Excel Construction of Florida

Excel Construction of Florida:

Carrying on a Legacy

Repurposing the Ordinary into Extraordinary

Written by Mary-Jaimes Serrano Produced by Stephen Marino

Thinking outside the box is vital to staying at the top of the game in the construction industry.

Excel Construction of Florida takes this concept to heart. Since its founding by Wilbur Wolf and Bill Pratt in 2001, the company has made a name for itself as a leader in innovative thinking and quality construction.

Growing the Legacy

President and son of Mr. Wolf, Eric Wolf, has continued the company’s hands-on approach since taking the reigns in 2016. Eric Wolf describes his efforts as “carrying on the legacy” his father and Mr. Pratt started. This legacy has grown from a start-up to having built 1800 projects of over 10 million square feet in tilt-up and interior build-out.

Excel Construction of Florida embraced its innovative thinking before it ever started when founders Wilbur Wolf and Bill Pratt worked together at Miller Construction. From there, they planned and began what is today one of the construction leaders in thinking outside-the-box designs.

At the heart of Excel Construction of Florida is the mantra of “doing what you say you will when you say you will.” Eric Wolf accredits

his father’s success to this basic concept that is hard to find in today’s ever-changing construction world. With this core value in mind, the Excel Construction of Florida team combines their expertise and forward thinking to create designs and concepts to fit their clients’ needs and stay on budget.

Services that Fit

Excel Construction of Florida provides its clients the architectural designs they desire, from concept to construction. Some of their services include design and build packages, construction, and project management.

They pride themselves on giving their clients precisely what they envision in a manner that fits their budgets and schedule. With their design and build service, Excel Construction of Florida helps clients take their visions and put them into design documents. From the design documents, the construction team converts the

“I am passionate about what I do, every day. I came to work with my father a career in construction, accompanying age, so I grew up in the industry. Each challenges. The end result – the completion client – makes what we do worth - President

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concept into reality.

Excel Construction’s Eric Wolf says, “in terms of projects, we’ve done the build-out for the corporate headquarters of several companies. In addition, we have completed and are currently reimagining industrial space as showrooms and other non-traditional uses. That sets us apart because we can take raw space or, for example, a cooking school and repurpose it into something new different, and unexpected.”

Utilizing their core values, innovative thinking, and applying their extensive multi-talented background, the team at Excel Construction of Florida is dedicated to helping build, rebuild, and repurpose southern Florida.

On Budget, On Time

One of the key components to adhering to Excel Construction of Florida’s core concepts is ensuring they meet the client’s design

do, and that means I am pumped father before I even thought about accompanying him to job sites at a young Each day is different, and I love the completion of a project and a happy worth every minute of every day.”

Eric Wolf

needs, budget, and schedule. Eric Wolf explains that this process includes capital planning, partner management, financial outlook, continual improvements, and clear communications. He further explains what each of these steps means to him and the entire team at Excel Construction.

• Capital Planning: Always have an eye on the future. Whether that is a focus on geographic expansion or diversity in terms of types of projects, weigh the best practices for success.

• Managing Partnerships: Be very involved in marketing initiatives, community involvement, and

Wolf

- President

Eric

industry relations. Include the team depending on each individual’s preference and expertise.

• Financial outlook: Plan budgets in 3- to 5-year periods. During the pandemic and the subsequent supply chain challenges have somewhat disrupted this process. Still, they have been diligent and extremely efficient in meeting clients’ goals during this time. Financial forecasting is a serious business; they assure their employees and clients of their financial strength by thinking longer term rather than current times.

While these aspects are paramount

to the success of any project, the team at Excel Construction of Florida knows that flexibility and continual learning are vital parts of the process, as well. With this in mind, they are always adjusting to the changing construction environment in southern Florida.

Excel Construction has implemented a multi-step process that includes training in lean construction, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and a tried and true “debriefing” process. This process starts at what many would see as the end of a project. The “debriefing” is done on every closing project. During this step, the members discuss every aspect

of the project. They utilize information from this “debriefing” to help them harness successes and make changes for continual improvement and growth.

Utilizing the information from the debriefing of previous projects, Excel Construction starts each new project with a “briefing.”

During this planning phase, the whole team discusses their objectives. It implements any changes or new techniques learned from the previous project’s “debriefing.” Mr. Wolf said, “This allows their team to always learn from the past so

they can grow in the future.” Another important feature that helps the team stay on time and within budget is a keen eye for safety on all projects. Excel Construction of Florida’s safety program includes internal and external parties who ensure the highest levels of safety on the job site. The company has a fulltime, in-house safety coordinator whose daily task is to guarantee the 55-page Safety and Health Plan policies are adhered to by all employees. They also utilize an external Safety & Risk Solutions team to perform a monthly random, on-site audit. This allows the company to ensure all

regulations are met, and hazards and injuries are prevented.

The Right People Make the Difference

Every company knows that choosing the right people for the job spells success. Excel Construction of Florida understands this concept is essential in every aspect of business, starting with staff and moving straight through to vendors and suppliers.

With this in mind, Excel Construction prides themselves on their culture and flexibility. Although they continue to grow,

Excel Construction of Florida

they work hard to maintain a family feel. They offer significant benefits and flexible work schedules to support a healthy work/life balance, and they encourage a work hard/play hard mantra. With this mantra, Excel Construction rewards its team members for their hard work by hosting events like paintballing, picnics with laser tag, and classic food and drink picnics for the whole family.

The Excel Construction of Florida team also understands that vendors and suppliers are an extension of their family. They ensure this by only working with top-notch class-A suppliers and subcontractors. As such, most of

their vendors and subcontractors have been with the company since it started. When new subcontractors are needed, the company leans on word of mouth to find dependable additions to their growing family.

Giving Back

Excel Construction of Florida understands that their success comes from their tight-knit community, and they strongly believe in giving back to this community. Eric Wolf said, “As a dad, and husband and son of teachers, any cause relating to education and children, are near and dear to me personally.” This is a mindset shared throughout the Excel Construction team.

Some of their community projects include the Broward Education Foundation and Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital. In addition, they donate yearly to holiday gifts for children collected by Sunbeam Properties and the Miramar Park of Commerce and delivered by the Miramar Police Department.

Excel Construction of Florida also prides themselves on being involved in the industry. President Eric Wolf is on the board of directors of NAIOP South Florida, serves as the chair of Developing Leaders, is on the committee for

the annual bus tours, as well as a sponsor and volunteer.

Living the Legacy

Excel Construction of Florida’s President Eric Wolf is proud to continue the legacy his father, Wilbur Wolf, built with Bill Pratt. Looking back, he accredits the continued success of the Excel family to those who have mentored him along the way and the tight-knit family and community that continues to grow today.

His first and strongest mentor is and always will be his father, founder Wilbur Wolf. The latter

taught Eric everything he knew about construction and the logical business methods that led to his success. From a young age, Wilbur took his son “to work and taught him the meaning of hard work and the value of a dollar.”

Eric also confesses that he is forever indebted to those who gave a young president a chance and took him under their wing. One such mentor is Gary Minor of IDI Logistics. Gary allowed Eric to work on one of his South Florida projects and offered invaluable advice and tips. Tips that he has used in many projects with IDI Logistics and others since.

Another such influence in the success of Excel Construction of Florida is Maridee Bell of Sunbeam Properties, who president Eric Wolf refers to as his “mother in construction.” Sunbeam gave the young president his first project after taking the reigns as they had his father when he was just starting out.

From these humble beginnings to leaders in quality and construction, Excel Construction of Florida shows how hard work and a handson approach can build a legacy in the construction industry.

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