Embree Construction Group

Consistently outstanding┬áKeith Regan learns how the experience of working on similar projects means Embree Construction can offer customers consistency and confidence that work will be done right time after time.  Embree ConstructionÔÇÖs client list reads like a whoÔÇÖs who of national brand names in the retail, restaurant, auto service, healthcare and convenience store niches. Georgetown, TexasÔÇôbased Embree has built 1,500 projects for retailers such as EckerdÔÇÖs, WalgreenÔÇÖs, CVS, Sears, Hollywood Video, Barnes & Noble, Radio Shack and J Crew; another 1,000 projects for restaurant and casual dining chains such as ApplebeeÔÇÖs, Starbucks, McDonalds and DunkinÔÇÖ Donuts; as well as some 2,500 auto repair shops, hundreds of convenience stores and gas stations, and more than one million square feet of new healthcare space.The upshot of all that work is that Embree has gained the ability to refine its processes so that it can constantly apply whatÔÇÖs been learned along the way to each new project, says Frank Krenek, president of Embree Construction, which grew from a local construction concern founded in 1979 in Kansas City by Jim Embree. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve done this for a long time, and we pretty much stick to what we do and do well,ÔÇØ Krenek says of the construction divisionÔÇÖs focus on repeat work from repeat customers. ÔÇ£We donÔÇÖt do a lot of one-of-a-kind work. We build repetitive projects, and the beauty is that we get to see the same thing again, learn from prior projects as we go and apply that knowledge to the new building.ÔÇØThat not only means lessons learned on the job about how best to complete a project, but also what the more subtle preferences of the client are, information that Embree can carry forward through its project supervisor team to projects from coast to coast. Embree Construction is licensed to do work in all 50 states, meaning it can quickly ramp up for a project anywhere when a client calls. ÔÇ£Our project manager and our job site supervisors are the experts with that particular client, and they have retained that knowledge of how they want things done,ÔÇØ Krenek explains. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs not just whatÔÇÖs on the plans; everyone can look at the specs. But we can look at them and also see what the client wants that is special that is not necessarily in those documents.ÔÇØOver its history, Embree has worked hard to retain its staff when times get slow. Many of the companyÔÇÖs employees have 20 years of tenure, and many job site supervisorsÔÇöa position known in the industry for relatively high turnover ratesÔÇöhave logged five years or more with Embree. It works hard to recruit future managers, working with Texas A&M and other universities and constantly hones in-house skill as well. As 2009 got under way, the company was about to launch a 17-week training program aimed at helping key employees become nationally certified project managers, a designation that will boost their own careers and help bring further refinement to EmbreeÔÇÖs project tracking process. The company has also embraced using technology to enable better project management, with field superintendents armed with mobile computers and smart phones to enable them to track and document work with digital photographs and digital copies of plans and work orders. ÔÇ£I could go to my computer and pull up a report that tells me exactly what happened yesterday at all 45 projects weÔÇÖve got going on across the country,ÔÇØ says Krenek. ÔÇ£That kind of visibility and information really helps us carry forward what weÔÇÖre learning along the way.ÔÇØLooking ahead, Krenek sees plenty of potential work in the pipeline, including enough projects as the 2009 building season heats up to get the company back to 2008 employment levels. Still, it remains challenging for many of the companyÔÇÖs customers in the retail and restaurant space to commit to projects, given the economic uncertainty. Growth, however, is happening in some parts of the country, and Embree is poised to grab its share with its 50-state licensing capabilities, its long track record and its ability to work in multiple locations at once. ÔÇ£Our customers know they can turn to us when times are tough and weÔÇÖll give them a solid and consistent project that leverages our size and our experience. They can turn to us and know it will be done right,ÔÇØ Krenek says. Clients also increasingly turn to Embree for its design-build expertise, which can help expedite projects, and its sheer size. ÔÇ£We often have clients who grow in spurts, and we have the advantage of scale and being able to ramp up to meet client needs if all of a sudden they have to do three to four times the normal rate of construction,ÔÇØ he adds. ÔÇ£We can service that need.ÔÇØEmbree is also increasingly active in the green building arena in response to customer inquiries as well as improvements in the mechanical systems and other offerings that have made sustainability and efficiency more attainable.Although green building hasnÔÇÖt been as prevalent in the retail and restaurant spaces as it has in residential, institutional and office commercial realms, more clients are seeking insight into how their buildings can become greener. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre there to offer our expertise and manpower. We work with our consultants and subcontractors to do the analysis and recommend ways they can save money in the long run and what the payback scenarios might look like,ÔÇØ says Krenek. ÔÇ£There have been major improvements in recent years in the world of energy efficiency, and clients are asking more and more about how that can fit into their plans.ÔÇØ ÔÇô Editorial research by Jason Moore┬á