It’s one thing to build commercial structures. How do you build a reputation?
By getting to know your clients, says Grant Jorgenson.
Grant and his son Mark, owners of Calanah Builders Ltd., know all the ins and outs of residential and commercial building. They offer total concept-to-completion service for their clients, who are involved every step of the way. Grant started as a carpenter, and worked his way up to create a successful residential construction business. Mark’s passion is more on the commercial side. So given the market outlook, and Mark’s credentials and experience, they decided to focus on commercial construction.
As a small family-run operation, Grant says Calanah is an ideal choice for someone with a project in the $1-million to $5-million range. Their approach is to build relationships with clients and work with them from start to finish – and beyond.
“We develop a relationship right at the start and then that relationship is carried through. We want their building experience to be a really positive thing,” he said.
The Calanah team stays with you all the way
“We’ve never been high-volume, even in home-building. So in the commercial sector we base our strength on building relationships, maintaining our reputation, and making sure that the client is completely comfortable. That’s what carried us for years in residential, and now we bring that to the commercial side.”
Grant and Mark know it’s important that clients know the people they’re dealing with. And it’s important that the Calanah team knows the client and their project – they’re not just a number on an account file. Grant says from the first time you walk through their door or call them up, the person you talk to – and the team – will be with you all the way through.
And the relationship doesn’t end when you take possession. Calanah conducts scheduled followups, and the team is available to help you for years after the work is done.
They could easily slap up warehouses and stores and strip malls and move on to the next job. But Grant says they won’t work that way. They’re not just building a shop, they’re building that client relationship. “There’s pride in workmanship,” he said. “I come out of the trades, I started as a carpenter in the ground shovelling cement and dirt and pounding nails and stuff. And to me there’s a certain amount of pride and gratification not only watching a project come together, but watching the client’s confidence and satisfaction grow.”
