Unlike some executives, Gavin Guinan, Chief Operating Officer of Flower Construction, doesn’t mind getting his shoes dirty. Flower Construction is a small, full-service contractor based in South Florida and the New York Metro area, and Guinan is charged with overseeing operations in Florida.
With 40 years in the business, there isn’t much that Guinan hasn’t dealt with. “I was about 13 when I started in earnest, so over the years, I have seen it all,” says Guinan, whose office is in West Palm Beach.
I started in the early 80s in California through high school until 1992 when I moved to Colorado, and it was there that I transitioned from using my hands and body to using my brain as a superintendent.
Flower Construction is a team of skilled artisans, engineers, and technical experts that bring craftsmanship and innovation to the complex process of construction. It is well-known for its new structures, additions and renovations, historic restorations, and LEED projects. “We pride ourselves in successful collaborations with top architects and designers to deliver elegant and finely crafted homes of enduring value,” he says.
The company—established 25 years ago by John Flower, who still leads the business and the New York office- is acclaimed for its collaborative relationships with clients, innovations, and buildings that are beautiful and built to last.
“At the core of my approach is a belief that construction is not just about erecting structures, but also crafting legacies,” says Guinan, who is easygoing, articulate, and a great communicator. “We specialize in turning visions into meticulously crafted realities as well as the marriage of natural materials such as stone and wood,” he says.
Guinan’s talents are uniquely suited to construction, as evidenced by his enthusiasm for the business and its many facets. He also thoroughly enjoys mentoring those who will follow. “Given my diverse background as tradesman/supervisor/COO, I try to spend as much time in the field as possible as my mentorship and instincts are best suited to supporting the field operations. I spend the balance of my time developing business relationships and networking,” he says.
Aside from his leadership and mentoring abilities, Guinan loves the logistical challenges of construction projects. “I have the fortunate ability to realize how a project needs to be broken down into maybe millions, definitely hundreds of thousands of tiny individual decisions. I can see how they are all interrelated and comprise the entire project.
“This requires a high level of coordination between not only the subcontractors and suppliers but also the design team, owners, architects, and various consultants that bring their specific disciplines and expertise to the project at large. Then the key is to clearly distill and disseminate all of that back down to the individual tasks that collectively become the project in its entirety,” he says.
From the drawing board to putting out the welcome mat, there are a few construction phases that Guinan particularly cherishes. “A couple of milestones that I really enjoy are: as the structure emerges from the ground, and the wallboard is installed, defining the once open spaces of a cavernous structure and the completion when you see how the marriage of natural materials come together, and the ‘jewelry’ of the home is in place.”
At the core of Guinan’s success is his belief in the power of relationships. The Florida office employs more than 30 people and has what Guinan calls “a family-like environment.” He is likewise understandably proud of the leaders he has helped to develop within Flower Construction.
“My two older sons work for us here at Flower Construction, and both have had exposure over their lives because of my career in this industry. It came very naturally for them to choose this as their career,” he says.
As a hard worker and an optimist, it is no surprise that Guinan is ambitious about leaving a legacy at Flower Construction. “I want to maintain an evergreen company that perpetuates well beyond my career and is known for building multigenerational projects to the highest standards, as well as a company that is respected for its integrity and provides opportunities for growth and stability to its employees.”
