Putting Safety First
Former firefighter and paramedic James Clegg leads Oakmont Builders, Inc. with an attention to fire safety
“Building value with integrity” goes beyond typical marketing speak for Oakmont Builders, Inc. The company, founded in 2012, is committed to protecting and serving its community. Its creed is “building value with integrity,” and to CEO James (Jimmy) Clegg, that means ensuring his buildings meet fire code and offer the latest technology.
Oakmont Builders began as a general contracting company specializing in exterior siding on commercial buildings. Today, the business, based in Los Angeles, has grown to include ground-up new construction and design-build projects for multifamily residential, hotel and hospitality projects. Nearly 80 percent of the company’s work is commercial and the remaining 20 percent includes work with developers, churches and other nonprofits, and residential clients. The company also boasts in-house architects and computer-aided design and drafting support, meaning clients can achieve their project goals from both a design and construction perspective.
Safety First
Clegg wasn’t always in the construction business. He started his professional career in 1999 as a firefighter and paramedic. After starting a family, Clegg realized he needed a more flexible work schedule. So, in 2012, he founded Oakmont Builders with his father-in-law, Bill Kennally. Since then, his wife, Megan Kennally, has joined the company as office manager.
Clegg’s passion for fire safety can still be seen in his work today. “When I start a new project, my focus is developing a fire-safe building,” he says. “And, if it’s residential, I want to make sure we have the latest in technology to make things as safe as possible for families. Many fatal fires are the result of homes containing non-working smoke detectors.”
Clegg and his team don’t stop there when it comes to safety. They started an annual program of scouring underserved neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area and identifying housing communities that may need smoke detectors. The team walks door to door, asking residents if they need or want smoke detectors. If the answer is yes, they provide the smoke detector and install it at no charge.
“This is my way of bridging the gap between my former life and this one—I can still do what I love and give back to my community,” Clegg says.
Current Products for Better Value
Oakmont Builders is committed to finding the best products in the marketplace. “One of our added values is the strong relationships we have with vendors,” Clegg says. “We are ‘in the know’ when it comes to the latest products, technology and trends in construction to help us value engineer for our clients.”
Oakmont can offer products that other general contractors aren’t aware of or aren’t willing to try, Clegg says. “For example, manufacturers are making different building sheathings that have waterproofing in them now. By using this product, we no longer need to add an extra coat on the exterior. If we can simplify something and add value by using a new product that can save money, we’ll try it,” he says. “It may not be advanced technology, but if the new product reduces the cost of labor, we’re able to pass those savings on to our clients.”
Oakmont Builders is recognized as an Elite Preferred Contractor with the James Hardie Contractor Alliance Program. James Hardie is a global leader in fiber cement siding products and technology, and being a part of this program means Oakmont has met the manufacturer’s necessary requirements and standards. This truly is a select group, with only 29 contractors in California identified as being part of the Program.
“It’s a privilege to be part of the James Hardie Contractor Alliance Program,” says Bill Kennally. “For example, offering my company the opportunity to collaborate with the leader in fiber cement siding gives my business more tools and resources than I, as a small-business owner, could have attained on my own. I believe it gives us instant credibility on each and every job.”
Making the Impossible Possible
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Clegg accepted an invitation to partner on an unusual and challenging project for the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica. The church wanted an addition to their existing building, built in the late 1920s. The original structure was deemed historic, and according to the California Office of Historic Preservation, the addition would have to meet the historic standards and construction methods used in the time period when it was originally constructed.
The addition, while using 1920s methodologies, also had to meet the latest California Green Building Standards Code. To add to the challenge, the church had to be retrofitted to accommodate California’s hurricane building codes, as well. “Believe it or not, the real test was finding a company to build windows the way they were in 1920,” Clegg says. “But we found a company that could do it, and the client was thrilled.”
Finding Balance
Interesting project work is important to Clegg, but so is giving back to the local community. Oakmont recently developed a relationship with HomeAid Orange County, a nonprofit that builds and renovates shelters for the homeless. “We provided the labor and materials to build a transitional living space for foster kids transitioning out of foster care into adulthood,” Clegg says. “It was such an amazing project to provide a space for these kids who are sometimes forgotten about.”
Today, Clegg is grateful to have found the balance between family, work and his personal interests and passion. Combining safety, integrity and a family-focused environment is at the heart of Oakmont’s corporate culture. The cherry on top? Clegg now has the freedom to spend quality time with his family while “paying it forward” within his community.