Teichroeb & Sons

Building a better Belize

You’d better Belize it, baby!

By THOMAS LARK

Associate Editor

LADYVILLE, BELIZE––Peter Teichroeb is a man on the go.

As managing director of Teichroeb & Sons, Ltd., Belize’s premier construction company, he wears many hats. And he isn’t one to hang around the office. Peter, 47 and a native of the Blue Creek Community in Northern Belize, told us more when Business View caught up with him recently. And when catch him we did, he was actually out in the field, hard at work on yet another project.

As you might expect, and as the name suggests, Teichroeb & Sons is truly a family affair. Pater familias Jacob Teichroeb was the founder and chief executive officer. It originated in 1976, when Jacob established a road-construction company to build sugar roads for the Belizean sugar industries. In 1997, the company became known as Teichroeb & Sons. One of the biggest construction companies nationwide, it’s also a well-known donor/sponsor of different organizations, from sports to public safety and the environment.

Peter is joined by his brothers, Josh (plant manager) and Cornie Teichroeb (quarry manager). Youngest brother Dennis is a heavy equipment operator, while David and Frank Blatz are the company’s lead foremen.

Peter and Elizabeth Teichroeb have three daughters, Meisha, Britny and Leann, and two sons, Bradon and Triston.

“Bradon works with the company,” his proud dad revealed. “He operates heavy equipment and also holds a degree in civil engineering. Britny also works for the company as the accountant.”

Peter attended Blue Creek High School. He has a degree in project management and many certifications in risk-assessment and contract-management.

What inspired him to get into the construction business? It was all about following in his hardworking, dedicated dad’s footsteps.

“My father was in the business,” he said. “I’ve been working for him since I was 17.”

What’s a typical workday like for Peter? There’s no such thing.

“Mondays,” he said, “we have our weekly meeting to get everyone on track for the week. Tuesdays through Thursdays, I’m out in the field with the different crews, supervising earthworks, drainage, concrete works and pavement. Fridays mean office work and payroll. No two days are alike. Every day is different.”

Busy as ever, Peter suddenly had to field a business-related call on his cell ’phone. A moment later, he enthusiastically continued:

“I just went back to the office to finish, and then I’ll be back out in the field again. I drive equipment. I do surveying. I do everything!

“We’ve been in this company for almost 26 years now,” he continued. “We’re family-owned. And we’re the only family in Belize with that name, so people will know. We have to deliver a perfect job every time!”

About that surname: Peter confirmed that “Teichroeb” is German. And his family actually has Canadian connections. His grandparents moved from the Great White North to Mexico, and then the family moved to Belize. Sandwiched between Mexico and Guatemala and boasting a beautiful Caribbean coast, Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, gained its independence in 1981, and it is today a part of the British Commonwealth. It is the only English-speaking country in Central America. English is the official language, and Spanish is also widely spoken. And thanks primarily to Mennonite immigration, more than five percent of Belize’s inhabitants (now 450,000 people, in a nation twice the size of Connecticut) speak German. Unglaublich und erstaunlich!

Belize is a beautiful country, but the weather can be inclement at times.  In the construction business, as with farming, climate change is a major challenge, as Peter will definitely tell you.

“The weather is a major factor with significant implications in construction,” he observed. “You only have a certain amount of time in the year when you can work. But everything else is pretty good.”

When not working, Peter enjoys his hobbies. Among them are fishing and ranching. His ranch is comprised of a whopping 870 acres, and it’s home to some 450 head of beef cattle, including new Brangus and Braford breeds introduced for the first time to Belize, utilizing embryos imported from Argentina. To visit the ranch on horseback, it takes about two hours to traverse from one end to the other.

Still, he added with a chuckle that “It’s not that big!”

More about Teichroeb & Sons

The Teichroeb company performs mainly civil works, such as highway and bridge construction, usually financed by international financial institutions, such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the United Nations, the Caribbean Development Bank and the European Union. Teichroeb & Sons also does land development for large housing projects.

What advice would Peter offer others looking to get into this noble trade?

“It’s not a get-rich-quick business,” he observed. “You have to put a lot of effort into it. Financing and investing are some major considerations. There are lots of headaches and challenges. And if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can have major losses in no time.”

He is grateful for his brothers’ indispensable roles in the company’s success.

“I would also like to say,” he said, “that were it not for my brothers in the company, we would not be where we are today.”

And where they are today is at the top of the heap. Teichroeb & Sons is known as the best construction company in all of Belize. As one of the largest, diversified, heavy civil contractors and construction materials producers in Belize, the company strives to provide its customers with the highest standards of quality, value and service on every project. Working closely with clients, its people combine creative planning, design and construction services to develop the most appropriate infrastructure solutions and exceed customer expectations every time.

Teichroeb & Sons has built a wide array of complex, heavy, civil and transportation projects. This includes hotels, commercial and industrial buildings, parking structures, major highways, water/wastewater systems, marine facilities and so much more. While these projects vary in scope, the Teichroebs’ hands-on approach to construction remains the cornerstone of their success. They’re known for carefully managing every aspect of each construction project, collaborating to provide innovative solutions––and doing it all on time and within budget.

“For us, delivering less than the very best is never an option,” Peter observed. “We have delivered roads-and-bridges projects for clients nationwide, including local councils, regional authorities, national government, transport organisations and private developers.”

The company ensures faster and safer execution by managing every aspect of the clients’ project, from planning through completion. Its dedicated professionals bring their financial strength, industry relationships and reputation to every project.

With a vast array of some $10 million in modern heavy-equipment assets, Teichroeb & Sons is capable of self-performing the majority of work on all of its projects. This noteworthy company––local yet world-class––is large enough to offer the range of services needed, but it is still small enough to deliver projects with personal attention to clients’ quality standards, schedules and budgets. The company’s teams take pride in guiding a project from conception to successful completion, as Peter noted.

“We partner with clients from the very beginning to listen to their needs and develop a clear and shared vision for a project,” he said. “Then we collaborate with talented architects, engineers and subcontractors to bring that vision to life. This interactive approach ensures quality workmanship and attention to detail every step of the way and a finished structure you can be proud of.”

Peter added that the company has some 100 salaried professionals in Belize and a labour force of about 200 hourly tradesmen.

“We understand the local market like no other construction company,” he said.

Forty-seven years of experience

“Since our origins in 1976, we’ve brought proven experience with meeting client needs and achieving project goals,” said Peter. “We stand by our integrated and well-tested system of processes and services. And above all, we deliver certainty for all aspects of a construction project. As a family-owned company, we recognize these values as just a few of the commonalities that emerge with our country, municipal and local communities. Maybe that’s why we’re so well-suited to be one of the top building partners of choice for our government, commercial and development agencies clients.”

Peter emphasised the company’s versatility and rapid response.

“Our teams can mobilize quickly to difficult and far-spread locations, utilising and operating our in-house range of plant and equipment to create better value and increased efficiencies for clients,” he said. “We have the expertise and resources to support and deliver customised transport solutions, from farm roads to arterial roads, access improvements, drainage, bypasses and associated infrastructure.

“And our experienced engineers and planners know what it takes to deliver a programme of works to satisfy a client’s requirements,” he added. “We also understand the necessity of providing solutions that address not only today’s but also tomorrow’s infrastructure requirements. We deliver roads and other construction projects for clients countrywide, including councils, regional authorities, national government and private developers.”

AT A GLANCE

Teichroeb & Sons

Where: Ladyville, Belize

Website: www.teichroebandsons.com