In the West Michigan Is Going Places series, we are talking with local business owners and community leaders about their business successes and challenges and highlighting the resources available in the West Michigan business community.
In this interview we talked with Mark Zimmer about his building and remodeling company, Team Restoration. Team Restoration is a commercial and residential construction and restoration company located in Rockford. It has a 20+ year history of building all types of projects in West Michigan.
RM: Could you tell us a little about what your business does and how it got started?
Mark Zimmer: Team Restoration started in 2003, primarily focused on insurance repair work. Although we have the ability to handle water mitigation and all other types of insurance repairs, Team’s unique ability has always been to handle large-loss, structural repairs due to fire or severe storm damage.
How has your business changed since you first started out?
Mark Zimmer: Over the years, Team has grown a loyal customer base. Customers who we initially engaged with for an insurance repair have reached out to us when they were looking to build or remodel later on. This has led Team to having three divisions – Restoration, Commercial, and Residential – allowing us to handle any type of project.
What makes you passionate about what you do?
Mark Zimmer: I run the residential side of the business. This means the projects I work on take an idea that someone has dreamed about for a while and make it a reality. Many of the projects we do are focused on helping the customer get better use out of their home as their family and needs change. There is a huge variety of projects we get involved with, and building practices are always evolving which means I never have time to get bored.
How has being here in West Michigan helped your business?
Mark Zimmer: West Michigan is fortunate to have many individuals who are really passionate about their craft and who began working with someone – parents / uncle / neighbor – at a young age. This translates into getting to work with people who are some of the best at what they do.
What’s your approach to customer service and connecting with the community?
Mark Zimmer: We take care of our customers. Our approach has always been to treat the individual calling with a small, yet urgent repair with the same respect and fairness that we give to large projects from repeat customers. The majority of our work comes from work-of-mouth and repeat customers. We want to be a resource for someone whether they have a door that won’t close properly or want to add a second story onto their home.
How do you plan to grow or adapt your business for the future?
Mark Zimmer: We work hard to grow talent and promote from within. Happy employees lead to happy customers. Although there are few guarantees in our world, “houses keep breaking” is one of them. The need for quality work at a fair price will always be there, and the organization that can grow and retain good employees will continue to do well in our sector.
Are there any local organizations or networks that have been particularly helpful for you in building your business?
Mark Zimmer: We have met many key individuals at both the Grand Rapids and Rockford Chambers of Commerce.
