John Struckmann: Young Gun

Owner/General Manager

Integrity Home Contracting, Charlottesville, Va.

Age 31

Starting a business at 22 during a rocky economy with only about $2,000 required creativity. To get sales going, John started a paid internship program with the University of Virginia, his alma mater. Students earned 3 to 6 percent for any leads they generated that resulted in a project. They also learned about sales, marketing, and teamwork. Interns were taught how to look at a home’s exterior and identify areas that need work. With John as their leader, the team spent weekends knocking on doors in neighborhoods they had earlier identified as having “high potential.” Interns introduced the company and its home improvement services, making lists of homeowners interested in more information. With clipboards full of leads, the next step was to call homeowners to set up appointments. One weekend in 2009, John’s sales team generated almost 70 leads, which kept revenue high for several months.

The strategy got the business off the ground, and by year two revenue was at $1 million. By 2013, revenue had reached $3.5 million. Today, Integrity Homes is a thriving full service design/build remodeling company. 

Read more about the 2015 Professional Remodeler 40 Under 40 awardees.