Five Questions

>>When it takes several months to get a pool cage fixed or roof repaired, it's probably a safe bet there is a buck to be made in filling the void. In fact, the building industry in our region is flush with opportunity and Michael Reitmann is happy to spread the word.

As executive vice president of the Lee Building Industry Association, Reitmann advocates more education to beef up the construction workforce in everything from trades to homebuilding to specialized services.

But it's not enough to hang out a shingle and wait for the phone to ring. As with any business, success in building requires know-how, careful planning and acumen; otherwise, the venture is likely to flop, says Reitmann, who has been in the industry for 31 years.

For those who are interested in construction, even if they're in an unrelated career now, the 1,200-member association can help by guiding people through the various training, certification and degree programs available.

1. What sort of action exists for builders?

There are numerous opportunities. I always felt the building industry is truly for entrepreneurs. They're chance takers. People in this business are kind of the last cowboys.

2. What are some of the hot fields?

Right now, I think the key trades are remodeling or tearing down structures and utilizing the piece of property to its best economic advantage by rebuilding. Another is historical preservation. When I look at opportunities in downtown Fort Myers, they're phenomenal.

As we're becoming more energy conscious, you're going to see more green building, using practices and products that are self-sustaining and conscious of energy efficiency.

3. What does it take to be successful?

You have to have a business plan. You've got to have a short- and long-term plan. You've got to understand what your costs are. Analyze all economic components and use all technology available.

Through the [BIA], we provide resources to help people start up a new business, staff it properly and make sure all the controls are in place, such as finances. It gets very competitive because of the large, national companies that have come in.

4. What are some of the challenges that start-up companies face?

The government regulation and restrictions have become so numerous. The cost of construction materials is escalating on almost a monthly basis. The labor shortage is very serious. That's actually occurred over the past generation as parents have been instilling in children that everyone should go to college, and that there's almost a stigma attached to working with your hands. We see that in our apprenticeship training programs, as many individuals who enroll in those programs are in their 30s. They have not been successful in other areas [in which they've received college education]. We've got to change that whole attitude. A plumber, electrician or superintendent can earn salaries that exceed professions such as teachers, accountants and attorneys.

5. How has the local industry changed since your earlier years here?

When I first came to Lee in 1986, the makeup was totally different. [The association] had 600 members, mostly family-owned businesses, very small enterprises, with probably about two or three national builders. The [small businesses] were not very sophisticated from a business perspective. It was a very simple approach to business: You built a home, a buyer came in, and you sold it to him. They really didn't analyze what the market was or what the consumer wanted, they just decided what they wanted and built it.

Right now we've got 1,200 members with almost all of the national builders here. Those entrepreneurs that survived learned to be very flexible; otherwise, they would have been out of business.

-Interview by Phil Borchmann