TriCon Builders - Interview with Raymond McBride

TriCon Builders, LLC is a full-service Construction Management and General Contracting company located in Johnson City, TN specializing in commercial and custom residential projects. Tricon's development and construction experiences include Custom Homes, Strip Center Development, Restaurants & Retail, Business Offices, Medical & Dental Specialties. Raymond McBride, owner and operator, answers a few questions to give you a sense of what Tricon Builders is all about:

What makes TriCon Builders Different from others doing the same work?

"The fact that we view every project we take on as our most important project.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a $5,000 job or a $5,000,000 job, we want our customers to be informed and feel appreciated."

What guides you and your team in making decisions about how you approach working with clients, subcontractors and vendors?

"We have written mission and values statements that are well-communicated throughout the organization that we reference when making decisions, especially tough decisions that test what we stand for."

Our Mission

The Mission of TriCon Builders is to honor God by positively Shaping the Community and serving our Team Members and Clients with a "Legacy Building" mentality!

Our Values

• Build for a Purpose

• Legacy Begins Today

• Every Project is our Most Important Project

• Stay in our Lane

• Work Hard, Play Hard, Love what we do

• It is what it is - Own it and Take Action

• Family First

• Have Faith

You have lots of repeat customers, why do you think people call on you again for subsequent projects?

"Because of good experiences they had on previous projects with us.  We are very transparent from concept to completion, and they appreciate the way we communicate."

What are your ties to the area and why do you continue to work in and around the tri-cites?

"We live here and we work here.  This is our community and we take the responsibility of having it be it’s best very seriously. We appreciate the opportunities to shape our community with what we build and in the relationships we make.”

What makes you uniquely qualified for remodeling and new construction in the medical and dental office space?

"Our project managers alone have well over 75 years of combined construction experience in the medical and dental space, completing over 250,000 sf.  We have also developed and maintained great relationships with the dental supply companies. In addition to careful consideration for waiting area and facilities layout, TriCon Builder's construction teams are very adept at overcoming the challenges of running supply lines and electrical to all the termination points in the operatories while maintaining 1/4" tolerances." 

You use the design-build methodology in your process. How does this benefit the person hiring you for the job?

"It’s much more of a team-oriented approach (owner, architect, contractor) that allows us to work together to create a functional design with meaningful costs and scheduling expectations. On average, we can reduce project cost by 6%, change orders by 5% and decrease the overall timeline to completion by 33%."

You offer “land acquisition to certificate of completion” services. How is this different than some other contractors?

"Choosing the right piece of property, to suit the desired end result, is the most important decision an owner can make.  Because of our land development experiences, we can work with the property owner to identify property that best fits the location, zoning, grading, parking, and accessibility needs. We offer true "turn-key" services for someone with a piece of property and the desire to develop it for a specific end result."

What makes you uniquely qualified in historic building renovation?

"First, understanding that every historical building is unique.  There is no standard to follow with historical renovation but, having experience working in multiple, 80+ year old buildings has better prepared us to be able to maintain the structure's historic integrity and provide a functional space for our clients."

Are you licensed, insured, and bonded?

"We maintain a Class A, Unlimited contractor’s license in Tennessee (#64091) and Virginia (#2705172654) which requires the contractor to show $300,000 in both working capital and net worth; experience, and an audited financial statement. We have a Limited LB3 license in South Carolina (#127058). We also carry workers' compensation, general liability and builders risk insurances and can provide bid and performance/payment bonds as needed."