Duffek expands his business by focusing on clients

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Mike Duffek and his brothers all worked in construction while growing up. When he graduated high school, he went to study architecture at the University of Minnesota.

But, after leaving college, he quickly saw he wanted to stay in construction.

“I look for people who just love construction,” he said. “People who love being up early, you love being out in the field when you start an excavation, you love walking into a job when it’s being framed up.

“I just love being on site, being hands-on, solving problems and solving problems with guys.”

Duffek founded Duffek Construction in 2017. In just a year, he had used his expertise working on construction projects across the U.S. to expand the company.

“We have three values — stay humble, stay honest and stay hardworking,” he said. “If we do those three things every single day, then we’ll continue to grow.”

Every job has its difficulties, which Duffek always works to turn into opportunities.

“Let’s not worry if it’s a half-million dollar project. Let’s go out there and treat it like it’s a $50 million project,” he said.

When Duffek founded the company he wanted to concentrate on small and medium-sized projects worth up to about $5 million. Filling this niche allowed him to still use his expertise with larger projects but just apply it to smaller jobs.

“When you’re doing work for people that you enjoy, the people that have the right vision and the same vision that we have, the projects tend to go smoother, everybody is on the same page and every project tends to be more successful than if you just go out there and hard bid a market and try to gain as much work as you can,” he said.

Matthew Mano, vice president of SPS Architects, said Duffek’s company fills a void in the industry.

“He’s able to describe a process to the owner, works with them on the costs and helps them to understand the whole process from the initial budget standpoint to the design to construction,” he said.

The company’s projects have ranged from schools to industrial buildings and restaurants. By treating every project as if it’s the only one they’ll ever have, he and his colleagues show owners how much they care about them.

“We want to focus on the right projects,” he said. “I think that’s where we make the biggest impact by focusing on the right owners and the right projects.”