Business View Caribbean June 2023

23 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 10, ISSUE 6 CIC CONSTRUCT ION “Looking at the chronological timeline,” Torrens begins, “Our first projects were in the pharmaceutical industry. Our inaugural clients included the likes of Warner-Lambert, Baxter, and Lilly, all of whom remain CIC clients after 40 years.” This enduring loyalty is a testament to CIC’s focus on building long-lasting relationships with its clients, a cornerstone of its business model. The pharmaceutical industry was a solid foundation for CIC, but it was only the first chapter of a multifaceted growth story. Torrens recounts, “We identified we had to diversify into other markets in the island, branching out to retail, commercial, and hotel sectors.” A pivotal milestone in this diversification process was the $57 million project, Club Melia vacation club at Coco Beach. “That put us on the map in the hotel sector,” Torrens states. Success breeds success, and CIC continued its momentum in the hospitality sector with the construction of Saint Regis at Bahia Beach, the first five-star hotel in Puerto Rico, followed by the six-star Ritz-Carlton Reserve at Dorado Beach. A foray into these projects was not just about expanding their portfolio but also about showcasing their ability to deliver premium quality in every sector they entered. Simultaneously, the firm was also making strides in the industrial and biopharmaceutical sectors. The Amgen/Lilly project award around 2004 marked a significant moment in CIC’s journey. As Hermida states, “At that time, the biopharmaceutical industry was growing worldwide. Puerto Rico became one of the main hubs for the biopharmaceutical industry. Projects such as Amgen and Eli Lilly were being built here on the island, and CIC participated in all of them.” This diversification and rapid growth brought about an expansion in their workforce as well. Torrens explains, “In those years, we reached nearly 1500 employees.” This increase was gradual, demonstrating a calculated and deliberate strategy of growth that mirrored their project expansion. Speaking to the current era of CIC’s work, Torrens elucidates, “We are engaged in numerous