Choosing wisely: contractors nationwide are turning to EXPO Design Centers for one-stop product selection, low prices and a customer-service edge - Special Advertising Section

Your custom home or remodeling project is rolling along like a smooth-running train. Smart interpretation of your client's wish list has resulted in a blueprint the customer loves, and that you can build profitably, on schedule. Permits are pulled. Site work is underway. Now it's time for your client to make the all-important product selections.

And, once again, a project jumps off track.

What causes the derailments? For too many residential contractors, the problem is a time-consuming, client-confusing product-selection process.

Lacking one-stop product selection, contractors must manage--and their clients must visit--a half dozen or more specialty distributors. The complexity of coordinating and communicating with those multiple suppliers often leads to delays, mistakes and rework--frustrating both you and your customers.

So where can builders and remodelers turn for a comprehensive, expertly coordinated solution to product selection? A solution that enhances, rather than degrades, the reputation your firm is striving to build?

In more and more U.S. markets, the answer is just around the bend.

Ten Showrooms, One Location

EXPO, a Home Depot company, offers custom builders, remodelers, interior designers and architects a unique, one-stop resource for product selection and related services.

Every EXPO features 10 expansive showrooms under one roof, each stocked with top brand names and showcasing a vast spectrum of finishing products and design details to complete a home building or remodeling project, including:

* Kitchen

* Bath

* Lighting & Lamps

* Tile, Stone & Wood Flooring

* Appliances

* Carpet & Rugs

* Decorative Fabrics & Window Treatments

* Custom Closets & Organization

* Decorative Accessories

* Outdoor Living

Your Trade Services Team

Besides extensive selection in key product categories, selected EXPO Design Centers feature a Trade Services office, staffed by a team of professionals dedicated to making product selection, pricing and delivery a competitive edge for builders and remodelers.

This powerful combination of in-stock products, client service and project coordination means custom builders, remodelers, designers and architects now have a turnkey solution to product selection. You can send clients to EXPO Trade Services with confidence, knowing they'll come away with the choices they want, and you'll come away with the products and information you need to get the job done.

Among the many advantages professional customers enjoy from EXPO Trade Services are:

Low Prices. EXPO is committed to offering pros the best value in the marketplace.

Personal Touch. We hold your client's hand during product selection, allowing you more time on the job site, doing what you do best.

Project Coordination. Your Trade Services team acts as an extension of your business, working closely with you to ensure accurate orders and timely project completion.

Credit Options. EXPO offers credit programs that help Trade Services customers manage cash flow and drive bottom-line results.

Free Design Services. With expert kitchen and bath designers on staff, EXPO will develop room solutions from scratch, or offer expert feedback on your floorplans.

More EXPO Advantages

EXPO Trade Services customers can also take advantage of flexible hours (your Trade Services team will open EXPO early or late, by appointment, to accommodate the sometimes hectic schedules kept by you and your clients). Plus, EXPO offers Trade Services-only checkout, exclusive product sneak previews and demos, and special "Best Buys for Builders" discounts on a host of products.

In short, EXPO Trade Services takes the most common and troubling difficulties custom builders, remodelers, designers and architects face with product selection, and converts them into opportunities. Opportunities to conserve time and avoid errors. To boost profits while completing more projects on schedule. And to make product selection an efficient--even enjoyable--aspect of the total customer experience, fueling the word-of-mouth referrals that keep your business running on track.

EXPO Trade Services is available at selected EXPO Designer Centers nationwide. For more details, or to become a Trade Services customer, visit or contact an EXPO near you. For store information, visit www.expo.com.

The EXPO Experience

Premier Products, and of Them

With EXPO Trade Services, contractors and their clients enjoy one-stop shopping and robust selection across 10 product showrooms. And professional customers can take advantage of top-quality products from premier brand names, including:

American Standard

Arbor Cliff

Baldwin

Casablanca

Closet Factory

Dal-Tile

Dale Tiffany

Feizy

Fieldstone

GE Monogram

Giagni

Hunter Douglas

JennAir

Karastan

KitchenAid

Kohler

Levolor

Liberty

Mcgee

Merazzi

Nourison

Omega

Quoizel

Schonbek

St. James

Thermador

... An Extension of Your Business

The EXPO Trade Services team lends professional customers and their clients an experienced, helping hand. Think of us as your branch office.

Product selection is a hands-on activity. You want a showroom staff that acts as an "extra pair of hands" for your business. You also want clients taken firmly by the hand and guided patiently through the project checklist.