THE CHALLENGE

Entering its 125th year, EW Howell had seen sales plateau, despite there being a construction boom in New York City. The company had focused its BD efforts on securing a share of the lucrative residential/mixed-use construction market, which was an intuitive move because of their proven ability to perform effectively as a top General Contractor/Construction Manager in the complex New York City construction market.

THE APPROACH
Working closely with senior management we analyzed the sector closely, spoke with key clients and heard clearly that the focus on residential construction was inhibiting their growth. Clients told us that they consider contractors strictly on previous track record and while EW Howell’s track record in residential construction was good, it wasn’t as strong as many of its competitors. Alternatively, the company’s track record in Arts & Culture, Healthcare, Education and Retail construction was second to none, so by shifting focus from residential construction to these key areas.

To do this effectively we recommended elevating the company from a CM/GC firm to a Construction Group, with 4 specialty Construction Divisions.:

Arts & Culture Construction Division
Healthcare Construction Division
Education Construction Division
Retail Construction Division

This strategy helped focus business development efforts and made it more efficient to operationalize multiple projects at the same time. Sales took off.