When the state of Texas adopted alternative delivery methods in 1995, San Antonio-based Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, already well versed in design-build and construction management at risk, was strategically positioned to move into the educational and health-care building niche.

"At that time, we were doing a lot of office building and design-build work, so we fit right in," said Kirk Kistner, the firm's director of preconstruction services. "We began winning numerous contracts for both K-12 and higher education facilities. By 2001, Texas Senate Bill 510 gave all municipalities the opportunity to purchase contracts with alternative-delivery methods."

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The company ranked 21st on Texas Construction's list of the state's top contractors.
Currently, 85 percent of the commercial construction handled by Bartlett Cocke is in the public sector.

"A lot of the higher education projects are also medical research facilities, so we expanded in that direction as well," Kistner said.

Bartlett Cocke completed construction of the Children's Cancer Research Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio in September. The 100,000-sq.-ft., $40 million research facility is a four-level building with state-of-the art laboratories and animal-holding facilities (vivariums). "It was a qualification-based selection and we were awarded the design-build contract," Kistner said.

Bartlett Cocke also won a competitive sealed proposal for the $12 million, 65,000-sq.-ft. addition to the E.L. Wehner Building at Texas A& M University in College Station. The building houses the Lowry Maze College & Graduate School of Business and features a mock energy-trading floor where graduate students can engage in "real-life" scenarios.

Established in San Antonio in 1959, Bartlett Cocke has added regional offices in Austin and Houston. In addition to educational and health-care work, it also builds industrial, office, sports and recreation facilities and more.

Founder Bartlett Cocke Jr., who serves on the board of directors, has always been a firm believer that having employees with a personal stake in the company is an integral part of success.

"I have found that shareholders have the total company in their interest as opposed to a project manager or superintendent concerned about a single job and their own financial success rather than the interests of the company," Cocke said. "As shareholders, they are as concerned about other projects as they are about their own.
If one employee needs something from another, there's cooperation and sharing of everything from equipment and tools to personnel."

In 1970, employees began buying into the company, and by 1990, Bartlett Cocke was completely employee-owned. The distinction of being employee-owned translates into a stronger commitment, better teamwork and an increased passion for providing the best quality, Kistner said.

"We have 35 shareholders in our company comprised of project managers, superintendents, estimators, financial staff and people from every level of the company," he added. "Duane Pozza, our president, runs the business side of things, so the day-to-day power of the actual construction lies in the hands of project managers and superintendents. On every job, we've got people who have a personal stake in its success."

Through the years, Bartlett Cocke has established a reputation for value building.
"Value building is really just providing the best-quality project in the fastest time possible for the lowest cost," Kistner said. "It means identifying the right value for the owner."

For example, Bartlett Cocke has a long-term relationship with the Texas A&M University System. "If A&M wants us to construct a 100-year building, the materials may drive up the cost," Kistner added. "It's important to identify the quality controls of the owner so that we can help create what they want with the right materials."

In 2002, Bartlett Cocke completed a three-year, $40 million project for the Northeast Independent School District in San Antonio. "We took the oldest high school in the district, Douglas MacArthur High School, demolished it and rebuilt it. It became the newest high school in the district," said Kistner. "During the entire process, the school remained 100 percent occupied and operational."

Bartlett Cocke recently completed a $22 million design-build project at Prairie View A&M University. The new 100,000-sq.-ft. Memorial Student Center is the hub of the campus and includes a bookstore, food outlets, conference room, administrative offices, movie theater and ballroom.

One of Bartlett Cocke's founding philosophies, still maintained by the company, is a forward-looking approach. "We feel like the best way to run the business is to acquire work, finish it as quickly as possible and move on," Kistner said. "Look forward-and don't look back."

That means immediate, satisfactory problem resolution. "You will not get through a construction project without problems," Kistner added. "But you solve them, take responsibility and move on because that's how you make money. There is no money to be made in a courthouse."

The firm has never been involved in a lawsuit with an owner or architect, and Kistner said that's because of the firm's forward-looking philosophy.

Bartlett Cocke already has $150 million worth of work scheduled this year.
Construction recently began on the Prairie View A&M Arts & Architecture Building and the John Paul Stevens High School in San Antonio.

As for the private sector, Bartlett Cocke has established long-term relationships with several clients including the World Savings and Loan Corp.

"They like our staff and the value construction. Relationships are a big thing in our company," Kistner said. "We maintain those relationships."

The company says it has successful relationships with subcontractors, which results in better pricing and a lower bottom line for customers. "For the past three out of four years we've been named General Contractor of the Year by the American Subcontractors Association," Kistner added. "They perceive us as an efficient contractor that keeps a clean site and pays well and quickly."