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AMERICAN REHABBER STRIVES TO REMODEL INDUSTRY’S IMAGE
 American Rehabber Lends A Helping Hand to The Cara Program
American Rehabber Services Corporation, a local residential remodeling company owned and operated by Little Italy resident Chris Smeaton, volunteered its construction services recently to a west loop charity in dire need.
The Cara Program called and American Rehabber answered. Kelly Steinert, Director of Operations for The Cara Program, needed help building new offices to accommodate additional staff. With few resources and a small budget, Kelly knew she was facing an uphill battle. That’s when she remembered that Pete Halligan, V.P. of Sales and Marketing for American Rehabber, was a weekly volunteer at The Cara Program. American Rehabber had previously lent a hand for some small handyman projects around the building, but this project was much larger in scope. Pete, Kelly and Chris pooled their resources and came up with a plan that would allow for the additional offices to be built within the tight budget and time frame. American Rehabber donated all of its labor and construction materials while The Cara Program was able to provide some additional resources and materials on its own. Three new offices, a conference room, a changing room, a clothing room and a closet were constructed in the lower level of the building. The project was completed last month and the results are astounding to the Cara employees and students who are extremely grateful for the new space. “American Rehabber’s contributions have given us more than space, they have given us the capacity to grow. Our new workspace enhances multiple key components of our services – admissions, job readiness, technology and student development,” Steinert said. “We are so grateful to American Rehabber for their quality workmanship, complete dedication and speed of execution. Their support has literally given us the room to serve hundreds of individuals in need.”
Founded in 1991 by Tom Owens, the mission of The Cara Program is to assist motivated homeless and impoverished individuals to transform their lives and achieve real, lasting success. The Cara Program has placed over 1,750 disadvantaged individuals into quality full-time jobs with benefits and 73% of the participants remain employed for more than one year. The average current hourly wage for participants is $10.69, more than $5.50 above the federal minimum wage. Over 50 Chicago area companies hire Cara participants. Twenty Cara participants are now homeowners and hundreds of parents have reclaimed custody of their children. The Cara Program is located at 703 W. Monroe in Chicago. For additional information visit www.thecaraprogram.org or call (312) 798-3319.
American Rehabber is a residential remodeling firm serving all of Chicago and the surrounding area for the past five years. They are dedicated to providing homeowners with a life-enhancing home improvement experience through quality craftsmanship and exceptional service. They specialize in kitchens, baths, basements, additions and whole house rehabs. American Rehabber is located at 1821 W. Hubbard in Chicago. For additional information visit www.americanrehabber.com or call (312) 850-1549.
Published: July edition of The Skyline Newspaper
Chicago, IL Many homeowners fear that it's hard to find honest, qualified contractors they can trust to perform quality work on their homes.
Aware of just how prevalent such perceptions have become, Chris Smeaton, American Rehabber founder, has made it his company's mission to change such thinking.
It seems that American Rehabber may be up to the task. Chris and his team have restored my faith in human integrity, says Monica Mori, a client and lake shore condominium resident. Smeaton has assembled teams of experienced professionals in the remodeling industry to tackle just about any project. Team members are cross-trained in most of the remodeling trades, enabling them to excel in all facets of remodeling. That allows small teams of just a few, skilled professionals to efficiently complete full-scale rehabs of kitchens, baths and entire homes.
Before he started American Rehabber, Smeaton got an insider's view of the industry while serving as a scouting producer for a nationally syndicated home improvement television show. His experience took him through 18 states, completing home surveys with more than 300 homeowners, and coordinating 48 home improvement projects for television.
Armed with experience and knowledge of the industry, American Rehabber offers targeted service lines such as KitchenRehabber, BathRehabber, FloorRehabber, RoofRehabber, PaintRehabber and HomeRehabber. And for customers with small, odd jobs, HandyRehabber delivers reliable, professional work.
For more information about American Rehabber Services Corporation, call toll-free, (888) REHABBER.
American Rehabber Rebuilds Faith, Trust in Home Repair Contractors
Publication: Near West / South Gazette, Vol. 21, No. 4, August 1, 2003
By Evita Hofmann
“Our best customers are homeowners looking for a good balance of quality, service, and price,” said Chris Smeaton, founder of American Rehabber Services Corporation.
“Trust is probably the single most important factor when selecting a contractor,” Smeaton continued. “It really boils down to whom they trust the most to get the job done right, get it done professionally, and get it done in a timely manner. That is exactly what we strive to deliver with every job.”
Smeaton and his team have put American Rehabber on track for steady growth and success in a very short time. Founded in 2001, American Rehabber achieved a half-million dollars in sales in its first full year of business—a figure that only ten percent of U.S. remodeling contractors achieve in any given year. In addition, American Rehabber anticipates 50% growth in 2003, primarily from its KitchenREHABBER and BathREHABBER service lines, as well as its HandyREHABBER handyman services.
Pete Halligan, American Rehabber’s vice president of sales and marketing, described his view of the company’s early success. “As a company, we take pride in understanding client needs and providing quality tradespeople, services, and materials to satisfy those needs. In just two years, we’ve already developed a reputation for being professional, organized, innovative, thorough, reliable, clean, and easy to work with. That is why more than 90% of our clients come to us via referrals from previous clients.”
Asked how he decided to start a company like American Rehabber, Smeaton said it could have been as easy as “picking up a hammer and starting out with the first job that came along,” typically the most common way to start a remodeling business. Smeaton’s epiphany came while working as a scouting producer for a nationally syndicated home improvement show. While surveying more than 300 houses nationwide and coordinating production of 48 home improvement projects for television, he realized how much he enjoyed talking with homeowners about their projects and providing them with solutions. Then he researched the industry and saw big opportunities and big challenges in what he describes as an “industry plagued with problems and bad perceptions.”
As Smeaton pointed out, the $200 billion U.S. remodeling industry consistently ranks in the top ten each year for consumer complaints. “It also has an estimated 40% re-work rate, something which I have now seen time and again,” he said. “Nearly a third of all American Rehabber customers have hired us to take over where another contractor has either been fired, walked off the job, or didn’t do things right the first time. We hope our level of service will help change perceptions that continue to give the industry a black eye, year after year. If we can do that, beginning with this community right here, then I think we can build a successful business, changing these perceptions in the next community, and so on.”
Smeaton and Halligan run the business from an efficiency office in an old warehouse building at 1821 W. Hubbard St. While they conduct most business in customers’ homes or at supplier showrooms and procurement services, they do maintain office hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the assistance of Office and Resources Manager Nicole Caminiti.
Caminiti works with the company’s resource network, an established group of supplier showrooms and procurement services. The service offers customers hands-free management of the ordering process, from selecting finished goods to final delivery, and follow up on order problems. Customers pay suppliers directly and receive American Rehabber’s contractor discount. In turn, American Rehabber charges the customer a 15% procurement fee for the service.
Caminiti pointed out that this service “really creates a win-win for everyone involved. The supplier gets paid promptly, we are able to maintain control of our schedule by managing the selection process and the order, and the customer is left with nothing to worry about, except how to pay for all the great items we just helped them pick out.”
After customers have their finished goods selected and ordered, whether through the procurement service or on their own, the project is turned over to Will Frandzel, American Rehabber’s lead carpenter, who rounds out the managing team in the field. Frandzel manages small teams of experienced professionals tackling everything from complete home rehabs to small handyman projects.
For more information or to schedule a project, call 1-888-REHABBER or (312) 850-1549 or visit www.americanrehabber.com.
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