Why Construction Is About the Legacy | Josh Swisher, Northface Construction #021

Hi everyone. I'm Karissa from Shining Light on Minnesota. We have a special guest with us today, Josh Swisher. Welcome Josh. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. So tell everybody a little bit about your company. Well, uh, Northface Construction. I started it when I was 18 in 2010. So, we just had our 15-year anniversary. Uh, I started roofing at the age of 15 and, uh, in Minnesota. Nice. Uh, born and raised in [ __ ] Rapids. and we serve the residential, commercial, multif family market in the Twin Cities in greater Minnesota with roofing, siding, windows, gutters, and just general exterior repairs. Amazing. Are you from Minnesota originally? Where did you grow up? And tell everybody a little bit about that, too. Yeah, so born and raised uh in Minnesota. Uh born at Mercy Hospital in [ __ ] Rapids. Uh and then I grew up uh up until about age five in [ __ ] Rapids. and then moved to Andover, spent uh my kindergarten through 9th grade there. Ended up graduating St. Francis and then staying in the Elk River area and that's where Northbased Construction's main headquarters is. Nice. What got you into the roofing when you said you were 15 years old? Oh, my I needed a job and I didn't have a driver's license, so my neighbor had a roofing company and we asked my dad helped me go over there cuz I was nervous and uh asked for a job and I was I became a laborer gopher. I just I remember one of the first days I was like my tarp they made a joke and my tarp dragging days had just begun and I didn't realize how real that statement was the next 18 years of my life you know in this industry. Yeah. maybe tell our viewers a little bit about the roofing industry and how on the hot days that can get to be brutally difficult and some of the obstacles that you've overcame. Uh specifically in the roofing uh you know from a micro level on that and the install like I was hands-on for many years very hot. It's hard work carrying up bundles of shingles, breaking your back, uh bending over. I mean I have the the herniated disc and bulge disc to prove it. um I knew I wanted to kind of exit the field and grow something a little bit bigger than myself that I wouldn't have to uh swing a hammer every day. And that's kind of what led into uh the company as a whole and just kind of trying to grow. But yeah, there's challenges in just general roofing. It's a dangerous hot uh and cold right now uh thing, but we work all year round. Uh we do shut off our roofing operations when it's below manufacturer specifications for a quality install. So, we aren't doing any shingle installations over the winter. Uh, but we do metal, low slope, which flat roofing, uh, and all sorts of other stuff through the winter. How did you decide to branch into the other exterior facades? It just comes as a package deal, right? Someone needs their roof redone, they're thinking about all the rest of it. They're thinking about their front door, their garage doors, their windows, their their siding, their curb appeal. So, it's a good time like the roof I always say is that like make sure that is done and good, but that's not the sexy part of the home, right? I mean, unless you really want to make it that way, we can. But more often than not, people want to invest their money in the curb appeal and looking loving what they pull up to at the end. Absolutely. And so, naturally, as an exterior, you just they all tie together, right? The roofing ties into the siding as long as you're doing a quality job. Uh the roofing ties into the gutters like I said as long as you're doing a quality job. Uh and then also like with the windows and everything just kind of goes here and in between. So what makes your Northface Construction stand out from the other companies when they're out there? Let's say there's insurance claims or big storms that come up and you have all the fly by night companies coming in. Ah that's a great question. The main things that are relative to that a contractor like myself would hear and understand uh but maybe the main normal homeowner might not is most of the time when there's fly by nighters and all that stuff. These aren't really contractors. They're paper contractors what we like to call them. They don't have any depth to their company. uh what we did and we I took the approach of growing it a little bit harder way than just having 1099 independent contractors, not having depth to the company. All of my employees are employees. They're W2 people. We have benefits. We are investing in our people. We're investing in the community. We all live here, right? Um we're not coming in and just coming from another state to taking that revenue and leaving. I'm buying products that are made and manufactured and sourced and distributed in Minnesota. Whether it's LP siding products, GAF roofing, EDCO metal products, or other ones, we're trying to make sure that we're maintaining the money right back where people are living. Um, and then just in general too, a company culture thing, right? Like that is the baseline of it. I was very intentional about trying to have a culture that cares and grows for our community. Um, our three core values are being passionate, uh, constantly learning so we can continually just be challenging ourselves and then being family and community oriented. Um, how that really manifests itself in a tangible way at Northface is our what we call the CFLM. Okay. The customer for life mentality and that is something that we try to drive into everything we do. What interactions can we drive value for the people we're interacting with, you know, externally from the from the company? How can we provide value to people that might not actually need us so that they become a customer for life? They believe in the brand. They get to know and love, like and trust the people that work for the company and the brand and the organization. So we try to invest and put our processes in place that support that customer for life mentality. And that's not just external, right? That's internal as well. How do we treat our employees? How do we help them grow? And then how where are the resources and stuff? We're not I mean every business needs to be profitable. You need to grow. You need to drive revenue and be profitable. But how do we tie it together in a way that actually cares for people and takes care of them in the way that they need? Absolutely. So when you start talking about ownership, maybe tell some of our viewers some of the failures that you've had that have led you to where you are today. Oh gosh. The fun part, right? Well, there's like a list 10 times longer with failures than successes, but but you learn from those two. That's the thing. you know, like a book I recently read, um, fail often and fail fast because that's the path forward, right? Um, some of the biggest, um, I guess to clarify, you're just asking like maybe top three mistakes. Oh god, I recently read a book too in the last year called Who, Not How. And I think, you know, a lot of the times I've just like you get set your ego aside. You're not the best at everything, right? And you can't be. So you need to just know how to identify who could be the best and putting the right person in the right place. Um and sometimes people aren't the right person in the right place and having the parameters and understanding of how to analyze that and then reallocate the resources. I think that's a continual learning thing for me. But I think the biggest mistake is just like I need to as a leader and owner like need to be continually investing in myself. Absolutely. and purposefully learning leadership skills and purposefully understanding managerial methods and processes that drive the results that we need because it's very different from when you're the one swinging the hammer and yelling at your 17-year-old helper to go grab a bundle of shingles uh and and then now having over 30 full-time people uh and you're trying to be lead change and lead initiative. So I think leadership that was a big failure and but I think it's an opportunity I always try to get better. Uh how many others you want to know about? Whatever you want to talk about today more failures. Sure. Oh gosh. Oh I don't know. Um there's a lot of them right? Man, I I think the the dedication to the client experience like uh a failure sometimes you can lose sight of like what really is important and that's why you need to just continually be looking at those core values and to lead you and I'm not without mistake of like getting distracted as like any entrepreneur is. Yeah. You never know. I like some people might say squirrel brain uh and keeping that in place. the discipline like discipline is a very challenging thing for an entrepreneur who absolutely sees opportunity wants to pursue it and go after it which is great it's a superpower but it has to be delegated properly and that's been a challenge for me and that's a mistake that I'm still working through and it's an obstacle a learning one yeah and I think another one another big I think learning opportunity that I've had in the last couple years is how to scale Mhm. Right. And bigger is not always better. Nope. Um you need to optimize and perfect what you're doing first and test before you scale out. Like we had those processes set. Exactly. Um a few years ago I thought I'm like, "Yep, we're ready to scale. I got the processes. I got the people." Then the opportunity knocked and a hail storm came, which that's a demand driver. We do storm a lot of storm restoration. Um we're not out there continually going after it. Um but it's a huge revenue driver in the state of Minnesota with the storms that we have. Um Minnesota has storms. Yeah. Lots of hail, wind, um rain, sle, snow, everything here in between. Uh it's very hard on roofs and exteriors. But we went 250% growth that year. Wow. And literally I know how much of a like we had processes only up to a certain point and I didn't have the leadership people in place to accommodate that next stage. I couldn't even foresee like the reality beyond that. So I wasn't planning accordingly. Didn't have a plan in place. So the last couple years it's been optimization and maintaining at that level but which we've been able to maintain after that 250% which is huge. like how are you going to meet those numbers next year without that big storm that comes in. Right. Exactly. So everything needs to be consistent um and reliable and you need to know your numbers. Absolutely. I guess to add that in you need to know your numbers. Everything from your cost per acquisition by channels by lead source. You got to have the processes to allocate and then analyze that. You need to have your set rates, your booking rates, your demo rates, your closing rates, your average ticket price, your warranty call rates. You need to have systems and processes and then have those assigned to champions of those things as key performance indicators of the business. When you've talked about mindset growth as an owner, how do you see from where you started back when you were 15 years old, just getting into the roofing business to now as far as technology goes, and what do you see for the future? Oh my gosh, it's changed so d changed so drastically. Uh when I first started uh roofing, it's just, it's funny, we're coming back to like the basics. It's everything's done by the square. If you know what square is, it's 10 ft by 10 ft. It's 100 square f feet. That's just roofer terminology. next year's I'm like, "Oh, this is this much per square and it's a guessing game." Like I like, "Oh, I kind of want to make this much money. That'd be great. It's more than what squares I've got to do, right?" Yeah. You keep it simple. But and I use a tape measure on everything. Mhm. I hand measured. I use my geometry that I learned. Now, you don't even need It sounds terrible, but you don't need to know how to read a tape measure, right? Because we're using satellite imaging. We're using 3D modeling software that builds models based on just photos. We're building interactive models that then those measurements and takeoffs go directly into estimating templates. Those estimating templates go straight into order templates, right? And everything is systematized and the CRM. There weren't CRM necessarily when I started. The only CRM that existed were companies that were so big they built their own. and it's pen and paper and it's here's my here's my invoice and here's your here's your quote and everything like that. Yeah. So, the sophistication of the trades in general and I think it goes across the board in any trade has advanced an insane amount in the last 5 to 10 years and we're just at the starting point of a lot of it too. Um it's going to hit another level because anything that could be potentially viewed as a commodity that might have been differentiated a little bit is going to become a commodity. Right. And you talked technology with from the pen and paper, the 10 x10s, everything like that to where kids are these days not having to learn and not having to know the geometry unless something fails and unless the system goes down or something like that. But in the future, do you foresee less jobs and more computers taking over in the industry? Uh, I would say it depends, right? I think the front end, it depends on who your client is. Smarter, not harder. Yes. Yeah. It depends on who your client is, right? And where your brand sits. Um, in one aspect, there are going to be people buying roofs online 100% virtually. They're doing it right now. Yep. Um, there's one customer base that is going to do that and likes that and will do that. Um, but what we're seeing too is like having that resource in home and having that interaction. There is something there. It is. and the local having a local resource like having your person that is a resource. Um but in general the technology is just going to continue to disrupt it is um but there are still people that want that face to face communication and that's what I think companies like you stand out from others is being a local company being there to support that too. Absolutely. And that's why how we're set up with our representatives. They're project consultants is what we call them. They're there to educate, consult, and then deliver the product and the experience that um the customer wants. But uh back to your initial question on the technology displacing potentially people. Yeah, I think yes and no. I think the effectiveness of people with the hands-on skills and knowledge base as until robots and stuff like that can do that labor which that will happen that will happen in the next probably 20 to 30 years but I think there's a span of time between now and then that the people that actually have the skills they're going to be the most valuable people in the whole market and that's why like for us when I talked about the depth of a company, right? Most of my competitors don't have people on staff that know how to swing and hammer and do all the stuff that Right. they do. They're using a subcontractors and then that subcontractor has a subcontractor and then your one-stop shop that actually does it all inhouse. Yes. Yeah. And we have people that, you know, my people can Dylan, you know, and all the rest of those guys. I mean, I could say go do this repair hands on. Yep. You know, how many roofers want to actually come out and do a shingle patch and repair? None. And especially not one with a reputation. Absolutely. That's where we're very different. Exactly. That is a few and far between. You're either calling a handyman or you're paying an exorbitant amount where people are just throwing so much high of a price of a quote to people that they can make, oh it's worth my while now. Like we don't believe in that. Um we believe in affordable repairs and we can do that because we have people on staff. Correct. And there's that depth. And I think those people are the most valuable as we move forward. Like the people who can understand, assess, and fix things in a fast way that still maintainable, too. Yep. Absolutely. I think that's important for people that are getting into the trades, younger generations, things like that that are wanting to get out there to be able to have that face to face communication still instead of just, hey, let me just quick text you and tell you I'm on my way. Let's let's have that conversation. Let's get to know you so your reputation builds so we can bridge that gap too. Mhm. There's value there. Who have been some of your mentors in your industry that you've looked to for guidance, for help, for different things like that, too. Ah, there's been a lot. Um, I've always been a person that I' like love learning. Core value. I'm just curious. Um, right. So, there's a few core people over the years that have been resources. Some that turned into formal mentors, some that have turned into that have consultants. Y I mean I'm always I always have a coach. Absolutely. I always have a business coach whether it's um HR general stuff. Do you want me to name names? If you want to whatever you want to do, whatever. some of the competitors locally even like so um like even Hoff from Weber Construction the owner and founder of that like he took me under his wing and shared me a lot of information that led him and then that introduction led to another person that Jim Johnson who had a huge roofing company in the Twin Cities actually 25 30 years ago that ended up being a coach and his CRM became one of the big you know um he's been a coach I'm actually going to Mexico City with him and group of N roofers on Thursday. Is that part of RoofCon or is that something else or No, that's a this is a a small group mastermind group with 12 roofers from around the nation that it's one of our uh bianual breakouts. We were in Missoula earlier this year or last year and we're going to be in Mexico coast city for a two-day kind of mastermind workshop mastermind. Um Jim Johnson, uh he's a wonderful guy. But then from him, his resources, the introductions and um yeah, there's just so many great people has been a very open and giving, which is nice to see when you have a local company, no matter how big or how small you are, to be able to have other people to turn to if something comes up and be like, "Hey, I've got this job. I've got this client. I've got this product that's not, you know, product supply and demand. I can't get a hold of. How do you deal with it or how can you help me out?" Yeah. And here's the thing. There's tons of like It's funny. I love my competitors. Yeah. Like I really do. They're wonderful people. I know a lot of them personally, locally, n I mean, nationally, we're not national, but like locally. And they're smaller, they're bigger. Everyone's just trying to live an abundant life and make a difference and give to people. And if they are, I don't know. It's fun. It's fun sharing and it's fun uh helping each other out and work through those problems. And uh I think in general most people, especially in the roofing industry, gets a bad rap. I think most people and most owners, even the ones that get the bad rap, I think they have the best of intentions when they go into things. They just don't know, right? And there's a lack of education in the trades on how to run a business. There's lack of education on cash management. There's a lack of education and resources, which now is a lot more abundant. Y um and I I have a lot of hopes moving forward that people who who want to make that jump into this industry or want to advance I I have a lot lot of hope versus in the past of like changing the stigma of like roofers and exterior contractors to be you know more of a at least not down in the barrel down in the mud kind of reputation. Let's bring it up above. I I have a lot of faith in my competitors. What has been your why or your driving force to get you to where you are today and for what's to come in the future? Um uh h that's a great question. I just uh stepping out of the business end of things. I I just want to be proud of what I've done and make a difference. I want to become and this is just for me um and for my kids. I And before I say this, I want to be the best version of myself. Absolutely. And I want to be challenged and it sounds so terrible. It's like when like I want to be challenged and beat up and like challenged to get better because it's like I don't want to ever be at a point in my life where I look back and said, "Oh man, if I would have taken that chance, what would have happened?" It's a complacent life. You don't want that. No. Exactly. And and while financial stability and doing the right thing, there is you have to have structure and you have to have a baseline, but ultimately if you have your health, your family, and your well-being, y um it's all paper and numbers and means nothing. We don't take it with us when we leave. We don't nobody's going to remember you for that one job that you did. It's the steps you took. I'd rather I want to make a difference and um you know I've been blessed to have the drive in me that makes me see like that and I'd love to be a reason that other people find that light in their life and maybe find that self-confidence in themselves to take a risk. Um y and to challenge themselves beyond what they would have ever imagined. So it's fun. I like that. I like that mindset. I like being around people with that mindset. That's my why and I want to set that example for my kids and you know they're not going to get a good inheritance because they need the lessons. Do you find that with like your kids and the younger generations, you can teach them how to grow by the way you treat the elders in the situation. So like by your example of you treating people the older generation with respect then the younger generation will learn that growing up as well. Yeah, I believe that is I think there there are some things there that that's just yeah just setting a good example in general bridging that gap too bridging that gap but there and that's the thing is like the older generation doesn't know everything either right you can learn something from everyone right so there is being malleable and the right mindset on all aspects and understanding where people are coming from whether they're coming from no knowledge or in set in stone of that this is how it is not accepting it is a collaborative effort and um you know creating an environment and situations and alignment and values and outcomes brings people together right so I think that yeah that's how you do that with your growth mindset what do you see for the future where where do you think you'll go next that's a great question specifically with Northface or with whatever whatever aspect you want to look at it. H well um you know right now we still don't have majority market share of the Twin Cities. Yep. And uh as of right now you know our big hairy audacious goal for the last few years has been to be the contractor of choice. Absolutely. In the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. Nice. Right now that is the focus. The focus is to be um that contractor. And there's a couple different ways you can view that. Number one market share. Number two, brand recognition. Um, and then just also number three is being the employer that people want to come and work for. We haven't achieved that fully to the standard that I want that to be at. So, there's a lot more growth in this market that we want to do. Uh, we want to get probably about 8 to 10 times bigger. And I think it's possible, especially with some of the changes in Minnesota and the market, uh, where they're going. There's a lot of opportunity that we have been working towards. and going the hard way that have put us in the position that we can do that. So, what do you see for the the market and the way the economy is and where you guys want for the growth and everything like that? Oh, I love this question. Um, so what specifically in Minnesota and it's a broad thing across the board. Most people are conditioned for when their roof gets replaced. No, I'll wait till a hail stom comes. Right. That is going to be over. Yep. It is. is pretty much ending right now. um most of the competition that are the fly by nighters and stuff that rely on that y they are folding right um and it's like I said the depth right so there's going to be market share to attain for the people who have depth to their business but also the the caveat as well is people are conditioned to just a new roof when there's a problem a small problem right like a leak here and then file a claim or this or that and everyone's been conditioned to a life of a savings account as an insurance But insurance is actually a risk mitigator of those total losses. You look across the nation and the costs that State Farm, all these insurance companies are having. It needs to reconcile somewhere. So we're seeing insurance premiums going up. We're seeing coverage going down. So now there's a correction of the market happening. Right? So, where we are positioned to really serve people in the way that they need is, like I said before, we're not after that full replacement. We're not after all that stuff. We're here for the service work. We're here to patch those shingles. We're here to fix that leak and do it in an affordable cost. Nice and low payments for people. Uh, one specific way that I'm overly excited about, and every time I talk about it, is a proprietary rejuvenation system of ours. So part of our repair package is we will put a leak fiveyear leak-free warranty on a repair. Wow. So if a roof is 15 years old and it has a leak and we get called out, we do our 19 point inspection. We find all the issue areas that need to be brought up to par. And then we fix the issues. We clean the roof. We get rid of all those ugly stains and all that stuff. But then the real secret sauce to the process is refreshing and rejuvenating the shingles. So, we have a proprietary oil that we will spray on these shingles, which will take a shingle that might have been arguably nonpliable, not really adhesive, and not really repairable. And it will take that 10, 20 year old shingle that's crispy and brittle, and it'll turn it into pliable, repairable, and add oil back into the shingles because of the special ingredients in there. So, what we're seeing is the ability now to take an old ugly roof and make it look fresh and brand new and put a warranty on it for a fifth of the cost of a replacement. Amazing. Are there only certain times a year you guys can do that? Yeah. So, the treatment can only be done in the warmer months. The repairs we can do now. So, hypothetically, someone in the winter has a leak, we can come on out, we can assess it and fix the immediate leak as a part of the system and then schedule them for the spring and through the summer for actually rejuvenating of the shingles. So, I don't know. I'm really excited about this. Yeah, it's it's going to revolutionize the roofing industry. There's a lot of different products out there. There's a lot of different things. We chose this specific product because if you look at the active ingredient that actually does the job, this product that we use has the highest out of all the competitors out in the nation. Amazing. So, like I said, we're a quality oriented company. Um, I've done this on people I know's house. I've looked at it. We tested it. Yeah. And it I think that this is it. Why replace it if you can repair it, right? And if it can withstand our weather here in Minnesota, then where else where else can it? Most roofs are shingle roofs and most roofs and the average roof in Minnesota gets replaced every 8 years due to an insurance claim. Yep. That is changing. So, what can you do to extend the life of your shingle and make sure you get the full return on your investment on the roof of your home, which literally is the number one thing to protect everything inside. Absolutely. I It may not be the prettiest thing. It may not be the sexiest, funnest thing to do, but it is number one the most. But you're going to have those water stains. You're going to have those leaks. You're going to have protects everything. Yes. If your roof is not functioning to a full capability and not leaking, then other things will compromise leading to mold, health issues, all that stuff. And that is a road that you do not want to travel down. What do you see in the industry as a market driver or what types of materials and the siding, windows are you seeing that have changed in the last five years? Well, I think there's a couple ways of looking at that. Um, most homes that are made, uh, we call them speck homes, right? And the reason being is they're built most profitably, right? So, we see a lot of failures and the reason being lowquality products put in there. These are not built for the longevity of Minnesota. I mean, it can last a certain point, but these homes are going to need an extra care, an investment in them to extend. So I think the transitioning of these spec homes from 10, 20, even the last 5, 10 years of these windows siding to newer, more uh more quality products. You know, for us on the window side, I like to, like I said, I like to use Minnesota made stuff. So like for vinyl windows, right? Not all vinyl windows are made the same. You can get something affordable made in Minnesota like Thermitech windows and up in the Sartell St. Cloud area and they're a little bit more than your baseline uh builder grade, but you know what? Those actually last. I put them in my own home, right? I put them in my parents home. They're an affordable thing. Uh but then also like Marvin's and stuff like that, we love Marvin windows. Those are quality. So I think being cognizant and I think people are going to see the end of life in these builder grade materials that have been just I mean it's masonite you know back in the day I mean masonite the old stuff needs to be replaced it just absolutely changes yeah you'll see a lot of these products failing in the next 5 10 years and then you'll have to reinvest and uh grow those I think you see that too with a lot of the energy efficient or the green materials coming in they haven't been tested long enough especially in Minnesota or anywhere else. So they just say, "Hey, it's it's green and it's passing code for now, but give it 5 years down the road and see what happens to it." Yeah. And code is not always right. No, it's not. Perfect example. This is in my industry, but how many years ago they a new code was made if it's over a certain amount of square feet, you need to have a fire suppression system in a residential home. Well, no one thought through the fact that the fire suppression system needs to go through the attic, which freezes, right? Yep. There you go. What? You know, and then they struck that down. Imagine that, right? But building codes are put in place to protect homes. Yeah. And 99% of them make sense. And that's one thing too that I see across the board. I say most roofs in Minnesota installed are non-code compliant. Right. It's because people don't actually look the inspector on them. They're only so many people to inspect them to so so much of a depth, right? So, like when people choose a roofer or anything, they need to make sure that they are paying for the right qualified people who know what they're doing and have training standards and have standard procedures and they're following those things because they're there for a reason. Yep. So, like the roof fence, everything like that, the way they're getting laid, the gaps, everything. It's It's amazing just how many companies come in and get it done and are out the next day and you never hear from them again. Yeah. I mean, it can be done fast, right? I mean it can be done fast but it can be done well. Quality over quantity versus vice versa. Quality quality doesn't cost it pays right. So and you have a company like you guys that stand behind your work everything like that. What do you see for the younger generation going forward with the roofing siding everything like that as technology drives getting into the trades? Do you feel that that's still really important and pushing or getting out in the field right away? I think both a hybrid approach and that's what I'm really excited about the future for this industry just the trades in general is the integration of the technology and hybrid learning right there's nothing that replaces being out in the field and working you also can leverage the technology to accelerate that um through video VR like AI feedback loops I mean it's unbelievable we're just at the tipping right at beginning of this stuff. I mean, you think of augmented reality training, like all that stuff that will be happening. Um, it's just a matter of who's going to do it. And how many of the homeowners like, "Hey, I want my siding to look like this and my roof look like that. All right, let's pop on the VR and take a walk through and that's where it's going to go." And it's just going to create efficiency and fun and it's going to be really exciting. And like I said, I think the most valuable people in the trades over the next at least 10, 20 years are going to be the people with the skills. So, if you can attain those skills, perfect those skills, and go to an or work for an organization that's investing in that, I mean, that's a win-win. I mean, it's a The trades are great pay. Yep. They are. I mean, quality labor is well paid. Um, and especially companies that have good benefits. I mean, we have health benefits, retirement benefits, short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, company vehicles, all the fun stuff. Um, we invest in our people and uh I I'm just so excited to see like the opportunities for the younger people. What do you have for training available for your employees that work there that are always consistently wanting to learn more and the bigger and better and newer things? Well, that's a great question and we're working on getting better at that right now. Um, always going out to uh vendor trainings and stuff like that. Right now, we're currently under construction. We just expanded and doubled our shop space. Um, so right now we're in the works of that. So we're building training modules uh for our field people, also our salespeople so people can work internally and continually learn. And we're going to be building out we're building out the curriculum nice across the board. So we can tie that to uh advancement opportunities, skills gaining, and create a full organizational advancement matrix for people to like get these skills, check, move on, check, move on. Drive this value this way. here's how you grow. Um, and creating that pathway for a career for someone right off the street, right out of high school to come in and then have that pathway to over here or over here. Um, but yeah, we're under construction on the lot. And vice versa, which way they want to go sideways, too. You don't know where you want to go initially. Like I don't know where I want to go and I'm I don't know what I want to be when I grow up either. That's a tough question. I know a lot of kids when they get out of high school, the immediate question is where are you going to college or what are you going to do when you get older? And I don't ever ask that question just because I know at my age, at anybody else's age, where where they're going to go or what they're going to do. That's going to change multiple times. Right. It is. I agree with that. And I think that's a very great way to look at it. I You shouldn't know where you're going to go. You need to figure things out and try things out. See what you like. See what you don't like. See what you're good. Um Yeah. And that's how you learn, too. It is as far as technology goes, the driving points for everybody that's currently there. Where is your service area? Where all you guys covered? So, we cover the whole Twin Cities metro all the way to the St. Croy, West, Watertown, South, the whole uh Chanhassen, all that jazz. But we'll also go up through central Minnesota up to the St. Cloud, greater uh area there, as well as um southside of Max Lake. Um, we will be looking to expand even further in the next year or two as long as things go according to plan. But as right now, we do free estimates in all of that service area. Um, we do service calls and repair calls in all of that service area. And for larger projects, you know, multifamily, commercial projects, we go beyond that. We're licensed in Wisconsin. Um, so commercial, multifamily will operate in Wisconsin. Um, residential, not at this time, but uh, yeah. see what comes in the future. How do people find you? And if someone were to say, "Hey, you know, I've got this roof. I don't want to have the rejuvenation done or anything like that, where would they get a hold of you or how?" The best way is just give us a phone call or go on our website, northfaceconstruction.com, and then just fill out a request for a quote. One of our uh customer service representatives will reach out, set the appointment for the free estimate with one of our project consultants, and we'll come out, do a 19-point inspection, and give an estimate on the site. and give a proposal. Do you guys ever do any community events or that people will see you out and put a face with the name and start kind of seeing all the branding out, everything like that? Um, locally in the Elk River and surrounding area, we do local events, do parades. Uh, one big thing that, uh, I know my team really likes and I do too is if you ever heard of the game fair in Ramsey. Yeah. So, if you're an outdoors person and you love dogs, that's a play one thing that we've been at the last couple years and bring the dogs by and have play some games. So you can see us at the game fair. Um we'll also be at some of the home shows upcoming. Uh as of right now, that's the plan. And uh some of the other places around so you can interact with us and learn more about us and the products. As far as networking goes, expose go, things like that. Do you see your group expanding out into other areas too? Not just like the commercial side on the bigger Wisconsin things, but getting out into the residential in those areas, too. Yes. Yep. Yep. when the time when the time is appropriate uh we will be expanding out into those areas as well. I my big my vision is like I said contractor of choice. Well, right now it's the Twin Cities in the upper Midwest is the goal. Perfect. So, um do it to the best of our ability where we are first and then go get that process down and then replicate wherever else you need to go. Yep. Well, exciting. We really appreciate having you on today again. Where can people find you on your website and what's your phone number? So, uh, you can find us at northfaceconstruction.com and there's a lot of videos, interactive stuff, learning opportunities. I've done a lot of that. They can find us on YouTube as well. Do you have tutorials on there and things too on how you process on how we do things? We're putting out continual content on tools, uh, different products, stuff like that. Um, and there some of them live on the website as well. Um, but otherwise people can reach us at 763-4332269. Uh, just shoot us a call and happy to help. Awesome. Well, we appreciate having you on today, Josh, and we look forward to seeing you in the future and all the growth that's to come. I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me today. Thank you.