If you’ve ever played a round at the Palmetto Bay Golf Club or walked the new sidewalks and admired the monument signs in Pinecrest Gardens, you’ve experienced Miliani Construction Corp.’s work in South Florida. The Miami company’s renovations can also be found in restaurants and hotels, including a new project in Weston, as well as in His House Children’s Home in Miami Gardens, fire and rescue departments, schools and other entities around South Florida.
Adolfo Miliani founded his construction company in January 2016, beginning as a general contractor doing small renovations in residential houses and working up to renovating the interiors of hotels, something they had to do every seven or so years to keep their brand fresh. Miliani began to specialize in that in 2017, receiving vendor certifications with Marriott and Hilton. “I performed renovations on three hotels and built a restaurant from the ground up,” Miliani says.
But unfortunately, the pandemic closed hotels and restaurants, and his pipeline dried up. By chance, Miliani learned of a program offered by Startup FIU Procurement and completed the incubator, where he learned how to do business with Miami-Dade County, FDOT, and other entities. He had never done government contracting before.
As part of the procurement program, he got acquainted with Florida SBDC at FIU and two of their business consultants, Adriana Madrinan and Raju Mohandas. SBDC at FIU is the small business development center within the College of Business that offers no-cost business consulting and training to small businesses in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. “They guided me on how to approach the government market without abandoning the hospitality market,” Miliani says.
Mohandas, a finance expert, helped him secure PPP loans and EIDL loans during the pandemic as well as helped him work through financial and business planning challenges. “He’s very logical and focused and business oriented and that’s very important – not all small business owners are,” says Mohandas, who specializes in financial management, access to capital, and strategic finance as an SBDC at FIU consultant.
He was very eager to learn, adds Madrinan, who was an instructor in the procurement incubator before continuing to help Miliani as part of SBDC at FIU. With her expertise in business strategy, business models and innovation, she has been assisting him with strategy and marketing and they still meet at least once a month, Miliani says.
“The whole team was able to help him to finalize the government certifications,” says Madrinan. “I worked with him on strategy because one of his biggest skills is working with hotels. He has a specific ability to manage time and people well and what makes him especially attractive as a general contractor is that he’s able to work with hotels while the hotels are active. He’s made a name for himself.”
Miliani, originally from Venezuela, has been in the construction business for 24 years, logging experience in Venezuela, Aruba and Mexico, before spending the last eight years in the United States. Miliani has been continuing on with government contracting and is ramping back up with the hotels, which have been reactivating renovation plans, post pandemic.
“We’ve surpassed the initial survival period for small businesses, and now we have about $3 million in bonding capacity with no complaints from the government or private clients,” he says. “Our success formula is doing the right job, being on top of it, and hiring the best people.”
What are some of Miliani’s other keys to success? We asked him.
Be adaptable: Especially in a very competitive market, you have to stay on top of all the variables that change daily, and be ready to adapt, Miliani says, noting that he moved from hospitality to government work and now he is doing both. “You have to stay on top of your business every day, understand your surroundings, and find the best people to work with you.”
Never stop learning: “I’ve worked with Miami-Dade County, City of Pinecrest Gardens, City of Doral, Weston, and private clients like Marriott, Hilton, and Sonesta. Every client and field is different, so continuous learning is crucial. My job involves a lot of reading, checking numbers, and ensuring compliance with contract details. You have to be on top of it to know the rules of the game.”
Seek help: When the pandemic struck, Miliani sought help from the experts in the Procurement program at Startup FIU and at SBDC at FIU. They helped him pivot and adapt. “Don’t be shy to ask for help.”
Don’t be too greedy. For government contracting specifically, Miliani offers this nugget: “Start for a small contract. Learn how it works. My first contract was $100,000. Right now we are doing $2 million contracts. Going step by step is the best way.”
Miliani adds, “It’s all about trying to adapt and survive. In today’s world, that is a crucial skill.”
What’s next for this company? Miliani wants to do a marketing campaign with hotels, and also aims for more growth in government contracts, first learning about new rules recently signed into law. He says he also may venture outside of South Florida for government contracts and hotel work and is studying the Atlanta market. If he needs advice or guidance, he knows that SBDC at FIU’s consultants are always available.
Website: milianiconstruction.com
