HOME Staying Nimble Scott Gittleman is changing with the times, and even forging ahead. Steve Raphael Special to the Jewish News G ittleman Construction is retrofitting its business model as the 31-year-old remodeling and home improvement company fights to survive in this chal- lenging economic environment. "I changed my plan when the business changed," says company founder Scott Gittleman. "Our company is busy and busier than we were in 2007. Now we are doing more jobs with fewer people, without any loss in quality." Projects are smaller, additions fewer and inte- rior renovations more numerous. Up until the middle of last year, the company was doing a lot more additions than it is now, he says. Gittleman is building a kitchen/bathroom show- room in company offices in Farmington Hills, ren- ovating a cabinetry showroom. This year, the firm began selling the products of upscale manufac- turers Medallion Cabinets and Pennville Custom Cabinetry. The firm also was recently certified as a green builder by the National Association of Home Builders. Gittleman's work situation is hardly different than his peers. A 2009 study by Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies Reductions found that homeowner improvement spending will decline 12 percent this year. "The weak housing market and the national economic recession continue to take their toll on remodeling," explains Nicolas P. Retsinas, director of the Joint Center. "It looks increasing unlikely that this industry will recover until consumers have more confidence in the housing market." As an indicator of remodeling activity, Harvard measures and projects only a portion of the U.S. home improvement market, namely spending by homeowners on property improvements. The remodeling industry can still point to small pockets of hope. ServiceMagic's first quarter 2009 home and remodeling repair survey found that "homeowners are feeling more confident about the economy this year, compared to last," says Craig Smith, chief executive. "People are not going bigger and better, but improving what they have more cost effectively." Servicemagic.com is a Web site that connects homeowners to prescreened contractors. The survey revealed that more than half of the homeowners queried last year who put off home improvement projects are going forward this year. Gittleman may have completed the mother of all home improvement projects last fall. "I turned a small log cabin into a great looking lake house," he beamed. The project belongs to Joyce Keller Michael Walch, Joyce Keller and Scott Gittleman stand inside the former "log cabin." STAYING NIMBLE on page B6 June 18 2009 B5