Bridgehampton - A phone call does it all when you call Telemark. "I have yet to say no," Glen McKelvey, the company's hands on manager said from his office in Bridgehampton where no job is too big or too small when it comes to keeping property owners in the Hamptons happy.

Telemark's General Manager Glen McKelvey will make sure your pool is open, your deck is painted, and your grass is cut. Then he will plan a party for you or make sure your guests arrive safely. Photo courtesy of Telemark

McKelvey and his staff at Telemark Service and Maintenance (TSM) will open your house, check your swimming pool, call your landscaper and yes, even do your grocery shopping. Wash your car, no problem. Pick-up your dry cleaning, consider it done. TSM offers its customers high-touch, confidential service when it comes to property management and maintenance. Forgot your keys, locked yourself out, they will let you in and they will never tell.

"We got a house ready for Christmas," Telemark's founder and owner Frank Dalene recalled. "That was one of the most interesting jobs we did." Telemark's staff bought the Christmas tree, decorated the house, trimmed the tree and took delivery of the family gifts. "We had all the presents shipped to the office and we took them over to the house," Dalene said. The office located on Butter Lane in Bridgehampton houses Dalene's construction company. "One thing led to another," Dalene said as he explained the evolution of his customer service division as an off-shoot of his construction company. "We made friends with our customers as we built their houses." This relationship prompted customers to call Dalene for advice and assistance and another company was formed. While the concierge aspect of TSM is important, the maintenance and service division works in tandem with renovation and repair projects.

The company caters to a high-powered clientele where discretion is a key component of customer service as well as to a wide market of loyal repeat customers who need to have more routine maintenance and repairs done on their property. "We do it all," McKelvey said. "I was just out looking at a job on a house in the Springs." The homeowner, a customer for years, called because the house needs a new deck. No problem. TSM is on the job handling small projects while the major construction that assured the company's reputation is handled by Telemark's larger crews.

Lori Dalene at work at her desk at Telemark. The business is a family affair headed up by Frank Dalene and his brother Roy.

Their impressive track record boasts a host of famous homes - many shrouded in secrecy at the homeowner's requests. Other less camera shy homeowners have granted permission allowing Telemark's work to be displayed on its website and in shelter magazines such as Architectural Digest where the architects and designers involved in the project must also give their permission for inclusion in the story.

McKelvey and a full-time staff of carpenters and painters are at the ready to make minor repairs or renovate a home. TSM works closely with homeowners, frequently coming in at the crucial transitional stage after a deal has been closed and a property has changed hands. "We just did a job on Shelter Island," McKelvey recalled. "They bought the house and we helped them get right in." The homeowners closed on the house in the spring with a Memorial Day move-in target date. They made it thanks to the crew at TSM. "We got the whole place ready in a little less than two weeks," McKelvey said. The crew replaced rotted out window sills, painted the interior of the house and repaired a pergola.

McKelvey supervised the hanging of a significant piece of wall art in the process of making the home ready for its new owners. "It was beautiful," he said. "It had shells surrounding a giant carved dove. I took a few guys with me and we did the installation." McKelvey has personally arranged parties for homeowners as part of his job too. So don't rule out a request for a housewarming. They will probably help your friends do their shopping so you get the home furnishings gifts you both need and want.

McKelvey attributes his ability to get jobs done on time and on budget to his managerial experience. He came to Telemark from the world of corporate finance and banking.

TSM works directly with homeowners or their property managers. "There are customers who I have never actually met," McKelvey said. "Their people call us. When they call - mum is the word." Dalene recalled a recent job involving several high powered players and a property on Meadow Lane in Southampton last season. The property, recently renovated by Telemark prior to going on the market for sale attracted widespread media attention when the New York Post erroneously reported pro-golfer Tiger Woods was buying the house.

"I told my crew a lot of reporters were going to be going over to the site to ask questions. They were told not to talk to anyone or answer any questions or they would be fired," Dalene said. The hard line approach was necessary and all in a day's work according to Dalene who explained the ripple effect involved in high touch customer service. "I told them if they talked I get fired and we're all off the job."

Dalene and his brother Roy grew up in the construction business in St. James where their father worked as a builder in a company he established after coming to the United States from Norway. Frank went out on his own after he graduated from college before eventually merging his company with his father's. Their company name, Telemark, is a tribute to the county in Norway where Frank was born. "It is pure Norwegian," Dalene said. He had been in the construction business for over 30 years.

Today, Frank and his wife Gwen and his brother Roy and his wife, Lori, are all involved with Telemark. Roy's son Tim is also part of the team. "You don't just walk away after you build a house," Dalene said, "That's why we formed TSM and hired a manager in the late 1990s. I've had people ask me to introduce them to other people so they could make friends. People have asked me to arrange parties for them."

In one of their more unusual jobs TSM arranged an ocean-front fireworks display for a beach wedding. "We had them shoot the fireworks from a barge in the ocean," Dalene explained. Fireworks aside, homeowners have asked Dalene to help them gain membership in exclusive clubs. Which begs the question, can Dalene get you into the Maidstone? "Depends on the client," he said with a good-natured laugh.