Supplier Spotlight: Kiwi II Construction Inc.

Kiwi II Construction Inc. has evolved from a one-man operation to one of the self-storage industrys largest construction firms.

January 17, 2009

3 Min Read
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Kiwi II Construction Inc. was launched by Peter Brady in 1982. At that time, the company was an installer of standing-seam roof products on a variety of commercial and residential properties in the Riverside, Calif., area. Self-storage was still relatively new, and most buildings were commonly constructed of built-up roofing and wood framing with drywall acting as dividers for walls.

Companies such as Public Storage and others owned projects built in this style, and the age of the roofs were causing maintenance issues. Standing-seam proved to be an ideal long-term solution with its low-pitch requirements, light weight and ability to span over ponding areas of the old roof framing with minimal disturbance to the day-to-day operations of the existing facilities.

Kiwi II quickly gravitated to the storage industry as it saw great opportunity for growth and long-term relationships with owners as they expanded to new projects. This quickly led to the company offering its services nationwide.

As the storage industry grew, so did new designs, and competition steel framing proved to be the ideal fit. In addition, the 5-by-10 grid was a cost-effective and versatile system that is still the most widely used system today.

A Decade of Growth

In the late ’90s, Robert Walker, an industry veteran of 15 years, joined the company. Walker concentrated on sales while Brady continued to fulfill the promises made to owners and general contractors on schedules and the quality of work. The relationship flourished and Walker soon became a partner in the company.

Early on, Brady and Walker understood the important role product quality and schedules played, and how the labor force affected both. The company soon had 120-plus field staff working under the supervision of a foreman. Kiwi II created a program to enforce efficiency of onsite costs by sharing profits on labor and equipment-related expenses after the job was completed and punch-listed. This helped to ensure quality and performance.

In 2000, the company outgrew its facility and moved into a new building in Murrieta, Calif. Wayne Woolsey also joined the company and was tapped to head up the new East Coast division, which turned into a great market for Kiwi II. He was later named a third partner.

Surviving Steel Cost Increases

The next hurdle for Kiwi II was the steel price increases in 2000. After years of reasonable and predictable steel pricing, the company struggled with the unprecedented increases. The rise in costs forced the company to look at what it could do to help protect Kiwi II and the owners should it happen again.

To do this, Kiwi’s partners looked at manufacturing, purchasing coil in a raw form so the company would have steel on hand at a known price when bidding jobs. This allowed the company to consign and hold coils for particular jobs once they were under contract, yet gave the company time to finalize the design.

This plan of action has been successful for both Kiwi II and its valued customers as it endured more steel costs increases over the last few years. Many clients took advantage of the offer to purchase the coil well in advance of the steel increases.

Today’s Kiwi II

After several years of growth, the timing was right to open a full-time office in Orlando, Fla., so East Coast clients have access to all the services the company has to offer. In addition, Kiwi II has three full-time outside sales representatives. 

Kiwi II offers a complete package tailored around the storage industry, backed by years of experience and talent. The company’s range of work includes re-roofing, portable storage, RV canopies and condos, climate control, fit-outs in existing buildings, refacing the exterior of older buildings, the construction of single- or multi-story buildings.

Bring in your napkin sketches or ideas and Kiwi II will create a concept layout with potential net rental space and build costs for free.

For more information, visit www.kiwiconstruction.com.

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