DS Quality Trades, Inc out of Divide, Colorado is a Teller County contractor who has been servicing the area, Park, and El Paso Counties in Colorado since 2014. We had the opportunity to learn more about the company, as we talked with dynamic husband and wife team, Drew and Stacy Albers.
RMFP: Thanks so much for talking with us about your company today! Can you tell us the story about how DS Quality Trades got started?
DS: We opened in April 2014. Drew has 44 plus years of construction background and started working on his own after working as a framing field manager for West Tech Framing. After moving from Las Vegas to Divide, Colorado he worked in the Southern Colorado construction scene, through the 2008 housing crash.
RMFP: That’s great you were able to branch out on your own. What does your background look like, Stacy?
DS: I just recently retired from Pikes Peak Community College and now I do the marketing, social media, billing and am also on job sites swinging a hammer, alongside Drew. I do a little bit of everything.
RMFP: That sounds like a good change of pace for retirement. What services does your company offer?
DS: We do a little bit of everything from rough framing, decks, pergolas, fences, soft remodels, laminate flooring, tile, paint & stain and faux ceilings.
RMFP: What areas do you service?
DS: We work in Teller County, Park County and El Paso County. We are located in Divide and will venture down into Colorado Springs, where we have a great general contractor we sub out there. We are licensed for concrete and framing, which allows us to pull permits in Teller County.
RMFP: Nice, that’s a good variety of areas you are able to work in. What is your turnaround time for a project?
DS: Most decks we are able to complete in 8-10 days. Bigger jobs can be 15 days. We are able to install 100 feet of fence in just a couple of days. We just have one crew working at a time. From last year to this year, we increased our business by 46%.
RMFP: Congrats, that’s a huge accomplishment! What would you say makes your business unique?
DS: We really like to meet with clients face to face to do the initial bid. We are very hands on and love to give each project a personal touch. All of our work is quality and done right the first time. We really pride ourselves on integrity, transparency and honesty. If a problem arises, we instantly get in contact with the client to talk over the problem and find a solution. Even though Drew is very good at estimating what a job is going to take, surprises can still happen and we do our best to minimize the hassle for the client. We also love to give personalized gifts at the end of a job, to show our clients how grateful we are that they entrusted us with such an important project for their home.
See The Work (and adopted turkey!) of this Teller County Contractor
RMFP: What do you like about working in this industry?
DS: We love being in the Rocky Mountains and working outside. Moving from Las Vegas to be in the mountains has been a dream come true. We love the people and love helping dreams come true and seeing the reactions when a project is completed.
RMFP: How many employees work at your company?
DS: It’s mainly just the two of us. There is one subcontractor that we use quite a bit and we have 2 grown boys that we like to keep busy, as well.
RMFP: How do people find out about you?
DS: Mostly word of mouth. We have also used Home Advisor and have a 5 star rating on there. But, it can get expensive using them too consistently.
RMFP: What type of clientele are you typically trying to reach out to?
DS: Residential mostly. Drew worked a lot of small commercial jobs in Las Vegas and has worked on Hamilton Inns and Holiday Inns up and down the Front Range and Western Slope. But as the job gets bigger, the size of crews gets too high and we are content with the niche we are in now.
RMFP: What goals do you have for your business?
DS: We would like to be able to bring two of Drew’s boys out from Vegas to work with us. We would like to expand, but still be able to keep it personalized. We’d love to grow to a couple of three person crews and be able to keep them busy. A more immediate goal is to be able to build a house from the ground up.
RMFP: Do you have a crazy job site story you could share with us?
DS: Well, we were repairing stucco on house and there was a turkey that followed Stacy around. We ended up adopting the turkey and his mate and they are home with us now!
DS Quality Trades is dedicated to ensuring that your project, and experience with their service, meets your highest level of expectations and professionalism. It is their mission to create a long-term relationship with their clients by understanding their goals and delivering the highest level of quality construction services at a fair market, and competitive price. If you would like a quote on their services in Teller, Park, and El Paso Counties, give them a call at 719-659-2935, visit their website or follow them on Facebook!
