JW & Sons Inc. specializes in quality wood frame drywall services at a competitive price.

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Fifteen years after its inception, Baltimore-based contractor JW & Sons Inc. finds itself among contractors leading the East Coast region with a plethora of construction services. In addition to drywall, the company has a commercial, EIFS, special projects and service division. This combination enables the company to provide a unique package of services, Vice President Scott Wilson says.

These divisions span a variety of residential services: the drywall division tends to the interior walls of buildings and houses, the EIFS unit constructs the exterior of houses with stone and stucco, and the commercial area deals with medical facilities, restaurants and similar businesses. Also under JW & Son’s wing are JW & Sons Interiors Inc. and East Coast Poured Floors Inc., divisions that further extend the reach of the firm. Scott Wilson spoke with Construction Today about how the company is adapting to the market’s residential downturn, as well as why its service makes it stand out.

Construction Today: What sets JW & Sons apart from the competition?
Scott Wilson: Everything is built on our reputation, service and quality. These are our cornerstones. There are larger wood frame drywall companies out there, but we can guarantee a significant value to the customer. Basically, we pride ourselves on our service and quality at a competitive price. We (also) pride ourselves on our relationships not only with customers, but with suppliers.

CT: What makes your service stand out?
SW: Our service is guaranteed. When people need something, (we) jump through whatever hoops we have to; to make sure they get it.

Drywall is an imperfect product. It’s our job to make it as perfect as possible for the end-user. That’s where our quality comes in.

CT: How do your customers define quality?
SW: Our customers define quality through, honestly, the homeowners’ expectations. We want everything to look right. Customers’ specifications are set within industry norms and we try to exceed the industry norm so that the builder can have customer satisfaction.

JW and Sons is also one of the few drywall companies certified for our quality program through the National Homebuilders Research Center, which is affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders organization. Few drywall contractors on the East Coast are certified through the NAHB research center. But our quality program is recognized – they call it the NHQ (National Housing Quality) certification.

The NHQ certification has standards that state that all divisions have to follow the same practices; everyone knows what everyone’s doing, and this simplifies it. For example, our drywall hanger, sander and point-up man all have specific tasks that they must perform, but they are uniform wherever they work.

In addition, JW & Sons has two other divisions: JW & Sons Interiors and East Coast Poured Floors Inc. They have a lot of synergies. We like to basically sell this as a package for the customer. They work well (together) – both the interiors and floors division opened in 2001, out of our same office.

CT: How has the market changed?
SW: The drywall market has changed dramatically in the past year. Homebuilders aren’t seeing as much sales as they used to. It’s becoming a very competitive market and is growing fierce. Now, more than ever, homebuilders are trying to concentrate on pleasing buyers. When the buyers are happy, the builders are happy.

We’re adapting – we have to spread our wings a bit more. We’ve opened up a home improvement division, which is basically drywall for home improvement contractors. So, let’s say someone has a hole they need repaired; we would take care of that for them. In the past, we wouldn’t go for smaller jobs — now we will. That’s helping increase our sales volume because the homebuilders’ side is so far down.

We’ve found that the cheapest form of advertising is through word of mouth. That is probably where our biggest form of new work is coming from. We are members of the ABC – the Associated Builders and Contractors – and several other industry organizations that also help us establish our reputation.

CT: Describe a spotlight project.
SW: We’re currently finishing up an apartment project in Woodland Park, Va., with Bozzuto Construction.

It’s only been a six-month project and it has just run very smoothly. We had a great team. We just had an e-mail come out from Bozzuto, saying we did a fantastic job. That kind of (recognition) helps us continue to get jobs. There were good management teams on both the builder’s and the drywall side, and a lot of input from one to another. It was just a good team that communicated well and worked together as a team well. A win-win situation. Our goal is to be successful, but we know we can’t be … without helping the builder be successful also.