Century Club Contractor Spotlight: Todd Russo, REEIS

The fourth in our series of spotlighted Century Club contractors is Todd Russo, President of REEIS, a retrofit company with offices in both Arizona and California. Working with the Foundation for Senior Living and the Arizona Public Service Department, REEIS earned the Century Club Award for 2011 by completing energy efficiency improvements to 854 homes. Here's how they did it.

Business Profile: REEIS

Years in business: 3
Nonprofit or for-profit? For-profit
Number of staff: 55
Number of women on staff: 3
Number of work vehicles/trucks: 18
Average number of jobs completed per year: 1,300
Average job size: $2,800 without HVAC equipment and $12,000 with HVAC equipment
Required staff certifications: BPI, NCI, and RESNET
Additional languages spoken by staff: Spanish

About REEIS's Clients & Services

What geographic area do you work in? We work in Phoenix, Arizona and the Inland Empire, California
What local energy efficiency programs do you work in conjunction with? In Arizona, we work with APS & SRP Home Performance with Energy Star programs, APS & SRP A/C replacement & tune up programs, Energize Phoenix, and Weatherization Assistance Programs. In California, we work with Energy Upgrade California and RPU – Whole House Rebates.
Do you work primarily on single or multifamily homes? Do you also work on commercial buildings? Our primary business is residential but we also have apartments and commercial projects
Do you offer free energy audits or home assessments? We offer free assessments to $599 audits depending on the market and the service. Arizona programs subsidize the audit so the retail cost to consumers is reduced by $200.
Does your company typically do your own test-in and test-outs? REEIS is required to test in and test out and deliver the data; 15% - 20% of our jobs are field checked by the utility company.
Do you receive third-party verification of your services to clients? A percentage of our jobs are third-party checked.
Do you offer financing options for your clients? Yes, multiple options

Q&A With Todd Russo:

Home Energy: What have been the critical success factors for your company?

Todd Russo: Our customer process. Early on, we developed 4 key components which differentiates REEIS from other firms: 1. We looked beyond the disciplines/methodology of the Home Performance with Energy Star, BPI, and RESNET programs when we developed our products and services. These disciplines/methodology are extremely worthwhile but they are incomplete and limited. If your firm lives solely with the principles of the abovementioned firms, you do not always deliver the benefits your clients are looking for. 2. We limit the products and services we offer. We routinely identify products which do not meet our benchmark criteria. We educate our buyers as to why we do not recommend them. 3. Robust training programs. And 4. We developed a proprietary customer management program which affords us the capacity to effectively manage our client relationships and deliver real-time data to our clients. 

HE: What do you think is the one most important item for home performance professionals and/or companies to focus on in the next 2–3 years?

TR: Consumer education. We need to develop demand for Home Performance. Educate consumers to look past single source service providers and understand the value of a whole-house solution. Consumers know when they need a plumber, HVAC contractor, electrician, etc., but they are not aware of what home performance is.

You can read the first three articles in this spotlight series by clicking on the following titles: "Century Club Contractor Spotlight: Chad Ruhoff, Neil Kelly Company"; "Century Club Contractor Spotlight: Fred Hutchinson, Hutchinson Plum..."; and "Century Club Contractor Spotlight: Hal Smith, Home Energy Performan...."

This blog originally appeared on HomeEnergy.org.