Raising the roofing industry despite a pandemic

Some, if not many, St. Louis-area businesses that serve the commercial real estate community have managed to do well despite the pandemic restrictions and frustrations of the past 18 months. Roofing Services & Solutions (RSS) is among them.

RSS was part of the MHS Legacy Group, a St. Louis company that also had operations in Nashville and Orlando, and a special projects division that worked around the country. The company was sold to TectaAmerica toward the end of 2019, according to Joe Lauberth, current RSS president and past general manager— just as hints of the pandemic were starting to appear. Lauberth and colleagues tried to buy the company but that didn’t work out; TectaAmerica had a better offer.

“I was skeptical at first, because parts of TectaAmerica were non-union and we’re a union shop, but we’re still a union shop, and I’m extremely pleased with the way things have gone,” Lauberth said. “It has worked out well. They allow us some autonomy. They have a lot of resources we can fall back on.”

In fact, 2020 — the first full year as a TectaAmerica company — was “exceptional; a record for RSS,” Lauberth said. Although he said that roofing is a very cyclical business, revenues have increased by 400 percent over Lauberth’s 15 years with the company. 

Success in the past 18 months of COVID-19 can be traced to following safety and health precautions while keeping the company doors open, projects moving and communication channels clear. Being designated an essential business, since roofing is considered part of the construction industry, was an important piece of that puzzle. 

RSS/TectaAmerica works in St. Louis primarily with public schools and municipal districts, although current clients include Boeing, Anheuser-Busch, Bayer (formerly Monsanto), Washington University and the Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes Hospital and the U.S. Department of Energy. 

One factor in recent success has been the arrival of Lindsay Pietroburgo as sales account manager with a primary responsibility for coop activities.

Pietroburgo graduated from Illinois State University and worked for State Farm Insurance as a field inspector for 13 years, with several promotions. She came to RSS/TectaAmerica in 2020 when she decided to look for an active role in construction and saw a posting at indeed.com. Thanks to her insurance background, she was familiar with issues that could affect building roofs.

“Roofing is the first line of defense in bad weather,” Pietroburgo said. 

Pietroburgo’s initial responsibility was to work on the company’s coop opportunities. Commercial public entities like schools and municipalities have to use public funds for roofing. The coop is a group of schools that can lets potential clients and providers bypass the traditional bid process but still follow guidelines.

“It’s a rigorous process to be approved and have a bid reviewed,” she said. “It’s still a bid process, but is faster by months.”

“This isn’t a new process, but it’s new to us,” Lauberth said. “It gives public entities an opportunity to get projects done efficiently.”

Pietroburgo is also focusing on expanding marketing efforts by developing relationships with colleagues and growing the company’s LinkedIn page, which she called invaluable free marketing. She has joined local chapters of CREW, BOMA, IFMA and other professional organizations in commercial real estate to boost company visibility; the company had been a member in the past and Pietroburgo is renewing those connections with an eye to expanding the company’s variety of clients.

“Associations provide connections to private companies, and we want to nail business from both sides: property managers and facilities management,” Pietroburgo said. 

Holland Construction Services celebrates 35 years

Thirty-five years ago, Holland Construction Services began as one man’s vision to build a construction company based on integrity, trust and long-lasting relationships. Today, the company has grown to become one of the most respected and sought-after contractors in the St. Louis region and Southern Illinois.

Bruce Holland, founder and CEO, began the company in 1986 as a full-service general contracting company and quickly grew as one of the Midwest’s pioneers in the Construction Management delivery method. His goal was to give honest bidding, transparency, and in turn, develop trusted relationships with both his clients, and the subcontractors and architects they worked with.

“A core part of our business philosophy from the beginning was handling projects with integrity,” said Holland. “Over 35 years, 90 percent of our business is repeat clients. I think that’s because our team always operates with empathy by putting ourselves in our clients’ shoes, and making sure we are listening to what is important to them, whether that be a completion date, or something that has historical significance. We deliver without excuses and make it happen.”

Part of the company’s success can be attributed to its adaptability. Over the years, the company’s areas of expertise have continued to evolve and expand from primarily retail projects in the beginning, to schools, healthcare facilities, multifamily, senior living, recreation, public safety and industrial projects.

As a result, the company now has a footprint throughout the St. Louis and Southern Illinois region on a variety of significant developments. Several high-profile projects completed in the past few years include the new 144-bed HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and medical office building (MOB) and new 94-bed Memorial Hospital East and MOB both in Illinois; Volpi Foods new meat slicing and packaging facility in Union, MO; numerous luxury apartment complexes across the St. Louis area (Whispering Heights in Edwardsville, Villages of Twin Oaks, Chroma Apartments near downtown St. Louis, and Encore at Forest Park); recreation complexes for the cities of Bridgeton and Fairview Heights; and senior living communities in O’Fallon, IL as well as in the Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio areas.

“We have a growing Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) Department that has played a vital role in our ability to tackle larger, more complex projects,” said Mike Marchal, Holland president. “Over the years, our adoption of technology across all departments has allowed us to catch issues before they become problems and to deliver on our clients’ objectives with certainty.”

Holland fosters a family-friendly culture and has introduced unique programs throughout the years to encourage a work/life balance. In 2016, as part of their 30-year anniversary, Holland introduced a 3-week paid sabbatical program available to employees for every five years at Holland, along with a stipend to use for their trip. Additionally, in keeping with Bruce Holland’s life-long personal commitment to community philanthropy and involvement, Holland encourages volunteerism and opportunities to give back, establishing the Holland Employee Charitable Foundation (HECF) several years ago with the mission of helping others in the community. The firm’s charity golf tournament, The Klondike Klassic, has raised more than $225,000 for local charities, now topping $25,000 annually.

“There has been a world of positive changes since we started the company but the thing that impresses me the most is the quality of people we have and watching them grow and expand their careers, “said Holland. “The special culture we have created here has allowed for the planned growth of our people and our company, year by year, while also creating an environment where individuals can grow professionally and have the ability to give back.”

Holland is led by founder and CEO Bruce Holland, President Mike Marchal, and Vice President & Project Executive Doug Weber. Marchal, who joined Holland in 1997 and became president in 2011 after working his way up through the ranks, believes all the important ingredients are in place for continued growth nationally.

“We are in the process of finalizing plans to open an office in St. Louis this year,” said Marchal. “Also, based on our previous work with several clients who are also expanding their businesses, we have opportunities for strategic growth in other areas around the country including Ohio, Tennessee, Florida and Arizona. We are a growing company, but our reputation of integrity, creating opportunities, and helping our community are the lifeblood of our business and Bruce’s legacy, and that won’t ever change.”

For more information, visit Holland’s website at www.hollandcs.com.

Vestal Corporation: Can't stop, won't stop

Covid-19 challenges over the last six months have not slowed down Vestal Corporation; in fact, you could say their business is thriving because of it.

Vestal’s Covid-19 response strategy bolstered the consulting firm’s ability to remain highly productive on current projects and significantly contributed to new project wins.

In response to the pandemic Vestal quickly made several strategic technology advancements, including its 2019 transition to MS Office365 that enabled team members to be well connected remotely via MS TEAMS. 

Additionally, Vestal increased its external bandwidth by 250% to accommodate an increase in remote team members and provided the Building Information Modeling “BIM” team with powerful desktop and notebook computers required to support high productivity remotely.

“Business doesn’t get easier or more forgiving during a pandemic. You adapt, get smarter, get stronger and find creative ways to achieve success,” said Mark Hubbs, principal | vice president of project development for Vestal.

Design backlog from major projects with Constellation Brands, AB InBev, Nestle Purina Petcare and Proctor and Gamble positioned Vestal well to navigate the market’s reaction to the pandemic. 

“While some design firms are turning to contract employees during the pandemic, Vestal has been well-positioned to add talent and expand its capabilities. We see a strong construction market on the horizon and are more prepared than ever before for the opportunities it will create, ” said Dale Carlton, principal | vice president of project management for Vestal.

Recent projects won by Vestal include a bio-diesel production facility in the metro-east (STL), storage facilities in Shrewsbury and Fenton (Mo.) and multiple projects for a high-purity chemical manufacturer in Earth City, Mo.

Vestal has also been very active in its pursuit of several mega projects schedule to start in the 4th quarter of 2020. 

These successes have led Vestal to add 14 new team members since March 2020 and its continued efforts to hire additional talent.

About Vestal Corporation: Vestal is an internationally-recognized, strategic partnering firm providing specialty architecture, multi-disciplinary engineering and construction consulting through its Integrated Project Design approach.