Godfrey Construction Company

Harry Godfrey founded Godfrey Construction Company (GCC) in 1964, which was later incorporated in 1987. The small business started out working with local owners, architects and engineers to provide construction management solutions for projects around Monroe, N.C. Today, GCC remains small, but relevant. GCC has grown to service major projects in the commercial sector in North and South Carolina.

Tim Hinson, Harry’s son-in-law and current owner of GCC, started working with the company in 1977. Tim now operates the business with his own son, Hoss Hinson, vice president of GCC. “Ever since I was a young, I knew this was what I was going to do,” Hoss explains. “I knew I’d end up working in this industry. I was brought up watching my grandfather and father work in this industry and was accustomed to the sights and sounds of this world.”

While the team continues to expand GCC’s geographic footprint, Tim and Hoss continue to strive for longstanding relationships and a professional reputation. GCC maintains a commitment to quality building and unparalleled customer care, both of which are founding principles that have withstood three generations. “Our relationships set us apart from other companies,” Hoss explains. “We have been around a while, and with that tenure, we have developed relationships with clients. It’s easy to establish relationships, but much more involved to keep them.”

Superior Services

GCC offers decades of experience in various delivery methods such as design-build and bid-build services. “We concentrate on large-scale commercial projects,” Hoss explains, “Mainly in the K-12 and higher education sectors and governmental projects.”

The company’s highly skilled employees deliver management solutions to clients across a broad geographic footprint, working out of a single location in Monroe. Working in new construction, remodeling and renovation, the team has completed standard and LEED-certified projects at several schools, government offices and other institutions in the Carolinas.

Recent projects for GCC include a $3.5 million renovation of a high school auditorium in Charlotte. N.C. “The school was built in 1950 and has had no remodels since then,” details Hoss. “We started in the middle of February and will be done by Christmas. This renovation will provide the school’s staff with a sense of accomplishment and belonging, while creating a great learning environment for students.”

The GCC team is also amid another remodel project for the Union County Government Center. “This is a nine-story renovation,” Hoss elaborates. “Again, this is a facility that has not seen renovations for an extended period of time and the 200-plus employees who work here are very excited of the changes.”

GCC also recently completed a $7.5 million gymnasium addition to a hometown Monroe high school. Additionally, the team completed a $10 million renovation and addition to a middle school in Charlotte, N.C.

Teamwork that Works

Especially with major renovation projects, Hoss explains that it is vital to work with the right people. “We’re really on the management side,” he says. “In order to maintain a relationship with a client, you have to be able to do your job. These are team-correlated projects. We have certain subcontractors for certain types of work that we work with on a repeat basis.”

According to Hoss, it appears the economy is on the rebound, which means private and public entities are ready to put money into projects again. Hoss and his team have made it through the worst of the recession and are bracing GCC for sustainable growth.

“The only real issue we’ve faced lately has been, like any other firm, just trying to make it through those two or three years of a bad economic climate,” Hoss notes. “We dealt with it by staying true to our core values. We are a company with no debt and that has enabled us to pick and choose the projects we want. We had to think outside the box. Most of our guys have been working with us for 20 or more years, and with that tenure you become a family of employees looking out for each other.”

When GCC is facing tough times, the answers are always right in the proverbial playbook laid out by Harry Godfrey in the early days of the business. “The thing is, money is the effect, while the cause is relationships and how well you can perform,” Hoss explains. “We have clientele we have been working with for years. Our longest-standing repeat client has been choosing to work with us for 33 years. The turnover rate in-house is another indicator of performance. We know our folks are the cream of the crop. You cannot achieve your goals, without the right people in place. We have one superintendent has been here for over 35 years, which demonstrates a pattern for success.

GCC will continue to create these connections. “We are heading in the same direction we always have,” he says. “Over the next couple of years, I think we’re looking at slow, controlled growth. We’re in a zone right now where we’re really good at what we do. Looking back at the past, this is going to be a continuation.” Godfrey Construction Company has several projects in the pipeline, and with solid family leadership will continue to offer quality performance that exceeds client expectations.

For more information about Godfrey Construction Company, please visit: http://www.godfreyconstructioncompany.com.