Construction
"Teammates & Collaboration: Key to Rochester Construction Firm's Success"
2024-12-16
Back in 1999, during the tryouts for Rochester Institute of Technology's basketball team, Justin Hamilton and Chris Stern first met as roster hopefuls. On campus, they formed a deep friendship that would later blossom into a business partnership in the construction industry. Over the years, as principals of Hamilton Stern Construction, they have guided their firm from its infancy in 2010 to a perpetual place on the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Top 100 List for fastest growing private companies.
Uniting Teamwork and Construction Success
The Importance of the Right Team
From the very start, Hamilton and Stern recognized that having the right people on their team was crucial for success. Although they each had industry experience within and outside the Rochester area, they were relatively new to construction when they launched the company in 2010. This led them to implement a unique hiring strategy that deviated from the conventional business playbook. They focused on recruiting industry professionals who were highly respected in the Rochester market and could bring valuable project expertise. They did this even before they had specific projects for these new employees to oversee. As Hamilton said, "Nobody was going to trust two 30-year-olds who just started a construction company. So we started hiring larger names in the area." Stern added, "We were hiring people with the right mindset and the right character before we really had openings. Yes, that costs money up front. But when the project came along, the right people were already here." This strategy has clearly paid off, as Hamilton Stern has been named to the Chamber's Top 100 List for revenue growth in nine of the past 11 years, including No. 1 in 2016 and No. 19 this year.The Early Years and First Projects
There was a seven-year gap between their graduation from RIT and the launch of their company, which was a bit longer than Hamilton had initially envisioned. However, in early 2010, Stern decided it was time to start their business. Hamilton recalled, "He called me from the beach in Hawaii and said, ‘I’m ready to start that business.’ " What prompted this epiphany? Stern explained, "The overarching theme was that we had enough confidence to know that if it didn’t work, we just go get a job. But the worst-case scenario was not giving it a try and living with 50 years of regret." Their first job in May 2010 was a bathroom remodel. They sold a master shower renovation while wearing a suit and tie one day and then showed up in a T-shirt and jeans the next day to demo it. Although single-family homes still made up a significant portion of their workload in 2019, Hamilton Stern has now transformed into a strictly full-service commercial construction project management company. Their work can be seen across Monroe County and the state, from the offices of Aerospace Global and Canal Commons in Rochester to the Reynolds Way apartments in Elmira and the Founders Way affordable housing in Ithaca.Establishing a Reputation
Current projects include Alta Vista at St. Joseph’s Park, a mixed-use housing property in downtown Rochester for the Ibero-American Development Corp. and Edgemere Development, and Lavery Library, the largest capital project ever at St. John Fisher University. Hamilton said, "We’re not actively looking for random projects across the state but we’re often asked to go somewhere by a client or consultant." This is because the Pittsford-based firm has established a reputation for quality work and treating clients right, as evidenced by a testimonial on their website. Eugenio Marlin, executive vice president of Ibero-American Development Corp., said, "We originally selected Hamilton Stern based on a recommendation and their competitive bid. From the beginning, it quickly became clear that their level of professionalism is what sets Hamilton Stern apart." Van Zeilen added, "That is who we want to be." Exceeding client expectations in their primary sectors of expertise - higher education, affordable housing, industrial and retail - is a key requirement for the company. Stern was once told by an industry veteran, "I’ve never seen a contractor go out of business because of a lack of work, but I’ve seen a lot of contractors go out of business." In other words, there is only one right way to do things, and Hamilton Stern tries very hard not to put themselves in a position to fail.