CIO Bulletin

Raeco Builders — Hyper-focused on making the construction process easy, efficient, and affordable

Getting your building for living or commercial purposes is a complex process. The clients often need customized buildings, and sometimes they just want a ready-made popular design structure. Raeco Builders is a hyper-focused construction company that makes the construction process easy, efficient, and affordable. The company offers pre-engineered building as well as custom designs to the clients. RAECO has a full support team of project managers, designers, and onsite supervisors to ensure success in the manufacturing and construction of your steel building. We interviewed the executives at Raeco Builders to know more about the company and its services. Here are a few excerpts of the interview:

Help us understand the history and transformation of Raeco Builders, LLC

Tom Jurgens started Raeco in 2009. Prior to Raeco, he has worked in many different areas in the construction industry. His last position before starting Raeco was as a district sales manager for a building manufacturer, where he dealt with contractors and end owners.

Tom wanted to switch gears from being on the road to being close to his family. Realizing the issues within the industry, he had been a part of for so long, Tom put together a business plan where he wanted to provide ethical services and quality work. In Tom’s opinion, this was severely lacking in the industry. Thus, Raeco was born (a namesake after his two children). He wanted to sell a few projects and make a living with the potential of having his kids carry on the legacy. “I had no intentions of seeing it where it is today,” states Tom. “I just wanted to make a decent living and be close to family.”

Tom’s genuinity goes further than just maintaining a great business. He approaches each project as a representation of what encourages him to continue. “I am representing my kids and my family,” says Tom. “Commitment is perfection.” This type of attitude has landed him great projects. Each project is handpicked by the team, and they do not sacrifice morals and ethics just to make a sale. They are committed to having successful construction projects that last.

Q. Tell us about the versatility of your pre-engineered steel buildings.

To simplify the concept of a pre-engineered building, think of purchasing a building like a dining room table. When you need a new table, you have a few options. Two of those options are to purchase a custom table from a local woodworker or purchase a pre-designed table to build at home.

In the steel building industry, Raeco provides both options. Pre-engineered buildings are the perfect combination of those two options. What if you were able to custom design your dining room table and submit that design to IKEA to manufacture the parts and ship them to your house where you get to build the table in your dining room? This is the exact process we follow with pre-engineered buildings.

Q. What is your building process?

We first learn more about a client’s company and building needs. We ask several questions to make sure we understand all the details. We then walk the client through their options and the design they want. Once that is complete, we nail down the initial building concepts and put together an estimate and proposal. After the proposal is approved, we make revisions needed to design plans. We finalize the entire design before submitting it to pre-engineering. Once we submit the final design to our engineering and manufacturing building partner, the process will begin! They take the designs and start custom building the plans. Our building partners keep the manufacturing process under the same roof, making the transition from engineering to application seamless. When materials are ready for construction, they send them to our site, where the team is prepared to build.

Since the building structures are manufactured and engineered by the same company, the construction process is quick and efficient. Because all materials come together, we can construct most buildings in just a few months. When the building is complete, we will have the structure inspected to ensure everything is sound and up to code before we hand it over. Once the inspection is complete, we hand the keys over, and the client can move in!

Give us a gist about the birth of your concrete work.

We had a subcontractor at the time, and our designing styles differed. We wanted to provide a different style of service for our clients, and thus concrete under Raeco started. Using laser screeds, robotic total station, and 3D GPS imaging, our team has eliminated human error from the process. When we pour a foundation, retaining wall, flatwork, or parking lot, the final dimensions of the product are extremely precise, saving you time and budget.

Q. What comes under your concrete services?

Foundations, Flatwork, Parking Lots, Retaining Walls, Finished Floors, Precast coatings, and Large Scale Concrete Projects.

Q. How do you assist customers with your design-build construction services?

With our design-build construction services, you won’t have to manage multiple contracts within your building project. We save you time and major headaches by having the designer and contractor under the same roof. By working collaboratively within our team, we negate any disputes you traditionally see between designer and contractor. That means you are free to make crucial decisions on your building project rather than handle communication and conflict between multiple parties.

Q. Educate us on your project highlights. What projects have you planned ahead?

We are leading at the edge of technology to assist our projects. One project was Ideal Tents and Events Rental. We worked with the client on their needs and design to build a customized Metal Building that allowed them to hang tents to be cleaned and dried and allow people to move about underneath them freely.

Q. How have you excelled from your years of experience in the construction industry?

Doing things the right way and not cutting corners. At the end of the day, this is what we do: it’s going to be done right, or we don’t do it. That knowledge and hard-set stance come with years of experience and education. We want to make sure the clients are getting everything they deserve in their projects. No matter where it is, rural or commercial, we provide the quality needed.

Brief us about your consulting and the areas it covers

We are here to help if you are looking for a partner to offer advice throughout the building process. With our years of experience in building construction and concrete, we can offer insight into everyday challenges and unique obstacles you may face. We help you develop cost-effective solutions that take care of those challenges and leave all parties satisfied. Our consulting areas include:

Construction Management
Scheduling
Bidding & Estimating
Planning & Design
Cost Control
Contract Review
Engineering
Building Code Compliance

Q. Where do you want to take Raeco Builders a few years from now?

The goal is to continue on the path we are on. The message of our quality service is getting out there into the public. Personnel and just what we are providing in terms of services will continue to grow.

Meet the Founder

Tom started Raeco Builders, LLC (a namesake of his kids) in 2009. Prior to Raeco, Tom worked in many different areas in the construction industry. His last position prior to starting Raeco was as a District sales manager for a building manufacturer, where he dealt with contractors and end owners. Realizing the issues within the industry he had been a part of for so long, Tom put together a business plan where he wanted to provide ethical services and quality work. This type of attitude has landed him great projects. Each project is handpicked by the team, and they do not sacrifice morals and ethics just to make a sale. They are committed to having successful construction projects that last.

Raeco Builders have been recognized and awarded: Top Dealer for Nucor Building Systems, Top 100 Metal Builders by Metal Construction News in 2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015. Tom credits Raeco’s success not only to his handpicked team of managers that share his values and mission but also their high standard of excellence.