In November of 2014, our company was given a shock. Our primary (and only) client, Baker Hughes, was being acquired by Halliburton. This was amidst the largest downturn that the energy industry had seen in decades. Our team’s hopes for the future quickly dimmed as many thought that this was the end of our small firm. Thankfully that was not so. In fact, in a lot of ways, it was the beginning. We recognized that our team had a lot to offer to the construction industry in Texas and the surrounding states. Our client had trusted us with a wide range of jobs from executive suites in Houston to manufacturing centers in Oklahoma City. Many said that we had “all of our eggs in one basket”, but we saw it differently.

With our experience, our client had afforded us a resume of work that was rivaled by few, if any. Admittedly we were not the biggest and baddest in town, but at that time we had performed over six hundred million dollars worth of design-build construction for a single client in twelve years. Our work had expanded in three states with only twenty-five people staffed. It was clear that our company had something to offer, we just had to figure out how now that we faced an open market.

The biggest issue we faced was presenting our firm to new clients. Because of the stage our company was in, we had no marketing budget, our website was unmanaged, and our social media presence was non-existent. In theory, in the digital world, no one knew who we were or why they should trust us with their business. Through a number of iterations of ideas, we came up with the one and only phase of our plan. We added marketing to one of our media-savvy employees’ roles and with the help of our President, proposals began to come together. Our goal was to present a message to the client from a position of accountability rather than just offering a sales pitch. We have always communicated upfront that the client having a direct partner in their project every step of the way is our top priority. Like any business undergoing such a shift, we encountered a few bumps in the road, but ultimately, our message was delivered and resonated with a number of clients that trust us with their business still today. Our team has come a long way since 2014. We have made huge strides in establishing our digital presence, and we are a stronger team and company because of the hardships we overcame together.

So, where are we today? We are setting new goals of informing the people of our extensive capabilities, our diverse collection of projects, and the quality of people in our company and in clientele. In a world where information is available instantly, yet quickly forgotten, we are bolstering our digital profile in order to keep our team at the forefront of our clients’ minds. Our goal is to provide today and tomorrow’s wave of consumers with access to a dynamic and current representation of who we are so that they clearly understand what we do, and how that relates directly to their company’s needs. We have hired a team of professionals to help us deliver this message and are excited about the re-launch of our firm. Join us as we continue to write the history and determine the future of Benchmark Houston Builders!