JFK Construction offers the technology of a big company and the customer service of a small company.

The primary focus of JFK Construction Inc. is “building up our people and clients,” explains John Killoren, CEO and founder. The company starts by hiring people who “give instead of take,” which has allowed it to build a culture of service, he says. Next, the general contractor partners with a number of national vendors, which allow it to serve clients throughout the country. Lastly, JFK Construction partners with customers to understand their needs and deliver quality projects. Killoren explains this focus on partnership has allowed it to complete thousands of tenant finish projects throughout the United States.

“Our culture - the quality and commitment of our people - has ensured our success,” he says. “If you talk to our clients, the first thing they will say is that they trust us. That is because we have all of the technology and experience necessary to do their jobs - we look big, but we are a mid-size construction company that operates very efficiently. “We have the technology of a big company, but the customer service of a small company,” he adds. “We never want to get so big that we lose that.”

Based in St. Albans, Mo., JFK Construction is a full-service national general contractor that has the ability to become its clients' construction department. The company provides site surveys, architectural and engineering drawings, permitting, estimating, project management, scheduling of deliveries, subcontractor databases, materials purchasing and distribution, post-construction management, construction and cabinetry and warehousing. Recently, Construction Today spoke with Killoren about the company's culture of service and how that is building its reputation.

Construction Today: Your company claims it is focused on ensuring all jobs are on-time, on-budget and of the highest quality. How do you deliver on these promises?
John Killoren: We have a great staff. We have a director of construction who has 15 years of experience in the field, regional superintendents who travel and do quality control, and a project management team with decades of experience. Our entire staff works together to ensure we deliver quality projects. Most of our work is repeat, which shows that customers believe in what we can do. After we train our superintendents on how to build the prototype for a store, they know it; we have a strong learning curve here.

We also use a lot of technology. We have two servers to manage information. One important component is daily digital photos from each site, which allows us to see exactly what is going on.

This is all part of the value we bring to our clients. The companies we work with need a national contractor because they are concerned about branding - they can't have thousands of contractors doing build-outs in different ways. All of their locations need to be the same to build their brand. We can deliver on that.

Our company is small enough that our culture is firmly in place. We strive to put our employees first and to focus the entire company on serving others. We can naturally provide quality because we care about what we are doing. We are very concerned with maintaining our long-term relationships, which strengthen our business. The hard road is helping people - it's not about you, it's about them. But this is important to us, so we surround ourselves with people who like to help others.

CT: How do you meet clients' needs?
JK: Last year, at the end of the year, we brought in several clients to talk with the field team. The field team was able to have a Q&A session with the clients. This was very effective - we wanted our team to hear first-hand from the clients what they wanted and their thoughts on our performance. The clients stressed the importance of on-time delivery and that communication is of high importance.

CT: How do you foster relationships?
JK: We just created a new position: director of development. He keeps in contact with our clients a few times a month - in addition to the contact our sales force makes. We want to get constant client feedback and it is good to have someone on our team that is really focused on that.

CT: How do you work to enhance clients' operations?
JK: A lot of the big companies we deal with are going away from their construction and realty departments. As a result, they want more of a turnkey approach. Our clients are partnering with us because we can give the full package - we can do the surveys, find locations, do the CAD drawings, sourcing, manufacturing of fixtures - whatever they need.

We're the kind of company that can help our clients out. An area developer for Illinois, Missouri and Kansas for Cold Stone Creamery may find a location, but they will need someone to focus on store construction while the new franchisee focuses on generating new business. We work with Edward Jones - they demand their investment representatives are not involved at all in construction of a location because they want their people on the street to bring in business. Our firm is a strong partner to our clients because we can develop their stores while they focus on other aspects of the business.

CT: As the CEO, what is your vision for the future of the company?
JK: I want it to stay family first - family is top priority - and I want our culture to focus on giving to others. This makes people better. If we have an organization that's more give than take, our people will always help others.

The company also should always strive to build lasting partnerships with employees and clients - this will allow us to help people everyday. We want to be remembered as more than a great constructor - that can be superficial. We want to be known as an organization that is interested in giving and helping people. That is what drives us forward.