Ken Saltink is the NAHB Remodeler of the Month for May.
Long before he chose a career path, Ken Saltink, CGR, CAPS, owner of All American Remodel in Tulsa, Okla, started woodworking as merely a hobby to save some money on furniture. “I saw an entertainment center for sale and I thought to myself, I could build that,” Saltink recalls.
So he purchased an old Craftsman table saw and got to work. He also began building other small items, and before he knew it, he was hooked.
That hobby developed into a true passion for building, which propelled him into what has become a successful remodeling career — for which, Saltink has earned the honor of becoming May’s NAHB Remodeler of the Month.
Saltink says keeping his company small has yielded positive results over the years. It’s given him the ability to keep his expenses low, and it’s allowed him the freedom to choose which jobs he wants to take — ensuring both the project and client are a good fit.
And being on the jobsite as much as possible throughout the project enables him to respond promptly to any questions the home owners might have. That strategy has helped reinforce quality customer service and create a continual stream of word-of-mouth referrals.
He also says being a part of the HBA of Greater Tulsa Remodelers Council has helped his business grow, too. However, he admits that before joining the council more than 30 years ago, he was skeptical about the value of membership.
“I reluctantly joined the HBA after several years of getting hounded by some of my business associates. My excuse was that I did not need any more work,” Saltink said. “[But] after joining, I came to realize … how invaluable it is to network with like-minded remodelers. I no longer look at them as competitors but as comrades thrown into the same boat as myself. When any of us have a problem, we openly share our experiences on how to deal with situations.”
Read the full Q&A in Qualified Remodeler magazine for more details on how Saltink keeps his company size small to pick the jobs he wants.
Know a professional remodeler who takes remodeling to the next level? Nominate him or her for NAHB Remodeler of the Month.
