About Us

Someone considering hiring a consultant should want to know about the consultant’s knowledge, skills and abilities and perhaps how they were attained. Consider a consultant’s passion for his or her work and assess results they produced.  Below is a brief chronology of how R B Lewis & Associates came to be.

The early years, quite humbling. I never thought in the late 60’s as a kid that building ‘forts’ in the woods near my house was a sign of things to come. Fast forward:

2004 through 2010. Producing the right results.  Building a deeper understanding of problems and solutions through real world experience.

In 2004, with my newly minted business training and several years of executive level experience under my belt, I earned an opportunity to create a construction company from scratch – for a development firm. Growing and running a construction company with organization and controls and systems built as I knew they could be. Great results .

$10’s of millions in successful projects completed and lots of successful relationships with subs, supplier’s architects and engineers. Fun. After six years I felt more than ready to return to my passion: helping others better run their companies.

Back to the 80’s and 90’s and early 00’s, the start of my real world experience.

My first career turn out of college came with the good furniture of landing a position with a soon to be emerging top-400 home builder.

• Quantity take-offs – getting the counts of materials and labor right.
• Inspecting/counting materials being delivered, one of many practices – “inspect your expects” – the company adopted from Lee Evans and a really fine one for training personnel new to the business.
• Obtaining bids from vendors – staring to build lasting relationships.  Initiated ‘Partners in Progress’ Vendor Relations program.
• Worked on team that created one of the early successful home-grown computerized purchase order system used in production home building.
• Working with the Architects during the design development and working drawing phases – this is where I first introduced a working drawing check list – unknowingly my first attempt at a formal quality assurance process. The need for improvement arose from the frustration the subs experiences as a result of working drawings that were of poor quality – hardly build-able.
• Earned promotion to director of design/production department –  increasing my managerial and leadership responsibilities and growing with a company that expanded from nine employees in ’83 to 93 employees in ’88 – quite a ride.

On to the early 90’s

After several years in middle and upper management with a top-400 home builder, I began a consulting business and started teaching construction management coursework at a community college. I was driven by wanting to help others better run their companies and felt this was my life’s calling. However, while I thrived in front of the classroom I found my work with the consulting firm to be humbling. My education and career work to date left me not-yet prepared to do the consulting work I really found meaningful. It was time to head back to the classroom as a student.

Mid 90’s to early 00’s – more education, executive level experience, a visit outside the industry.

In 1996, having recently been accepted in the evening MBA program at the University@Albany, I left full time teaching and became a partner in a custom home building operation. Challenges aplenty. Company was losing money – it took a while and profitability did not come from any one initiative, it was the right combination of many:

• No formal scheduling – started using MS Project, implemented a system, won a Pacesetter Award for Management.
• Estimating was badly flawed – worked to develop a comprehensive Excel workbook that forced the estimating to count things as a competent subcontractor would.
• Specs and scopes were vague – ambiguity replaced with clarity.
• No Purchase Order (PO) system – implemented one along with adopting NAHB General Ledger and Subsidiary Ledger Chart of Accounts – PO’s had to be annually produced at first. Fierce determination compelled me to not let any cost be incurred without first properly completing a PO.
• Change Orders for free – they became a high margin profit center.

Results: Growth over 5 years from < $1mil to > then $6 mil and went from red to black

In 2000, after more than 17 years in the industry, and on my way to earning an MBA, I steered away from the construction industry. A stint on the management team at a distribution center for a large company reminded me that my heart belongs with smaller firms. I did however take away some cool stuff from that experience, including the notion of ‘Round Table Thank-you’s’.

Spent a period working a real-estate investment firm. Got to see a small business owner display many fine attributes that are invaluable.

• Utilized Project Management methodologies to assess project and develop and execute project plan for substantially improving the firm’s database. Controlled project utilizing MS Project scheduling software.
• Sorted through complex real estate investment structures and developed data conversion strategy.
• Developed Excel spreadsheet model, determining tax implications for converting earnings reporting methodology.
• Designed, implemented data conversion tests and wrote comprehensive user manual complete with solutions for streamlining work flows.
• Completed comprehensive overhaul of cash flow reporting, simplifying the process.

Result: One-year project substantially complete. Data scrubbing and conversion process uncovered amortization errors yielding more than $50k in savings.

’04 to today see above.

R B Lewis & Associate is the business consulting firm for today’s construction industry, our passion for what we do allows us to use every tool at our disposal to anchor excellence in the foundation of your business.

If you want to use Ron’s expertise, passion, knowledge and experience as a bridge to your improvements, please call Ron.

I’ve spent many years learning to excel at recognizing business problems and their root causes, problems you may be facing. I’ve dealt with them, solved them. If you would like to know how I could help you solve one or more of your problems, lets talk. All it costs you is 15 minutes to make a call.    The initial conversation is free.

My bio in a conventional format:

R B Lewis & Associates – Owner 2010 -
Anchoring Excellence in the Foundation of Your Business

A P Construction, LLC - President 2004 – 2010
Project Manager, promoted to Vice President 2005, promoted to President 2008

Bryant & Stratton College – Instructor 2003
Business and Mathematics Courses

Silent Partner Group, Saratoga Springs, NY – Commercial Real Estate Investment Firm 2002-2003
Special Projects Manager – 12-month contract

The Target Corporation, Wilton, NY – Distribution Center 2001-2002
Group Leader – Inbound

Witt Construction, Inc., Saratoga, NY – Custom Home Building / Renovation Company 1996-2000
Co-Owner and Executive Vice President – Operations

Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY 1991-1996
Faculty

R B Lewis & Associates, Albany, NY – Construction Mgmt & Business Consulting firm 1990-1995

Owner

The Michaels Group, Latham, NY – Top 400 Home Building Company 1983-1990
Director – Design/Purchasing Department

MBA/Management - High Honors, Beta Gamma Sigma

B. Tech., Civil Eng. Technology

A.A.S. Construction Technology

.

Industry Activity

• NAHB Associate Member
• Member: North Warren Chamber of Commerce
• Board Member: Chester-Horicon Youth Commission
• Past Committee Member: Saratoga YMCA Property Committee
• Marketing and MS Project software presentations to MBA Students at the University at Albany.
• Co-wrote and co-presented a two-hour course: Using Microsoft Tools to Increase Productivity and Profitability, Custom Home Building Symposium, San Diego, CA, 1998.
• Speaker – NAHB National Conventions.
• Past Advisory Board Member: HVCC Civil Engineering & Construction Technology Programs, NYSERDA, U@A Evening MBA program.
• Successful Fundraiser for a worthy cause – Center for Economic Growth. $30k+
• Co-founder Patrick E. Donovan Memorial Scholarship Fund at R.I.T. Scholarship endowment grew principle to more than $100k during my tenure.

R B Lewis & Associates
Anchoring Excellence the Foundation of Your Business

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