MCM is constructing a 100,000-square-foot, two-story customs building out of a former airport terminal for the Miami International Airport.

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MCM Corp. President Jorge Munilla says construction runs in the family. His father, Fernando R. Munilla, was responsible for pioneering pre-cast concrete and post-tensioned buildings in Cuba. In fact, Munilla says, his father built the longest free-span bridge and the tallest structure in the country and was in the business from 1944 to 1960.

In 1983, when Jorge Munilla and his brothers, Raul and Juan, founded MCM in Miami, they wanted to carry on the family tradition. “First, it was the three of us that initially started the company, and then our brother Fernando was recruited,” Munilla says.

“He was a mechanical engineer working in an architecture firm in New Jersey. He knew there were tremendous opportunities here, and we could reunite the family again by working together. That would have been the dream of my father for us to do.” Today, six Munilla brothers work for the company.

MCM enjoys projects that are mechanically challenging, Munilla says. In late 2006, it completed a two-year, $15 million Smart Center for Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and the Florida Department of Transportation. “This system controls Amber Alerts, where they broadcast them on street signs and electronic billboards and are connected to a central command center,” he says.

As part of the same contract, MCM designed/built a system that will electronically reroute traffic when areas become congested. “The most complex part was the computerization and communication of all the different software,” Munilla adds.

Miami International Airport
Another technically challenging project was for the Miami International Airport (MIA) in late 2005. MCM’s role was to design/build a toll-collection system with an unusual perk for harried travelers. Several cameras were installed throughout the parking area to photograph license plates as they enter the site and find a parking spot. “[The system] monitors where you park, so if you forgot where you parked, they’re able to go through all of the license plates that passed through the system electronically and find the matching license plate,” Munilla explains.

MIA is a repeat client of MCM’s, Munilla says. The company is currently constructing a 100,000-square-foot, two-story customs building out of a former airport terminal for a contract that will be valued at $75 million.

“It will be a complete renovation of the face of the MIA on the north terminal,” Munilla says. “The whole job is not just the customs building, but all of the interiors, all of the walks and all of the aluminum storefronts.” He expects the project to be completed in 2010 or 2011.