Few businesses have seen the type of growth and success seen by Taylor-Made Vacation and Sales. Owners Jodi Taylor Refosco, her husband Joe Refosco and brother Chad Taylor have brought their own brand of business know-how to the real estate and sales market and their attention to service, detail, and excellent employee relations have catapulted them to be the second largest real estate company in the county in just ten short years.
Their evolution has been nothing short of phenomenal. Chad and Jodi started at a young age working for their parents Zach and Linda Taylor at their vacation rental business, Mountain Lake Vacations. When their parents retired, the trio started Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations, each bringing their own specialty to the company. Jodi’s forte is marketing, reservations and owner relations, Chad is the Network Administrator, in charge of accounting and IT, along with photography, videography, and marketing. Joe, with over 25 years of experience in customer service and hospitality, heads up the property management division including maintenance, hot tub and pool service, housekeeping, lawn work, plowing and laundry.
They grew Taylor-Made from just a few properties to now offering 400 homes available for vacation rental and over 150 homes that the company manages for non-renting second homeowners. They have about 120 full and part time employees, the majority of whom have worked for them or their family or in the property management industry for ten years or longer.
In 2014, the company expanded into real estate sales when Jay Ferguson became a partner and co-owner of real estate division, who had fourteen years of real estate sales and marketing experience. Betsy Spiker Holcomb became a partner in 2015 and the company expanded even further in 2016 with the purchase of the local Long & Foster Real Estate Company
The company hasn’t slowed down yet. This year has seen the addition of 17 new agents, for a total of 43, and the expansion of their offices on Rt. 219. The addition adds 4500+ sq. foot of space that includes state of the art technology, a café style meeting room for the agents, large and small conference rooms.
Says Jay, “Our business has grown so much both in terms of agents and market share that the new office space could not have been timed better. We are looking forward to having everyone under one roof and the modern workspace, and our state-of-the-art technology is already creating a buzz. We have a unique culture and an energy that makes it fun to come to work every day. It’s a great feeling to have and it’s something special to be part of the Taylor-Made family!”
While growth and expansion are good things for businesses, however, the owners have kept focus on the one thing that has contributed to their phenomenal success…outstanding customer and employee relations
Because Taylor-Made is locally owned and operated, the owners are always available and accessible to clients and employees and can resolve any questions or issues quickly. The company’s mission remains “creating memories, exceeding expectations”, and everyone associated with their company works to do their best to achieve that with every client that walks through the door.
Taylor-Made Vacations offers over 400 one to ten-bedroom vacation rental homes along Deep Creek Lake and throughout the county, with every type of amenity imaginable, from indoor pools to hot tubs, docks, pet friendly, ski access and more. The staff works closely with their owners so that all properties offer the best possible amenities and are furnished and priced to maximize rental potential. They offer 24-hour service to all of their clients and phone lines are open until 9 PM daily and are staffed by locals who know the area and the homes.
On the sales side, Taylor-Made’s many listings include everything from acreage to residential and vacation homes to commercial properties. Through MRIS, they also have access to all listings throughout the area so they can help you find just the property you are looking for.
If you are interested in selling or listing your home for rent, the team at Taylor-Made have the marketing skill to showcase your home at a whole new level. They have four photographers on staff including a videographer and can create 3-D tours of your property to help market them online. In fact, Taylor-Made’s website is state of the art and user friendly so you can see for yourself the properties offered for sales and rentals.
Their greatest asset is their staff, many of whom have been with the company since its inception and with their parents before that. They have many get togethers through the year for the staff and their families, and attend conferences all over the country to learn more about their industry. Lisa Yommer was the first office staff employee hired at Taylor-Made. “Having been with the company almost from the beginning, it has been exciting to watch the growth through the years. The family atmosphere makes it a great place to come to work every day,” she says.
They are also members of Vacation Rentals Managers Association (VRMA), where Jodi serves as president, as well as the Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals, of which Joe is President. They believe strongly in giving back to the area that has been so good to them and have worked with and sponsored many area activities including the Deep Creek Lake Art & Wine Festival, Fire on the Mountain, and Autumn Glory and have raised money for The Dove Center, the House of Hope and more. In fact, they ask all their renters to leave behind any non-perishable food they didn’t use while on vacation, and the employees collect and donate to local food pantries.
Says Jodi, “I am extremely proud of the many accomplishments my team has made in such a short timeframe. With new, emerging technology, we are constantly reinvesting in our company to improve the experience of our vacation rental home owners as well as our guests’ experience with Taylor-Made. From dynamic pricing and apps that help streamline efficiencies and operations to our highly skilled maintenance team and growing real estate division – Taylor-Made is always improving the service we provide. I am excited to see what the next ten years have in store for us!”
For more information on this exciting and growing company, stop by their new office at 35 Town Centre Way in McHenry (across from Market Square), call them at 301-387-5999 or visit them online at www.DeepCreekVacations.com.