For over 25 years, Blue Ribbon Construction has helped residents of the Raleigh area with all of their home interior and exterior remodeling needs. We take tremendous pride in our high-quality, on-budget renovation work — and we have the awards and certifications to show for it! Read more
Guildmaster Award Winner
2007 Guildmaster
2013 Guildmaster With Distinction
GuildQuality Partner Affiliations Remodelers Advantage Wellborn Authorized Contractor Remodeling's Big50
Affiliations GuildQuality
Guildmaster Q&A
Company History
Blue Ribbon Residential Construction, Inc. was formed after Hurricane Fran in 1996 to satisfy the repair needs of Andersen Homes, Inc. clients. John Sperath was selected to begin Blue Ribbon. John had fifteen years prior experience owning a remodeling company on Long Island, NY. The remodeling company was a natural off shoot for the organization. John purchased the business from Andersen in 1998 and continues to satisfy clients throughout the Triangle Region of North Carolina. He has over 25 years experience in residential construction mostly in remodeling and renovation.
Scope of Work
Blue Ribbon currently has two divisions although more are planned. The Design / Build division is responsible for all additions, kitchens, baths, master suites and sunrooms. This entity handles the project from concept to completion of construction. The Exteriors Division is responsible for clients who have projects entailing windows, doors, siding, painting, and roofing. We are especially proud of our relationship with James Hardie Siding and Hurd Windows.
Typical Workload
We consistently manage two to three projects concurrently although that is subject to change based on the complexity of the projects to be managed. If the management load gets too great things begin to get missed and that risks unhappy clients.
Team Makeup
We have a full-time staff of six employees, The make up of the staff include: Owner, sales coordinator, office manager and a three person carpentry crew. Licensed services require outside trade personnel on a contract basis. If a project is particularly large, we have relationships with trade contractors to help us with the larger portions of the project.
Personal
Our success is directly proportional to the quality of communication that we have with our clients. This strategy has been developed and refined for the past twenty-five years. While we continue to tweak the system it works very well leading to our referral base.
More than 90% of your clients would recommend your firm to a friend - this qualifies you as a GQ Guildmaster. How do you earn such high praise from your customers?
We believe that customer satisfaction through two way communication is our highest priority. This, combined with great and innovative designs, skilled craftsmen and tradesmen to do the job, and full and complete follow through earns highest praise from our clients.
Client Profile
We work in the Triangle area of North Carolina with a main focus on Western Wake County. Our clients have a great appreciation for high quality work and they are looking for a contractor that can handle the job from start to finish. They also focus on engaging a company that they can trust and that can communicate well.
Approach to Working With Clients
Have you ever considered a theatrical production? We use the same method that creates Block Buster Broadway Plays with raving fans. It's all about listening to client's expectations, explaining to them what we can and cannot do. Then, as the project progresses, communicating and educating them about the tasks at hand. Keeping people informed throughout the many steps along the way allows understanding if problems arise. It also keeps those small bumps from becoming a case of the mumps.
Ongoing Staff Training and Development
We believe in continuing education and always arrange for and encourage our employees to take advantage of classes in their field of expertise to continue to develop themselves within the company. All personnel take a psychological profile that allows us to understand how people interact and learn. We discuss these attributes during our staff meetings. This also holds true with our trade contractors. We expect everyone involved with Blue Ribbon to care about bettering themselves. This approach helps them by making them more valuable and it helps the company by having a better workforce.
Motivating Employees
By compensating our workforce for the great jobs that they do and recognizing that they are the backbone of the company. We are also strong believers of advancement from within, which ties directly to self improvement.
Why are you a builder/remodeler?
As the owner of the company, I love what I do and am passionate about taking care of client and making their lives better. Other than financial compensation, this is my strongest reason for being in this business. We also have created a staff that continues that vision.
What should clients bring to the table and contribute during the construction process? What can they do to help make the relationship a success?
Prior to the design phase we always ask if customers have a mental design or sketches that show how they have visualized their project. That helps us understand the owner's "vision" so we can interpret their concept, likes and dislikes. Customers help to make the relationship successful by maintaining close communication during the project. That enables each phase of the project to go smoothly for us and the homeowner. If communication breaks down, quick sand will surround us both.
How do you market your company?
The majority of our customers learn about us from past satisfied clients. For the design / build division they are most often are our marketing team. We do participate in the Southern Ideal Home Show twice yearly to help with branding the name and to introduce us to the public. With the opening of our exteriors division we have hired a marketing company to help us with the launch and the marketing for that division. We strive not to use "in your face" approaches but try to lead people to the conclusion that we are the right contractor for them.
What are the biggest challenges facing companies like yours in the building industry? What are some of the challenges facing your business right now?
While there are several challenges, quality personnel is the focus for remodeling companies. Many workers in the construction trades aren't qualified to do remodeling. It isn't as simple as hiring new home trades people to do remodeling as there are more difficulties involved i.e. someone will be living in the construction site, security is a great concern, daily cleanliness, respect of property and many others. The second challenge facing remodelers in our area are the people and firms that are not licensed and insured. They seem to think they can low ball prices, get the job, and in the end the consumer takes the hit.
What's next for your company
While there are many things in the business plan, we need to stabilize the "exteriors division" prior to moving into other areas. Projects that are next in the business plan include the creation of a Handyman Division responsible for contract maintenance for past clients. Some of our past customers are getting up in years and will eventually need help staying in their homes long term. That is a niche that will become more necessary as we enter the later years of our lives.
Is there anything else you'd like people to know about you and your company?
While we are not perfect, our clients can count on us to strive for that level of satisfaction. We know that we aren't the right contractor for everyone but those we work with to meet their needs find satisfaction and success in the execution of their project.
John was extremely professional, he's excellent at the advanced budgeting and following that budget. They offered creative alternatives in terms of design. His staff is very trustworthy. They kept us informed all the time.
The Blue Ribbon team was very professional and delivered on our project as designed. They were very accommodating to our busy family schedule and to our concerns about our pets during the entire construction process( 2 dogs and 3 indoor cats). In additon all the subcontractors were excellent.
Blue ribbon exceeded our expectations and completed the project ahead of schedule.
I would highly recommend Blue Ribbon Construction for any remodel. They are experts in the field and took the time to review the structure and our wishlist and came up with a design that met our needs, stayed within our budget, and communicated effectively through the process. We are extremely pleased with the finished project.
We have used Blue Ribbon for several projects over the past decade, and we will always call John when we want something done. There's nobody we trust more to get the job done right.
Our overall experience with Blue Ribbon was very positive. We have thoroughly enjoyed the addition that they did for us. We would work with them again as soon as we have enough money.
I had a very happy experience with Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company. From the design stage to project completion, they were wonderful - very helpful in offering suggestions and alternatives, always on the mark with time and money estimates, and all workmanship was top notch. I will definitely hire Blue Ribbon for my next home renovation project!
John and his staff were highly professional and accessible during our renovations. Their willingness to work with us to solve the minor problems that popped up showed that they were interested in producing a quality product to our satisfaction.
Great company to work with. They are polite and courteous. They kept the work areas as clean as possible. They were in daily contact with us to address any concerns we had.
I love my new kitchen. They did a good job on the hardwood floors in my dining area and my little foyer and it is a beautiful screened in porch off the back of my house through the den so I have been pleased.
John was excellent. His design ideas, timeliness, and attention was wonderful.
The quality of the product and the owner was easy to work with.
John Sperath was extremely helpful in working with us to achieve our design goals
Responsiveness, construction quality, respected our property, friendliness
John is a great businessman. He can really give a person confidence that all will be well with a project and that it will be done right.
I can't think of anything that didn't satisfy me. It was a professionally done job all the way around.
Communication, and clarity of change process which impacted the project costs was very good.
John Sperath, he set the standard of behavior and culture of his company, a great example for his employees and subs.
Professionalism of all workers in my home.
Customer service and responsivenesss.
We'll be calling Blue Ribbon again when we're ready to move forward with our next project. No one else we'd want to do business with when it comes to remodeling our home.
The work done by Blue Ribbon is always exceptional. We know it will be done right, and not just "right" but the best way possible.
I was satisfied with all the design ideas they had, and all their information on the heat pump and the furnace. They were very knowledgeable about the windows and energy conservation. The staff and the contractors were very good.
They were very good about fielding questions and making sure you knew what was happening.
I was most satisfied by the professionalism of the staff and the courtesy of the workers. Also, the communication.
I was most satisfied by their communication about how they would proceed.
I was most satisfied with their communication. They were constantly in contact.
The quality of the work was excellent. They were able to fulfill our vision of what the space should look like.
quality output, good communication
Price, quality of work, overall results.
As a GuildQuality Guildmember, Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company relies on our customer surveying to help them deliver an exceptional customer experience.
We have surveyed customers on behalf of Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company in Raleigh, NC; Cary, NC; Apex, NC; Holly Springs, NC; Durham, NC; Clayton, NC; Chapel Hill, NC; Carrboro, NC; Wake Forest, NC; Willow Springs, NC; and 1 other city in North Carolina.
In this report, Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company has published a summary of the customer feedback they've received since they joined GuildQuality in October 2012. In that time, 97 out of 133 customers (73%) responded to a GuildQuality satisfaction survey, with the most recent response in January 2013.
Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company received feedback from a customer in Raleigh, NC.
Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company received feedback from a customer in Apex, NC.
Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company received feedback from a customer in Raleigh, NC.
Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company received feedback from a customer in Raleigh, NC.
Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company received feedback from 2 customers.
Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company is a candidate for a 2013 Guildmaster Award.
The Guildmaster Awards recognize exemplary service among home builders, remodelers,
developers, and home services contractors.
Click here
to review this year's qualifications.
To be eligible for consideration, Blue Ribbon Residential Construction Company must survey all
of their customers.
The review period for this member is closed.
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