With 25 years of experience, Independence Township resident Darren Francisco, president of All Performance Concrete Construction is no amateur when it comes to the concrete business. He has owned three different companies and been in business for himself for seven years.
‘I absolutely love what I do, I wouldn’t do anything else. I’ve done a whole lot of different jobs and I’ve always come back to concrete and stayed with it my entire life. I could never do retail,? he said. ‘When I’m done with a job I can look at it and be proud of what I’ve done or learn how I should do it better the next time. Every job is a different site a different location (and) I’m working in the outdoors.?
Francisco started doing concrete at age 15 working for an uncle, whom he admired. He worked for his uncle’s company I.C. Chamberlain Cement Contractors Inc. on and off throughout school, until he was laid off from a current job, distributing beer in Flint, then his uncle took him on as a full time employee.
After his uncle retired in 1996, Francisco went and worked in Scottsdale AZ. for a while, before coming back to Mi. His friend offered him a job working for his company that eventually went out of business and then he bought into a company to help his friend, until Francisco decided to start his own company.
All Performance Concrete does both residential and commercial work; including flat work, footings, foundations and demolition.
‘There is nothing that I can’t learn because I will never say ‘I don’t know.? You learn something new on every job. Any man who tells you in this business that he knows it all that’s like fools gold,? said Francisco. ‘I learn something new on every print and every job I work at. The engineers and architects are always unfolding new technology, better ways (and) better products to make it better for everyone.?
Francisco recalled an old inspector who taught him that he can never claim that he knows everything, or become to cocky about knowing how to do a job, but that each job should be done according per plan.
‘I took it to heart and it stayed with me,? he said.
He gets his jobs through an online service called ‘Blue Book.? He gets e-mails sent to his company for jobs that our up for bid. Through Blue Book, Francisco is able to view blue prints of each job and pick and choose which job he would like to bid on.
There is a lot of competition going on especially with a struggling economy. The average job will only allow five cement contractors to bid on the job said Francisco.
‘The competition that is out there, I wouldn’t say they are all stand up companies. I am not going to put a company down, but there is a lot of cut throating and underbidding going on in this state. Michigan is in trouble, so it makes it tough for me to put my bid in,? he said.
Profit margins have gone down to less than five percent, when it should be ten percent or more, noted Francisco.
‘We’re back to early 90’s prices in a lot of areas, but the price of concrete from your ready mix company goes up every year.?
Even with a tough economy, Francisco continues to say his job doesn’t feel like it’s ‘work? because it’s what he loves to do.
‘Some projects are harder than others, (but) nothing is more gratifying in my life than to see a project turn out exactly how I envisioned it when I bid on it.?
Francisco said he will take on three jobs at a time and hire his labor accordingly. Whatever job is most technical he will be on site and perform the job himself, especially if it’s commercial.
‘If I had a commercial job going and taken on residential jobs, decorative. I have other crews that I can throw on and allow them to perform that project. At least one point of the day, I will make it a point to go out and see how they are doing, make sure the customer is happy, guys are keeping the site clean, doing a good job, that type of thing,? he said. ‘But my commercial business is where it’s at for me, I love the decorative residential don’t get me wrong, but where the money’s at for this company to stay alive and grow is commercial.?
However, the ‘artist side? comes out of him when he does residential, said Francisco.
‘Decorative residential is like painting pictures like an artist. It’s fun.?
When scaling out a job, Francisco uses three different tools: a tape measure, an architect ruler, and an electronic tool. He always checks each measurement three times.
‘If you don’t check your measurements, a mistake could cost you thousands of dollars. It could mean the difference between profit or loss,? he said. ‘If you make a mistake on a project they don’t care how much money it costs for you to fix it when you sign your name to a contract you are bound to it.?
His sister Vicki is both project manager and office manager for the business. She takes care of the marketing, phone calls, as well as works on bids.
‘She does a wonderful job keeping things moving in the office,? said Francisco. ‘My wife Shar is also my business partner.?
When not working Francisco’s hobbies include, bow hunting, fishing, living on a lake, and cooking.
‘Some of my buddies would joke ‘Darren’s hobby is decorative concrete,?? he said with a laugh.
Francisco also enjoys spending time with his wife and family. He has three kids Chantel, 21, Travis, 16, Jaguar, 6, and his three step-kids Ashley 19, Jordan, 14, and Jacob, 11.
‘I wouldn’t call that a hobby, I would call that a passion,? he said.
For more information call, All Performance Concrete Construction, Inc. at 248-660-6726 or e-mail allperformanceconcrete@yahoo.com