BABBIT NEUMAN 9/14/07 2:35 PM Page 204

BABBIT NEUMAN CONSTRUCTION CO. INC.

BNCC focuses on public projects including
institutional, educational and historical reno-
vation work.

Systematically Growing
Scott Babbit and Rick Neuman had a vision for their general contracting company, and Babbit Neuman
Construction Co. Inc. has been successful through controlled growth ever since its inception.
By Brian Salgado that is, we don’t hire more people and we don’t take on

S cott Babbit and Rick Neuman had worked for several

general contractors throughout their careers until they
decided they wanted to start a company of their own
that could better manage growth.
The principals of Babbit Neuman Construction Co.
more contracts to raise our contract volume. If we want to
increase sales, we increase our bonding capacity and our
financial strength, and we leverage that to get into bigger
projects well within our means and understanding of its
components or parts.”
(BNCC) Inc. saw what wasn’t working, so they decided to Today, BNCC focuses on public projects including insti-
make a significant change. tutional, educational and historical renovation work. The
So far so good for BNCC, which has increased its growth company’s average contract is $20 million, and BNCC now
every year since its founding in 1999. Babbit credits this has annual sales of approximately $70 million.
growth to being extremely selective with everything it
associates itself with, from projects and architects to Right People, Right Places
employees it brings into the company. Three years ago, BNCC could take on six projects at a time
Babbit Neuman Construction
Co. Inc. “We started out and wrote short- and without stretching itself too thin. Babbit, who is in charge
www.babbitneuman.com long-term business plans,” Babbit says. “We of the office operations while Neuman handles the field,
Annual sales: $70 million modify our plan every year, and we are says the company handles the same number of projects to-
HQ: Steilacoom, Wash.
Employees: 60 doing exactly what we planned to, and we day, which is primarily public work. But the value of the
Services: General contracting are hitting much higher goals. projects has grown from an average of $10 million per pro-
Scott Babbit, principal: “We “What we’ve been doing is developing ject to $20 million in three years.
modify our plan every year, and
we are doing exactly what we a company with unique control factors One of the main reasons for that growth is BNCC’s selec-
planned to.” built into it,” Babbit adds. “The way to do tive hiring process. The company hires only employees it

204 ■ CONSTRUCTION TODAY ■ OCTOBER 2007