Bellevue University (pictured) is one of Hawkins Construction’s many repeat clients.

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Although Omaha, Neb.-based general contractor Hawkins Construction has officially been in business for more than 47 years, the founding family’s experience in the industry dates back to the early 1920s. Hawkins is in its third generation of family ownership, and these long-standing roots continue to guide the company today.

Hawkins Construction has built a reputation for quality work throughout its markets in Omaha and Lincoln, Neb., Vice President Tracy Mumford says.

It is committed to completing projects ahead of schedule and within budget, and becomes involved with the project early in the process.

“We start working with specialty subcontractors right away, and encourage them to assist in the design and value-engineering of the job,” Mumford says. “They might not be guaranteed the contract at that point since many owners require at least three competitive bids on each division of work, but these subcontractors are given more insight on the job. When it comes to the competitive bid process, they have a step up from other subcontractors.”

Since the company performs the majority of its work in Nebraska, Hawkins has been able to develop strong relationships with other firms.

“Our relationship with subcontractors is excellent,” Mumford explains. “We’ve been working with certain subs since the ’60s.”

The key to maintaining these relationships is to ensure on-time payment. “Our policy is to turn around payment within 30 days,” he explains. “It might sound elementary, but it doesn’t often happen in this industry. But, if subcontractors are getting paid on-time, they’re happy, and the relationships are easier to foster,” Mumford continues.

Hawkins’ long-term customers rely on its ability to lead projects to success, and many enlist its services on a regular basis.

Several of its repeat clients include the University of Nebraska, Bellevue University, First National Bank of Omaha, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha Airport Authority and Nebraska Department of Roads. “What keeps our clients coming back to us is the way we manage work, in my opinion,” Mumford explains. “We do things differently than other contractors of our size.”

For instance, each project has a “Job Sponsor,” who is a construction professional who acts as project manager, contract administrator, estimator and scheduler. “This person is the single point of contact on the job, and has all the resources and support staff necessary to help him or her do the job well,” Mumford explains.

“This way of operating has allowed us to eliminate communication errors and helps to expedite the construction process. We might not handle projects like traditional contractors, but it works well for us and our clients.”

Owners appreciate working with a single point of contact for all their questions and concerns. “From what we’ve heard from owners, they like that they don’t have to call five different people to find a solution to a problem or answer a question,” Mumford explains.

Silver Success
A recent project is the $9 million International Quilt Study Center and Museum, located on the University of Nebraska at Lincoln campus.

This three-story, 30,000 square-foot facility will be home to the world’s largest quilt collection, and has tested the company’s skills to the limit, according to Mumford.

Hawkins Construction worked closely with the owner to incorporate sustainable materials and gain as many LEED credits as it possible. “Communication was key in this project,” he explains. “We had to have many project meetings throughout the job to make sure we were on track.

“We had to collaborate with the owner and designer and contractors to make decisions on materials.” The payoff: The project achieved LEED silver certification.

Commitment to Safety
The company’s culture allows for autonomy among the management team, and employees enjoy many opportunities for professional growth, Mumford says. The company offers extensive, ongoing training to ensure skills are up-to-date.         

“We handle most of the safety and skills training in-house, and we even built a training room in our office,” he explains. “We updated our training program about four years ago, and call it our Safe Production Program. We don’t distinguish safety from production, and try to promote that idea within our program.”

Hawkins’ incident rate has dropped since implementing the program. “It’s been proven that what we’re doing is working,” Mumford says. “We have the best safety EMR rating in the area, and it might be among the best in the country for the type of work we perform.”

With strong customer loyalty and a commitment to safety, the company is in position to grow well into the future. “We would like to continue on our path of steady growth, even if it means performing work in other Midwest metropolitan regions within a 300-mile radius of Omaha,” Mumford explains.