How do you find and keep GOOD contractors?

[Charles Phanumphai]

Mountain contractors have always been limited and hard to find, but I'm seeing that in metro areas now as well. Anyone have tips/tricks on how to find and keep GOOD contractors and keep them engaged throughout the project?  I have so many examples of bad experiences; poor communication, rarely shows up on time or at all, etc.  Most contractors will have a contract that they expect to hold us accountable to, but they never seem to meet their timelines and customers have very little recourse out side of taking them to small claims court or file complaint against their license if they have one (CO doesn't require general contractor to have a license for some reason???)

Right now I am going through referrals (who are booked months out and can't take on my projects), Yelp, and HomeAdvisor.  

Would love to hear how others manage and mitigate this very frustrating issue!

Thanks BP community!