June 2018c

50 51 ITG Export & Design serves the construction industry throughout the Caribbean. As project specialists, we leverage our direct factory relationships and buying power to provide our clients with the best pricing. We know what it takes to deliver your project on time and on budget. We have been a single source of supply for both residential and commercial projects for over 70 years. Also offered, customized procurement trips for product selection in Miami for any size project. ITG Export & Design serves the construction industry and local materials suppliers throughout the Caribbean region. As medium to large project specialists, we leverage our direct, factory relationships and buying power to negotiate on behalf of every client. We have been serving our Caribbean clientele for 71 years and three generations. We specialize in finishes for residential and commercial projects including windows, doors, hardware, plumbing, lighting, appliances, surfaces and more. Transform your project www.itgexportinc.com 305.233.1928 12071 SW 131 Avenue, Miami, FL 33186 Transform your project www.itgexportinc.com 305.233.1928 12071 SW 131 Avenue, Miami, FL 33186 l Plumbing (rough and finish) l Lighting and electrical l Interior and Exterior Doors and hardware l Surfaces (natural stone, tile, wood, LVT) l Appliances (with warranty) l Consumables and commodities and client focused individuals.They take the nec- essary time at each stage of the project to ensure our clients understand and stay informed along the way.That’s what has helped grow our reputation.We have a large repeat clientele base in all our divi- sions–commercial, industrial, high-end residential. We’re in a relatively small market regionally, so it’s important that every client feels they want to do their next project with us when we’re done.” Safety and training is very important to Phoe- nix. In fact, Phoenix was involved with helping the government draft safety laws for the country. Everyone on the team has the required hours of safety training, as well as other in-house educa- tion on topics related to their specific areas of the company. Phoenix maintains all necessary con- tract works, public liability and workman’s comp insurances for its projects and staff. On the tech front, Howe notes, “Getting into the computer age in construction is one of the reasons we started our IT Company 15 years ago.This year we’re implementing new project management soft- ware,which is taking our projects on-line into the cloud. There’s also a client module, so they can be updated with daily progress reports on their projects. We’re also implementing new estimat- ing software this year and refreshing our market- ing initiatives with a new website.” Phoenix is a staunch advocate of sustainable construction techniques and material selec- tions. Working on distribution and larger com- mercial buildings, it’s necessary to the bottom line to implement the most efficient systems for keeping energy costs down. Solar projects, PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION geo-thermal, mechanical and electrical sys- tems, fixture and appliance selections, all are im- portant. The majority of commercial buildings are sustainable in nature; steel construction, recycla- ble materials, every building gets better. Howe ex- plains, “It is key that the client understands that a little extra money spent over the first few years of their projects pays a big dividend in short order with our high energy costs in the Caribbean. The western side of the Caribbean saw changes to our building codes after Hurricane Ivan. In the last year we moved to the International Building Code (IBC), but for the last two decades we already had a high standard for specifications. The eastern Caribbean being hit by Irma and Maria, the majority of those small nation countries are as- sessing their building codes and going through a similar exercise as we did but, right now, many are still in recovery mode, so regulation changes will follow that.”