A Like-Minded Subcontractor Business Partnership
Ouellet’s Newest Subcontractor Business Partner: BREX Corp
As sitework continues on the Arundel Town Hall project, we are already realizing the immense value of our newest subcontractor business partnership with BREX Corp. They are a full service excavating and general contractor, servicing public and private sector clients in the construction of roads, water, sewer and dry utilities, sub-divisions, commercial, industrial, and residential sitework. Although we’ve only been working together for a few months, we are already seeing a lot of parallels between how Ouellet and BREX operate, and we are enjoying our partnership thus far.
Asking The Right Questions
Arundel Town Hall Project
BREX has been careful at every turn to ask all the right questions. Even before they arrived on site, they were very inquisitive, asking for specific details regarding every aspect of the job. They were adamant about getting all the information before their arrival, so they could set up the site efficiently once they arrived. It was clear from the beginning that they didn’t want to start without having all the information they needed to ensure they provide the best quality of services possible.
“It is refreshing to work with a similar-minded organization. It makes the process much more efficient,” said Luke Ouellet.
Investing in Employees & Equipment
Source: https://www.pressherald.com/2019/12/27/site-work-started-on-long-anticipated-arundel-town-hall-project/ (Kevin A. Byron photo)
From their equipment to their employees, BREX takes exceptional care of all aspects of their company. It is easy to see the care and investment they consistently make in themselves as a company, much like we do at Ouellet Construction. Their organization is run well from the top down, and it shows.
Their employees are professional and highly skilled at what they do, and their equipment lasts a long time, because they take care of it. All of their equipment is clean and rust-free, which shows they take the time to maintain it after each use. They treat all equipment and materials onsite like it is their own.
“It is always very encouraging to see this from a subcontractor we are working with,” said Luke. “We understand the time and investment it takes to take good care of equipment, so we genuinely appreciate their efforts.”
President of BREX Corp., Mark Brown had similar compliments to say about Ouellet Construction.
“Ouellet prides themselves on having a clean and well-organized construction site. Their equipment is well-maintained and something you would be proud to put your company logo on. They are genuinely concerned that everyone on the project team has the opportunity to be successful, and they are adamant that the owner gets what they are paying for.”
Excellent Communication
Luke, Dean and Mike Ouellet have been in close communication with BREX, and agree that communication on the Arundel Town Hall project thus far has been excellent. Luke said,
“They are clear, concise, and easy to understand. Their onsite project manager, Tom Wooldridge has been great to work with, and highly communicative. Any issues that have come up thus far have been handled promptly and efficiently.”
Luke also pointed out that, instead of just saying, “This doesn’t work,” BREX comes to the table with details about why it doesn’t work and offers alternative solutions to keep things moving forward. They also follow through with participating in solving the problem, rather than simply handing it off to others working on the project.
BREX Corp.’s President, Mark Brown said the following of how communication with Ouellet has been thus far:
“Communication has been perfect. They are extremely knowledgeable, very concise, and very responsive.” He added, “And, they sound like Canadian hockey players when they speak. I’m a big hockey fan, so I think that’s pretty cool.”
From a Subcontractor Point of View
Ouellet Construction works hard to exceed client expectations in every way; therefore it’s always great to hear a subcontractor partner say that we are doing just that. BREX Corp. President, Mark Brown was impressed with our attention to detail on the Arundel Town Hall project, specifically regarding the foundation installation, which we chose to self perform. Mark said,
“I visited the site on several occasions while Ouellet was installing the foundation, under some of the harshest winter conditions. I don’t believe I have never seen more care taken in the form work for a foundation. The end product – the foundation – was straight, square, level, clean, and smooth. It was perfect.
I can remember standing with our site supervisor, looking at the foundation after it was stripped, saying, ‘I have never seen such quality and perfection in a foundation.’ My site supervisor looked at me and said, ‘You think that is neat and clean? You should see the inside of their job trailer.’ I am beginning to understand why the Town of Arundel selected Ouellet Construction to build their new Municipal Building, and I can’t wait to see the finished building.”
He added,
“There are a lot of general contractors doing business around here, but these folks are truly professionals. They create a job environment where all parties involved have the opportunity to be successful. Because of this, the Town of Arundel won’t just receive a building built to meet project specifications – they will receive a building that can only come from a well-organized project team with an attention to detail that will exceed any project specifications.”
The Beginning of a Long-term Business Partnership
BREX’s great communication and problem-solving skills, combined with their strong work ethic has already saved Ouellet and the design team a significant amount of time on the project. This will undoubtedly lead to long-term cost-savings as the project continues. Simply put, this has been a very productive relationship thus far.
“We are impressed with what we have seen so far, and we hope to continue working with them in the future,” said Luke Ouellet.
BREX Corp. agrees that the partnership is going very well so far. President Mark Brown said,
“When working with a general contractor that is new to us, we always go into the relationship with our eyes wide open. Sometimes the relationship is an absolute struggle, and sometimes it is a good match. This has been a great match.”