Great Place to Work Spotlight: Cedar Ridge Log Homes

Cedar Ridge Log Homes and Construction is Tap the Potential's most recent Great Place to Work Spotlight. The company was founded in November of 2018 after building the family's own log cabin. Now, this successful family-run business builds high-end vacation and second homes in the mountains of a resort area of Maryland. But, for the Tvardzilk's it's so much more than building homes—it's helping families to build their legacies, just as they are building their legacy business.

A Litte Background

In 2015, Andy Tvardzik (COO) sold his previous business to his partner to make room for the next chapter. His sons, Andrew (CEO) and Samuel (CFO) joined forces with their father, adding their leadership and carpentry talents to the table. The first log cabin they ever built went better than most log cabin builds, because they were new to this type of project and could see the processes and the craft with a different lens. Since then, they have become one of the top three log cabin builders in the region. They continued to follow that momentum to now also be one of the most desired places to work.

Andy says, “We built credibility very quickly with the subcontractors. They are the lifeblood of the business. We treat our subs with integrity and respect and pay them quickly. You gain much favor through paying your subs on time and paying them fairly. It's a small community up here and word gets around quickly.” They've built a great reputation. A year and a half ago, Cedar Ridge Log Homes and the Tvardzik family were not even known in this resort area and now that they are living and working there, they are very well-respected and welcomed on all fronts.

Building a Strong Culture

As far as their team of seven employees, Andy states that one of their key employees wouldn't have even taken the job if the hiring process hadn't been taken as seriously and been as rigorous as it was. This extra effort in bringing team members onboard provides a proper presentation of a well-thought-out and structured approach, setting the company and its team up for success. They celebrate birthdays and incorporate fun into the workday and worksite.

Samual ads, “There's a certain exclusivity in working for us. Not many people get the opportunity to build this quality of log home in a resort town like this. Our guys have a sense of pride in what they do every day.” The employees also receive special gifts from the company in the resort area like golf passes, water sports, and skiing. In this way, Cedar Ridge Log Homes is supporting the community while celebrating their team's efforts and building an unmatchable culture. Andrew mentions, “We have a lake, ski resort, world-class white water rafting, hiking, mountain biking… We try to work in hike meetings to take advantage of where we live and where we work.”

Working With Tap the Potential

Andrew states, “We started working with Tap the Potential about three months before we started this business and we knew that things weren't going quite the way they should be going…but, we didn't know exactly why or what was wrong. When we started working with Tap the Potential, we really started it on a foundation of ‘We're just going to trust everything and try it all.' And, everything from day one with establishing this business was focused on following the directions that Tap the Potential gave us. We didn't do it perfectly by any means, but it was constantly in the back of our minds. We started Pumpkin Planning from the beginning.” Upon identifying the best customers for the company, the team also received sales training and a full financial review, and regular coaching. Andrew concludes, “We wouldn't be here without our coaching from Tap the Potential. There's no way.”

A Legacy Business

While this dynamic family builds a legacy business, they are building legacies for other families to pass on for generations to come.

“I have the best job in the world. There's a level of passion for what we do. It's just unique. I don't think a lot of people have the opportunity, as carpenters. We get to build magazine-quality, show-style homes, consistently one after another for amazing for incredible customers. It's beautiful when it all comes together and you can have a passion for what you're doing…What we're building is more than a house.”
~ Andrew Tvardzik, CEO

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About The Author

Dr. Sabrina Starling, The Business Psychologist and international best-selling author of the How to Hire the Best series and The 4 Week Vacation™, is the founder of Tap the Potential and host of the Profit by Design podcast. At Tap the Potential, we work to free business owners from the constant demands of a growing business.

We believe work supports life, not the other way around. Clients in our Better Business, Better Life coaching program have more time for what matters most and more money in their bank account than they’ve ever had. Next, we send them off on a 4 Week Vacation™ to celebrate their hard-earned journey to take their life back!

Dr. Sabrina and her team at Tap the Potential are on a mission to change the story of entrepreneurship from one of long hours, grinding it out, to one of sustainably profitable businesses that support and enhance life. The Tap the Potential Solution™ and our Tap the Potential Family of Business Owners are disrupting small business as usual. We are on our way to making the Tap the Potential Solution™ the mainstream model for growing business.

By 2023, 150 Tap the Potential clients will have taken 4 Week Vacations. These are the trailblazers, role modeling what’s possible for entrepreneurs. In many entrepreneurial circles, it is becoming more and more common for one entrepreneur to ask another, “Have you taken a 4 Week Vacation™?” (as opposed to asking “How many employees do you have?” or “What is your annual revenue?”). Taking a fully unplugged 4 Week Vacation is rapidly becoming the recognized symbol of entrepreneurial success.

Never one to accept the status quo or back down from a challenge, Dr. Sabrina’s How to Hire the Best series grew from her desire to solve the toughest hiring challenges interfering with her clients’ growth and profitability. What sprang from her experience working with entrepreneurs in rural areas catapulted her into becoming the world’s leading expert in attracting top talent in small businesses—no matter what hiring challenges those businesses are facing—and earned Tap the Potential’s reputation as the go-to resource for entrepreneurs committed to creating Great Places to Work with thriving coaching cultures and highly engaged team members working from strengths.

As The Business Psychologist, and with her years of driving profit in small businesses, Dr. Sabrina knows what it takes to find, keep, and motivate exceptional performance out of your biggest investment—team members.