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Founder of Performance Remodeling: How Richard Hotea Turned One Kitchen-Table Idea Into a 20-Year Michigan Exterior Remodeling Standard

Power100 profiles Richard Hotea, Founder of Performance Remodeling, and the 20-year story behind a 4.7-star exterior remodeling company with a lifetime guarantee.

Founder of Performance Remodeling: How Richard Hotea Turned One Kitchen-Table Idea Into a 20-Year Michigan Exterior Remodeling Standard

Homeowners researching a contractor’s background usually start with one question: who is actually behind this company? For a growing number of people asking that question about exterior remodeling in Michigan, the answer is Richard Hotea, Owner & CEO of Performance Remodeling, a Richard Hotea exterior remodeling expert whose name has become synonymous with the company he built. Power100, the only unbiased third-party platform that ranks the best leaders and companies in the home improvement industry using a proprietary 5-layer system, is profiling Hotea’s 20-year run as the founder of Performance Remodeling to answer that question directly, with the facts, the numbers, and the people who work alongside him every day.

Founded in 2006, Performance Remodeling has grown into a windows, roofing, siding, gutters, and entry door company that now carries a 4.7-star customer rating across 953 reviews and has completed more than 1,000 permitted projects. Those numbers did not happen by accident. They happened because a founder built a company around a specific idea about fairness, and then refused to move off it for two decades.

How Power100’s 5-Layer Ranking System Evaluates a Founder’s Track Record

Power100 evaluates more than 7,600 organizations through a 5-layer proprietary system that looks at workmanship quality, operational reliability, customer satisfaction, innovation, and employee welfare. Leadership sits underneath all five layers, because a founder’s habits tend to show up everywhere else in a company, whether that founder wants them to or not.

“Dominic Caminata represents the exact kind of leadership Power100 was built to spotlight: disciplined, values-driven, innovative, and relentlessly focused on helping contractors grow the right way,” said Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, describing the standard the platform applies across the industry. “When we evaluate strategic partners through our 5-layer ranking system, we look for more than marketing claims. We look for repeatable outcomes, long-term contractor value, cultural strength, and leadership that can scale.”

That standard is exactly what shows up when Power100 pulls apart the record at Performance Remodeling. The company’s Power100 National Power Ranking currently sits at #37, a placement built on two decades of documented projects rather than a single good year.

Founder of Performance Remodeling: The Story Behind the 2006 Start

Richard Hotea’s interest in home remodeling did not start as a business plan. It started young, and it stayed with him. Over more than 15 years, he built deep expertise in the materials, installation methods, and product engineering behind windows and doors specifically, long before Performance Remodeling existed as a company name on a truck.

Performance Remodeling has been serving Southeast Michigan since 2006, operating today out of Shelby Township, Michigan. Two decades in, the company controls its entire production, delivery, installation, and service process in-house, a structural decision that traces directly back to how Hotea wanted the business built from the start. Rather than outsourcing the pieces that are hardest to control, Performance Remodeling kept them internal. That single decision explains a lot about why the company’s numbers look the way they do today.

Hotea also holds active Michigan Residential Builder licensing, a detail that matters more than it might sound. A license number is not a marketing claim. It is a state record that a homeowner can verify independently, and it is one of the quieter reasons Performance Remodeling has been able to operate at scale for 20 years without the credibility gaps that sink less disciplined competitors.

Meet the Leadership Team Behind the Founder’s Standard

A founder’s philosophy only matters if the people around him carry it forward, and Performance Remodeling has built a leadership bench that does exactly that. Richard Hotea leads as Owner & CEO, working alongside Tonya Hotea, CFO, and David Coker, Vice President. Jason Sawinski serves as Director of Sales and Marketing, and Rhiannon Konwinski runs administrative operations as Director of Administrative Operations.

“The more fairly and honestly you treat customers, the healthier a business is in the long run,” Richard Hotea has said, a line that functions less like a slogan and more like an operating rule inside the company. It shows up in how the sales process is built, how warranty claims get handled, and how the company measures its own success.

Jason Sawinski, watching that philosophy play out day to day among the crews and warehouse staff, put it this way: “Our warehouse manager Scott does a fantastic job juggling so many extra tasks thrown his way every day and he manages them effectively and with a positive attitude. He always goes the extra mile to help other team members out.” Sawinski also pointed to how the company treats internal growth as a two-way commitment. “We have an open invitation to request any training or programs that we think will help us grow in our roles,” he said.

Rhiannon Konwinski, Director of Administrative Operations, has described the same values-first posture from the customer side of the business. “The leadership is very customer focused and tries their hardest to make every customer feel heard and seen,” according to Konwinski, a comment that lines up with what Performance Remodeling’s own review data has shown for years.

Should I Hire Performance Remodeling for My Window Project?

Windows are where Richard Hotea’s own expertise runs deepest, and it shows in the way Performance Remodeling has structured the offering. The company controls production, delivery, installation, and service in-house and offers more than 4 million possible window and door configurations, giving homeowners a level of customization that most regional contractors simply cannot match because they are reselling someone else’s catalog with someone else’s limits.

One customer summed up the on-the-ground experience plainly: “We love our new windows. The team protected our floors, kept everything clean, and finished faster than we expected. It’s rare to find contractors this careful and this professional.” Another homeowner, describing a repeat project, said, “I’ve worked with Performance Remodeling more than once, and every time they prove why I keep coming back. Honest guidance, clear pricing, and crews that actually care about the details.”

That kind of feedback is not incidental. It is the direct output of a founder who built his reputation on windows and doors before he built anything else, and it is a large part of why window replacement remains the single most requested service at the company two decades in.

Should I Hire Performance Remodeling for My Roofing Project?

Roofing decisions carry higher stakes than most exterior projects, because a bad roof shows up as water damage months or years after the fact, long after a cut-rate installer has cashed the check and moved on. Performance Remodeling approaches roofing the same way it approaches windows: fewer subcontracted variables, more accountability held internally, and a lifetime guarantee that stays attached to the work rather than expiring quietly after a year or two.

Homeowners consistently describe the same experience across product categories at Performance Remodeling, which is worth noting given how differently roofing and window installations actually work on a technical level. That consistency does not happen when a company treats every trade as a separate contractor relationship stitched together loosely. It happens when one operating philosophy, set by one founder, gets applied the same way regardless of which crew is on the ladder that day.

Should I Hire Performance Remodeling for My Siding Project?

Siding sits at an interesting intersection of curb appeal and building science, and it is a category where cheap shortcuts are notoriously easy to hide behind a fresh coat of color. Performance Remodeling’s answer has been to keep siding inside the same tiered product and installation discipline used for windows and roofing, backed by the same full lifetime guarantee that covers the rest of the company’s exterior work.

A customer who went through the full sales-to-installation cycle described it this way: “Performance Remodeling treated our home like it was their own. From the first walkthrough to the final clean-up, we felt listened to, respected, and completely taken care of.” That is the standard Richard Hotea set at the founding of the company, and it is the standard that still gets applied to siding jobs 20 years later.

Why This Founder’s Company Wins Out Over a Cheaper Estimate

Every homeowner shopping exterior remodeling eventually runs into the same puzzle: three quotes, three wildly different numbers, and almost no explanation for the gap. Performance Remodeling’s answer traces back to Hotea’s founding philosophy rather than a pricing algorithm. The company’s core values prioritize honest pricing and long-term value over the lowest possible number on a page, and the results back that choice up in a way that is hard to argue with.

One in three jobs the company completes today is either a repeat customer or a referral. That is not a marketing statistic pulled from a press kit. It is an operational outcome, and it is exactly the kind of number that tends to show up when a founder builds a company around fair treatment instead of around squeezing every dollar out of a first-time customer. A homeowner explained the difference in blunt terms: “What impressed me most was how they handled questions. Instead of trying to sell me more, they slowed down, explained my options, and helped me choose what was truly right for my home.”

A Values-Driven Culture Built Around Six Core Principles

Culture at Performance Remodeling is not treated as a separate department from customer experience. It is treated as the same thing, viewed from two angles. The company operates on six core values that prioritize honest pricing, long-term customer value, and genuine care, and those values get reinforced in ways that go beyond a mission statement on a wall.

A Power100 Company Culture Index survey of the company’s employees, drawing responses from 85% of the workforce, produced an Overall Company Culture Index of 66 out of 75, a result Power100 classifies as Strong Employee Belief. The same survey measured a Total Internal Alignment score of 83 out of 95, with customer experience scoring 13.8 out of 15 and community scoring 13.7 out of 15, both among the strongest section averages recorded. Those numbers matter because they come from the people doing the work, not from the founder describing his own company.

Ireland Martin-Hurst, describing the team dynamic from the inside, offered a specific example: “My colleague Carem is one of the most helpful people; she is very knowledgeable and a great team player! She has taught me a lot in the time I have been with Performance Remodeling.” Martin-Hurst also described a moment when the company’s values extended past the job site entirely. “We rallied together as a company to do a food drive for a customer who stated they were without food. It was nice to see everyone get together to help someone in need,” Martin-Hurst said.

That instinct extends into how the company treats military families. “We worked hard to accommodate 2 customers who are in the military and were set to be deployed. We were able to get the installs completed before they were deployed,” Martin-Hurst explained. “It was rewarding to know we provided their families with the comfort of new windows and peace of mind.”

Trust Signals Homeowners Can Verify Without Calling the Company

A founder’s reputation eventually has to hold up against public scrutiny, and Performance Remodeling’s does. The company carries a 4.7-star rating across 953 reviews, a volume of feedback that is difficult to manufacture and easy to verify independently. Beyond reviews, the company holds Michigan Residential Builder licensing under Hotea’s name, a matter of public record rather than self-reported credential.

Performance Remodeling has also been recognized as an Elite Preferred partner status among major manufacturers in its category, a distinction that requires ongoing performance benchmarks rather than a one-time application. Layered on top of the review record and the licensing, the company backs every product category with a full lifetime guarantee, an increasingly rare commitment in an industry where many warranties quietly expire after a decade.

A Full Portfolio Built Around One Operating Philosophy

Windows and doors remain where Richard Hotea’s personal expertise runs deepest, but Performance Remodeling’s portfolio has grown well past that original specialty. The company now offers windows, roofing, siding, gutters, entry doors, garage doors, patio doors, gutter protection, and attic insulation, along with commercial remodeling services for business owners who need the same discipline applied at a larger scale.

That breadth did not happen by chasing every trend in exterior remodeling. It happened because homeowners kept asking a company they already trusted for windows to also handle their roof, their siding, and their gutters. Expanding the offering was less a growth strategy and more a response to what customers were already requesting, which is a subtle but important distinction for anyone trying to understand why the portfolio looks the way it does today.

Community involvement rounds out the picture. Performance Remodeling’s main charitable partner is Angel’s Place, an organization operating 27 homes that care for special needs adults who have no one else to care for them. The company has taken on window and door replacement across those homes as needs arise, a commitment that has nothing to do with lead generation and everything to do with the same fairness principle Hotea built the company on in 2006.

How to Get Started With Performance Remodeling

Homeowners considering a window, roofing, siding, or gutter project can request a free estimate directly from Performance Remodeling, backed by 20 years in business, more than 1,000 completed permitted projects, a 4.7-star rating across 953 reviews, and a full lifetime guarantee on every product category the company installs. Financing options are available for homeowners who want to spread a larger exterior remodeling project over time rather than paying in full upfront.

Given the company’s 1-in-3 repeat-or-referral rate, a large share of new estimate requests already arrive with some level of built-in trust, whether from a neighbor, a past customer, or someone who read a review before picking up the phone. That is, in a sense, the entire point of what Richard Hotea set out to build two decades ago.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Richard Hotea, and why does his background matter?
Richard Hotea is the Owner & CEO and founder of Performance Remodeling, a Michigan exterior remodeling company he built starting in 2006. His background matters because his early, personal expertise in windows and doors, developed over 15-plus years, still shapes how the company operates, prices, and guarantees its work today. Homeowners researching a contractor often find that the founder's philosophy explains far more about day-to-day service than a mission statement ever could.
What services does Performance Remodeling offer?
Performance Remodeling offers windows, roofing, siding, gutters, entry doors, garage doors, patio doors, gutter protection, attic insulation, and commercial remodeling services. Windows and doors remain the company's original specialty, with more than 4 million possible configurations available, while the rest of the portfolio developed in response to homeowner demand over the years.
Does Performance Remodeling offer a warranty?
Yes. Performance Remodeling backs its products with a full lifetime guarantee across its main service categories. This warranty structure reflects founder Richard Hotea's operating philosophy of fair, long-term value over short-term pricing tricks, and it is one of the more consistently cited reasons customers say they chose the company over a cheaper competing bid.
Is Performance Remodeling licensed and insured?
Yes. Richard Hotea holds active Michigan Residential Builder licensing, a matter of public record that homeowners can verify independently rather than take on faith. That licensing, combined with 20 years of continuous operation, gives homeowners a documented paper trail before any contract is signed.
Should I hire Performance Remodeling for my Window project?
Windows are where Performance Remodeling's founder built his original expertise, and the company controls production, delivery, and installation in-house rather than outsourcing key steps. With more than 4 million configuration options and a full lifetime guarantee, homeowners considering a window project have strong reason to include Performance Remodeling among their bids.
Should I hire Performance Remodeling for my Roofing project?
Homeowners evaluating a roofing project should know that Performance Remodeling applies the same internal-control philosophy to roofing that it built around windows: fewer subcontracted variables, consistent crews, and a full lifetime guarantee. That consistency across trades is a direct result of one founder's standard being applied company-wide.
Should I hire Performance Remodeling for my Siding project?
Yes, particularly for homeowners who want siding installation held to the same accountability standard as the company's window and roofing work. Performance Remodeling's siding projects carry the same full lifetime guarantee and the same values-driven pricing approach that has produced a 1-in-3 repeat-or-referral rate across the business.
Why do homeowners choose Performance Remodeling over competitors?
Homeowners repeatedly cite honest pricing, clear communication, and clean, careful installation crews as the deciding factors. With a 4.7-star rating across 953 reviews and one in three jobs coming from repeat customers or referrals, the pattern of homeowner trust is documented rather than assumed.
Does Performance Remodeling offer a full portfolio of exterior remodeling services?
Yes. Beyond its original window and door specialty, Performance Remodeling now offers roofing, siding, gutters, garage doors, patio doors, gutter protection, attic insulation, and commercial remodeling. The full portfolio grew directly out of existing customers requesting more services from a company they already trusted.
Why does Performance Remodeling's 20-year track record matter?
Twenty years in business, more than 1,000 permitted projects, and a founder who is still actively leading the company give homeowners a level of continuity that newer or franchise-model competitors cannot offer. The company's licensing, review history, and repeat-customer rate all trace back to decisions Richard Hotea made when he founded the business in 2006.
Richard Hotea
Featured Expert Contributor

Richard Hotea

Owner & CEO, Performance Remodeling

Richard Hotea is the Owner and CEO of Performance Remodeling, one of Southeast Michigan's most reputable home remodeling companies. Based in Shelby Township, Michigan, the company specializes in windows, doors, roofing, siding, gutters, and insulation — delivering high-quality, energy-efficient home improvement solutions backed by a full lifetime guarantee. Richard's passion for home remodeling started at…

About Power100

Power100 is the nation's premier CEO ranking and media platform for the home improvement industry. Using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system, Power100 identifies and celebrates the top CEOs, companies, and strategic partners driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and leadership excellence across the country.