Family-Fused, Set for Success …and Beyond
Infinity General Contractors Group
When Alex Rodriguez decided to turn his years of experience in construction into his own business in 2012, the first principle he laid down for Infinity General Contractors Group (IGCG) was to treat everyone like family. It’s a philosophy that extends not just to clients, but to employees and subcontractors as well.
It’s the philosophy that drew senior estimator Danny Coley to IGCG in 2017.
“It’s hard to describe, but working here you truly feel like part of a family,” Danny says. “Alex started with the philosophy of treating everyone like family, and it’s a part of everything we do. He fully believes in valuing relationships above money. It’s a very good concept of mixing relationships and construction and a very unique way of handling any problems that come up. Communication is the key, going above and beyond to make everything clear to everyone involved. We want to know and befriend our clients, not just do a job for them.”
Going Into Business
Based in Newport Beach, California, IGCG currently serves clients in California, Nevada and Texas. The firm offers services in the areas of residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, educational, religious and hospitality industries, including construction management assistance in each aspect of general contracting and design-build phases.
For most of its history, residential construction has been IGCG’s primary area of business, but that is changing. Danny coming aboard in 2017 was part of a move to increase the company’s footprint in commercial construction.
“Before I came over to Infinity, I was heavily involved with projects like Starbucks remodels, builds for companies like T-Mobile, El Pollo Loco and others,” Danny says. “Part of my job, on top of estimating, is business development, trying to get us into more commercial work to try to drive the company into more of a commercial zone. I foresee us doing more city work, more big-box construction and ground-up builds. I’m trying to drive this side of the company into that larger realm of work.”
Most of IGCG’s residential work has come from rebuilding, remodeling and renovating the high-end beachfront homes that crowd the California coast, Danny says. The company has also done work for homebuilders like Shea Homes and Florence Homes. IGCG’s list of municipal contracts includes the California cities of Irvine, Riverside and Glendale, as well as the Irvine Police Department. Commercial clients include Huntington Beach Harley-Davidson, Western Digital, South Bay Galleria and Lev Restaurant Group, among others.
Current projects include major renovations on several affluent homes, as well as a $600,000 remodel on a veterinarian clinic in Redondo Beach, California, and multiple locations for local restaurants.
“Right now we’re trying to keep a 50/50 split between residential and commercial projects,” Danny says. “We have three residential jobs going on right now and three commercial, so we’re exactly at 50/50. I’m developing new relationships with clients from small private businesses to the larger big boxes, trying to go after everything.”
Slow and Steady
Aggressively pursuing more commercial business has been successful, and business has grown as a result. But IGCG, under COO Samantha Whitlock—who joined the firm in 2016—is taking care to manage this growth carefully. IGCG’s revenues have hovered between $3 million and $6 million per year, but are projected to grow to $5 million to $10 million by next year.
“We’re trying not to see more than 30 percent growth per year,” Danny says. “We’re being careful to control the growth without being too ambitious. All of us believe in growing deliberately. I call it the SSSG, for slow, steady, solid growth. You can build a great tower, but if it’s on a shaky foundation, it will collapse. The foundation of the company is its culture,” he says. “In the case of IGCG, it’s a company with a great foundation, a very strong base. But if you expand too quickly, you could dilute the things that make this company great. We won’t lose that culture, that sense of family.
“This is a company that believes everybody should be treated like family,” Danny continues. “We pride ourselves on the quality of our employees. We believe in doing every project right the first time and being easily accessible to our customers. The culture is like a big group of family members. There’s some bickering and finger-pointing sometimes, but at the end of the day, we all sit down together. Our laborers and subcontractors are the same way; they’re all part of the family. We truly value and listen to our subs and respect their expertise.”
Extended Family
IGCG only has 14 full-time employees, but its subcontractor base is large, assiduously grown and expanded through resources like The Blue Book Network. When you add in the subcontractors, representing every trade, IGCG’s extended family swells from 14 to 400.
“We have an amazing resource of the best of the best in each trade,” Danny says. “We believe in taking care of our subcontractors. One of the first things we do when we mobilize on a job is tell our subs we want them to go home the way they showed up to work. Safety comes first. We’ve got an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, with never a complaint on quality, safety or anything else. We also pay quickly. We’re a net-30 company, but usually pay within two weeks. As the saying goes, a fat pig is a happy pig.”
With its focus on family and relationships, along with its growing stable of satisfied and returning clients, IGCG is poised to continue its policy of steady and measured growth.
“What it comes down to is we really try to focus our deeds and energy on safety, quality and relationships,” Danny says. “We go that extra step to ensure all safety concerns are addressed and resolved. The same goes for quality. Our clients are our family, and it’s our job to meet and exceed their expectations.”