Page 22 - CMA PROfiles Summer 2018

FEATURED SHOP: DANZO GROUP, INC.

taking out a business loan, our challenge has been knowing when
to expand,” he explains. “Making decisions on hiring help and
investing in equipment has given us our fair share of sleepless
nights. Another challenge has been learning how and when to
delegate.”
Like many in the industry, Danielsen and Picanzo have strug-
gled to find new employees who are a good fit. They have five
employees currently and plan to hire another one soon.
“It’s really hard to find good hard workers who want to do
labor,” Danielsen says. “I think young people look down on
construction.”
When one of their key employees was in a motorcycle accident
two years ago, they went through five people trying to find a
replacement for him.

“They wouldn’t show up or they said they knew how to do
something, and it turned out that they didn’t,” Danielsen says. Left to right: Hector Garcia (Carpenter), Todd Vaughn (Carpenter), Lindsay Cunningham
(Office Manager), Brandon Picanzo (Owner) and Chris Danielsen (Owner)
“It was just Brandon and me for the first 7+ years, and we’ve
maintained a certain level of quality that we are now known
for. Finding employees who care about our business the way
we do and share our vision for quality and customer service
is not easy.”

TAKING STOCK
When asked about favorite projects he and Picanzo have
worked on over the years, Danielsen returns to the job that
propelled them out of his dad’s garage.
“It has to be that entire house we worked on in the Palisades,”
he says. “It was a massive job for us at the time, and it really put
us on the map. We did it successfully, and everyone was happy.
That put us in a place to start doing this for real.
“So far what we’ve been doing is working,” Danielsen reflects.
“Slow and steady wins the race, as they say. Big things are
in our future, and we’re excited about Chris Danielsen operates the CNA router. Brandon Picanzo chats with a fellow
CMA member during the shop tour earlier this year.
the momentum that’s
building.”
“We’re really honest with each other,”
Danielsen says, “and there are no money
issues. I think that’s where a lot of business

partners fail. They want more for them-

selves, and they don’t think about

the business first.”

20 PROFILES SUMMER 2018