Building a Business To Rebuild a City: GNT Construction Gears Up Fast (With a Little Help from Idocomp.com)

JOPLIN, Mo., Aug. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Even before the sirens sounded on May 22nd; before that rain-wrapped EF 5 tornado tore through the heart of town, Gary "Nate" Thomas had gotten serious about building a better future in Joplin, MO.  Literally.

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"Residential construction was the family business," according to Nate. "I just grew up around framing and building houses.  Built my first log home ... it was a playhouse with roof and everything ... when I was 12 or 13. After my grandfather retired to take care of my grandma, I worked at Tampco Building Products for a year, then came back to building and remodeling. I just decided it was time to get serious about it and get the business going."

Then came the wind.  And while Nate's own home and trailer park just east of the city were spared the worst, when he emerged from the church basement with his neighbors, he knew nothing would be the same for a long, long time.

"There's enough work here for a decade ... if everybody pitches in," he notes. But like so many startups, it took more than tools of the trade to establish GNT Construction and start working.  He had to get licensed and bonded in order to apply for permits, which meant commercial liability and workers' compensation insurance.  That's when he discovered Idocomp.com on the web.

"As a startup/1st time business owner, it's not easy to find business insurance and workmans' comp," according to John Valko, CEO of Idocomp.com.  "There are only a handful of companies offering business insurance online, and most of them are more like data centers than insurance agencies.  Here at Idocomp.com, my partner Bill Landess got quotes for Nate in less than 24 hours, including options to choose from, and we advised as well as expedited. Bill lined up his business liability insurance, workers' compensation coverage and license bond for the city of Joplin."  

The entire process, from Google search to license from the city, took under a week.  

"They really stayed on it," recalls Nate.  "There are a lot of out-of-towners now, coming in because there's so much work to be done. But I have an advantage because I'm local. I've got guys waiting to go to work, bids out, just on hold for the mortgage and insurance companies to release checks to homeowners so we can get to work."

Inside the "Red Zone," there is a 90-day hold on new residential construction as emergency responders, FEMA and other authorities continue to clear immense amounts of debris.  There's plenty to do in hard-hit areas outside the main path of destruction, of course. "Lots of roofing to do outside the Zone," says Nate. "Got some bids out on those too."

Asked about the future of his lifelong hometown, Nate Thomas doesn't miss a beat. "Rebuild bigger and better. We were pretty lucky, the tornado hopped over our trailer park.  A quarter-mile up 32nd Street it's a different story.  But everybody's in pretty good spirits ... ready to go. All we need now is some money for materials and we're in business."

Building that better future.

Idocomp.com was founded to give small business owners what they really need when they need it:  up to 10 free, real-time Workers' Comp rate comparisons in less than 5 minutes, plus personal attention to deliver needed business insurance products.  Idocomp.com is transparent and personal. Real people answer the phone and answer questions. The address and phone number is right on the web site. Idocomp.com is here to cut through the bull, build relationships based on integrity and provide the service clients really need.

SOURCE Idocomp.com LLC