After growing up in Italy, Japan and the U.S. in a Marine Corps family, Michael Bourré graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in building construction and spent eight years in the Marines.
Going on to build in Atlanta, he landed in Jacksonville in 2000 as vice president for SEDA Construction.
In 2004, he started Bourré Construction Group LLC, a custom home, remodeling and commercial construction company in Fleming Island in Clay County. As a certified general contractor, “I can build anything from my doghouse all the way up to a high-rise,” he said.
Bourré, 47, is president of the Florida Home Builders Association, a board member of the Northeast Florida Regional Council and chairman of the Clay County Planning Commission.
He also manages volunteer work, is raising seven children and finds time to visit every job site.
Bourré is a Florida Certified Master Builder, which means he must meet a higher bar than state license requirements and show a history of building expertise, business stability and customer satisfaction.
The Great Recession of 2007-09 hit the business like it did most in the construction industry. He said 2009 was his worst year, “certainly a kick in the gut,” he said.
“I reset my approach to business, let a lot of staff go and put my tool belt back on.”
Bourré said the business has grown 600% since then and “2020 is already slated to be our strongest.”
Almost all of his group’s work comes by word-of-mouth.
Bourré donates time and money toward challenges in the community and building industry.
The Florida Home Builders Association focuses on protecting affordable housing and safe construction by advocating to curb impact fees; opposing legislation that increases insurance costs to contractors and homeowners; guarding against policies and rules that are beyond state and local codes; and advocating that William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund money be used only for affordable housing programs.
Bourré said homebuilder associations support skilled labor development, including carpentry, electrical, plumbing and other trades. “People should get exposure to it,” he said, including children, teens and college students.
“It’s part of a well-rounded individual,” he said.
Success in the field
There are well-paying jobs for contractors, he said.
“You need to learn the administrative and business side and that’s all teachable,” Bourré said. “To be successful you need to understand the business, become a subject matter expert of whatever industry first. Every good leader is first and foremost a good follower.”
There’s also a factor for failure. “Not knowing what you are doing is the kiss of death.”
Another element of success is to “make sure that you’ve got the financial backing before you step out, and have a good business plan.”
Business plans inevitably change, he said. “Be able to react to adjustments as the business develops and grows. Outside of those, surrounding yourself with good people, which doesn’t happen right out of the gate when you’re starting.”
Bourré knows that drill.
“When I started the business I was by myself, then I hired somebody who was really good at the CFO side, accounts payable, accounts receivable. Make sure you hire like-minded, trustworthy, hardworking individuals who understand that you get a day’s pay for a days work.”
Bourré advises against overspending.
“One of the biggest things that I’ll encourage anybody first starting is don’t go out and buy new trucks, don’t buy brand new. Don’t buy a plane or boat, don’t do any of that. Save your money because the bad weather is coming again,” he said.
“Even in good times I see people struggling, they get overextended. So manage your cash, manage your credit.”
Clay County
Bourré said the Clay County administration and Board of County Commissioners are focused on making sure the county has affordable, sustainable growth from an infrastructure standpoint.
As a county planning commissioner, Bourré said the county is addressing housing needs, which means the need to provide affordable housing, and also finding the balance in other areas.
“The biggest thing in Clay County right now is the outer beltway, the single biggest game changer for Clay County,” he said, referring to the First Coast Expressway.
That means more residential projects are being planned. “It’s kind of the calm before the storm.”
With Duval County the center of employment in Northeast Florida, a lot of Clay County residents commute.
When the expressway is in place, a lot of the traffic problems will ease, he said.
Bourré would like to see commercial, manufacturing and businesses settle in Clay County, “so people can work here and the commute becomes 10 minutes instead of an hour.”