Celebrating 50 years of excellence, Hawkins Construction Inc proves that top quality people build the best projects
For half a century, Hawkins Construction Inc (Hawkins) has carved out a reputation as one of Florida’s most respected contractors – an achievement rooted not only in technical expertise, but in the character, commitment, and skill of its people. Since its inception in 1975, the company has been known for its high levels of safety, reliability, quality, and professionalism. Hawkins’ portfolio is testament to its longstanding legacy, having successfully delivered thousands of projects across a vast variety of market sectors, proving its position as a real industry leader.
With 2025 marking Hawkins’ 50th year in business, it’s clear that the company has evolved to be bigger and better than ever before. Powered by its dedicated people and ongoing commitment to excellence, the anniversary milestone is symbolic of Hawkins’ passion for exceptional craftsmanship, high quality service, and relentless pursuit of client satisfaction. In celebration of this milestone, Construction Today sits down with members of Hawkins’ senior leadership team – President Miguel Leyva, Senior Vice President Todd Mullins, and Executive Vice Presidents Josh Spooner and Aaron Leech – who share insight into the secrets behind the company’s longevity and continued success. 
“We’re currently only working in the State of Florida, but our capabilities are very diverse,” Todd begins, sharing Hawkins’ broad scope of expertise. “We adhere to the ebbs and flows of the market; we do a lot of work in the retail and grocery sectors, but also in the industrial, senior living, medical, manufacturing, religious, private education, and financial sectors.”
Hawkins is proud to offer a fully comprehensive package of turnkey solutions, from pre-construction, design, value engineering, and due diligence, right through to integrated project management and full-service contracting. In addition, the company boasts a 7000-strong database of trusted subcontractors, ensuring extra innovation, competitive timing, and scalability for all its projects. Having successfully delivered more than 2700 projects, with over 80 percent of that volume coming from repeat clients, it’s evident that Hawkins’ unwavering commitment to client care is upheld across each of its disciplines – just one of the many qualities that has contributed to its stellar reputation.
“We’re a little different in that we have our own estimating department, along with a separate contract administration department, that hires all the subcontractors for each project. This allows our project managers – who we refer to as our operations team – to focus on each project individually and maintain close communication with the clients,” Josh explains. “We require such communication on a weekly basis, and we, as owners, will visit the job sites ourselves to ensure that the quality of the project is where we expect it to be.”
“We pride ourselves on quality and timelessness, providing our clients with the highest quality possible,” Miguel adds. “For me, being at the executive level with the final eyes on everything, if I won’t accept it in my house, then I won’t accept it on a project.”
To further exemplify its quality control, Hawkins has implemented a number of technologies and innovations to assist with project management processes and client communication. One piece of software that remains critical in Hawkins’ day-to-day operations is Procore Construction software, which provides easy accessibility to essential project data and documentation.
“We introduced Procore to our operations around seven years ago. It’s really helped us to provide a better service to our clients,” Aaron elaborates. “For instance, it’s made some of the tools that we use on a regular basis, such as daily logs and photos, a lot easier to access, and it also makes the change order process a little more seamless and accurate. It’s nice to have everything in one place as opposed to handling everything on a spreadsheet.”
Aside from its exemplary project management methodology and attention to quality and detail, Hawkin’s leadership credits its workforce as its most important asset and the real driving force behind its success. With all its people focused on one goal – that is to ensure client satisfaction – excellence comes naturally. When paired with a supportive and empowering culture, Hawkins’ impact reaches even greater heights.
“We have a lot of longevity within Hawkins, and it all comes down to our company culture,” Aaron affirms. “Right now, we have around 86 employees and our average employee has been here for over ten years. It shows how much we really take care of our people. We also have our ‘Be-Backers’ – people who have left the company, maybe to venture off and try something new, but realized that they weren’t getting the support that they needed and decided to come back.
“We really pride ourselves on being a truly family-style company. We have an open-door policy where you can walk into anybody’s office and ask a question,” he continues. “Our people will see the company owners every single day; we don’t keep a wall up between our employees. We’re all in it together and we’re all here to learn from each other, and I think that’s one of the reasons why we’ve made it to 50 years in business.”
Miguel emphasizes: “Hawkins has always been a company with growth opportunities for everybody who wants that challenge. Everything has always been cultivated within the company. I, personally, started here as an assistant superintendent in 1997 and have worked for every department within the company up to where I am today. It just shows that the opportunities are here for young people who want to grow within a good company. It’s something that we’re very proud of.”
By keeping its close-knit culture at the core of its identity, Hawkins Construction is well-positioned for a bright future. Building further on its strong legacy, the company will remain committed to its client-centric ethos and its perpetual strive for quality, efficiency, and timelessness, all whilst continuing to grow and prosper over the next 50 years.
“We will continue to grow what we’ve already built by expanding into different markets and extending our client base. Within the past five to ten years, we’ve successfully broken into the industrial warehouse and assisted living markets, and we want to continue to expand on those types of projects,” Aaron reveals, looking forward to the year ahead.
“Over the next three to five years, we want to focus on building on new talent. We’ve been really successful working with the University of Florida, and we’ve got some really bright kids coming from that program. That partnership has been really impactful for us.”
“We want to continue to grow at a healthy pace and continue to cultivate new talent for many more decades to come,” Miguel says, concluding our conversation and homing back in on the beating heart of Hawkins Construction. “Our people are what makes this company. Everybody here is important to us, and, without them, we wouldn’t be Hawkins Construction.”