Exec indicates good times in construction

Gulf Coast construction executive Craig Campbell has essentially built his own economic indicator tool, and the results are good: In four months Campbell has secured at least $10 million in new work, and a slew of potential projects are in the offing.

“There are some real positive things happening,” Campbell tells Coffee Talk. “There are a lot of opportunities out there.”

Campbell is Florida director of operations for Houston-based Satterfield & Pontikes, one of the 150 largest contractors in the country. The firm opened its Florida office in February with only Campbell. It now has seven employees and recently signed a lease for expanded office space.

One project, around $10 million, is for a 120,000-square-foot Walmart Supercenter on Hillsborough Avenue in Seminole Heights, on the site of the former Abraham Chevrolet dealership. A second project is a two-story, 18,000-square-foot medical building in east Manatee County, off State Road 70. That project, where Satterfield & Pontikes will handle the design and build phase, is around $3 million. The firm is a minority developer on the building.

Campbell has more targets. The division bid on three local opportunities where it would be involved in development and general contracting. And three national clients that have worked with Satterfield & Pontikes in the past have begun discussions with the firm about Florida expansions. The division continues to bid on Walmart projects, three or four a month, and it also recently bid on several large distribution centers for a global client.

The biggest obstacle to expansion, says Campbell, isn't even related to finding projects. The challenge, instead, is finding labor and subcontractors — something on the minds of many in construction.