Imperial and MAST Construction partner for success: Ted Domurachi, president of MAST Construction and Frank Dominguez, president and CEO of Imperial Construction.

Proving that the whole really is more than the sum of its parts, two New Jersey based construction firms, Imperial Construction and MAST, have set out to show the industry that a small business and a minority-owned business can achieve great success together.

Since teaming up two years ago, both firms have grown exponentially. Small business MAST Construction, for instance, has grown over 500 percent in the last three years and has seen a 70 percent increase in revenues last year. Imperial Construction, now the tri-state area's largest Latino owned firm and one of the fastest growing in the nation, has grown its staff from 30 to 100 and received numerous accolades along the way.

The two construction firms have not been the only ones to benefit, however. On one project alone, MAST and Imperial awarded nearly $16 million in subcontractor contracts to minority and women-owned businesses, far exceeding the industry standard participation goals by reaching an impressive 43 percent. In total, Imperial and MAST have brought more than $50.3 million of work to such firms in the past year.

While both companies manage construction projects independently, over the past couple of years they have been awarded high-profile jobs together as part of a strategic move to pool resources.

Although business partnerships are certainly not unheard of in the construction industry, as many large companies partner with smaller ones, Imperial and MAST differ in one important way: the two firms are 50/50 partners in all of their joint endeavors.

"Right from the start it was apparent that we shared an underlying philosophy about how we run our businesses, including our belief in working principles and attention to detail," says Ted Domuracki, President of MAST Construction Services, Inc. "Our like-mindedness, along with our complementary strengths, made working together an easy decision to make."

Frank Dominguez, President and CEO of Imperial Construction, who along with principals Lou Fernandez and Richard Briggs heads the firm, adds, "We both started our companies in New Jersey and shared an understanding of what it takes to win and complete projects in that marketplace. Imperial, which was founded in 1986, originally began as a small electrical contracting company and within the past seven years began branching out into general contracting and construction management services.

Ted Domuracki and his professional team at MAST brought 30 years of construction management expertise to the table, while Imperial offered a contractor's perspective and market niche to the partnership. Together we have an amazing amount of resources and knowledge to bring to our clients."

The first project that the team successfully paired up on was the design and construction of a new six-story, 110,000-squarefoot dormitory and kitchen facility at Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny, New Jersey. The $40 million renovation and new construction project created a post-tensioned concrete building to foster the secure relocation of 512 inmates, as well as a new kitchen to service the 2,000-inmate population at the center. The security and fire protection systems were also upgraded in the existing 750-cell facility. Soon after the two companies realized that there was an opportunity to capture other construction management work together, particularly in the educational sector. The pair pursued a contract to manage the construction of Hudson County Community College's North Hudson campus, a program and construction management assignment with Hudson County Community College, for the $35 million facility for its Union City campus.

This facility will be located in an area with the largest concentrated Hispanic population. The facility will be built adjacent to an over a $300 million light rail and new bus terminal, making the site a transportation hub that will be easily accessible to the students that attend college at that campus.

"Our partnership has matured through project experience and we look forward to pursuing other opportunities within the municipal and educational sectors, including larger management jobs, both in Hudson County and within the New York/ New Jersey tri-state area at large," Mr. Domuracki concludes.