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T H E G U I D E T O C E N T R A L F L O R I D A’ S L U X U R Y B U I L D E R S A N D C O M M U N I T I E S
Check out this gorgeous custom home in the Dr. Phillips area designed by Phil Kean Design and built by Hardwick General Contracting. The front elevation (above) and the rear elevation (below) reflect the home’s modern style. But Hardwick is comfortable building in any architectural genre.
CUSTOM BUILDER PROFILE
A COMBINATION OF GOOD
BUILDING SCIENCE
AND MOM-AND-POP SERVICE Greg Hardwick Has Created a State-of-the-Art Business Using Old-School Values. By MIKE CANDEL ARIA
H
ardwick General Contracting has And why shouldn’t he be? built a successful company with a simThe president/owner of Hardwick General Conple philosophy of “good building scitracting is also the president of the Master Custom ence” and “technical sense” combined Builders Council (MCBC), which represents an with “mom-and-pop” service. elite and selective cadre of 26 of the area’s leading For a building industry professional with mulcustom home builders. tiple awards and accolades to his credit, couHe’s a proven winner. Hardwick has earned pled with respect from his peers, Greg Hardwick, Builder of the Year from the MCBC, Remodeler of who earned a master’s degree in engineering the Year from the Greater Orlando Builders Assofrom the University of South Florida, certainly ciation (GOBA) and Project of the Year in Green has an unusual method of self-promotion. Remodeling from the National Association of He begins by stating something his company Greg Hardwick’s company “can Home Builders (NAHB). doesn’t offer: “We don’t do specs or my own really build anything you bring He’s a proven leader, too. In addition to headto us.” home designs,” he says without hesitation. ing MCBC, Hardwick is a past president of GOBA Such is life (or business) when you’re at or and has served in various NAHB leadership canear the top of the food chain among the region’s general pacities. He’s also vice president of the Florida Green Building contractors. Buyers know that Hardwick is more interested in Coalition (FGBC) and has held numerous leadership positions building a home that makes a statement about its owner than within NAHB. he is in building a home that pushes a personal aesthetic. “There’s nothing more educational than learning together “We can really build anything you bring to us,” he adds. with your peers and discussing issues among your peers,” “That opens us up to unlimited styles and types of homes.” Hardwick says of his industry involvement. “Everybody is helpHardwick, as the saying goes, is comfortable in his own skin. ing each other to become better.” SPRING 2019
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The Dr. Phillips-area home shown on page 12 is just as spectacular inside as it is outside. In fact, the inside and the outside are seamlessly connected, taking full advantage of temperate Central Florida weather.
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This more traditional custom lakefront home in Maitland reflects Hardwick’s versatility. Images of the interior — the winding staircase and the lakeview living area — are shown on the facing page and page 18.
Although Hardwick is a building industry lifer, he wasn’t raised in the business. His father was an Air Force fighter pilot. Instead, he started in construction in 1992, after earning his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Florida State University. He moved to Orlando in 1997 and Hardwick General Contractors was incorporated in 2004. Another key player in the family business is Hardwick’s wife, Donna, whom he met at FSU. She’s a CPA who brings more than 25 years of construction management experience to the enterprise. Since he started building, Hardwick has cultivated a reputation for his “commitment to excellence,” according to Rick Caccavello, president of Central Kitchen & Bath, who describes Hardwick’s company as “one of the most professional builders in all of Central Florida.” Adds Caccavello: “They have a systematic, team-oriented approach to custom home building, and excel in project leadership and seamless job coordination. Their commitment to
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excellence in customer service is evident on every project.” Likewise, Mike Keesee of Keesee Associates — one of the regional building industry’s top design firms — lauds the company’s ability “to understand the building sciences and how to integrate them into the design process.” Hardwick himself, Keesee says, has the “skills necessary to make it easy to design homes for his clients.” Hardwick takes such praise in stride. He even deflects plaudits of his forward-thinking approach on green construction. His company has achieved several firsts in the sustainability arena, including the first-ever FGBC Platinum Level certification almost a decade ago. Yet, Hardwick calls being green nothing more than “good building science” that makes technical sense and saves buyers money while minimizing environmental impact. It’s also good business, he says. Hardwick and his wife rely on a handful of other principal contributors, including Justin Lednar, construction manager,
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who has a degree in physics and engineering. Office manager Jennifer Aldana plays a key role, he says. Not coincidentally, collaboration, customer service, personalized service and attention to detail are trademark characteristics of Hardwick General Contractors. For good measure, Hardwick’s two teenaged children, Grady and Haley, are involved. He notes that son Grady can name each of the company’s recent projects and when they were completed.
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Although there aren’t plans to push the children into the business, Hardwick enjoys the fact that Grady and Haley “take a lot of pride in the company, the company’s image, and in what we do.” And there’s plenty to be proud of across Central Florida — even if the president/owner isn’t especially boastful. “Quality is our mainstay,” says Hardwick. “And we’re relationship-driven. You must be, in this business. We try to be very accommodating to our clients, to our owners.” ■