J & B Projects: Built on Successful Relationships

The company is a local Gold Coast commercial builder that has been in operation since 1971. In the 44 years of its existence, J & B Projects has completed a number of prestigious assignments and it offers its clients a complete design and construction management service.

Brad Kane, Managing Director, is a 25 year veteran of the building industry and his expertise lies in handling the entire gamut of activities involved in a commercial project. His vast experience has given him the ability to execute projects flawlessly by coordinating the efforts of architects, engineers, interior designers, surveyors, estimators, tradesmen and project and construction managers.

Apart from his technical skills and expertise, Brad Kane brings an unflappable demeanour to the job and his presence encourages his team members to produce outstanding results in the most difficult of circumstances. His team recently completed the total refurbishment of two penthouse units on the 25^th floor of a high-rise. The work entailed practically dismantling the interiors and then redoing the two units completely, including the addition of new rooms. Although it was a challenging job, it went off without a hitch.

Speaking about his management style and his approach to work, Brad Kane says, “Be respectful, treat everybody with integrity, treat everything in a calm professional manner and always do the right thing. That normally gets you through most situations.”

When J & B Projects takes up a new assignment their first step is to prepare preliminary design concepts and a preliminary budget. The company considers getting a buy-in from the client as essential and that planning is the key to a successful outcome. A detailed cost break-up is provided to the client and relevant information is furnished periodically, so that it is possible to track the actual cost as compared to the budget throughout the project.

The company lays a great deal of stress on transparency and maintains a high level of communication with the client. Over the years this practice has earned J & B Projects a reputation as a sound and dependable builder with the result that today most of the new business that the company gets is through referrals and word of mouth.

In its decades long existence, J & B Projects has established close ties with a number of suppliers, many of whom have been dealing with the company for over 20 years. Brad Kane makes a special mention of those who have partnered in the company’s progress over the years – Penguin Concrete Construction, Richard Steel Fabrication, Australian Temporary Fencing, Tilt Action, Zen Electrical, G. James Glass, Gold Coast Timber and Trusses, Ron Nickel Roofing, Gold Coast Roofing and Coastal Excavations.

The company has developed great skills in estimating costs for a project and uses Buildsoft as its estimating program. It also uses the MYOB online cloud service and is very satisfied with the results.

A project that has given Brad Kane a great deal of satisfaction is the construction of a 2700 square metre warehouse/office centre. The client had shortlisted nine industrial/commercial builders and finally asked two of them, including J & B Projects, to tender for the job. The client’s criteria for awarding the contract included inspection of the completed projects of the respective builders. Ultimately the job was awarded to J & B Projects.

According to his usual practice Brad Kane took on the role of site supervisor to ensure that the exact specifications of the client were adhered to. The building, which includes a 50 metre X 50 metre clear area without any supporting columns, was completed on time and within budget. The client was extremely satisfied with the end-result and especially pleased with the high standard and quality of the structure. J & B Projects won the State Master Builders Award for this Helensvale warehouse development in the category of ‘Industrial Building up to $4 million’.

Another project that the company has completed and which has earned it great praise is the extension of an existing swim centre which also offers dancing, gymnastics and tennis lessons. As the number of students had increased greatly the owners had decided to expand capacity.

The job entailed creating two new activity areas at different levels. A new structural steel and timber ramp was created to allow access for disabled persons. This part of the project was so skilfully executed that it blends into the original structure and does not appear to be an addition at all.

Over a period of time J & B Projects has developed the ability to win commercial building assignments in the face of stiff competition on the basis of its past work and strong reputation. In the last five years it has seen a jump in the number of jobs that it has been awarded. It is now positioned for rapid growth and Brad Kane says that he owes this to the relationships that have been built by the company and the trust that it has earned from its clients.