GCG Construction Rebranding, Major Project Secure Market Presence of Small But Mighty Contractor

As a commercial general contractor, there’s no question that GCG Construction (GCG) has a good name in the industry. Since its establishment as Gulfcoast Consulting Group in 2000, the company has maintained an excellent reputation for the quality and scope of its commercial projects, which range from small tenant improvements to sizable corporate facilities. Last year, it outbid many larger competitors to renovate a 130,000+sf multi-use facility for Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, which it recently completed.

The company has diversified greatly since its early years, when medical office space dominated its construction roster. Under the direction of owners Teely Byrd and Lerin Byrd, GCG has broadened its turnkey construction services to accommodate a vast array of commercial clients throughout Southwest Florida.

“If someone wants to hire a company to build a certain project type, such as a bank or restaurant, they feel more comfortable knowing that the contractor has experience in that area,” says Teely. “That’s why we continue to build as many different project types as possible to showcase our talents and abilities.”

Over the years, GCG has completed hundreds of projects in Lee and Collier counties, including:

•Retail Centers

•Restaurants

•Banks

•Medical Offices/Surgery Centers

•Commercial Offices

•Industrial/Warehouse Space

The quality of its work makes GCG a perennial contender at the annual Lee Building Industry Association’s Summit Awards. Typically, the company wins Best Project in one or more categories, such as the Best Commercial Retail Facility award it received in 2012 for a 12,280sf Goodwill retail and donation center in Estero. GCG is also a past recipient of the LBIA’s prestigious Contractor of the Year award.

Building on the Brand

Although doing a great job has never been an issue, the company’s ambiguous name has sometimes made it a challenge to get the great jobs in the first place. “We’ve always been commercial general contractors, but our name and logo didn’t really convey that message as well as we thought it should,” says Lerin. “The reference to consulting in our name often confused people about what we do.”

To clarify their corporate message, she and Teely set out last year to tweak their company’s image. “We wanted to really simplify things and make our message very easy to understand. At the same time, we didn’t want to deviate too far from our original name because that’s how people know us.”

With the help of Priority Marketing in Fort Myers, the Byrds rebranded GCG with a new logo and added the word “construction” to the GCG name. “We also came up with the tagline, ‘Building it Better,’ because we believe we do that,” says Teely. GCG also launched a new website and domain (www.GCGbuilds.com) to enhance its brand visibility and online presence, and initiated a targeted email campaign aimed at expanding its customer base.

Substance Over Size

The rebranding is the latest in a series of strategic maneuvers that have kept the company competitive in a difficult market. In 2012, GCG moved its headquarters to Estero Park Commons in south Lee County — a move that placed the company at the epicenter of Southwest Florida’s growth and helped maximize its efficiency during the downturn.

“I think the fact that we were already streamlined and didn’t have a huge staff helped us be successful,” says Lerin. “Because of the systems we have in place, we’ve been able to take on more work with fewer people compared to a lot of smaller companies.”

Size has never significantly affected GCG’s ability to compete as a commercial contractor. From the outset, the company has focused primarily on building relationships with clients and subcontractors, and developed a rapport with area business owners, architects, engineers and designers.

“They know they can trust us and that we trust them. They know our character and they know that if there’s a problem, we’re going to do everything in our power to fix it and make it right,” says Lerin, adding that maintaining an on-site presence helps curb the potential for on-the-job problems.

The company’s vigilance definitely impressed Jennifer Nettles, general manager of The Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers. In 2012-13, GCG renovated the facades of anchor tenants Fresh Market and ULTA, and made other capital improvements and repairs at the 400,000sf property. In addition to GCG’s reliability and excellent prices, Nettles says the owners and subcontractors are “on the spot, on the ball, always present and always available.

“I’ve pulled up here at six o’clock in the morning in the middle of a job and both of the owners are out there checking on the work themselves, just to make sure everything’s been done properly,” she says. Besides the “really great attention” GCG offers, Nettles says the company usually completes projects ahead of time and under budget. “We would recommend them to anyone and we certainly will use them again.”

Goodwill Opportunity Center

Referrals and repeat customers are the norm for GCG, which just completed its eighth Southwest Florida project for Goodwill. In terms of square footage, the 130,000+sf headquarters facility is the largest construction project GCG has ever completed and was one of Southwest Florida’s most coveted commercial construction jobs in 2013.

GCG became involved during the pre-bid phase, when Goodwill was seeking a new facility to replace the North Fort Myers headquarters it had occupied since 1964. The goal was to centralize and consolidate in a single location that would accommodate its existing departments and allow it to expand its many services, including: a salvage operation, a community development center, a secure-shred operation, a Shop Goodwill donation and retail outlet, an e-commerce division, a contract division, a transportation hub and more.

The building Goodwill was eyeing was a run-down property on Tice Street in east Fort Myers that had seen “years and years of layered construction,” according to Teely. GCG was one of a handful of contractors asked to walk through the building to see if it was feasible to renovate. Because each section of the building was constructed at a different time with different materials, each section had unique requirements for buildout or, in some cases, demolition.

After Goodwill proceeded with the purchase, GCG was one of six respected general contractors invited to bid on plans by Lawson Group Architects of Sarasota. Due to the project’s many variables and unknowns, “identifying a number was a monumental task,” says Lerin. “Without overthinking it, we wanted to give them a realistic budget to take to their board.” Ultimately, GCG had the low bid and commenced work on the facility late last April.

Construction had to be done in phases so that Goodwill could remain operational during the renovation. Also, the organization wanted to open its highly successful outlet center first, in November, before the rest of the facility. “But in order for the outlet center to function properly, the salvage operations and transportation hub sections had to open concurrently,” explains Lerin. “So basically, roughly 30 percent of the project had to be completed and C.O.d at the same time.”

Throughout the project’s planning and construction, GCG worked closely with Goodwill officials and employees, the owner’s project manager, Jerry Durward Hussey, Jr., of OFM Consultants, architect Fernando Ramirez, Jr., and other team members. One of them was civil engineer Dean Martin of TDM Consulting, who acknowledged the difficulties associated with the renovation.

“The biggest challenge was lack of information,” says Martin. “We could research existing permits and drawings, but so much (of the building) was changed over the years, often without permits, that it was nearly impossible to design. Because of the team effort, we were able to deal with unknown field conditions as they came up during construction.”

Teamwork and the Byrds’ on-site involvement kept costs in check and the facility functioning smoothly during construction. Goodwill COO Rick Evanchyk describes GCG as “phenomenal” partners. “They were very cost-conscious and very conscientious. They knew we had a budget and often made suggestions on how to make the building operate more efficiently,” without incurring additional cost. The entire facility was completed in approximately nine months and delivered on schedule, reportedly at $48,000 under budget.

Even before its mid-December occupancy, it was receiving rave reviews. “I’ve walked about 100 people through the building and I’ve been getting a lot of accolades I don’t deserve,” says Evanchyk.

To celebrate, GCG plans to host a cookout for Goodwill’s staff during the first quarter. “That’s what sets them apart,” says Evanchyk. “They’re great to work with.”

Apparently, they’re also great to work for. To keep their employees happy and motivated, the Byrds reward them with public praise and perks such as company-paid lunches, gift cards, paid time off and bonuses. However, their generosity extends into the community, where GCG employees regularly contribute time, talent and resources to a number of causes and organizations.

“We do the best we can with what we have been blessed with at any particular moment and try to make a positive impact in our community,” says Lerin.

She believes it’s a community on the verge of a strong economic rebound. “Things started to move in 2013. Everyone is proceeding with caution, but for a lot of the general contractors in our area who are still around, we see an uptick in production for 2014.”