Durable Equipment Key to Contractor’s Success

Olathe, KS, January 19, 2007--The various trades that make up the construction industry in the U.S. have always been extremely competitive. Companies are constantly seeking ways in which they can outmaneuver their competition, yet those companies that prosper generally do so by recognizing and appreciating the simple rules of how to run a good business. The flooring industry is no different. The market is varied--including residential, commercial, hospitality and retail--and there are many companies out there trying to gain an edge on the competition. When it comes to building and maintaining a competitive construction firm in the tile and stone flooring arena, Bill Tsagrinos, however, is one industry veteran who knows what he is talking about. The owner of T-Brothers Tile, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, has definite opinions on the best ways to remain competitive. T-Brothers Tile, which specializes primarily in the installation of custom tile and stone, but also offers prefabricated granite, wood flooring and window coverings, was started in 2004 with an initial investment of $10,000. Since then it has grown into a $6-million company, and this year T-Brothers Tile came in at #34 in the Entrepreneur Magazine/Price Waterhouse 2006 Hot 100 list of companies. It is hard to argue with success like that, especially since the company’s rate of growth hasn’t yet slowed down. Key to the company’s strategy to remain competitive is Tsagrinos’ determination to keep business practices more cost-effective than many of his competitors, thus allowing the company to pass on significant savings to its customers. Typically, when companies vie for business in any industry, competitive strategies are focused on pricing. Beat your competitor’s price, goes the thinking, then a certain amount of business will result. Eventually, though, when prices hit rock bottom and can no longer be cut without endangering the company’s profitability, the area of competition shifts--often to customer service. “Well, we’ve known that we’re a service-oriented company from the first, so we’ve always made it our mission to deliver up to the customer’s expectations,” says Tsagrinos. “Quality, heavy-duty tools support the promise that we make to our customers, a promise of the highest craftsmanship in our work.” Since installers traditionally supply their own tools, this aspect required T-Brothers to find a way to ensure that each installer use quality tools. “We started an employee purchase program to buy several types of saws that the installers can then purchase from the company over time,” explains Tsagrinos. “While we give our installers their choice of which saws to buy, we insist that the saws used are quality, heavy-duty tools that can stand up to the wear and tear of the average job site.” Using an underpowered saw can take three times longer to cut material, destroys the saw, and makes sloppier cuts. If a saw goes down after installers have driven 50 miles to the jobsite, not only is the schedule pushed back a day, but companies end up paying for help to stand around. “For us, Felker is the tool of choice,” he adds. Among the saws his company uses for efficient and accurate cutting of granite, tile and stone are Felker’s FRS-38 and FRS-51 rail saws as well as the Tilemaster and Trackmaster lines. “And more than 90 percent of our installers choose that same brand. That meets our major concern, namely, that the tools will be able to get the job done, day in and day out, without either breaking down or sacrificing quality.” Tsagrinos says his firm is sold on the brand’s continuous-duty motors and drive systems that allow perfectly straight cuts and reduce error. Because his company works with a variety of materials, the speed control on the drive motors that allow operators to adjust speed to match material hardness is a particularly important feature.