If you haven't heard of GreenForm yet, chances are you will soon. In just a few years, it has grown from a few friends with a roofing company to a full-fledged construction, roofing and solar business with around a dozen full-time employees and multiple subcontractors.
"We're general contractors with unlimited licenses, and we try to do all of our building projects with a green emphasis, from the type of wood to insulation to windows that are energy efficient," said Fred Holder, president and principle owner of GreenForm. "We push sustainability and energy efficiency."
Holder, his brother Camp Holder, and a third partner, D.J. Shelton, have worked to build a company whose major focus is customer satisfaction. "We pride ourselves in the fact that our customers call us back when they need additional work", said Camp Holder, Vice President. "Our customers are our best marketing tool", he said. "Most of our business comes from customer referrals."
And one of GreenForm's current projects, a house on Missionary Ridge, encompasses just about everything the company is qualified to do.
The owner wanted to convert to solar energy, but the orientation of the house wasn't compatible, so GreenForm planned to install a pole-mounted solar system on the grounds. Like many of the company's projects, this one snowballed as the owner and GreenForm's employees worked together to figure out what the best approach would be, said D.J. Shelton, VP of operations. Now, they're building a garage with a roof-mounted solar system and an attached outdoor kitchen that will match the architecture of the original house.
"This project gives us the chance to do a little bit of everything that we do: the construction side and the solar side," said Shelton. "We are, in essence, doing a groundup build, changing the roofline, putting on a new roof and also doing a roof-mounted solar system on the garage roof and a ground-mounted solar system."
Those are several distinct projects, but GreenForm can handle it. With two licensed General Contractors GreenForm handles both residential and commercial projects. And that, Shelton aid, is what sets GreenForm apart from your standard construction company or roofing company or solar company.
"We can do all of it," he said. "We have the capability to do anything you want in the realm of construction or renewable energy. This cuts down the project time, and you only have one point of contact. A project manager is assigned to each job, and he is accountable for everything."
GreenForm's humble beginnings trace back from its first 400 sq ft office to the current 30,000-square-foot headquarters (it's outgrown three others). "We are all from Chattanooga and I have known Camp and Fred since high school", said Shelton. Fred is a licensed public adjuster and Camp & I are both licensed GCs. We think we have put together a team with all the right skills and expertise." Judging from the growth of the company, that appears obvious. They recently responded to the storm damage in the Kingsport area and are working on several projects in the tri-cities. In fact, GreenForm frequently takes on projects all over the Southeast: Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Just last month, the company installed solar on the New American Home project in Las Vegas.
"Adding the solar division was natural, said Fred Holder, with our emphasis on sustainability.
It's something that we wanted to do from the start but we wanted to be sure we were prepared and the market was ready," he said. "A critical strategic partnership has allowed us access to the best solar products on the market at the lowest price in the nation. That makes us more affordable than anyone else. The national average is about $5 per watt for solar, and we start out around $2.50 with quality materials. Solar just makes sense for today's economy and there are a lot of perks for the property owner right now."
And once finished, the Missionary Ridge home, with 22,000 watts of solar power, will take full advantage of those perks.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: GreenForm is located at 2301 E. 28th St. in Chattanooga. Call 423-531-0222 or visit mygreenform.com to learn more about the company's services.
MORE INFORMATION
GreenForm is located at 2301 E. 28th St. in Chattanooga. Call 423-531-0222 or visit mygreenform.com to learn more about the company's services.