News
Improving the Image of Remodelers in the Industry
Williamson County is home to a remodeling star that keeps shining, year after year.
This June, Qualified Remodeler magazine and several corporate sponsors held the 10th annual Chrysalis Awards for Remodeling Excellence during the Southern Building Show in Atlanta.
There, Franklin resident David Crane of Crane Builders was honored for the second year in a row as Tennessee Remodeler of the Year. Its an honor to be recognized as the states Remodeler of the Year once in a career, but twice in a row doesn’t happen very often. David Crane belongs in that class.
Crane, who’s been in business for 26 years the last 16 in the greater Nashville area specializes in larger projects that average $125,000. Most years, he and his 10 employees handle $2-3 million in business generated from 6-10 projects. Most projects take four to eight months to complete.
Chrysalis awards director Ken Kanline says Crane was selected by a panel of judges based on his community involvement and his desire to be a role model for smaller companies.
Theres no question that the publics image of a remodeler is less than it should be. Remodelers who go in and out of business get lots of attention. What made the difference between the candidates was what they did that they didn’t get paid for, he explained.
Last week, Williamson A.M. caught up with Crane at one of his projects, a house addition and remodel on Vaughn Road. Crane is actively involved in Affordable Housing Resources, the non-profit organization that provides low to moderate income housing in the Nashville area and produced more than 60 new units in 2002, as well as the Resource Foundation, a non-profit that continues to raise money to provide affordable housing. He’s also an active member of Franklin Community Ministries, where his expertise is being used to restore a home in Mt. Hope, an older African-American neighborhood near Highway 96 west and Fifth Avenue.
“My goal is to improve the image of remodelers in the industry,” he said. “In our business, we focus on quality, not quantity of work. Since 9/11, people are not going away for vacation. People are also a lot slower in their decision making process. When the stock market was skyrocketing, people were taking money out and throwing it at some improvement in their home. Now, people are more conscious of their decisions to refinance and they’re looking at their home as an investment that they’re going to live in for a long time.”