Guildmaster Award winners have demonstrated their ability to
consistently deliver an exceptional customer experience.

After earning a BA in English at UNC-Charlotte, Damon Rumsch quickly realized he didn't want to be an English teacher. He took a municipal job doing drafting, and in his off hours began working with a carpenter on a pro bono basis to learn carpentry. By 1978, Damon was finding paid work doing carpentry and fine cabinetry and landed his first major project - completing all of the trim carpentry in an apartment-to-condo renovation of the Charlotte House. He then did similar work at the Normandy in Fourth Ward. And he began doing carpentry and renovation projects with designer Gail Brinn and with architects David Wagner and Don Woodruff.

In 1981 Damon formed Coral Construction Inc. and has kept the in-house operations lean. Richard Underwood, a long-time superintendent, is the only other full-time employee.

Residential additions and renovations are the core of work for Coral Construction, which has the motto "where renovation is an art form." In the history of the company, jobs have ranged from a new, 10,000 square foot custom home in Foxcroft, to a home that was transformed from a 3,000 square foot ranch to a 5,000 square foot home that anchors the cul-de-sac. The company is currently completing a $1.6 million renovation for a repeat customer - replacing a portion of the house with a two-story addition and building a garage with an apartment above. Another recent project is a $600,000 addition of a master suite, backyard pool and garage with an apartment. The company frequently works on historic properties.

Coral Construction is generally working on 2-6 projects at a time. The firm has worked with many of its subcontractors since the mid-1980s.

The Coral Construction name reflects Damon's personal history and interests - he was raised in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands and sails in the Caribbean each year. His wife, Karen Geiger, is a leadership management consultant who is on the faculty of the McColl Graduate School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte. They have two sons, Michael and Adam.

Damon is a licensed General Contractor in North Carolina, and has taken on leadership positions in his community and in the Charlotte remodeling and construction industry, including membership in the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI); Charter member and Chairman, Remodelers Council of HBAC (1988-1999, 1996-1997); Local Disaster Team Volunteer, Charlotte Red Cross (1994 - present); and a Charlotte Historic District Commissioner (1993 - 2004).

Our priority is strong positive relationships with our clients - we take care of them. Every day, either my superintendent or I am at the site. That way, if there are any problems, clients can talk with us directly. Responsiveness is the key. People need to know you'll get back to them when there are price questions or problems - that you are accessible.

I personally collect payment from customers every two weeks, so I talk regularly with our customers and have a personal connection to get feedback. We have wanted independent surveys to get information that would be objective, and that we could share with other people. That's why we're excited about GuildQuality, and we'll use the information for marketing? we are building a new website that will focus on customer service, and we plan to show our GuildQuality ratings on the front page.

I am interested in technology when it enables us to be the most responsive we can be. For example, I don't use e-mail very much because I prefer a personal contact and don't want to be remote if there's a problem. Cell phones help us solve problems and contact each other immediately, and project management software helps us show the client what will happen when. I'm in the office every day until 9 a.m., then I'm in the field at project sites. I like being in the field.

Several ways. Most importantly, I make sure we don't take on too many projects. Every year my wife and I hire a boat with a crew and sail around the Caribbean. Then there's the "Woodpeckers" - on Saturday mornings I meet a group of neighbors at Starbucks and we have coffee and then help each other with a home improvement project - a fence, a porch, a bookshelf. It's a lot of fun.

I don't foresee much change because I like what I do. I don't want the company to get bigger, to become a bureaucracy with lots of employees. My sons don't want to take over the business, but someday maybe I will train someone to take over.

Until then, I would like to arrange to take off the whole month of February each year. My wife and I could travel to a warm climate and volunteer and get to know a community that needs help. I'd also like to go back to school and take some courses - maybe in astronomy, physics, philosophy.

The bottom line is I love what I do and so the only change I foresee would be to work more efficiently or pursue ways to better serve my customers.