Zooming in on Commercial Real Estate
General Contracting Partners, Ltd. defines customer satisfaction as ‘mission accomplished’
John Rickert started his adult work life as a U.S. Army officer and Scout helicopter pilot. He and partner Larry May now lead General Contracting Partners, Ltd. (GC Partners) with similar values.
“The people I worked with in the Army and subsequently in the Ohio Army National Guard exemplified competence, trustworthiness and loyalty,” Rickert says. “Anything involving military aviation and learning how to deliver ordinance to a target involves extraordinary teamwork and training. The GC Partners team brings these values to our clients as part of our day-to-day service delivery.”
General Contracting Partners is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based contractor that specializes in interior commercial finish and construction projects.
“Larry and I founded GC Partners in 2010 to provide our clients and leasing agents with an advantage,” Rickert says. “Every prospective tenant we work with wants to maximize the appearance and functionality of their leased premises for their clients and employees. They are seeking the best value for the dollars the landlord contributes as a lease inducement.”
They know from years of experience that the sooner they involve their construction people with the prospective tenant, the more likely that tenant is to lease in one of their buildings.
Meeting Tenant Needs
GC Partners specializes in menu-driven and fully transparent pricing to expedite lease negotiations. The firm’s construction administration services focus on managing the team. GC Partners’ Katie Young, Contract Administrator, says, “We pay attention to the details and coordinate the documents going between the prospective tenant, owner, property manager, architect and subcontractors.”
“No one picks the second best choice for their business,” Rickert says. “By interacting with the prospective tenant, our GC Partners team learns what our tenant customer values most and incorporates the prospective tenant’s needs and preferences into their tenant finish improvement.”
May says their leasing agents love GC Partners. “By involving our construction planners and estimators early in the leasing process, the agents know they are many times more likely to complete a lease. The reasons are simple. A leasing agent combined with a consultative construction professional can demonstrate to a prospective tenant how the space being considered can most closely meet their needs. Further, most tenant finish improvement construction estimates can be completed in a matter of hours. This enables our agents to maintain deal velocity and client engagement.”
Rickert also leads GC Partners’ larger, 43-employee parent company, SVN-RICORE Investment Management, Inc., which offers commercial leasing and investment brokerage services, property management and maintenance services in addition to building and interior improvement construction.
SVN-RICORE brands its multifaceted service delivery platform as “Integrated Services.”
It’s obvious Rickert has taken leadership lessons and the values he learned in the Army and translated them into a results-oriented commercial real estate company that achieves market superior outcomes because of its focus on teamwork.
“We don’t sit across the table from our customers,” he says. “We sit beside them as team members, consultants and partners, and, many times, friends. We work together to achieve their goals and meet their expectations in an environment of trust and transparency.”
Service and Dedication
What began as a four-year ROTC scholarship to attend the University of Richmond in Virginia, transformed Rickert into the leader he is today. “My father drove a truck and my mother was a dental office receptionist in Wapakoneta, Ohio,” he says. “The only way I could afford to go to college was with substantial financial aid.” After college, Rickert headed to Fort Rucker, Alabama, for his U.S. Army Officer Basic Course and Flight Training. He attained the rank of lieutenant and learned how to be a Scout pilot. Due to military cutbacks, however, he never served in active duty. While at Fort Rucker, he transitioned to the Ohio National Guard so he could serve as Scout helicopter pilot and platoon leader based in the Columbus, Ohio, area.
Since his military status allowed outside employment, Rickert started his real estate career as an assistant property manager trainee with Hines Interests Limited Partnership. It was a big adjustment for him. He wasn’t flying a helicopter, participating in maneuvers for military preparedness or training others. He was managing building operating contracts. Rickert admits he had difficulty adjusting to the civilian world.
Things like loyalty, trust, tenacity, attention to detail, team building, technical proficiency, strategic thinking, personal sacrifice and working through ambiguities were engrained in him at that point. Those are values he’s been proud to carry with him as his career progressed, and he eventually started his own business. “Military officers tend to be extremely well organized, have exceptional attention to detail, possess a strong sense of loyalty and duty, and understand at a cellular level the need to successfully accomplish whatever task is in front of them,” he says. “The U.S. military’s officer corps is a driven group of people that value success, accomplishment and honor. All of these skills lend themselves to a successful career in commercial real estate.”
Rickert’s career progressed. By 2001, he had enough experience and industry credibility to start his own real estate company. He founded RICORE Investment Management, Inc., which joined the SVN franchise family in 2010, becoming SVN-RICORE Investment Management, Inc. That year he also added GC Partners as a wholly owned subsidiary. Today, SVN-RICORE and GC Partners have achieved $15 million in gross revenues from a modest start of approximately $140,000 in 2002. Rickert says, “Starting a business from scratch was difficult. I was not only fighting against competitive market forces, I also had to contend with my own mistakes. I am very thankful for SVN-RICORE’s and GC Partners’ loyal clients, not only for their business but also for their encouragement.”
Flying High
GC Partners excels at a lot more than interior construction projects. GC Partners provides pre-construction and development services, such as preliminary construction cost estimation, development underwriting, programming, design document review, competitive subcontractor bidding, value engineering and scheduling. While its business is rooted in completing commercial tenant finish improvement construction, GC Partners provides the full range of construction and development services. Additionally, GC Partners has an established track record completing hospitality Product Improvement Plan (PIP) renovations and government construction work. GC Partners takes pride in its ongoing story and achievements. For example, the company took on the six-floor renovation of the City of Cincinnati Police Department headquarters. The 62,000-squre-foot project included extensive interior, mechanical and structural renovation in addition to specialty work involved in constructing the crime lab, evidence storage and holding cells.
Another key project for GC Partners entailed providing construction management services for the $1.7 million plant relocation and tenant improvement of RR Donnelley’s facility at the Northern Kentucky Industrial Park in Florence, Kentucky. The project required adding a significant surface parking lot, 1600-amp electrical service, specialized electrical distribution equipment and updating HVAC and lighting systems to accommodate RR Donnelley’s requirements for its commercial and digital printing services.
GC Partners’ hospitality practice includes managing ground up development or completing PIP renovations for Hilton Garden Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, Hampton Inn & Suites and Embassy Suites by Hilton.
Rickert believes GC Partners’ track record over the last eight years stands as testimony to its motto: “Building Success One Project at a Time.” “There’s no magic here,” he adds. “The business owners we work with know what’s best for their company. We listen well, work with the space planners, and develop a program that matches the prospective tenant’s needs as closely as possible.”