Olov Strole isn’t one to hesitate when it comes to asking for a deal—and his initial meeting with current business partner Chad Commers proves the point.
Commers, who oversees leasing operations for a local management company, posted an ad on Craigslist for office space he was trying to rent. Strole, owner of Residential Construction Remodeling, responded and the two arranged to meet at the property. This was 2008, the rental market was slow and to top things off, it was a bone-chilling winter day.
According to Commers, the asking price for the unit “was already pretty cheap,” but Strole completely took him by surprise when he asked Commers if he would give him the space rent-free for the first twelve months.
“I couldn’t believe my ears. I was literally yelling at him for making me come out on this freezing day and wasting my time,” says Commers with a laugh. “And then for some reason, we started to talk. Olov told me about a business idea he had that would allow homeowners to save money on remodeling projects. It made sense to me, so I told him to call me when he was ready to move forward.”
Two years later, Strole got back in touch with Commers and their plans for The Remodel Card began to take shape. Last year, the duo launched their business in the eastern Twin Cities, but many vendors in the program are located in the lake area as well.
The Remodel Card, which works like a membership and can be ordered online, costs $499 for the first year and $5.99 per month after the initial year. With the card, homeowners have access to discounts of up to 50 percent on products from local vendors such as Warners’ Stellian, Sherwin-Williams, Muska Lighting and Minnesota Tile & Stone.
“Over the years I have spent working as a contractor, I’ve always been able to get special pricing,” says Strole. “I started to think there must be a way to connect customers directly with vendors in the remodeling industry so that they, too, could receive the same kinds of discounts.”
Commers says a customer they met several months ago at a home show recently approached them at another event and told them how happy he was that he’d purchased The Remodel Card. “He told us he had no idea how much buying power the card would give him,” says Commers.
According to Strole, it’s the volume of cardholders making purchases creating that buying power, which is why so many high-profile vendors—and more to come—are enthusiastic about partnering with the program. “The vendors want the sales, but they don’t want to spend money on marketing,” he explains. “Customers who have The Remodel Card will automatically seek them out.”
Tom Clouse, vice president and service manager for fabrications at Minnesota Tile & Stone saw the merits of the program as soon as Strole broached the idea. “I thought, ‘This is really interesting, but what’s the catch?’” he says. “I realized it was just about passing along the contractor’s discount, so it seemed like a no-brainer for both the local vendors and the customers, especially in this economy.”
Strole and Commers believe the card eliminates the “intimidation factor” faced by many homeowners who want a deal, but hesitate to ask for one. “They can walk into any of our vendors with the confidence of knowing they are automatically going to save money,” says Strole. “They don’t have to wait for a once-a-year warehouse sale.”
After all, getting a good deal can sometimes lead to bigger and better things, as these young business owners discovered back in 2008.
“Both of us love to work a deal,” says Strole. “Luckily, we’re good at it.”
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Use coupon code “Minnetonka” for a one-time sign-up fee of $149 and no monthly fees for the first year.
