18
Quad Cities Builders & Remodelers Association — Spring 2014
REMODELERs
I
saw it on HGTV." Being
in the business for
the last seven years,
I have come to realize
just how many people
come in to our showroom
and say this. The most
influential source of today’s design is not a
school or one specific design, but rather a
television network.
HGTV formally launched in 1994 and
currently reaches 99 million households in
the United States and is one of cable’s top
rated networks. According to HGTV, its
website
is the leading home
and garden site attracting an average million
visitors per month. They recently created
the HGTV Magazine a few years ago as well.
HGTV succeeds because it is all about the
people. It’s about the people on the show,
the design influenced by the latest designer,
the home owner’s personalities, and of
course the conflict between the homeowner
and the designer. We are basically drawn
in to watch other peoples lives unfold in
front of us so that we are able to judge them
on their choices, and sometimes the high
risk choices of the designers. Don’t forget
though, TV is highly edited and everything
appears to be accomplished quickly with
beautiful results. The experts never seem
challenged, the homeowners are always
grateful, architects are nearly invisible, and
at the end of the show the job seems to
always be a success.
What exactly did they see on HGTV? We
as suppliers and tradespersons in the
industry think we always know what our
customer wants, but we are forgetting that
the customer only sees the final product,
and not how to get there. I experienced
this first hand not to long ago when I had
a customer stop in the store asking for info
on a bathroom remodel. How hard could it
be right? They do it in less than 30 minutes
on TV, so why shouldn’t the average person
be able to do it themselves.
As members of the National and Local
Remodelers Council, we are part of the
bigger picture to ensure proper work and
keep with current standards to pass both
the Building Codes and the Energy Codes.
I joined the Remodelers Council four
years ago hoping to get one thing out of
it, networking. But like anything else I get
myself involved in, I then realize the bigger
picture, we are a group of skilled individuals
who thrive to do the best job for our
customer. We are in a business that relies
heavily on word of mouth referrals and if we
are not performing to the highest standard
possible, we are only hurting ourselves.
I am honored to be part of the Remodelers
council and encourage anyone in this
business to join us at our monthly meeting
to see for yourself how much you can better
yourself in only one hour a month with a
group of individuals who truly care in what
they do.
Call the QCBR office to inquire about
Remodelers Council opportunities.
+
Sincerely,
Brian A. Moss
Remodeler Chair
REMODELERS COUNCIL
by Brian A. Moss, Remodeler Chair
"
