Yesterday I was embedded with Beau & Chris on a large, complex attic upgrade. The (rather large) house has five attic spaces we are improving.
Because the house is being renovated, it is empty – no one lives in the house at the moment. Not only that, but it’s on the banks of the Chattahoochee river, in a community with very large lots, big trees, and no security gate at the entrance.
Because of these conditions, I’d asked our client if we could arrive early.
He said, “Bob, you can start whenever you want! Here is the code to get in the garage door…”
We arrived at 0630 and got started, even though it was completely dark outside.
At 0945 our client came by the property and while talking he asked me for the time – I said, “It’s 9:45.”
LISTEN TO HIS NEXT COMMENT:
“Bob, it’s 9:45 in the morning, and your crew is the only one here.”
I asked, “John, are there supposed to be others working here today?”
He went on to tell me that the painters are working here, as well as the “gutter guy”.
Finally, about 15 minutes later two painters arrived to resume painting where they left off the day before.
I learned that our client is a retired successful professional. And I doubt he got successful by starting his days half-way through the mornings.
So he notices the qualities of success – or lack thereof – in others, and felt comfortable enough with me to make a few remarks regarding his observations of contractors with whom he had experience with throughout his deep remodel of this house.
So, it set me to thinking about our 20+ years of success, and why we’re so successful at getting our one-day upgrades completed so efficiently.
At the end of the day, our singular motivation is that YOU WIN. Our clients (homeowners) are our top priority! Everything we do here is built on the foundation of you having a 5-STAR experience with Bird Family Insulation; from your first contact with us, to the very last.
Here are some thoughts I jotted in my pad, as I operated the rig for Beau & Chris yesterday. They are in no particular order.
WHY WE SUCCEED SO WELL ON OUR JOBSITES:
1. Year-round, we practice a doorbell time of 0700-0730. We get started early! After all, you don’t want us hanging around at suppertime.
2. When we’re vacuuming out an attic, we arrive overly prepared!
100’ of 6” vacuum hose assures that we move more material, faster – and rarely get clogged when sucking up the “big stuff”. Contrast this with most guys using 4” vacuum hose. Our 4” hose is usually the “whip” – a short 25’ to 50’ length of hose used in the attic. The smaller diameter means It’s easier to grip, and snake under cross-bracing in tight areas, and has insane suction. We use 3 Vacuums! Yes, while everyone else arrives at the party with 1 vacuum, we use 3x that much power. Each vacuum is daisy-chained together – like locomotives linked together pulling a heavy train. And that much vacuum power sucks most everything within reach into those huge nylon bags. Chris (usually our hose guy) – moves as fast as a tiger up there in that attic, because the suction at the end of our hose is so powerful he never has to slow down when in heavy, thick material. Others guys have to hand remove pine straw nesting material from infestations – but we suck up straw, fiberglass batting, and you name it, with ease! It gets sucked up, ground-up, and packed into huge cloth bags in very short order. And you win, with a clean attic in 2 to 4 hours.
3. Our insulation blowing rig is just as powerful & customized as our 3-vac removal rig!
a. We doubled the blowing power. The Krendl blowing machine is built and arrives with two blowers. We purchase a second blower-box with two additional blowers, and tie it all together inside the rig for TWICE AS MUCH performance. This allows us to open our slide gate to the highest settings, because we have the “lungs” to push the heavy cellulose through any length of hose we are needing on your jobsite!
b. Our water sleeve and water pump assure you that we get your installation right, on-the-spot, with little to no down time. Installing cellulose attic insulation means we have the potential for huge dust issues. However, because we use a water sleeve and water pump, we have absolutely zero dust issues, and our homeowners love us for that!
c. Because of the two additional blowers, and the high-pressure water pump, we are able to put far more cellulose insulation through our hose than other contractors who are installing cellulose with a standard rig. You win, because it takes us half the time to install the same amount of insulation as our competitors!
4. The huge, 17.5 Kilowatt generators that we use, assures you that we have all the power needed to run our rig while at your home. Unlike some insulation companies, we aren’t unplugging your dryer so we can use your 50 amp service at the electric panel or the dryer outlet! That’s inconvenient for you and dangerous too.
5. Equipment is important, and we’ve worked very hard to focus on dependable, reliable tools and machines so we don’t waste your valuable time once we arrive at your home. But most important are the people that make Bird Family Insulation the successful company that you enjoy…
a. Savannah & Courtney handle the administrative and marketing aspects of our company. No one else has a Savannah & Courtney team running the office … I mean no-one. They are each top-notch professionals who understand the priority of a client-first culture in our company. It’s because of Savannah & Courtney that the crew arrives at your home on your assigned work date, that any utility rebates are applied for; phone calls, emails and texts to the office are promptly answered, and so much more! Courtney is my administrative assistant and seems to be the favorite non-Bird employee because she keeps my life organized and far more efficient (STRESS FREE!) than in recent memory! I start with Savannah & Courtney, because regardless of how you approach Bird Family Insulation – one or both of these two beautiful ladies are who you are communicating with. Because Savannah answers our phone, a common response when I hand a homeowner our flyer (that contains our big family picture) is, “Which one is Savannah?” Homeowners love Savannah!
b. Beau & Chris (my two sons) lead our field operations. And I can promise all of you – to my knowledge – there are no two men in our industry who will out-hustle, work harder, and are more dedicated to the success of an upgrade, than these two amazing men. They keep going, hour-after-hour, often in tortuous and grueling conditions – until the job is done. And, they are motivated by character and integrity to always go the 2nd mile on your jobsite. When their rig backs into your driveway, get ready to be impressed!
c. Rod McKenzie and his company, Green Building Resources always “have our back” on every jobsite. Regardless of the inventory we need, Rod and his team (Trent & Wes) always get the deliveries made to our jobsites of the exact materials to get your home comfortable and more efficient. I’ve always said to Rod, “You are a very big part of the reason we enjoy the success that we have!” And, I mean it.
d. I cannot end this article without mentioning Randy Beckett, plant manager at Applegate’s Toccoa cellulose insulation manufacturing facility. For many years Randy has been a consistent source of equipment wisdom, industry guidance, and “how-to” knowledge when it comes to all the tools and equipment it takes to do our job. Regardless of time of day, or the day of the week – Randy has always made himself available to the Bird family – even on vacation – to talk Bob, Beau, Chris, or Brian through whatever problem or issue was being experienced on a jobsite. I love Applegate cellulose insulation because of Randy Beckett. It’s as simple as that.
6. In recent months it became apparent to everyone that Bob needed help handling the huge amount of virtual appointments we perform on a daily basis. Our family and Courtney prayed and prayed for the right person, and wouldn’t you know it – God sent us a previous client! Dan started in August (2021) helping Bob with the virtual appointments, and since late September handles 100% of these phone appointments. Dan has been an answer to prayer, (literally!) and rewards you, our client with lightning fast communication as he responds to your calls, emails and texts regarding your comfort issues and calculating your estimate for our services. We wouldn’t have a jobsite, if it weren’t for you the homeowner and Dan first figuring out an initial plan & proposed budget for your attic upgrade!
7. We have a separate division here at Bird Family Insulation that responds to the work we receive from Georgia Power Company (GPC) and other NGO sources. This division is administered by Savannah & Courtney. Brian leads the crew and handles all the work on those jobsites. Therefore, Beau & Chris are able to focus on the projects that Bird Family Insulation generates, while Brian focuses on the highly technical & complex projects that GPC & the NGOs generate for our company. Brian and his crew have lifted a huge responsibility from Beau & Chris – and I know for a FACT that no-one here wants to go back to the days before Brian arrived!
After reading this article of my Secret to 1-Day Project Completions, you might be thinking, “Bob, some of this has nothing to do with getting the work done in my attic.”
But I strongly disagree. It’s exactly because of each of these persons, without a single exception – that your jobsite runs smoothly and efficiently; almost boring!
We know what you love!
And we’ve learned after 20+ years, that homeowners LOVE BORING, SMOOTH, EFFICIENT jobsites!
Don’t you have enough drama in your day, without having to handle more of it from your contractor?
Stop Talking & Get To Work!
Can I mention one more thing? Yesterday, while on the jobsite – I heard one of the painters on his phone and he talked – and talked – and talked… and I thought to myself, “When is this homeowner going to say something to this guy? He didn’t show-up until 10am, and now he’s on his phone forever … NOT GOOD!”
I get it – maybe he was handling a follow-up issue with last week’s client, or ordering materials, or scheduling his next job, giving directions to the late guy, etc – all very important tasks.
But this is exactly why I highlighted the people in this article.
When our crew arrives at your home between 7 and 7:30am, they are focused and committed to one task, one person: YOU and your upgrade! And because everyone else is doing their job with excellence, Beau & Chris do your job with excellence!
And you can enjoy your day.
Imagine that.
-Bob Bird
Bird Family Insulation
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