Wall Studs

Kyle Kazak knows that in the construction business there are contractors who are willing to make wild, unrealistic promises to get their crew on a job. That’s a game Kazak, president of Expert Construction in Cleveland, is not willing to play.

If he gives in and starts saying anything to get work, his company’s streak of growing revenues each year is likely to come to an end. “We will not promise something if we can’t do it,” Kazak says. “We’ve lost jobs because of it.

“I’m pretty tough on our guys when they promise something to our clients. If they promise something, they sure as heck better deliver. That goes for me, too.”

Sticking to the company’s motto of “quality work on time” has paid off for Expert Construction, which does commercial drywall and framing for corporate clients as a subcontractor. Expert Construction’s revenues have grown every year since its founding in 2000.

“It’s pretty simple, but we make sure we do what we have to do to hit a schedule,” Kazak says. “If we say we’re going to hit a schedule, we hit a schedule.”

“I took a big risk personally,” says Zanath, who met Kazak a couple years ago at a Weatherhead Awards function. “But the strength I have is my ability to get a read on people, and I always had a good read on what Kazak was about.”

Although he declines to give specific figures, Kazak says his company has largely weathered the downturn this year. “I’m tremendously happy we’ve been able to hit our numbers,” he says.

To deal with the slowdown, Kazak says his small, 13-employee company focuses on bidding for more jobs in the education, health care and institutional sectors, fields where the work is more stable.

“Anything that has anything to do with the government, that’s where the money is,” Kazak says.

Also, the company has a stable of between 40 and 50 general contractors to which Expert Construction bids. “When you’ve got that many general contractors going for you, eventually you’ll hit,” Kazak says.