Feature Story
Public and Private Clients Say You Can’t Go Wrong with Wright Construction
By Elizabeth W. Pearce

Since its establishment nearly 60 years ago, Wright Construction Corp. has redefined the meaning of “full-service” in the construction management and building industry.

 “Although we are in the building business, we’re actually in the client business first,” said Fred Edman, president of the Fort Myers-based firm. “The focus of our mission statement is to build client loyalty through relentless service.”

Service has been a cornerstone of the business ever since its founding in Elkhart, Indiana in 1946. Based in Fort Myers since 1981, Wright Construction continues to expand its menu of construction-related services while elevating customer satisfaction to a new level.

While the bulk of Wright’s work is focused on construction management in south Florida, business from some of its larger retail clients has taken the firm to seven southeastern states in the last 10 years. During that time, Wright has completed more than five million square feet of space locally and regionally for retail giants such as Target, Best Buy, Publix, CVS Pharmacy, Home Depot, Albertson’s and others.

That doesn’t mean that Wright exclusively builds big boxes or that it only pursues big jobs. To the contrary, the company has worked on projects smaller than 10,000sf, including a sales office, church addition and entry redesign for a Fort Myers community. It is currently working to expand its retail client base to include more developers of small, specialty shopping
centers.

In addition to building numerous commercial projects for prominent public clients throughout Southwest Florida, Wright has completed an extraordinary array of work for a long list of high-profile, private clients. At Shell Point in south Fort Myers, Wright Construction has maintained an ongoing presence since 1986, overseeing the design and construction of nearly all of the community’s major projects, including numerous multi-family residential towers, a maintenance and operations facility, an 18-hole golf course, a central energy facility and the renovation of a skilled nursing facility, to name a few.

“There are other companies that build such varied types of projects, but it’s tough to find a company that can do them all well,” said Bob Southern, Shell Point’s director of project development. “Wright has wanted to do all of our work and they’ve done it all well.”

Currently, the company has about $60 million worth of work going on at Shell Point, including The Arbor, a 136-unit, assisted living facility, a parking garage/hurricane shelter and a fourth residential tower in The Woodlands.

In 1992, a court-ordered desegregation ruling mandated that the Lee County School Board have the Gateway Elementary School up and running five months ahead of schedule. In just six months, Wright transformed a parcel of raw land into a solidly constructed, 90,000sf educational facility.

According to Edman, flexibility and experience are among the elements that distinguish Wright Construction from its competitors. Further, it is one of only a handful of locally based firms that can offer clients a single point of contact for any major development they want to build.

“We’ll develop the site for them at the same time we’re working with the building department to design and build the actual structures,” he said. “It’s all about working with the client to get a high-quality product for a competitive price.”

In some cases, it’s simply a matter of getting the job done quickly and expertly. As with Gateway Elementary, officials from Target turned to Wright last year when they needed a rush job on a new Broward County store. Despite extensive permitting delays, the retailer was adamant about sticking to its target opening date in October. When the permits finally came through, Wright had just five months to come through on a task that included site development, as well as construction of a 190,000sf store. Once again, Wright delivered on time and the client was thrilled.

Such performance facilitates long-lasting relationships with a wide range of clients. Wright opened as a general contracting firm and has gradually widened its focus to provide comprehensive construction management and design-build services to commercial, retail, civil, educational and multi-family clients. Since its first year in Florida in 1981, Edman says that Wright’s revenues have risen significantly. However, he adds that it’s not the size of the company, but the satisfaction of its clients that defines Wright’s success.

For example, when Wright completed CVS Pharmacy’s first local store in North Fort Myers earlier this year, there was no punch list. “That’s unheard of,” said Edman. “But that’s the quality that we’re passionate about at Wright Construction. Our success comes from helping others to be successful.”

Accordingly, Wright has adapted to the changing needs of an increasingly complex and diverse market. The company now includes three major divisions designed to address Southwest Florida’s hottest construction categories.

¥ Retail (shopping centers and freestanding retail stores). In the next six months, Wright will be working on retail projects from Sarasota to Collier County. Target dominates the schedule, with a store renovation in Charlotte County and a new superstore in Sarasota. In Fort Myers, starting in January, Wright will manage a superstore conversion at the first Target it ever built.

¥ Civil (site development and infrastructure). Wright’s newest division stems from its work on Shell Point’s expansion, where the company built all the roads, utilities, pump stations, a golf course and more. Since then, the company has been hired for infrastructure projects throughout Southwest Florida. “We recognize that site development is an integral component of any successful construction project,” said Edman. “That’s why we don’t have building guys running civil projects. Our civil staff has backgrounds in excess of 30 years each in the civil construction field.”

¥ Commercial (multi-family, office and educational facilities). Currently, Wright is working on multi-family projects from North Fort Myers to Key West, including The Arbor assisted living facility and Parkwood residential tower at Shell Point. Because Wright now has the ability to install pre-engineered metal building systems which may be used for office buildings, schools and churches, as well as warehouses (affectionately referred to by employees as “Fred’s Sheds”), the system’s flexibility and cost effectiveness makes it an attractive option in selected applications. Also, Wright is currently under contract with the Lee County School Board to coordinate the on-site layout and installation of its portable classrooms at numerous sites, including sidewalks and other infrastructure.

To further raise its level of service, Wright has developed a formal quality control process. The system is actually a series of checklists designed to provide clients with a superior project, ensuring that every piece and part of a building has been built according to the client’s exact specifications. It starts before construction begins and extends through the warranty period. “Results have been tremendous,” said Edman. “Our goal, as a contractor, is to provide our clients, large or small, with what I call Ôequally predictable results.’ In other words, when you hire Wright Construction, you know that every job is going to be successful, regardless of project size. It’s part of our business philosophy and that’s what we want to deliver.”

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