When the money starts coming in again, what new product are you most looking forward to buying for your company?
Building Materials, Tools and Equipment | 29.6%
• E-Z Bead casing bead
• fastening system
• foam insulation
• Gyp-Crete®
• lasers
• stucco mixer
A Graco Mark V sprayer for texture and Level 5 work.
—Steve Waksmundzki, Owner,
SW Drywall, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Technology: Computers, iPads, Smart Phones | 26.0%
Most respondents said new computers were what they wanted, but here is what an Ohio contractor wants:
“All IT, baby!!!! — New Laptops & Server — Tablets — Smart Phones — Software.”
Besides replacing aging equipment, the one new product will probably be a wide format printer. We do all our bids from electronic files now, but our workers in the field need plan sheets to work from. The GCs no longer provide them, so we need to.
—Andy Ritter, Vice President,
Pyramid Plastering Inc., Pacoima, California
Vehicles | 18.5%
Most said they need new trucks for the field, but one ambitious, anonymous contractor is planning for “a new Vette for getting the owner to important meetings!”
Other | 18.5%
• A 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house on Long Beach Island, N.J.!
• Not sure yet
• A bank
• A safe
• Despite current economic challenges, we have held firm to our belief that we need to stay current in all aspects of our operation to assure that we navigate successfully through present challenges while poised to capitalize on those opportunities that are forthcoming. The recent AWCI expo allowed us great face time with vendors and the ability to spend dollars wisely on software that we trust will serve us well into the future. In our case, we are taking a calculated risk that waiting for the money to start coming back in is no reason to compromise one’s current business model.
—Howard Bernstein, President,
Penn Installations, Inc., Summerhill, Pennsylvania
Employee Benefits | 7.4%
•Reinstating lost benefits to our employees!
• A 401(k) contribution and bonuses