Industry Greats: Those We Get to Meet And Those We Don’t
I never got to talk with or interview or meet Fred Case, the founder of Case Architects & Remodelers, who is credited as one of the brains behind creating the design-build concept. He passed away in late December.
I talked with several people who knew Fred well, and they had fantastic things to say about him. The word “visionary” was used multiple times to describe him and his influence on the remodeling profession. As I was writing his profile, which you can read on page 10, I was saddened by the fact that I never would get the chance to meet him. He seemed like a fascinating person.
And there are so many other amazing remodelers and home improvement pros who have started business, filled voids that others didn’t know existed, became revered mentors, created family legacies, and changed the industry for the better who I also will never get the chance to know.
But some of you reading this column know these people. They’ve been in your life—and hopefully still are—and you’ve been lucky enough to learn from them. Maybe they’re still serving as your teacher.
Take this opportunity to reach out to them and let them know how much they’ve meant to you.
Someone who’s had a big influence on my work is Rob Cassidy, my editor when I was the senior editor writing for Pro Remodeler’s sister publication, Building Design+Construction. Rob was with BD+C for more than 22 years before retiring at the end of 2024.
Some of you may have been lucky enough to have met him at some point.
When I first met him, I was working for a small publisher in Northern California editing magazines focused on the design, construction, and management of correctional facilities, schools, and healthcare properties (three different publications—I promise you coverage for schools and prisons really is different). I was proud of the work I was doing, but I knew I needed to learn more in order to become a better writer and editor. I needed a teacher.
I interviewed with Rob and his staff, and when an offer was extended, I accepted it. I thought this was the next step I needed to take. The difficult part was leaving San Francisco for Chicago. Both great cities, but one is clearly the weather winner.
Fortunately, I never had to write an in-memoriam piece while at BD+C, and the visionaries I got the meet in person included the architects Frank Gehry, Lucian Lagrange, and Carol Ross Barney.
I worked with Rob for nearly six years and can say with 100% certainty, that he helped me become a better writer. I left the publication for several years before coming back into the fold here at Pro Remodeler.
So, let me take the opportunity to say thank you to Rob Cassidy and let him know that he meant a lot to me.
A Vision of 2025
Speaking of those who have a significant influence on the industry, our cover story features several trailblazers who shared their plans for the year ahead.
Those in the home improvement space anticipate a 18.7% increase in sales revenue. To get there, some say they will focus on technology while others will concentrate on acquisitions or marketing. Among shared concerns: high interest rates and consumer uncertainty.
