could pick up water to take home. Others who had power were melting snow to use for water to cook, bathe, flush toilets, and whatever
Snow Day at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
StrucSure_BuildingSavvy_April2021.pdf
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2/24/21
10:26 AM
else they needed. A lesson learned was that it takes a lot of snow to provide enough to flush a toilet or bathe with. We also learned which leaders we could count on and whom we couldn’t. Although no one expected him to be in a bucket at the end of a crane connecting power lines, US Senator Ted Cruz left Houston where he had no power in his home to take his family to Cancun to ride out the weather. While it may have been completely innocent, the optics set off a lot of Texans who thought our leaders should be at least encouraging and offering help.
Locally we had people like County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez delivering supplies and blankets to households in need. Eva Longoria, who owns a home here, reached out to volunteer at the Food Bank to deliver supplies and food to people in need. HEB outperformed even their high standards by continuing to stock shelves and keep supplies
C
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CM
MY
CY
CMY
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ready in their stores.
HOW THE NATION’S BEST BUILDERS PROTECT THEIR BUYERS
By February 22, temperatures had warmed to the seventies and
MIRROR IMAGING OF TAB PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
people could then begin to assess the damages. Plumbers have
SOIL MOVEMENT AND SETTLEMENT COVERAGE
weeks of work to do repairing homes. Remodelers will also stay busy
FAST AND FAIR CLAIMS MANAGEMENT
repairing drywall, trim, and other items destroyed by leaking water.
FLEXIBLE PROGRAMS TO MEET EVERY HOMEBUILDER’S NEEDS
REINSURED BY A-RATED LLOYD’S OF LONDON
SCOTT WHISENANT Vice President of Sales, Central & Southwest Texas (830) 624-4450 swhisenant@strucsure.com www.strucsure.com
But Texans are nothing but resilient and will learn from this, improve for the future, and hope to not see another event like this for years to come.
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[focus section]
Aesthetics and Performance
CHOOSING WINDOWS & DOORS WISELY By Beverly Smirnis
What’s Hot? Thin Window Frames in Dark Colors The desire for seamless connections between indoor and outdoor spaces drives the thin-frame trend for windows and patio doors. A narrower frame means more glass area—maximizing natural light inside the home with less visual obstruction. Dark frame colors, especially black, are another trend not likely to abate any time soon. For entry doors, the hot style is to have no added embellishment or frame around the glass.
Quaker Timberline™, a hybrid product, blends an exterior architectural aluminum frame with a natural wood interior.
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Ratings: Know Your Lows and Highs No matter how beautiful a window, door or skylight product may present itself, poor performance will quickly diminish that beauty. The good news is—you don’t have to choose between taller, wider windows and broader expanses of glass and energy efficiency, comfort and performance. Window manufacturers continue to roll out windows, doors and skylights with advanced engineering and technology that make modern fenestration products vastly superior to older ones. Energy performance ratings of windows, doors, and skylights relate to their potential for gaining and losing heat, as well as transmitting sunlight into your home. The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) operates a voluntary SteelVu Windows, part of the Quartz Collection EdgeLine™ series
from
Quaker,
combines
thermally-advanced
architectural aluminum construction with contemporary narrow sightlines – an alternative to traditional steel windows offering the industrial look often seen within
program that tests, certifies, and labels windows, doors, and skylights based on their energy performance ratings, providing a reliable way to determine a window’s energy properties and to compare products. Keep in mind that you may choose a different window for different areas of your home, according to the amount of direct sun or way the property is facing.
historic architectural builds.
Energy Star® bases its qualification only on U-factor (how much heat energy is lost or gained) and solar heat gain coefficient, SHGC, ratings (the amount of solar heat transmitted.). The lowest numbers are the best numbers on these. National Version 3.1 requires U-Values of .30 or less for Climate Zone 3 (North Texas) and .40 for Climate Zone 2 (South Texas). A SHGC of .25 is required for both North and South Texas. These requirements apply to site-built and modular single family homes, duplexes and townhomes. Low-rise multifamily projects permitted prior to July 1, 2021, may also be certified through this program if they meet the eligibility requirements defined in the program requirements.
PlyGem’s MaxView sliding patio doors have a streamlined aluminum frame that creates a wall of glass to optimize your view and light while connecting indoor and outdoor living areas.
The NFRC label may also rate air leakage, assuming proper installation, expressed in units of cubic feet per minute per square foot of frame area (usually ranging from 0.1 to 0.3).
The sunlight transmittance ratings expressed on NFRC labels indicate the ability of glazing in a window, door, or skylight to transmit sunlight into the home. Visible transmittance (VT) is expressed as a number between zero and 1, with a higher VT transmitting more visible light. Light-to-solar gain (LSG) is the ratio between SHGC and VT to gauge the relative efficiency of different glass or glazing types in transmitting daylight while blocking heat gains. You’re looking for a higher number on LSG to give you the most light transmitted without adding heat. Condensation resistance is another measurement expressed on the NFRC label, indicating how much moisture can build up on a window’s surface, measured on a scale of 1 to 100. Here, a higher number is desired. The lower the number, the more condensation you can expect to see. Classic Craft® Founders Collection™ Mahogany-Grained Arch-Lite Double Doors feature glass built directly into the door to mimic historic wood doors with the superior
Energy Star’s window and door insulation levels are modeled to 2012 IECC levels and Grade I installation per ANSI / RESNET / ICC Standard 301. Infiltration rates must not surpass 3 ACH50 in CZ 3, and 4 ACH50 in CZ 2.
benefits of fiberglass.
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Look For Problem-Solving Solutions Say goodbye to cumbersome cranking and hello to a simpler way to open and close windows. Pella was the first to introduce the Fold-Away style crank for casement and awning windows in 2000, setting a new standard for hardware design. Now, 20 years later, Pella has designed an even simpler and aesthetically pleasing way to operate casement and awning windows. The Pella® Easy Slide Operator was named Best Window & Door Product in the Best of IBSxT Awards for the 2021 NAHB International Builders’ Show®. This hardware is a new way to open and close casement and awning windows. It allows homeowners to easily slide the operator up to open and down to close – a much smoother movement without continuous cranking.
Alside’s Mezzo Full-Frame Replacement System with Trimworks prefabricated trim that simply
Multipoint
snaps on to the newly installed window frame saves labor costs and reduces waste.
locks
provide
extra
security
and performance for entry doors with two additional locking points in addition to your deadbolt. These extra points provide protection on multiple levels: deflecting impact during attempted break-ins and forming a more perfect seal against the elements by pulling the door into alignment. While most multipoint lock systems require extra steps to engage and disengage the extra bolts, PanoLock delivers full protection from all three locking points with a simple turn of the key. FusionFrame takes the rot-proof perks of a composite frame and adds the structural
The Pella® Easy Slide Operator hardware is
Available in prefinished white or textured
a new way to open and close casement and
stainable, FusionFrame door frames are
awning windows.
available with a full offering of rippable jamb widths, plus a broad selection of brickmould,
stability of wood frames, combining them into
casing, and mulls.
a winning combination that’s built to last no matter the conditions. FusionFrame’s unique design adds a level of structural rigidity that’s
The Bottom Line: Think big, go thin,
built to last, even in extreme heat or cold.
choose a frame color that makes a
Features such as the built-in bubble level
statement, compare labels and look
and “floating” brickmould make installation quick and easy even when the rough opening
for clever product designs that make
conditions are less than perfect. Hidden
installation and operation easier.
fasteners create a flawless maintenance-free finish. Alside’s
Mezzo
Full-Frame
Beverly Smirnis is the co-founder of Building
Replacement
Savvy magazine and publishes its flagship
System with Trimworks can save up to 2040 minutes of installation time per window— reducing waste materials and eliminating the need for special equipment, training or timeconsuming cutting and mitering.
Dallas/Fort Worth edition. She and her business While most multipoint lock systems require
partner and husband, Steve Smirnis, have
extra steps to engage and disengage the extra
served as judges for the International Builders’
bolts, PanoLock delivers full protection from all
Show Best of IBS Awards and judged numerous
three locking points with a simple turn of the
homes for builders association parade events
key.
across the country.
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15
[savvy finance]
Your Business is at Risk of Fraud in 2021 Cyber fraud tops the list, with 85% of respondents seeing an increase in schemes like business email compromises, hacking, ransomware, and malware. Payment fraud, which includes credit card fraud and fraudulent mobile payments, has all increased. Identity theft, fraud by vendors and sellers, health care fraud, insurance fraud, loan, and bank fraud, bribery and corruption, and bankruptcy fraud have all increased. Employee embezzlement and financial statement fraud have risen at an alarming rate, with about 70% of ACFE respondents expecting more to come in these categories in 2021. By Steven Bankler, CPA
Changes in controls due to a new remote workforce and a lack of access to evidence due to pandemic shutdowns may be contributing to those increases. Most respondents noted that preventing, detecting, and investigating fraud have all become more difficult in the
B
e on the alert: Scams involving employee theft and embezzlement, cyber fraud, vendor payments, and more
are on the rise—at a rate of 79% more fraud since May. The cost of fraud often reaches more than $150,000 (and that’s for small businesses). The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) spent the past year studying how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected business
wake of COVID-19. More than three-quarters (77%) indicated that fraud prevention and fraud investigation are more challenging now than they were previously. Fraud is expensive, too, particularly for small businesses. In a separate 2020 study, ACFE found that, once again, small businesses are disproportionally affected. Businesses with fewer than 100 employees lost a median average of $150,000 compared to a $100,000 median loss for businesses with up to 9,999 employees. Certain fraud risks are also more likely in small businesses. They include billing fraud (2x higher), payroll fraud (2x higher), and check/payment tampering (4x higher). How can you spot employee and vendor fraud before it’s too late? Start with scrutinizing suspicious financials, out-of-character emails, staff who resist tighter controls, overly close vendor relationships, travel reimbursement irregularities, unusual employee requests, and big purchases.
and employee fraud. The news isn’t good,
But spotting this fraud is tricky. Shark Tank’s Barbra Corcoran recently lost nearly
unfortunately. As of November 2020, 79%
$400,000 to an invoicing scam that involved emails to her bookkeeper from a scammer
of survey respondents said they’d seen an
impersonating Corcoran’s assistant. Nearly half of the organizations anticipate increased
increase in the overall level of fraud since the
investments in anti-fraud technology, and 38% plan to increase the use of fraud-related
pandemic began, with 38% noting that this
consultants or other external resources. Budgets for anti-fraud training and professional
increase had been significant.
development are seeing a similar increase (37% of organizations).
The respondents are primarily ACFE
Once you suspect fraud is at play—or that the conditions are ripe for fraud to occur in your
members who work as in-house fraud
business—it’s crucial to invest in expert help. A forensic audit can uncover fraud that has
examiners, are professional service providers
been overlooked in other ways. It can be especially helpful during times of transition—
who investigate fraud (like us), or are law
before the sale of your business, a divorce, or another significant event.
enforcement, government, or regulatory agency professionals. They’ve seen fraud
Steven Bankler has more than 44 years of experience in the accounting industry. Steven’s
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16
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Totally Connected 17
[savvy builder]
VE LUXURY HOMES New Braunfels Builder Hits the Mark
18
VE Luxury Homes, led by Dean and Sherry Buescher, recently took top honors with the
shop. After college, I got my builders license and real
Greater New Braunfels Home Builders Association’s Parade of Homes. Their entry was
estate license in Florida and started selling for our
their personal home in Vintage Estates, and they received the Parade of Homes Grand
family-owned company. Before I left and went out on
Award 2020, along with 7 other first and second place recognitions.
my own, I was the Regional President and a member of the Board of Directors for the second largest, privately held home building company in the nation.”
But the story of Dean’s success and rise as one of the top South Texas builders starts several years ago. Like many men in this business, he grew up learning about building homes from his father. Howard Buescher, who recently passed away, was a decorated World War II Navy veteran; raised a family of seven children; was quite a successful entrepreneur; and was married to the love of his life, Dean’s mother Mercedes, for 73 years. Howard moved from Pittsburgh to Florida to retire in the 80s, but his children eagerly talked him into starting a family home building enterprise. Dad relented and the construction business was off and running.
Buescher was always aware of market trends and construction industry developments. He knew the Hill Country would be a strong residential market and convinced the owners of Vintage Estates Homes that New Braunfels was the ideal spot. In 2014, Buescher became Division President of Vintage Estate Homes there and he managed all operations of the expansion from conception through completion. Under his guidance and leadership, this division has quickly become a thriving business. Advice Buescher would pass along to someone just starting out in the building business is: “Don’t grow too fast.” Prior to 2008 many builders and developers were enjoying a residential construction heyday, and many were getting overextended. “Unfortunately, we were not prepared for 2008 when the tsunami hit our economy. At that time, we owned too much land and the banks would no longer issue development loans. It was too much for us.” Today, VE Luxury Homes is truly a one-stop shop for home buyers. Having in-house architectural designers, an interior decorator with a new design center, and lighting and appliance specialists ensures timeliness, efficiency, and consistency in each project. Additionally clients usually meet with a Smart Home specialist to implement the latest technological conveniences. Many of VE Homes feature high ceilings, three-car garages, large outdoor living spaces, 2x6 framing, R19 insulation in the walls, specialty doors and windows, buried septic and an allowance for the driveway. “We are known for our designs and our build time,” adds Dean. “In this industry, time is money. We ensure a tight schedule for construction and our homes don’t sit idle. Our vendors and subcontractors partner with us in scheduling construction and have access to our computerized schedules thus insuring fewer dry runs. This saves everyone time and money.” VE Luxury Homes is active in the Greater New Braunfels
“My father started in the home building business in 1962,” says Dean. “I
HBA, Greater San Antonio Builders Association
grew up watching him on job sites and learned how he interacted with
(GSABA),the
customers and employees. My summer jobs during high school and
Florida Association of Builders, Greater Orlando HBA,
college were basically to learn the trade. Dad believed that you start at
Home Builders and Contractors Association of Brevard
the bottom! So I began sweeping out houses and graduated to working
County and the National Association of Home Builders.
with the trades in framing, plumbing, electrical, lumber yard and trim
19
Texas Association of Home Builders,
As you might expect this homebuilder has very strong relationships with some of the best craftsmen, subcontractors, and suppliers in the area. Here’s what some of them say:
“They don’t ever cut corners. They simply consistently do the right things, and that is really working well for them for future business.” Brett Dvorak, MLAW Engineering “Overall, they have great crews and support. It’s a very smooth operation. VE is easy to work with.” Chris Eborn, CE Woodworks “I’ve noticed a level of consistency in their work, and on the jobs…it’s hard to miss. They pay us on time, which is very important. And they don’t deviate from their standards, ever.” Ralph Hernandez, R. Hernandez Drywall “They don’t sweat the small stuff. Dean & Sherry are forward thinking builders. They value the personal relationships above all else and their clients will be the first ones to tell you how In addition to their recent accolades with the New Braunfels
much they enjoy working with them.”
Parade they received numerous Star Awards, including Custom
Charlie Crocker, JPI Electric
home of the Year; American Living for Best in the US; National 2-10
“Very professional. Very communicative. They are well
Warranty, Select Builder award 2020; numerous Architectural
organized and focused.”
Design awards; and a finalist in several categories for the San Antonio Home and Design Awards.
Katelyn Neumann, Paul Swoyer Septics
They are very active community supporters, especially with
“VE Homes always gives the homeowners the absolute best.
military families. VE sponsored the “Helping A Hero” build for
They don’t skimp anywhere. And for safety measures their
Master Sergeant Blaine Scott in Copper Ridge, and worked on
jobsites are always clean and safe and well organized for the
two other Habitat for Humanity homes for the needy. Additionally
next crew that shows up. Very organized.”
they created the Buescher Foundation which helps families adopt
Chris Gonzales, SA Granite Works
children.
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[sales savvy]
If You Take Care of the People Details Process and Performance Will Fall Into Place Numbers are usually the cornerstone to what drives most salespeople every day. At the beginning of the year, they have a number in their heads that they want or need to keep themselves and their family at the lifestyle level they want. Now some will tell you they are not that motivated by money; they are in sales because they like their job and the freedom it gives them. Others may even say they love the customer
I
By Paul Evans
If you are a Sales Manager, you are motivated by many of these same things, but you also need to understand what motivates the five, ten, or 20 sales professionals that you are responsible for. What does each person need to motivate them on a day-to-day basis? What makes them get up every morning and hit the road running to achieve their personal
service aspect of it. For the most part, all of that is true, but companies
and business goals? Are the personal and business goals
and most salespeople judge themselves on a revenue number.
aligned? Some of the things a Sales Manager needs to step back and think about include money, customers, family, self-reliance, freedom, and competition. Keep these words in your mind when coming up with what you need to do dayto-day to make sure your team is getting what they need to accomplish the goals you set for them and the ones that they set for themselves. Here’s the plan of action: •
Determine what the company expectations are for you.
•
Determine the company expectation is for each of the salespeople that you manage.
•
Determine what business and personal goals each salesperson has for themselves.
•
Establish a way of tracking these goals.
•
Set monthly and quarterly benchmarks to give you a reference point.
Once you have a structure in place for recording the goals, tracking the goals and benchmarks set, then you are ready for the discussion phase; this is where most companies fall apart. They don’t have the first discussion phase at all; if they do, they don’t follow up throughout the year. Many are guilty of setting goals for their salespeople without getting any buy-in from them. Numbers are just numbers and not true goals to strive for.
22
tools are they lacking and what training can you provide?
Start by having a one-on-one face-to-face meeting with each salesperson. • •
•
do this? Can this be duplicated in other segments for this
next three years.
salesperson? Can this be trained to others?
Discuss what goals they have related to business—sales, leadership
•
aspirations, new products they’d like to sell. •
If they have exceeded their goals: What have they done to
Discuss goals they have for their personal life this year and over the
needed to be complete prior to it.
Determine if the goals are attainable and aligned with the
The saying goes, “Complete and Repeat.” There’s another one that
company’s expectations. If yes, then you have a starting point for
says you must, “Inspect what you Expect. Both of these are very
this year’s goals. If not, then you have more work to determine
important to a sales manager’s success. There are three pillars in
where you head for this next year. •
Review what they did the prior year (good and bad)
•
Finetune the goals for the coming year, aligning their goals with the
Set the time and place for the next meeting and action items
business: People. Process. and Performance. Of the three, if you take care of the People, the Process the Performance will fall into place.
company expectations. Make it a buy-in process for both you and the salesperson. This is critical to move forward. Once you have goals set that you both agree on, explain the way you’re going to track these goals (monetary and other) and make sure
R. Paul Evans CGA, CAPS, CGP is a native Texan with over 40 years
they understand how you are going to do that. Follow-up is another
in the construction industry. He is the National VP of Millwork for
place where most companies fail. •
BMC. Paul has been an instructor with the NHBA University Housing for over 15 years and is one of only a handful of Master Instructors
Set up the follow-up system that you both agree on. This may
for the NHBA in the country. He travels the country teaching Sales &
include a combination of face-to-face follow-up meetings, phone
Marketing, Customer Service and Negotiating Skills and has authored
calls to check progress, and ride-alongs. •
numerous articles and published three books on these subjects. Paul
Set up a system so the salesperson gets tracking reports
is also a voting member of the ICC, is licensed as an engineer in Texas
consistently, whether that be weekly or monthly.
and Louisiana, and holds GC licenses in 17 states. Paul also owns and operates a fully sustainable farm and is a licensed professional race car
Follow-up meetings should provide a road map of where the
driver.
salesperson is on his or her goals. •
If they have fallen short: What can they do to make a change in their approach to get better? How can you help them get better? What
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[savvy trucks & toys] locking axle, fifth wheel hitch prep package, wheel well liners, and bed liner. Like the other truck segments, some people buy heavy-duty
Options Make
pickups because they want them, and those that buy them because they’ll use them to
FORD TRUCKS
their capacity. So, Ford’s Super Duty can be ordered as a stripped-down workhorse or a luxurious monster truck with plenty of options
a Do-It-All Choice
in between. DRW (dual rear wheel) is offered of course, but the SRW (single rear wheel) configuration makes the Super Duty more
By Beverly & Steve Smirnis
versatile and fuel-efficient for those that drive their Super Duty truck more often without the bed loaded up or pulling a trailer. You can even get a Tremor package that adds a lift kit and meatier tires to make it trail-ready. Ford engineers made the Super Duty’s brakes firm and responsive and the steering more manageable at low speeds to make it more practical for all types of owners to drive their Super Duty’s all the time.
» Need it or not, Ford’s trucks are fully capable of just about anything.
T
It’s been said that Ford’s Expedition is for the buyer who wanted a Ford F-150 or Super Duty here are people who buy trucks because they want them and those that buy
but needs seating capacity for up to eight. It
them because they’ll use them to their capacity. And while half-tons outsell more
does derive much for the F-150 and is one of
than any other type of pickup, truck makers also have to put a focus on mid-size
the largest SUVs on the market sold in regular
and heavy-duty pickups and large 3-row SUVs as well if they want to remain a
and extended lengths with independent rear
relevant contender in the face of the stiff competition. Off-road packages have also become
suspension for improved ride comfort. We
an expectation, prompting them to be offered across the board, making even Super Duty’s
drove the Platinum 4x2 Expedition powered by
ready to hit the trails. Essentially, a growing number of Americans are looking for one vehicle
a 3.5L Ecoboost V6 engine with 400-hp and
that can do it all, from the most extreme in terms of ruggedness and capability to the most
a 9,300-pound tow rating. Its base price was
refined for city driving. Our recent test drives prove that Ford recognizes these trends and
$74K and the only option added was a $600
has done its homework in securing its leadership position for the future.
package that added 22” wheels and secondrow bucket seats.
The mid-size Ranger features a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, capable of towing 7,500 pounds, impressive for its size. The four-person SuperCab (extended cab) comes with a 6-foot bed and short, rear-hinged rear doors. All Ranger configurations allow an upgrade to the five-person SuperCrew cab with four full-size doors, a 5-foot bed, and a 126” wheelbase. Four-wheel drive is also an option across the board. Our tester was the Supercrew 2x4 in the mid-level XLT trim. The sticker shows the XLT upgrade from the base cost at $2,450. Our tester also had an FX2 package, bed liner, floor liner, trailer tow package, and keyless keypad, adding $5,400 in options to the $30,635 base MSRP. Driving the 2021 Ford F-350 Super Duty SRW (single rear wheel) 4 x 4 Crew Cab with 6.7L Power Stroke V8 engine and included 4-wheel drive, meant driving one of the most powerful and capable heavy-duty trucks ever with 475 horses and 1050 lb-ft of torque, capable of towing 37,000 pounds. With a price tag of $87K including $2K in options such as the 3.55 electronic-
25
Beverly & Steve Smirnis are members of the Texas Auto Writers Association and the Texas Motor Press Association, reviewing vehicles and casting their votes at driving events where the Truck of Texas, Car of Texas, and Off-Road Truck of Texas are some of the titles awarded. Follow their automotive blog on TheSavvyList.com/ TheSavvyDriver
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26
ANNOUNCEMENT Building Savvy is coming to
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