Celebrating 35 years: 1985-2020
We celebrate 35 continuous years in business this 2020 year.
That’s how I started this post when I first sat down to work on it two months ago. I had no idea what lay ahead in the coming weeks, for Benchmark, for all of us.
They say only 10% of companies make it the first year and only a few get beyond five. Benchmark beat those odds – and has made it through some pretty big challenges. To tell the truth, on March 22, 1985 we were pretty confident – if you know Benchmark, that probably doesn’t surprise you! We had a plan and knew if we followed it, success would come our way.
That plan included more than numbers, sales goals, percentages and the potential profits needed to sustain the company. It included the values we would strive for. Values that would set our company tone and drive us to deliver construction projects for more reasons than quality, timeliness and cost effectiveness.
We wanted to treat our customers and our teammates with respect and dignity. To provide customer and teammate satisfaction; go the extra mile. Over the years this desire to be more than just a builder has led to a whole departmental focus on continuing the development of these values, these unique characteristics that make us different.
When I look back, I marvel at the pace of change. We had no cell phones just a huge, first-generation word processor that was slow! Now we use technology to model a building with so much accuracy the model can be taken to the field and the building can be laid out in minutes. Our sophistication continues to evolve in every department.
Our first project was the fit out of a 7,500 SF office building attached to a large refrigerated warehouse. When I compare that to the complexity of building a 147,000 SF patient tower over an existing hospital structure it blows my mind! I am very proud of Benchmark’s portfolio, but I am even prouder of the teams that complete our work.
Loyalty and commitment were the foundation on which Benchmark was built back in 1985 and those values continue to drive us today. They say you shouldn’t use history to predict the future, but I disagree. Times are very uncertain right now, but when I look back over the last 35 years of Benchmark history all I see is a bright future.
– Bob Brandt, Jr., Founder & Chairman of the Board
First-class all the way. Thank you for all you have done for me personally and our industry. 2nd to none!!