Broadway Builders LLC is a full-service general contractor and construction manager in New York City with extensive experience in ground-up residential new construction, rehabilitation, and occupied renovation, as well as commercial and retail tenant fit-outs.
Founded in 2010 as a partner to its parent company, The Hudson Companies, Broadway Builders has developed a diverse team of professionals to serve its mixed-use clients. The company is a certified Women-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) made up of highly motivated and dedicated professionals who consistently deliver high-quality projects on schedule, in a safe and compliant work environment.
Broadway Builders also prides itself on its high proportion of women in the company compared to other construction firms. Fostering a diverse environment that is welcoming to women creates a unique dynamic that celebrates different working styles. Each one of its construction teams in the field has at least one woman, and Broadway Builders aims to continue on this path of diversity in seeking out diverse employee skill sets, backgrounds, and specialties.
Bernard Ruf, President of Broadway Builders, describes a unified bond among the staff. The family atmosphere in the company culture results in efficient and effective operations while also establishing a synergistic working environment. Since the company hires subcontractors for its projects, its strong values on teamwork are just as important in these external relationships, and Broadways Builders is always focused on partnering with the most qualified and skilled subcontractors.
In the last six years, the team has grown from just a few employees to a staff of 55. Broadway Builders has also successfully assembled its own self-insurance program through a CCIP, a Contractor Controlled Insurance Program. This global insurance program protects the owner of the project, Broadway Builders itself as the general contractor, and all of its subcontractors under one giant insurance umbrella. Currently covering five different projects, the CCIP is a tool that allows the company to be more competitive in the New York City housing market. The company has also established its own bonding and surety program, impressive accomplishments for a company as young as Broadway Builders.
“You can’t build greatness without that team, and it even reaches out to who your subcontractors are, who your vendors are… certainly if you don’t have those people around you, you’re not going to be successful,” Ruf says proudly. “And I think we’ve done an amazing job at attracting the best people in New York City.”
Broadway Builders takes a great deal of care cultivating these relationships with its trade and vendor partners, beginning with a careful pre-qualification and selection process. In fact, these relationships have been so successful that they have led to various joint venture (JV) operations on major contracts, which is a true sign of the company’s ability to collaborate.
The leadership at Broadway Builders manages the team in a top-down chain of command structure, while avoiding any micro-management. “We’re one foot in the box and one foot out of the box,” explains Ruf. “You need the space to be able to be the professional that you are and have your own style a little bit, but you also need your foot in the box so that we’re all working within common rules and a common direction.”
The primary sector of business for this diverse construction firm is affordable housing and supportive housing programs, making up roughly 80 percent of its business model. “We maintain a ground-up new construction division while operating a separate business model to accommodate the renovation and occupied renovation of affordable NYC housing programs,” Ruf explains. “Our relationship with NYC agencies is a strong one and we maintain a commitment to excellence in our work and relationships to ensure a successful project.”
While Broadway Builders is proud of dedicating much of its time to creating affordable housing projects, the team sees no real difference in the construction process. Affordable housing to them is just housing, and it is important to maintain the same high level of quality construction. Depending on the final product, the only aspect of the project that may differ is the type of material used, but the approach, attitude, and quality are the exact same.
One notable affordable housing project for Broadway Builders is the Logan Fountain Project located in Brooklyn, New York. Ruf describes it as a ground-up new construction building that will feature 174 affordable rental units for families who receive government assistance, and 169 supportive shelter apartments dedicated for homeless families. The building is a 13-story concrete superstructure with 324,000 square feet that includes a common courtyard, interior amenity spaces, and roof amenities for tenants to enjoy. There are also commercial use spaces available on the ground level.
“There aren’t a tremendous number of buildings that serve families in New York City, especially new buildings. So this is pretty exciting to us, that our building will be actually serving this dual purpose and helping a group of people who… need a place to live,” says Sally Gilliland, Broadway Builders’ Founder and Chair (and Principal and COO of head company Hudson Companies Inc.).
Another project that simply must be highlighted is The Peninsula, located in the Bronx, New York. This project is in its second phase, and the first of its five planned buildings is already complete and occupied. Currently, it is the largest current residential construction project in the Bronx area.
The Peninsula is an important project for both Broadway Builders and the city of New York. It has become known as a neighborhood rebirth story. Once occupied as a juvenile detention facility and decommissioned years ago, the residents saw it as a blight in the neighborhood, and were relieved to see the building torn down to become something new. With the community in mind, the mixed-use plan for The Peninsula will feature light industrial space for manufacturing, 740 units of affordable housing for the Hunts Point neighborhood, and a live/work area for the tech and creative industries of the South Bronx. Due to its size and complexity, the entire project is expected to be complete in about two years, making it a three-year project in total.
Always community-minded, Broadway Builders has already established a solid charitable base in its young existence. The firm has taken a philanthropic position with veterans’ organizations, including Hope for the Warriors, and it goes the extra mile by expressing a desire to support military veterans through employment at Broadway Builders. It is a company that helps the homeless community through its affordable housing projects, and focuses on energy-efficient designs to stay ahead of the progressive Passive House or LEED standards in NYC.
Prepared for the changing construction market in the years to come, Broadway Builders knows how to adapt. “Every economic segment of time creates unique industry roadblocks that require strategy alteration,” Ruf explains. “That coupled with ever-evolving regulatory changes, particularly in NYC, requires an open mind to alter operational imperatives to meet the changing environment.” Changes to energy codes, for instance, have not only affected the way contractors build, but also the time required to build. New technology is constantly changing the industry, both within the building envelope and in management operations. Broadway Builders is not daunted by these challenges; rather, it finds itself inspired to find the best solutions possible.
As a partner to residential developer The Hudson Companies, Broadway Builders receives the majority of its work through its parent company; in the future, the team hopes to allocate approximately 20 percent of its business to its own separate ventures. Ruf expands on further plans for the company, saying, “Broadway wants to be a six to ten project at a time company, depending on the complexity and size of the projects we are engaged in. We believe we have approached our planned ‘sweet spot’ and will do our best to maintain an operation with around 55 to 60 employees and operate on between six to ten projects at a time, with delivery cycles of between 24 and 36 months per project.”
There are only a few WBE general contractors in NYC with all the capabilities of Broadway Builders. As the core of the business, the firm has built a diverse team that consistently delivers quality products, and always prioritizes the recruitment of high-level trade and vendor partners to meet that standard. With a mission of aiming for building excellence through leadership, teamwork, integrity, and quality, the company has set itself apart in the industry by developing this loyal, reliable staff and creating an atmosphere of diversity and inclusion.
Says Ruf, “Broadway is a strong and dependable, upcoming, fast-growing, and energetic company that can provide the top tier of professional management for developers to take note of.”
