FINALIST – Real Estate and Construction
Michael I. Kaufman
founder, president and CEO
Kaufman Lynn Construction
Michael I. Kaufman found himself out of work with a wife and four children to take care of. Instead of giving up, Kaufman decided to dust off his tools and take on odd jobs for homeowners. As he continued to look for better opportunities, he was soon given an offer to be a subcontractor.
Since capital remained an obstacle, Kaufman turned to his mother-in-law for a loan. Along with two additional workers, that loan resulted in the founding of Kaufman Lynn Construction, a full-service commercial construction company.
Through hard work and skillful management of cash flows, he was able to leverage that first commercial project into other opportunities, steadily building the scope and scale of projects.
Now, Kaufmann Lynn has turned into a highly trusted construction company in South Florida, providing services for a wide variety of public and private sectors throughout Florida.
As founder, president and CEO, it was Kaufman’s ability to step back, acknowledge the challenge he was facing and align his priorities and passion to existing opportunities that made the company what it is today.
In the early years, however, Kaufman Lynn was just a small player in the big game of construction, battling it out with well-established firms.
Countless times the company found itself in the bottom of the bidding ranks or coming up short at No. 2. Kaufman had his graphic designer and carpenter prepare a big poster with the No. 2 crossed out, challenging his employees to strive to be No. 1.
While No. 1 bidding spots still took time and effort before they started pouring in, that inspiring gesture and his constant strong belief in his team was a testament to Kaufman’s ability to lead his company in overcoming the odds.
HOW TO REACH: Kaufman Lynn Construction, www.kaufmanlynn.com
