NARI Fun

This afternoon, I helped staff NARI's booth at the Capitol Home Expo, in Chantilly. For the first time in recent years, we had a decent sized booth, which allowed people to come in and look at photos of our 2009 CoTY (Contractor of The Year) award winners. We also had a table set up, and a sign encouraging people to "Ask the Experts". Hard for me to believe, but after over twenty years in the industry, I guess I actually AM an expert!

I volunteer at the NARI booth happily, for a number of reasons. The primary reason is the opportunity it gives me to acquaint people with our trade association and its mission, which is to raise the level of professionalism in our industry. In a climate where the competition is stiff, membership in NARI shows, I think, a level of commitment to one's profession that is oftentimes a key factor in a homeowner's decision to hire a particular firm. So, getting the opportunity to get in front of people and sell who we are and why we, as NARI members, are a cut above, is something I'm glad to do.

Seeing as the show is in Virginia, I don't get much of a chance to sell people on the wisdom of working with MY company in particular, but that's really not why we're there anyway. Mostly, I just enjoy telling people about what we do, and if possible, to steer them clear of the many pitfalls that can arise in a remodeling project.

For anyone interested in remodeling, or for anyone interested in joining NARI, I'd encourage you to visit them at www.narimetrodc.org