Construction company embraces its new normal

Even back in the boom, when Sarasota-based Southern Cross Contracting had construction work all over town, the firm's niche was projects outside the norm.

That approach, what Southern Cross President Steve Johnson calls the ability to do anything from renovating a school to hanging a door, is how the company is back on a growth track. Revenues were up 24% last year, from $6.1 million in 2010 to $7.6 million. While overall sales are half of what the company had in the boom, and the employee count has dropped from 22 to 11, Johnson projects similar annual sales growth in 2012.

Moreover, the growth mirrors a trend in the regional construction industry: With new projects in sectors like hospitality and retail spotty, if even alive at all, building owners have shifted to renovations. That's what Johnson, who has been in local construction for 20 years, sees these days. “The most difficult part,” Johnson tells Coffee Talk, “is owners are very wary of what they spend.”