From Hurricanes to High-Rises: Anthony Pavek on Resilient Global Construction with Jehovah Builders

Speaker 0: Hi, everybody. Today, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Anthony with Yehovah Builders. They are in residential and commercial construction. They have a couple locations throughout Florida. They're working in a couple different states, and they also have locations overseas.

Speaker 0: They're a big company. They've got big ambitions with an IPO, hopefully quarter four twenty twenty five. But a lot of stuff going on. This is really great. Anthony was able to take a little bit of time off of a job to sit down and do a quick podcast with me.

Speaker 0: There's a lot to learn from Anthony. He's a go getter, very aggressive in his approach toward life and just finding solutions and solving things. So if you want to be motivated and hear just the attitude and the perspective of someone who has, you know, a a huge responsibility every single day, this is a podcast to listen to. So, typically, how I like to start, Anthony, is you're with you Hovah Builders, and you guys I've looked on your website. I've read up your on on what the services that you provide, the different team members.

Speaker 0: You have a very well outfitted team. Looks like you have a number of different locations, and you do services that your typical builder is not gonna do, just the the mass amount of services that that you provide from commercial to residential. So just give us an idea of who you are and what Jehovah Builders does.

Speaker 1: Sure. So we are, licensed general contractors in the state of Florida. We are in a few other states. We have about six or seven states that we're in, and we're moving our way through The United States. And we're also licensed in a few other countries, Bahamas, Colombia.

Speaker 1: We should be getting Argentina and Brazil all on this next round. So, yeah, we're company is kinda set up where we do a lot of design, and engineering and project management. Mhmm. Because, we're very unique in the sense that not only are we builders, but we're also whole force steel manufacturers. So that kinda allows us to do we're basically able to work with, local labor when we get in all these markets, which allows us to scale.

Speaker 1: Yeah. A lot of the what happens is because we are are in the manufacturing space as well, we're able to do a lot of, of of a prepackaging of our containers. So our doors, our windows, paint, screws, everything's in there. So there's not a lot of shopping. So we're basically you know, we are an international organization.

Speaker 1: We are taking containers. We're moving a lot of product around, and then we work with the local, like I said, labor in the area to be able to work on, really just cash contracts. You know, all the materials are there. We try to make it real simple. We're we're basically trying to construction is a very old industry.

Speaker 1: Yes. It's probably as old as prostitution, actually.

Speaker 0: Yeah.

Speaker 1: This is what they use to, you know, civilize the world, and it's it's it's archaic. You know? There's a lot of, a lot of paper processes. There's a lot of, just old systems, and it's a very chaotic, and we're trying to streamline that process. We're trying to do everything we can to make it as easy as possible, trying to do making it so we don't have change orders.

Speaker 1: We're trying to make it so everybody can be happy.

Speaker 0: Yeah.

Speaker 1: Guys, you know, homeowners can get the product that they want, the house that they want, the way that they want it. Yeah. And, guys can work on just showing up and doing the work, and they don't have to worry about being paid. So, we have our own app. You know, we will be doing an IPO, shortly.

Speaker 1: So, yeah, we have a lot of things that in the mix.

Speaker 0: Wow. So it sounds like, cold forged steel is a huge component to what you do and that you're a manufacturer of it. So you're not just buying it from somebody else. You guys are doing it you know, making it yourselves. Is that right?

Speaker 1: Yes. Yes.

Speaker 0: So just tell me a little bit more. Why is that so crucial? Because it's from what I've gathered, you're shipping these parts whether it's here in The States or overseas, and then you're getting the labor locally. And so being able to ship that cold forged steel there, makes a huge difference in your ability to do the project. Would that be an accurate understanding?

Speaker 1: Yes. And for a couple reasons. Like, I usually tell people what we can do is we can save them 10 to 15% on hard costs, plus we can speed up their construction schedule by 40 to 50%. The reason why we're using steel as our structural instead of, like, concrete or wood is I live in Florida. So Florida is a is a Yeah.

Speaker 1: Is a swamp. We have a lot of bugs. A lot of bugs eat termites, eat wood. You know, we deal with a lot of humidity, so wood warps. It's steel is very, you're getting, like, level five quality on your walls.

Speaker 1: Everything's straight, and you, you know, you're you're not paying for all that extra work because just the nature of the material is it doesn't warp everything straight. And and and because we have the manufacturing behind us, you know, all of our floor truss are made out of steel. Our roof truss are made out of steel. Our walls are built into panels. So it's kinda hybrid type of construction where where where you do a lot of the thinking before we get to the job site.

Speaker 1: So Yeah. When we get there, we start unloading containers. You know, we'll have a three story house, dried in in three days. You know, the whole structure will be dried in. So, yeah, we're we're we're we're completing, you know, 3,500 square foot houses in, like, eight, ten weeks.

Speaker 1: Done.

Speaker 0: That's incredible.

Speaker 1: It's it's it's more like I said, it's not that what we're doing is special because steel has been out here for a while. Yeah. It's more the process on which we do it, the way like, we're kinda just mastered systems of systems. So because we do all the thinking and have everything planned and, you know, there's no shopping, it allows for just rapid construction. So there's a that's kinda what we're after is.

Speaker 0: No shopping. You've used that term a couple of times.

Speaker 1: Yeah. So we pass so like I said, for since we have a a duplex that's going up in, Treasure Island right on the beach. Yeah. Very nice. Right now, yeah, right now, you you know, Florida is in a, a transition on the coast where FEMA is involved, and they want all these houses elevated so stormwater doesn't come.

Speaker 1: I mean, we are a builder who we lived on the beach. So in the first hurricane, we lost everything ourselves. Yeah. We were total for, like, three months. We were living on air mattresses and and, and camping chairs.

Speaker 1: But and then we aren't really even in the direct space or the as the the world too much, but just because of the natural disasters and, you know, we have access to large amounts of labor. You know, we moved a lot of guys into that space. So a lot of the the that we're building are being elevated. They're going up. You know, the 1st Floor starting 15 feet in the air.

Speaker 1: Mhmm. So, you know, some of these houses are combinations of red iron steel and, the cold forged steel, but this this itself, just like I said, it allows for us to go to get all of our houses, pack our first container with all of our structural, get it all ready, then the next containers that come with all of our finishes. So our our tonaire, our our, flooring materials, our all the finishes, the paint, the doors, the windows, we we put everything in there. So that way, when we get there, we're able just to, yeah. I mean, I say no shopping, but that's really a lot of times wasted sending guys to stores Yeah.

Speaker 1: To go buy materials, waiting for deliveries. So being being able to streamline that process really is something that, gives us, like, you know, an advantage. That's how that's how we can speed up construction schedules by forty or 50% because everything's everything's there.

Speaker 0: Yeah. They can just get started unpack and get started. So you have access to large amounts of labor. What is that something that sets you apart from other builders?

Speaker 1: I would say yes because, I mean, just current geopolitical, you know, advances right now, in in there and especially in Florida, you know, there's a high Latin culture here. There has been you know, this is the second wave of of, of the labor kinda drying up. About two years ago, we kinda experienced a little bit. There was a Really? Law that went into effect that it was a felony to hire, unlicensed workers.

Speaker 0: No way.

Speaker 1: Was, yeah, that was a a pretty serious, situation where guys were losing and, crews on jobs. You know, job sites were sitting empty. And then now with everything with with Boater and, you know, they're trying to make sure everyone which that's all fine, well, and good. You know, the reason why we have, access to to people than most is just because we have multiple locations because we are in, we are opening an office in Mexico, because we have one in Utah. We have access to to get people that have already gone through the process of getting green cards, and they have all their documentation.

Speaker 1: So, you know, all those guys care about is just, hey. Work. Hey. Yeah. We can buy you eight months.

Speaker 1: You come to Florida, we can get you eight months. You know? So it's Really? Kinda gives us a good help.

Speaker 0: Wow. Yeah. Yeah. So you you take the people from the other location because, like you said, they they need to work. That's what they came here for.

Speaker 1: That's it. Absolutely.

Speaker 0: That that's man. So the the the market is huge. I mean, there's so much you're you're into other states. Why bother going overseas?

Speaker 1: Man, to be honest with you, if I could figure out a way where I could see the world, and I wanted to figure out a way where I can travel. You know? The I I've been involved this, company will be my third IPO. You know, the first one I did, I went 25¢ to 7 months a share. It was great.

Speaker 1: My next one, I was building a tourism app, before COVID in Europe. And, my whole job was to go to a new city, find the vibe, put the club, the hotel, put it in the app, and go to the next one. I woulda did that job forever, and, then COVID happened and locked the whole thing down. So I was like, man, I I I back to Florida. I was like, man, what am I gonna do?

Speaker 1: I was like, I have the GC license, and then that just ended up being right place because, during the whole COVID fiasco, Florida was open for business, and we were shut down for ten minutes. And then we were back working, and the the market was just crazy here. So, you know, we we were blessed because of the state we were living in. I have set up a great governor. And, Yeah.

Speaker 1: Then, you know, I was just trying to figure out how I could again go back to to Wing and and find out how to travel for free. So that's you know, we kinda made an internal change with our company, kinda moved more from us self performing jobs to now, like I said, design engineering and, project management of jobs. And then now my company is, you know, just a lot of project managers where they can go to all these places. And being perfectly honest with you, it's so much easier to build in other countries. Yeah.

Speaker 1: You know, we've dealt with so much bullcrap, you know, from the the departments and inspectors and and thing. You know, I I have a, I have a quote online that says when the revolution starts, we're starting with the building department.

Speaker 0: Yes. Yes.

Speaker 1: To send that into them because they they make everything so difficult. They do. You know what I mean? So in some of these other countries, you know, if you have an engineer, there's no inspections. He's there watching it along.

Speaker 1: Everybody's on the same team. So really just just hold interaction with the government is not there, and it makes it very, very easy.

Speaker 0: Well, yeah, that makes sense. And then you can, just don't have those sort of setbacks that you have here. So Florida shut down for ten minutes, then we got going, which I love. Super glad. I'm here as well, Cocoa Beach area.

Speaker 0: Love Florida. Okay. Love our glimmer. Really, really glad to be here. But you you've got did did your builders start back around 2020, or it started prior?

Speaker 1: The company was established in 2018. Yeah. That's when we got everything going. I had previously before I, started my own company, I was vice president of another one. Yeah.

Speaker 1: For a couple years. But before that, I I believe it or not, the entertainment world doing music videos, TV shows, commercials, stuff like that. So I learned the skill of project management in a nonlinear way. Yeah. So, you know, when you have 300 guys, you have to be able to make quick decisions and move stuff around and, you know, time is money.

Speaker 1: So when I but my family have I've always been builders. My family are builders from, up in the Northeast. You know, I was a little kid, and my uncle was shooting a nail gun at me because I was walking, carrying, you know, a a a roof of roofing dials and stuff. You know what I mean? So, I get my work ethic from the Northeast.

Speaker 1: You know, we, and just all around construction, you know, a lot of residential, up there. You know, my my uncle is still there. He's been a contractor for forty years. But, yeah, I mean, that that's how when I came back into the country and I had the g g t license, that's really where we started making we really started operationalizing it. Yeah.

Speaker 1: Before it was it it it wasn't like a full time I wasn't going after construction contracts exclusively, but the demand was just so the the it was so crazy because, you know, everybody started coming to the state. You know? I started walking out to job sites and to go through walk throughs, and people had camera crews. You know? Oh, we're here from Iowa.

Speaker 1: We're here we're rich in the real estate. So it was just it was kinda crazy. And then, also, you know, because of the network I had, and and subs and the level of business that we were doing here in the Tampa market, You know, we there were hedge funds here that they were buying 400 houses a month Mhmm. And just doing residential flips. So it was just the wild, wild west.

Speaker 1: It was just a a a great Really? Yeah.

Speaker 0: Wow.

Speaker 1: Yep. So I I do a lot of, residential work before because, like I said, I was vice president of a commercial one. Yeah. So it was all that world. But, you know, like I said, now we're doing because of the manufacturing, we do do construction residential, obviously, commercial, and insurance.

Speaker 1: That's that's kinda where we land.

Speaker 0: That's good. That you mentioned you have transitions from doing correct me if I'm wrong. Okay? You you transitioned from doing the project yourself to project managing?

Speaker 1: Right. Because I was trying to figure out a way that we could scale the business. You know, if you're self performing, then you're limited on the man hour of how much, you know, work you can do. Yeah. And, I mean, you make more money, obviously, self performing stuff.

Speaker 1: But Yeah. I'm my goal, again, my goal was was to try to figure out a way that I could travel again and see the country again and see the world again. So I'm going in all these places. It's just not even possible feasible to to these other locations, you know, in these other countries. So, but it's still important.

Speaker 1: The project management is the thing that makes it go. So that's kinda where we we're like, alright. We'll we'll stick with the design of the projects that we have, and then we're still project managed, you know, handle all the contracting, the scheduling, all the stuff that goes along with that in in all these areas, and we'll just work off, you know, a different type of a construction model.

Speaker 0: So alright. Yeah. Just explain that a little bit more for myself because I wanna understand it clearly. And, really, for the listeners, the difference between doing that work yourself versus project managing, because your your typical when when you do construction company or a builder, you think of the guy with the crew, and they maybe he works in his truck where he's got a little office, and then they go and build homes. And, you know, the owner is the one who's building the home.

Speaker 0: So just help us understand the difference there between the two.

Speaker 1: Sure. So, you know, the reality is in Florida well, let me put it to you this way. Up up north, everybody self performs. So self performs means actually doing the work. You know, with my uncle, we would do everything.

Speaker 1: We would do the foundations, the flooring, the framing, the electrical, the plumbing, a to z. You know? When I came, you know, working up in New York versus coming down here to Florida, Florida is a different market. You know? The the the the building offices, they don't really want us to self perform anything.

Speaker 1: They really want us to to serve like tax collectors. We want they want to make sure that every sub has their insurance, that they have all that they're compliant. You know what I mean? So they really have us be a, almost like a nongovernmental, I'm talking about. Almost.

Speaker 1: Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. And and and that's one thing. But the other part of it, again, is if is if I am the amount of time I can only as being a project manager versus the builder, you know, if I'm going in and building a house, well, it's gonna take me forty hours a week times, you know, a 100 let's see, twelve, sixteen weeks, you know what I mean, to build a house at, yeah, a traditional way.

Speaker 0: Yeah.

Speaker 1: All my time is being spent on that. But, me as a project manager, I'm able to take that same construction schedule, bust it up into just think of it as like a train. You know, you have the engine, and then you have all the little cars that kinda go along. Mhmm. You know?

Speaker 1: That's construction and and and and the conductor. I'm just making sure that all the trains are on the track and that we're hitting every train station or milestone at the time that we're supposed to. That's basically being the project manager versus us actually going into the field and being the one swinging hammers and nails Yeah. And using our time, in in a in a aspect. So my time is spent more in the mental and and the the the the ship project rather than the actual labor Yeah.

Speaker 1: Of the project. But that makes sense.

Speaker 0: Yeah. That makes sense. That makes sense. That's what I thought. But then don't you have liability concerns if you're not the one that's doing the work, but you're the one who got the contract?

Speaker 1: Well, so part of our job as the project managers is supervision. So we are even though other subs are coming in, we are there making sure that everything is being done properly. Because, again, you know, we have we make sure that the stuff is done right, but then we also need to be able to pass inspection. And and a lot all the inspectors that are coming in from the the city, you know, they're not on our team. These guys are looking for problems.

Speaker 1: So Yeah. That's where we're we're making sure that that all the subs are doing their work according to the current Florida building codes or whatever code that we're in.

Speaker 0: Okay. But that and that's a lot of work too. That's that's not

Speaker 1: It's it's arguably harder. You know what I mean? I I I'm it's the most draining stuff. You know what I mean? Like, I would I guys that are out there just I'm just do all this, and they're just yeah.

Speaker 1: They're talking with their buddies. They're drinking beer. Whatever the case may be. You know what I mean? They're all having a good time.

Speaker 1: It's the we're a pressure cooker because we have clients on the one side that are that us. We have the governments and all of the stuff that goes on with that push from us. We have, you know, getting paid to pay the subs, you know, all within a certain time. It's it's, yeah, easy, man. It's every day, I'm just like I I I joke about it with my guys.

Speaker 1: I'm like, I'm this is what I like building in other places because it is so much easier, but this is America. You know what I mean? Like, it it this this major league.

Speaker 0: Exactly. Yeah. That's that's the opportunity. So you wanna go public with Jehovah Builders. Do you have a time frame for that?

Speaker 0: Sounds like you have a lot on your plate even as is.

Speaker 1: We yes. My timelines are always aggressive. I think that I I was trying to be in a position for, a fourth quarter, but we're the auditing's taking longer, you know, to make all the financials and everything is correct. So it might be something that happens in the, you know, mid of mid to of next year. Hopefully, we'll be in a position.

Speaker 0: Why do you wanna go public?

Speaker 1: It's something that I so my public company, I did not go to school for it. Right? Like, it was not something that I went to school for. I had a friend that that does and he's like, hey. Do you want this opportunity?

Speaker 1: And I was like, let me learn the one degree of knowledge that they have that they don't share with everybody. You know what I mean? And so I went in, and it was, entertainment one. You know, we we took a production company public. And at the time, we were doing, we were doing music for Mark Wahlberg's, group Mhmm.

Speaker 1: His nephew. You know, there was the on that side of it. And we were making the music and, I think we we had a song that was almost in the Man of Steel movie. Anyways Yeah. We were actually doing our business.

Speaker 1: And so, I really started, you know, to figure out what is to to operate that high level, it was really something that it was very difficult, and I like, you know, challenges. My first, you know, audit, we had a huge accounting firm, Anton and Chai. And I walked in, and I'm like, for our first audit, and they're like, hey. We need this. And I told the guys, I have no idea what I'm doing.

Speaker 1: And they laughed kinda like that. And I said, but if you tell me exactly what what you want, I will go get it. Yeah. That's right. My fur my my was an abortion.

Speaker 1: But my next one was a 100% better. My next one was a 100% better. My next one was a 100% better. So I was like, alright. You know, I'm starting to get the handle on this.

Speaker 1: And so as we were we were forward and and then I started to see, like I said, the the value of share price and stuff going up based upon stuff, I realized I was like, man, this is how real wealth is done. And, because you you're it's it's catapulted. Yeah. That's And so similar to this. And, you know, but I went down in a ball of flames just because, you know, it was just too big.

Speaker 1: I didn't have the the organization that I needed in order to do it. There's was too many man hours that needed to be done every time, and I couldn't get it done. So so my so my next time I went to do it, I was in Europe. So this I thought I was, like, invincible. I was like, 25¢, $7 a share.

Speaker 1: This one's going to the moon. Right? You know what I mean? I was gonna go for it. Boy, did I learn.

Speaker 1: You know? I I ended up losing, like I said, 1,200,000.0 shares. It was out of it, I was with just yeah. I was with high finance guys, you know, all the ones you hear about, you know, and and this was that time when, Donald Trump was the president, which was the greatest time to be international. So my my buddy, say that now, but he was, he was part of European Union.

Speaker 1: So, he went over there. We went into his party, and, he's like, you know, there's a German, France, everybody there. You know what I mean? All, like, the the human courts are right there. He's like, oh, this is my friend, Anthony.

Speaker 1: He's from America, and he likes Trump. And it was like, they were all ready to fight. Uh-huh. And I was like, hey. He says America first.

Speaker 1: Your country should be saying the same thing and just shut them all down. Nice. And, yeah, it was the time, but I came back to America and I with with some wounds. I I learned some retarders, and, and that's where that's where I can I was like, alright? You know, I'm I'm just gonna find what I have, what I'm in full control of, which was the construction, and we just started pushing our company till then.

Speaker 0: That's good because you're like, instructions in my blood. This is what I know. And I know I can Yeah. I kill it at this. With everything I've learned yeah.

Speaker 0: It's really good.

Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean and and and the roof of builders, people who actually know what they're doing. I think the stats are I think, like, every year, 50 people leave the industry and only seven people come back in. So, you know, over the last ten years, people have been given all these, you know, degrees and either going to college for all this nonsense. You know what I mean?

Speaker 0: Yeah.

Speaker 1: And it's just like you know, I tell people, I'm like, you wanna be a millionaire? Be a plumber. Start at 18. You'll be a full Yeah. I have

Speaker 0: some friends that make some money doing plumbing. It's crazy. And my one my one friend, you you wouldn't imagine how much he makes on, like, water filtration system. It's not

Speaker 1: You know, on on on, like, a side not a side note, but, one of the I'm a Hebrew, so one of the big things that we do is, you know, is pair of foster kids. So I have a nonprofit that, where we we have video meter events, and then we also build beds for foster kids. So, I'm a, guardian al item, which is a, like, basically, like, a court appointed big brother. Okay. So if there's domestic violence, kids will come to jail come to court, and then a judge will assign them a guardian al item.

Speaker 0: Okay.

Speaker 1: Right?

Speaker 1: And so I only work with, like, the code reds, the 16 to 18 year olds. Okay. And so, like, my first, life was three brothers. You know? The 18 year old it was 18, 16, and 15.

Speaker 1: The 18 year old was wanted for murder. The 16 year old already had a one year old, and the 15 year old was night to night for the first six months I had him. Meaning Mhmm. Every night, he was in a different place, which is kinda why I was like, we're gonna start building beds.

Speaker 0: Yeah. I see.

Speaker 1: I the reason the reason that is because, you know, I would I would go and talk to these kids, and I would explain to them. I'm like, listen. If if you want the and I tried to set up programs, but with them and and the government, it's just they make everything so difficult to actually help these kids. But I'm like, listen. You you wanna be Yeah.

Speaker 1: You so if you start at teen, by the time you're 22, you can have a a plumbing license. You want your friend can be an HVAC guy. You know? He's Florida, we we don't live in air conditioning. Like, we're in air conditioning 99% of the time except for when we're walking to the car and back.

Speaker 1: But, you know what I mean? You can basically have three licenses by the time you're 28. There's no other place I know of that you could do that. And Yeah. And construction is always where it's gonna be, man.

Speaker 1: It's Yeah. We're we're the first domino.

Speaker 0: Yeah. It's exactly right. That's a great way to put it. First domino. Yeah.

Speaker 0: That's exactly right. That's awesome, Anthony. It sounds like you have a ton of stuff going on. How do you keep up with all that? You've gotta have a a solid team.

Speaker 1: I do have a solid team. I have, my my main core I've been waiting for is I I have two, that both work for me. One works yeah. One of them does, is with the AutoCAD and the engineers, does a lot of the heavy lifting in AutoCAD, and then the other one is a project manager. I I jokingly say greatest day as a father was when I sent my oldest son to work and I stayed home.

Speaker 1: And I was like, ah, I shoulda had a 100 sons.

Speaker 0: I understand. You think, like, Jacob and his 12 sons, like, oh, that's what I should've done.

Speaker 1: Yeah. Exactly. You know what I mean? I joke about with with my sons. Like, I'm gonna have 10 kids now.

Speaker 1: And they're like, man, that's crazy. I was like, well, that means when you're 40, you'll have 10, 20 year olds which is 400 billable man hours a a week. You're welcome.

Speaker 0: That's pretty good. And they're hard workers too.

Speaker 1: Yeah. But, no, man. The the team is everything. You know, I have an amazing vice president, and just I've always been surrounded around good people. You know?

Speaker 1: Because of the the different types of industries that I've been in, I I have a lot of I do a lot of different things, and, you know, I always just try to make sure I'm the dumbest person in the room.

Speaker 0: Absolutely. I figured

Speaker 1: as long as I'm the dumbest, we're gonna be alright. I'm the slow guy.

Speaker 0: Yeah. No. I will. That's totally true, man. I I wanna hire smarter than me.

Speaker 0: That's what I need. Yeah. I'm not gonna get to where I wanna go if I'm the smartest person. It's just not

Speaker 1: Yeah. Exactly.

Speaker 0: Yeah.

Speaker 1: Yep. But nevertheless, it's a pit fight every day, man. I mean, it's just it is what it is.

Speaker 0: Yeah. It's you got you got a industry. You really do. But everything's got its perks. Well, thank you, Anthony.

Speaker 0: I really appreciate having you on. I'm sure there's so much more that we could get into, but I I know you're out there in the field, and so I appreciate you taking time even to jump on a call with me. It's fantastic what you guys are doing. I hope that IPO goes well. I know it sounds like the auditing is taking a bit longer and your timelines are aggressive, but that's kinda what got you to where you are being aggressive.

Speaker 0: It's a fist fight every day sort of thing. So that I get resonates with me. That's that's like you you try to get up every day and get after it, because

Speaker 1: the the life's moving on is

Speaker 0: gonna pass you by. So that's so cool. Appreciate your time today, man. Thank you.

Speaker 1: Have a great one. Thank you. You too.