Brawner Builders, Inc.

Organized in 1980 our firm was built on the principles of honesty, integrity, and diversity.  We have been involved in building renovations, new construction of offices, shopping centers, heavy industrial plants, academic institutions, roads and bridges.  Brawner Builders, Inc. began after Jay Brawner worked six years as a project manager with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.  Since our inception we have tried to build a diversified company with people that we enjoy working with.  This philosophy carries over to our corporate relationships with our clients.  We have fun with what we do and strive to make the construction process enjoyable for our clients too.  As we look back over the past thirty years we have seen many clients that have grown with us, as business friends.  We attribute these long lasting relationships to the fact that we have built the foundations of our company on the tenets of integrity and excellence.

Early on our company did not have history or a reputation in the industry from which to build.  Consequently, each client was a new client that did not know us.  We tried many things for the first time with each instance yielding success rather than failure.  Our first experience with offshore construction was an addition to the Reefs Beach Club Hotel on the Island of Bermuda in 1983.  Our success led to our return to construct a second addition to the Reefs and later a clinic for the U.S. Navy at the Air Base in St. Georges, Bermuda.  Entrenched firmly in structural engineering and bridge construction, Brawner Builders Inc. decided to branch out to commercial construction. Despite the challenges we faced as first time office builders, the building was a success which led to the developer asking us to continue building for them until the real estate crash of the 1989 hit.

However, the economic woes of the early 90’s did not faze Brawner Builders Inc., as our staff persevered through the stormy economic waters to continue to build a strong foundation for our company. Since 1980 our company has maintained our philosophy for diversification and fun.  We developed our capacity for On-Call Task Order Contracting starting first with the Maryland Mass Transit Administration and the Maryland State Highway Administration.  Jeff Bird, our Senior Project Manager (now President) translated this capacity into the unique environment of the University System.  He built our network, staff and resources to fit the specific requirements of On-Call construction in Universities and Colleges throughout the State of Maryland. Sam Negahban, our Design / Build and On Call Construction Senior Project Manager since 1995 has continued and built upon this tradition.

With respect to Design / Build construction contracting, our firm has always been involved with the process.  The first and most prevalent method of Design / Build construction is typically used on our WSSC and University Work.  The project starts with a concept for utilizing space more effectively.  The owner conveys his ideas either through a space plan or verbalizing his thoughts during the initial walk – through.  We have the in-house capacity, in this case, to take the initial idea through working drawings to the permit stage.  Although this is a turn-key solution the owner is usually involved during the process to provide certain review and approvals at critical milestones. We have completed literally hundreds of projects at most of the University of Maryland campuses and the United States Naval Academy utilizing this approach.

The second method we have experienced is to provide the most cost-effective solution to a specific structural or architectural problem.  This requires the services of outside consultants.  They are coupled with our construction staff to develop value-engineered options.  This allows the owner to make intelligent and informed choices utilizing firm cost estimates attached to the alternate solutions.  This service may not lead to actual construction in the field but it always saves money for the owner.

The third method is the case where the owner wants an entire building or bridge constructed on a turn-key basis.  This is a natural extension of the first two methods we have used and results in savings to the owner from a reduction in overhead costs, total program value-engineering, cost of money, and acceleration of schedule.

As Brawner Builders Inc. has grown and divided into two offices, we have been able to maintain our hands-on approach with all our clients and colleagues. Consequently, we at Brawner believe that we will be prepared for any challenge we may face and will continue to set the standard of excellence in the construction field.