SCHOENFELDER SPOTLIGHT
Renovations Done Right.
With Mark Schoenfelder, President Of Schoenfelder Renovations
C
ompanies, often, are made or
shuttered based on the quality of
their people, their management
and their ability to maintain
consistency regardless of the
job or market conditions. Schoenfelder
Renovations is a company that has been
able to thrive, even in less than ideal market
conditions, since its founding. How did they
accomplish this? For a number of reasons,
but they boil down to quality management,
choosing the right jobs to work on, working
with the best people and maintaining
relationships with other companies who
can provide them with the best service.
Schoenfelder Renovations, like many
larger renovation companies, started from
humble beginnings. Mark Schoenfelder
began running a College Pro Painting
franchise in 1991, struck out on his own
in 1993 and subsequently incorporated in
1996. In 1998, Steve Kucera was hired as
a painter and, throughout the years, has
risen to the position of CFO. Likewise,
Matt Schoenfelder was hired in 1999 in
sales and has risen to be the VP of Project
Management. While Schoenfelder’s initially
offered only painting services, clients
requested additional services like drywall
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and carpentry. Over time, painting became
only a fraction of their business.
Working on apartment buildings and
townhomes in the mid 1990s (and still
doing work for many of them today), the
early 2000s saw the company branch out
into hotels and student housing. One of
those hotels was La Quinta, who hired
them for an 18-story hotel painting project
in 2006. The general contractor was falling
behind significantly, so Schoenfelder
Renovations was asked to take over the
contract. Their performance led to five
more projects on the east coast and then
more in Georgia and Florida, etc. In 2010,
they began working with Target which
led to working with Home Depot, Kohls,
Walmart, Lowes, Costco, Menards and
others.
Over the years, everything hasn’t always
been sunshine and rainbows, however.
Struggles are always encountered and must
be overcome in any business. While initially
focused on residential, the company has
shifted to commercial work exclusively
in order to maintain more consistent
clients. When you do a great remodel for
a homeowner, they may never need your
services again. Professional asset managers,
who hire and work with contractors over
and over, can be a consistent source of work.
Property managers have learned from their
past experiences and are better able to
evaluate the quality and service they receive.
Hiring and working with contractors
to care for their assets is what and who
they are. Deciding which contractors to
partner with is a long-term decision for the
property manager.
Over the years, the growth has been almost
exponential. After leaving the residential
market to focus more on the commercial
side of things, the company has been able to
shift their aim to building relationships for
long-term business and have been rewarded
with larger and more challenging projects
throughout the country. In building those
relationships, the key is to find people and
companies who are the best at what they
do. The best asset managers have lots of
properties, maintain them at the highest
levels and are growing and taking on more
work. They also are well funded and pay
when promised. The people around them
are treated well and this attracts other high
performers.