I'm in the process of reading a very good book that I would recommend to anyone interested in running a profitable business. I assume that would include just about everyone who might have their hands on this magazine at this very moment. "Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right," by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, hits on some very important topics that affect every type of bu...

Just because we've been using telephones in business much longer than we have computers doesn't mean that choosing the right cell phone and plan is any easier than choosing the right computer hardware and software. In fact, depending on your business needs, the two tasks may go hand in hand. Can I get a signal? While companies in metropolitan areas have their pick of technologies, features and ...

Look up. What do you see? Chances are you are reading this magazine in a building of some sort — your home, your office, in the bedroom, in the bathroom. What does the ceiling look like? Is it flat, white and boring? Or is it bold and vibrant with moldings and color, maybe heavy beams and texture? How about the remodeling projects you are designing and building for your clients? Have you ...

"So doctor, what are your technology plans?" Scott Strawbridge, owner of Strawbridge Building Contractors, asked his client. "The doctor said he didn't have any technology needs. Then a few minutes later, he pointed out the media room where he wants a plasma TV, and he mentioned the need for speakers in the kitchen and near the pool.

Bob Earl, CGR, CR, is the president of Casa Linda Remodeling, a high-end design/build remodeler in San Antonio, Texas, with annual revenue of $3 million. He has 22 employees. Clete Reinhart owns Reinhart Construction Company, a full line remodeling firm in Louisville, Ky., that also employs two lead carpenters and an office person.

As many different types of remodeling and contracting firms as there are, the challenges are always the same: mentoring employees, pricing for profit, keeping up with new codes and products, standing out in the marketplace. At any industry show or conference, new friends swap war stories and ideas that worked.

It was an 80-year-old feeble house, but to its new owner, it was the house of her dreams. "Most would have considered it a tear-down," says Rick Stageberg, CGR, vice president of remodeling for VB Contractors Inc. "But she loved the house and grew up down the street from it." The home's location in Virginia Beach and views overlooking the Chesapeake Bay were both its greatest assets and greates...

Widely used in Europe and Japan, tankless water heaters offer on-demand hot water and lower water heating bills. These units are so small they can be installed under a sink, on a wall or even on the exterior of the home, yielding space savings for the homeowner. A larger model can be used in place of a storage tank to supply hot water for the entire home; a small point-of-use water heater can b...

Hurricanes in the south, unprecedented levels of construction material demand in China, record oil prices and a host of other issues drove up material costs in 2004. Ongoing increases in labor, insurance and general overhead expenses squeezed margins from another angle. How do you generate an acceptable profit when pricing seems out of control?

Owners John and Chris Carmean built their home in the late 1970s after an automobile accident left John in a wheelchair. The house had some wide passageways and ramps, but none of the other features that qualify as universal or accessible design these days. "It was really not accessible," says remodeler Lori Bentley, CKBR.