JRE IN THE NEWS

James River Stucco Rides Residential in Richmond

Wednesday, November  1, 2006

Despite the fact that James River Stucco (JRS) offers a wide variety of cladding options in the both the commercial and residential building segments, the company is enjoying great success in the Richmond, Virginia area by committing itself to residential EIFS.

“I’d tell anyone—don’t be afraid of residential EIFS work,” said Shane Burnette, one of the principals in James River Stucco of Richmond.“People still love the look and performance of EIFS and they absolutely want it. If you commit to it, you can grow a solid residential business.”
 
Shane should know. EIFS overall represents about 45 percent of all of James River Stucco’s business, with residential currently comprising about 35 percent of the EIFS work they do.

“We really believe in the Dryvit product, and that becomes obvious to our customers as well. My stepdad (Mike Chaney) and I both live in Dryvit homes. People we deal with know we do all sorts of sidings, so it says as lot that we both choose to live in a Dryvit EIFS home when we could have chosen any of the other sidings we use.”

In addition to a lot of fullsystem EIFS work, Shane says that accent work utilizing Dryvit premium finishes on brick or stucco homes is also a driving force in their residential sales focus.

At James River Stucco, they do not rely on market perceptions of residential EIFS to define their success. They actively set about to change them with the people who matter most: builders who may be skeptical of using EIFS after the litigation frenzy of the 1990s.

“We’re members of the local home builders associations and we actively participate—even in the difficult times when there were a lot of people who had questions about the system,” Burnette said.“We constantly work with builders to make them comfortable and confident in the product and in our ability to deliver them what they need to be successful.”

Shane credits the success of drainage systems and the quality of Dryvit products versus that of its competitors for the success they have enjoyed in their residential business.

“We have used other EIFS products in the past, but Dryvit does the best job—by far—of supporting the industry with literature and details. Plus we just like the Dryvit product better than the others. The Dryvit finish coat is crisper and cleaner looking and our men like the ‘workability’ of the product better in the field,” he said.

It is also the core principles that Mike Chaney has handed down to his sons that matter most in the company’s success.

“It’s critical that you be honest with your customers and do what you say you’re going to do. If you pay attention to all the details and be straight with the customer—even if it’s not good news–you’ll always be successful,” says Shane of the James River Stucco business philosophy.

Clearly, it is a philosophy that has held the company in good stead, even during the harder times. And with residential sales spurring new and exciting growth, has them positioned for a bright future as well.