With golf course construction declining, some builders are finding it hard to get enough work to keep their staffs busy, but in the case of at least two builders, 2003 is shaping up to be busier than 2002.
Lithia, Fla.-based Quality Grassing & Services Inc., winner of the 2002 Golf Course News Large Builder of the Year Award (GCN, March 2003), expects to complete more than the seven projects it finished in 2002, said company president J. Howard Barnes.
“We’ve got a lot going on this year, more than last year,” Barnes said. “We’ve got three major renovations we’re starting, and we’ve got some new stuff going on that we’ll finish with no problem.”
Fidel Garcia, president of Ryangolf Inc., located in Deerfield Beach, Fla., said while the slowdown will have an effect on a lot of builders, his company will be busier than last year, mainly because of the quality of clients it works with.
“Going forward, we are fortunate to have a clientele that’s immune to the economy, to be honest with you,” he said. “I knew there would be a certain number of projects that they would be starting and I would have my fair share of those. So I didn’t worry and it has come through.”
While most of the year is booked already, Garcia said Ryangolf will probably take on a couple more projects this summer.
Barnes said established relationships with owners, architects and developers, as in any business, are the X-factor that often figures into the hiring decision for a builder.
“It’s good to have those relationships, and I don’t begrudge anybody who can get them,” he said. “You always like to have that unfair advantage. People get aggravated about it, but that’s just business and that’s the way these things get done sometimes. You just have to accept it and move on.”
With course openings declining in 2002 (GCN, March 2003), the picture looks to get worse before it improves. Financing is often tough to come by, so builders have to get creative and competitive with their bidding.
“Financing has been difficult for our clients,” said Quality Grassing general manager Robert Price. “As a result, there has been an increase in joint ventures and partnerships for private investment.”
To combat rising insurance premiums, Quality Grassing has also had to get creative, relying on some of those business relationships and staying on top of the situation, Price said.
“Insurance rates continue to rise while our bonding costs have stayed the same, so we have established close relationships with our insurance and bonding agents,” he said. “We continue to compare their performance and rates with competitiors.”
Lithia, Fla.-based Quality Grassing & Services Inc., winner of the 2002 Golf Course News Large Builder of the Year Award (GCN, March 2003), expects to complete more than the seven projects it finished in 2002, said company president J. Howard Barnes.
“We’ve got a lot going on this year, more than last year,” Barnes said. “We’ve got three major renovations we’re starting, and we’ve got some new stuff going on that we’ll finish with no problem.”
Fidel Garcia, president of Ryangolf Inc., located in Deerfield Beach, Fla., said while the slowdown will have an effect on a lot of builders, his company will be busier than last year, mainly because of the quality of clients it works with.
“Going forward, we are fortunate to have a clientele that’s immune to the economy, to be honest with you,” he said. “I knew there would be a certain number of projects that they would be starting and I would have my fair share of those. So I didn’t worry and it has come through.”
While most of the year is booked already, Garcia said Ryangolf will probably take on a couple more projects this summer.
Barnes said established relationships with owners, architects and developers, as in any business, are the X-factor that often figures into the hiring decision for a builder.
“It’s good to have those relationships, and I don’t begrudge anybody who can get them,” he said. “You always like to have that unfair advantage. People get aggravated about it, but that’s just business and that’s the way these things get done sometimes. You just have to accept it and move on.”
With course openings declining in 2002 (GCN, March 2003), the picture looks to get worse before it improves. Financing is often tough to come by, so builders have to get creative and competitive with their bidding.
“Financing has been difficult for our clients,” said Quality Grassing general manager Robert Price. “As a result, there has been an increase in joint ventures and partnerships for private investment.”
To combat rising insurance premiums, Quality Grassing has also had to get creative, relying on some of those business relationships and staying on top of the situation, Price said.
“Insurance rates continue to rise while our bonding costs have stayed the same, so we have established close relationships with our insurance and bonding agents,” he said. “We continue to compare their performance and rates with competitiors.”
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