CCB Ownership Through the Years

Over the course of 115 years, Charles C. Brandt Construction Co. has experienced 5 transitions of ownership. Not only is it notable that the company has successfully implemented these transitions, but it’s also incredibly rare. In fact, according to YPO.org, statistics show that about 75% of businesses fail after the first generation of owners. In addition, more than 85% fail by the third generation, and over 95% fail beyond that, so we take a lot of pride in the fact that we’re still here – building our clients visions into reality.

In honor of our upcoming 115-year milestone next year, we thought we’d take this time to offer our audience a glimpse into our history. After all, it was their perseverance and expertise that poured the foundations for what CCB is today.

CCB was started by none other than Charles C. Brandt back in 1907. As his business grew over time, he realized the company would outlive him and eventually transferred ownership of the company to his three sons – William C. Brandt Sr. (Bill), Ralph Brandt Sr., and Charlie E. Brandt.

With Bill, Ralph, and Charlie at the helm, CCB flourished as one of the premier general contractors in the state of Indiana – a trait that still holds true today. CCB continued to surpass the three brothers’ lifespan as it did to their father before them, and the company’s ownership was transferred to their sons, William C. Brandt Jr. (Chuck), David S. Brandt, and Ralph Brandt Jr. in the 1970s. During this period of ownership, Chuck, David, and Ralph Jr. formed another business entity called Construction Management Services Inc., or CMSI, which focused more on public entity work. In the 1980s, Charlie’s son Chris Brandt and son-in-law Bill Freeman joined CCB while both companies continued to prosper.

David Brandt, who by this time was running CMSI had dreams of running his own company. After having discussions with the other owners, they agreed to sell CMSI to David, who then rebranded CMSI as Brandt Construction – a respected decision by all parties. It should be noted that today Charles C. Brandt Construction and Brandt Construction are two separate companies with separate non-Brandt family ownership and continue to successfully operate in and around Indianapolis. 

When the time came for Chuck Brandt to transition into retirement and transfer his shares in the early 1990’s, majority ownership of CCB was passed on to Bill Freeman, with Chris Brandt still in minority ownership (4th generation).

In 2002, Steve Lankton, Jack Lautenschlager, and Cathy Bickle joined Bill Freeman as owners (5th generation). Bill fully retired in 2013 and Cathy retired in 2014. Steve and Jack asked Lindsay Fernandez to join them as a shareholder in 2018, which began the transition into the 6th generation of ownership. Lindsay was named President of CCB in 2020 to solidify succession plans.

Even though none of the current owners carry the Brandt name, we are very proud to carry on the legacy started by Charles C. Brandt back in 1907 and will continue to carry that legacy into future generations of ownership. Thank you to all of you who have granted us the opportunities to succeed, and we can’t wait for what’s in store for the next 115 years!

Material Pricing: What You Need to Know

NOTE: This information is current as of June 29th 2021.

Picture this: you’re a business owner looking to expand your enterprise, and in most cases, that means construction is on your horizon in some shape or form.

Unfortunately for this year, pandemic-related supply chain issues have ravaged the construction industry worldwide, ultimately grinding the production of raw construction materials you need to a halt.

But now that our world has learned to cope with the pandemic, the construction industry is back on the rise, and with it, the demand for these materials. Now to those reading this in the construction industry, this is nothing new. However, the people who work in industries that are intertwined with ours, i.e. commercial real estate, this is something that may not be on everyone’s radar.

To help educate the minds who aren’t fully submersed in construction, we’ve put together this short list of tips to remember when aiding and/or managing your clients’ construction endeavors.

1. Don’t underestimate the power of projection. It’s so important that the budget accurately reflects the current market AND takes into account the possibility of future spikes. Thankfully, CCB has the ability to lock in pricing for a set period of time even if the market continues to change. Here’s some recent stats that will give you an idea of just how much material pricing has skyrocketed:

   • LUMBER – in the last week, prices have stabilized from $1,700 in early May to just under $900 for 1,000 board feet of lumber, but this is a far cry from what prices were 2 years ago (around $350).

   • STEEL – As the leader in rising prices for major commodities, steel is up over 50% since last year due to the shutdown of production in the early part of the pandemic. Prices are more than likely continue to rise for another quarter and should also expect lead times of more than 4 months.

   • DRYWALL – similar to lumber, drywall prices have also stabilized but are still up almost 7% after seeing above average volatility in the second half of last year. Expect to see similar rates with other gypsum products as well.

2. Don’t feel like you should wait for prices to drop. Despite all the increases in material cost, CCB still has many ways in which we can save money. Accelerating or phasing the project schedule and exploring alternative material options are just a couple of ways that we do this.

3. Know your lead times. It’s one thing to know how much you’ll end up paying for material. Knowing when exactly you’ll get it to the jobsite is an entirely different thing. That’s why it’s so important to be aware of long-lead items and tweaking the construction schedule to coincide with material delivery. CCB has been doing this for decades and has helped our clients flourish by optimizing the schedule and bringing them value in unexpected ways.

4. Look on the Brightside. Just recently, multiple sources within the industry reported that lumber prices are expected to go down by the end of summer. Manufacturers expect their back stocks to get back on track as well, which will bring the market back to level by the end of the year.

If anything, the last 18 months have taught us all one thing – and that is the importance of working with a contractor who is dedicated to bringing you the best value. We understand that construction can be scary during this time, but don’t let that deter you from Building Your Vision into Reality!

Not Your Everyday Contractor...

People often ask me how I got involved with construction, and I tell them – I was born into it.

My grandfather was a general contractor, my father was a general contractor, and I went to the Construction Engineering and Management Program at Purdue University – so it’s really all I know and what I’ve been doing all my life. I enjoy it immensely, which is why I continue to do it after all these years.

This morning I received a call from a potential client that wanted to talk about renovating a building. Now, were they looking for someone who was the least expensive contractor to do the job? Or were they looking for a construction professional who would be their partner, help them make decisions through both the design and construction phases, and offer the best value for their construction dollar? The answer to these questions determines if CCB is a good fit for their project, and if their project is a good fit for CCB.

After discussing project specifics with this individual, I concluded that they were ultimately looking for a “just get it done” contractor – which is perfectly fine – but I had to tell them that CCB just wouldn’t be the best fit for their project.

Now some people will read this and think “he just turned down a job,” but I went on to explain to him that CCB is in the business of being a true construction partner. This individual was in the market for a “just get it done” contractor, and that just isn’t CCB. We like to view ourselves as part-time construction professionals on our clients team – a team that not only can guide our clients through all phases of construction, but a team that’s also there for their future endeavors.

A friend of mine once told me that you can realistically deliver only two of the following three things during a construction project: impeccable quality, low cost, and timely completion. It is virtually impossible to have all three, and if you value time and quality as much as we do, then naturally we may not always be the lowest cost contractor – but we will bring you the best value.

If you think CCB is the right teammate for you and your construction needs, let’s have a chat!