Always Building for Our Next Customer

Ed Stewart, President of Boardwalk North, says the most rewarding part of his job is meeting and getting to know his customers. The saddest part is “leaving the customer at the end of a project.” With 30 years in the construction industry, Ed started Boardwalk North 15 years ago because he wanted to “make the building process more user-friendly so that the end result would exceed customers’ expectations”. To do that successfully and consistently, he has spent years developing and perfecting a highly detailed and specific Design/Build process that ensures – in fact, demands — strong bonding between builder and customer.

Today, working with wife Linda, Co-Owner and Vice President of Administration and his “right arm,” Ed has shaped Boardwalk North into a premier Design/Build construction company that specializes in high-end residential additions and all phases of remodeling.

The Family Contractor
Because of the Design/Build process that is integral to every Boardwalk North project, Ed becomes very close to his clients. “I’ve become the family contractor, sort of like being the family pediatrician,” he laughingly says.

Because of the low housing inventory in New Hampshire, people are remodeling and adding on more than in past years. Also, contrary to popular opinion, empty nesters are not scaling down; they are adding on when their kids leave home. With more disposable income, they can afford to fund those long awaited projects and dreams for more room, a new kitchen, a new master bedroom suite, or an entire new wing for visiting family.

Ed’s ultimate goal for a Boardwalk North project is to take complete care of the customer’s needs – “It’s always about them and details,” he says. The mark of a successful project is not just meeting expectations, but exceeding them and developing another satisfied customer. Homeowner Terry Prouty says, “It was a pleasure to work with Boardwalk North. They did an outstanding job. There was no question about asking them to come back to do our incredible kitchen, too. The remodel has made our home more enjoyable. We only have compliments for Ed and his team. He is very easy to work with and follows up to a tee.”

“The Devil is in the Details…”
Remember the old saying, “The devil is in the details”? That was Ed’s Mother’s favorite saying, and he has put details at the heart and soul of Boardwalk North. When asked what three things have made Boardwalk North successful, Ed is quick to say, “Details. Details. Details.” In other words, no shortcuts are allowed, either in craftsmanship or products. Consequently, Boardwalk North employees like to say “we always work through a problem, never around a problem.”

Boardwalk North is also absolutely committed to using top-of-the-line building materials. According to Ed, “product quality is not negotiable.” Customers always get complete specification and costs for all materials before they even hire Boardwalk North.

Ed grew up in Boston, spent 4 years in the Army and is a Viet Nam era veteran. He was educated as a tool designer. He found that designing tools required a lot of attention to details, and made for an easy transition to the construction industry. But he takes attention to details a step further with the Design/Build process, which has become his passion. Before any construction begins, the customer and the Boardwalk North team work through a 10-step Design/Build process; everyone involved in the project then gets a copy of a Project Specification Book, a book that Ed created which includes the answers to 300-500 questions. Through this process all parties understand and agree to the scope of the work and know what to expect before the project begins. Ed is currently finalizing work on the book, which he plans to copyright, publish, and sell through home improvement retail stores and Boardwalk North’s web site, to help homeowners, builders and remodelers alike to achieve a better end result.

Enhancing the Image of Remodeling
Ed’s desire to help others in his industry, along with his personal commitment to improving his own construction and business skills, led him to join the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of New Hampshire (HBRANH). When he first joined the HBRANH, Ed says that he was “burnt out, working 70 hours a week.” Through the association’s programs, he learned how to modify his business model to work more effectively and efficiently, and rediscovered pleasure both on the job and in his personal life. From that start, Ed has taken on a leadership role at the local, state, and, most recently, the national level.

“The HBRANH is, indeed, fortunate to have a professional such as Ed Stewart as one of its leaders,” says Kendall Buck, HBRANH Executive Vice President. For the past four years, Ed says he has “had the pleasure” of serving as the Chairman of the NH Home Building Remodelors Council and as Vice President of the Sales and Marketing Council. The Remodelors Council is committed to improved management and technical competency of council members, excellence in service to the consumer, and effective governmental representation of remodelers’ interests in New Hampshire. Ed presides over the monthly meetings, where he maintains the focus on continuing education for remodelers and overseeing special projects that add value to people’s lives, such as providing handicapped accessible ramps for independent living.

“Ed has brought a renewed sense of purpose and direction to the Council and has been instrumental in providing dynamic monthly membership meetings for Council members”, says Kendall Buck. “Each month the attendance has grown and members are able to discuss business and industry issues that are valuable and on target to helping each company grow.”

On the state level, Ed was instrumental in lobbying New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson to sign an official proclamation that joins the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in declaring May as National Home Remodeling Month. And, thanks to Ed and the work of the HBRANH and the NAHB, new certification programs for remodelers will improve the remodeling process and success rate (see related article, “Improving the Remodeling Success Rate”). Ed expects to have his Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR) rating within the next few months.

On the national level, Ed recently attended a Board of Directors meeting of the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C., with Kendall Buck, where he lobbied New Hampshire lawmakers to allow small businesses to purchase health insurance on the same discounted basis as larger companies, to support President Bush’s tax credit, and to support legislation to build more lower income housing. He also attended the national Remodelors Council Board of Governors meeting, where he urged the Council to work on programs to enhance the image of remodeling nationwide.

“Always Building for Our Next Customer”
With 70% to 80% of their business coming from referrals and repeat business, Boardwalk North could grow dramatically, but Ed’s goal is to grow at a steady rate of 20% a year. He wants to ensure that the company is always positioned to exceed customer expectations, and able to manage all the details. “Build for our next customer will ensure our future,” says Ed. To this end, Boardwalk North seldom has more than 2 or 3 projects going at one time. This means they complete 20 to 25 projects a year, leaving ample time enough to leave their customer’s with a smile.

And Boardwalk North does deliver… DiAnne Proctor of Windham, New Hampshire was “thrilled” with Boardwalk North, Ed Stewart, and his entire team from the beginning to the end of the kitchen remodeling and expansion project that turned a 16-year old kitchen into “wonderful, modern, warm, family-comfortable living space.” Boardwalk North, she says, “came in with the most professional presentation upfront, the highest level of detail, and was far above others we consulted. We had total confidence that Ed Stewart and his team understood the project and our desires completely, because it was all detailed in the Big Book, even down to where the dumpster would be parked.”

Boardwalk North’s Design/Build process, attention to details, and the Project Specification Book ensure that the company will always be building for their next customers. As Ed puts it, he “always likes to leave customers with a smile.”

Boardwalk North is located in Salem, New Hampshire and is an active member of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of New Hampshire (HBRANH) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

by Karen Leonard, Builder Architect Magazine