The construction industry is, by nature, somewhat chaotic. Heavily influenced by socio-economic trends and technological advancements, it is ever-changing, ever-evolving, and unpredictable. Construction companies exist in the backdrop of this chaos, and still need to push forward with the job at hand to achieve client objectives, tight budgets, and ambitious timelines. It is the companies who figure out innovative ways to bring order to that chaos – like Bergman Construction – that have the best shot at success. Bergman Construction, formally named Bergman Build LLC, is a medium- sized commercial construction company based in California. Bergman has established its name in the construction space and built a book of repeat clients by bringing a smooth approach to a process that is often anything but. “Our core mission is to serve our clients’ needs by delivering high quality projects with an excellent experience,” says Peter Livermore, Vice President of Bergman. “We build relationships, and part of what keeps us going year to year is those continuous relationships. Our clients are excited about working with us. They remember the great experience that they had with us in the past and how we delivered a very smooth project management process.”
Bergman covers a lot of ground – from its home in California to Florida, Washington, and all the states in between. Bergman is cleverly structured to account for the importance of in-person leadership and navigating area-specific challenges. “We have team leaders in specific spots, and they focus on that city and the general state that they’re in, as well as some adjacent states,” Peter says. “We’ll send team members to certain projects based on the value of the contract or the scope of the work, and if the job is actually in the city that our lead is located in, like Raleigh, North Carolina, then they will be actively touching base in a one-to-one way. Some folks in this business would call us a travelling contractor.” When it comes to this customized, area-specific approach, Bergman doesn’t stop there. With boots already on the ground in different locations, Bergman has recently started to introduce a qualified expert into the key regions it operates in. “I’m doing outreach to meet and work with new colleagues who are experts in their certain zones,” Peter says. “Let’s say we have a major city like Boise, Idaho, or Salt Lake City, Utah – those are places we want to be in locally. I’m bringing local people on in a senior manager role so they become an area leader, which is a combination of a business development expert and a project manager. They have a group of clients that they’re working with and gaining more clients as they go. They’re actively marketing, working with subcontractors and suppliers, and building a reputation for excellence within their zone.” This strategic placement of experts in key regions is part of Bergman’s wider growth plan. “Our big goal in terms of major growth is to have 20 local offices across the US in the next 5 plus years. With that major idea, we are moving ourselves forward in terms of quality, observation, operations and controls, and everything is focused on gaining the ability to service, control and do a great job in each of those divisions.”
“Our big goal in terms of major growth is to have 20 local offices across the US in the next 5 plus years.”
Having covered Bergman’s clever growth strategy, Peter goes on to discuss some of the company’s standout projects from over the years, starting with Citadel Outlets in Commerce, California. The project involves the complete interior conversion of an existing office space into a modern Pan Am Hilton-branded hotel, including selective demolition, structural modifications, upgraded vertical circulation systems, as well as new construction throughout the property. “It’s targeted to be open and fully functional and part of the community before the Los Angeles Olympic Games begin,” Peter says. “The business adjacent to that office building is a retail center with shops, restaurants, a Starbucks, so it’s already a very busy bustling center with a parking structure. The landowner developer client is actively trying to enhance that facility, and this hotel conversion will allow for them to cater to a specific clientele; guests from out of town currently visit the stores and enjoy time there, but now they’re enhancing that by getting the hotel up and running.”
Next up is a water park extension project at the Holiday Inn in Orlando, Florida. Phase 1 of the project saw the removal of the existing pool area’s multi-use building, the concrete deck, hot tub, underground mechanical systems, and outdated infrastructure, and the addition of two new aquatic features. “The new product that’s being finished right now is a Flow Rider machine where people can ride the waves in the stationary,” Peter says. The project showcases a unique construction application in which Bergman is highly experienced, a strength that is also evident in the next project Peter mentions: a lion and hyena zoo exhibit. “The old exhibit was different in size, scale and style, but built for the same type of animal. The work was essentially tearing down 80% of the old exhibit and putting in a new one. There are rock walls the animals can run and climb on, and there’s also really tall walls that the animals can’t jump over. There’s the internal sleeping area, the underground veterinarian observation area, and a beautiful presentation area, and in some cases the guests can get very close to the animals.”
Capturing Bergman’s wide scope of commercial experience, Peter highlights a recent CarMax Superstore project in San Marcos that’s open for business in June, and a new Fertility Clinic including a laboratory and surgery center adjacent to the existing Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills. As well as working on new buildings like shopping centers, grocery stores and restaurants, Bergman also repositions existing buildings to give them a new lease of life. Whatever the construction application, Bergman’s approach is always finetuned to the customer’s specific needs. “We really value supporting our clients in a very personalized, unique and customized way. Some clients want to be treated with ABC and some clients need to be treated with XYZ, and that’s okay. We are experienced enough give them what they’re looking for.”
Bergman’s customized approach – along with its commitment to bring order to chaos – is the driving force behind the company. “Our clients mostly have one thing on their mind when they’re working with us,” Peter says. “They want a good quality product, they want it to be inexpensive, they want to finish on time, and they don’t want to be stuck with hassles and annoying issues. Construction is very frustrating so clients rather work with somebody who will make it fun, interesting and smooth. We want to help our client get solutions to all the things that come up.” Bergman’s KAM program, which assigns Key Account Managers to specific areas of business, allows the company to offer innovative and customized solutions to its clients and assist in providing a smooth service. “We have specialists who are key account managers (KAMs) in retail, restaurants, renovations of restaurants, kitchen equipment, and all the things related to that application. It is a unique application and it’s a lot different on a daily activities list for the guys doing the building process and the coordination of the engineering technologies. We have a KAM in water parks, water slides, and special features related to entertainment with water. We have another one who handles big, large warehouse industrial buildings. We have another one who handles self-storage facilities. This allows us to meet with our clients and say, our product expert in this environment is Fred or Terry or Sam, and they’re going to be working on this account with us. We’re going to have the local project manager working with you, who’s in the area you’re in, in the city we’re going to build in. And we’ll also add to the team the KAM to give us proper support, advise, and technical expertise. With that strong team, we can present something to the client which gives them a ton of confidence. Then we deliver an on-time, good quality, cost-effective product.”
As part of its Development service, Bergman help customers with limited developer experience to bring projects to life by acting as an extension to its team. “They might have a parcel of land, and they don’t know what to do with it. You call Bergman Development Services, and they will do everything that’s needed to bring the project to construction. The permitting with the city, getting water and power to the building, telephone systems, planning department approvals, department of building and safety approvals for the final designs, getting a conditional use permit in place for that type of use. All those things can be taken care of. That team also have really great skills in CAD and art and finishes, and they can imagine the new building’s details and create them from scratch, present them with CAD, present them with visual graphics, and then get the architect to do formal documentation with the stamp of signature and approval.”
So, what does all this mean for the future and longevity of this well-established company? Peter lays it out clearly. “What we’re trying to do with our master plan, including the 20 area leaders and the 20 locations, is to grow our enterprise four times over. Our value right now that we put out in terms of daily operations is about $100 million of construction work every year across all of the 50 states that we have licenses in. If our clients want us to travel to a certain location, 99% of the time we can.” Bergman is positioned in a way that is attractive to prospective employees who can see a clear career growth strategy. “It’s an excellent opportunity for folks to jump into our team because they know that we’ve got a plan, a vision for growth, and we want to bring younger people up with us and have them grow with us and take more senior positions as time goes by. We want to find people who are excited to strengthen their own career so they can move up from a project engineer to a project manager, to a senior manager, and even to an area leader of a whole city.”
The Bergman team is led by a clearly defined set of core values that remind them – as they push forward in an unpredictable industry – to stay true to the company’s vision. “Our values include accountability, engagement, and be all in,” Peter says. “And then more importantly there’s safety; making sure our folks are safe as they work on our properties, and sustainability; being considerate of the environment and how we affect it.” The list also includes high quality, both in service and product, and balance, relating to both work life and community outreach. Whether Bergman is acting in a Pre-Development, Development, or Construction Management capacity, the goal is the same: to bring order to the chaos and provide a smooth process that turns clients into repeat clients.
