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You
may not believe this tale. My name is George Waldhauser.
After graduating from college back in the 70's, I started
a contracting business in California. The company prospered
and things went well. I forgot to mention, my birthplace
is Baltimore, Maryland. Now, you are wondering how I
got to California, right? You will have to wait for
the book and the mini-series for those episodes! Now,
back to the story. A family matter drew me back "home"
after 30 years in California. If you're familiar with
the phrase, "You can't go home again" and agree with
that declaration, we have an argument, but only in the
literary sense.
It
was quite a shock to return to the old neighborhood
where I used to walk to school and church. I had not
seen some of my neighbors and classmates in almost 40
years. My stay extended over 5 years, so I decided to
start another contracting enterprise here in Maryland.
After going through the legal and municipal requirements,
I bought a pick-up truck, some tools, passed the test
and received my contractor's license. Then I pulled
a hat over my graying hair and went out to solicit some
work. My first day of passing out flyers for my new
venture went very well. It was a beautiful day and my
attitude was positive. That lasted about one hour! A
woman came out on a porch where I had just placed a
flyer and startled me with the comment "Are you
one of those contractor crooks looking to beat people
out of their hard earned money?" My jaw dropped.
I had to question where she got that impression. I did
everything right; I had a license, insurance, and 30
years of contracting experience. How could this woman
imply that I was a crook?
After
doing some research, I understood how this attitude
could prevail. Contractors rank 2nd in consumer complaints,
just behind auto repairmen. Quite a bit of the blame
can be laid at the feet of the homeowner. Sound strange?
Let me explain. If you hire a brother-in-law, next door
neighbor, or two guys in a pick-up truck to do your
home improvement or repair, you are heading for trouble,
and professional licensed contractors take a blow to
their reputations. When something goes wrong, and it
usually does, the person that messes up or walks away
with your money, by all accounts will be referred to
as a contractor. The truth of the matter is that person
was not a contractor, not licensed, not insured, and
with no building knowledge. That person was no more
a contractor than your Aunt Minnie!
Well,
there was an injustice here and I arrived just in time
to save the day -- so to speak. I started a network
of contractors and screened every one of them. First,
they must meet the legal licensing requirements for
the State they operate in. They must be insured, and
of course, we ask for referrals, so they must be competent.
After this scrutiny, we select the "cream of the
crop" and they become members of ACE Inc.
Along
with contractors, we offer you an opportunity to visit
Web sites of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors,
and others, to preview new products and methods. Some
of our members have their own web sites, with before
and after pictures, (a good way to help you make a decision
before spending your contracting dollar). So that's
the story. ACE Inc. provides a network of contractors
and home improvement resources available for your perusal.
Look around the "job site" here at American  Contracting
Exchange Inc.
Hope
we can serve your needs!!
George
Waldhauser
Director ACE Inc.
MD Lic. #48465
CA Lic. #319231
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American
Contracting Exchange • Office:
(410) 409-4890 • FAX: (410) 877-1554
603 Millwood Drive, Fallston, MD • 21047 USA •
e-mail: info@HomeRepair.org
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