Golden Sands General Contractors, Inc.
Lakeland, FL 33809
Locations
Golden Sands General Contractors, Inc.
President
Key Contacts
Owners, Principals & Senior Executives
John Fedele's Bio
John Fedele, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Sands General Contractors, is responsible for developing leadership within the company and directing the successful implementation of corporate objectives and maintaining the core family values of Golden Sands. He also directs joint venture and strategic alliance partnerships, finance, as well as the company’s real estate portfolio.
John first joined Golden Sands in 1996 when he started as a Project Supervisor and Safety Officer. He later held the positions of Project Manager, Operations Manager, and Chief Operating Officer. Under John’s stewardship as COO he began developing the scalable infrastructure that led to the company’s expansion into 14 states and double-digit growth. He also directed the positioning of Golden Sands for its next generation, while preserving a long-standing client base of Fortune 500s. In 2013 he was entrusted with the role of Chief Executive Officer.
John, who is LEED AP certified, is a graduate of Florida State University and holds a BS in International Business. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), the U.S. Green Building Council and the Florida State University Alumni Association.
He is also active in charitable organizations including Doctors Without Borders, St. Jude, American Heart Association, the Golden Sands Charitable Foundation, One.Org and Belen ACES. John, a triathlete, resides in South Florida.
Ken Fedele's Bio
Ken Fedele is the Chief Operating Officer of Golden Sands, responsible for the successful development and consistent delivery of high quality projects throughout the company’s expanding geographic footprint. He plays a strategic role in the overall management and growth of the company, particularly in new market initiatives.
Ken also mentors senior leadership in eight operating offices and directs company-wide sustainability innovations, resulting in Golden Sands’ carbon neutral status. He manages the company’s real estate portfolio and leads the company’s design-build department, working with nationally ranked, high-end design teams.
Having joined the company in early 2001, Ken initially held the position of project manager and by the time he was 21, had been instrumental in the successful completion and delivery of 4 financial facilities that he built from the ground up. He rose through the ranks, having held a central role in building the business, particularly the sports and entertainment department.
Ken is a member of the Golden Sands Charitable Foundation and serves on several charitable committees in Miami.
Michael Kolbert's Bio
Michael Kolbert joined Golden Sands in 2016 with eight years of leadership experience as a CFO and 20 years as a corporate controller and assistant corporate controller. His background in industries including real estate development, general contracting and aviation operations positioned him well to direct Golden Sands’ growing finance and accounting department as well as the company’s real estate portfolio. Mike has extensive experience in managing financial audits and annual reporting, designing financial tools and models and developing key metrics used to increase profits and evaluate acquisitions. He also has extensive experience in lender relations and treasury management.
Prior to joining Golden Sands, Mike was the CFO for The Windsor Group and Holland Sheltair Aviation Group, both based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With Sheltair for over 28 years, he actively managed and developed a professional staff of 15, outside auditors, lenders, brokers and appraisers, and oversaw an annual operating budget of $125MM. Earlier in his career, Mike was with Hoch Frey, and Zugman CPAs, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Goldstein and Company CPAs, Huntington, New York.
A graduate of Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Mike also completed the CFO Strategic Partner Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Peter Fedele's Bio
Peter Fedele is one of the founders of Golden Sands and the President of the company. He has, quite literally, grown the company from the ground up.
Peter began in the business as a developer, initially in the Cayman Islands and then in Miami, with a focus on warehouses and offices. He also bought inner city property and developed housing facilities.
Always the innovator, he saw the company's role evolving and seized emerging opportunities for a general contracting company that would raise the industry standard entirely. The success of the early years of Golden Sands is measured by its entrance to the banking industry and a specialization that is the backbone of Golden Sands today.
In addition to leading the company with Mary Maguire, Peter has been instrumental in building a team that is highly respected in the business, and in maintaining Golden Sands' expansion plans even in the down economy. He attributes this success to the company's diversification (specifically, the creation of the disaster recovery/business continuity division), oversizing their real estate acquisition, owning their property and, continually reinvesting in the business.
Peter Fedele, who attended Loyola University, Montreal, Canada, holds general contracting licenses in 20 states. He is also a member of the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA) Education and Outreach Foundation Board, a founder of the Golden Sands Charitable Foundation, and a member of InfraGard, a partnership between the FBI and members of the private sector.
Estimating, Purchasing & Preconstruction
Keith Eckermann's Bio
Keith Eckermann joined Golden Sands in 2015 as Estimating Manager, responsible for building pre-construction processes and a team in the West region. As Director of Estimating, Keith now manages the operations of the company’s national estimating and pre-construction department. Among his innovations are the implementation of BuildingConnected, OnScreen Take-Off, and Qualification Manager, moving pre-construction into a paperless electronic format and developing standard operating procedures for the estimating department. These tools to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of the pre-construction process on projects typically ranging from $250k to $20MM. In addition to hiring and managing the estimating department staff, Keith has developed an extensive, pre-qualified subcontractor base. He also analyzes and executes value engineering strategies to ensure cost savings for clients Working closely with the projects team and regional directors, Keith and his teammates are an essential part of Golden Sands success and client relations.
Prior to Golden Sands, Keith held positions including Senior Project Manager and Chief Estimator for 3V Company, Inc. and Architecture Manager for both Kimball Hill Homes and KB Home, in their respective Houston divisions. Earlier in his career, Keith began his commercial construction career as a draftsman, working to take on the roles of Project Manager and Estimator for Panoramic Window and Door Systems, Inc., located in New Jersey.
During his career, Keith’s accomplishments include estimating and subsequent award of multiple projects up to $20MM, estimating & project management for an architectural mill-work scope valued at $4MM for Exxon-Mobil World Headquarters in The Woodlands, TX as well as several design build residential projects. Keith is passionate about architecture and music, as well as being an audiophile and lifelong automotive enthusiast.
Keith Eckermann is OSHA 30 Hour certified, Auto-CAD user for decades, LEED and FSC experienced, and AWI certified.
Operations
Brian Allen's Bio
Brian Allen, Golden Sands’ Vice President of Operations, oversees all Project Management and Estimating activities at Golden Sands. He is a seasoned construction professional with extensive and diverse experience in commercial, retail, and industrial construction, spanning multiple disciplines of project management and business development.
Under Brian’s direction since 2012, the Western market has seen annual revenues in excess of $30MM and tremendous growth. With the addition of three regional offices, including the establishment and development of Golden Sands’ top producing market, an expanding and a diverse base of Fortune 100 clients, Brian has advanced the breadth of construction projects managed in the market, having successfully delivered projects varying in complexity and size up to $25MM in value. In 2016, he expanded the Western operations to include a dedicated Estimating department, which Golden Sands later adopted companywide.
Prior to joining Golden Sands, Brian was General Manager at STS Engineering & Construction, LLC, and was a Senior Project Manager with U.S. BUILDERS, L.P., both in Houston. Brian, who studied construction management and business finance at West Texas A&M University, is a licensed General Contractor in California, Oregon, and Colorado, is OSHA 30 certified, and is in the process of becoming an International Code Council certificate holder.
Richard Patterson's Bio
Richard Patterson is Golden Sands’ Safety Manager. He is responsible for driving policies and procedures regarding best safety practices and ensuring they are implemented nationwide throughout all of Golden Sands offices.
Richard has completely overhauled Golden Sands’ safety program. He created our Safety & Health Program guidelines, standardized Job Safety Documentation, and spearheaded our job site Hazardous Communications Program. He has administered nearly 200 OSHA courses, both OSHA 10 & 30 around the country. Richard regularly conducts dozens of project inspections each month, through onsite and virtual tours.
In addition to being OSHA 510 certified, Richard has training in EM-381-1-1, HAZWOPER, Erosion & Sediment Control. CPR, AED & First Aid, First Responder, OSHA 300, Heavy Equipment, Safety Leadership, Effective Facilitator, and Leadership Fundamentals. His most recent OSHA recertification is from Georgia Tech in November 2018.
Richard began his construction career in 1997. He has experience in a wide-range of roles, including Superintendent, Project Manager, Supervisor, Foreman, and Sales Associate.
Richard is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He attended the Marine Corps Institute and Georgia Perimeter College.
Business Development, Marketing & Sales
Rachel Mendoza's Bio
Rachel Mendoza joined Golden Sands in 2011 and is now our Director of Organizational Development. Rachel ensures that proper training is in place for all departments and roles. She also streamlines processes, makes recommendations for gaps in positions, and plans all of our internal conferences. Prior to Rachel’s current role, she was the Executive Director for the Office of the CEO. In this position, she played an integral role in successfully implementing the company’s strategic plans, resulting in significant growth of Golden Sands’ client base, geographic footprint and staff.
Rachel’s recent and versatile accomplishments include creating a leadership development program for senior management, including an ongoing educational series and annual off-site conference. She also worked with Human Resources to streamline all policies and procedures for the growing company, and is actively involved in the company’s charitable giving program.
Prior to joining Golden Sands, Rachel held positions including Senior Executive Assistant to the Chairman at Terranova Corporation, and Administrative Assistant to the Principal at World Real Estate Exchange, both in South Florida.
Rachel earned her MBA from the University of Miami and her BA from Florida International University.
Finance & Accounting
Thomas Burkett's Bio
Thomas Burkett is a highly skilled Controller with notable experience in accounting, sales tax auditing and financial modeling. He oversees the preparation and accuracy of financial statements, annual budgets, employee expense reports, and tax compliance documentation. He also ensures company compliance with GAAP financial reporting standards.
Prior to joining Golden Sands, Tom was responsible for managing the $130M annual budget at Sheltair Aviation in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He developed a plan that enabled the company to restructure its debt into a $200M credit facility, ultimately reducing the annual cost of the company’s debt by 4%.
Tom also served as a Sales Tax Auditor III with the Florida Department of Revenue, where he conducted sales tax audits. He holds a Masters of Accountancy from Nova Southeastern University.