Delphi Construction Inc.

Many construction companies claim to put clients’ needs first. But in 1992, Delphi Construction Inc. (DCI) took that to another level; the company was created because clients insisted they wouldn’t settle for anything else. The original DCI team members derived from an owners’ construction representative company that handled pre-construction planning and project oversight. Its purpose was to protect the clients’ interests prior to and during construction. Before too long, many of the clients working with the team during preconstruction began to ask the same question, “Why can’t you just build it for me? I trust you guys to do it right.” In order to best serve clients, that’s exactly what DCI needed to do.

After nine years of working to fine tune this approach, one of the original team members, Jake Simmons, saw an opportunity to grow the construction side of the business. In 2001 Simmons purchased DCI, becoming president and owner.

“We kept the name and the client-focus, it was simply a change of ownership and the desire to grow the business,” Simmons details. “We ran the construction process like we were still an owners’ rep company, with the clients’ best interests driving every decision. It was exactly what our clients had been asking us for.”

Simmons began with his core team of eight employees and annual revenue of approximately $5 million; today DCI has grown to seventy employees with annual revenue of over $50 million.

Simmons is quick to note that he attributes the success of the company to the standards and principles that DCI has committed to over the years, and the fact that DCI’s staff members are faithful to the same core values.

“From our senior staff all the way through our field staff, our team is the best,” he continues. “I’m proud to lead such a committed group of people. The team here helped to develop this culture and I really enjoy being a part of this company. Our journey has been about having integrity, being honest and being focused on our client 100 percent of the time. It’s about working hard to partner with our clients as their construction professionals, handling all of their construction needs, caring about them and the environment they do business in, and being committed to growing relationships rather than growing business.”

Client relationships

Growing those client relationships has enabled DCI to have many repeat clients over the years. “We’ve been able to maintain our original client relationships since 1992 and have done hundreds of projects with those core clients, while building many new client relationships over the years,” Simmons explains.

In an industry famous for blame and pointing fingers, DCI embraces the saying: ‘Responsible beyond our responsibility.’

“Our goal is to be the solution and take responsibility for the everyday challenges inherent in our business,” Simmons explains. “Our clients find this refreshing, and we feel that it is a key factor to our growth.”

DCI is successful with a multitude of project venues including health care, education, multifamily residential, banking, hospitality, as well as many other sectors of the construction industry. The company has delivered numerous projects for local companies and organizations, completed within budgetary and scheduling requirements.

This attention to its clients’ finances and timetable is a key factor in DCI’s selection for larger scale projects throughout New England. “We like to get involved early in the preconstruction process in order to support the client and their design team by providing conceptual budgets and offering alternatives to what are sometimes costly design decisions, which can keep the project from ever moving forward,” says Simmons. “We’re construction professionals, not designers; there are plenty of good ones out there and we respect their abilities. Their role is essential and we’ve teamed with many of them to successfully deliver projects for our clients.”

With two offices, including the corporate office in Waltham, Mass., and an additional branch in Mashpee, Mass., to support its work on Cape Cod and in southeastern Massachusetts, DCI has found a way to distribute its work based on a client’s location. “The majority of our work has been in Massachusetts, but our expansion has allowed us to complete projects in New Hampshire and Connecticut,” explains Simmons.

 Staff and subcontractor database

The majority of DCI’s physical construction process is subcontracted through a great network of partners that it has developed and maintained throughout its 22 years of building experience. The company has hundreds of carefully chosen subcontractors in its database and is continuously adding to it.

“DCI has subcontractors that have been with the company since 1992, and have been a very important part of the company’s growing success,” Simmons explains. “We have an internal prequalification process before we’ll hire any new subcontractors. We want to ensure the subcontractors safety history and the financial stability of the firm we are hiring to protect our own employees, our clients and our business. We handle projects of all different scales and sizes and each one requires a different style of subcontractor. Fortunately we have developed a great network that gives us the flexibility we need.”

Some of DCI’s clients’ work environments require a special touch during construction. “We have more than 25 carpenters that do physical work and these are not your average carpenters,” he continues. “These guys can build and are very talented, but what makes them stand out is their ability to perform while in a medical facility or a functioning bank or assisted-living facility and not disturb the ongoing operations. They are polite, understanding, and courteous while still being productive. These guys help to set us apart from our competition.”

DCI approach

In order to remain on budget and on schedule, DCI needs to have a close relationship with its clients. Simmons explains that DCI has an openness with clients that is rare in the industry and from its early days has been committed to an absolute open book process.

“The true open book process is what differentiates us from the competition,” Simmons elaborates. “We show our clients the competitive bid process.”

DCI will show the client where the subcontractor numbers are coming from and make a recommendation to the client on who to move forward with. “Our goal is to not have any change orders on the project and to manage the process to keep our clients within their budgetary goals,” Simmons states.

DCI has assembled a team of employees that are dedicated to the company’s process and are its most valuable asset. “Our people here are long time employees who love the business and are committed to our approach to the business,” says Simmons. As a result, the clients appreciate the honesty and integrity that DCI brings to its business and to each project.

“Putting our clients’ needs and interests first isn’t just what we do, it’s who we are,” Simmons says proudly. “It’s the reason our clients asked us to start this business. We’ve built our reputation on that principle. It’s never changed and we’re determined to see that it never does.” Delphi Construction Inc. is an experienced construction management company deeply dedicated to its clients.