If you ask one of the leadership team members to describe the success Mosaic Construction has been able to sustain the past 30-plus years you will find a commonality in their answers.

In the world of turning visions into realities, each of them will agree that it all starts with the team. The Northbrook, Illinois company has built a team of professionals who all pull in the same direction, guided by a set of tenets they aspire to every day. Called the “Mosaic Actions,” the tenets include require the company to:

• Anticipate Needs
• Communicate the Story
• Do It the Right Way
• Contribute to a Positive Environment
• Close the Loop
• Build Relationships

Ira Singer, co-founder and CMO, says the list of values are part of its culture and DNA—beliefs each team member can rally around every day. Every bit of their success can be traced back to the creed, making the national, award-winning, construction and renovation firm specializing in commercial, multifamily, residential and cannabis design-build a model of consistency.

Working in 17 states across the country, Mosaic provides turnkey services for all real estate and construction-related needs, from site assessments to zoning and permitting, equipment recommendations to security, and construction to certificates of occupancy. Its team, led by Singer, Andy Poticha, Mike Frazin and Kevin Kasten, supports the process along with other experts throughout the process.

We sat down with Singer to get a snapshot into Mosaic Construction’s continued success.

Give us a snapshot of your brand.

Mosaic Construction LLC believes that everyone should enjoy the spaces where they work and live. We also understand that the definition of beauty is unique to each owner, so we create living and working environments that align with our clients’ wants and needs.

Through our consultative approach, we focus on learning about our clients and their plans for their new spaces. Our goal is to make their vision into a reality. We pride ourselves in being team-centric, client-focused, relationship-based and opportunity-driven.

• Mosaic Construction goes to market with three different brands that each have its own unique portfolio focus.
• Mosaic Construction provides outstanding renovation, remodeling and construction services for commercial projects and multi-family properties.
• Design Construction Concepts is an industry leader in curated, custom design-build projects in the residential and retail sectors.
• Cannabis Facility Construction is a full-service design-build, general contractor in the cannabis industry. It provides best-in-class construction management services that target the cannabis national marketplace, including the completion of cultivation facilities, processing centers and dispensaries.

What type of clients and markets are you targeting?

We can mobilize nationally while sourcing local trade partners. Therefore, we target owners, operators, developers, and managers who are looking to grow their business in a specific regional market and expand their brand across multiple states.

We are trusted advisors and collaborators, so we seek clients who see the value in a partnership mentality so we can execute their plan and garner long term client relationships. This can include clients in multifamily, commercial, residential, government and non-profit and cannabis sectors, amongst others.

While we have nationwide reach, we have completed most of our projects in the Midwest and East Coast regions.

How does your work cater to today’s end-users?

Today’s business market is much more focused on building and maintaining trust and relationships, so we do not limit ourselves by project location, asset class or type, project type—or even project size. Along with our expertise and experience, we are transparent and flexible—and focus on delivering candid and timely communication to ensure we are meeting our clients’ expectations.

Today, the end-user is more educated and informed about what they are seeking in a construction partner. Knowing this, we ask ourselves, “What does today’s client want and need?” when interacting with a potential client. This ensures that we are continuously providing new and existing clients with a valued service, instead of a transactional sale.

How is your construction strategy based?

We are a design-build firm. It is in our firm’s DNA and engrained in our daily actions. Our strategy is anchored in three tactics: consult, construct, and transform.

Consult – We provide counsel to understand and clarify our clients’ needs so their project can be built to suit. A site visit and assessment are often our first step so we can gain key insights critical to being a resource partner and leading the discovery and design portion of the project.

We focus on building standards and compliance to ensure the project is buildable and has long term value. As a part of this consultative process, our team of professional construction and design experts collaborate with our clients on all phases of the design and construction process.

Construct – We are design-build project experts that are focused on maximizing our clients’ property’s functionality, aesthetics and long-term value. We manage and oversee all areas of construction, from bidding the project with our trade and vendor partners, through pre-construction, project launch, construction, punch list and project completion.

We build the project successfully by anticipating needs, closing open items, sourcing solutions, managing the project daily and being a timely and candid communicator with our clients.

Transform – Bringing the project to life through the construction process and seeing the transformation take place is the ultimate reward when working so closely with our clients.

Our team is fully invested in the project from the onset, even at the design and/or bidding phases. The completion of a project is a transformative experience and provides a front row seat for our clients to see their vision become a reality.

What are some of today’s biggest challenges?

The skilled labor pool is shrinking, making it challenging to find qualified trade companies that are competitive on pricing and have the resources to staff the projects on a timely basis.

Challenges remain when sourcing certain materials for the projects, and long lead times remain for certain products that can affect the project delivery dates.

What are the biggest challenges in construction or renovating a project?

Construction projects possess a myriad of potential challenges beyond the client’s control.

That is why, as professional construction managers, we focus on the items we can control that have profound impact on all areas of a project. We accomplish this by providing honest and timely communication with our client.

We know that clear, consistent and candid communication (written or spoken, and always documented) is critically important to properly setting expectations and running a successful project.

Challenges beyond the control of the client, the general contractor, the vendors or the trades will always exist despite technology advancements and material improvements. Items that present challenges include project schedule changes, hidden conditions that affect pricing and timing, product delivery delays, weather delays, municipal inspection delays and trade issues, among many others.

We have found that effective communication can help overcome these challenges that exist within a project’s lifecycle. By offering alternative solutions and communicating throughout the entirety of the project lifecycle, we can mitigate the impact of delays and keep the project on track.

How are you working to promote sustainability?

Via our consultative approach as GCs, we contact local municipalities to learn about programs that our clients can take advantage of in the form of opportunity zone savings and/or other sustainability and energy efficiency-related incentives.

We are in the business of constructing healthy and sustainable buildings that operate smartly and reduce costs. As much as possible, we look to reuse existing materials that are able to be salvaged to reduce waste. Paint and other finish materials are typically specified as being Low volatile organic compounds, which cuts down on environmentally harmful gases as well as LED lighting and smart plumbing fixtures that reduce electric and water costs.

What do you see as some of the biggest challenges in construction, moving ahead?

Long lead times continue to be common within the construction industry. In addition to material arrival delays, supply chain issues have also impacted our ability to hold pricing from the bid stage to product delivery. Longer than usual lead times still exist on steel, switch gear materials, HVAC equipment (cannabis industry specific) and generators.

To address this, we have implemented a two-phased, estimating approach to combat price escalation of materials and equipment. First, during the early planning phase, we provide preliminary budget range estimates so the client can underwrite the project. Then, we provide project-specific bidding once all materials selections have been made.

Pricing may escalate, so it is our responsibility to keep clients informed of their options so they can make educated decisions. We also source alternate material options so the budget can be maintained as close to its original as possible as price escalation threatens other decisions about that project that need to be made.

Are you optimistic about what you see in your building and construction sectors?

Mosaic Construction remains upbeat and confident about the construction industry in the sectors we have historically served. We are seeing opportunities in cannabis, boutique commercial, retail, hospitality, entertainment venues, multifamily, industrial and healthcare. These include retail dispensaries and indoor manufacturing (grow) facilities within the cannabis sector, student housing within multifamily, and veterinary within the healthcare sector.

What trends are you seeing?

Real estate projects have become more user focused, as there is an increased emphasis on the user’s needs and wants integrated in the design and subsequent building.

Therefore, we are seeing an increased emphasis on incorporating community, physical and mental wellness, security and technology in our projects. This includes fitness classes and yoga classes for physical and mental wellness, as well as cameras and card readers for security.

Where is your business headed?

We continue to work in traditional asset classes like multifamily, commercial, residential, government and non-profit—which will always be part of our portfolio. We are also involved in building within niche markets such as cannabis, pickleball clubs and veterinary/pet focused businesses, which allow us to leverage our design-build expertise.

Tell us what makes your brand unique?

Mosaic’s brand promise of “It all comes together” is supported by our shared values, ethics and actions that promote project excellence and satisfaction. The goal is to create an elevated experience for our clients and teams.

At our core, Mosaic focuses on building relationships with our clients, team, trades and industry professionals, which is key to delivering successful project goals and visions. We accomplish this by doing the project the right way, closing the loop with clients, contributing to a positive environment, anticipating client needs, and, of course, communicating.

Is there a story you can share about a client/job/etc. you did that really shows off your work and ability to engage with the industry?

A client hired us to design-build an indoor cannabis cultivation facility in rural Illinois. Through the relationship we built with the local municipality, we proactively discovered that the building was in fact being built in an enterprise zone and that the property was subject to a $250,000.00 tax refund. We informed our client and made sure they received the entire refund.

Another case study reinforcing the importance of Mosaic’s relationships was when we bid on a project and were not initially selected as a general contractor. Despite not winning the contract, we continued to possess a strong relationship with the potential client.

Once the project was underway, we received a call from the client saying that the contractor he hired in lieu of Mosaic was not working out, and they wanted to hire us to complete the project as GC. Not only did we have to correct poorly built work, but the original timeframe for project completion was not going to be met.

We leveraged our trade partners to work overtime and on weekends to get the project completed on time. We completed the project on time and to the highest quality, resulting in the client hiring Mosaic for multiple projects afterwards. This is a shining example of how communicating openly and rescuing a disastrous project can form a strong relationship for life.

One-on-One with Mosaic Construction’s Ira Singer

Describe a typical day.

I arrive at the office at 6:00 am most days to work on proposals or other business initiatives before the projects start. By 7:00 am, project work has started, so there is a series of check-ins with our project teams and trades to ensure the day is set up for success.

Most days include some level of proposal writing, trade outreach for new projects being bid, project meetings, business development work and working on the strategic initiatives of the business.

What was the best advice you ever received?

Asking for help is a sign of strength and typically results in a shared positive experience, proving you don’t have to know it all to be successful.

What’s the best thing a client ever said to you? What was the job and why?

“Mosaic Construction provided efficient service which led to a completed task with limited in-depth specifications. Their communication abilities are refreshing in the General Contractor world. They contacted us multiple times to ensure we were satisfied and notified of all updates.”

This was the manager of a Class A, multifamily property where Mosaic was hired to provide amenity upgrades. We especially appreciated this feedback as it did not focus on the specific details of the project and the upgrades we made, but rather on the value the client placed on our effective communication and relationship-building.