RDC

Source: Construction Digital

Date :18/02/2008 01:38:27

Exec learns more about how Recreational Design & Construction Inc has unmatched experience in southeast Florida and plans to expand throughout the state

Written by Ian Armitage and produced by Sean Bakke

Back in the early 90s, Steven Siems and Steven Westervelt were two subcontractors working on a tennis center for the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Coral Springs, Florida. The city needed help completing Phase II of the project and because of their experience and first-rate reputation the two Stevens were the natural choice.

Then someone from the city approached them and suggested they join forces to become a prime contractor instead of working for someone else. This was their eureka moment: they took the idea and ran with it, forming what is now called Recreational Design and Construction (RDC), Inc.

At the time, Joe Cerrone, RDC’s President, was living across the street from Westervelt and working as a commercial interior contractor. He was intrigued when he heard about the new company focused on recreational projects. “It sounded like it would be fun to work in the park all day,” says Cerrone, who is a licensed general contractor with an architectural background and an expert at managing vertical and site construction companies.

Today, RDC boasts a highly skilled team with more than 250 years of combined hands-on experience. By partnering with an exclusive network of designers, engineers, landscape, sports lighting and other professionals, the company brings a broad range of talent, innovation and cost-savings experience to every project. “I have been with the company twelve years now and the focus hasn’t changed,” explains Joe. “Our focus has always been design/build of public facilities, but we are adapting slightly to continue to compete and grow our business.”

Fun in the sun

RDC works in the six eastern counties of southern Florida – Dade, Broward Palm Beach, Monroe, Martin and St. Lucie. It has also, on occasion, completed projects in Orlando, Tampa and the Caribbean. “We only take on design/build projects in the public sector market, specializing in parks and recreation,” continues Cerrone. “That encompasses everything from sports complexes to playgrounds and every thing in between.”

RDC has completed many other types of design/build projects such as community centers, gymnasiums, amphitheatres, city hall complexes and maintenance facilities mostly for government agencies, school boards and universities. “Right now we are a $50 million per year company, and the desire is to bring us to a $100 million company over the next four to five years. We are going to expand into other markets, not necessarily going away from our roots, but looking for potential new customers that could hire us.

"For instance, we have never worked with the federal government, which were looking into as a possibility. We are just now getting into design/build/operate; this allows the municipality to privatise the services that are provided to there residence. With shrinking tax dollars it’s becoming atractive to some communities as an option to provide the same services for less money. There are also other avenues we plan to expand into.”

Why does RDC get so much work? And why is the future so bright? Well, according to Joe one of the reasons it gets so much work is that “parks and recreation and sports have specialized requirements – often it is very specific,” he says. “If you’re a school builder, you don’t have this expertise. People want to hire someone who’s done it before and isn’t learning on their project.

“We take total responsibility for every aspect of a project and that is what makes us successful. It’s the core of the design/build process and helps ensure that our clients get what they want, when they want it, at the price they expect.”

This focus on taking total responsibility means RDC concentrates on building strong relationships, while offering outstanding service: “We want to make our clients look good and that is how we get so much work,” he says. “We strive to overachieve making it easy for our clients to hire us time after time. This is a small niche industry; we can’t afford to have a bad job.”

Superior designs

RDC is currently working on the astonishing Grapeland Heights Park in Miami. The $32 million, 13-acre, park located just south of Miami International Airport will be transformed in three phases. Phase I includes a baseball complex with four fields and a two-story restroom/concession building that acts as a central hub to the fields. Perimeter parking with convenient walkways provides easy access.

“Phase I is already finished,” adds Joe, “We’re well onto phase II & III.”

Phase II is a water park containing four different pools. First, there’s a large activity pool “with themed water playground equipment ideal for kids five and older”. Pool number two is a smaller water playground designed especially for “kids five and under”. Next, a 600-foot wacky waterway twists and turns, says Joe, “around the site spraying and splashing riders as they drift by”. Finally, for the adults, there’s a “resort style pool”, complete with beach entry to a depth of five feet deep where they can sit, relax and float in cool, refreshing water.

Uniquely, the water park will incorporate a pirate theme based on a pirate girl character named Tina. “We’ve retained world-renowned artist Romero Britto, who we are delighted to be working with, to incorporate this theme throughout the water park,” Cerrone says. Phase II will be completed early spring 2008.

“Phase III is a Community Recreational Center,” continues Mr. Cerrone. This single-story facility, says the company’s corporate website, is reminiscent of a structure found in “our national park system and holds center stage over the entire park.” This phase will be finished soon after the completion of phase II.

Green Techniques

It would seem natural for a parks and recreational sector of the market to be building green, it’s not that easy to balance budget constants with the cost of building green. RDC has joined the USGBC and is planning to have there project managers, pre-construction managers and estimators become LEED certified professionals. RDC has also teamed itself with the leaders in the industry that supply material used in aquatic complexes and playgrounds to name a few, all in an effort to move the industry to where it should be.

Future plans

Like most companies, RDC has an eye on the turbulent economy. “Two years ago Florida was in a big boom,” says Joe. “Twelve months ago construction in Florida tightened up; this didn’t happen specifically in our market, but in general construction has dropped off. This means many companies are starting to diversify into an array of industry sectors, and ours is particularly appealing to them. They have done this in order to survive. This has created a personal challenge, so we have to go to technical colleges etc. to entice new people into the industry and pay special attention to retaining the people we have. That is something we have had to do to remain the leader in our niche.”

Despite the newcomers, nobody has the expertise to rival RDC. A healthy order book and a long list of successful projects is testament to that. Joe and all at the company are excited by the future and are looking forward to many more successful years with RDC. Indeed, it has created a niche in southeast Florida and plans to expand throughout the state and into the Caribbean soon.

Click to view the corporate brochure on rdc