W.L. French Excavating Corporation: Small Focus = Big Gains for Florida-based JWR Construction Services, Inc.

Honing Strengths Sets General Contractor Apart

Written by Kristin D’Agostino

Produced by Stephen Marino

Founded in 1985 JWR Construction Services, Inc is a family-run general contracting company based in the tri-county area of Miami, Florida. The firm-- operated by Jerry W. DuBois and his son Dustin DuBois-- is made up of thirty in-house employees and a vast network of subcontracted skilled tradesmen who provide contracting services- including design/build expertise and delivery and construction management.

For JWR the client is at the center of everything they do and they strive to clarify a client’s vision early on.

Chief Operating Officer Dustin DuBois says, “We come in with our preconstruction team at the concept phase and work hand-inhand with the design team and the owner to make sure the building is getting designed to budget… We work through the unknowns long before we put a shovel to the ground and negotiate 90% of our contracts. It’s a cost to do this upfront, but it saves the owner a lot of time and money in the long run.”

Also key to the company’s approach is using past mistakes challenges to drive future success. “My job is to make sure my team has the tools they need to be successful,” DuBois says. “Every week we go to our project managers’ meetings and give them time to go over lessons learned. Every project is its own island. A new situation is going to come up you’ve never heard about and you figure out how to address it and make sure the rest of your team hears about it so if it comes up again on another project you can manage it better.”

The company -which garnered 50 million this past year- prides itself in the fact that it keeps its focus small, and its client-base local.

“We don’t offer diverse services,“ says DuBois. “There are industries that we don’t get into because they’re not our strong suit. We know the areas we’re good at and we stick to them…. Also, we’re not a company that chases a lot of clients. We want to be able to service the ones we have well and to have their repeat business. Our goal with our clients is that when they think of construction we’ll be their construction division.”

DuBois points out that the industry these days is fraught with challenges including rising costs of materials, lack of material availability and a shortage of skilled labor.

“You don’t have a lot of people coming up into the trades at the same rate that people are retiring,” he reflects, pointing out that JWR tries to remedy this by encouraging younger employees to soak up the knowledge of more seasoned ones.

Labor shortages strain the limits of existing workers. DuBois points out, “The concrete industry is losing drivers to Amazon who’s paying X amount of dollars more so they think that life’s going to be easier at Amazon. That [driver shortage] adds extra workload for everyone else.”

“We come in with our preconstruction team at the concept phase and work hand-in-hand with the design team and the owner to make sure the building is getting designed to budget… We work through the unknowns long before we put a shovel to the ground and negotiate 90% of our contracts. It’s a cost to do this upfront, but it saves the owner a lot of time and money in the long run.”

“- Chief Operating Officer Dustin DuBois

Recognition and Respect

Through these challenges JWR has focused on empowering and retaining a strong base of quality workers. Also, when it comes to attracting talent, being a small company has its advantages.

“Here every individual has a meaningful role and nobody’s a number,” says DuBois. “We have a handful of guys that came from huge companies where they didn’t have this feeling. They like to be able to make more of an impact in their roles.”

DuBois adds, “I give recognition where it’s due. People tell me, Man, you did a great job building this project. I say, I didn’t build it; my team did. It’s important to make sure the team who did the projects receives any awards that come along. It’s promoting the people that are doing the things that match the culture that you’re trying to build.”

JWR extends this recognition and respect to subcontractors whom it considers key to a project’s success. He points out, “Sometimes clients want to know have you done this type of project in the past as a company. Well, the right question is Has your team done this type of project? I am only as good as the team I put together.”

He adds, “I know there are contractors out there who are heavy handed with their subcontractors. We make sure we pay our guys as soon as we’re paid. We don’t hold payment even if we could. It’s important that our guys are getting funded as soon as possible.”

Key Projects

The average project JWR completes garners between 10 and 20 million. Recent projects include The Alan B. Levan Broward Center of Innovation, a 50,000 foot business incubator community built for Nova Southeastern University; Amaryllis Park Place, a senior housing community in Sarasota; and Seven on Seventh, an eight-story 72 unit affordable housing project for the homeless in downtown Fort Lauderdale. This year, DuBois estimates the firm made 55 million.

He points out, “Next year conservatively we’d like that to be at 75 to 100 million. It’s kind of a big leap, but I think we’re going past that pretty easily; Frankly, it’s just easy to get the jobs right now… Our goal is also to grow throughout the state in the next five, six years.”

Having grown up in the construction industry since he was “big enough to push a wheelbarrow” DuBois acknowledges the work isn’t for the faint of heart. The father of two – with one on the way- took a break to join the Navy after high school.

He says, “At the time I thought it was a better option to go to war than to join the industry again and follow my dad. It can be an extremely stressful industry. It’s a roller coaster ride. Every job is a new battle and you’re trying to figure it out and just when you figure it all out you start another job.”

For DuBois the key to personal success has been in changing and evolving with the industry and maintaining strong industry connections he can go to for support. His greatest mentor, he says, has been his own father.

One of the secrets to survival, he says, is weathering the industry’s ups and downs without losing your cool. “It’s a roller coaster. When something goes wrong, it’s never a small thing. But you have to sit back and enjoy the ride.”

For DuBois, the industry benefits outweigh the challenges. For one, he derives a sense of satisfaction in positively affecting the housing crisis.

“Building affordable housing is super-meaningful work when we’re directly responsible for improving lives and living conditions,” he says.

“My other favorite thing about being in this industry,” he adds, “is being able to drive down the road fifteen years from now and point out the projects I was a part of. For me they’re kind of like tattoos. You can look at them and it brings you back to a point in time and reminds you what was going on at that time. It’s also a symbol of what you’ve put your work into. Attorneys can’t do that; doctors can’t do that. I can drive down the road and tell my sons I built that.”

Jerry DuBois is the President and founding partner of JWR ConstructionServices. A creative leader, Jerry personifies the entrepreneurial spirit that is JWR Construction Services.

JWR Construction was created in 1985 as the construction division for adevelopment subsidiary of Security Savings Bank, a publicly traded New Jersey financial institution. For forty (40) years Jerry has participated in every role within the development and construction industry; from underground utiliites, site development, through vertical construction.Jerry’s expertose is in projects that require specialized skills, sensitivityto unique program requirements, and knowledge in all aspects of the construction process. He is a hands on principal who prides himself on being readily accessible to each and every client and project.

Prior to JWR, Jerry was a partner in International Underground, Inc. a Deerfi eld Beach based site and utility contracting fi rm. Through Jerry’s commitment to his community and charities he insures the firm’s exceptionally strong tradition of corporate social responsibility. JWR Construction Services supports over 35 charitable organizations throughout the United States. The fi rm provides signifi cant fi nancial assistance as well as encourages personal participation from its employees. Jerry also serves on the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association’s Facilities Design, Development and Maintenance Committee and is on the Board of Directors for Rebuilding Together Broward County. free time, he learned the business from theground up. As he grew older and learned to work he worked asa carpenter when he was not in school. After graduating high school, he answered the call of his nation and served for five years in the United States Navy as a Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC). Shortly after returning home, heobtained his General Contractors License and opened DuBois Construction Services as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business. In 2018, he decided to merge his company with thefamily business and rejoined JWR Construction as the COO.

Dustin DuBois is the Chief Operating Officer for JWR Construction Services, Inc. and is responsible for overseeing all aspectsof the firm. Dustin is extremely proud to have been raised in the construction industry and has been working for JWR from the time he was big enough to push a wheel barrow. Starting out as a laborer during his

Dustin has always been and continues to be an active member of the community. He is a member of the Broward County Unsafe Structures Board, NSU Levan Ambassadors Board, ABC Florida East Coast Execuive Board and Legislative Committee. He is also a member of the Disabled American Veterans. Dustin and his family involved in charitable events and organizations but is especiallyproud of his participatoon in Rebuilding Together Broward ofwhich his father, Jerry DuBois, sits on the Board of Directors. Dustin’s background and commitment to service brings a unique perspective and qualities to JWR’s Leadership Team.

Paul has more than 32 years of construction experience, the most recent 12 years with JWR Construction. Paul has consistently delivered successful projects for both public and private clients, with a detailed focus on budget/cost control, coordination and clear communication of schedule, critical issues, permitting, safety, and quality control. Paul will be a key member of preconstruction, to allow for a seamless transition to permitting, mobilization, and construction. JWR will commit to Paul 100% of time to this project, as other current project assignments will be completed. Paul will have the authority to make decisions at the field level. Prior to joining JWR Paul spent the previous 12 years with Balfour Beaty fomerley known as Centex Rooney where he started as a project Engineer and worked his way up to a Project Manager role. His first 7 years in the business were with TJSV where he headed the company’s scheduling Department.

Company Information

Company Name:

JWR Construction Services

Country: USA

Industry: Construction

Est: 1985

Premier Services: General contractor

COO: Dustin DuBois

Website: www.jwrconstruction.com