Company Report: Adams-Bickel Associates
Adams-Bickel Associates Third party training programs and recruitment of the best artisans, craftsmen and master carpenters keeps Adams-Bickel Associates very busy and successful...

Sometimes having the best tools in the trade isn't enough. You need the best people in the trade as well.

This is a lesson that has not been lost on Adams-Bickel Associates, Inc., a general contractor based in Collegeville, Pa.

"We are a general contractor by every sense of the word," says Gus Perea, president of Adams-Bickel. "We consider ourselves to be true builders, and we pride ourselves by the fact that we understand how a building is put together - not just the paperwork, but how the actual pieces fit together."

Founded in 1947 as a residential and commercial builder, the company's markets today include industrial, commercial, institu-tional, educational, religious, healthcare, tele-communications and high-end residential.

According to Perea, the company has on average 75 employees, which includes artisans, craftsmen, and master carpenters, in addition to project managers, field superintendents and support staff.

Services provided by the company include preliminary estimates, value engineering, plan and specifications review, design-build services and computerized project planning.
The company also has two divisions. The ABA Services Division provides maintenance, consulting and construction services.

The ABA Services MPE Division provides mechanical, electrical and plumbing services to compliment what is offered by the other division.

"We are generally hired by the owners in the early stages, to work with the team to help with the design process," says Perea. "We will also bid on projects that have already been designed."

The company also has relationships with many area architects that will call the company and ask for bids on various projects the architect is working on, as well as to sometimes consult with the architect on design issues as they relate to the actual construction of the building, says Perea.

"In today's market we are doing quite a bit of preconstruction work, but I would say that about 60 percent of our work is from bidding on projects that have already been designed," he says. "We work well in the competitive bid as well as the negotiated bid markets."

However, what makes it all work is the company's people, says Perea.
"What makes us unique is our people

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