PCL Construction Lands Nearly Quarter Billion in Florida Contracts

Company also Ranked No. 28 in Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For

ORLANDO, FL-- The Southeast division of PCL Construction Services, Inc. (the eighth largest construction organization in the United States), has announced that in the third and fourth quarters of 2008 it landed $275-million in construction contracts.

Construction industry veteran Bob Hopfenberg (top right photo), who joined PCL in 2008 as Director of Business Development, attributes this success in a down economy to the diversity of the business they go after.

“PCL follows the pulse of the market and pays particular attention to growth industries. This focus has allowed the firm to weather the storm that has affected so many and actually thrive in a down economy.”

Florida contracts landed in 2008 include:
Florida Hospital –Adventist - Kissimmee Medical Office Building for Lillibridge

Orlando International Airport, Quick Turn Around Rental Car Facility

Marriott Vacation Club International, Reserve at Grande Lakes (middle right photo)

Universal Studios Project StrongArm and Project Rumble, two attractions
Amelia Island Ritz Carlton Ballroom

West Palm Beach Air Traffic Control Tower

New Combined Residential and Commercial Materials Recycling Facility for Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach

Nine projects totaling $15M secured by its Special Projects Group, which focuses on smaller renovations/additions and accelerated projects for clients such as Marriott, Dr. P. Phillips and a major Central Florida theme park.

In addition to the above Central Florida projects, two contracts were also landed in Silver Grove, KY and Buchanan, NY:

LaFarge, Joint Compound Plant (KY)
LaFarge, FGD Conversion (NY)

“As you can see by the types of projects we landed, there is a tremendous amount of diversity and flexibility at PCL,” said Bob. PCL’s “9 Zeroes Factor” affords the company the flexibility to compete for projects as small as $1,000 through its Special Projects Group, but also the ability to build projects as large as $1 billion.

While flexibility and diversity are important, the bottom line according to Hopfenberg is relationships.

“We competitively bid, of course, but more often than not, PCL wins because of our client relationships, references and reputation.”

It boils down to having the best people, which PCL management attributes to the company’s employee ownership structure allowing them to recruit the top candidates for the job.

In fact, in 2008, Fortune Magazine again ranked PCL on their list of the Top 100 Best Companies to Work coming in at number 28.

“What is truly remarkable,” said Deron Brown, (top left photo) Vice President and District Manager, “is the fact that PCL is the only pure construction firm on the entire list.”

While many in the building industry are bracing for a tough 2009, both Hopfenberg and Brown see bright spots on the horizon. “While we predict the first half of 2009 will be slow, we see a marked improvement in the third quarter of 2009.

About PCL:

The PCL family of companies is a group of independent construction companies working out of major offices in 28 locations across Canada, United States and the Bahamas.

These companies form the largest general contracting organization in Canada and the eighth largest in the United States, with an annual construction volume of more than $5 billion. PCL constructs in three main sectors: buildings, infrastructure and heavy industrial.

The Orlando office is located at: 6675 Westwood Boulevard, Suite 200, Orlando, FL, 32821. Phone 407.363.0059. On the web at: http://www.pcl.com/.

For More Information: Kimbra Hennessy, 407.290.1060, ext. 102, Kimbra@ bitner.com