Since actively partnering with BuildZoom, Albert Puma of A.W. Puma has seen his company evolve into a full-service firm with truly satisfied clients. In just over a year on BuildZoom, A.W. Puma has earned $2.3M from various large-scale projects, while building several valuable client and business relationships. Today, the firm’s success is still growing with BuildZoom’s active support.

Albert Puma has been in construction in some form for the past 18 years. Beginning in vocational high school and focusing on carpentry, he practiced the trade working for other contractors while getting his business management degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston. In January 2014, he decided to open A.W. Puma in Natick, Massachusetts, with the hopes of continuing his passion for building. Since then, the firm has grown to include two project managers, Danny and Leo, who both began as carpenters for the firm. Together, Puma and his team of talented builders have focused on basic remodels, kitchen, bathrooms, decks, sunroofs, and other services.

Despite a talented team at A.W. Puma, building the company from the ground up was not easy: as in the case with many businesses, it took time for A.W. Puma to gain trust from clients and secure a reputation in the industry.

Moreover, through these platforms, A.W. Puma received about 35-36 initial contacts a month, with only about 25% of the contacts following up. From there, only about 60-70% of the clients ended up closing on their project with the firm.

It’s no wonder that when Puma discovered BuildZoom’s managed system for matching contractors to vetted clients, he decided to give it a shot. It didn’t take long for Puma to close their first deal. Recognizing the potential of BuildZoom, Puma reached out to a BuildZoom partner specialist to talk more in-depth. Puma discovered that BuildZoom had conveniently provided a partner specialist to take projects from clients and connect them to contractors with the right fit. Since building a relationship with Blaine, his BuildZoom partner specialist, Puma expressed that now only 10% of their projects are from Angi’s List, with around 70% coming from BuildZoom and the remaining from word of mouth.

Before handing off a client to a contractor, BuildZoom has already helped the client clarify their project budget, scope, and expectations so that it’s ready to move forward. Puma continues,

One of the firm’s larger projects from BuildZoom was a single family home conversion into a 4600-square-foot, 3-unit multi family home in Gloucester, Massachusetts. A.W. Puma completely renovated the existing structure and included a new addition with a budget of $650K. Another project sourced from BuildZoom was a condominium renovation in Boston, Massachusetts. A.W. Puma fully renovated two condos, converted them into three units, and inserted a 2-story addition. A.W. Puma also expanded into work on commercial space using BuildZoom’s connection with a project at the Lithuanian Club in Boston, Massachusetts.

But A.W. Puma got more than just leads through BuildZoom.

As in the case with A.W. Puma, BuildZoom actively helps contractors save time, money, and energy by connecting builders to project leads that will count. BuildZoom builds trust between quality builders and quality clients to get each job done. By only taking a small referral commission on projects that contractors actually win, BuildZoom empowers contractors to build their business sustainably and without up-front payments for dubious leads.

A.W. Puma’s team knows the importance of communication and trust.

As BuildZoom grows, it continues to be an agent of collaboration, maximizing value for contractors and clients along the way.