Page 10 - Chester County Chamber - 2024 Guide & Membership Directory

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
CHAMBER
MEMBERS
SHOWCASE A VIBRANT,
DIVERSE ECONOMY
The Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry’s more
than 500 members represent a cross-section of every growth
sector in the county, from construction to hospitality to
healthcare and business services.
Read on as we shine the spotlight on just a few Chamber
members in diverse industries that are growing and thriving
in our local communities.
GBUILD CONSTRUCTION
MANAGERS: Building (and
Growing) Sustainably
Gbuild Construction Managers started in
2009 at Doug Gianforte’s kitchen table.
Since then, the company has grown
considerably. It now has 14 employees, a
6,000-square-foot facility, and has been
recognized repeatedly in the Inc. 5000 and
Philly 100 Hall of Fame for its growth.
Gbuild originally grew out of Gianforte’s
frustration with the construction industry
for failing to adopt emerging green-
building techniques. “They were talking
about it, but they weren’t doing it,”
he said. So after 25 years working for
national and regional firms, Gianforte set
out on his own, founding a construction
management company committed to
sustainable building.
In practice, that means recycling a
significant amount of construction waste
from Gbuild’s sites. As Gianforte points out,
some 30-50% of waste in landfills comes
from demolition and construction. “We
divert as much as we can — about 80 to
85% of the waste” from each project, he
8 Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry
Penns Woods Winery
Erin Ingraffia Photography
said. Gbuild sends its waste to a company
that sorts through the materials and
determines which can be recycled.
“Another sustainable practice we
implement is to manage indoor air quality
during construction,” Gianforte said. “We
don’t perform design, so instead we help
with material selection and implement
controls on site, like keeping duct work
covered until it’s connected so it stays as
clean as possible.”
Gbuild’s clients are mainly in the life
sciences and higher education, as those
sectors tend to be sustainability-conscious
and value the longevity of a building over
lower initial cost. The company also prides
itself on its safety record. “We’ve won the
Delaware governor’s safety award for 12
consecutive years,” Gianforte said.
And Gbuild is still growing as well: a
few months ago, the company started
offering carpentry services, he said.
“Traditionally, we’ve subcontracted all our
work, but now, when clients need that
work done and need a rapid response, we
have that capability.”
Learn more at gbuildcm.com