By Stacy Hunt
Ever notice that some professionals' business cards resemble a fresh bowl of alphabet soup? Acronyms like GMB, CGR, CAPS, CGB, and HERS are showing up more and more after a builder's name, and for good reason. Designation and certification programs can give construction professionals just the competitive advantage they need to succeed in today's market.
A variety of designation and certification programs are available to the industry, and the focus of these programs is either very specific and skill-set-based or has a broader focus, featuring more of a "general designation." Still other designation and certification programs are state-based and relate to a professional working within the state.
Many programs focus on in-depth training for specific skills in very specialized area; they are intended to ensure that the person certified has the technical proficiency necessary to perform the job. These programs, offered by such organizations as the Building Performance Institute or North American Technician Excellence, are ideal for qualifying individual trades within a business. However, they are less valuable for marketing than the broad-based designation and certification programs, which provide a wide foundation of knowledge to show that the person holding the designation has been qualified under a wide range of criteria.
The most well-known source of professional designations in residential construction is the National Association of Homebuilders, which offers fourteen different designation programs (see table). Participation in these designation programs includes educational seminars, which are offered at a variety of locations, including at the International Builder's Show each year, as well as continuing education credits which may be gained by traditional means and online through BuildIQ.com. Additional benefits include the ability to use the specific designation logos in marketing material, listing with the NAHB and access to consumer materials.
Designations set expectations
Steve Robinson, owner of R.E. Construction & Maintenance Services, Inc. in New Castle, Ind., sees designation programs as a key method to promote the quality of his business and product to customers. Involved in the programs since 1996, Steve has gained Graduate Master Builder (GMB), Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR), Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS), and Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) designations from the NAHB, as well as certification in HERS (Home Energy Rater Systems) through the Residential Energy Services Network. Several of his employees have also earned designations.
Says Steve, "We got involved in the NAHB programs as a way to market ourselves differently, set ourselves apart." He finds that the tools and resources offered by the programs are a great method to market to consumers, and he believes that his prospective clients are much more pre-qualified when they come to him. In effect, they're already sold on his company.
"Most people," he says, "come to us already knowing they want to use us because of our designations and certifications, and because they already know what they mean about the quality of our product. At that point, they're just looking for price quotes."
Through his involvement in the programs, Steve and his team have found that the education provided through the NAHB and other designation and certification programs provide more than just the opportunity to differentiate their business.
"We found that the programs were a great opportunity to learn," Steve says, "and to find solutions to problems we were already having and to think about roadblocks we might run into in the future." He believes that the designation programs have given his business the edge necessary to survive in a competitive marketplace.
"Considering how many construction companies fail in the first five years, I think paying serious attention to education through professional designation and certification programs is really important. The most successful guys I've met are those who are committed to ongoing education."
Stacy Hunt is a freelance writer and communications consultant based in Pittsburgh. Formerly the business manager for BuildIQ, Inc. & IBACOS, Inc., she specializes in residential construction and building science.
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