Meet Carlos Alvarez of CAB Constructions in Hialeah

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Alvarez.

Carlos, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started in my hometown Maracaibo, Venezuela, where I come from. I got my Civil Engineer degree in 2001 and four years later, in 2005, I established my own construction company. It was my childhood dream to have it and successfully run it, inspired by my father who also had his firm for over 40 years and taught me the key points of management.

In Venezuela, we had the opportunity of building more than 200 construction projects from 2005 to 2010, including the local government’s public community’s projects as sewers, roads, schools, among others. While the political situation in my country was increasingly affecting the normal development of the construction area which my business was part of, in terms of supplies shortage, labor mafias, and unfair new laws against business owners, I made the decision to start looking abroad to continue doing my operations, my passion, even though it meant to start again from zero. And that’s what I did.

In 2010, I decided to move to the United States and started a two year Master’s degree in Business Management in Miramar, FL. While doing my graduated program, I went through all the credential process to validate my engineer degree in Florida and studied the regulations to start a new business in the construction field, specifically becoming a general contractor. Back then, it looked far away to achieve all those requirements. However, it gave me confidence that most of the required work experience was already part of my resume.

Right after I received my Master’s degree, at the beginning of 2013, I started studying for my General Contractor license with the Florida Board. In the meantime, I opened what had been my main goal since I decided to move here, my construction company named CAB Constructions.

I pushed myself as hard as I could to obtain it fast, since I already had my wife with me and two babies, Diego with 16 months and Daniel with four months. So there was no time to waste. By June 2013, I had already completed all the exams and requirements and the board approved my license application. With my State wide General Contractor license and CAB Constructions fully operational, the road was ready for me and my plans.

We started as many of the small businesses in this field by doing home renovations. No matter the size of the project, we were willing to help and learn. After several completed projects, spreading the word by our satisfied clients took us to the next level, even beyond. One day we were renovating a house and the next day we were working in the biggest development project in Florida at that time the Brickell City Centre. We spent there four busy years starting with small projects that nobody wanted to do and finished doing the most complex engineering projects inside the units and in public areas as pools, stairs, decks, interior work, miscellaneous metal, among others. It was such an experience for the whole team to be part of it.

Since then, we have been involved in several important new construction projects in South Florida, including the Port of Miami, high rise hotels, and most recently, in the Seminole Hard Rock expansion project, where we have been working for almost three years, and counting. Being part of this project, one of the biggest in the country, has been the most enriching experience as a contractor, working side to side with the best planning managers and, and the same time, with the higher expectations for our outcome. The best part is that we have overcome them thanks to the outstanding team we have at CAB Constructions.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not smooth at all. This is a very competitive business with many companies willing to take you out of the road. Even worse for an immigrant for whom English is his second language.

On top of that, all my acquired skills and also many of my knowledge where applicable only in my country of origin, Venezuela, but when I came to the United States to resume my construction career here, I immediately realized that pretty much everything was different in terms of techniques, materials, procurement, designing, even measuring units. It took a few years to completely understand how construction is managed here, in order to get out there and being competitive.

We are proud of having to be part of two of the most important construction projects in the country in this decade: the Brickell City Centre and the Seminole Hard Rock Expansion Project. Both, with a successful outcome for our clients, the reason why nowadays we keep working for them.

We consider all our customers keep calling us because we care for their project as it was our own. In spite of the time and date our clients require our services, we are always there to properly address any inquiry. We are a company you can rely on any task, no matter how complicated it could be. Our team is always willing to help and figuring out the best solution, so we can proceed and complete.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The last five years have been really good for construction, significantly increasing the development projects in Florida. And the expectations are to continue growing over the next years.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3100 West 84th Street, Bay #6, Hialeah, FL 33018
• Website: www.cabconstructions.com
• Phone: (888) 291-8429
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @cabconst
• Facebook: @cabconst
• Twitter: @cabconst

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