Much has changed since Bob Moss and son Scott founded Moss 20 years ago, and in the last few years, the firm has shifted into a higher gear, growing quickly by seizing opportunities in booming Southeastern markets.

The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based firm grew 50% in volume from 2021 to 2023, says CEO Scott Moss. The company now has more than 1,600 salaried employees worldwide and nearly 1,250 in the Southeast, where it added 300 salaried employees in 2023. Last year, Moss reported revenue in the Southeast of $2.13 billion, a 30% increase over 2022. Worldwide revenue was $3.18 billion.

Each division in the company chalked up a record year in 2023. Company leaders, reflecting on recent successes, continually point to its people as the foundation on which that growth is built.

Making People the Priority

The family-owned, privately held company recognizes the paramount role its people and culture play in the firm’s success. By delegating authority and fostering an enthusiasm that builds client relationships, the firm facilitates its rapid growth.

“We put people first at Moss—and trust that all else will follow,” says Edwin Perkins, president of solar.

“When Bob and I started this business, we really just wanted a great place to work,” Scott Moss says. “I think that’s what everyone wants—they want to feel that their work is meaningful, they’re cared about and then they can care for other people.”

Bob Moss is still involved in the company as chairman and founder, as is son Chad Moss, vice-chair, who joined a year after the founding and serves as CEO of Moss Family Office Worldwide, a family asset acquisitions management company.

Including hourly employees, the total workforce nears 4,000 today, Scott Moss says, and the firm ensures that its family-business values of honoring relationships and nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit are honored throughout the company. Building leaders is an important part of growing the company, Moss says, noting that the firm currently has 240 interns.

“You see companies that have values, and they talk about these things, but at Moss, it’s present everywhere,” says Veronica Nur Valdes, the company’s senior vice president of strategy, who’s been with Moss for about a year. “It starts with people. How are we improving the lives of these people? How are we building the future? And that is so entrenched in the culture.”

When he is looking to hire someone, Brett Atkinson, president of Moss’ South Florida unit, says that the competencies are typically there in candidates, but culture, energy, curiosity and a willingness to be part of something larger than themselves are key. If those are present, everything else will fall in place.

Maintaining that culture and spirit as the company grows is crucial, says Scott Moss, who recalls when the company was just him and his father and a computer 20 years ago. He’s now got about 40 watches ready to give to employees who have been with the company for a decade, and there are several that have been with the company for the full 20 years.

“What’s been most fun is we’ve been able to evolve with market demands,” he says. “We call this evolution versioning. So right now, we’re on version 7.6 … just like your phone has an operating system, that’s the operating system we’re under right now.”

Scott Moss, describing himself as not a fan of celebration, focuses on the future: “I’m trying to figure out how do I do the CEO job of a $4-billion business, right? Because that’s really what’s happening next.”

Keeping the firm’s culture intact amid fast-paced growth means thinking outside the box, with a vision leadership team crafting strategies so that each employee knows they’ve got a role to play in the company and that they’re contributing to its goals and success.

A recent survey of employees neared 100% on the question of whether they were clear on the direction of the company, Nur Valdes notes.

“When people understand the why and understand what we’re doing and how they fit in, that’s how you become successful,” says Mike Mazza, Moss’ president of California, mid-Florida and Texas.

That includes delegating responsibilities so that clients are meeting with decision-makers able to act on issues immediately, something both Mazza and Atkinson pointed to as a contributor to success in fast-paced and dynamic projects.

Moss completed work on the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix racetrack on a tight schedule just in time for the inaugural race.
Photo courtesy J Christopher Photography

Solar on the Rise

Building on its reputation for delivering quality projects on time and safely, Perkins says Moss has evolved by continuing to integrate emerging sectors like solar battery storage, building its project portfolio across diverse geographies and investing in enhanced workforce development while focusing on scaling operating systems to accommodate growth.

“We’re committed to delivering field-focused and high-execution solutions so that we can keep up with market demand,” Perkins says. “As a leadership team, we’re focused on optimizing our systems while still preserving what got us here: our culture.”

The outlook is especially bright for solar projects, where Moss is harnessing a growing demand, says Scott Moss, with roughly 75 projects ongoing and another 30-40 in preconstruction.

Moss topped ENR’s list of U.S. solar contractors for 2023, energizing nearly 3.8 GW of solar power across the country, enough energy to power Florida’s Jacksonville Metropolitan Statistical Area, home to more than 1.3 million people, Perkins says.

Recent legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act have driven increased investment in renewable energy, Perkins says, and the long-term outlook for photovoltaic solar and solar batter energy storage is strong. That rising demand is putting pressure on the workforce, too, requiring a wave of talent to construct, install and maintain this new infrastructure, he says, making specialized skills like solar construction increasingly valuable and helping drive industry demand for skilled workers.

Completed in early 2023, the JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Hotel features hotel rooms and residences.
Photo by Chad Baumer

Racing Toward Results

Tom Garfinkel is vice chairman, president and CEO of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and managing partner of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. Moss has recently completed big-ticket projects for both programs.

For the Dolphins, Moss completed the $135-million, 250,000-sq-ft Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens in time for the 2023 training season. With the Miami Grand Prix, Moss completed the nearly $300-million racetrack in time for the inaugural race.

“Tom called me up and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to Monaco tomorrow and I’m announcing the F1 in Miami,” Atkinson says, adding that he assumed a two-year schedule for the project until Garfinkel corrected him. “And I said, ‘Tom, that means we have to build the track in eight months.’”

Garfinkel’s answer was, “Failure is not an option.”

Split into two phases, Moss constructed a new 3.36-mile racetrack that runs underneath the Florida Turnpike and wraps around Hard Rock Stadium with 19 turns and 12 bridges. Part of the first phase was also a venue featuring grandstands for more than 300,000 people, constructed in time for the May 2022 race, all while contending with stoppages for dozens of concerts, pro football games, the Miami Open Tennis Tournament and three festivals. Atkinson says it is Moss’ people that make the difference in succeeding on projects like that because they are empowered to make decisions as client and project needs change.

“Some of those projects were really challenging from a timeline standpoint,” says Garfinkel. “What you’re really looking for is somebody that can shoot you straight about what the schedule and the budget is going to be and then deliver—on time and on budget—quality work.”

Moss achieves that, he says, thanks to the flexiblity and creativity of the firm’s dedicated employees.

“We build things together, we communicate openly,” Garfinkel says. “I often say the No. 1 rule in life is Treat other people like you want to be treated, and the No. 1 rule in business is Do what you say you’re going to do.”

Moss fits that bill too, he says, from Bob Moss to Garrett Green, vice president and project executive who managed the Dolphins and Grand Prix projects, and everyone in between. Moss is straightforward about what the challenges are, he adds, and about what they can and can’t do. During the construction of the Dolphins’ training facility, the COVID-19 pandemic slowed construction partially because of legal safety guidelines, Garfinkel says. Moss was able to meet the requirements and keep the project moving. On the Formula 1 track, Moss kept to an unmovable 11-month schedule for a project he says would normally take 2 years.

“It’s flexibility,” he says on how Moss quickly delivers quality projects that differ from more mainstream efforts like condos or office buildings. “Our projects require a certain degree of flexibility and adaptability to challenges that arise [as well as] creativity and problem-solving, because it’s not a standard sort of project.”

Garfinkel says the relationships they’ve built and the confidence they have in the firm, as well as its credibility, are reasons he’ll look to Moss for future projects.

Taking Off in Tampa

Tampa-based real estate developer Strategic Property Partners (SPP) has worked with Moss on multiple big-ticket projects since 2017, including the Cora Water Street Tampa luxury apartment building.

Moss constructed the 432,607-sq-ft Cora, a 24-story, 388-unit residential tower with ground floor retail and rooftop amenity deck. SPP CEO Josh Taube points to collaboration and shared goals as the key to its success in working with Moss, something that’s not always the case with owners and contractors, “so it’s refreshing when it truly feels like one cohesive team.”

That came into play when the glazing company on a recent project went out of business in the middle of construction. Moss was able to navigate procurement and installation with other vendors while staying within the budget and on schedule. The relationship extends beyond the end of a project too, Taube says, with Moss’ responsive warranty department providing regular updates and the broader team ready to jump in with guidance on any questions or issues that come up outside the warranty period.

“Moss has been an exceptional partner to work with, and we deeply value our ongoing relationship,” Taube says. “The quality of their work sets a high standard.