Page 65 - BusinessWest August 22, 2022

Josh Berthiaume says most of his work is commercial, but he does residential jobs, too.
While homeowners started to reach out to Property Masters during for their home-improvement needs this time, the material costs have since skyrock- eted, and so has the cost of paving a driveway.
“There are jobs that we went to
talk to homeowners who were bid at $10,000 last year, and now it’s double the price, if not more,” he said. “They call me to seal coat or crack seal to glue everything together — it buys the customer a few more years before they have to make the big investment that they’re not ready for because of the price increases.”
He went on to tell BusinessWest that seal coating is usually a tenth of the cost of paving, so homeowners are able to put off redoing the entire driveway while prices remain high.
Sealing the Deal
The main issue he’s having right now is figuring out how to retain loyal customers at today’s higher costs. He explained that he has done jobs for customers multiple times over the past decade because he keeps his prices lower than many companies. And because they’re returners, he tries to honor the prices he originally gave them. But that is starting to hurt his profits.
For instance, to make the same profit off a driveway that cost $300 last
time, he might have to charge $800 today. “When someone’s never done this before, they just see the difference in my prices versus paving companies. I’m a hell of a lot cheaper. So they’re not barking at the price. When I have to raise a repeat customer’s price over 100% because of economic reasons, that’s difficult. Some people bark at
it, but others understand that gas has tripled the price.”
Even though there is no predicting the future, Berthiaume is confident
in his ability to keep growing, though inflation remains a thorny problem. He told BusinessWest that, over the 25 years he’s been in the industry, he’s never seen prices rise this much.
“It’s going to be hard for everyone because the problems are just going to be passed on to the next guy,” he said. “We’re seeing material shortages and trucking shortages. We’re just hoping for the best. It’s a seasonable business, so hopefully over the winter, things straighten out, and our distributors fig- ure out how to deal with the problems we’re facing this year.”
In short, while the economy still shows some cracks in the near term, Property Masters Paving Maintenance is ready for the challenge. u
Kailey Houle can be reached at [email protected]
A New Season for the Franklin County Chamber
The Franklin County Chamber welcomes Executive Director, Jessye Deane.
“My passion has
always been strengthen- ing community through partnerships and creative collaboration, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue that work and support business and tourism in the county I love.”
Jessye can be
reached at 413-773-5463 or [email protected] franklincc.org
MA Registration No. 156541
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE BUILD IS OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS.
• New Construction • Remodeling
• Kitchens
• Baths
• Commercial
• Roofing & Siding • Property Mgmt.
At N. Riley Construction, we’re determined to exceed the expectations of our customers. We’re known for our attention to detail and offer the experience and dedication to make your vision a reality.
863 Montgomery Street, Chicopee, MA 01020 (413) 531-4370
www.nrileyconstruction.com
BusinessWest HOME IMPROVEMENT
AUGUST 22, 2022 65