The young and the restless.

32-year-old management executive Ravi Reddy has just finished overseeing his firm's design and construction of the Secret Service's New York headquarters.

The technology involved, whether for the bullet-proof doors, gun check lockers, prison cell or the organization's specialized gym, was like nothing Reddy had ever seen before, even in his other government-assigned projects.

"The technology there was as advanced as you could get," he said.

"It's exciting and every day we're learning something."

But Reddy was always a good student. At 19 years old, he was a full-time grad student at Polytechnic University and a full-time civil engineer, inspecting track work in the tunnels of the New York subway for 120 hours each week.

Shrugging off the hard work, Reddy said he knew he had a lot to learn.

Besides, he added, "I liked being 19 and making a cool, crisp $32,000 a year."

That one job led to other assignments with the MTA, including the $45 million renovation of Grand Central Station.

"I was 25 and running that project," said Reddy.

"It was almost comical."

Other projects, such as the recent building of a transit control house with NAB Construction, followed, including the restoration of a landmarked control house at 72nd St. and Broadway through his own firm, CitiStructure.

By 30, Reddy had worked for such firms as LWC, Plaza and Trataros Construction, and knew that he was ready to branch out on his own. In 2001, he founded CitiStructure with partner Wayne Warner, formerly of Bovis Construction.

Despite his experience, however, Reddy admitted to having to beg a potential employer for CitiStructure's first assignment.

"I said to them, please I'll take anything. Just let me show you what I can do."

CitiStructure then won the job of building a single door in one of the U.S. Government's New York offices.

Ironically, the door paved the way for other government jobs, which grew in complexity.

Today, though still a small company, CitiStructure has completed 20 projects in less than three years, at an aggregate value of over $23 million.

Reddy said he believes his success comes from his numerous industry contacts, as well as his 12 years of experience working with various types of real estate. Whether it's transit, residential, commercial or highly specialized commercial space, CitiStructure doesn't discriminate.

Listed on Reddy's resume are assignments for corporate offices, residential buildings, religious institutions and highways.

Some of Warner's past projects include museums, big box retail spaces and even a prison.

One of the firm's recent projects was a 12-story residential high-rise at Bowery and Spring Streets. CitiStructure accepted the job after the original contractor walked off the site, abandoning the project before its completion.

When CitiStructure's Warner was approached by the developer, he and Reddy immediately took the job, completing the building in one year.

"The economy means work is scarce, so our ability to be flexible is a huge asset," said Reddy.

"With the New York City Transit job, they came to me."

At the time the idea of building a transit house wasn't something that interested Reddy at all. However, he took the job in the hope of bulking up his resume.

"It turned out to be a wonderful thing, because now we're building our client base," he said.

Although CitiStructure is currently involved in several projects, the firm has no immediate plans to hire new employees or expand.

In fact, said Reddy, he and Warner have found a niche in staying small.

"I'm always in contact with my clients, which makes them more comfortable," he explained.

"We can pay a lot of attention to each project and give our own expertise, which I think really helps. Many times in big firms, managers don't want to hear it. They just want it done."

Reddy also attributes his firm's busy schedule to being aggressive and simply not giving up in the face of obstacles like the bad economy.

"I don't listen to people who say there's no work out there. There's work out there, you just have to look for it," he said.

Reddy added that CitiStructure has been doing rehabilitations, fit-outs and conversions as well as ground-up construction.

Currently, CitiStructure has projects in White Plains and Jersey City, as well as in New York City, where the firm is constructing several Met-Life offices. The MTA and the U.S. Government are also still regular clients.

"New York Transit calls us whenever they need something done fast," said Reddy, "and the government jobs are getting bigger and bigger. We go above and beyond to get things done on time."

"We're trying to build a company and we're looking ten years down the line. That way when the economy does get better we'll be in the driver's seat."