Renovation generation: Hoffman Cortes Contracting takes on a big restructuring: itself

Kansas City Business Journal - by Tammy Worth Contributing Writer

As Hoffman Cortes Contracting Co. passed through four generations, company President Rita Cortes said the business always has had "echoes of family." "I always joked there were four kids in the family -- my brother, my sister and the business," she said. "In our house, there were as many pictures of foundations and buildings being erected as there were of kids." Cortes received the company from her father, Gary, who was handed it by his parents, who took it over from Morris Hoffman. He founded the general contractor in 1921.

The company has broadened its concept of family during the leadership of Rita Cortes, who originally didn't intend to sit at the helm. After attending college, Cortes moved to Washington, where she worked as a commercial bankruptcy litigator. Her brother was supposed to take over when the time came, but he decided not to. When her father called 15 years ago asking her to take over, she said it took some persuading before she moved back and realized that this is where she wanted to be. Then last year, Cortes restructured the 86-year-old company, turning it from a family-owned, hierarchical management model to an executive team. She projected that the change will help increase revenue by about 30 percent this year. "We did it in order to transition and grow," Cortes said. "We wanted to do it in a way that was consistent with the vision of the founder of the company."

The change is a large reflection on her personality and management style. Cortes has run day-to-day operations for eight years, with her father serving as an enthusiastic internal consultant. She said the new management team is, for her, simply the evolution of a new form of family. The E-Team, as she calls it, consists of herself and two other members: Scott Moffitt, director of operations, and Charles Scammell, president of wholly owned subsidiary Hoffman Cortes Restoration, which performs predominantly masonry restoration on area buildings.

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