PODCAST: The Rise of the Construction Concierge
In the latest episode of our Women at WIRC podcast, we sit down with Melissa Kennedy, president of Meadowlark Design Build, to talk about the evolution of project management in custom home building. We discuss the rise of the “construction concierge” model, how client expectations have changed post-COVID, and strategies for delivering high-touch service without burning out your team.
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Transcript:
Welcome back to Women at WIRC, where our editors from sister media brands—Pro Builder, Pro Remodeler, and Custom Builder—sit down with standout women across home building, remodeling, and design. We share their stories and business insights, and explore how women are reshaping the residential building industry.
Pauline Hammerbeck
Hi, I'm Pauline Hammerbeck of Custom Builder. Today I'm with Melissa Kennedy, president of Meadowlark Design Build in Southeast Michigan. And we're talking about a shift we're seeing in custom residential design. And it's that clients don't just want project management anymore. They expect a construction concierge. It's a redefinition of the traditional project management role to deliver a much higher level of service.
Melissa, welcome.
Melissa Kennedy 1:55
Thank you. It's good to be here talking about a topic that I think a lot about.
Pauline Hammerbeck 2:00
Before we dive in, why don't you tell us a little bit about Meadowlark, what you build, who you build for, and and what sets your approach apart?
Melissa Kennedy 2:11
Meadowlark is a design-build company in Ann Arbor, Mich., and we have a full design team and project managers, and we also have a framing crew, which is pretty unique.
Meadowlark got started 22 years ago, and I started 18 years ago with the owners, Doug and Kirk, just in the upstairs of a garage, trying to deliver high-quality projects, remodels of really any size or scale. We started custom homes back then too, but really with an eye towards building sustainably.
And, at that time, LEED Platinum for houses was kind of a hot topic, and so we started doing LEED Projects and energy codes upgrades. But one of the things that we've always stuck to is that sustainability doesn't just mean green, but also high quality. And so really making sure that we have the right labor and materials going into projects has been important, but above all is really the relationships we have with homeowners; the people that we work for keep us motivated and keep us growing.
Pauline Hammerbeck 3:44
So, tell me, when did you first get a sense that clients were looking for something more from the typical design-build experience?
Melissa Kennedy 3:56
I think it's an evolution. I was thinking about this specifically with my role. I started at Meadowlark after I worked at a commercial architecture firm and, before that, I went to Michigan's architecture school for my undergraduate degree. And as I got into residential, one of the things that I really noticed, and loved, was that you could work at a different cadence than at commercial, and the cadence was really determined not just by us in design, but really by the homeowner's ability to make decisions.
And so I was on the design end of projects for the first 10 years of my work at Meadowlark and through the course of time saw a shift where our project managers didn't just have to know how to put things together and about construction skills and mastery. But really that they needed to know how to foster a relationship of the person who is 50% of the project, right? The decision maker in the project ... and we really needed to figure out how to work with that homeowner to keep that relationship flourishing so that decisions would be made and projects could move along.
I would say there was one client in particular, and because we work locally, I get to still see her at soccer games. But she went through a project with Meadowlark where I was the designer and I went to a closeout meeting after construction and she said to me, you know, Melissa, you really need to look at your project management, because this relationship that we have with the person managing our project in the field is really a key component of it.
And so it kind of put a lot of these subconscious thoughts to the forefront. We have a mindset here at Meadowlark, which is change or become extinct. And if a client is telling me that this is such a valuable relationship that you really need to look at almost the soft skills of project management, then if we didn't really cater to this where would we be?
And so, while we're not perfect at it, and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts on this knowing that we still have evolution and steps to make, I think understanding that this is a relationship-based profession really helps change our mindset about project managers and who we hire to be that ... people who really value relationships and see that as a collaboration that's necessary for the success of the project.
Pauline Hammerbeck 6:36
So would you say that clients are different than they were maybe 5 or 10 years ago? Or is it maybe. from what I'm hearing you say, maybe it's recognition that maybe something was missing out of the relationship? Is it one or the other? Is it both?
Melissa Kennedy 6:49
I think it's a combination of both. You know, we're all different after COVID, all of us are different. And, in some ways, high expectations keep us growing and changing and evolving because we want to rise to the occasion. I think it's a mix of something missing before, but now I think it's really necessary in the field. And I think COVID, a great disruptor, did disrupt that. I mean, there's Google statistics that we could pull up where people are eating out more than they used to, and people are ordering DoorDash more than they used to. And so there's a whole part of our lives that is influenced more by customer service than what we used to engage with.
And I think, as a result of even more exchanges, the lines keep getting raised for what the expectations are as far as service goes. And, in construction, we are in service of our homeowners. We are also in their homes, their private spaces. So, to have disruption along with all the other disruptions that we face in our work, in our lives, in our community, in our world...[Home] is one safe place...you want to make sure that you have a valued relationship so you can trust the people that are working in your home and care about them on a human level, kind of beyond the project.
Pauline Hammerbeck 8:22
So how do you address this within Meadowlark? Do you have a dedicated person with those soft skills working with clients in addition to a project manager? Tell us how this plays out. Is it one role? Is it something everybody needs to think about?
Melissa Kennedy 8:42
Yeah, that's a great question. I think there's a training mindset that we have to adopt because I think expectations are always changing along with, you know, quality of materials and the trades that we use. So there's a lot of people involved in the project at Meadowlark.
We very clearly say we are relationship focused, so how do we handle [those] relationships? One of the things that we did when we noticed that this was not just becoming something that was missing, but something that was needed, is we shifted roles.
Project Managers, we say, carry the baton for the homeowner's experience while our site supers carry the baton with the home, and the cleanliness of it, and the trades walking through it, and making sure that all the electrical is where the electrical needs to go. And of course the project managers help oversee that, but they are really carrying the baton on the homeowner relationship and their ease of living through a construction project.
Pauline Hammerbeck 9:48
Right. So it sounds like maybe it's an expanded definition of what maybe we traditionally think about in terms of project management or division of roles, maybe?
Melissa Kennedy 9:59
Yeah, I think it's a division of roles. My incredibly valuable site supers who clean the homes at the end of the day and make sure the trash is emptied and make sure nobody left lunch sitting around as they were working there during the day... that aids in the whole experience for the homeowner. And so there's the very tangible ways we can influence this relationship.
And then there's the conversation. We do something called the Halftime Huddle where we ask homeowners halfway ... drywall is kind of our sticking point for this. So, we have a halftime huddle, much like in sports teams. Well, in projects, I started getting to closeouts and homeowners would say, 'Yeah, the project was great, but it was really too bad I didn't have access to my washing machine and that really was a bummer.' And I'm thinking, why did we not know about this sooner? These are [things] we can get in front of.
And so, much like sports teams, we started doing a halftime huddle to say, what's disruptive in your life? What could be better? And sometimes for homeowners, it's things that they didn't know that we could help influence, that we can now help with making their life a lot more inconvenient than it has to be while living through a construction project.
And so we try to get their temperature. How's it going? What could be better? What's really disruptive for you? And then seeing, or just even having awareness of that helps us understand.
I just recently had a conversation with a homeowner. He wasn't that happy because he couldn't get into his garage because we placed a cabinet in a spot where he couldn't park. Well, we didn't know. They left in the morning and they came back in the evening. We never saw the vehicle there, so we didn't know. And so I think it just gives us a chance, this halftime huddle, if not sooner, to be like, how are you inconvenienced? And trying to lessen that inconvenience as much as possible. And sometimes it's the things that maybe we should be thinking of, but when you're so focused on getting the right material to the right spot with the right person at the right time, you know, sometimes we forget to open our eyes and see a little bigger. And so just collaborating with homeowners.
Pauline Hammerbeck 11:57
Right.
Melissa Kennedy 12:16
And then internally we cascade that through our whole company because I think it's these stories that resonate with us. You know, I could say we do this halftime huddle, but really getting our project managers and our site supers to understand the why behind why we do it. These stories kind of fuel the conversation so that we can try to get ahead of the customer's experience and again, all with an eye towards valuing that relationship.
Pauline Hammerbeck 12:43
Right. You mentioned soft skills earlier. Tell me a little bit about the kind of person that thrives in this new project manager role, or the concierge level service. Who fits that bill?
Melissa Kennedy 12:56
I think we can all grow to fit the bill. I think anybody who has a growth mindset, which is something we always look for, can fit the bill.
I'm reading a book right now by Bill Neely called The Gift of Criticism. And I think when we're in people's homes and spaces, and doing something where they can walk in and see the whole messy process, then [it's about] having an openness and really seeing the gift of what criticism can bring. Maybe they criticize the work along the way. And yes, it's not done, but it's a very visible process. And so having an open heart and open mind to criticism and looking at it as a way that we can grow, it can open new opportunities.
So I think [it's about] having a staff that values criticism, not blame or excuses. Let it wash over us and think about how we can do things differently. It's a growth mindset; understanding criticism is a way for growth.
And then we we talk frequently about open and honest conversations at work. You know, can we be open and honest with each other where we're seeing things falter with an eye towards growth?
We do a vendor appreciation, a trade appreciation, lunch because we can't do these projects without our professional trades. And we have a conversation with them about why it's important to be critical of quality and to have an open mind and heart with quality. On a job site, it's not our duty to make sure everybody's happy, but it is our duty to uphold quality expectations and standards with an eye towards valuing what we bring in the relationship and why we we're hired.
And so I think open and honest communication, growth mindset, and being open to criticism are things that we culturally try to embrace. When you're in the world of customer service, especially at a high end, it is easy to bring up your defenses and cross your arms and feel like 'what more could I do?' But that doesn't solve anything, and it actually only makes that barrier between you and a homeowner's expectations or company expectations or trade expectations all that bigger. And so, I'm constantly opening my arms. Just embrace it. Maybe we need to take a minute to breathe, and then embrace it.
Pauline Hammerbeck 15:30
Right. You mentioned the halftime huddle, and I love that. Are there other ... maybe walk me through what the customer experience is in a project and how this extra level of service plays out from nose to tail.
Melissa Kennedy 15:52
We we do spend a lot of energy, let's say calories, in pre-construction, the internal handoff from design into the field, so that we make sure that handoff is as smooth as possible from one person carrying the baton to the next.
And there's a saying, "prior proper planning prevents pitifully poor performance." And so we find that that pre-construction phase helps us get set up for a successful race.
And then, once it gets into the field, again, my project managers are very disciplined at certain processes, but then being able to recognize that behaviors also have to come alongside it. And so really consistent meetings or weekly emails, following up with homeowners, making sure we're keeping that to-do list. They're not just feeling responsible for it, but also engaging in a conversation that invites the homeowner to be part of the team because we're not living in this space. We don't go to sleep in it at night. We don't know that the build clean unit that's keeping the air clean is too loud for anybody to sleep. So I think just really making sure that we're inviting people into critiquing the whole process along the way is is beneficial. We do the halftime huddle and then a close out meeting at the end where I get to hear from homeowners what the experience was like.
Thankfully we we are privileged to work with people that are ... many of them just really excel in the field in which they work. I think construction in general is pretty slow to make change. And so when our homeowners work at the top end of their field and they have critical feedback for me at the end, it engages creative thinking for me to hear their expectations, especially coming from the worlds that they come in to then think about how can we bring that in and invite that into our process. And change our behaviors.
You know, there's there's no doubt that Amazon, even the the local pizza place has influenced our expectation of updates. You know when the pizza's going in the oven, you know when it's in the next person's hands, you know when the cheese is going on, you know when it's in the delivery driver's car. And so construction, with these elusive timelines and incessant delays, no matter how well you plan a project, I think just making sure homeowners stay updated and understand what's going on.
And that I think we all understand that sometimes updating is too much information. You know, if you have kids at school, you get endless emails and updates. And so it can all start to be nothing because of our restriction on time. And so I think we're constantly trying to figure out what each homeowner needs as far as communication, as far as awareness and what they need to feel like trust is being built through the construction process. And that's hard. What's so obvious to some people is like, oh, no way, that's way too much for others.
We are all such unique people. And so it's fascinating for me to get to these closeouts and hear the feedback. When I started doing these consistently with our homeowners and we had a consistent process to measure their feedback, I just started to really be enamored with the fact that we are all so different and what one person perceives as a very clear relationship-building process, another person can see totally differently.
And so instead of just raising the walls and being frustrated ... like 'it works for one, why not the other?,' it's just trying to embrace the differences we have and start to learn how how each person, and where they work, and what they're juggling, how does that influence how we need to then behave.
And I think knowing that we're all unique and lovely individuals and knowing that as Meadowlark, we love not doing the same project over and over and over. We embrace the change all the time. It's like then we're embracing the relationships too, and trying to figure out how what we're doing grows trust, grows value.
And also, I think the counter side to that is that it also protects some of our time. You know, when you're in a homeowner's house and they're arriving, you know, after soccer practice with their kids and it's dinner time and they're reading their e-mail or something comes top of mind or they want to add something, we all go to text. That's the quickest, fastest form of communication to take it off my shoulders and make sure I communicate it to you. But that also then disrupts our project managers who are also getting back from soccer and trying to figure out dinner time and want to be a good customer service representative and reply to the homeowner. But we also need to protect their bandwidth for their families too. So I think that's actually like a struggle right now. A really challenging thing is the expectation that we're on 24/7, seven days a week and sometimes when the roof is open and there's a rainstorm and the tarps covering it, yeah, we have to be. But how do we create some boundaries for our staff, too? This is their everyday life, while also serving our homeowners. And I I don't think we've nailed it yet, but we have awareness of it and I think that's the first step.
Pauline Hammerbeck 21:31
I think that's a really great point for anybody in any sort of customer-facing role. Yes, it is about the customer, but there's a human on the other end too and they deserve that same level of respect. So that's very interesting. Yeah, I'd love to hear where you guys land on it in terms of boundaries.
One thing, just circling back a little bit, you talked about a big focus on the pre-construction phase and one of the things that we hear over and over with a lot of builders and architects and designers is the the client selection process can be painful. Have you found that this higher level of service is helping facilitate that? Or is there one phase of the project that you're finding is really much smoother now that you've focused a lot heavier on the client and their needs?
Melissa Kennedy 22:30
You know, we really try, when homeowners decide to do a project, to inform them of how much time and decision-making they're going to have to be involved in. And for many of our homeowners, this is their first project. Or, they did one and it didn't go so well. Or they like to do their own research.
And I think for every one decision you make, there's actually 10 decisions within that. The countertop. How thick? How does it end? What edges are polished? What's the edge detail? How do you want the graining pattern? When the backsplash goes in, is it going to match? What's the grout color?
I think that it's up to us to guide the homeowner. I think they also have to make decisions because we don't just have standard finishes that go into every project with set details. And while the construction process can be painful for those who aren't aware of the decisions they have to make, for the ones that are and the ones that sort of prefer proactive behaviors in their life because they want construction to go as smooth as possible, then it's a very collaborative and informative process.
But, I get it. Decision fatigue in life right now is so high. And so when you when you take on a project and you have a say in every single thing that goes into your home ... and you should, because it's not inexpensive and you're going to be living with it. I think really helping homeowners understand what goes into making the decisions and guiding them along.
It's one thing at a time. And we'll make sure that they cohesively go together or give recommendations. That's why at Meadowlark ... one of our core uniques is that we're the guide, we help guide homeowners through this process that they may have never engaged in before. And, so, what does that mean? How are we the guide? Maybe we're meeting them at 7:00 PM or maybe we're meeting them at their office. But communication is so important through that whole process. And even just setting people up for success to get through all of the decision-making is critical.
Pauline Hammerbeck 24:38
Right. You mentioned the culture within the firm and how that facilitates this focus on clients. Do you do any formal training on communication or even conflict resolution? You know, couples therapy is a term that people throw out there. Do you do anything formal with your with your team to help?
Melissa Kennedy 25:18
Yeah, one one funny story, this is from maybe 15 years ago or so. We were working with a recently married couple on a custom home and we joked that it's kind of like couples therapy, he actually called and said, 'Do you actually have therapists?' You know, I haven't put one into our accountability chart yet, but maybe I should.
But, we do internal training. And we've used outside mentors before. We've done trainings on the drama triangle, which a lot of people might be familiar with. This fall we're doing a training called Taking the "Con" Out of Conflict. We have a wonderful resource here, Zingerman's, who does just excellent customer service in the food industry and they do trainings. And so we do engage our staff with these fairly regularly.
We're also in another group, a design-build group where we collectively share how we're tackling some of these expectations and rising to the occasion, you know, or empathizing with each other. Sometimes it's nice to know that your problems aren't just yours. And that they are shared with other people who still hold themselves to a high level. So you can kind of like breathe out and then uncross your arms and open them up and welcome solutions to figure this out.
Pauline Hammerbeck 26:40
I love that. So, after having taken a much stronger client focus with the firm, are there ways that you found that it's saving you money? Are you having fewer change orders? Is scope creep less frequent. Are there any metrics that we can point to for others maybe thinking about this approach?
Melissa Kennedy 27:12
You know, I wish there was something that added to the bottom line. We just had a conversation yesterday about how our site supers were responsible, like I said, for the job site care, the job site baton. And our project management time is growing and the expectations require people to do different, better, higher caliber work, higher-touch work. So as a company we have to figure this out. How do we ... you know, margins in construction are so minimal ... how do you still offer the service, and still sign contracts for that service that's requested and needed.
And so I think this brings up some really great conversations internally about efficiency and how do we work just more efficiently and more clearly and really make sure that everybody knows what their roles are. And then, how many projects can people handle, which really has more to do with clients. We talk more about client needs and who's a high-touch client and do they need more time and energy in order to be able to live peacefully through construction or for us to be able to show up as our best selves.
And, so, sometimes it is ... and this is probably not unfamiliar to listeners ...but the amount of time and energy that goes into the project has very little to do with the actual size. It has more to do with the homeowners and the expectations that go along with the project.
Pauline Hammerbeck 28:53
So do you see this high-touch level of service becoming standard practice or do you think it's going to remain a differentiator for those who do cater a lot more deeply with the client.
Melissa Kennedy 29:10
You know, I don't know how it could change. I think the the construction sector keeps getting more and more complicated. Material quality is not ... you know, it's just degraded over the 20 years Meadowlark's been in existence, and over the 18 years I've been here.
Since COVID, we frequently talk about how, when you used to have to make one phone call, you have to make four or five. Materials getting to the job site at the right time or when they're projected is a rarity. In fact, for inspections, you have to wait around all day to get those done. So that the need in construction to facilitate that, getting the right material to the right job site at the right time with the right person, keeps growing, as do homeowner expectations.
And so I think we have to be really creative in this design-build sector of how we minimize reactive time to the best of our ability so that we can keep providing proactive experience and response.
Pauline Hammerbeck 30:23
Yeah. So what advice would you have for somebody who's considering, whether it's training their internal team, hiring for a new role, but someone looking to take this higher level of service into their own firm? What advice do you have? Is there one thing that they can start with slowly and take small steps?
Melissa Kennedy 30:42
Yeah, I think one thing we can all do, and that I do, is just pay attention to customer service. When you have a good experience, think about what made that a good experience and then just apply that.
I think at some level we can all resonate with what good service means and where it's valued. And sometimes it's just the very little things, like when you ask how someone's day is just stopping to actually hear their answer.
So, pay attention. It just starts with awareness. What makes a good experience? You know, drive less frustrated, drive more patient. Practice patience as a lifestyle.
I'm reading another book right now called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. And when you start to really pay attention to a hurried life, the books says you can't love well if you're in a constant state of hurry. And in construction, you can definitely be in a constant state of hurry. You know, that reaction time rushing to the next emergency.
But if you can change that to proactive time, and if you can change your behavior so you're not in a constant state of hurry, then you can love well. And that's where relationships can flourish.
And as I'm saying this, I'm telling it to myself, too. I think practicing patience in a very hurried world where 'busy is successful,' it's taking a step back and knowing your client, your relationship, the home you're working on, the project you're working on will not succeed if in a state of hurry.
Pauline Hammerbeck 32:23
I love that. I I think that's a great place to end. And maybe it sounds like we need a book club cause you mentioned a few gems there.
Melissa Kennedy 32:28
You know, it's helpful. Outside perspectives are beyond helpful, especially as so much of this is not just process, but behavior-based.
Pauline Hammerbeck 32:40
Well, Melissa, thanks for sharing what it really takes to to make this work. You can learn more about Melissa and Meadowlark at meadowlarkbuilders.com. I'm Pauline Hammerbeck. Keep up the good work.
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