In the fall, “we automated all of electronics,” he says. “We have a very streamlined communications system, which allows for instantaneous decision-making between different groups of people.”

The system is known as a voice-over Internet protocol and it puts all of the company data on a universal server, which can be accessed by all employees. “It’s effective for sharing data in real time,” Munilla explains. “It centralizes all data collections so everyone’s data is viewable to everyone else.

“This is especially good for employees, because they can work from home and send any of their documents to print at the job sites. When they arrive, the data is there [and] available for them. In construction, with the amount of paper you get, it’s very important to access the data quickly. Our goal is for anybody in the organization to be able to access any paper within less than five minutes.”

Looking Ahead
Munilla says the Miami construction market is changing in several ways. “I think you’re seeing a lot of condo contractors slowly move out of the condo market since there’s such a softening in the real estate market,” he notes. “I think they are going to be moving into the general contracting market. Competition is going to be much more intense.

“I see a slow but consistent consolidation of our industry in the sense that you get a lot of the giants buying out the small- and mid-sized contractors. And I’m also seeing a wave of international construction companies come into the Miami market. They come in with a different mindset and their objective is to get market share, so it’s definitely a changing market. I think it’s going to be a hard market in 2008 and 2009.”

MCM keeps a steady grip on the industry by diversifying its services. About 50 percent of the company’s business is in civil construction and the other half is devoted to general contracting. According to Munilla, business is booming. “The company should double in size in the next 36 months in volume,” he notes.

“I think we’ve grown to a point where we’re often sought after to work on complex projects because we’re best at delivering complex projects in very short periods of time. And I think people enjoy working with us, [which positions us] for a strong growth cycle going forward.”