DELRAY BEACH, FL — Kaufman Lynn Construction (KL), a commercial construction company in the southeastern United States, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. With just over 200 employees in Florida, North Carolina and Texas, the company is poised for growth under the leadership of Founder and CEO Michael Kaufman and President Frank White. Leading up to this milestone, KL recently opened a new 23,271-square-foot headquarters in Delray Beach.
Kaufman started the company in January of 1989 with a $12,000 loan from his family. He took on small jobs for homeowners and commercial properties while looking for opportunities to break into the commercial, ground-up side of the construction industry. Joe Lynn joined Kaufman later that year and was a partner in the firm until 2000, when Kaufman once again became its sole owner.
The completion of KL’s breakout project — the Boca Raton Museum of Art — led to other opportunities, including the Signature at Doral and Doral View, and enabled Kaufman to steadily build the scope and scale of the company’s work. During the ensuing three decades, Kaufman has grown his company from a team of three employees to four regional offices, building multimillion-dollar projects for universities, school districts, municipalities, developers and Fortune 100 companies throughout the Southeast.
“Looking back on these 30 years, I’ve found that success in the construction market requires the ability to adapt quickly to market conditions,” Kaufman said. “Being able to track and understand costs and having a clear understanding of the financial picture has allowed us to always stay profitable even in lean years.”
KL’s list of award-winning projects includes its top-to-bottom exterior renovation of Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, originally built in 1925. Past projects in multiple sectors have also received accolades, from Miami’s Paraiso at Fountain Square apartments and the Moorings Park at Grey Oaks retirement community in Naples to the FAU Fitness and Recreation Center and the Pompano Beach Pier Parking Garage. The company was also recognized for its work on behalf of both the School District of Palm Beach County and Miami Dade College.
Built on a business philosophy of diversification plus agility, the company stays active in a variety of public and private markets, balancing the ebb and flow of each individual market segment. KL’s team of professionals strives to make decisions based on a combination of intuition and market data.
“Our agility is key in responding quickly to market changes,” said White, who was appointed President in 2017 to lead the day-to-day operations, which allows Kaufman to focus his energy on his responsibilities as CEO. “We consistently leverage our ability to take advantage of pockets of opportunity in every sector.”
KL can also move quickly between market sectors by hiring and training a staff of professionals with a broad background and the flexibility to operate in different construction sectors. The company offers a culture of engagement that focuses on helping all associates to be successful with formalized career paths, performance alignment, mentoring and leadership training.
Philanthropy and community involvement have always been an important part of the company culture. Through its KL Cares initiatives, the company and its employees actively support community organizations with both time and financial resources.
“I’m humbled by our success and feel a responsibility to ensure all members of the community get similar opportunities to succeed,” Kaufman said. “We encourage our employees to become engaged in civic involvement because giving back to our communities is a fundamental part of the Kaufman Lynn family tradition.”
Coming into its 30th anniversary year, Kaufman Lynn has several large projects in progress, including the $150-million renovation and expansion of the headquarters campus of JM Family Enterprises, Inc., encompassing eight structures, including three office buildings, a two-story dining hall, a 20,000-square-foot sports complex, a 900-vehicle parking garage and a 55,000-square-foot conference and training center.