A Team Committed to Value, Quality and Satisfaction


Successful Builder of Wisconsin Magazine, January 1995

Upon introduction to David & Goliath Builders Inc., prospective homebuilders might assume that the company's founder and president, David Rodrigues, is a one-man show. He alone works with customers as they discuss plans for the construction of a custom-designed home. Once a contract is signed, Rodrigues serves as the company's head expeditor. He monitors the project's progress each step of the way. Then, Rodrigues himself goes one step further by providing customers with daily or nearly daily updates throughout the entire construction process.

No sales people. No expeditors. Just David Rodrigues. But Rodrigues is far from a solo act. There are many highly skilled people who are members of the David & Goliath Builders team. In fact, he is the area's only home builder who chooses to employ his own crews of masons and rough and finish carpenters- a unique attribute given that David & Goliath Builders limits its business to an average of 14 homes per year.

The company is, in fact, Milwaukee's and one of Wisconsin's only true builders of custom homes. "We are not just a general contractor who lines up a bunch of subcontractors to construct a house- David & Goliath Builders actually builds the house," states Rodrigues.

Rodrigues and his co-workers base this 'claim to fame' on the company's specially crafted business philosophy- a specific and unique approach to construction, which they have perfected over the company's nine years of operation. "I worked in the industry for many years as a carpenter for a local subcontractor before I founded David & Goliath Builders, and I saw on a first-hand basis just how unreliable subcontractors can be-they are the main reason why there is so much lost time on a job. I remember all too well 'we will be there tomorrow, Mr. Builder,' and then tomorrow was another two weeks down the road."

"With homes ranging from 1,600 to 5,000 square feet, our philosophy is not to build as many homes as possible, and not to build the biggest or showiest homes around," says Rodrigues. "Instead, we limit our volume so that we can control the process and focus on the homes we build. Our sole objective is to service each customer individually and in a timely manner so that they receive the absolute best value for their dollar. The result is the utmost in customer satisfaction."

Rodrigues and his staff achieve this ambitious goal through three guiding principles of operation:

Customers work directly with a principle and owner of the company throughout the entire building process.

The company employs its own staff for the most important aspects of the home's construction and works with a limited group of carefully selected subcontractors and suppliers.

The company's construction techniques surpass the competitions' and industry standards.

As part of his commitment to personalized service, Rodrigues serves as the customer liaison from start to finish. He begins the process by meeting with prospective clients to discuss budget, lot specifications and specific features of the home. David & Goliath Builders, he states, can provide architectural services to modify existing plans or develop a custom plan. Unlike other builders, David & Goliath Builders includes custom plans in the overall cost of the home, Rodrigues explains. The company has now integrated computer-assisted design [CAD] to save time and money during the design process and to provide customers with computerized virtual reality walk through of their home-complete with furnishings.

"We want to provide a product that the customer wants, not force them to chose something out of a book or doing one of our models," Rodrigues states. "And we especially don't want them to feel overwhelmed about creating a home to their specifications."

Once the custom design process is completed, Rodrigues and the client agree on the items that will comprise the home. "The most important step in getting to this point is a discussion of expectations," Rodrigues says. "In discussing and agreeing to detailed specifications, we must listen to one another and learn from one another. There should be no misconceptions. I want to understand what the customer expects of me and of the home we are building. Then, I work to meet of exceed those expectations."

Rodrigues states without hesitation, that the success of David & Goliath Builders depends solely on his carefully selected team. "They're as much a part of this company as I am," he states. "They're fully committed to our philosophy because they have a personal stake in ensuring that each home we build is the very best."

In the office Ann Rodrigues, vice president and Kathy Harris, office manager, assist in this commitment. "Ann and Kathy help in the scheduling and expediting of the jobs. They also deal with the customers' questions and make sure the customers are staying on target making their selections, so there are no delays because items were not ordered on time," explains Rodrigues.

In addition, Ann and Kathy handle all the financial aspects of David & Goliath Builders, "They have every aspect of David & Goliath Builders completely computerized. I know where every penny is being spent, I know if a subcontractor's bill does not match their original bid, I know if a subcontractor's insurance certificate has expired, I know how many hours the masons have spent on any job or how many sheets of plywood my rough carpenters have used at another, and I know what should be going on each day at every home."

The level of teamwork at David & Goliath Builders, both in the office and out in field, has especially impressed their customers. "It's not unusual for one of our customers to see the carpenters working directly with the masons to pour basement floor concrete on a rain day, or to see the finish carpenters come outside for a day to help the rough carpenters set roof trusses," Rodrigues says. "That's something you wouldn't see anywhere else in the industry. It's a true team effort focussed on getting the job done for the customer."

In order to get the job done most efficiently, David & Goliath Builders has also employed state-of-the-art communication equipment. Rodrigues explains, "One of the many benefits to having my own experienced crews is that my foremen keep me abreast of every activity at the job sites. My mason, rough carpenter and finish carpenter foremen all have alpha pagers, which enable the office to communicate very elaborate messages, right to the screen of their pager. These three foremen also are equipped with portable cellular phones, for when more detailed conversation is necessary."

As part of this team effort, the staff at David & Goliath have aligned themselves with subcontractors and suppliers who have been specifically chosen on the basis of quality rather than quantity. "Nearly all of the companies we do business with have been with us since we started nine years ago," Rodrigues says. They're tuned into our business philosophy. They know how we want things done for our customers - a quality job done in a timely manner."

This consistency of staffing among both his own employees and his vendors results in a higher quality product. "Whether we're doing a $100,000 home or a $500,000 home, the same people work on each job, so both houses are built equally as well," he states. "I don't think there's any other builder in the area sho can say that. With our own crews, we deliver the highest quality for the lowest dollar - and it's done in record time."

Rodrigues in an advocate of custom home building. We caution consumers about model homes, saying that most firms use their best subcontractors to build the model, then when replicating they will use the cheapest subcontractors, which may result in the most inexperienced carpenters, masons, etc. The result, according to Rodrigues, is the customer receiving a product that's different than what he purchased.

Through consistent team work and diligent leadership, David & Goliath Builders prides itself upon its commitment to quality construction. "The construction techniques we employ today are what I consider to be superior to what's happening in the rest of the industry," Rodrigues states, giving credit for this to his masons and carpenters.

In Rodrigues opinion, many builders don't fully understand the reasons behind specific construction techniques, and many use construction materials incorrectly. "You must look at the entire picture," he states. "In engineering a home, we make sure that everything works together. Our products, and even our crews, are carefully selected so that everything and everyone is compatible."

Compatibility is often the key to success in the construction business, Rodrigues says, not only in choosing products, but in ensuring a match between the customer and the builder. "After moving into their new homes, nearly all of our customers will tell you they've had fun building their home with us," he proudly states. "We have an extremely high referral rate because we offer more than just superior construction. We aim to please our customers by making the entire building process a very pleasurable experience."

A resident of Pewauke in a home he built for the 1988 Parade of Homes, Rodrigues is known by his peers in the construction industry for the great level of pride he takes in his craft. Before starting the company, he spent eight years working in home construction as a carpenter, while completing his bachelors degree in Political Science from UW-Milwaukee. Ann Rodrigues also has a bachelors degree from UW-Milwaukee in Mass Communications-Journalism. Both David and Ann are active in the Metropolitan Builders Association of Greater Milwaukee. David participates in the Construction Arbitration Board and Ann is an active member in the Sales and Marketing Committee. David & Goliath Builders was an award participant in the MBA Parade of Homes in 1988 and 1989. They have also participated in the MBA Homes Builders Expo for the last six years. In 1994 David & Goliath Builders received a Marketing Award from the MBA and a National Identity Award. "Being a member ofr the MBA has been a great benefit to the growth of David & Goliath Builders, we learn a lot about local changes in the industry through the various seminars, and we keep abreast of the national market through membership in the National Builders Association." Explained Rodrigues. David and Ann, have two children: Valerie, four and Benjamin, three. In his spare time, Rodrigues enjoys being with his family and participating in "the two best things Wisconsin offers an outdoorsman" - fishing and hunting.



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