What’s in a remodeling company name?

The remodeling industry is ripe with owner names serving as company names, or names aimed at customer service or quality. But what about those companies with unique names that are completely unrelated to remodeling?

NARI members share their stories behind the name—where they originate and why their unusual names make them stand out.

Captain Hook Rolloffs, Austin, Texas

The Captain Hook Rolloffs company name came from the owner of the original location in Peoria, Ill.

But according to Francis Hester, president of the Austin-based location, the name describes a unique attribute of the company—hook-lift trucks.

“We use hook-lifts to load and unload our containers,” Hester explains. “This allows us to be more flexible in tight spaces, whereas a typical rolloff truck using a cable [and winch] system cannot maneuver as well,” Hester says.

This is beneficial to many construction sites that have very little space to place containers, where they are convenient for dumping.

Hester admits, people probably don’t make the connection between the name and the unique hook-lift system, but he’s found that the name and the smiley-faced pirate logo made his Dumpsters memorable around the local area.

“I think when people are shopping around for price, they tend to remember our name and call back,” Hester says.

Brian Walters, Factotum, Inc., Paoli, Pa.

Starting out as a handyman and repair company, Stacey Harant didn’t want to lose sight of the company’s humble beginnings when transitioning into a turnkey remodeling company.

“We wanted a name for the business that reflected that not only will we update your kitchen [or] build your dream addition, but we will also hang your pictures on the walls, change your light bulbs and filters, and even rescue baby squirrels from your wall—yes we did that,” Harant says.

So Harant perused the dictionary for the perfect word to reflect the company’s deep-seated values. The meaning of their unusual name is found on the homepage of their Website, described as, factotum is derived from Latin, facere which means “to do” and totusa meaning “all.”

“Factotum as the do-er of all, fits us perfectly,” Harant says.

Mac-Bo, LLC, Portland, Ore.

Ed Hesse started his company in 2004 under the name MacArthur Booth Constructors. The company was named after both of his grandmothers, to pay homage to the “things families do which make children successful.”

However, eventually vendors and clients started to refer to Hesse’s company as Mac-Bo, a shortened version of the original name. “It was kind of a mouthful for people to say,” Hesse says.

He finally gave in, drawing up a mid-century era (modeled after the type of home he enjoys working in) logo to fit the new company name Mac-Bo, LLC.

Now that it’s been changed there are no hard feelings for Hesse when it comes to his company name. “We started out one way, and the name grew into us,” he says.

Other interesting names:

Via Viridis Green Solutions Inc., based in Woodstock, Ga., is a green product vendor that emphasizes seeking out products from all over the world with proven environmental benefits. According to Nick Hobbs via the company Website, Via Viridis is Latin, for “The Green Way” which defines the company direction.

Mark Hauck and Timothy Ferraro named their remodeling company Bluestem Construction, based in Saint Louis Park, Minn., after bluestem grass, native to the upper Midwest. According to their Website, “The tall, graceful grass is supported by deep roots that are well adapted to the extremes of Minnesota’s climate. It is both a beautiful and ecologically sustainable presence in the landscape. At Bluestem Construction we believe these are attributes worth pursuing: build for where you live, support beauty with a solid foundation, contribute to the well-being of the planet.”

Enrique Valdez paid tribute to his childhood by naming his remodeling company, Azteca 111 Builders, Inc., based in Los Angeles Calif., after the street he grew up on, in Mexico. –Morgan Zenner