From civil construction to mechanical construction, tilt-up and pre-cast, and specialty concrete to food and beverage, metal building and scrap recycling, Kelley Construction devises a comprehensive strategy focused on precision, planning and craftsmanship for each unique construction project. BIC Magazine recently sat down with Mark Kelley, president of Kelley Construction's industrial division, to understand more about the company's plans for growth and its employee- driven workplace culture.
BIC: How did Kelley Construction start?
KELLEY: Kelley Construction was started by my parents in 1978. At the time, my brother, Joe, and I physically worked in the field in the chemical market, working at companies based out of Louisville, Kentucky. We were a very small, family-owned company. We started out just working in Louisville, and now we're licensed in 49 states with a presence in not only the chemical market, but also the oil and gas market. The company is now owned by Joe and myself. He handles our commercial side, and I handle our industrial side.
Most people know us in the midstream market. Our service is all heavy civil, so we move a lot of dirt and pour a lot of concrete, and we also do liner work and secondary containment. That's the biggest portion of what we've done in oil and gas. We're starting to get more and more into the downstream market, and we're actively growing that portion of the company.
BIC: What makes Kelley Construction different than its competitors?
KELLEY: I definitely think it's our people. Most companies believe they have a good culture. I know Kelley Construction has a good culture. One of our taglines is "The New Culture of Construction." We define that as our very diverse group of people. It's more about relationships than anything else. If we don't build a relationship with our No. 1 asset, our employees, we're not going to be able to build a relationship with the customer. Profits don't come without good relationships. We recently started a new campaign called "Field First." We ask all of our office employees to think of the field first before taking any action.
Another big difference between us and a lot of our competitors is our ability to travel throughout the U.S. Once a customer realizes we can touch all of their facilities in the U.S. and that we're just as efficient in one place as we are in the next, they're usually pretty happy. We also spend a lot of time and effort making sure we're at the top of our game when it comes to technology.
BIC: What are your plans for growth?
KELLEY: The main thing is we're branching into downstream. We're going to expand our Houston office, putting another office in the Houston Ship Channel area. We believe it's going to give us the ability to get to downstream customers more efficiently. In the next five or 10 years, I see Kelley Construction becoming a larger, more diverse company that's still family-owned.
For more information, visit www.kelleyconstruction.com or call (713) 649-4400.