This week, we bring you the first in a series highlighting Tankersley Construction Inc. out of Sacramento, California. In this five-part feature, you’ll learn from husband-and-wife co-founders Heather and Steve Tankersley about how to enhance the use of construction punch lists, bring commercial precision to residential builders and simplify your team management.
For the Tankersleys, construction runs in the family.
Steve’s father and grandfather were general contractors, making him a third-generation builder. On theme with his lifelong love of building, construction is ultimately what connected him and Heather.
“As long as we’ve been together, we’ve both been in construction,” Steve said. “We met on a job site.”
They started as commercial builders but found their true love in residential construction. Heather and Steve saw a gap in the market and applied their commercial building expertise to the residential sector. Now, they’re one of Northern California’s favorite contracting firms.
In order to stay successful in the business, Tankersley Construction Inc. needed more assistance with project management, so Heather went looking for a solution.
“Buildertrend came up and she goes, ‘Hey, I found this great software. I can do our time through this. Oh, we can also do our scheduling and daily logs … all these other cool little things you’re not doing with your clients.”
They started adding feature by feature and today, Tankersley Construction uses about 98% of the software’s capabilities.
“We dove into each feature as we saw the need in the company. Time Clock and time record-keeping for payroll was first,” Heather said. “Scheduling was the next. We bit it off in chunks as we were ready and able.”
The Tankersleys’ ultimate secret to success is bringing family tradition and the love of building together with a construction management software, like Buildertrend.
Family tradition
The pride in the Tankersleys family tradition isn’t separate from the pride that Heather and Steve take in their top-notch work. As a company, they’re committed to serving families and treating their clients’ homes as their own.
“It’s a huge responsibility to be invited into someone’s house,” Steve said. “What separates us is it’s more than just a project. It’s being part of the community. It’s being part of a family in some ways, and being let into their family.”
The day-to-day side of being a family business means that Heather and Steve’s offices share a wall and that they work together every day.
“It’s a really delicate balancing act between being husband and wife, co-owners and parents … It’s a fine dance, and some days we do it better than others,” Heather said.
Steve agrees that owning a business as a married couple has its challenges, but they also find it to be fulfilling. Their focus is to complete jobs on time and on budget to respect their clients’ timeline and budget needs – and they found a way to achieve this goal together.
“Yes, it’s stressful to work with your spouse, but it’s also way more rewarding if you know how to do it right,” Steve said.
Love of building
As co-owners of Tankersley Construction, Heather and Steve strive to create an environment of respect for their work and a deep consideration for their employees. Their love of building extends out to their entire team.
“Looking at the big picture, being there for our kids and giving that opportunity to our employees and understanding that they also have wives and husbands and kids … we want to give that same opportunity to our employees. So that for us is super rewarding,” Steve said.
If an employee needs to leave for a soccer game or dance recital, it’s understood because at Tankersley, they’ve created a work climate where family comes first.
Those long-term relationships with their clients, employees and vendors are important to Heather and Steve. They exhibit excellence not only in their craftsmanship but also in how they run their business and interact with employees and clients.
Let Buildertrend take on the tedious tasks
The Tankersleys are living proof of how implementing a construction management program like Buildertrend can alleviate stress in your home life. When you have the expertise and the respect of your team, Buildertrend comes in and simplifies the rest.
“Using Buildertrend has been a tool in the toolbox to make it a little bit easier. When I see the Daily Logs and the Schedule, I know where things are at and don’t have to bug Heather with questions,” Steve said. “We can focus on the things that really matter in our relationship like our family or our weekend plans. Using Buildertrend as a tool to help alleviate the stress of taking that work home is super helpful.”
With smart construction management, Heather and Steve now have the freedom to focus on their roles as experts in their field, as a married couple and as parents – letting them enjoy a more balanced work-family life.
If you’re not already using Buildertrend, schedule a demo to find that balance today.
Be sure to check back for the second installment of our Behind the Business series. We’ll dive into how to do more with To-Do’s. Tune in to learn how Heather and Steve employ Buildertrend as a central hub for their organization – giving them more quality time and less time asking about construction project details.
Take the stress out of scheduling
Saves dozens of hours per month setting up projects in a snap.
In this virtual tour of Tankersley Construction’s home build, you’ll get a sneak peek at what goes into a two-year long project to create a client’s dream home.
Tankersley Construction shares how construction management software provides an avenue for fool-proof record keeping – so they can protect their business and their clients.
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