Capform Inc.

In 1978, Mario Dozzo established Capform Inc. in Dallas. For more than a decade prior, he operated another concrete company in Toronto, established in 1961. He moved from Canada to the United States to pursue opportunities in new markets and Capform was born. For more than 35 years, Dozzo and the Capform team have built a reputation in Texas and the southern states for safe, efficient, structural concrete services.

Still family-owned and -operated, Capform serves customers throughout the southern U.S. with a focus on Texas and Florida. The company has four locations: a corporate office in Carrollton, Texas, and offices in Austin, Texas, Tampa, Florida, and Miami, Florida. Between these strategically placed locations, Capform employs around 2,000 people.

David Dozzo, Mario’s son, still serves as the company’s owner, working alongside a strong management team serving several distinct markets. Luc LaFleur is the CEO, and Jim Renaud and Tony Bellissimo are the business’ vice presidents.

Complex work

As one of the largest concrete contractors serving the Dallas area, Capform has little trouble competing in the market. With diverse capabilities and strong in-house resources, the company tackles large, complex projects with relative ease. The team has taken on high-rises, office buildings, condominiums, hotels, parking garages, arenas, hospitals and other large-scale contracts in markets in Texas and Florida.

In Miami, the Capform team is currently at work on the Porsche Design tower. “This is a high-rise condominium,” says Renaud. “One of the more unique aspects of the structure is that on every floor, a parking garage is the front door of the condo. A mechanical dolly puts your car into the elevator then takes it up to your room. This is a 60-floor building that has already sold out of all units. The tower structure is slated for completion in February 2016.”

Back in Texas, Capform completed work on the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in 2007. The company is currently working on the team’s headquarters office and practice facility. “The brand new stadium was challenging just for the sheer size of it and the timing,” Renaud notes. “This was a 2.5 million-square-foot facility and we were on the project for only 12 months.”

Also in Dallas, the team completed structural concrete for the new Parkland Hospital, completed in 2013. “We were responsible for all of the structural concrete,” says Renaud. “There were plenty of challenges. Starting at the top 10 floors, the building spans a 120-foot gap and cantilevers out 60 feet over the structure below. We were pouring structural concrete beams 25 feet tall, 4 foot thick and 220 feet long that started 10 stories off the ground. Our team designed and built the support structure and formwork required to support those walls and pour them.”

Structurally sound relationships

Capform’s target market includes general contractors and project owners. Typically, the business operates as a subcontractor, performing a majority of work in-house. “We sub out rebar installation and pier drilling, but we do all the form building and structural concrete ourselves,” explains Renaud.

Maintaining relationships with these general contractors and strategic partners is important to the success of the business. While Capform is a large company, Renaud says he and his colleagues get by with a little help from friends. As a member of the American Subcontractors Association (ASA), the business benefits from a range of services and programs including legal and political support and advocacy.

“We do compete with other concrete contractors in the association, but most of their relationships involve working alongside other subs in the association,” says Renaud. “We are a team; we all work together. Through the social activities, we get to meet a lot of other people from our industry. That camaraderie is great. We attend all the monthly meetings and the annual ‘Subby’ awards.”

ASA membership has helped keep the business growing sustainably, even throughout the recession. While a few years ago it was a challenge to keep crews together, now Capform faces growing pains. As the market grows and the company expands, Renaud and his colleagues are fighting a tight labor market.

Through the ups and downs however, Capform remains a family business. “That is something we take great pride in,” says Renaud. “The Dozzo family treats all of the employees like part of the family. I have been here for 28 years, and Luc LaFleur and Tony Bellissimo have been with the company for 44 years. We have a lot of longevity among all of the trades. People tend to stick around because we continue to provide interesting projects and help them build good careers.”

No matter how much larger the company grows in the coming years, this family atmosphere will continue to strengthen the team. Capform Inc. will continue to produce quality projects for customers, maintaining a reputation for safety and on-time delivery.