Caitlin Schrimpf, Director of Operations at Epcon Franchising, discusses how a home building franchise operates in this episode of the Epcon Experts Podcast.
“Our Franchise Builders are independent builders within their market, [they] often have great recognition already as very reputable builders. And on top of that, they’re getting the Epcon name behind that.”
Host: Hi Caitlin, how are you today?
Caitlin Schrimpf, Director of Operations at Epcon Franchising: I’m great, how are you?
Host: I’m doing very well. Thank you for joining us. I wanted to start out, you know, you and I have worked for Epcon Franchising for a while now. And I’d like to get from your perspective what you believe the Epcon Franchising network does best for home builders and home buyers across the country?
Caitlin: So, specifically for our home builders, I feel like they get a real value out of a connected network of builders that are building Epcon, all building the same thing, along with the proven processes that have come along from the home building company of doing this for a number of years.
And so they’re getting very thoughtful designs, that low maintenance lifestyle and very intentional community features as an Epcon builder.
Host: Yeah, and because we bring builders into the network that have built homes for years and we’re building a particular style of home, they can all learn from each other. They can learn from the corporate entity as well as learning from each other how to do it best anywhere in the country.
Caitlin: Absolutely.
Host: And from a buyer perspective, it’s the knowledge that there’s this larger entity out there that has designed and put a lot of thought into the homes and the community. That would bring a lot of confidence to them about the home and community they’re going to live in.
Caitlin: I agree. There’s been a lot of thought and research put behind our homes and their design. It’s very intentional and so they get the benefit of that.
Host: Just the word “franchising,” let’s talk about that for a second. Just the idea of franchising and home building is a little bit unique. I know when I talk to people around the country I say, “I work for home builder, but we’re also a franchising company.” Their eyebrow goes up and they look at me a little strangely and say, “Explain to me, what do you do?”
There’s not many companies that do what we do. Tell me a little bit from your perspective, what’s the strength of our company when we tie those two types of businesses together?
Caitlin: I get the same reaction too, when I tell people I work for a home building franchise. It’s definitely not a common thing. So the strength of a home building franchise, I feel, is that the home building company is really the test kitchen and they’re building these homes and these communities and learning, doing that research and development.
And our Franchise Builders get the benefit of all that experience along with their experience that they know about their regional markets, and able to combine that and bring a really great product to those buyers in the community that are seeking this.
Host: The corporate entity really is the test kitchen, as you said, and we make the mistakes. We go out and we try to build it and we find out what works and what doesn’t, and then the refined product, the things that we do think buyers respond well to, things that live well, we then bring that to our builders so that they can perpetuate that.
Caitlin: Absolutely.
Host: So let’s talk a little bit about you. You know, you taking on a new role within the company. And I was wondering if you could just share a little bit about your background, your current role and how that’s evolved at Epcon?
Caitlin: I have been very fortunate to be with Epcon for almost six years now and prior to working with Epcon I was not in the home building industry.
I came into Epcon as operations and really helping there. My background is actually in data analytics and customer experience. I went to college for mathematics. So I took a turn in doing this, but it’s been really wonderful and it’s a wonderful company to work for.
I’m continually finding that there are things that we can improve upon and learn from and so I really enjoy the challenges that come with it as far as problem solving, which you can take back to my background in mathematics and that critical thinking that’s involved there, and really looking at things from different angles.
And ensuring that as we’re working with our Franchise Builders that we’re taking a look at their situations from a unique perspective each time.
Host: And I think it’s interesting when you start to dive into the people who are behind a company, you know, what are their backgrounds? What’s their history? What are the unique experiences that they bring? And a home building company is not a monolithic entity. It’s a variety of people coming with different experiences and they bring it ultimately to the betterment of everyone involved.
What drew you to Epcon? What brought you into home building? What is it about the company that you saw that you wanted to be a part of?
Caitlin: When I was first coming into Epcon, I was really impressed with everyone I spoke with and how it’s founded and it’s located here in Columbus, Ohio. It did start out, it was a one-community sort of deal and then the natural progression that this company had in building its vision and serving the demographic and the need for a more low-maintenance lifestyle, single-level living.
It’s just very impressive that they’ve taken this natural progression of growth into different market as well as into the franchise system. And I really appreciate that uniqueness to the company.
Host: They were then revolutionary again when they went into the franchising side of the business and went in a complete different direction than what most of the industry does. It’s an interesting concept to do that.
So it’s really great to be a part of that and to be part of a company that’s constantly evolving and constantly reinventing yourself. Would you agree?
Caitlin: Yeah, absolutely. I don’t think you could be a company with any sort of longevity if you’re not evolving and innovating, so Epcon keeps that in mind.
Host: Always trying to keep the product fresh for our home buyers, always looking at trends, research, things that people want. How do we ultimately bring that into our network and bring it to our builders?
You get to interact with our builders around the country. 70 plus Franchise Builders in 20 plus states around the country. Many of them, as I said before, were existing builders before they joined our network. These are long-established, professional builders that saw what we were doing, the product that we were bringing, the segment of the market that we were bringing it to. Said, I want to learn more about that and be a part of that.
From your interactions with them, talk about their commitment to their home buyers? Because it’s a two-way street. We want them to join our network. Well, we want the right type of builders to join our network. Ones with a great reputation and do a great job for their buyers. I [was] just wondering [if] you could talk about your experiences with our builders around the country?
Caitlin: I am so continually impressed with our builders that I work with each and every day, and the variety of experience that they bring to an Epcon community. I do feel that our builders are really all in and serving these home buyers that are buying their homes.
They’re not just looking to build a home for them but they’re excited to build communities where these people can move on to their home that they’ve been waiting for and looking for and that just isn’t in their market right now.
And so I feel that they all very strongly, our network of builders, have that commitment to delivering that to our home buyers, the community.
Host: And what do you think they saw in Epcon that was the biggest value to them? What was it about the network or the things that we do, the services we provide that really stands out to them? What do they talk the most about in the times that you get to spend with them?
Caitlin: They always talk about how they’re so wowed when they come into one of our homes, first of all, so the product is a huge part of that. And so they are always talking about how they bought in because they get this great product that Epcon offers in its homes.
And not only that, they get a plan on how to drive that lifestyle in the community. They get access to a network of vendors that they have access to, to put quality into their homes as well. So they’re building a great home design with great features and great product within it.
Host: They get a quality home, but they also get the community as a whole. It’s not just about buying a house. It’s about the clubhouse, it’s about the pool, the walking trails, fitness center and then all the neighbors.
It’s that ability to interact with the community of people, similar life stage as yourself, that are looking for people to connect with, interact with and really get a new lease on life many times, where maybe they were in a suburb and the kids have gone off to college.
There’s a lot of turnover in a community, maybe they’ve lost those connections. They come into our communities and then they can regain that. They can regain that part of their lives.
You also have been a big part of our Epcon National Conference. To help to plan it, to organize it, conceive a lot of new things that take place there. It’s a time where our builders come together and they network, but then there’s a lot of education that goes on as well.
I was just wondering if you would share a little bit about the conference and the thought that goes into it and all of the things that we provide?
Caitlin: So the conference is where the power of the network really shows up. We’re getting strategy, learning and community through that. And the relationships that are formed there continue to add value for our Franchise Builders all year long.
And it’s not just the Franchise Builders that are attending this conference, it’s our home building employees too. So the thought that goes behind this is that we’re ensuring that when we have this event, this national conference, that people are getting key industry insights that are very timely, that they can implement into their business right away. And we’re also giving them a great opportunity to meet with one another, network, best practice sharing.
And of course we use some time during that to have a lot of fun and celebrate the achievements of our network. So that way we know that we’re building these fantastic communities, taking a whole team underneath these Franchise Builders and within these Franchise Builders to have that happen, we cannot pass up the opportunity to celebrate those wins with some awards at that conference.
Host: The buyers across the country that buy an Epcon home are working with a local builder. That’s first and foremost.
But oftentimes that local builder is limited on who they can hire and the resources they can bring in, and the national accounts that they can be a part of, the trainers that they work with.
But I think what’s a real great confidence booster for a buyer is knowing that that local builder who you’re working with who’s going to build your home is also tied to this larger network of resources, best practices, thoughtful home designs. Do you agree with that statement?
Caitlin: I agree with that 100%. Our Franchise Builders are independent builders within their market, [they] often have great recognition already as very reputable builders. And on top of that, they’re getting the Epcon name behind that and everything that comes with that.
And that does include great connections to our national account partners and vendors. As a home buyer of an Epcon home, they can feel assured that they’re getting a great home with great quality products within it.
Host: Do you get involved with the product development side of it?
Caitlin: We are always very open and communicating internally with our product development team, hearing what our Franchise Builders are desiring based upon their markets and their home designs.
And having an open loop of communication for feedback that goes both ways. So when our Franchise Builders are making a tweak or hearing from some of their buyers within their market that they want some specific feature within a home, we can bring that to our product development team so they can consider it for value in our corporate communities and divisions and see if that makes sense there.
So our product development team is benefiting from the Franchise Builder network and our Franchise Builders are benefiting from the updates that our product development team are making continually. I’m always ensuring that as those updates are made that those are being distributed to our Franchise Builders, so they have the latest and greatest designs.
Host: As you’re looking to the future for Epcon Franchising, what’s got you excited? What’s the future look like?
Caitlin: The future with Epcon Franchising, I feel, is really focusing on that core group of builders that we have right now and really deep diving into their business, building that relationship between Epcon and our Franchise Builders so that they can really serve those home buyers more effectively and better.
Host: Yeah, it’s really making the network stronger and stronger on a go-forward basis, which is going to help home buyers. Better product, better communities, better served buyers that will be able to live the lifestyle they’ve been wanting.
Anything else that you’d like to share that you’re looking into or paying attention to? Whether it’s technology, whether it’s certain books, is there anything that you’re currently really interested in yourself that you might potentially be able to bring to the company?
Caitlin: I’m always very interested in seeing how we can integrate technology into our business. So that’s something I’m always open to, and I feel that we must be open to as our home buyer segment changes.
They’re going to be buying differently, so I know that we’ll continue to build on that as Epcon’s been very forward-thinking about digital tours, incorporating technology in the buying process that helps our home builders be able to present the homes to our home buyers and our home buyers can visualize what they’re going to be moving into. So that is something that I feel very passionate about and will continue down that road.
Host: Those are the things I’m very passionate about as well. And there’s a number of other podcasts we’ve done which people can also check out talking about those very issues.
I’m grateful that you see it the same way and we can continue to work together. I want to thank you, Caitlin. I appreciate your time today and being part of our podcast series.