Vantage Builders Inc.: Hands-on Ownership Ensuring Total Satisfaction

From project managers, architects, engineers, various subcontractors and right down to the company’s co-owners, Vantage Builders Inc. (Vantage) operates using a strict hands-on approach. The Massachusetts-based contractor services several states throughout New England in the renovations construction market with a focus on repeat business and building relationships customers can count on.

The Vantage Advantage

John Connor and Ed Silva, presidents and co-owners of Vantage, founded the company in December 2000. The pair combined their many years of residential and commercial experience at a previous employer to form Vantage, which is now based in Waltham, Mass. Although the business has grown over the past 13 years, John and Ed remain dedicated to active involvement in all daily aspects.

“Owner involvement is a key component of our operation,” admits John. “We like to stay in tune with what’s going on. We’ve never wanted to get too big or grow to the point where we can’t be hands-on in every project.”

Vantage mainly serves eastern Massachusetts, but also works in Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine. “We’ve grown to employ about 28 people,” details John. “Our people don’t just attempt to meet our customer’s needs; they’re out to exceed them, every day. We value repeat business and it’s what keeps us going.”

Although the company specializes in tenant build-outs and renovation projects, Vantage has recently diverged into some development projects, as well. “We don’t do a lot of ground-up or new construction, but our market for renovations is quite diverse,” remarks John. “Office builds are our bread and butter, but we touch on manufacturing, retail, medical, industrial and educational jobs.”

Building Satisfaction

Vantage builds client satisfaction through partnerships with trusted subcontractors. “We subcontract out about 95 percent of our work, but we have a set network of local companies we’ve been working with for many years,” shares John. “Ed and I have been working with some of them since before Vantage was even founded. We do like to mix it up sometimes, too, because it keeps the subcontractors competitive and honest.”

The company has completed restorations for Sam Adams, New England’s well-known brewery. “We also started a $7 million mechanical renovation project last spring for the replacement of a 30-story tenant building in the busy Boston suburb Jamaica Plain,” details John. “This was a challenging site, because we had to coordinate with area fire and police departments to close busy roadways. We also had a helicopter come in and pick through the rooftop.”

Vantage has grown accustom to working in busy Boston locations. Not long ago, the team completed at $1.1 million project for the Jacobs Engineering firm in the city’s downtown area. The 20,000-square-foot job required a complete gut and build-out to the Congress Street space. Vantage was given a tight time frame for the multitenant building; the job called for irregular hours and coordinating with the landlord, Berkley Investments.

“We work for lots of landlords,” explains John. “Bringing projects in on time and on budget is critical to their continued repeat projects. Our quality, timely work ensures that we don’t have to pick up the phone to drum up business. The work comes to us.”

According to John a repeat satisfied customer has kept Vantage a float amid a troubling economic situation. “From 2009 to 2011, ground-up contractors began to invade our renovations market because new construction came to a halt,” he recalls. “It made bids much more competitive and challenging, the margins really thinned up. But, 2012 was a good year for us and 2013 looks to be even better. It seems like there’s an increasing amount of work and that the reins have loosened a bit.”

With the light at the end of the economic tunnel, the company is free to venture into new markets. “We’ve taken on some of our first development projects,” shares John. “We’d like to grow that side of the business while staying consistent in renovations. We’ve got our niche and we’re good at it, so that’s what we mainly stick to.”

Vantage builds customer satisfaction through hands-on ownership and customer care. The company remains a force throughout New England offering skilled restorations. Vantage Builders Inc. continues to attract repeat business, ensuring on-time and on-budget projects; that’s the Vantage advantage.

For more information about Vantage Builders Inc., please visit: http://www.vb-inc.com/.