Meet Carlos Valenti of ATF Builders in Miami Lakes

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

Carlos, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I must first state that it was not by accident and did not happen overnight. But rather, a steady and tenacious journey spanning over twelve formative years that began when I was just fifteen years old. Today, I have come to possess a multifaceted collection of entrepreneurial perspectives and an arsenal of knowledge and expertise that indisputably stemmed from the small businesses that I’ve operated in the past. These fostering experiences whether arduous or elementary have ultimately led to the preparedness and infrastructure that has enabled me to develop a construction company from the ground-up and position it as competitor in the industry.

Out of necessity, I embarked on many entrepreneurial endeavors. Many of them small operations that I self-performed and at times performed with the help of friends and classmates when the workload and client demand was too great for me to handle alone.

At fifteen, I owned and operated a carwash detailing company that serviced a private clientele with high end luxury vehicles throughout prominent neighborhoods of Miami.

At sixteen, I invested my earnings from the detailing business and began buying used wheels and rims off the street from anyone and everyone willing to sell at a reasonable price. I repaired and restored these wheels and rims to a like-new condition and sold them for profit to a local used-car dealership where they in turn marked up the price of their pre-owned inventory by promoting their vehicles to include flashy aftermarket wheels and rims. At twenty-one, while still pursuing my academic architectural career; I held various jobs working for design/build firms and real estate development companies. It was at this time, that I serendipitously started a small marketing business. I was able to use my architectural rendering, photography, graphic-design and layout skillset to offer unmatched marketing brochures for real estate brokers and developers; the very same people I was initially working for.

At twenty-three, I moved back to Miami from Boston and embarked on my professional architectural career. Over the course of those first two years, I had completed several architectural projects ranging from single and multi-family residential to commercial projects, all of which were disappointedly constructed by builders other than myself. It was here that my career began to transition from the architectural industry to that of Construction. I was asked by a commercial client to design and build a 4.7 acre development in Opa-Locka Florida. It was at that moment, that I realized that all of my past entrepreneurial and academic experiences awarded me the preparedness to encounter, identify and seize the auspicious opportunity being presented. I would finally be able to manage a project that was conceptualized and designed by me from inception to construction completion. I speedily procured my State Certified General Contractors License and incorporated ATF Builders, just in time for the project’s ground breaking. This established ATF Builders as a construction company and gave rise to where we are today.

I am known as a strong self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit who is never afraid to accept a challenge nor get my hands dirty. I wear multiple hats within the company and depending on the day of the week, I will either be an estimator, scheduler, project manager, superintendent, safety officer, even a foreman! All the while, still being directly responsible for new business development and contract negotiations, developing and executing the company’s operating infrastructure as well as supervising all operations of the business; including financial matters for both the organization as well as field work for each specific job.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
From my professional experience, I can attest that no business, specifically a newly formed business; is exempt nor immune from its own challenges, difficulties, obstacles, and defeats. In that same way, ATF Builders is no different. Our road to success has not been straight nor smooth, but rather unpaved, uneven and at times a winding path filled with abrupt learning curves ahead of the way. Upon completion of our first construction project, I was positive that our work would speak for itself and that clients would be calling in droves to have us build their next project. It of course did not occur that way. Instead, I was faced with the harsh reality that as a new and unproven company; I virtually had no resources nor credibility, specifically when weighed against established competitor companies with proven performance and completed project track records.

My experiences in business and in life, have taught me that reframing your thoughts is oftentimes the difference between success and failure.

What I previously perceived as a weakness and a limitation (being an unfamiliar and unproven new construction company) I now saw as an asset and a marketing advantage. I decided to position ourselves as an up-and-coming construction company, filled with expansion and growth potential. I began to establish relationships and obtain certifications with project awarding organizations, both in the public and private sectors. I secured the necessary small business certifications, pre-qualifications, licenses, permits, insurances and surety bonds necessary to participate in public project bidding procedures and project qualifications. I lined up small business loans to finance our working capital needs throughout our financially limited early stages. I setup our manufacturer, supplier, vendor and labor force accounts to assist us in financing materials, labor and equipment on our early projects. I devotedly worked to grow our subcontractor bid list by solidifying relationships with subcontractors and specialty trade companies to ensure that all of our jobs were always performed by highly skilled and qualified tradesmen. My ability to overcome the challenges and difficulties presented along the way became the defining character features that helped position the company as a differentiated competitor in the construction industry.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about ATF Builders – what should we know?
ATF Builders, Inc. is a Miami based Construction Company, specializing in public and private construction services. Our service areas include pre-construction planning, project management, new construction and demolitions. We extend these services for many types of public and private projects including; commercial, educational, municipal, retail, single and multi-family residential.

We take pride in our ability to build highly successful trade alliances and our capacity to assemble the best teams for our clients using a collaborative construction approach in where all of the services they need from concept to completion are delivered into one seamless process by our highly skilled and qualified personnel, subcontractors and suppliers; all of which share our guarantee to quality, craftsmanship and delivering on our customer commitments.

What sets us apart from other construction companies of our size and standing is our ability to take on jobs and manage them with a fraction of the overhead and financial resources than that of a competitor company. In this manner, we are able to procure many projects as the lowest bidder while still achieving revenue, profit and business growth.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Whether I’ve experienced momentary failure for the first time or the one hundredth time, the quality in me that has always been responsible for my continued success is; my stubborn persistency to never quit and never be afraid to think big. I have always stated that “Out of necessity, ingenuity is born. When the preparedness of this ingenuity meets opportunity; success is born.”

Contact Info:

• Address: 6625 Miami Lakes Drive, Suite #427,
  Miami Lakes, FL 33014
• Website: www.atfbuilders.com
• Phone: 786.334.0988
• Email: info@atfbuilders.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atfbuilders/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ATFSFL/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/atfbuilders
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/atf-builders-miami-lakes
• Other: https://plus.google.com/+ATFBuildersIncMiamiLakes

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