RCC Associates Brochure

RCC Associates:

Building on a foundation of superior quality, customer service across the U.S. Based in South Florida, RCC Associates has grown into a sought-after specialist in the construction of high-end restaurants, retail, hospitality and other commercial projects across the country.

Written by: Kevin Doyle Produced by: Stephen Marino

www.rccassociates.com

www.rccassociates.com

F

ollowing the 1998 death of her husband and RCC Associates’ founder Richard Raphael, Beverly Raphael chose to stay the course, deflecting – and indeed using as motivation – the pointed criticism of those who questioned her place in the construction industry.

Raphael, RCC’s President and CEO, has long since silenced that conversation, teaming with Executive Vice President Rick Rhodes to steer RCC Associates to prominent standing among those in retail construction by consistently delivering superior performance and customer service.

Established in 1971 in Chicago, RCC Associates relocated to South Florida in 1981. The company is a member of the Retail Contractors Association (RCA), generated approximately $85 million annual revenue in 2015, employs 95 and boasts an array of high-profile national and international clients across the commercial spectrum.

“I’m so glad that we’re still here, that we’ve been able to grow as

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| RCC Associates | 1 we have. There are so many people involved in the success of any company. It’s never only one person,” says Raphael, noting that while early stories about her place in a male-dominated industry “made for interesting reading” her focus has always been “first and foremost on being successful and respected in the construction business, gender being irrelevant.”

People First

RCC’s size and family atmosphere is attractive to prospective employees. Once hired, Raphael says, most stay and are selfmotivated to pursue careers within the company.

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“I would say than nine times out of 10 they fall in love with the corporate culture, and I think that’s important,” she says, adding that she and Rhodes are hands-on owners. Their involvement in every facet of the business is an important aspect of that culture.

“A lot of the people we have attracted come to us from very structured, large companies where they never met the owner, where there were so many layers above them that nobody in upper management knew who were they were. There was really no personal connection, and their loyalty was more to a paycheck than it was to the company,” Raphael says.

“We know everybody who works for us. We know their spouses, and

their children. We know their families. Even their mothers and fathers come to our events. The value placed on family and work-life balance has always been key to retaining people,” she adds.

There is ample opportunity for career growth within the firm.

Raphael says: “Probably every director in this company was hired in an entry-level position and worked his or her way up.”

Director of Project Management Donna Robbins, for example, was hired as a receptionist 15 years ago. It didn’t take Raphael long to recognize Robbins’ tremendous potential.

“Donna is exceptionally bright.

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| RCC Associates | 6 Rick and I kept giving her more responsibility and promoting her.

It got to the point that we said ‘We’re looking for a Director of Project Management. Before we go out into the market, we want to give you that opportunity.’

She’s been director for three years now and she’s exceeded all expectations,” Raphael praises.

Rachael Johnson, initially hired as Estimating Coordinator around the same time, has also continually demonstrated her

value to the company. Now Director of Preconstruction and Estimating, she manages a team of eight and plays an important role in strategic decisions regarding what projects the firm will pursue.

Raphael’s youngest daughter, Robyn Raphael, joined as a Project Coordinator upon graduation from college in 2002 and has since worked her way up the career ladder to Director of Operations, overseeing

“Probably every director in this company was hired in an entry-level position and worked his or her way up.”

- Beverly Raphael, President/CEO

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Rhodes also worked his way up from subcontractor to his current position as EVP. “Rick had been working with my late husband for 13 or 14 years.

Richard hired him, and he progressed from Superintendent to General Superintendent to Vice President. When Richard was sick he told me that if I decided to keep the company, I should consider making Rick a partner,” Raphael recalls.

Raphael stresses that “there are no dead ends” at RCC, adding that the company provides educational support and mentors employees

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seeking advancement.

“If someone has that desire and that passion to want to grow, we’ll foster it and help him or her get there,” Raphael states.

“Sometimes it can take three months for [new] employees to settle in, to learn the RCC way vs. the way it was done at a prior company. When you hire from within, there’s no time lost.”

Focused Management

The synergy resulting from Rhodes’ depth of industry experience and Raphael’s business acumen – she developed her own high-end women’s clothing company

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before joining RCC full-time in 1999 – is a huge factor in the firm’s success.

itself, Raphael felt it was important to retain its boutique company culture.

“Rick and I are a great combination – we balance each other. I’m very fortunate because he is pure construction, definitely the smartest person in construction that I know. He’s qualified our firm in 31 states.

And I handle finance decisions, oversee business development and marketing, and supervise the inner workings of the office,” Raphael explains.

“We didn’t want to lose that hands-on ability to communicate with our staff and our clients. But we had to do something unique to differentiate us. What we decided to do was step out of our comfort zone and begin to work outside of Florida. That would be our edge,” she says.

When the company began examining ways to differentiate

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At the time, RCC was already building for now long-time client The Cheesecake Factory throughout Florida. It was this important client that provided

| RCC Associates | 10 RCC with the opportunity to take it to the next level.

“Acquiring the ability to work outside of Florida for The Cheesecake Factory was extremely important, because it meant they didn’t have to go through the growing pains and learning curve inherent to utilizing multiple new contractors as they expanded,” Raphael says.

“Once we qualified in other states for them, we decided we could leverage our mobility for other clients as well. So, we began

“Any time we’ve needed help finding a subcontractor in a market with which we were unfamiliar, or if we needed client information, we’ve been able to lean on the RCA.” - Beverly Raphael, President/CEO

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emphasizing that we could grow with clients, saving them from having to re-invent the wheel in each new market,” she continues.

The company survived the devastation wrought by The Great Recession in relatively good shape.

“We saw a lot of seemingly stable companies get obliterated, and it wasn’t because they didn’t deliver good work,” recalls Raphael, who is now married to Joel Altman, owner of Altman Development.

“Fortunately, we saw it coming

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before it had the chance to affect our company. We saw it in the residential market. My husband was coming home every day saying ‘prepare, prepare, prepare.’

It had already hit his industry.

We made adjustments, and we were also very fortunate that we were in the commercial market.

While retail slowed down, the restaurant division remained very consistent.”

Membership in the RCA has been a key component in the company’s ability to expand its national footprint.

| RCC Associates | 12 “Any time we’ve needed help finding a sub-contractor in a market with which we were unfamiliar, or if we needed client information, we’ve been able to lean on the RCA,” Raphael says.

“Their networking events are great and have allowed us to meet key people within the industry. That’s the biggest benefit – a very important connection for us.”

Operations

RCC works with an extensive network of subcontractors

across the U.S. and is always seeking qualified partners to grow with the firm’s increasing volume.“We love to work repeatedly with subcontractors that we know and trust, and will enlist additional support if a particular project needs to be accelerated. We tell our Estimating Department and our Project Managers to constantly evaluate new, qualified sources,” Raphael says. “We’re only as good as our subs, and we make sure they are paid in a timely manner.

Without them we wouldn’t be the

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With RCC’s extensive reach, technology is key to both internal and client communications. Site Superintendents have cameras to provide photos chronicling job progress on a weekly basis, and also supply daily project reports.

Video conferencing is regularly used for meetings with potential and existing clients and architects. Finally, the Accounting Department uses multiple systems to track project completion and ensure that billing is executed in a timely fashion.

Looking Ahead

Repeat business remains key to the company’s success. For example, RCC has built nearly 70 Cheesecake Factory locations across the country from Puerto Rico to Hawaii, as well as 15 Brio’s Tuscan Grilles.

The firm’s extensive and diverse restaurant portfolio also includes heavyweights Del Frisco’s, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Morton’s Steakhouse. Among its many retail and commercial clients are Versace, Harry Winston, Escada, DKNY, Fit2Run,

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Wells Fargo and Sun Life Stadium. The company has also been sought for its expertise in the renovation of numerous historic South Beach hotels.

“Clients don’t come back to you when they’re dissatisfied with quality or service. I would estimate that probably 80 percent of our business is repeat business,” Raphael says.

Locally, Miami’s ongoing construction boom will likely provide a pipeline of work in the foreseeable future, with numerous projects slated within the upscale Brickell City Centre mixed-use development, the luxurious Design District and the forthcoming Miami WorldCenter.

“Miami exploded a few years ago, and it continues to be a source of so much business for us with a lot of retail, restaurants, and specialty entertainment venues including luxury movie theaters. We built iPic in Boca Raton, and we have clients from Mexico that have been developing luxury cinemas for years, now coming into South Florida and expanding throughout the country,” says Raphael.

These days Raphael says when

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COMPANY INFORMATION Company Name: RCC Associates Country: United States Industry: Construction Est: 1971 Revenue: USD $85 million Premiere Service: Specialist in high-end restaurants, retail,

potential clients ask if the company is woman-owned, it is often part of a qualification checklist because some companies have a requirement to utilize women or minority-owned businesses.

It seems times have certainly changed for the better.

commercial and hospitality segments.

Principal Partners: President/CEO Beverly Raphael, Executive VP Rick Rhodes Website:

www.rccassociates.com

www.rccassociates.com

255 Jim Moran Blvd.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 P: 954-429-3700 E: jkemp@rccassociates.com