IBS builder talks: Proformance Construction

Tom Houghton:

You’re listening to “The Building Code.” I’m Tom Houghton.

Paul Wurth:

I’m Paul Wurth.

Tom Houghton:

Thanks for tuning in today for our last discussion at the International Builders’ Show.

Paul Wurth:

Part four of four.

Tom Houghton:

We’ve got Pat from Proformance Construction joining us today.

Paul Wurth:

Based out of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Tom Houghton:

That’s right. La Crosse.

Paul Wurth:

A bit of a controversy during the interview, what that actually means.

Tom Houghton:

What La Crosse is famous for. So, definitely stay tuned for that part. We talk with Pat about a lot of things.

Paul Wurth:

How he uses Buildertrend, about his business. I think we got into what their goal was every year, which is an important part of any business.

Tom Houghton:

That’s right. Setting those goals.

Paul Wurth:

Especially in construction. You got to set the goal and then work your way backwards to what you got to do every day.

Tom Houghton:

So, stay tuned for that. And a good discussion with Pat here. We’ve got Pat joining us from Proformance Construction. Pat, how you doing today?

Pat:

Not too bad. How are you guys?

Tom Houghton:

Great. You’ve joined The Builders’ Show?

Pat:

That’s right.

Paul Wurth:

Hello, Pat. Welcome to the show.

Pat:

Thank you.

Paul Wurth:

The Builders’ Show, too. This is a double show.

Tom Houghton:

It’s a show inside of a show.

Paul Wurth:

Welcome to our show, but then, welcome to The Builders’ Show.

Pat:

It’s a show in a show.

Tom Houghton:

Show session.

Paul Wurth:

Oh, I like that. Show session.

Tom Houghton:

There we go.

Paul Wurth:

Is your first time to visit this show?

Pat:

This is my first time here for The International Builders’ Show.

Paul Wurth:

Thoughts?

Pat:

Man, it’s pretty nuts here. I got to say it’s like a drinking out of a fire hose, man.

Paul Wurth:

Totally.

Tom Houghton:

Dumping it on you.

Paul Wurth:

Any highlights come to mind besides the obvious?

Pat:

We’ve been looking at a lot of new products, keeping an eye out there. We’re actually going to be doing our local home builders show pretty soon. So, I’ll be keeping an eye on some of the other stands around here, seeing what’s hitting on people and what they like to see.

Paul Wurth:

Right on.

Pat:

So, it’s been an adventure so far.

Paul Wurth:

Good. Where’s local? That’s a good segue into the profile of your company.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah, tell us about you, tell us about your company.

Pat:

That’d be La Crosse, Wisconsin. We are Proformance Construction out of La Crosse. Been running for about 15 years, but I actually just came aboard. We just started growing the business the last couple of years now. So, we’re working our way to try to push towards the million dollar mark kind of goal.

Paul Wurth:

Okay, so you’ve got a goal? A million dollar in revenue?

Pat:

That is our goal right now.

Paul Wurth:

How many employees?

Pat:

Right now, we’ve got four. There are four of us. We’re concentrating on high-end remodels and trying to utilize the fact that we got a smaller crew with bigger jobs.

Paul Wurth:

Yep, absolutely.

Tom Houghton:

And your role on the team is?

Pat:

I actually just transferred from being foreman to project manager. So, we’re actually trying to up our games ourselves, so we can bring new crew members in and give them some direction as well.

Tom Houghton:

That’s good. That’s a good plan.

Paul Wurth:

How long have you been using Buildertrend?

Pat:

Buildertrend’s been in our system for about a year now, and it’s been a dream, I tell ya. I mean, the daily logs are pretty much one of the best things for me being a project manager. I’ve got the ability to relay to my general contractor and to the homeowner what’s going on, on a daily basis, keep everybody in the loop. And it’s so much easier than having to make phone calls back and forth or check email. Everything’s right there at your fingertips.

Paul Wurth:

In one place. Well, explain this to me because I think people have different definitions of what the role is. For you guys, what’s a project manager, what’s a foreman? What does each person do? What’s their responsibilities?

Pat:

Well, right now as project manager, it’s a little bit smaller because we have a smaller crew. So, that role is going to evolve as our business grows when we get more crews in there. But right now, basically, it involves me correlating with the subs and trying to keep them on the same page with us. And I’ve got to relay with the homeowner and try to fix problems that happen when they come up and keep the ball rolling basically.

Paul Wurth:

So, you’re the main point of contact for the client. You’re really responsible for the running of the job as relates to top down, smoothness. But then the foreman, would that person be on the site then?

Pat:

That’s right. See that man right over there. The good looking foreman guy over there.

Paul Wurth:

Yep, the man with the tool palette.

Pat:

If he yelled at me, I would be scared.

Tom Houghton:

I think so.

Paul Wurth:

I would work harder.

Pat:

That’s right. So, I’ve got to be the friendly face there.

Paul Wurth:

Yeah, you’ve got to have that balance, right?

Pat:

Yeah, a little personality in there.

Paul Wurth:

Do your clients log in to Buildertrend? Do you guys activate that part?

Pat:

Actually, yes. We’re really working right now, we’ve been on a remodel project that’s kept us busy for about three and a half months right now. And they’re one of our first customers to really dive into it. You know what I mean? And the homeowner herself really likes to be involved and in touch with everything that’s going on. I mean, it’s not so much to try to know everything, she just wants to be filled in.

Tom Houghton:

Sure.

Pat:

And know that it’s still moving along.

Paul Wurth:

Right. I think people don’t realize that the construction industry, I think, every other world that the client lives in, in their life, like online banking, online bill pay, they get access to information when they want it. Yet, when they do maybe the biggest investment they’ve ever done, in a remodel or a new home, in this industry, there’s nothing. So, I don’t think they understand.

Pat:

Why would you just leave them lingering there not knowing what’s going on until the end.

Paul Wurth:

And it’s not as you said, trying to look over your shoulder the whole time.

Pat:

Right.

Paul Wurth:

It’s just our habit these days. I check social media, part of my daily routine, right? I check bank accounts on a routinely basis. That’s just what we do.

Pat:

Yeah, check the status of your project.

Paul Wurth:

Right. I mean, at the end of the day, if I’m remodeling my home for a big ticket, yeah, I’m logging it.

Pat:

You want to be involved as much as you possibly can.

Paul Wurth:

Absolutely, yeah.

Pat:

I mean, I just heard the comment from our homeowner the other day, she was nervous to give me a phone call because she knows how busy I am and everything. But then she was able to just message me right through Buildertrend, and we could keep communicating. She didn’t feel like she was intruding or stopping me from doing my job at the time. It was just able to just keep us all moving at the same …

Paul Wurth:

And there’s record of everything.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah, exactly.

Paul Wurth:

Who said what, when. That’s the big one, right? That’s when construction companies get really tied up.

Pat:

There’s no guessing games. There’s no, he said, she said. We got it all right here. Same thing if we have any issues on the job, you know what I mean? It’s a great way for us to inform the customer that something has happened and get a change order going through, if they’re not there or if they’re at another property. And same, I’ve got to answer to my general contractor. So, I’ve got to answer to him.

Paul Wurth:

Everybody’s got to answer to somebody.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah, they do.

Paul Wurth:

That, my friend, is the truth. What do they say? It’s like death and taxes. Go ahead and tack on something else.

Tom Houghton:

Death, taxes and answering to somebody.

Paul Wurth:

You got a boss, even if you don’t know it. That’s awesome, very good. So, would you say that the platform, Buildertrend, just how you use it? Does it help you communicate up to the boss? Like, “This is what I’m doing, this is where we’re at.” Does it give that person a peace of mind?

Pat:

Yep, without a doubt. It makes him feel like he’s at the job without having to be at the job all the time.

Paul Wurth:

One client said to me, I thought it was great, when a homeowner calls and he misses a call, before he calls him back, he looks through every daily log over the last couple of weeks because what’s funny is a lot of clients think their job’s the only job, right? And they should, they should feel that way and how they feel about you guys. But the reality is, to make the revenue you need to make, you’re doing multiple jobs at a time.

Pat:

Exactly.

Paul Wurth:

To give the client the sense that you know everything about their job, even though you haven’t been there in two weeks, that’s pretty powerful.

Pat:

Yeah, it’s comforting for them.

Paul Wurth:

That’s awesome.

Tom Houghton:

Let’s talk about what’s happening in your world up there in La Crosse. Fun fact about La Crosse, I think actually the sport originated from La Crosse.

Paul Wurth:

Is that true?

Pat:

Sure. Why not?

Paul Wurth:

It’s not just …

Tom Houghton:

I’ll check the show notes later. A little fun fact there for you.

Paul Wurth:

Fact checker. We’re going add a fact checker to the show notes. That bell’s going to be ringing off the hook.

Tom Houghton:

Buildertrend.com/podcast. You’ll see the show notes there, and you can find out if lacrosse actually originated from La Crosse.

Paul Wurth:

Wisconsin.

Tom Houghton:

Wisconsin.

Paul Wurth:

Tell us about that. Where is that?

Pat:

It sounds good to me. About as close as you can get to Minnesota without leaving Wisconsin.

Paul Wurth:

Oh, it is? Okay.

Pat:

Yeah. It’s right up about the middle of the state, right next to Minnesota.

Paul Wurth:

Any fun facts about La Crosse that are actual?

Pat:

I think we hold a few records on drinking. I think we’ve got the most amount of bars on one downtown row.

Paul Wurth:

Really?

Pat:

Yeah, I think that’s a true fact right there.

Paul Wurth:

Is it just cause it’s that cold there, that drinking’s only way to get around it?

Pat:

Yeah. Founded by Germans. I mean, I’m Irish, but I’ll back them up.

Tom Houghton:

Okay. That’s good.

Paul Wurth:

That’s fun. So, how’s the market there, in terms of pretty good still as it relates to jobs being available?

Pat:

Job wise, I mean, yeah, I’d have to say. I mean, there’s always companies looking, you know what I mean? We’ve got lots of bigger companies. We’re a smaller one trying to work our way up, and there’s a lot of bigger companies out there that have very high turnover rates.

Tom Houghton:

Right.

Pat:

We’re actually in the process of trying to find someone that we can train in and mold a little bit. You’ve got to find that delicate balance between somebody who thinks they know everything and somebody who knows nothing.

Paul Wurth:

Our clients tell us there’s definitely a labor shortage out there. That’s limited time and availability from subs and vendors, but also trying to bring on employees that have any knowledge whatsoever or maybe just are interested in the construction trade.

Pat:

Right. And trying to make somebody that’s a good fit for your company.

Tom Houghton:

That’s crucial. Super crucial.

Paul Wurth:

Yeah, that’s cool.

Pat:

Got to be able to be part of the team.

Paul Wurth:

Right, exactly, that’s big for construction. So, how cold is it right now there?

Pat:

Oh, I’m afraid to look. But I hear they just got four to eight inches last night, so we got here just in time.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah, that’s what we were saying.

Paul Wurth:

Nebraska is like 12 inches right now. We’re talking about a lot of weather.

Tom Houghton:

It’s seasonal. It’s a seasonal thing.

Paul Wurth:

I see what you did.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah. We’re all wearing these lanyards. You can hear them jingling here. Yours is signed on the back or something?

Pat:

Oh yeah.

Tom Houghton:

Can you give us the story back there?

Paul Wurth:

Barry Manilow?

Pat:

Close.

Paul Wurth:

Who?

Pat:

Vanilla Ice.

Tom Houghton:

Vanilla Ice is here?

Pat:

Yeah. The Ice Project, man.

Paul Wurth:

What’s his name?

Pat:

Robert van Winkle, I believe.

Paul Wurth:

Robert van Winkle’s somebody else. So, he’s here. Because he has a TV show, right?

Pat:

Yeah, The Vanilla Ice Project. Remodeler as well.

Paul Wurth:

The name of that show could go a million different ways.

Tom Houghton:

It could, honestly.

Paul Wurth:

You would never know that it’s about construction. I mean, you give me the name of that show, and I’ll write you seven different takes.

Tom Houghton:

If you want to see the takes, check out the show notes.

Pat:

That’s a lot of work.

Paul Wurth:

We’re going to back to the …

Pat:

I can give you one version of it.

Tom Houghton:

So, you met him, you got a signature there from him.

Pat:

Yep. Very cool guy.

Paul Wurth:

That’s awesome.

Tom Houghton:

That’s good to know.

Paul Wurth:

The Goo Goo Dolls are shutting down the show?

Tom Houghton:

Yeah?

Pat:

I did, I heard about that.

Paul Wurth:

We’re going to that. I’m excited. You’re a big Goo Goo Doll guy.

Tom Houghton:

Of course.

Pat:

Who isn’t? Come on.

Tom Houghton:

Exactly. Iris? Come on. What around the show have you seen that you though, “This is something to keep an eye on.” Looking ahead, looking down the road.

Pat:

Let’s see. I mean, I try not to be in the project manager, I try to focus on the ball right in front of me.

Tom Houghton:

Sure, right.

Pat:

We were looking at quite a few projects, things that we could actually incorporate in the home build we’re on right now. We’ve got our designer from our companies here with us. She was just looking at all the cool new gadgets and toys that she could sneak into the house.

Paul Wurth:

Yeah. Because this is not only the International Builders’ Show, people refer to it as the IBS.

Tom Houghton:

Right.

Paul Wurth:

But KBIS, so the kitchen and bath. What the IS part?

Tom Houghton:

Industry specialists.

Paul Wurth:

We’ll just say KBIS. So, they’re actually bolted on as well. And that’s where a lot of like those super, super cool faucets, and appliances and things from down there.

Pat:

I mean everything’s technology driven these days.

Paul Wurth:

Kohler’s booth is like a city block. Two stories, running water.

Pat:

Well, you guys have got a nice set up here too.

Tom Houghton:

Well, we try. This is what happens when you’ve been doing it for 13 years. Yeah, it’s our biggest booth.

Paul Wurth:

People are starting to come to just see the RV. It’s kind of cool.

Tom Houghton:

It is.

Paul Wurth:

Because we started rapping it two years ago. This will be our third year with an RV as the backdrop to our booth.

Pat:

Nice.

Paul Wurth:

So, we’re committed.

Tom Houghton:

We are.

Paul Wurth:

That’s a Vegas reference, too. But we are pockets. Like the RV is going to have to be here, right?

Tom Houghton:

It is.

Pat:

It’s a staple now.

Tom Houghton:

We highly recommend the show to anybody. Obviously, first time experience, it sounds like you’ve had a great time?

Pat:

Oh yeah. I don’t think there’s any way I’m going to be able to fit it all in.

Paul Wurth:

No, you can’t, just pick and choose.

Pat:

We’re doing good just getting lost.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah, just hang out here the whole time. Right on.

Pat:

Our clients are like family. Have a seat, have a beer.

Paul Wurth:

I heard you had some beer coming up, so it might just happen.

Pat:

The beer is here.

Paul Wurth:

With that note, hey, got to run.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah, exactly.

Paul Wurth:

All right. Pat, thanks for joining us on the show. I really appreciate your time again. Sharing your experience.

Pat:

Yeah, thanks a lot, guys.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah, it was a beer o’clock there.

Paul Wurth:

It’s kind of beer o’clock all the time in Las Vegas.

Tom Houghton:

It is.

Paul Wurth:

We were working.

Tom Houghton:

We were. But yeah, thanks to Pat for coming on the show and talking with us.

Paul Wurth:

It was good talk.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah. If you want to know actually what La Crosse, Wisconsin is known for outside, of course, the bars and potentially the sport, check out the show notes page at buildertrend.com/podcast.

Paul Wurth:

Are you going to put a Wikipedia link up there to La Crosse?

Tom Houghton:

Something like that. It’s a surprise, you’ve got to go check it out.

Paul Wurth:

Yeah, check out the shownotes. That wraps our four part series of the IBS. We had companies from Arizona, Wisconsin, Indianapolis.

Tom Houghton:

And Florida.

Paul Wurth:

Maybe a goal for this year should be talking to one of our clients in every state and providence in Canada.

Tom Houghton:

Fantastic.

Paul Wurth:

We talked about goals at the beginning of the episode.

Tom Houghton:

We did.

Paul Wurth:

We just set a goal for this podcast.

Tom Houghton:

We did. That’s how you do it. We were just demonstrating for our audience.

Paul Wurth:

That is how you walk the talk, right?

Tom Houghton:

Exactly. Yeah. Thanks again for joining us. Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to our podcast, The Building Code. We’ll see you next time.

Paul Wurth:

Appreciate you.