Business is more than just business at Excel Remodeling in Lemoyne. For president and owner Jim Mirando Jr, it’s a strong family legacy of craftsmanship and care now its 50th year.
Mirando, of Silver Spring Township, is the second generation of his family leading the enterprise that was founded by his father in 1970.
“It’s a real community atmosphere here,” he said. “Most of our staff has been with us for over 10 years. We have wonderful clients who’ve been with us years. It’s a lot about relationships. We’re a small business, and we work hard to do a good job.”
The business is based in a 6,000-square-foot showroom where customers are welcome to browse through a large display of cabinets, countertops, plumbing fixtures, tiles, interior and exterior finishes, wallpaper, floor coverings and whatever else is needed for their homes. Aided by a staff of 12, Excel specializes in kitchen and bathroom remodels and home additions.
Jim Mirando Sr. started Excel with two partners and an initial focus of land development and home building. By the late 1970s, the company had transitioned to home remodeling. Mirando’s business partners had pulled out by then, leaving Jim Sr. as sole proprietor.
As it so happened, Jim Sr. wasn’t alone in business for long. Son Jim Jr. started in the early 1980s, learning the ropes while in high school. After college, he initially pursued a career outside of the family business but decided to return a few years later. He started out as a designer, working his way up to company president in 1989. Jim Sr. subsequently retired in the early 1990s.
Jim Jr. said he’s seen a few changes in the way business is done over the past few decades.
“It’s always changing, from styles to technology to tools,” he said.
When Jim Jr. began, cell phones weren’t yet in common usage, and blueprints still were drawn by hand. Clients today tend to be “more educated and informed” than in the past due to sources like the internet and the HGTV network.
Daughter Alicia Goyette represents the family’s third generation.
“I grew up around all this,” she said. “My dad guided me through the business. It was a cool experience learning the ropes from him.”
Goyette initially pursued a college major in accounting and business but eventually felt “ready for a change,” she said. She came to Excel two years ago. Today, she is a company designer and mostly works with clients on kitchen and bath designs.
“It’s really fun to work with clients and see it all come together as a finished product,” she said. “I like coming up with a new design that maybe they didn’t think of.”
Mike Wilson, chief marketing officer for Members 1st Credit Union, ranks as a satisfied Excel customer.
The company recently completed a “very large project” that involved building a 500-square-foot addition over the garage of his Conewago Township home. The project renovated an upstairs bathroom and extended the master bedroom into a sprawling suite with custom-made closets, a beverage station and a sitting area.
Wilson said that Excel stands out from other building contractors by offering customers a “true customization” of design.
“We were looking at how to creatively maximize the space that we had,” he said. “I would highly consider using Excel again for another project.”
Excel Remodeling is located at 570 S. 3rd St., Lemoyne. For information, call 717-774-4990 or visit www.excelremodeling.com.
