BXMagazine.com - Carney Construction Co.

Taking the world by storm

Carney Construction has come a long way in 54 years, with a bright future ahead

It all started with a tornado. The big one that hit Cleveland 54 years ago left a lot of reconstruction to be done. Jack Carney Sr. was lot of reconstruction to be done. Jack Carney Sr. was walking by some residential damage and was asked to help out in shingling a roof. He brought to the task a thorough grounding in the work ethic, and before too long the man who had asked him to help was working for Carney.

The firm eventually moved from residential to commercial, with projects such as the Gold Circle Stores and Three Village Condominiums of Lyndhurst, built in the early 1970s. It incorporated in 1976, with Jack Jr. coming on board in 1979.

Carney Construction now specializes in retail, bank and office work, in addition to design/build and industrial. Carney does tenant build out work with an emphasis in Florida for several retail chains. The firm has many long-term superintendents who really make the jobs happen on time and on budget.

Jack Jr. is the only one of the founder's kids currently with the firm, but a cousin, Bill Carney, is running the Florida office, and Jack Jr.'s 18-year-old son Michael is working there part-time to learn the ropes. "Our future certainly looks bright," says Carney.

In addition to his on-the-job life, Carney is also active in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, as a past Northeast Ohio Chapter president and a member of national committees.

His son Michael has the disease, and Carney takes his support to the streets as a triathlete. He will be participating in the Ironman Wisconsin competition, a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run to support the cause. Find out more about the event at www.januscharitychallenge.com. BXM

The Carney Construction Catalog

Specializing in projects that come in on time, on budget and high quality

Design/build

The House of Lights was done as a design/build project with ThenDesign Architecture, with the project completed within six months. The client needed a good estimate for renovating the building before he purchased it, The firm won a Lighting Showroom of the Year for the building.

NCS in Highland Hts. Carney built a two-story, 10,000-sf building, then added a three-story addition which more than doubled the size. Neighbors who were originally concerned about another commercial building in their neighborhood were pleased with the design and beauty of the residential look of the final product.

Retail

48 Walgreens stores
CVS
Dots stores in 6 states
Jo-Ann Fabrics in 4 states
Sears Hardware
T.J. Maxx-3 locations
Old Navy
Marshalls
Great Clips
Shoe Carnival-10 locations in 7 states
Shoe Department-3 locations
Burlington Coat Radio Shack
Movie Mart
Jenny Craig
Seaman's Furniture
LA Weight Loss
Premier Car Rental
BJ's Wholesale Club
West Marine-3 locations in Florida

Offices

Ampco Parking
The Galleria and Tower at Erieview
Tower East
Orangewood Place
Manchester Realty's IMG Building
Lakewood Center North
Sygma Co., Orlando, FL

Banks

Third Federal Savings-over 30 locations
Fifth Third Bank-6 branches, including a new one in Canton
Charter One, Lorain fire restoration
Cincinnati Funding

Industrial and other

All Cartage Express
Hyatt Hotel renovations
Fosbel Ceramic Technologies warehouse and manufactory
Mercury Theater demo
Mid Continent Coal & Coke
Universal Electronics, Twinsburg
Christian Academy, Kissimmee, FL BXM

Benefiting from bad news

When business went sour, Carney Construction learned valuable lessons about making lemonade

One thing that Jack Carney Jr. has learned in his construction career is the classic lesson: not to put too many eggs in one basket. This can backfire when client relationships are lost. But one aphorism can lead to another, and in Carney's case it led to this: when one door closes, a window opens. Or a series of windows, in his case.

"Parting ways with a major client was actually a blessing in disguise," says Carney. It showed him how to build business: how to market, how to get the most from referrals, how to actively pursue new clients. He has also learned the fine art of documentation to clarify needs and expectations. "It is best when the owner and the contractor are on the same team," he says. "With millions of dollars on a contract, trust is needed. We want to work with partners, not adversaries." One key to good partnerships, he adds, is when the developer is the owner, willing to invest for the long haul rather than short-term.

One such new client is CVS. "CVS is great to work for," says Carney. "They are valued clients. We hope to partner with them on many future projects both in Ohio and in other states."

Design/build builds clients

As part of this, the firm got solidly behind design/build work, which Carney says gives greater control and speeds projects along. "The company with the low bid is not necessarily the one you want on the project," he says. "If we use design/build, the client will save in the long run and get what he or she wants. We can start the work when we get the contract." Plus, he adds, "Bidding may squeeze out some dimes, but you sacrifice quality. Design/build lets us do things the right way.

A third lesson learned was to become more efficient. "We turned our downturn into a positive, adding project management software and integrating office accounting, estimating and scheduling. "They all help you keep better control of a project," says Carney.

And a fourth lesson has already been alluded to: expansion. He won licensure in Florida and began working with national retailers there, bringing to the area a badly needed work ethic. "We have good crews down there, good subs," says Carney. From a satellite office in Orlando, he works in the entire state. At the same time, the firm continues Jack Carney Sr.'s commitment to Northeast Ohio. The company self-performs masonry and concrete, carpentry and electrical in the Florida market.

One key to Carney's growth was hiring Ron Resweber as project manager. He brought valuable contacts such as Jo-Ann Fabrics and the Dot stores, with locations by Carney in North Carolina, Pittsburgh,St. Louis and Cleveland.

And dare we suggest a fifth lesson? Says Carney, "I will never take anything for granted again." BXM