When Frederic Case launched his remodeling company 45 years ago, the industry looked quite different than it does today.
“Back in those days, remodeling was really some guys and a pickup truck with a dog,” Case said. “We as a remodeling industry were at the bottom of the ladder … but I felt it [could] be a huge industry.”
Case’s assumption was right and today, his company, Case Design Remodeling Inc., is one of the most successful remodeling firms in the country. With 300 local employees and four regional offices, the company had about $100 million in revenues last year. Case’s business model brought the design and construction processes under one roof, giving clients one point of contact from concept to completion — something that was rare at the time.
Case’s remodeling roots run deep. Case’s mother was also in the remodeling business and was the first female member of the National Association of Homebuilders. Case would help his mother on projects and worked on his first construction site at just 12 years old.
“I grew up in a construction family,” he said. “There’s no doubt that construction gets in your blood.”
Case’s strong construction and remodeling background helped him grow his business, but it was when Mark Richardson, now president of Case, came on board in 1980 as a project designer that the company went to the next level. Richardson brought his professional architecture training to the firm and doubled the company’s design/build division sales in just two years.
“[Case] was approaching [the business] from a contracting point of view. I was approaching it from an architecture standpoint,” Richardson said. “We’re very complimentary as opposed to being redundant. We have the same goals, but we’re coming at it from different perspectives.”
In 1997, the company launched its franchise, Case Handyman Services, which today reaches about 20 percent of the U.S. In addition to handyman services, many of Case’s franchisees have also branched out into remodeling and design/build services, which is part of a bigger vision for the company. Case and Richardson are working to make the firm the dominant brand in the remodeling and home repair industry.
But even as the company expands across the country, Case said its the personal contact with clients that make his company successful – and fun.
“I love going in and solving problems,” Case said. “That’s really what we do. We listen to what [clients] need and present solutions. That’s really a lot of fun.”
BUSINESS
CURRENT JOB: CEO, Case Design Remodeling Inc.
LAST JOB: Same
NUMBER OF E-MAILS A DAY: 100
NUMBER OF VOICEMAILS A DAY: 35
ESSENTIAL WEB SITE: Casedesign.com
BEST PERK: Being able to spend time in Maine
GADGETS: BlackBerry
EDUCATION/CREDENTIALS: Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, Catholic University, NARI Certified Remodeler
FIRST JOB: Carpenter’s helper
ORIGINAL ASPIRATION: To build a remodeling business, rather than a practice
CAREER OBJECTIVE: To continue growing our business in a professional and aggressive manner while providing quality service to our clients and opportunities for our team members
PERSONAL
DATE OF BIRTH: 3/14/39
HOMETOWN: Washington, D.C.
SPORTS/HOBBIES: Boating, woodworking, reading, travel
COMPUTER: Dell
FAVORITE CLOTHIER: Nordstrom
VACATION SPOT: Colony in Long Boat Key, Fla.
ROLE MODEL: Father
QUOTE: “We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” T.S. Eliot, “Four Quartets”
