Rob Baugher is the owner and CEO of Baugher, Inc., a design and
remodel company located in Birmingham, Alabama. He’s been in the remodeling
business for over 40 years, holds several industry certifications and will share
his wealth of knowledge at the 2017 NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) in
Orlando in January. We caught up with him recently for a quick chat.
NAHB: What’s
the one thing you are looking forward to the most while attending IBS?
ROB: I am
looking forward to talking with other contractors and associates, especially
since I often feel I never get enough time to do so when I am home.
NAHB: What’s
your favorite online source for information?
ROB: I like
Michael Stone’s blog and his “Construction Business Owners” LinkedIn group.
Others include Michael Hyatt, “Be the Pro” and TED Talks.
NAHB: What is
your favorite weekend getaway?
ROB: Heading
to the coast! In five hours, we can be at the beach staring at the waves and
eating seafood!
NAHB: If you
were stranded on a deserted island, what are three items you’d want with you?
ROB: I’d want
a comfortable beach chair, a cold Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper and a satellite phone.
NAHB: Do you
have a memorable speaking story you’d care to share with our readers?
ROB: Not a
speaking story, but one that I often think about when I am speaking.
Years ago, I was in a country rock band, and we were
doing a concert for the Atlanta Penitentiary prisoners. We were performing a
song by Kris Kristofferson called “Why Me Lord?”—a rather new song for us—and
when we got to the second verse, I forgot the words!
Everything stopped and the shock started to run through
the band when someone in the crowd yelled “Hey, let Shorty sing it!” We
immediately identified who Shorty was and got him up on stage. He knew every
word to that song and blew the crowd away. The concert was a huge success. For
years afterward people would ask me if that was planned; I always said “Yes, it
was planned … by someone bigger than me!”
NAHB: Is there
one must-do activity you’d recommend for out-of-town visitors?
ROB: When you
visit Birmingham, you need to see the Vulcan statue—the largest cast iron
statue in the world—and then head down the mountain to Dreamland Bar-B-Que for
ribs.
NAHB: What are
the industry trends you are noticing?
ROB: What I’ve
noticed in 43 years of remodeling is that there is not enough vision and
innovation in our industry. We need to use our experience to help younger
business owners succeed faster.
NAHB: What’s
one issue you really wish we could find a solution for?
ROB: I would
like to see a way for us to constantly feed every kid in the USA, and then use
that same knowledge to work the world food problem.
NAHB: In three
words or less, describe your prediction for the building industry in 2017.
ROB: Completed
Work Faster.
Rob will be presenting the session “A Fast Path to Maximum Profit” on Tuesday, January 10.
Additionally, as part of your full registration, after IBS you
will be able to tune in to this and other sessions for free by accessing the IBS Education On Demand library. Over 130 sessions across 8 different building industry
topic tracks from 2017 IBS will be available on-demand by
mid-February 2017.