Adams-Bickel Associates

Source: Construction Digital

Date :26/07/2007 16:21:22

Third party training programs and recruitment of the best artisans, craftsmen and master carpenters keeps Adams-Bickel Associates very busy and successful

Written and produced by James Buchanan & Sean Bakke

Sometimes having the best tools in the trade isn’t enough. You need the best people in the trade as well.

This is a lesson that has not been lost on Adams-Bickel Associates, Inc., a general contractor based in Collegeville, Pa.

“We are a general contractor by every sense of the word,” says Gus Perea, president of Adams-Bickel. “We consider ourselves to be true builders, and we pride ourselves by the fact that we understand how a building is put together - not just the paperwork, but how the actual pieces fit together.”

Founded in 1947 as a residential and commercial builder, the company’s markets today include industrial, commercial, institu-tional, educational, religious, healthcare, tele-communications and high-end residential.

According to Perea, the company has on average 75 employees, which includes artisans, craftsmen, and master carpenters, in addition to project managers, field superintendents and support staff.

Services provided by the company include preliminary estimates, value engineering, plan and specifications review, design-build services and computerized project planning.

The company also has two divisions. The ABA Services Division provides maintenance, consulting and construction services.

The ABA Services MPE Division provides mechanical, electrical and plumbing services to compliment what is offered by the other division.

“We are generally hired by the owners in the early stages, to work with the team to help with the design process,” says Perea. “We will also bid on projects that have already been designed.”

The company also has relationships with many area architects that will call the company and ask for bids on various projects the architect is working on, as well as to sometimes consult with the architect on design issues as they relate to the actual construction of the building, says Perea.

“In today’s market we are doing quite a bit of preconstruction work, but I would say that about 60 percent of our work is from bidding on projects that have already been designed,” he says. “We work well in the competitive bid as well as the negotiated bid markets.”

However, what makes it all work is the company’s people, says Perea.

“What makes us unique is our people — from the leadership side all the way down to the guys in the field,” he says. “We have a passion for every detail and aspect of construction.”

With that passion for their work has come quite a bit of loyalty to the company.

“Our people are typically here for a very long time,” says Perea. “We have associates who have been here 20 years. They just love what they do.

“We also live by our values and mission statement,” he says. “Trust is the platform upon which all of our relationships are based and when we enter into a relationship, it is our goal that hopefully they will be the better for it. Our vision isn’t to be the biggest, but the best of the best.”

The key to meeting the goal of being the best, adds Perea, is the continuous training of his associates at every level of the company.

“We are always challenging each other to be better,” he says. “So we use training to bring our people up to being true professionals at this business.”

In addition to onsite training in the skills and crafts of the various trades employed by the company, Perea has added training on green building and for leadership. All supervisors and those in leadership positions, he says, undergo Green Advantage training and certification, which makes the company that much more attractive to cutting edge architects.

According to Green Advantage’s website, the program is an environmental certification for building related practitioners. It is designed to certify those that have demonstrated knowledge of current green building principles, materials and techniques.

Further, because green building is a rapidly changing field, as new techniques and technologies are developed, certificate holders are required to pass a recertification exam every three years.

The company also participates in Rapport Leadership Training.

“They have a leadership training program that goes beyond anything I have ever been involved in,” says Perea. “It has taught us that if you improve the person and teach them to be a leader, it helps the company tremendously.”

Perea adds, “It is also important for me to say that we are a merit-minded company and we adhere to a merit shop philosophy — which means the most qualified contractor should be entitled to the job, and that is regardless of any association.”

By “associations,” Perea is primarily referring to unions. He says the company proudly works with unionized subcontractors, but that his employees are not members of a union.

“We are not anti anything,” he says. “We are pro free enterprise, and we believe in the free enterprise system that makes this country such a great place to live.”

While it’s good to have highly skilled employees, possessing good technology helps as well.

“We use a lot of computer systems — from estimating, to project management, to financial systems,” says Perea. “We also stay on top of new and emerging technologies in order to make our field operations more productive.

“In this regard, we use lasers to assist in the construction process, such as helping set levels to measure everything to be sure it is square and digital transits to help do layout work. We also use a number of power tools to reduce the impact on the body and to assist in both production and safety.”

When looking down the road to the company’s growth, Perea again says the key is his associates.

“The key to growing the company is growing the people,” he says. “Developing new leadership will help attract the kinds of people that want to be part of what we do; it will attract the people who will become our future leaders.”

He also notes that growth within the construction industry can be cyclical.

“The company has been on a ten year up cycle, which is good, but managing growth can present its own difficulties,” Perea says. “For example, it is possible to increase the amount of business you are doing, but if you don’t do it in a controlled and efficient manner the company may not be able to maintain a profit.”

Therefore, the company is seeking controlled growth. It wants to maintain customer relationships to the degree Adams-Bickel advocates in its mission and vision statements and core values, while also growing profitably.

All of which, Perea says, are important to building a strong foundation for the company.