Two powerhouse members of Bermuda’s construction industry have consolidated under the umbrella of Forte Building Group Ltd – and have launched Builders Depot, a new specialty supply store for the commercial construction industry.

Alex DeCouto, of Greymane Contracting Limited, and Charles Dunstan of Kaissa Limited, said the two specialist contractors began discussions last year about consolidating their operations.

Forte, a holding company, now owns Greymane, Kaissa and Builders Depot – but Mr DeCouto said Greymane and Kaissa will continue to operate as independent firms and specialist contractors, while benefiting from an expanded senior management team that has grown by two positions, and group resources.

Mr DeCouto, co-owner and president of Forte, said: “The Forte Building Group was born from the idea that a sustainable conglomerate of specialty construction firms made a lot of sense; sharing overheads across several complimentary firms, saving costs and leveraging assets for the betterment of all firms in the group.”

He added: “We saw the same landscape – a need to diversify, spread our overhead and make ourselves sustainable – and this is how to do that.”

Mr Dunstan, co-owner and vice-president of Forte, said: “Alex has been building a very solid organisation over a number of years so from my perspective it was a good fit towards continuing Kaissa’s march towards sustainability.”

He added: “For me, it’s having a larger management team that takes some of the day-to-day pressure off individuals.”

While Greymane frequently acts as general contractor on construction projects, the company said, much of its historical success has been due to a firm commitment to become experts in several specialties including commercial construction, interior fit out, and being authorised distributors for global manufacturers like Armstrong.

Similarly, since its inception almost 40 years ago, Kaissa has focused on exterior building envelope as a core specialty, representing marquee brands in the space such as STO Exterior Finish systems and Carlisle Roofing.

Mr DeCouto said: “This mutual commitment to expertise and specialisation, as well as strikingly similar core values, enabled expedited alignment of strategic plans while staying true to each firm’s historical identity.”

Builders Depot, on Bakery Lane in Pembroke, succeeds the small builders supply divisions that were operated by both Greymane and Kaissa.

The facility measures 10,000 square feet, taking into account the store, warehouse, and storage.

Mr DeCouto said specialty and commercial construction markets require tools and materials that are not readily available in typical hardware stores.

Both firms had to expand on-island warehousing and inventory to keep a stock of typically needed materials and tools to service their specialty commercial projects.

Selling off unused inventory became a business over time, with other contractors in the market coming to rely on the firms’ access to premium brands and regular inventory levels.

Both firms focused on best-in-class products and manufacturers, while concentrating on the commercial construction market as a customer base.

Mr DeCouto said: “The coming together of the Greymane and Kaissa builders supply divisions presented a unique opportunity to consolidate resources and create a purpose-built retail operation to serve the needs of the commercial construction sector and the industry professionals who work in it.”

He said Builders Depot will bring innovative, high quality, and technologically advanced products to the Bermuda market, with the retail operation supported with unmatched product expertise by industry professionals.

Mr DeCouto added: “We will grow our already formidable portfolio of world class brands and manufacturers to include tools and products that will help our customers achieve success on their projects.

“The best technical sales team in Bermuda will offer the best products available to help bring out the best in our customer’s projects.”