New Generation Construction Group

Justin Hernandez and key members established New Generation Construction Group (NGC) in 2009 as a small, independent construction firm serving eastern central Nebraska. “It certainly was not the best time to start a construction company,” Hernandez laughs. “But, we built the business on relationships and by taking care of clients. Over the last five years, we have grown from nothing into a good-sized general contractor with approximately 50 employees between the field and the office.”

NGC now operates from two locations in Lincoln and Omaha, Neb. The team’s work is concentrated in these areas, although relationships with strategic partners and clients have brought the business out of state. Furthermore, the company works closely with developers that have drawn NGC into projects in Iowa, Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas. “As we build relationships with these developers, we expand with them,” Hernandez clarifies. “All of these out of state projects are for clients we have worked with before.”

A comprehensive construction process

Hernandez and his team are all about collaboration. The company works closely with clients and strategic partners to put forth a collective effort that results in innovative work that serves end users.

“We will spend six to seven months before we break ground to reduce delays and improve productivity in the field,” Hernandez elaborates. “We understand developers. Our approach is different. Our methods also allow us to do public work and we have established relationships with universities, school systems and local governments. Most of our work is negotiated and we prioritize building a team environment for each and every project we are selected to be a part of.”

For the team at NGC, work includes a lot of commercial, hospitality and retail projects. NGC has been active in the renovation of downtown Lincoln, where the crew has been involved in key projects to revitalize the urban core.

As part of redevelopment in Lincoln, NGC recently completed work on the Tool House block in the city’s historic Haymarket District. “We performed the construction management on a 104-room Hilton Garden Inn, part of a 200,000-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment,” Hernandez elaborates. “Within that building we had an 8,000-square-foot restaurant with four tenant retail shops below the restaurant. Attached to the Hilton was a parking garage that went underground and then another main level for retail with two restaurants. Above that is a 68-unit apartment complex at high-end market rate. The Hilton was new and the other buildings were built in and around two existing buildings. This was a very unique project and comprised about a $30 million development.” Hernandez is quick to note that Action Plumbing and Heating, along with JK Electric, played a key role in the success of the Tool House project.

Aside from downtown, the company’s work includes apartments, hotels, medical facilities and restaurants. NGC has always had diverse capabilities, which have allowed the business to settle into a number of different markets.

Lasting partnerships

The Tool House project is a good example of what NGC can accomplish by building strong partnerships. Working with a network of reliable subcontractors and collaborating with the developer, the crew is turning around a high-end commercial project that will bring new life to the neighborhood. The success of the project has also helped to build opportunity for the business. NGC will be working with the same developer on an upcoming multifamily project.

“We place high value on relationships,” Hernandez explains. “Our success hinges on our partnerships, whether with clients or strategic partners. A general contractor cannot be successful without great subcontractors and we strive to take good care of our subcontractors. Most of the time, we work as the general contractor on a project; though, sometimes we work as a construction manager. We try not to self-perform much on larger projects.”

Despite getting started in a tough market, NGC has experienced steady growth over the last five years. According to Hernandez, it all comes down to taking care of clients and making sure the company has good people on its team.

“We want to make sure those values are communicated clearly to everyone,” he says. “That is what helped us grow. We check in with our developers and clients to get feedback from them. If I don’t hear positive feedback or we do not get referrals, then I know something is wrong. We built our business off two clients who then referred us and then referred again. We are proud of doing things differently. By keeping our priorities in line, we have the ability to offer the kind of service and results to our clients that they can’t get anywhere else.”

It is the mentality such as that of Hernandez that has kept NGC in a pattern of growth. The business has at least doubled revenue every year since opening the doors in 2009. Hernandez and his team put a plan together each year for what the team would like to accomplish both in revenue and in internal growth. Hernandez is proud to note that the crew reinforces the plan by working with, and checking in with, clients. “We will grow as far and large as our clients want,” he says. “If the company gets too big we will scale back to meet our clients’ needs. Our end goal is always to deliver a good product to a client.” So far, the results have been good. New Generation Construction Group continues to grow, providing standout service to a diverse range of commercial clients throughout the region.