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The Reijnen Company, based on Bainbridge Island, is known around the North Kitsap area for high-end custom homes and remodels. According to its mission statement, the company delivers “exceptional quality and customer service with integrity resulting in excellent value for our clients.”
For company founder and president Derek Reijnen, quality is not just a simple word. “There is a lot of temptation in the industry to make quality provisional, but we make sure we’re consistent,” he said. “Quality is defined by how much craft and care you put into the project, not the types of materials you use.”
Craftsmanship is one of the qualities listed in the company’s list of core values, which also include professionalism, integrity, constant improvement and “people first.” The core values statement reads, in part, “Craftsmanship in construction is a fading art that we intend to revive. We are strongly committed to using, sharing and teaching our skills and raising the level of awareness and appreciation of craftsmanship.”
The company’s philosophy is that customers are for life. In practical terms, that means they do service work for clients whose projects they managed, whether that means installing a new door or doing a basic maintenance check. This, in turn, rewards them with new referrals.
“Our values and customer orientation — this is where our reputation excels,” Reijnen said. “We get a lot of positive feedback...”
Reijnen studied history and philosophy and taught for a while, but decided to look for a new profession to be more hands-on. He became a carpenter and went to architecture school, eventually falling in the footsteps of his father, who owned a large construction company when Reijnen was growing up in Canada. “My early memories were about being around the equipment and all that wood,” he said.
He founded The Reijnen Co. in 1983 in Port Townsend. He had moved to the Northwest from California in 1981 after having sailed into Port Townsend with some friends and meeting his future wife on his first day there. A California native, he was a founding partner in the firm Brissenden, Reijnen and Cook in Monterey Bay. He went between California and Washington for a while but soon the construction industry was in crisis with 18 percent interest rates, so he took the opportunity to leave the business and move north.
During the company’s early days, Reijnen did everything from design to construction, but now he is focused on bringing in new sales, putting together the project teams, monitoring projects and generally filling in. “I just put myself wherever I’m needed… I’m a floater,” he said.
The Reijnen Co. employs about 30 people. In the past, it had offices in Port Townsend and Seattle, but it has since consolidated to its home base on Bainbridge. The company is known for its environmentally conscious design, which it has offered for about 10 years and has grown in demand in the last five.
One of the ways the company approaches customer service is by making sure it carries a project through on schedule, instead of getting the foot in the door and then trying to fit the customer in. Reijnen said overbooking is a common practice with construction companies because they want to make sure they have workflow if some clients pull out. “Instead of overbooking, we spend a lot of time with clients in pre-construction planning, getting to know them, so by the time we make a commitment to them, they make a commitment to us,” he said.
The Reijnen Co. has a mix of residential, commercial, remodeling and new building projects, offering both design-built and construction-only services. The mix ranges from kitchen remodels to multimillion-dollar projects. “It’s like a big puzzle — you have big pieces and small pieces, and it optimizes our schedule,” he said. “Every year, we do an amazing mix.”
The company has been recognized nationally, including being named as part of the “Big 50” Hall of Fame companies by Remodeler Magazine. Reijnen also does consulting work nationwide.
He said his work entails a lot of intelligence, which is a reward in itself. “I like complex, challenging projects,” he said. “I like that this keep you on your toes.
Reijnen Company can be reached at 206-842-4409 or by visiting their website at www.reijnenco.com.
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