A Note from the VP, Jim Greatorex: June 2023

Published in Home Modifications on June 30, 2023

A Note from the VP, Jim Greatorex: June 2023 By Jim Greatorex, VP, VGM Live at Home

June is always a favorite month of mine. If you have lived in the Northeast and the Midwest like I have all my life, June was the month that was always the best. It’s the start of summer, not the end. You get those long summer nights, family vacations, concerts, festivals and state fairs, camping, and maybe a little golf. When younger, I was always either listening to a Red Sox game on the radio or listening to some great summer songs like "Night Moves" from Bob Seager or "Sausalito Summer Nights" by Diesel. Everyone is busy, but it’s a fun busy, and you are always in a great mood!

At Live at Home, we are having a great beginning to our summer and have some fun, busy new things to share.

New Live at Home Representatives

We have had another change here at Live at Home, as Samantha Timmons has taken a position in the VGM & Associates marketing department. In turn, we now have two new representatives that will be assisting us.

Emily Harken (Emily.Harken@vgm.com) will handle most member communication and calls. She has been at VGM for over 20 years and recently worked in the Government Relations department.

Denise Doyle (Denise.Doyle@vgm.com) will handle most corporate partner communication for Live at Home. She has also been with VGM for many years.

Both women also work with the OPGA and Essentially Women divisions of VGM & Associates and are great additions to our team. Both would like to meet you!

Launch of a New Software Partner, Leap

We have been working with Leap for the last seven months on a couple of pilot programs. They have two software solutions that could benefit Live at Home members. Leap Team is the primary solution and is the rebranded and upgraded version of a software called Job Progress. This software, while being reasonably priced, has a robust package of services. Project management, CRM, and estimating are some of the features. On our pilot of this product in April, we had several members express interest in the system and felt like it offered the tools needed to improve efficiency in their businesses. We believe this tool would be a great first step in automating your company.

They also have a fantastic sales tool called Leap Pro, which helps you present your company and products very well to customers while in the home and allows for on-the-spot estimates in many cases. If you already have a great project management system, the Sales Pro can upgrade your in-home closing and many times on the initial visit.

Let us know if you want to know more, and we will connect you to the appropriate person at Leap. Learn more about Leap by visiting their website at https://leaptodigital.com/.

Don’t Miss This Webinar Opportunity!

We have just finished our second in a series of five sales and customer service training with Louis Feuer of Dynamic Seminars. Louis provides excellent professional training that is entertaining, relevant, and something your whole team can benefit from. If you want to help your company take that next step in sales and customer service, you need to make this a must-see for you and your staff! To be able to have access to all five of his sessions for just $50.00 is an incredible deal that will pay off in helping your company differentiate itself from your competitors. I have been doing this for four decades and have heard Louis speak numerous times, and I got some great takeaways from the first two tracks. Register here to access all or selected sessions.

Introduction of Two Great New Consultants

Cindi Petito has started a consulting business called CHAS Consulting LLC. Cindi recently authored our industry white paper, which you can view here, and now is starting a consulting business servicing the home access industry. Cindi has worked in many roles in her career, including at a home access company, clinical home assessments, and with a third-party payer.

Services provided include:

Education services – hire Cindi to provide a lunch and learn for a referral source or a 60-minute webinar, or several other CEU-approved tracks
Virtual and in-person home assessments
Consulting and projects

Members receive a 20% discount.

Rick Lair has over 30 years of experience in accessible housing. His company is aptly named Challenge Specialties. Rick is an engineer that can help you with a challenging client with unique needs or a home design in which traditional solutions will not work. He hasn’t seen it all, but can likely help design a solution for any situation you have where an extra set of experienced eyes would be appropriate. He can help you say yes to someone you thought you would not be able to service.

He can also help you develop a quoting and scope of work system that helps you provide fair pricing and margins that will keep you in the black.

For any general consulting needs, Rick has a lifetime of knowledge that he wants to share and give back to the industry that he made his career in. He will offer a free 15-minute consult for any situation you may encounter. He is also offering members a 10% discount on his services.

Great News on CA Bill, A.B. 871

This bill has been amended to exclude stairlifts and VPLs installed in private residences. The original bill would have made it mandatory for installers to have a conveyance elevator license, which would include a four-year apprenticeship designed by the union. AEMA is leading the effort on this bill, and they state that giving up the stairlifts and VPLs is a ploy to disengage companies who only install those products and not elevators. The bill will cause non-union elevator companies to have a four-year apprentice in conveyance and elevator in order to be licensed to install them. Their education is not designed for residential elevators and will take many existing players out of the market.

Building Opportunities Summit Nov 9-11 San Antonio TX

We are going to be opening our registration for the Building Opportunities Summit in July. The program is coming together nicely.

Content to include:

A look ahead for the home access industry
Tips for building a company culture that will help you retain and empower your employees
How to market to clinical referral sources
State waiver program - Understanding MCOs and what they want in a home access company
How to simplify your estimating process and provide quality estimates and scope of work
Bathroom remodels is a fast-growing category – how to compete for the business
Workplace safety – be safe or be sorry
Roundtable discussions
Banquet dinner Friday night
Entertainment from hypnotist/comedian Joseph Roberts

Human Care Update

Hot off the press!

Our new corporate partner for overhead lifts, Human Care USA, has just introduced an online certification program for experienced overhead lift companies on installing their line. The program can be done in segments and not all at once, so companies can get certified quickly and independently. For more details, contact Tim Anderson at tim.anderson@humancaregroup.com. More detail to come soon.

Lots of stuff happening!

Thank you for your membership. We are honored to work with our dedicated members who perform great, meaningful work!

Jim Greatorex

TAGS