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While marketing was mostly by word-of-mouth on the residential side, marketing the company on the commercial side took a little more time in building relationships with GCs. Dan's brother, Mike Bromley, who heads up the sales and estimating division, made personal visits to general contractors to present the company and its capabilities. "Something that helped us get our foot in the door was our willingness to bid projects for 'what ifs,'" Mike Bromley says. "We did a lot of bids for jobs that didn't go through, and the GCs appreciated that."

Looking ahead
With the company firmly planted in the commercial realm, Dan says the management team can work on redesigning its marketing literature, keeping in touch with its customers through the company newsletter and getting the word out about its recent designation as a Certified Foundations Company through the CFA. (See sidebar for more information on CFA certification.)

And as the market picks up, Dan says the company has goals for further increasing its commercial presence through its flatwork division and pervious concrete installations. Future equipment considerations will need to be useful on commercial projects, such as laser-guided grading and placing equipment, commercial forms, and a curb and gutter machine. And ABI Corp. plans to send more employees through training programs like the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) pervious certification, OSHA 10 and the American Concrete Institute (ACI) flatwork technician program.

Diversification is a strong tool for many construction companies, but Dan says it doesn't mean ABI Corp. will abandon its roots. Just as the residential market has changed over the last 40 years - with more complicated building plans and a stronger need for technology - Dan saw the needs of his company change, too. "Residential work is our anchor business," he says. "We just want to separate out the commercial and have two focuses in our company so we're prepared for the ups and downs in the economy."

ABI Corp. recently completed the concrete work for a LEED certified building. To read more about the unique aspects of this project see "Bottoms Up: Turing Pumping Upside Down".

CFA Certification