William A. Randolph

Over the last decade, the construction industry has witnessed a surge in firms that offer modular construction offerings owing to its advantages such as lower labor costs, minimal volume of waste, significant time savings, and more. However, as modular constructions are relatively new to the sector, there is a lack of effective collaboration and communication strategies among architects, engineers, sub-contractors, town/city councils, and modular builders. As a result, modular construction firms are unable to deliver on their promises to offer a turnkey package to their clients.

Addressing this challenge with its 60+ years of construction expertise and an exceptional team of highly competent professionals hailing from various backgrounds in the development arena is Illinois-based William A. Randolph. "Modular construction has a very steep learning curve and we help our clients bypass it with our solid team that facilitates a very efficient and timely execution of critical construction processes," says Eric P. Handley, chief operating officer at William A. Randolph.

Further discussing his company's core competencies, Handley mentions the significance of its ability to form a pre-construction team with unmatched modular construction experience and their impact on the success of a development project. The company's pre-construction team gathers all the necessary information on the project and enhances pre-construction efforts through regular coordination meetings with all project stakeholders. "We have also developed forms and templates that ensure all team members follow a checklist and do not miss anything with respect to the integration of field-built and modular components," adds Handley.

In fact, these checklists also assist procurement vendors in assessing their needs compared to the modular contractor's needs. Alternatively, to ensure that the government-related and permitting processes are related to a construction project, William A. Randolph equips its pre-construction team with presentations and game plans for city plan reviewers and municipalities. As a result, the company eliminates undesirable surprises or problems with respect to inspection and occupancy further downstream.

With such capabilities, William A. Randolph has ignited several success stories since its inception. In one instance, the company assisted Concord Hospitality in constructing their AC Marriott Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. During this project, the company partnered with the client a year before breaking ground to develop the effective design and integration strategies for field-built and pre-fabricated elements. And as the construction was in a tight urban area that was surrounded by streets and buildings, the company had to build a relationship with the city's governing body and educate the inspectors to ensure a smooth permit review and inspection process. Ultimately, with William A. Randolph's team, the client was able to complete the project under budget and a month ahead of their original schedule. Additionally, the company utilized its success in this project to help Marriott gain further understanding of how to undertake their upcoming modular initiatives.

Similar to its success with AC Marriott, William A. Randolph has helped a multitude of other hospitality organizations green light their large scale modular projects. This long track record of proven excellence has helped the company build relationships with several architects, subcontractors, and suppliers. "Our existing relationships and combined experience allows us to work in synergy with our clients from the get-go, which enables us to hit the ground running," explains Handley. The company's relationships also drive cost and time-efficiency and enhance the collaboration among construction professionals as they already have established bonds and shared success.

Presently, the William A. Randolph is diversifying its business towards building assisted living, multi-family residential, and student housing units while its primary clientele in the hospitality space resumes their growth trajectory post-pandemic. Moving forward, Handley intends to expand the company's geographical footprint beyond its Chicago, New York, and Atlanta offices. "We are aiming to become the premier turn-key modular contractor not just for hospitality, assisted living and multi-family residential arenas over the next 5-10 years," concludes Handley.