Business Buildouts Keep L. H. Tanner Construction Busy
Holly Tanner, who worked as a physical therapist before joining husband Lawrence Tanner’s construction firm two decades ago, believes there is a strong comparison between these two seemingly totally different fields.
“With construction, like with medicine, you’re diagnosing and providing answers,” she said.
“Medicine takes care of our clients’ bodies and we take care of their homes and businesses. You want an expert to take care of your home or business, just like you want an expert to take care of your health.”
Taking good care of their clients’ projects — from residential remodels to large commercial buildouts — drives L.H. Tanner Construction. And there have been plenty of business buildouts of late.
“Holly and Lawrence made it so much easier,” said restaurateur Debi Malone, who contracted with L.H. Tanner for the buildout of her downtown Melbourne restaurant, Alligator Reef Club. “Right away, they got my vision.”
Malone wanted to transform a 1923 bungalow from Craftsman to Conch, complete with Key West vibes, both structurally and in ambiance.
“Having a contractor with such in-depth knowledge is such a healthy departure from the norm,” said Malone, who as owner of several restaurants is no stranger to the construction industry.
“They made it happen.”
Passion for Partnership
Holly joined Lawrence at his firm shortly after the couple married in 2001. As president, she is at the front of the house, taking care of daily operations, customer care and business development, while Lawrence handles the nitty gritty as general contracting.
Both Holly and Lawrence have deep roots on the Space Coast, where they both grew up. Both attended Eau Gallie High School, although they didn’t know each other at the time. A friend later introduced them. By then, Lawrence had operated his own construction company for years, and Holly happily immersed herself in her husband’s favorite field, learning the intricacies of permitting and administration.
The Tanners share a passion for realizing clients’ dreams.
“From the start of any project, we are always looking at how best we can help,” Holly said.
Building on Legacy
In 1997, then 22-year-old Lawrence launched his own construction company. He was continuing a legacy started by his grandfather, a carpenter and craftsman, and his parents, both successful contractors responsible for many of the outstanding residences found in the Lake Washington neighborhood of Melbourne.
“They built some of the nicest homes in the area during the ‘70s and ‘80s,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence grew up in the business and was an accomplished carpenter and roofer before he was even old enough to vote. At age 19, he was already assistant to a general contractor who specialized in custom modifications to high-end residences.
From his parents, Lawrence committed to excellence and learned an indefatigable work ethic. He has never aimed for his firm to become the biggest construction firm in the county, but instead focused on becoming the construction company with the largest number of satisfied clients. To accomplish this goal, he adopted the hands-on, in-house, all-inclusive philosophy of plan-build for a seamless win-win for both client and the firm.
Plan-Build Model
“By having one point of contact, one single source of responsibility, we can manage costs, streamline processes and improve quality control,” Lawrence said.
“Costs are known early in the process, which allows the clients to make financial decisions early on and avoid costly mistakes. Our goal is to provide value to our customers by building what they want within a budget they can afford and without sacrificing quality. We do this by carefully listening to clients and providing solutions through our planning and design phases.”
Many general contractors are, in reality, construction managers. L.H. Tanner Construction is both a full-service firm with the capability to develop a project from drawing board to completion, with the assistance of in-house multi-trade specialists and trusted, licensed subcontractors for specialties beyond the company’s in-house scope of work. Having one company and one team to execute the entire process keeps everyone on the same page and minimizes the costly migraine-inducing mistakes that all too often happen during a construction project.
By following a plan-build model, Lawrence has evolved the business into a convenient one-stop shop that clients appreciate. The process begins with an in-depth meeting to discuss goals and objectives and continues with a comprehensive needs and current conditions analysis, detailed estimates and drawings and permits before construction begins.
“Being able to take clients from planning to permitting to construction saves the client both time and money, because we begin tailoring the project to their budget from the start,” Holly said.
The process also forges a strong client/contractor relationship, which the Tanners consider vital to the future of their business.
“We have clients who keep coming back to us whenever they have a new project,” Holly said.
Julie Shipley, owner of The Soup Shop, is one of those repeat clients as she expands her business in Brevard.
“We’re building the third shop for her,” Holly said. “We’re so blessed with these relationships.”
Clients aren’t the only ones forging long-lasting connections with the Tanners. Colleagues in the industry have such confidence in the quality of “Team Tanner” that they often refer projects to them. L.H. Tanner Construction also has established strong connections with consistently reliable subcontractors who keep projects on time and on track.
In the 25+ years he has been in business, Lawrence has amassed an impressive portfolio of more than 5,000 construction projects that includes new commercial buildings, buildouts of existing interior spaces, large residential renovations, residential additions and garages, historical restoration and all phases of site development, as well as seawall construction and stabilization. For every one of these projects, customer satisfaction was the first priority.
It is no wonder that Debi Malone considers Team Tanner heaven-sent.
“Holly and Lawrence were exactly what I needed,” she said.
Connect
L.H. Tanner Construction
2300 Avocado Ave., Melbourne
321-259-8099
lhtanner.com
Holly@LHTanner.com
Facebook: /LHTannerConstruction
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