The Tim Faller Show

Today’s episode of The Tim Faller Show is a special one—it’s our annual live recording at Summit and, poignantly, the final episode of the podcast. In this memorable send-off, host Tim Faller is joined by Greg and returning co-host Steve Wheeler for a heartfelt conversation. Together, they reflect on Tim’s remarkable career, the journey of launching The Tim Faller Show , and his plans...

Most remodeling companies are small businesses with simple structures, and team building can be difficult. Imagine the challenges of building a real team with more than 70 people in the field and an almost equal number working in the office.  In this episode, Bruce Case talks to Tim and Steve about what it takes to keep a large remodeling company running smoothly — especially in the production dep...

With business booming and companies growing, one of the questions a lot of remodelers find themselves asking is, “Where can I find a good Production Manager?”  It is hard to find people that can do this very difficult role, and this episode will continue to look at this role in a company and who may be the best fit. The focus of this episode is hiring one of your trades out of their business, and...

Across the country, companies are increasingly empowering project managers to review budgets and the entire project packet before the client’s final sign-off. This practice varies widely—some companies conduct a review only after the job is sold, while others do it beforehand but may not allocate enough time. In many cases, project managers are simply asked to “review and provide feedback,” but th...

Restoring a home after a catastrophe like a fire or flood is fairly specialized, not something most remodeling companies do. There are different challenges, like dealing with insurance companies and payouts, so these companies have different perspectives on production. Mike Carey has worked in insurance restoration for 25 years, as well as doing residential remodeling and commercial contracting, g...

Some remodelers want to stay small… just do the work themselves, avoid the challenges that managing a team can bring and just “build things.” However, there are those that embrace the challenge of building their companies, wear all the hats, and make the transition from Carpenter to Business Owner successfully. Tim and Steve welcome Jared Thayer to the show and talk more about this transition; one...

The hiring process is a big challenge for, well, all of us.   One way to assist in this process is by having a good set of interview questions, and the skills to actively listen to the responses given.  Without these tools, you may find yourself later on wondering how you missed red flags in an employee’s interview and hiring process.  Guest Ben Reynolds joins this episode to teach you how to avoi...

You don’t need a crystal ball to look into the future for your Production Department. A master schedule can give you a predictable look at what’s to come, backed up by solid data.   Tim and Steve get insight from Aaron Enfinger, Chief Operations Officer of The Cleary Company. Aaron joined the Columbus, Ohio, design/build remodeling company as a Project Manager four years ago. It became evident in...

In the interview process, actively listening is key. But how? And how do we change if we “really need someone”? Then, of course, there are all the other times that when we look back at a difficult situation, whether a client or an employee, we see all the signs of the challenge were there, but we did not listen. Guest Christine Miles is here to share some insight and answers on how to avoid that s...

There’s a traditional divide between Sales and Production. It’s always a challenge — they have different goals, processes, and personalities. Typically, Production is left out of the conversation when it comes to scope creep, leading to delays and change orders during construction — and disgruntled clients. Will Giesey and his team are changing that situation through careful communication, new pro...

Estimating accurately is critical to the success of any remodeling business. As you grow your business or hand off estimating to an employee, having the right system in place is paramount. It can feel like an overwhelming decision — there’s so much software available. The wrong decision will cost you lost revenue, but even worse — lost time. Fortunately, there’s a simple strategy to help you navig...

There are many things that can destroy a company. Recession, pandemics, and yes, even growth; especially, if the growth occurs with no planning or control. In the past few years, our economy, and our industry, have grown significantly, and many companies have struggled to keep up. Growth is usually controlled by the amount that a company can sell and subsequently produce. Sometimes it is planned,...

The Tim Faller Show aims to shine a spotlight on the diverse efforts within the remodeling industry. Today, we are joined by two accomplished production managers, Peyton Atchison and Solveig Haugland, as they share their inspiring journeys to becoming project managers. Peyton is a project manager at Adams Company, a women-owned and operated remodeling firm in Austin, TX. She began her career in co...

Imagine you’ve just finished a job, and as you move the dumpster, it damages the client’s driveway. On the Tim Faller Show today, Vaughn Royer shares his strategies for keeping clients happy by taking steps to prevent these giant steel containers from causing any property damage. Vaughn Royer is the Production Manager at Caine+ Company located in Scottsdale, AZ. He is a seasoned profes...

Today on The Tim Faller Show, an exciting conversation with Paola Enriquez. This is part 2 of the engaging discussion that Tim and Greg had with her on Season 5 Episode 3 . In the previous episode, Paola talked about the upcoming Spanish-speaking training at JLC Live. Now, Paola will share her thoughts on how the training went at JLC Live. Paola Enriquez is the conference education manager at JLC...

Do you have a way to be sure that your clients understand the scope and plans of the services you offer? Simply asking for their signature on future plans does not necessarily guarantee that they understand what it is they are signing.  Like many of the topics discussed on this show, there is no magic answer to ensuring that a client is aware and knowledgeable about the services they may want or a...

The future of remodeling hinges on the next generation of skilled workers. Tim has previously engaged with teachers who mentor young people in the trades. Our guest today, Gregg Helmich, is one such teacher. Gregg has been instrumental in working closely with students in the trades and has employed unique industry partnerships to enhance the students’ learning experience. Gregg Helmich serve...

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Tim and Greg are joined by David Parraquirre, a presenter at JLC Live this year. They discuss the abundance of skilled craftsmen in the Latino world, particularly in the metro areas where many sub trades comprise diverse cultures. David also provides a recap of the JLC Live Spanish Speaking program. David Parraguirre is the Owner and founder of Pro Builder Solutions a...

The production professionals that we work with in our  Roundtables Peer Group Program for Production Managers  are creatively solving problems and finding new ways to manage jobs. Whether it is motivating their teams, finding new way to drive profit or measuring dollars with a new metric, sometimes we just hear about a cool idea. During our fall meetings, we heard a few new concepts and strategies...

Change can be very elusive. Podcasts, seminars, books, classes, webinars, virtual classes all give us great ideas for improving processes. But how many actually take root and become what we do as a regular habit or process?  Maybe we just don’t know how to change, so we substitute other activities.  In a recent training, guest Doug Howard of Remodelers Advantage discussed LEAN with a company and o...

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Doug Panozzo joins the show. Doug shares the many facets of incentives and ways he has been successful in motivating his team. Doug is the production manager at  Hogan Design and Construction  and joined their team in 2017 after several years managing projects for a technology company.  He brings leadership, communication, organization, and attention to detail to his...

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Tim and Steve go solo to discuss production system shifts and the changing world of the lead carpenter and project manager. Tim talks about the most significant challenge facing the remodeling industry: increasing sales with the lack of skilled labor. The challenge comes from controlling growth with a limited number of people to handle that growth.  This is causing ma...

On today’s episode of the Tim Faller Show, Jake Carter is a guest to discuss how the construction industry can address the challenges of a shortage of skilled trades workers and a lack of training opportunities. Jake advocates for a collaborative approach within local communities, with support from regional and/or national partners. Many local Home Builders Associations (HBAs) are playing a...

We welcome guest Emma Kraft to the show to discuss the struggles of bridging the gap in a male-dominated field as both a woman and a daughter.   Emma Kraft is the President of Kraft Custom Construction, Inc. , located in Salem, Oregon.  The company was started by Emma’s father, Robert Kraft, in 1982. In 2001, he made a conscious decision to down-size the company and focus on completing fewer, high...

We are pleased to welcome Chris Fox today to discuss the process of hiring an estimator in the remodeling industry. Chris Fox is the Sales and Design Manager at Fox Home Innovations located in Manhattan, Kansas. As the company’s Director of Design and Sales, Chris is heavily involved with the management of all design projects from inception to completion. Additionally, he actively cultivates and m...