Former Lieutenant Governor Sue Wagner did her homework before hiring a contractor to work on her home. She received referrals from people she knew, got bids, checked references, and even looked at examples of their work before choosing a contractor. She selected Thomas Yantis because, "I found him to be professional and very forthright," she says. Her research proved correct. She feels Yantis did an excellent job building her redwood deck.

Yantis, with his company, Building and Dwellings, strives for excellence. He achieves this by working closely with his clients as each project progresses, even becoming a personal shopper helping select the proper materials. "Weve found it eliminate problems if you just let the homeowner see what youre doing and let them make changes as you go along," he says. "If they want to add a window where there wasnt one in the plans, thats their prerogative." Yantis goal is to make the remodels he builds look like part of the existing home, rather than an addition.

While he does work closely with the homeowners, he also stays out of their way. "We try to keep the mayhem to a minimum," Yantis says. He tries to block off his remodels from the rest of the house, eliminating the need for construction workers to walk through the living area. He is also a stickler for trash elimination and keeping the sight clean. "Im adamant about that," he says. "All my employees and sub know how I feel about respecting our customers property."

Yantis has an established team of subcontractors he uses for most projects, unless the client has a specific subcontractor in mind. "Im fortunate to have great people to associate with, and weve learned how to work together," he says. According to Yantis, part of that teamwork means maintaining a professional environment. "We keep our workplace drug and alcohol-free and we restrict the bad language."

Yantis gained his construction experience as a high school student, maintaining his familys rental properties in Oregon. Looking for a little adventure, he and some friends moved to Reno from Portland and opened a local bar which needed remodeling. After hiring contractors to do the work, he felt there was a need for more tradesmen who showed up on time, kept to a budget, and did the job right.

He traded in his liquor license for a contractors license and formed Buildings and Dwellings in 1985. In the beginning, he concentrated on finish work, but then he decided his work could match or excel that of the contractors for whom he was working. So Buildings and Dwellings entered the business of general contracting.