Home connection — helping you find the right contractor
Bay Area referral service saves homeowners the hassle of finding Mr. (or Ms.) Right
By Keiko Ohnuma, Oakland Tribune (March 5,1993)

ALAMEDA ---- These days, hiring a house painter off the street can get you in as much trouble as going on a blind date. So Bonnie Headlee set up the equivalent of a handyman introduction service. Like any good matchmaker, the Alameda networker checks out every eligible contractor for proper licenses, bonds and insurance. She pays a visit to each workshop and scrutinizes portfolios to make sure they're aboveboard. Then she calls for references - eight of them - from satisfied customers. As a result of all this legwork, homeowners looking for a painter, plumber, electrician or other contractor can place a free phone call to the Trades Guild and get candidates prescreened by Headlee.

Naturally, Headlee also asks discreet questions about the homeowners' intentions in order to get a firm understanding of the scope of the work and the amount of money involved. Contactors pay to participate in Headlee's service. For them, the Trades Guild represents an unconventional form of advertising. Given the slow economy and soft construction markets, many willingly wait for an opportunity for work in their category. "I was impressed that they did their homework," said Arthur Earle, a general contractor in Oakland who estimates the service has brought him half his business since 1991. "I realized if they were that cautious, I might be in good company."

Painter Rob Maveus, who gets a third to half of his customers from the service, says the Trades Guild's leads tend to be more "enlightened and consumer-aware." "The nice thing is that prospective clients feel more comfortable talking with me about their projects, because we've been prescreened and they don't feel they need to do that," says Miles Burke, a general contractor in Oakland.

Indeed, Headlee has made it her mission to educate consumers on the importance of hiring contactors who are licensed, bonded, insured and reputable - an argument that has gotten a boost from "Nannygate". "People don't understand the complexities of contracting work in general," said Burke. Liability insurance and workers' compensation costs are part of what keep his prices higher than laborers who take cash under the table. But if anything goes wrong on a job, Headlee said, the homeowner who has hired an unlicensed contractor has no legal recourse with the state. A devout follower of the home improvement industry, Headlee started the Trades Guild three years ago with an office, telephone, computer and no experience in construction. She had been working for a media production company and longing for a business of her own when a frustrated search for a plumber gave her the idea for a contractor referral service. From that point on, the entrepreneur left nothing to chance. For nearly a year she researched, networked and spent nights and weekends drafting a business plan. Just before the earth shook many Bay Area homes to the ground, Headlee left her job and started her new business.

The guild's referral area has since stretched from Alameda County into Contra Costa and San Francisco. Last month, the Trades Guild expanded into Marin. Headlee's roster now includes about 180 contractors, from handymen to landscapers, tree removers to alarm installers. Limits in each category ensure that everyone gets a fair share of referrals. Growing categories include specialists, such as faux-finish painters or skylight designers and some professional services like architects and engineers. Before long, Headlee estimates the Trades Guild will circle the bay. Carving a market niche has brought some strange inquiries along the way, she said, like a tip on a good tailor or auto mechanic. Some women even call, the matchmaker confides, to ask if the plumber is single.