Architectural Range
Almost all of Glass Construction’s work comes from architectural firms. “They bring clients specifically to us for our particular skill set,” Glass says. Working with different architects provides him and his staff the opportunity to learn new techniques and work in a range of styles. “If I worked with just one architect, it would limit us,” he says.
Glass also likes having an architect act as arbitrator in any disputes or issues with the homeowner. “Our clients have extremely high standards — sometimes they have misconceptions about what is to be built or the level of finishes,” he says. In these instances, he says that the architects he works with have been fair-minded and have helped to resolve issues.
Glass Construction’s reputation with architects also allows it to pursue negotiated contracts rather than bidding. “We have so much work that comes specifically to us that we do not need to get involved in bidding wars, which I find to be a huge waste of energy, money, and time,” Glass says.
He says that as long as clients continue to choose the lowest bidders, most of whom are bidding low due to inexperience, cheap materials, or substandard trade contractors and labor, the industry will struggle with a negative reputation. “If a homeowner’s main focus is the cost, that is not someone I want to work with. I want someone who is excited about the design or how they will live in the house,” he says.
Glass prefers to save clients money by being efficient. “We have spent years developing the managerial system we use to run our projects. From scheduling to resource and material management, we save our clients money by being productive,” he explains.
The best way to do this, he adds, is to be involved in the projects starting at the “cocktail napkin stage.” This allows the company to provide budget numbers from the early stages of design and prevent sticker shock. He says that clients expend “emotional energy” on creating a design — energy that is wasted if they can’t afford to build the project.
Because asking a client for their budget is a touchy question, Glass avoids any direct inquiries. Instead, he takes the preliminary design and prices each stage and walks clients through the basis for the pricing. “Then I let them react to it,” he says. They can either agree or disagree at this point. If they disagree, Glass says, he and his staff go back and use value engineering and alternative ideas to come up with a more feasible project.
Veterans and Newbies
The company’s team of 21 employees produce and manage about eight to 10 large projects every year, each of which takes about 14 months to complete. The construction costs range from $1 million to $6 million.
Glass relies on seven veteran construction managers, most of whom have 20 years of experience. The construction managers work with superintendents. Managers oversee projects, interact with the homeowner and architect, set the schedule, and hire subcontractors. Superintendents work with the carpenters and trades, inventory deliveries, and keep the site clean and safe. They tend to be younger and more computer-savvy, so are often the ones who update weekly status reports, write meeting agendas, and keep the site log.
In the past few years, Glass has hired employees with divergent backgrounds: a graphic designer, a salesperson, a writer, and a former flower shop owner. “They like what we do and wanted to get involved,” he says. “I am a believer in hiring young people and training them.” He asks them to start by working in the field.
A production manager oversees the entire field team, splitting his time between the field and office. One of the best decisions he made, Glass says, was when he created an acquisition manager position six years ago to take over purchasing and orders — a role originally assigned to the superintendents. “It takes a lot of time and energy to deal with problems or mistakes in specifications. I’ve taken that off their plate. They are there [on the jobsite] to build. They are happier and more productive,” Glass says.
The acquisition manager works closely with the architect, estimator, and production manager to order materials, provide pricing from vendors and fabricators, and create a delivery schedule. “Materials for upscale projects can have extraordinary lead times — 14 to 16 weeks for certain products,” Glass says. The office team also works hard to handle paperwork and documents, which allows the field team the freedom to concentrate on production.
Glass meets regularly with the entire production team to review projects, but over the years he has delegated much of the day-to-day work to employees. His main function now, he says, is to act as the “rainmaker,” meeting with clients and courting architects he would like to work with. “I make sure we have work in the pipeline and maintain good relations with our clients,” he says. The company’s current backlog and ongoing work will keep the team busy through 2010.