Please join us for the Spring session of the N.C. Builder Institute to be held in Raleigh March 6-8.
Click here to download a registration form.
Course Schedule
March 6, 2012
Business Management Track
BM104 Construction Contracts and Preventative Law. This course is designed to assist contractors in enjoying successful projects by avoiding conflicts and legal disputes through the use of comprehensive contracts. Participants will receive valuable information with respect to the essential elements of a contract and the essential provisions that should be addressed in construction contracts in order to avoid disputes. The potential rights, remedies and liability of owners, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers will be examined, as well as alternatives for dispute resolution. Anne Caywood; AB, AA, ARS; 8 hours
BM106 Conflict: Climbing Out of the Muck of Change ***NEW***
This course is designed for the management level employee. The course will help you confirm your employees’ buy-in to the tasks and commitment to their overall job. Some personal motivation techniques will be discussed to help you better understand and develop these skills, while learning about yourself and those around you. Understanding the principles taught and then applying them may lead to higher performance. Margaret O’Brien, AA, AB, ARS; 4 hours
Marketing Track
MK101 Developing a Marketing Plan. We’ve all heard the saying that if you don’t know where you’re going, you’re probably not going to get there. As a part of your business plan, the marketing plan helps map the way to success. Participants will learn the essential components (the four Ps) of a marketing plan and how to make it a living document. Steve Monroe; AB, AA, ARS; 4 hours (a.m.)
MK102 Advertising New Construction. Selling new construction is different from selling existing houses, and so, the way we advertise them is different. In this course we will take a detailed look at advertising strategies for new construction. We will explore some advertising in the market and look at what works, what doesn’t, and why. An emphasis on the growing field of electronic media has been added. Steve Monroe; AB, AA, ARS; 4 hours (p.m.)
Leadership Track
LD301 Moving Beyond Banging Heads. This course is designed around dealing with the difficult people we encounter in the building business. Greg Isenhour; AMB, AMA; 8 hours
Project Management
PM103 Quality Control Techniques. This course will examine quality control techniques including TQC and other means of partnering with trade contractors to implement a zero-defect construction process. Margaret O’Brian; AB, AA, ARS; 4 hours (p.m.)
March 7, 2012
Business Management Track
BM102 Risk Management for Residential General Contractors. This course will provide a risk management approach to the most common property and liability exposures facing the residential general contractor. A broad review of the major coverages builders must have to protect their businesses will be covered. Those coverages include: general liability, workers compensation, builders risk and auto. Other items discussed will be include: contractor tools, office contents and bonds. This will be a practical approach on how to assess these risks and how to insure them or pass them along to others. John Miller; AB, AA, ARS; 8 hours
BM301 Charting Your Path to Success. Learn how to plan your strategy for company direction and growth over the next 10 years. Greg Isenhour; AMB, AMA; 4 hours (a.m.)
BM305 Picking Up the Pieces. Through recessions, downturns, or just plain hard times, business owners find themselves trying to figure out how to get out of bad times or how to turn things around. This course will examine some of the common pitfalls of the construction business and the different management techniques to turn a company around. Every company goes through cycles where the skills learned in this course can be used as effective management tools. Greg Isenhour;AMB, AMA; 4 hours (p.m.)
Marketing Track
The Marketing Essentials for Green Builders. How are your sales? How effective are you in getting the unique word out about what you do? This workshop is designed specifically for you with strategies, ideas, and insights in what you can do to get your unique message most effectively out to your market. Overcoming objections will also be taught. Come with an open mind and watch your prospect list grow along with sales. Steve Monroe; AB, AA, ARS; 8 hours
**This seminar is not a regular NCBI course, but will count for 8 hours of credit**
Project Management
PM101 Managing Time: Your Key to Success. A course designed to discuss various time management tools and how their use can affect profitability and productivity for you and your company. Group discussions will help you learn what tools other people or companies use and the results they have achieved. Basic project scheduling will also be discussed briefly, time permitting. Erik Anderson; AB, AA, ARS; 4 hours (a.m.)
PM201 Completing Your Projects On Time. An in-depth look at the basics of project scheduling and how to create a schedule by hand. We will also take a brief look at MS Project and discuss how its use can save time and money as compared to conventional methods of scheduling. Erik Anderson; AB, AA, ARS; 4 hours (p.m.)
March 8, 2012
Business Management
BM205 The Faces of Survival. This course is designed to give practical information and tidbits on facing and surviving the current economic crunch in the building industry today. Participants will learn ways of diversifying to keep cash flowing; methods and criteria for negotiating with lenders and/or creditors; and protecting your cash and assets. Attention will be given to looking at various workout alternatives including short sales, foreclosures, and even bankruptcy as a last resort. The ultimate goal of the course is to aid participants in how to survive and face the current challenges of today’s economy. Greg Isenhour; AB, AA, ARS; 8 hours
Customer Service Track
CS201 Exceeding Your Customers Expectations. Consistently exceeding the customer’s expectations is a challenge in any business, but especially for the home builder and remodeler. The key is effective management of the customer’s expectations. This course focuses on methods to help the builder/remodeler identify, establish and better management the expectations. The curriculum also explores the importance of effective interpersonal and communication skills as well techniques available to assess how effectively the company is at meeting the customer’s expectations. Wallace West; AB, AA, ARS; 4 hours (a.m.)
CS102 Selling Service Excellence. Effective marketing of your company’s service excellence can yield big dividends. However, to effectively use customer service as a marketing tool one must consistently deliver Positively Outrageous Service (POS). This course explores the definition of POS, the benefits of POS, the steps to POS and methods the builder/remodeler can utilize to market POS including the use of social media. Wallace West; AA, AB, ARS; 4 hours (p.m.)
Leadership Track
LD304 Active Listening, Coaching and Counseling. Everyone wants to be heard. Coaches get the credit for whether a team loses or wins, no matter what the players are like. Counseling is more than giving advice. Participate in this class to hone your skills and discover the secrets of great listeners, coaches and counselors. Everyone has these skills, but rarely access their inner being to cultivate the necessary behavior. This class will aid the participants in activating what they already possess. Greg Isenhour; AMA, AMB; 8 hours
Project Management
PM203 Maximizing Your Profits. Maximizing profits begins in the field. Learn how to implement field management tools to complete projects on time and in budget with zero defects. Steve Monroe; AB, AA, ARS; 4 hours (a.m.)
PM207 The Construction Industry and the ADA. The construction industry plays an essential role in providing facilities that comply with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Moreover, the cost and difficulty of correcting inaccessible features after construction is completed can be tremendous. Some of the goals of this course are to develop an understanding of the ADA requirements, list possible business opportunities associated with the ADA, describe potential impact of non-compliance, discuss specific design specifications, and generally develop an understanding of how to use the Standards for Accessible Design to determine the ADA requirements for new construction. Robert Privott; AB, AA, ARS; 4 hours (p.m.)
