Keith Dafcik has always enjoyed building small projects growing up, so it’s no coincidence that he chose the design- build industry for his career. Dafcik began working in the construction industry 30 years ago with a construction management firm in Chicago, and then moved on to work for a few very respectable design-build firms prior to joining Clayco.
“Throughout my career I had the privilege to work for great mentors,” said Dafcik, industrial vice president of Clayco’s Chicago office. “I was given the opportunity to advance my skills in the design-build method of project delivery, gaining invaluable experience in the process. My main focus at Clayco will be pursuing and managing industrial design/build projects locally and nationally for distribution, manufacturing and food & beverage type facilities. This is the sector I enjoy the most and have been working in for the majority of my career.”
“The relationships that I have forged with colleagues, clients, consultants, subcontractors and the brokerage community over the years are very rewarding,” he continued. “This tends to become a very small industry when you’ve been doing this for as long as I have. I also enjoy the fact that every project is unique in its own way which keeps things interesting.”
Dafcik has 30 years of experience in the industry, and says early in his career, he enjoyed most managing the day-to-day process – the parts and pieces of a construction project. Now, he enjoys pursuing the best projects on the horizon nationally.
“Top-flight clients choose Clayco because they want a transparent building process and positive relationship with their builder. I personally enjoy that kind of honest and productive working engagement. I also like managing people and managing the design & construction process. I take pride in mentoring young professionals who are eager to learn the business.”
“It’s very rewarding working with clients to help bring their vision to reality, to understand what’s important to them and their businesses, and to incorporate that information in the design and construction process,” Dafcik added. “It’s always very satisfying for me to strive to deliver a finished building product to a client that not only meets, but also exceeds their expectations.”
So what sets Clayco apart from other design- build firms? Dafcik says the company has resources available in-house to offer clients that the vast majority of their competition does not possess.
“We truly are an integrated firm offering in-house architectural design, construction and development services. We have an in-house technical assurance group comprised of design specialists in each discipline that perform peer reviews on in-house, as well as third party, designs to ensure that proper design details are being addressed.”
Dafcik also noted that the company truly values innovation, and the integration and team work on projects inspire a lot of creativity and idea generation. “That team work also means we can take on complex or high-risk projects and get them done on time and under budget. I feel proud of my colleagues. We also have a national reach that allows us to build successfully anywhere in the country.”
“We are growing considerably as a company in all areas, and hiring very talented professionals to be part of our team, which is very exciting. A few deals that we have currently under construction in the Chicago market include Zurich North American’s, 735,000-square-foot Class A Corporate headquarters in Schaumburg, Stella & Chewy’s 165,000-square-foot headquarters in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and the 872,000-square-foot University of Chicago Medical Center West Campus Center for Care and Discovery Parking Garage in Chicago.”
There have been many memorable deals over the years for Dafcik, but recently one sticks out more than others.
“The Golden State Foods project in McCook, Illinois was a recent deal that was very memorable,” he said. “I had pursued that deal prior to joining Clayco on many different sites, with many reiterations over a six-year period, and finally was successful in landing the project. The client was great to work with throughout the entire design and construction process.”
According to Dafcik, it’s a challenge finding balance in this type of business, “At times it can be very stressful as there are so many things you are responsible for when managing a project. Over the years, I have been able to shut off the daily grind and worry when I am with my family. They deserve that much. I find that my family life helps keep me grounded.”
When he isn’t working, he spends time with his family, fishes as much as possible, and volunteers time to worthy causes, such as food pantries and a care center.
So what’s a fun fact about Dafcik? His family has owned & operated a fishing camp in Ontario, Canada for over the past 50 years. If he hadn’t loved the design-build industry so much that would likely be his career today!
“Since I am passionate about fishing and grew up in the business, I would most likely be involved in this line of work and probably have a reality TV show by now!”
It’s no surprise that taking a fishing trip to Alaska is high on his bucket list, as he thoroughly enjoys the outdoors and the variety of fishing Alaska has to offer.
With the NBA’s season underway officially next week, Dafcik is a Chicago Bulls fan, but said since the glory days, there hasn’t been much to get excited about. “My preference is to watch NCAA basketball (Go Boilermakers!), and of course, the Chicago Blackhawks.”