>> Wearing more than one hat comes naturally to Domenica Vassallo. On any given day, KDR Homes’ office manager could be overseeing accounting and admin- istration, marketing and human resources — and keeping an eye on safety for the KDR Group of Companies. Vassallo already had experience in the build- ing industry — as a controller, office manager and safety officer — when her husband Diego founded KDR Homes about 12 years ago. She also had a bachelor’s degree in commerce with a major in marketing and general man- agement under her belt, all of which made her a natural fit to step in when the business took off. “Very quickly, KDR was surpassing the targets he had set out to meet and it was very evident that he needed assistance. This is when I came into the picture.” Vassallo likes the work, and she says it’s a re- warding industry for both women and men. “The construction market has a great opportu- nity for individuals with passion and aptitude,” she says. So what do those three letters in KDR stand for anyway? They are part of the company credo: Knowledge, design and reliability. The company gathers key information on cus- tomer needs, and once staff know what the buyer is looking for, they work closely with the designer/engineer to get it on paper. “The thing I enjoy most about building custom homes is taking the ideas that our clients com- municate to us about their tastes and lifestyles and turning these ideas into a product that is tangible and will be around for many years to come,”Vassallo says. KDR puts an emphasis on a collaborative ap- proach and streamlined communications. Staff try to anticipate and solve problems be- fore they crop up. And because the company focuses on advance planning and scheduling, it’s able to get the job done in a reasonable time frame. For KDR, that means knowing the cost when the contract is signed. And that is key to real- izing all the benefits to buying a custom home. Vassallo sees many advantages to buying a new home and technology is a big one. Cont’d on page 24
Women in Construction
Domenica Vassallo
Office Manager KDR Homes
‘The construction market has a great opportunity for individuals with passion and aptitude.’
Parade of Homes Fall 2013 23
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