It all began innocently for Chris Nolan. He was running his own small IT consulting business back in the early 2000’s, when a friend of his wife had a thought. She’d been working for Home Depot in their Home Improvement sales group and felt that he’d be great for a spot in their group. He was intrigued by the possibility of working for a big, solid company, but had no experience with home improvement whatsoever.
“It’s not about that,” she told him. “You’re personable, people like you, they’ll train you on the product side. I think you’ll do great in it.”
Where he is 25 years later shows that her words were prophetic.
The training program that they had in place there at the time was emblematic of the service he still provides to this day. And the rapport he builds with his customers is a testament to who he is. It’s that people matter.
He spent several years doing exterior home improvement sales with Home Depot, learning all he could about roofing, siding, windows, you name it. But as time went on, things changed in the Home Depot process, and he made another big change, heading to New York Life for work in insurance, capitalizing on his fundamental ability to get to know and serve people professionally.
“I sort of transitioned from helping people with their homes to helping people with their lives,” Chris suggests.
Yet after seven years with New York Life, Chris felt something was missing. While what he was doing was rewarding, he missed the creativity of home design.
“Now we have great 3D modeling tools where I can take pictures of someone’s house and show them ‘here's what your house looks like now. Now let’s change the color of the siding, change the color of the windows, change the color of the roof and here's what it could look like.’ Lots of contractors default to 4-inch siding, but look how much nicer five or six inch siding looks with fewer horizontal lines going across your house. There’s no price difference, but the result is dramatic and can be stunning.”
That’s the difference between servicing a job and servicing a customer.
“It’s about the excitement and joy I see on their faces as they’re educated in their options, how much better their homes can look for the same cost, and how thoughtful design can have a monumental impact upon their ultimate satisfaction with their decisions. That’s the part that makes me happiest,” Chris admits.
He works with design consultants for some of his more extensive projects, but he also has his own secret weapon - his wife, an artist and art therapist. He literally has his own in-house sounding board.
Now Chris is working with Matute, a company he’d often worked with during his time at Home Depot. He respected Matute’s business practices so much that he chose to trust them with his own reputation.
There’s another reason that leaving his office role was so important to him. He knew that he was at the stage in his life that flexibility in setting his own schedule was something that he craved nearly as much as being creative.
Now, Chris can babysit his grandkids on short notice, do a little Ted Lasso-like soccer coaching, and just generally be there and available for the people who are most important to him.
The enthusiasm that comes from where he is in his life, professionally and personally, jumps out at you. It’s the way he values those small things, the people he helps, and how his path has led him to where he is today.
Chris Nolan knows that those words spoken years ago really did ring true. “You’d be great at this.”
And it has been for him.
Chris Nolan can be reached at Matute (50 Galesi Drive, Wayne) at 973-462-8984 or chris@matuteroofing.com.
What To Look For When Hiring A Contractor For Your Home’s Exterior
Trust
Do your research. What sort of reputation does this company have? Do they do the work quickly, on budget, and have their customers been satisfied with their work?
Product Knowledge
Do they take the time to talk with you about what you want, what you could have, and educate you on your options?
Vision
Are they taking into account every aspect of your home’s exterior to create a cohesive look?
Respect
Do they value your time and your schedule, and are they considerate of your neighbors when doing their work?