CDC Builders Wins 2009 Custom Home PaceSetter Awards for Customer Service

August 06, 2009

CDC Builders is the proud winner of the 2009 Custom Home PaceSetter Awards in Customer Service. The article has been published in the July/August issue of Custom Home Magazine and is soon to be posted on their website. CDC Builders President, Michael Ortega, was interviewed and chosen as the exclusive winner in this category. 2009 Pacesetter Awards Customer Service Michael Ortega isn't afraid to pick people's brains for advice. It's all part of his mission to make CDC Builders--the custom building company his father, Jose Ortega, founded in the wake of Hurricane Andrew--the best it can be. "Because we're a home-grown company, we have more at stake when it comes to serving our clients," says Ortega, who joined CDC in 1998 and became its president in 2006. "We have ties to them that go beyond business. When they build their dream home, they want their builder to go above and beyond the call of duty. To keep a project moving smoothly, you need to have excellent relationships with your architect, your designer, your subs." Preserving those relationships requires a genuine willingness to go identify what's working and fix what isn't. "We knew we wanted to make improvements," Ortega explains, "but we wanted expert guidance from an outsider with construction industry expertise and no prior knowledge of our company culture." His networking led him to FMI Corp., a consulting firm that specializes in construction management. After surveying 30 CDC partners and clients, FMI offered its recommendations--and CDC took action. Semi-annual "subcontractor forums" now give subs an opportunity to speak candidly about their experiences working with CDC. To better service customers, the leadership team created two different divisions with dedicated resources and processes--CDC Homes for custom home and residential interiors, CDC Construction for commercial and multifamily work. The company also streamlined its customer service and warranty department; developed a customer orientation program; and revampled its operations division. Eighteen months later, "our partners are telling us that we've established ourselves as a highly professional organization," Ortega says. And that pleases him greatly. "We [care deeply] about roots and our reputation in South Florida. This community has supported us from the very beginning." Clearly, CDC intends to do the same.---M.M.C. Download PDF Version of Article http://www.box.net/shared/static/te42iu4eao.pdf