Liset Romero
Nova Southeastern University H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship
Guenola Nonet
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Ital construction is a small company focused on construction of major buildings in the urban areas of Miami Dade County. The company has a very small full time but dedicated staff -- the majority of staff employed on projects varies between projects. Overall, the staff forms a diverse and rich cultural background with the majority being local residents of surrounding communities. Stanley Sarmiento, project manager of Ital Construction, took the time to talk to us about some of the measures and innovations Ital Construction is implementing to work towards sustainability. Before getting into the measures that Ital Construction takes to be more environmentally and economically sound, it is important to mention that Stanley has a motivating, personal reason to pursue these sustainable practices.
Stanley grew up in Cartagena, Colombia in Latin America. While growing up there, Stanley explained to us, drinking water was hard to come by in this coastal city. Moreover, the infrastructure of the city contributed to the pollution of Cartagena, from poor water and sewer facilities, to storm water runoff contaminating rivers and streams. Stanley left Colombia when he was 8 years old and his family immigrated to the United States looking for a better future for their family.
Stanley graduated from Miami Sunset Senior High, and decided that he was going to get into the construction business. He got his general contractor (GC) license and soon after met Danilo Cacace, owner of Ital Construction. Danilo, originally from Italy, came from a poor family in Napoli; he immigrated to the United States with dreams of opening his own business. Stanley and Danilo met at an innovations convention held in Fort Lauderdale. Thereafter Stanley became his Project manager and sole confidante on business practices for the business.
Ital Construction has had notable impacts in the Miami Beach community regarding renovation of city buildings. Amongst those is the City Hall building located on Washington Avenue and 11th street in Miami Beach. Stanley explains that when he first got to the building he noticed how things had deteriorated over the course of time. Additionally, the mechanical, electrical and structural components of the City Hall were antiquated and allowed wasteful use of electricity. The drywall used was high in toxins and could contribute to respiratory problems in the building. The light bulbs were all 100 watt incandescent bulbs. The building also had a series of leaks both in the restrooms and underground. This also led the building to have areas of mold and areas rotting away due to the constant exposure to the water.
The city of Miami Beach is known for the tourist that flock to South Florida each year looking to bask in the favorable weather, the diverse culture and an atmosphere of fun. The city prides itself on having art deco buildings and streets that promote an image for the city that helps generate more interest and generates more dollars. When Stanley began developing the cost estimate, he got together with the city engineers and advised them that the project was not going to be cheap. But, he said, it could help the city of Miami Beach take a bold step in becoming a greener city while at the same time maintaining its image in the Community and in the world as a hub for Art Deco and fun. The city engineers were not sure that they liked the idea and began to object to the proposal he was making.
Stanley’s proposal included replacing all light incandescent with LED (light–emitting diodes) light bulbs that lasted longer and emitted less heat. This would help the city cut costs on energy expenses as well as on replacing the hardware. Still on the electrical front, Stanley proposed that all the wiring of the building be done with cables that were of a thicker grade diminishing the possibility of fires to the building, as well as the circuit breaker box running certain lighting fixtures on timers to once again cut costs and pro-longing the operable life of the equipment.
Next, Stanley proposed on the mechanical front to use PVC pipe versus cooper. The PVC pipe lasted longer and was less toxic to the environment and to the folks in the building drinking the water. Moreover, the durability of the PVC pipe outperformed the copper piping, once again allowing for the life of this equipment to be prolonged. Again this would result in savings to the city on both replacement of equipment and on possible leaks. This would also impact the community because it would reduce underground leaks that can sometimes go undetected for months and even years. That type of problem can result in massive water losses that are not recoverable. For Stanley coming from a community where water is not always readily available he understands the need and even more so the value associated with water conservation.
The next recommendation Stanley made was to use aerator fixtures in the bathrooms to reduce the amount of water used by the faucets. He also recommended that the faucets have sensors that would only trigger the water usage if someone had their hands or an object in front of the sensors. Stanley stated that quite often he goes to museums or restaurants or just about anywhere that public bathroom can be used and he finds the faucet running and no one in sight. Again this is something near and dear to Stanley because he understands the lack of having the vital resource.
The next recommendation was to equip the City Hall with toilets that were high efficiency, dual flush. This allowed the Historic City Hall to once again use less water and pay less money on their water bills. Stanley recommended that the drywall to be used be of the least toxic material to prevent lawsuits and also to have a better quality of drywall.
The city officials were not pleased with the recommendations as they felt that they would pay top dollar for goods and services that were not necessarily at the top of their priority. Stanley asked that city engineers meet with him along with the vendors that Ital Construction would be using. Stanley also requested that the city manager and if possible city commissioners and the mayor attend the meeting as he thought they would be stakeholders in paying this bill. The engineers agreed and the city sent top aides for most of the commissioners and a chief of staff from the Mayor’s office. At the meeting Stanley showed presentation which summarized the recommendations. When necessary, he would go into detail to depict the cost estimate for the goods and services for each recommendation. The presentation also enumerated how those same costs would be double over the course of time, by having to furnish and replace. Inflation needed to be calculated for the future years.
Furthermore, Stanley had to show these stakeholders the environmental impact to the city and community implementing versus not implementing the recommendations. Seeing the fiscal impact, the city aides and Chief of Staff explained to Stanley that they would consult with the elected body. The top staff of the city agreed that the savings attained over the years would outweigh the cost of doing this project now at a higher cost. Stanley was proud to tell Danilo the news of what had just taken place. Ital Construction was awarded the contract, and the job was undertaken bearing in mind the lowest possible cost for the best possible goods and services. Stanley feels that there indeed can be a utopia for businesses and the environment and sustainability.
Moreover, he feels that it should be required, because as he puts it without the environmental capital, the human capital has nowhere to thrive and live. The mistaken notion that economic gains and environmental gains are two standalone theories needs to stop and we need to make more customers aware of what they can save both financially and morally by doing the right thing. Ital Construction is poised for doing more business in the region and is looking forward to implementing the best practices it has gained in one of their most symbolic projects.
Ital Construction falls more in line with Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. The type of work that this firm does is renovation and construction. They are a small outfit but can have a large impact on the community and the industry. With so many cities moving towards becoming green cities, it is not far-fetched to think that this small corporation can help shape the industry and the community. Ital has suggested these changes, but Mr. Stanley admits that at times it is counterproductive for the business because they lose the contracts. Certain clients don’t care about the environment -- they are more concerned with the bottom line number.
However, Ital is currently working on an outreach campaign and would like to partner with cities and local communities to bring awareness via outreach campaigns that can help facilitate a transition in thinking. Stanley states “the problem is getting folks to change their mindset and allowing for a different way to do business. But people don’t want change -- they like things to remain the same. However, change is innovation. It's what promotes the next best idea.”
Mr. Stanley explains that the firm works with subcontractors that are LEED Certified. These subcontractors focus on the design and construction phase of the operation and are helping to shape the way the design and construction are handled. The impact of what Ital Construction is doing shapes the industry, shapes the city and ultimately shapes and impacts the community. Ital Construction is a stakeholder as well as a contributor towards the landscape of this industry. Stanley states that this is the first step in the company’s approach towards sustainability-oriented construction. However, Ital Construction has entrenched itself in being the construction company of tomorrow, one step at a time. By working primarily with LEED companies Ital Construction is posturing itself towards radical innovations in the field.
The overall impact of the measures taken by Ital is that the industry itself can change its methodology of doing business. This is quite unconventional because companies seek to give their clients the most economical price which doesn't necessarily line up with conservation measures and sustainability initiatives. Yet, the potential of cities, towns and local communities that see the benefit of the green approach to the way buildings are constructed in their jurisdictions could promote a shift in the manner in which construction is done by both the clients and the builders.
At this juncture it is hard to gauge the net positive impact of their actions. However, an argument can be made that if the rest of the industry followed suit the compounding affect would be undeniably beneficial to communities, the state, nation and planet. In my opinion, the transition of moving from just focusing on sustainable value creation to full spectrum flourishing has not yet come to fruition with Ital Construction. However, that could change in the future. The innovation level of Ital Construction can definitely be scaled up by participating on committees and industry organizations nationwide to share the impact of their best practices in Miami Beach.
The business benefit is that Ital Construction can be the pioneer of a growing global movement. Being an expert in LEED certified buildings and helping with water conservation and energy efficiency is at the forefront of the direction the world is heading towards. Ital offers the client an opportunity to explore alternatives that may have a higher cost on the front end but will result in savings down the chronological road.
From a community standpoint, the City of Miami Beach benefits a great deal by having these buildings use fewer resources. The societal impact is one where they can set themselves up to be a model city for other cities to follow in the country. Furthermore, the bragging rights aren't necessarily the only motivating factor, but also the benefit of knowing that the water being used is not going to waste, the energy being consumed is the most efficient having a diminished impact on the production of said energy. Less extraction of water from our aquifer system is also an environmental benefit for our communities here in South Florida.
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Stanley Sarmiento, Project Manager
The company is at the forefront of sustainability-oriented construction, committed to architectural and interior design remodeling and to serving customers with quality and value.