Delivering projects on time and within budget is cause for celebration at many commercial contracting firms. Not at Wright Construction.

“If being on time and within budget is all we can do, we’re doing the minimum and clients deserve more than that. They deserve real value from us,” says Fred Edman, president and CEO of Wright Construction. The full-service, commercial contracting firm designs, manages and builds commercial projects for public and private clients in Southwest Florida and throughout the Southeast.

At the 2008 Lee Building Industry Association Summit Awards, Wright was named “Contractor of the Year” for its business ethics, client relations, management philosophy and community involvement. It also won a Summit Award for Industrial Construction. Also during the past year, Wright was given the Community Enrichment Award from Lee County for its efforts to enhance the lives of area youth.

BUILDING ON PERFECTION
Wright was established in Elkhart, Indiana in 1946, and relocated to Fort Myers in 1981. Since then, the company has completed millions of square feet of commercial space for clients ranging from big-box retailers to school districts. It also works with municipalities and government agencies on utilities, infrastructure and other projects.

“Building client loyalty through relentless service” has long been Wright’s corporate philosophy and remains the foundation of the firm. However, Wright’s management team continues to expand the company mission.
“When you speak of relentless service, the question becomes ‘What does that look like?’ It’s one thing to say it; it is another thing completely to deliver it in a consistent, measurable way,” says Edman. In recent years, Wright has taken relentless service to new heights by establishing a corporate policy of zero architectural punch lists and zero change orders, among other things.

“The services that we provide before the shovel hits the dirt are what allow us to promise clients that there will be no change orders from us,” says Edman. “That’s one of the key things that differentiates us from other contractors and it’s something we’re really proud of.”

The fact that Wright has not initiated a single change order in the last two years is especially reassuring to cost-conscious clients in today’s economy. “That’s real cost control!” he says.

Wright embarked on another impressive record last year when it completed a series of projects with zero architectural punch list items. According to Keith Moyer, vice president of building operations, seven of Wright’s last eight projects achieved zero punch list status.

“Our quality control process has allowed us to deliver a consistent product to our clients regardless of the individuals assigned to the project. When quality control becomes a systematic process (that is) not reliant on the strength of an individual, you can provide quality on a predictable and repeatable basis. Now you are talking about relentless service.”

Several of the projects built with zero punch lists were for the Collier County School District, including the construction of Eden Park Elementary in Immokalee, and classroom additions for Veterans Memorial Elementary School and Calusa Park Elementary in Naples. Other flawless deliveries included construction of a five-story, Class-A building in the Vanderbilt Galleria in Naples and renovation of the Glades County Jail.
But perhaps its most remarkable zero punch list project to date is the 1,800sf home built last year for Habitat for Hu-manity in downtown Fort Myers. Supported by contributing subcontractors, Wright completed the entire house in fewer than five days as part of the 2008 Home Builders Blitz.

“Actually, we built most of it in four days, with final cleaning and landscaping on the fifth day to ensure quality control,” says Edman. “It was an exciting project.”

TAKING THE GREEN LEAD
The Habitat home also provided Wright the perfect backdrop for debuting its solar trailer. Beyond being a novelty, the small, pull-behind trailer eliminated the need for temporary power from Florida Power & Light or from on-site, gas-burning generators. Instead, workers plugged their tools directly into extension cords powered by the trailer’s solar panels.

“Reducing power consumption during the construction process not only helps save money, it is kinder to the environ-ment,” says Edman, adding that the trailer has been very well received in the community. “Our clients ask for it and love to see it pull up on their job site.”

Based on the popularity and utility of the first solar trailer, Edman and Moyer have commissioned its maker, St. Louis-based Light Kinetics, to build a second, larger solar trailer. The new, full-sized one will contain office and meeting space, and feature high-efficiency air-conditioning and lighting systems. “Being able to put a job trailer in a place that otherwise would have no power will allow us to be up and running immediately,” says Moyer.

Edman says he’s pleased that Wright Construction is on the leading edge of conservation and environmental aware-ness. “You hear a lot about LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and LEED-certified buildings, but not a lot about the process by which contractors deliver green products. Solar construction trailers are a step towards correcting that.”

Another step is to work closely with clients to educate them about the benefits of energy efficiency and green con-struction methods. In that regard, Wright is big on practicing what it preaches. For example, although Wright already has some LEED-certified staff members, its goal is for every project manager and superintendent to be LEED certified.

Also, the company is in the process of obtaining LEED certification for its corporate office building in south Fort Myers. Built in 1984, the structure will require various renovations to significantly upgrade its energy efficiency. Plans include replacing outdated lights with energy-saving, motion-detecting fixtures and installing a high-SEER HVAC system with programmable thermostats.

“We want to demonstrate to our clients that it’s feasible for them to employ green building practices at their existing facilities. A lot of people come to us for renovation projects, and we’ll be able to walk them through our building and explain how we obtained LEED certification,” says Edman.

He also hopes to alleviate their concerns about up-front costs. “A lot of people don’t understand the incentive pro-grams that are available through local, state and federal government agencies as well as power companies. When you factor that in, you’re looking at a completely different dollar value for your payback analysis.”

MULTIPLE DIVISIONS, ONE OBJECTIVE
Unlike most contractors, Wright Construction has several divisions to meet the immediate and long-term needs of clients. In addition to its Building Division, Wright comprises Civil, Pre-Engineered Metal Building and Small Works divi-sions that employ approximately 50 full-time workers.
“Few people understand the cost of owning a building and the impact a contractor has on that long-term ownership cost,” says Edman. Wright, on the other hand, operates with the future in mind and builds its projects accordingly.

For example, Wright’s Civil Division has superintendents certified by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to monitor the installation of asphalt on every commercial and civil project. This ensures compliance with FDOT standards — a key to the performance and life of parking lots and other projects involving asphalt.

“If a client is wondering why his parking lot is crumbling just a few short years after its completion, it’s because it wasn’t completed in accordance with industry standards. This is the extra value that Wright Construction delivers to its clients,” says Andy Powell, vice president of civil operations. “We make sure that each building and its exterior elements are completed properly (and in a way that) reduces long-term operating costs. It’s all about quality control.”

Wright’s Small Works Division further enhances the company’s ability to meet clients’ diverse needs. For instance, clients with continuing service contracts can depend on Wright to take care of smaller construction projects ($1 million or less). Recently completed projects include a small storage/maintenance facility for the Tice Fire District and the installa-tion of ADA compliance signs on all Lee County School District buildings.

DIVERSIFIED SERVICES, PROJECTS
Wright’s numerous other projects run the gamut from historic renovations to environmental restoration work. Such di-versification has been a boon to the company, which continues to be successful despite the market downturn. Edman attributes much of that to repeat business from loyal clients including:

SHELL POINT RETIREMENT COMMUNITY. During the first quarter, Wright plans to start construction of a state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility as an addition to Shell Point’s skilled nursing facility in Fort Myers. In recent years, the company also has built more than $60 million worth of residential and assisted-living units, and a parking garage/hurricane shelter within the community.

CITY OF FORT MYERS.
Wright has a number of restoration and renovation projects underway in downtown Fort Myers, including work at the Fort Myers Yacht Basin. It began a multi-year, multi-phase project there a few years ago, and to date has completed a main pier, several new finger piers, new utilities and seawall restoration work at this historic marina. It plans to start on additional phases as city funding allows.

Recently, the company completed renovating the city’s historic Utilities Building, a landmark red brick structure next to the Imaginarium on M.L.K. Boulevard. Wright demolished the former water treatment plant’s interior and outdoor tanks and transformed the facility into an office building for the Fort Myers Public Works Department.

“Although the interior was gutted, we maintained the historic integrity of the exterior architecture and preserved or re-cycled as many other architectural elements as possible.” For example, after removing and replacing the existing win-dows with hurricane-rated, energy-efficient ones, Wright saved nearly all of them to use inside the building to delineate interior spaces.

Currently, Wright is working on renovations at the historic Langford-Kingston Home and recently was awarded a design/build contract for the Williams Academy Building. The building on M.L.K. Boulevard houses the Lee County Black History Society and museum.

Another historic renovation is ongoing at the Glades County Courthouse. Wright began work on the exterior last year and will start on the interior later this year.

With so few large municipal and private commercial projects being built right now, Edman says he sees Wright’s at-tention turning to civil infrastructure projects, such as the Everglades Restoration project. The company has worked on similar projects in the past.

For instance, two years ago, when Lake Okeechobee was at a historically low level, Wright worked in conjunction with several other contractors to scrape and clean the muck-covered lake bottom. “It wasn’t a big job, but it was rewarding to think that we made a positive impact on the environment.”

INTERNAL PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS
Edman describes every commercial undertaking as “unique and challenging,” whether it’s a $30 million school cam-pus or a small, historic renovation. “They’re both extremely rewarding, but very different. The exciting thing is being able to provide equally predictable results.”

Seeing that Wright delivers consistently is what drives Edman, who is passionate about utilizing the latest technology to improve the company. For the last couple of years, he has worked closely with an outside firm to develop process diagrams designed to take the guesswork out of all internal processes.

“This allows us to flow chart essentially every aspect of what we do as a business, from the major things we do to operate to the smallest details of each project,” he says. “Construction is all about limiting liability. To do that, you must follow certain steps and when you really break down any procedure, it’s phenomenal just how many steps are involved.”

According to Edman, process diagrams enhance the ability of all employees to follow corporate procedure by spelling out exactly how things are done at Wright. “They are an invaluable tool for training and accountability. So if there’s an issue on a project, we have something objective to help us determine the origin of the problem.”

Unlike a typical training manual on a shelf collecting dust, a process diagram is a continually evolving document. As a result, Wright conducts ongoing training sessions to familiarize employees with the program as it develops. Also, the company’s IT staff has created a Web-based program so that every employee can access the diagrams from any location (home, field or office).

To Edman, it’s all about maintaining Wright’s ability to deliver top quality. “If we’re focusing on anything in the future, it’s diversity in the types of projects we’re pursuing and making sure the company is structured to compete in a changing economy.

“A contractor is only as good as his last project and even though our area is growing, it’s still a tight-knit community. It doesn’t take long for word to travel.” In Wright’s case, that’s a plus.

Popularity: 3%