RCC Associates General Contractors Celebrate 40th Anniversary

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today regarded as one of the nation's leading buildout contractors—with more than 1,500 national retail, restaurant and commercial projects under their belt—general contractor RCC Associates, Inc. is celebrating the start of its 40th year in business.

Surviving numerous economic downturns and the untimely death of its founder and president in 1998, the company has continued to grow, adding several new commercial construction divisions, winning national industry recognition for service and management, and branding the name RCC as a reliable and responsible partner known for delivering projects on time and on budget.

RCC owes its creation and strong foundation to the late Richard Raphael.  

The company was formed in Chicago in 1971. It initially targeted residential projects specializing in room additions, as well as kitchen and bathroom remodeling. In 1976, Mr. Raphael along with his wife, Beverly, moved the office into their home as a way to keep overhead down. As the company developed, RCC quickly outgrew the dining room and the Raphaels realized that they needed to add an addition onto their home to accommodate a staff, which had grown from two to seven people.  Over the course of the next two years the decision was made to enter the commercial construction market, eventually phasing out of the residential market.  

The company's first two commercial projects were a local hair salon and a Carvel Ice Cream store.  RCC the retail buildout contractor was born. With a new emphasis on targeting shopping centers, and following a severe recession in 1980s, RCC shifted its new business development to South Florida, eventually relocating to Broward County in 1981.

A significant obstacle and challenge to the survivability of the company arose in 1998 following the untimely death of Mr. Raphael. In learning the business and eventually taking over the company reigns as President and Chief Executive Officer the following year, Richard's widow, Beverly Raphael, had to overcome credibility issues as well as male biases as a woman in a male-dominated industry.

At the time of Mr. Raphael's death, the company had reached its highest volume of $21 million dollars in sales. Unfortunately, it also ran at a $200,000 dollar loss.  A deliberate effort was made to cut volume back to a comfortable $16 million, and from there, Ms. Raphael began to rebuild and reposition through restructuring management and implementing controls and systems that would ensure managed growth.

Under Ms. Raphael's leadership RCC today enjoys a well-earned reputation as one of the country's top restaurant and retail buildout specialists. The firm established a company record surpassing $105 million in sales in 2007. Among its many clients are The Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano's, Yard House, Cheddar's, Zuma, Uncle Julio's, PF Chang's, Bongo's Cuban Cafe at Seminole Hard Rock, Louis Vuitton, Victoria's Secret, H&M, Sun Life Stadium, BankUnited, Wells Fargo and the Fisher Island Beach Club.

While RCC continues to specialize in restaurants and retail, it has expanded into hotels, country clubs, sport facilities, spas, offices and banks. In 2010, RCC formed a new division RCC Country Clubs, Resorts and Wellness Centers to aggressively seek out and service new business in these sectors.  

For more information on RCC Associates, please call 954-429-3700 or go to www.rccassociates.com.

SOURCE RCC Associates