Photo by Erin Nelson.
Chief Operating Officer Jason Clotfelter, left, and Chief Executive Officer Hunter Renfroe of Maestro Maintenance Management.
Business people who own and operate their own buildings can face persistent problems in trying to properly maintain those facilities while still having time to actually run their enterprises, said Jason Clotfelter, chief operating officer for Maestro Maintenance Management, a Birmingham building services provider.
“People don’t have time to track down vendor after vendor for specific maintenance issues that come up,” Clotfelter told Iron City Ink.
That’s where Maestro comes in. The company, based in downtown, bills itself as the only on-demand building services provider catering to owner-occupied facilities in central Alabama.
“Our goal is to make managing a building easy for our clients — saving them valuable time, money and stress — so they can focus on managing their business, not their building,” Clotfelter said.
“We strive to provide a comprehensive, reliable one-stop shop maintenance service,” he said. Maestro, in existence for a little over a year, seems to be building a niche for itself. Maestro recently surpassed performing maintenance operations in more than 200 buildings in central Alabama, Clotfelter said.
The company also performs maintenance for Birmingham developer Orchestra Partners — Maestro’s sister company — in 10 of its buildings.
“We feel confident we have tapped into a very strong market opportunity,” Clotfelter said.
The vision for Maestro, including its specialization in owner-occupants, came from the company’s founder, Hunter Renfroe. Renfroe is also a principal and co-founder of Orchestra Partners.
Before starting Maestro, Renfroe led the development of the building for his family’s business, E.A. Renfroe & Company.
“Much of his time was spent coordinating with dozens of vendors to manage the building, which took time away from overseeing crucial day-to-day operations,” Clotfelter said. “He knew it was imperative they find someone who could manage the building so they could solely focus on running their business,” he said.
Maestro shares an office with Orchestra Partners and leverages the development firm’s reputation and experience as the owner and occupant of many of its own properties.
“We are owner-occupiers, too,” says the Maestro website.
To handle its increasing workload, Maestro has two full-time maintenance technicians and works with approximately 50 carefully vetted vendors who represent about 27 specialties or trades, Clotfelter said.
After just over a year, Maestro already has 10 employees.
“Our team members have diverse backgrounds ranging from Class A property management and entrepreneurship to commercial janitorial and working for large Mechanical Electrical or Plumbing contractors,” Clotfelter said.
Photo courtesy of Maestro Maintenance Management.
A staff member at Maestro Maintenance Management works on a maintenance or repair issue at a client’s building. Maestro, founded by Hunter Renfroe, is a sister company to OrchestraPartners, a busy Birmingham developer.
Maestro has also attempted to differentiate itself from competitors by making a “significant investment in technology,” Clotfelter said. The company also recently hired Kyle McKinley, a Venture For America fellow, to serve as technology manager.
And Maestro professes to take a personal, hands-on, customized approach with each client, Clotfelter said.
They take “the time to build relationships with our clients and learn each of their facilities from front to back and top to bottom,” he said. “This gives us a more holistic perspective and allows us to gain better insight on our clients’ needs.”
It’s also important to customize services for clients, Clotfelter said. Maintenance issues “are not a one-size-fits-all equation,” he said.
If a client already has a system in place for building management, they can still access those “al a carte” services through Maestro On Demand, according to the website. A client can simply email Maestro and request help with any maintenance job.
Maestro also promises clear and constant communication with clients, according to its website. There is an email ticketing system to order repairs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are also regularly scheduled meetings to review, plan and make adjustments to maintenance programs as needed.
The company offers guaranteed response times based on priorities set by the clients. Maestro also provides a range of financial services, from annual budgeting, planning for facility upgrades and comprehensive financial plans.
The company also promises to help clients avoid unexpected costs. “To ensure complete financial transparency, we clearly define our fee structure and make sure that each client understands exactly what our fees cover,” according to maestromaintenance.com.
