MARCH 25, 2010 ISSUE
Business Spotlight
Log Homes of America and Logs America—A Two-Part Business With Integrity As a Common Foundation
Nicole Robinson, owner of Log Homes of America and Logs America, took over the businesses after her father retired in 2003. Log Homes of America is the manufacturing arm, and Logs America is a construction company. Photo by Corinne SaundersWhen customers ask Nicole Robinson, vice president of Log Homes of America, what separates them from the other guys, she responds simply that the company does what it says it is going to do.
Log Homes of America, the manufacturing arm, and Logs America, the construction company, were both started by Robinson’s father and are built on delivering a quality product and backing it up with integrity. Her father founded Log Homes of America in 1989 and established Logs America in 1994. Log home construction is a very unique niche market—Robinson adds that she calls the clients “loggies.” Owning a log home is something they have always wanted.
“We’re not trying to sell them,” she said, adding that some people have come in with 20-year-old blueprints, excited that they are at a point in their lives when they can finally start building.
Robinson worked as a construction supervisor with Logs America, mentored by her father. Seven years ago, Robinson got her contractor’s license and her dad retired. At that point, Robinson basically took over the company. Robinson is a recent Certified Green Professional from the National Association of Home Builders, adding to her credentials.
The biggest transition for the crew was getting used to working under her, Robinson said. “I’m more detail-oriented,” Robinson said. “I am a bit demanding on the job. I like things done right the first time.”
Her demands have paid off in bolstered company notoriety. In the last two years, Log Homes of America had four homes featured in County’s Best Log Homes, a popular consumer publication.
The two companies are different, but one helps the other, according to Robinson. Log Homes of America, for which she does marketing and sales, manufactures log home heavy timber beam components or accent elements for use in timber frame structures. Robinson’s husband, Joel, handles the manufacturing arm of the business.
Log Homes of America boasts a dealer network of 34 dealers and can ship all across the country. Robinson’s husband has great rapport with the dealers and the customers. He and his team have established great relationships with many other builders in the main regions the company serves.
Log America, meanwhile, builds in Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties, and has also built homes in Burke and Mitchell counties. The company can do everything in-house, including designing the home with an architect and engineer, and it typically takes eight to 10 months, depending on weather, for a home to be ready for occupants to move in, said Robinson.
“We can do turn-key, weather tight and anything in between,” she said.
A number of previous clients allow the company to show their homes by appointment.
“I’d always wanted to be in the business with my dad, [but it] took a while for both of us to be ready,” she said. “I went to college and did my own thing for a while.
“After working in sales for several years, I came back to my roots,” she said. “I just enjoy it.”
Her father had been building since 1973, and took Robinson to job sites, showing her how to use the backhoe, how to frame walls and more.
“I really grew up in it,” she added. “We can do any kind of house, from cabin to castle,” Robinson said, adding that the company has 13 employees.
Nearly all the work is custom, which doesn’t necessarily mean it costs more, but means that people will get exactly what they want in the house rather than having to follow a particular plan. The company does not try to be a one-size-fits-all company. Many of the clients do not reside in the area, so getting to a comfort level with them is a necessity, added Robinson.
“You really have to get to know them to build when they aren’t here,” Robinson said.
Every week during the construction process, Robinson sends emails with pictures to the clients and gives them a little homework, such as choosing the faucet fixtures or paint colors—enough to keep them involved, but not overwhelmed with decisions.
Robinson refers to subcontractors and those from which she buys materials as trade partners, because of how involved they truly are.
“I don’t shop around,” she said. “You have to develop relationships. That’s one of the key elements that makes the construction part go smoother. We spend a great deal of time developing relationships.”
Logs America is located at 9649-1 Highway 105 South in Banner Elk. The business is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. For more information, call 828-963-7755.
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