Kirby Construction Company has been voted Best Contractor/Builder in the 2011 NorthBay biz readers poll.
Richard Kirby and York Saccomanno have known each other since third grade and have worked together off and on since they were 19-year-old SRJC students employed by the same general contractor. “We even talked about having our own company at that point,” says Kirby, who, with Saccomanno, now owns Santa Rosa-based Kirby Construction Company.
“I started my own contracting business when a winery guaranteed me a couple weeks per month,” says Kirby. Saccomanno joined him for a week shortly thereafter to help out—and they’ve been working together ever since. That was 2002 and, since then, the company has grown to 15 people. It became LEED-accredited in 2008.
“We’re young, competitive and we stay aware of what’s going on. We’re always learning,” says Kirby. Even in the past couple years, which haven’t been easy on the construction industry, the company has grown. “We hired three new people during that time,” says Kirby.
So what’s the secret to their success? “Word of mouth really helps,” says Saccomanno. “Clients trust us to be clean, courteous, thorough and safe.” Another plus is having long-time, knowledgeable employees who are well recognized for their achievements. “We have quality employees, not quantity,” he continues. Kirby adds, “We give [the employees] the opportunity to succeed and do what they want. When they rise to a new level, we can focus on the next step.” The company also maintains good relationships with subcontractors. “We’re all a team,” says Saccomanno, “there’s no star. We treat everyone well, keep them in the loop, and we always share credit and success.”
The company prides itself on being able to tackle a broad base of complex projects and to meet or exceed scheduling expectations. It recently completed a facility remodel for Medtronic, which won Top Office Project in 2010 from the North Bay Business Journal, as did a project at Agilent in 2009. Current projects are the Family Justice Center on Mendocino Avenue, which will be a combined unit to help victims of family violence once it’s completed, and a new sterilization project for St. Helena Hospital in Angwin.
“We’re about the whole process,” says Kirby. “We can put something together from scratch with clients and team them up with the right architects and subcontractors. We do everything from high-end residential work to wineries, medical offices, pharmaceutical facilities and more. We have connections in all industries.”
Today’s challenges include being asked to do more with less. There are higher pressures on getting things done and increased county and city requirements such as green measures and ADA guidelines. To meet those challenges, the company has improved its communication efforts and uses Web-based project management software. “People sometimes ask for the seemingly impossible, but we thrive on those challenges,” says Kirby.
Giving back to the community is also very important to Kirby Construction. “Our whole company lives in or around Sonoma County,” says Kirby. “We encourage our employees to volunteer whenever we can. We’re happy to help with materials, time and advice, and we’re honest about what we can and can’t do for people. We always answer the phone, and we’re there, in the community, every day.”
As far as the future goes, “We focus on doing a good job.” Saccomanno adds, “Everyone says that if you like what you do, it will show. People see what we’ve done and want us to do more.”
“Our long-term goal is steady growth and continued, consistent quality of work,” adds Kirby.
Kirby and Saccomanno definitely like what they do. They’re quick to smile, they bounce off each other conversationally, and it’s clear to see they have a good time. “The Best award is a great part on the back,” says Kirby. “It’s a validation of our methods and motivation for our continued improvement. We’re proud to have won. Thank you to our employees and our clients.”
