Referred Home Services

 

Anyone who has gone through the home-improvement process knows that visions of a dream property can easily turn into a nightmare. Shady and unqualified contractors, faulty building materials, hidden costs in the fine print—all of these pitfalls can turn the process into a stressful, chaotic and expensive ordeal for homeowners.

 

Now someone has their back. 

 

Having gone through an unpleasant home improvement experience herself, Janet Smith decided to do something about it.  Utilizing almost two decades of business and marketing experience, Janet founded a dynamic new company, Referred Home Services, which is revolutionizing the home improvement industry.

 

Referred Home Services is uniting discerning, higher-income homeowners and community managers with proven, quality craftsmen who are highly regarded in the home improvement industry in select locales of Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties. In 2007, Janet launched http://www.ReferredHomeServices.com/, Referred Home Services’ online directory of dependable home improvement specialists.

 

Referred Home Services conducts two-hour interviews with every business owner, checking their licenses, certifications, and insurances, and requesting no less then 10 references.  Ongoing evaluations of the quality of work and the level of business professionalism are key for initial and continuing membership in RHS.
 
Says Janet: “This is a two way street. Contractors and businesses need good paying, dependable homeowners, just as homeowners need good, dependable work. My company is bringing them together.”

 

Janet’s “If there’s no wind, row” approach to her new company has been the driving force in her career, carrying her to senior executive positions at numerous companies across the country, including major A-list companies as Siebel Systems, Informix Software, Tandem Computers, and what was then Arthur Andersen.

 

Her entrepreneurial spirit – intertwined with experience in profit and loss management, operations management, business development, marketing, finance, software engineering and customer relations –has enabled Janet to maximize revenue and profitability and cultivate the competitive advantages that allow companies to break away from the pack.

 

Janet also owns and operates 5th Dimension Marketing, a high-end consulting and advisory firm that assesses industries, opens and penetrates new markets, and enhances profitability. 

 

She has written and implemented business plans for start-ups to major corporations, and held positions on their boards.

 

Janet is the recipient of corporate communication awards in the Silicon Valley. She’s a graduate of the University of Florida.

 

Janet resides in Jupiter, Fla., with her daughter, Veronica.

 

 

One usually thinks that a Bentley in the neighbor’s driveway is a sign of prosperity, but for one Wellington contractor, that Bentley was a ticket to prison.   This former resident remains in the throes of the legal process after being indicted for fraud and grand theft for ‘living the high life’ with unsuspecting customers’ deposits.  The Bentley was delivered, the cabinets and countertops he was hired to install, were not. 

“We had invited this neighbor to stay with us during the 2004 hurricanes, not knowing what he was doing to his customers,” stated Diane Smoot, recently hired as Operations Director for Referred Home Services™ (RHS), a Jupiter-based company who provides a free website directory of reputable, home repair and improvement contractors.  “Within several months, the police arrived at their door”. 

 “I hear of too many people who continue to have problems with contractors,” said Smoot.  “Particularly in today’s real estate market in south Florida, it’s refreshing to see a company like RHS dramatically impact contractors, property managers and homeowners alike by matching those who need exceptional craftsmanship with the reputable businesses that deliver as promised.  It’s exciting to be a part of this team.”

Chosen for her strong analytical, software and organizational skills, Smoot spent 13 years with Caribbean Property Services, LLC and held positions from Director, Lease Administration to Special Projects working directly for the President of the firm.  Smoot’s responsibilities grew to include the management of multiple corporations’ contract implementation and the analysis of the finances and operations of those individual companies.

 

 RHS implemented a customer relationship management (CRM) software solution from inception so the infrastructure to manage complex relationships in a growing environment is in place.

“RHS has shown tremendous growth since its inception and Diane will drive our internal processes and procedures and infrastructure as we continue our regional expansion,” stated RHS founder and CEO Janet Smith.

The mother of 13 year-old twins, Josh and Megan, Diane and her husband Tom are long-time residents of Wellington. When not caring for her family or enhancing her career, Diane cares for her dogs and cats and enjoys spending her leisure time reading, cooking and going to the beach.

“We take the extra steps necessary to validate our contractors thus ensuring that homeowners are only getting the best of the best,” said Smoot.  “Our contractors have described the RHS certification process as ‘grueling’.  I go to work every day knowing my company is part of a real solution to an everyday problem.”