Talk to anyone at Oelrich Construction, and they’ll tell you their success comes from working as a team to take care of their clients. That approach has fostered the growth and maturation necessary to expand the company from just a few employees to over 20 and celebrate their tenth year in business.
“Our clients know that we have their best interests in mind,” said Brad Patterson, one of seven project superintendents.
“There’s a family atmosphere,” said Matt Marino, a principal and project superintendent who’s been working with Ivan Oelrich for over 16 years. “It’s not just about working to make money; it’s about taking care of each other. We’re very much a team company.”
The team approach comes straight from the top with Oelrich’s leadership. He also credits his partners, Josh Blackford and Matt Marino, with helping him assemble a high-quality team of employees.
While still a student pursuing his construction degree, Josh Blackford started with Oelrich Construction as a full-time employee.
“Opportunity is what a person needs to succeed in life, and Ivan provided that opportunity for me,” he said. “His leadership has fostered the successful growth we have experienced as individuals and a company.”
“It was always something I wanted to do, to have my own business,” Oelrich said. “It was a life goal.”
Running a construction company “is not something you can do all by yourself,” he explained, adding that both Blackford and Marino share the same vision and promote that vision through the company — he believes their dedication, hard work, time and effort have made the company’s success possible.
Elaborating on the company’s team approach, account manager Christina Sapp said, “The working dynamic in the office is truly unique in many ways. After five years at Oelrich Construction, I feel as if I have been working with family all along. The energetic atmosphere inspires and pushes you to excel in every way to get the job done. To work with a company whose main priority is to satisfy a client beyond their own expectations says a lot.”
Ten years in business working with clients such as Alachua County, the City of Gainesville and its Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the University of Florida as well as private-sector clients have made the company the success it is today.
Revitalizing the Community
Projects for the City and CRA include the SW 13th Street streetscape, medians and the Rail-Trail Pedestrian Bridge; SW 9th Street streetscape at Innovation Square; and the Prioria Robotics office renovation.
After winning regional and national awards from the Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers and the American Public Works Association, the pedestrian overpass has become a gateway that is quickly becoming one of the defining features of the community’s landscape.
After serving as superintendent for the project, Patterson said, “I go by this project on a regular basis and make sure we look after the client’s best interest, even though the project is already completed. It’s important to me to take care of our clients and the projects we’ve managed for them.”
Innovation Square’s wide walkways and tall oak trees provide a relaxing corridor for cyclists, pedestrians and future professionals. Beneath the sidewalks, the underground utility improvements will provide the basis for upcoming growth. By supplying the necessary utilities, future projects “will be able to plug in and get going,” according to UF President Dr. Bernie Machen.
Oelrich Construction also converted an underutilized Gainesville Regional Utilities warehouse into a new home for local technology company Prioria Robotics. The Catalyst building was the first project completed in the Power District, a funky industrial development near GRU’s Kelly power plant on Southeast Depot Avenue.
Next on the list of CRA projects will be the construction of Depot Park — a gateway greenspace envisioned as a sort of “Central Park” for Gainesville.
“It is going to be the centerpiece of the CRA’s vision, bringing the Downtown District together,” Oelrich said.
“As a company, we have a huge amount of pride in being part of the revitalization of the entire area,” Oelrich added. “The CRA thinks outside the box. It’s fun to work with them and be a small part of their success.”
The Education Connection
Training up future generations by creating spaces where learning can take place plays a key role in Oelrich Construction’s success.
Project Manager Derek Dykes and Superintendent John Hunnicutt have just completed the Collaboration Commons at UF’s Marston Science Library. The study space features cutting-edge technology such as the MADE@UF Lab for creation of mobile apps and games, 3D scanning, 3D printing and a multi-touch visualization wall.
Dykes credits the company’s team approach for the project’s success.
“Through our proactive thinking, we were able to eliminate problems that could have occurred during the project,” he said. “We also have the ability to be very flexible and resolve issues in a timely and efficient manner in such a way as to benefit our client.”
Built as part of the University’s preeminence initiative, Collaboration Commons will “alleviate a shortage of study space on campus,” according to university Provost Joseph Glover. To support this goal, the company installed new interior partitions, ceilings, flooring, air-handler units and lighting with necessary MEPF modifications.
Said Chief Information Officer Elias Eldayrie, “We hope this environment will nurture their (students’) curiosity and dreams.”
Nurturing future veterinarians at the College of Veterinary Medicine has also contributed to the company’s success. For over four years, Project Manager Josh Blackford and Superintendent Ethan Newport have worked on projects ranging from restrooms, laboratories and a centrally located pharmacy to a physical therapy area and high-tech surgical suites.
Oelrich Construction’s next “Vet Med” project involves constructing a new clinical simulation laboratory.
“(It’s) the next greatest thing. I’m most excited about getting to continue working at the vet school and keep developing those relationships,” Oelrich said. “It’s going to be great to do a vertical expansion right at the entryway to the College, reshaping and reformulating the entry.”
Do-Good Philosophy
Because of his strong belief in working as a team within the company and with each client, Oelrich also stresses the importance of “doing good” within the community. He is active in the Builders Association of North Central Florida, and he served as the organization’s president in 2010. Project Manager Brandon Tinckham will serve as president in 2016 and currently serves as treasurer and chair for the Commercial Builders Council.
Oelrich is the president-elect of the Rotary Club of Gainesville, and he has served on the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Alachua County, the Child Advocacy Center and the Newberry Jonesville Chamber of Commerce, which is headed by Blackford.
Why the Rotary Club?
Oelrich explained, “It’s all about service and the opportunity of doing good in the community with great people. For example, the organization has been instrumental in eradicating polio around the world.”
Each member of the Oelrich team volunteers within the community in order to “do good” where most of them grew up or went to school.
“We have long-term relationships, both within the community and with our clients,” Oelrich said.
“We have clients, not customers,” he continued. “They know that we will do a quality job and that it will come in on time. We’re in the service business. It’s about the simple things like taking care of our clients and having the right people in place to do that.”
Tinckham said, “We always place the highest emphasis on customer satisfaction. At the end of the day, we base our opinion of the success or failure of a project on how happy our client is with the project, not on the bottom line. That effort makes us a partner with our clients, not just a contractor. We want to do whatever it takes to get the job done right. It’s our repeat customers and reputation that have made our growth possible, and that’s what we want to continue.”