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When Bruce Cummings formed his general contracting firm B.J. Cummings, he didn’t have a lot of money or connections, but he wanted to be a commercial contractor. So he found a niche by doing small jobs and gaining loyal clients by offering ongoing construction services.
This year, B.J. Cummings is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Born and raised in Portland, Cummings grew up in what he calls a “carpenter’s” household. So when he attended Parkrose High School, he joined the school’s carpenter apprenticeship program.
While in the program Cummings worked for Gus Minden, owner of Minden Construction Co., who was known for his expert church building.
“I was fortunate enough to be apprenticed to a person with a strong sense of quality and a tremendous reputation for integrity,” said Cummings.
After working with Minden for nine years, Cummings decided it was time to go into business for himself and established B.J. Cummings in 1962.
“Basically I looked around and it came to me that the only way I was going to make it was to convince people with ongoing needs for construction services,” said Cummings.
He first started working with banks by doing small repair jobs. Over the years, he began to build branches and formed strong relationships with local institutions like U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo (formerly First National).
“Bruce has done work with the bank for about 30 years,” said Joe Weber, regional manager of corporate properties at Wells Fargo. “He’s always been our go-to guy when it comes to our properties in Oregon and Southwest Washington.”
Whether it is drywall, metal studwork, plastering or interior finishes, Cummings does a variety of jobs, while subcontracting out little work. The company, which employees about 30 people, even has its own high-end cabinet shop.
“We swim upstream,” said Cummings. “More of our work is actually done with our own payroll people.”
By using mostly his own employees, Cummings feels that he has more control and can meet demanding schedules easier.
“Some subcontractors may have never heard of us but we successfully work with some of the largest corporations in the Northwest,” said Cummings.
That includes PacifiCorp, where Bob Zahler, a recently retired facilities manager, worked directly with Cummings.
Their business relationship started back in the early 1980s.
“We use him everywhere because of his quality of work, professionalism, ethics and the fact that he uses master craftsmen in his work,” said Zahler. “He is very attentive to the customer’s needs. Twenty-four hours a day he is available.”
Cummings’ flexibility has proved beneficial in his work with banks as well, where construction must be done at night and on weekends when customers aren’t present.
“He’s always looking out for the bank,” said Weber. “His number one priority is what’s the best solution for the bank. He appreciates and understands how we maintain our buildings.”
Zahler believes Cummings is one of the best contractors in the city of Portland and his longtime, loyal employees and customer service make him an ideal contractor for a company like PacifiCorp.
“He puts the bow on the package,” said Zahler. “Not too many people do that these days.”
Cummings said he is not interested in the big $15 million jobs, instead he plans to keep his business focused on what it does best.
“We have found a niche where we can be productive and contribute to the Portland market,” said Cummings. “We make a living and are able to do work in the quality fashion that we have over the years.”