Newsletter
ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP
It is becoming difficult to find talent and enjoy the benefits of Craftsmanship in cabinetry, woodworking and finish work these days.
With typical high production manufacturing and the skilled aging boomers moving out to pasture, true Craftsmanship skills are in short supply. Luckily, so far, demand is not outstripping supply, however, the shallow depth of the talent pool is become a problem and will very likely continue to be an issue in the long run.
To solve these issues AJB General Contractor has developed a team of Skilled Craftsman to deliver the quality and consistency we require at a reasonable price to our customers.
Since, the recession forced many in this specialty trade out of business, we had to gain control so the answer was to convert warehouse space into a cabinetry and finish shop. Alan Jeskey has a background in this type of craft and it us a natural progression to transform underutilized warehouse space into a viable solution.
Our stable of Craftsman provide outstanding quality and our project team better controls costs and delivery schedules. The work is top-notch and absolutely beautiful. The fit and finish, level of detail and quality control provides amazing finish and quality consistently. Customers are raving about the look and feel of our projects. Our customers are happy, our Craftsman are happy and we are happy. Not a bad conclusion for a previously difficult trade.
The ability to design and build custom cabinetry and finish work is very satisfying and is having outstanding results.
At AJB General Contractors true Craftsmanship is alive, well and thriving.
WHERE DID THE CRAFTSMAN GO?
The sting and pain related to the recent recession has strained all small businesses in Nevada so now, in the building industry, the unanswered question is – Where did the craftsman go? In Vegas the only good folks are already employed or have left, long ago, for greener pastures.
Some have changed careers and on new paths to future prosperity; trying to fulfill the needs and demands of raising families. They are no longer willing candidates for return to the construction business after all they have endured during the recession . Besides, the construction industry has always been fickle with the cycles of demand providing uncertainty and difficulty in providing steady incomes unless they were willing to travel. For those that traveled, the challenges of raising a family and participating in the kids soccer, school plays and celebrating accomplishments become impossible. The guilt of not being there quashes any desire to travel and becoming an absentee parent once again.
“…there is hope the freedom and satisfaction in working outdoors and the pride in admiring the work created by ones’s own hands will help to fill the need.”
Others in the building industry followed the work to places like: Texas, North Dakota, Wyoming and Canada. There is, and will be, a demand for good craftsman that far exceeds the supply. With the older Boomers beginning to retire and the younger generation interested in less physical careers, the construction industry is in jeopardy once the pent-up demand for construction is unleashed; inundating the market and creating a frenzy for good people.
With the, once named, Echelon, coming on line and future demand in the residential arena we will be in trouble. The construction sector will see a mass migration to that type of work. The good wages of the Unions on the Las Vegas Strip and the strong demand for the new home building market will lure those in the commercial sector away. What will become of the folks looking to build commercial properties, infrastructure, warehousing, strip malls and office complexes. I know there is a large unoccupied segment off the office market and retail; however, there is an obvious demand for large box buildings as expressed most recently by John Restrepo.
Not all youth will go to college or become IT technicians so there is hope the freedom and satisfaction in working outdoors and the pride in admiring the work created by ones’s own hands will help to fill the need.
Simple put; the Construction Industry is in trouble. Not right now, but soon!
SOME CUSTOMERS ARE AWESOME
AJB General Contractor has been in business for 25 years
We have built many thousands of projects in the Las Vegas area. By successfully completing so many project over the years we have gained very unique experience. We have learned a lot about customers, their expectations, desires, needs, fears and concerns. Some of them are fickle and others are “Awesome”. There are even predatory customers looking to skin anyone around them for personal gain and benefit but they are the minority by far; roughly 3 out of 100. As for Awesome Customers – let me share one with you.
CreativeKids Pebble Road
Creative Kids Learning Center
Carol is the founder and Owner of Creative Kids Learning Center and will soon open her 9th facility in the Southwest near Decatur and Blue Diamond. She is extraordinary at what she does.
She is passionate, driven, excitable, smart, intense and one amazing person.
Her vision is clear and energy infectious; in a good way.
Carol is a hard charger, knows what she wants and intensely focused on achieving the vision.
Besides being a successful business women, Carol gives back to the community by being just as passionately involved with various charities and great community projects. Specifically, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.
The Natural History Museum is a sleeper, a diamond, a very interesting place that everyone should visit.
Working with Creative Kids Learning Center and Carol was very demanding on our staff but the take-away is –What an amazing, awesome and inspiring person to work with. I feel fortunate to know this customer and excited for her and Creative Kids as they prepare to open a much needed child care facility in the Southwest Valley.
My recommendation; check out the Natural History Museum and be sure to check out Creative Kids Leaning Center.
CreativeKids Timelapse
A BUILDINGS FORGOTTEN ASSET
A Buildings Forgotten Asset is the one Rarely Noticed
It is usually never inspected and forgotten about until it begins to fail. Typically, there is never any maintenance or care of this building asset until it is in the mature stage of its life cycle. Once this asset is at the mature stage maintenance becomes a reactive approach. What is the asset? It is the roof that works every day for years and decades to keep the weather out of the building. Keeping the rain, sun, and occasionally the snow at bay, year after year and almost always forgotten about until the drip, drip, drip of water finally makes its way into the building and then; this asset gets the attention it deserves.
Recent rains and poor quality of work by a local Roofing Contractor has reminded me to share knowledge about this subject with others. But first a couple of sentences about my qualification on the subject.
I was in the Roofing and Waterproofing Industry for roughly 25 years. In the 90’s I co-founded a roofing and waterproofing business that focused on mega-resort construction in Vegas. Some of the notable projects are the New York-New York, Bellagio, Venetian, and Mandalay Bay among others. Since I was involved in many hundreds of millions of dollars in design, installation, repair and replacement of roofing assets it can be said that I do have some level of credibility in the field. But I digress from the roofing asset issue.
Here are the keys to maximizing the longevity and reducing the life cycle cost of the most forgotten building asset – The Roof:
- Perform routine maintenance
- Keep the drains clean
- Keep water from A/C condensate lines and swamp coolers from draining on the roof
- Clean the grease traps for those with restaurants
- Control access to the roof and make sure any repairman on the roof do not damage it.
- Check out a routine maintenance plan offered by a local respected Roofing Contractor and do not wait any longer than the fifth year of a roofs life cycle. They will make recommendations to keep the little things from getting worse and shortening the life of the existing roof. Replacement costs are extraordinarily expensive so lengthening the life span of the existing roof system is almost always a great return on investment.
Extend the Life Span
If the 8 year life span of a roof can be extended to 12 years with minimal cost and expense the math almost always works in your favor. Extending the life expectancy, with maintenance, by 50% is a great return on investment. Maximize the life of the existing roof, reduce the cost of the asset over its life span, and please don’t forget about the roof.
Be kind to your roofing asset and it will return the favor.
Watch AJB YouTube Channel and see what to look for on a roof for potential leaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avCgihD4YGg
General Contractors – Masters of Outsourcing
Outsourcing has become the mantra with downsizing and rightsizing feeding the desires of small business to seek vendor value outside of the organization. The move from internal control to outsourcing can create a dynamic shift by allowing a business to focus on its strengths and distinctive competency; creating the opportunity for resources to be re-allocated in pursuit of higher levels of quality and efficiency.
Outsourcing has the potential to be fraught with unintended consequences if not done well. The downside of poorly done outsourcing can be very dangerous and costly. Outsourcing is an acquired discipline that has been practiced in the construction industry for many years.
General Contractors are masters of outsourcing
GC’s do not perform all the various building trades with internal forces. They rely on the expertise of architects, engineers, electrician, plumbers, mechanical subcontractors and others with unique skill sets required of each construction discipline. The reliance on trade professionals is invaluable in creating highly effective and efficient construction teams under the management and direction of a General Contractor.
The GC is the conductor that orchestrates the process needed to deliver a quality project, on time, on budget and with a specified level of quality each and every time. Although, outsourcing has become the mantra over the past years, General Contractors have excelled at utilizing the outsourcing model for many decades. Some major elements of successful outsourcing are:
- Create a Job Description, plan or Scope of Work that is as specific as possible.
- Create a pre-qualification process using a score card system for each vendor or subcontractor seeking to participate as a member of your team and keep score.
- Check them out and do the homework by seeking references, checking complaint history and determine if they are well run. You may want to visit their office to meet them on their turf or interview them on a project site.
- Be selective and require full compliance with the pre-qualification process.
- Test the prospective vendor/subcontractor by establishing a time-line for the delivery of a complete pre-qualification package and their willingness to participate in the process – Are they responsive?
Small construction projects easily can have as many as 12 vendors/subcontractors or more on any one project. Even a GC with 10 ongoing projects may collectively have over 100 vendors that must perform in harmony with the entire team at various locations simultaneously. After 25 years, AJB General Contractor has a stable of the best vendors, subcontractor and suppliers with proven track records and the expertise gained by completing 1000’s of project over a quarter of a century. We are experts at outsourcing with professional, highly skilled and disciplined teams.
Outsourcing of various disciplines can provide enormous gains in efficiency, focus and delivery – If done well.
Think about aspects of your organization that may be handled by a vendor or supplier to free up and better allocate your business resources for increased efficiency and improved overall results.