Interior Textures of the Palm Beaches Inc.: Crafting Custom Interiors

Interior Textures of the Palm Beaches Inc. (Interior Textures) is an interior construction company based in Jupiter, Fla. Frankie Walker founded the company in 1968, and Charles (Mac) McDonald runs the company today, building on a wealth of experience in the market sector of drywall, metal framing, interior finishing and painting.

“I worked for other companies, our competitors, for a long time,” says McDonald, CEO of Interior Textures. “The owner passed away a few years back and his son and sister were running the company and eventually they bought out the company I was working for.”

Within a few years the owners wanted to get out of the business to pursue other opportunities, and McDonald’s experience and qualifications made him a good candidate to take over, so the then owners offered him the company. “As of April 1, 2011, I own it,” says McDonald.

Interior Textures now employs 12 experienced professionals who specialize in interior construction, building beautiful forms inside private homes, businesses and public agencies. Much of the work is self-performed, but McDonald says he does rely on a network of reliable subcontractors for specialties. “We keep them busy, the check is always good, and they deliver consistent quality,” he explains. No matter who performs the work, all on-site personnel are committed to job safety and keeping to schedules and budgets.

The business operates throughout the Southeast and has completed project around Florida, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina. “We do a lot of single-family houses and commercial spaces,” says McDonald. “We haven’t done any high-rises yet, but we have the capabilities.”

Throughout all structures Interior Textures can provide trade services including light-gauge steel framing, drywall, painting, true level five finish, exterior dens glass sheathing, detail-oriented prefinish punch work and more. Interior Textures has experience working with stucco, but demand has slowed and McDonald says the team doesn’t work much with the material anymore except at the request of customers.

Recent Projects

The company’s residential construction range also includes townhomes, remodels and community projects, which its commercial range includes offices, hotels, restaurants and industrial buildings. Interior Textures is involved in several projects in a variety of sectors, including government. “We’re working on a three-phase project with Clark,” says McDonald. “It’s a full renovation of the military housing at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa. We’re looking at phase three right now.”

Other projects include a few contracts on elementary schools through Royal Concrete. “We just finished up a couple of those,” says McDonald. “We’re working on and finishing up the CSX corporate office in Tampa and we have a few big single-family projects on the horizon.

Another large piece of business has been Chinese drywall remediation. “We’ve been doing that for about three years,” says McDonald. “We also did a firehouse in Jacksonville not long ago. We try to dip our toes in a lot of different applications.”

McDonald’s favorite projects stand out for very different reasons. “The most interesting was our Orange Grove project in Mobile, Ala.,” says McDonald. “That was with Shannon, Strobel & Weaver. The area was destroyed by hurricanes a few yeas ago. We were redoing low-income housing in the local community. It was very involved.”

The second is a project that was completed in summer 2012. Along with these commercial spaces, Interior Textures has built a niche around specialty interior construction for large, high-end custom homes, such as one in Palm Beach Gardens. “I won’t mention the gentleman’s name but they say this guy is the wealthiest person in America that no one’s ever heard of,” says McDonald.

The 16,000-square foot home is full of unusual features and amenities. “It’s right on the water,” McDonald says. “It has every little nuance you could envisions. There are really incredible ceiling and wall decals. It’s coming out really well. We’ve had some great feedback from Sabatella, the company we’re working with on the project.”

Making the Most of a Slim Market

Interior Textures is doing well despite the recession thanks to management’s dedication and experience. “In a depressed economy, it’s easy to question the benefits of business ownership,” admits McDonald. “But I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve made a lot of money for a lot of people. Since 1985 I’ve probably managed over $300 million of business. Now it’s all about making money for myself and I believe I can do it.”

The company has a wide range of capabilities and McDonald’s focus for the near future is finding the right markets and customers. “It’s obvious, but we’re looking at where the profitability is,” he says. “We’re going where the work is as long as we can make money and satisfy our customers. I’m all for it. I believe every opportunity branches out into more work for us, although sometimes it feels few and far between.”

McDonald, however, is proactive. “You can’t just sit around and cry about what’s happening with the market,” he says. “You have to evolve as the market changes.”

And that is what Interior Textures is doing. Interior Textures is growing steadily and McDonald says he’d like to return to the margins of a few years prior, “… but only if it’s manageable.” Always putting the quality of the project and the satisfaction of the client first, Interior Textures of the Palm Beaches Inc. will continue to build up as it finishes impressive build outs.