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Right Place, Right Time: A woman-owned general contracting firm has found its nicheAuthor: Stefan Schumacher Date: Jan 1 2009 12:00AM URL: www.jackbays.com  Lynn Bays Fuechsel didn’t plan on getting into the contracting business. She came to work at her parents’ general contracting company, Jack Bays Inc., McLean, Va., in 1977 merely to fill a “gap in her planned education” after earning economics and psychology degrees from Duke University in Durham, N.C.“They [her parents] asked me to spend six months learning the basics about the firm for long-term estate planning purposes,” she recalled. As the months passed, Bays Fuechsel decided not to pursue her plan of earning an MBA, and by 1987, she was running the company. Now president of Jack Bays Inc. (named after her father), she has overseen significant change and growth. Her formal education, however, has not gone to waste. “My psychology has probably helped me a lot just in dealing with people,” Bays Fuechsel said, “because that’s the main thrust of what we do—manage people. Being a general contractor is a lot more than simply building the ’sticks and bricks’; it’s all about good communication among the participants.” Bays’ Changing Face Not only did JBI’s ownership change, but so did its way of doing business. Founded in 1961, and the northern Virginia representative for Kansas City, Mo.-based Butler Manufacturing, JBI has gone from a primarily hard-bid contractor to one that earns 70 percent of its contracts on a negotiated basis. At least 25 percent of its projects have some portion in metal building systems supplied by Butler. Design-build contributes from 10 to 15 percent of the annual revenue, although most projects are executed on a project team basis with architects hired by building owners. The end uses range from government facilities to offices, commercial, industrial, schools and churches. Religious facilities, in particular, have become a specialty of JBI. “They didn’t start out as a prime focus, but we’ve learned to build them well. Client referrals have grown this area of our business substantially,” Bays Fuechsel said. She explained that JBI gets involved with the building committees early on in the process and, because of that, has a number of similar projects already planned for the future.  Another shift in business that’s come along in the last five to six years has been JBI’s willingness to work as a Butler subcontractor for other general contractors that have a nationwide reach.“Being general contractors, we never wanted to work for another general, but several years back we recognized this opportunity to expand our business. The first project went so well that we have since done many projects as a subcontractor,” Bays Fuechsel said. “Nationwide contractors that secure large government jobs [that] involve Butler products are seeking a subcontractor to furnish and erect the pre-engineered metal buildings, and we are positioned for that opportunity. Due to our change in philosophy, we are selling a lot more steel.”  Uniquely PositionedAs the country deals with very difficult economic times, Bays Fuechsel said she thinks the company is uniquely positioned, located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Manny Kim, director, system sales and engineering, said the current opportunities represent the highest concentration of government jobs he has seen at the firm. Currently JBI is working on large Butler buildings at Fort Belvoir, Va., for the Smithsonian Institution; at Quantico, Va., for the U.S. Army; and at Loudoun County, Va., for a local prison. According to Kim, the lower cost and ease of construction of metal buildings has made them the right fit for some of these projects. “A good example would be the local prison job,” he said. “It was originally designed with a conventional steel structural system combined with precast. When the project was over budget, the project was value-engineered by replacing the conventional steel system with pre-engineered. The introduction of the pre-engineered building system brought costs down while maintaining the same function and aesthetics.” Architects often prefer not to use pre-engineered systems, Kim said, but many do not realize the flexibility that these buildings offer. Almost any type of conventional wall system (brick, EIFS, concrete) can be used in conjunction with the building system to create a wide range of aesthetic appearances while maintaining the economy of a metal building system. Bays Fuechsel has led the company through weak and strong economic cycles, and even with many unknowns now confronting the construction industry, she remains optimistic about the competitive future of her company. The company’s focus on religious facilities rather than on retail or off ce buildings creates a thriving environment even during this downturn. “I feel we are perfectly positioned for today’s market opportunities,” she said. “Because of referrals from past customers and architects, along with our expertise in specific sectors, we gain new leads every day at a time when construction is at a standstill in other markets.”  Woman-OwnedAs a woman, Bays Fuechsel is a minority in the industry. However, she said, for the most part, it has worked to her advantage. “There have been two jobs we lost because the prospective clients just weren’t comfortable with me, but people usually just don’t forget me because I’m unique in this position,” she said. Bays Fuechsel said though it wasn’t her original plan, the construction business has been a good living and provided a work experience where no day is alike. And she said her parents are very proud she took over. Jack Bays Inc. 6829 Elm St. P.O. Box 1017 McLean, VA 22101 (703) 356-2600 | ||||||||||
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