Keeping Up with the Startups
TI Management Group gives Silicon Valley a place to work
California’s Silicon Valley is synonymous with technology, innovation and possibility—a land where ambitious startups stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the wealthiest corporations on the planet. It conjures images of brilliant young minds crafting groundbreaking ideas in shining new buildings.
Those buildings are where TI Management Group comes in. Since 2004, the company has been making a name for itself constructing and maintaining the buildings where Silicon Valley brews its magic.
“We can handle everything for our clients from start to finish,” says Dave Thielke, CEO and co-owner of TI Management Group. “We can find a new location, build from the inside out, refurbish and renovate.”
Booting Up
TI Management Group was founded in 2004 by Dave and his business partner, David Bates, also co-owner of the company and chief financial officer. The two of them had a long history of working together and finally decided it was time to go into business as a team.
“We’d been talking about it for a while before doing it,” Dave says. “Combined, we have many, many years of experience working in corporate and commercial construction projects. We knew we had the knowledge to be successful.”
The first big project to come their way was an opportunity to provide tenant improvements for Quest Diagnostics in San Francisco, a $300,000 contract that gave the new company a leg up starting out. Situated in one of the most dynamic areas of the country for construction work, there has been ample opportunity for TI Management Group to find work.
“There’s a tremendous amount of venture capital funding in Silicon Valley,” Dave says. “That means a lot of work is available with startup companies. Architects have also been a great source of referrals for us.”
Firmware
In commercial real estate, TI Management Group has worked with firms such as Lockehouse Retail Group and Colliers International, while on the corporate side, the company’s clients have included PayPal, Cypress Semiconductor and HMT Technology. Recently, they built the new corporate offices for Intero Real Estate in San Francisco.
“We’re not immune to the economy,” Dave says. “Life hasn’t always been a bowl of cherries, and 10 years ago the recession hit out here, too. But in Silicon Valley, the Greater Bay Area, there’s almost always opportunity. You have to have the right experience and right relationships to find it.”
Dave has positioned TI Management Group as a single-source solution for clients in and around Silicon Valley, offering everything from construction management and building maintenance to corporate relocation.
“We work with many different types of entities, from developers, building owners, facility owners, commercial real estate groups and, of course, businesses in the startup environment,” Dave says. “We try to separate ourselves from the competition with a strong emphasis on proactive communication that allows us to move forward with meeting clients’ needs on time and within budget.
“Our size is a big part of our success. Not being a huge firm, we have the luxury of being creative and flexible with our contracts, working with clients to meet their mutual budgetary objectives,” he says. “It’s all about measured and careful growth over time. In Silicon Valley there are always lots of things going on, and we’re trying to match ourselves to the right kind of projects.”
Regular Upgrades
Measured and careful growth is growth nonetheless. TI Management Group started out making about $1.5 million its first few years. That figure has grown steadily, and Dave predicts revenue of $6 million to $7 million in 2018. The company handles about 20 smaller jobs per month in addition to their larger projects.
Larger ongoing projects include building repositionings in Fremont and Pleasanton, California, valued at more than $1 million each and requiring Dave and his team to coordinate all trades, including planning, electrical, plumbing, entry façade and landscaping upgrades for the buildings, which are about 60,000 square feet each.
TI Management Group is also handling complete design, preconstruction and tenant improvements for the new World Courier building on the San Francisco Peninsula, a 13,000-square-foot building and a $400,000 project.
“What sets us apart and makes us successful is our ability to provide competitive pricing, understand mutual objectives, create a game plan and move forward with that,” Dave says. “We pride ourselves on our immediate response to clients’ needs and our detail-oriented services.
“The right networking is invaluable as well. We have strong affiliations with the local Chamber of Commerce, we’re active in the business community, we host and attend networking events and work with private lead group sources.”
As part of his dedication to networking, Dave is serving as vice president and tournament chair for the Facilities, Architects, Real Estate (FARE) Golf Club, a group that organizes golfing and networking events intended to bring together facilities managers, commercial real estate agents, architects, developers and interior designers from all over the San Francisco Bay Area.
Homepage
TI Management Group restricts most of its business to Silicon Valley and the Greater Bay Area, working all their jobs within a 75-mile radius. Given the amount of business available in the area, there’s no need to go beyond that range. But for Dave, there’s another reason as well—this place is home.
“I grew up here in Silicon Valley,” Dave says. “It’s been amazing to see the development and how this area has transformed from the days I used to play in the fields before Apple was built. I remember their very first building in Cupertino. I was born and raised here; I know every street, every business. What’s exciting about that is being able to go into these businesses on a daily basis and understand their work culture and how it’s changed over the years.
“We know how to get these startups up and moving. In general, our biggest challenge is informing clients of what the real costs are as well as real timelines for design and city approval processes,” Dave says. “It’s our job to educate the customer and the building owner, to take their hand and guide them through the entire process and outline a complete turnkey solution.”