The desire to provide world-class construction management services for mid sized construction projects remains the driving force behind CM&B. Members of the CM&B team are consistently asked to go the extra mile to achieve success on every project. And they do.
"Our people go to great lengths and take the time necessary to satisfy customer needs," said Kevin Puopolo, founder and president of the 40-plus person construction management company. "We've never had a project that we didn't give 100% to insure its success."
Having built strong relationships with many clients over its 15 year history, CM&B is proud of the many referrals they receive, deriving 90% of its business through negotiated contracts. "Our existing clients and subcontractors are our best sales people," said Puopolo. A majority of its projects are under $20 million but the company revenues will eclipse $100 million this year with a diverse market sector base including retail, commercial, industrial and multifamily residential projects. The company has exceeded their annual sales goals for the past five years.
The company's high volume of repeat business can be attributed to CM&B's consistent emphasis of remaining true to the corporate directives created at the firm's inception. The driving force behind the philosophy and still a best business practice at CM&B today is the desire and ability to provide an outstanding level of quality service to all clients. CM&B's client list includes national retail giants Best Buy, Shaw's Supermarkets, Whole Foods Markets, as well as local players Big Y World Class Markets, K Capital Partners, Boston Private Bank & Trust Company, and Tambone Investment Group.
CM&B has built, expanded, or renovated more than 130 Shaw's Supermarkets along with 20 Best Buy locations and 70 Osco Drug stores in its core market of New England and upstate New York. The company's value proposition to do everything possible to bring a project in on time and on budget resonates well with its clients, many of which call on CM&B time and again. A project executive is assigned to each key client, working with the client on their unique needs and how CM&B can help meet their construction goals, not just for a particular project, but also for the client's overall construction program.
CM&B is one of the only construction management companies with a 24-hour-a-day presence for their clients. A service-based company, CM&B is committed to providing clients with the highest quality of service and product possible. Having set the goal post as high as they have, owners have come to always expect that same high level of service, and CM&B consistently delivers it to them.
Puopolo founded CM&B following a successful career with one of the world's largest design/build firms, SAE/Carlson, taking on successively responsible positions. He last was president of SAE/Carlson's northeast division, a $250 million company. Puopolo left the company to form CM&B, which stands for "Construction Management and Builders," shortly before SAE exited the North American market. Puopolo brought many of his employees as well as his management philosophy with him.
CM&B's goal as a mid-sized construction company is to give their clients the same expertise and professional construction management services they would receive from a larger company. Traditionally, the measure of the construction industry's most successful companies has been their annual revenue values. The belief at CM&B is that more significant criteria of evaluating a company's capabilities and success are its percentage of repeat clients, referrals from subs and clients, and employee retention rate. There's no surprise that CM&B scores off the charts on all three measures.
Unlike most construction companies, CM&B employs no business development personnel. "We've walked away from a significant amount of work," said Puopolo, who incorporated the company in 1992. "We won't take on a project if we don't have people well-versed in the CM&B philosophy to complete the project." CM&B promotes a team concept, and though that term is used by other construction firms, CM&B lives the philosophy of teamwork during each step of the process. The team approach maximizes the value derived from the time and budget committed to the project. The company achieves quality in construction through mutual dedication to complete the work, open communication among all project parties, and selection of the most qualified organizations and personnel within each group to achieve success. CM&B is willing to spend the time, invest the money and the effort to indoctrinate the team concept into their employees and business partners, resulting in individual growth and the building of strong business relationships.
Part of CM&B's value proposition involves getting involved in the construction project on the ground floor, taking over certain preconstruction duties for the owner. That allows the owner to concentrate on big-picture issues.
No construction company can do that without an experienced staff, which is why CM&B believes in developing staff from within. CM&B employees are an entrepreneurial group of people who are given the opportunity to grow in their careers from day one. They have an athletic outlook and a willingness to go the extra mile, and in doing so accept the personal challenge that comes along with that motivation.
The company's retention rate has consistently been over 95% and a good reason for the company to have been honored as one of the Boston Business Journal's Best Places to Work. CM&B has participated in a training program for college students, bringing them into the company and exposing them to the different divisions of CM&B, including field operations, project management, and administration and accounting. The belief is that such programs give students an opportunity to find out what they're good at while training in all components of the business.
By employing the best people in the industry to work for them, CM&B has the ability to help owners reduce the cost of servicing their construction demands. CM&B responds to the owner's needs, from preconstruction to project closeout.
CM&B has a flat management structure, with Puopolo as the visionary who sets the tone and direction of the company. Team lunches are common, with workers gathering to develop strategy and collaborate on how to become even better. At CM&B, everyone gets their hands dirty and has a chance to hear and be heard.
CM&B is different. The company develops confidence in and commitment from every team member, whether client, subcontractor or employee. Confidence is built by recognizing, valuing and rewarding individual strengths and achievements; commitment is built through the enduring relationships CM&B enjoys with their business partners and employees alike. Their reputation defines CM&B as a company that values people, their futures and the power of lasting relationships.
CM&B truly is a company that is building results.