Certified Contractors Network

Jeff Blank – Energy Swing Windows
Jeff was Energy Swing’s first employee and was there the day we opened the door. In that time he has grown himself while making major contributions to the growth of Energy Swing.

Initially, Jeff had a dual role as Energy Swing’s Manufacturing Manager, overseeing the manufacturing of our custom made windows, and its Installation Manager, directing the activities of our installation teams. However, after a few years, it became apparent to Jeff that he did not have the installation experience to understand and direct the work of Energy Swing’s production operations.

Jeff recognized that installation was critical to the success of the company, not only from the quality of the work that was done, but also because how important the installation teams’ interactions were with the client. Because of this understanding, Jeff gave up his manufacturing responsibilities, which were very comfortable for him, and decided to become a hands-on Production Manager, whose duties and responsibilities were very uncomfortable for him at first. Since throwing himself at this effort, Jeff has learned and grown to the point where he not only has a clear understanding of the technical and scheduling aspects of installation, but also the people aspects.

The people aspects of Jeff’s contributions have been three-fold. He does a great job of managing and directing the other Project Managers and members of the installation team. He also does a great job of communicating with other groups within the company, such as sales, admin and manufacturing. He is a constant communicator who is always looking for win/win scenarios. However, the most significant contribution Jeff has made has been with our customers. The rapport he builds and the relationships he develops with our clients has been a major reason why 76% of Energy Swing’s business comes from referrals and repeat customers.

But even more than all these things, Jeff has grown into a key member of Energy Swing’s management team. He is always willing to do what it takes to get things done. He is always looking for ways to “do the right thing” and deliver real value to our clients. He is also the voice of reason, delivering a balanced perspective on issues and challenges as they arise.

I could go on and on as to why Jeff is Energy Swing’s MVP. However, for the few I’ve mentioned above and many more, I strongly believe that he deserves to be recognized as CCN’s Company MVP.

Dana Ferrer – Capizzi Home Improvement
Dana enters her seventh year with our company where she started as a receptionist, then an administrative assistant, to our office administrator where she runs our sales office.

Anyone who works with Dana or corresponds with her through her representing me or our company immediately recognizes they are dealing with a true professional. Her work product, whether in the form of a letter, e-mail, the creation of presentations, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, or just communicating with the many professionals in our home improvement and real estate business is always at the highest level of professionalism and at a standard of excellence we all can rely on.

Dana can provide back up to just about any task in the office and has done so. During her maternity leave this year, Dana’s dedication to us and our company was proven again by her willingness to be available to help in any way during her absence. The truest testament of this individual’s value is that of all the support and letters of recognition she has gotten by the rest of the Capizzi Home Improvement staff.
For all of this, we would like to nominate Dana for the CCN 2010 MVP award.

Ross Fisher – Rain Gutter Specialties
Ross is not only our production manager but general manager also. He has especially stepped up these last few weeks as we had to make a huge change in our office staff. We lost our service manager/ warehouse manager. Ross has picked up the void that this position has left us. He has done whatever is asked and helped us get through these rough times.

Ross runs all the crews and manages 200 jobs at a time as well as schedules 10 -20 jobs a day. He is Sr. and Jr’s right hand man. He does whatever they need and does it right. If he is asked to do something, there never is a worry or question if it is going to be done. It is done right and when it needs to be done. He handles problems well and does it with out being asked”

Catherine Honigsberg – Maggio Roofing
Please see my comments for production manager of the year. In addition to that, Catherine goes above and beyond the production manager’s duties. Catherine oversees all aspects of our business to make sure everything is running smoothly. Her dedication, as well as others, has allowed me to increase my time away from Maggio and focus on CCN. Catherine has attended all of the CCN conferences and always helps with setting the company goals for the coming year. Catherine also took it upon herself to nominate our company for many industry awards. This has resulted in our company winning many national awards. Catherine always puts the company first and her dedication is remarkable.

Stacey Huber – Roofing & More
Our company is very fortunate to have a GM like Stacey. It is because of her leadership and great ideas that we have excelled to the level we have. Stacey is a great leader because she can be tough when she needs to but she also genuinely cares about her employees and will stand up for them when needed. She’s had the courage to make the changes that were needed to be made for us to overcome and succeed. There is no doubt when I think of the one person that has made the biggest difference in our company in 2010 who deserves this award, it is Stacey Huber.

Jonathan Li – Crown Roofing & Drainage
Jonathan is the controller at Crown. He has accompanied me to the last 3 business planning boot camps. His accounting designation and knowledge coupled with his passion for excellence and tireless work ethic have made him a star at our company! Jonathan has worked to improve all facets of accounting, reporting and budgeting. He is the caretaker who ensures that we are meeting our plan and the financial requirements of the company. It gives me a great deal of confidence to have him on the team. It is a pleasure to work with him. He is truly an MVP!

John Lilja – Twin Cities Siding Professionals
John Lilja is a tireless worker who does whatever is asked of him. He consistently performs at the highest level – always with a smile on his face and a great attitude. He is often the first person in the office and the last one out.

He assists the production department, the admin department, and the sales department. He tackles a wide variety of job duties. In any given day, he may be called upon to research a new product, do a blue print take off, or fix the computer network. He is our go to guy in the company, and we can rely on him for his technical expertise in such a wide variety of areas.

John is a Chief Petty Officer and active reservist in the US Navy. He was called away on three occasions this year. Instead of leaving others to pick up his load in his absence, he worked nights and weekends before and after his stints to make sure all of his work was complete.

Quite simply, John is an amazing person and employee, and we are lucky to have him on our team.”

Julie Long, Lakeside Exteriors, Inc.
Lakeside Exteriors, Inc. is still wondering how they were lucky enough to get Julie Long to join its staff 6 years ago. Julie began as our Receptionist, but it did not take long to see the writing on the wall that Julie would play a major part of the success of Lakeside Exteriors’ office environment. Julie now “runs” the Production Department, and even though Eric thinks he is the boss, we really know who is in charge! Julie brings many attributes to the table. She is organized, friendly, detail-orientated and can multi-task like no other. Julie is extremely dependable and always goes above and beyond what is expected to make sure things are accomplished correctly. Julie is the connection between the Sales Team and the Production Department, which can be a very daunting task at times. Julie is a very loyal employee and considers Lakeside Exteriors her family.

Silvia Ligorria – Maggio Roofing
Silvia has been with Maggio Roofing for 4 years. In that time, she has managed to become a master of all of her duties and then some. Silvia is in the administration department and is responsible for job costs, accounts receivable, time sheets,etc. Silvia is also responsible to help the salesman with their proposals, contracts, job folders, billing etc. I frankly do not know how she manages it all. Silvia also helps our employees who are not fluent in the English language, she helps them with questions and issues that they may not understand. Silvia, with all the “hats” she wears at Maggio Roofing still has time to volunteer at the local hospital. Silvia then went to school to earn her certificate for a licensed translator!!! Silvia is truly a remarkable person and is definitely our most valuable team member!!! She is the best!