Blaine Beckman, President, Nunnelly
In an interview with Invest:, president of general contractor Nunnelly, Blaine Beckman, underscored a focus on trusted partnerships, disciplined growth, and deep roots in San Antonio. “We’re not chasing profitability on a single project — we’re focused on repeat partnerships built on trust,” said Beckman.
What makes San Antonio a compelling location for Nunnelly’s growth?
What makes our firm special starts with our team and our history here. We’ve been in San Antonio for 103 years. While we do build in surrounding communities, our primary focus on growth remains in this market.
San Antonio is unique. It’s often referred to as the largest small city — you feel like you know everybody. When you’ve been here for as long as we have, you build relationships and partnerships that last for decades. That kind of history allows us to operate successfully. We know who we’re working with, their background, and their role in the community.
Giving back is also a huge part of what we do. We’re one of the oldest contractors in the market, and that’s because of what San Antonio has given us. In return, we invest in this city — in its people, its schools, and its future. You can’t just come in from another market, do a few jobs, burn bridges, and expect to survive. You have to commit, and when you do, the city gives back.
How do civic projects like the Barbara Robinette Community & Senior Center fit into your growth strategy?
We’ve built for San Antonio for over 50 years. As more families move here — many attracted by the affordability — there’s a growing need for infrastructure, including restaurants, police stations, fire stations, and community centers. These projects support public health, safety, and civic engagement.
Diversification is a major part of our strategy. We work in several sectors — education, municipal, healthcare, and non-profit — and we look at each as a piece of the pie. We’re focused on growing within those segments because we know it is what we do best.
When it comes to community-focused work, we ask: Is this something that impacts San Antonio in a meaningful way? Is this a client we want a long-term relationship with? We aim to align our core values with the people and organizations we serve. And if a project doesn’t align, we’re not afraid to refer it to another contractor who’s a better fit.
That discipline helps us stay true to our mission and build long-term relationships. We’re not chasing profitability on a single project — we’re focused on repeat partnerships built on trust.
Are there any specific trends or innovations in construction that are gaining traction?
The biggest trend we’re seeing is the need to be proactive. Pricing volatility, supply chain delays, and the uncertainty around tariffs — those are all challenges. COVID-19 really brought that to the forefront. Unfortunately, a lot of firms didn’t survive, but we learned a lot from that period.
We now apply lean principles and are highly proactive with the procurement of materials and equipment. At project kickoff, we identify long-lead items, materials that might be impacted by tariffs, or anything we saw disrupted during COVID. We treat those as critical and move quickly to secure them, which reduces risk and improves predictability for our clients.
We’re also seeing some of the usual slowdown that comes with election years. People pause as they evaluate new policies or leadership. But after that pause, they often move forward again, and we’re seeing signs of that already.
There’s a lot of optimism. We’ve had a healthy year, and next year looks strong as well. We’re building on that momentum with the teams we have in place.
Nunnelly was named Best Place to Work and ASA General Contractor of the Year. What aspects of your culture made that possible?
It all comes back to our core values. Every decision — hiring, project planning, partnerships — is made through that lens. We recently revisited those values, tested them, and added “service” because we realized how essential that is to everything we do.
Service defines the Nunnelly experience — the way we treat clients, teammates, and trade partners. We want all of our clients at the end of a project to immediately say that they want to partner with Nunnelly on all of their future work, because of the successful experience they had.
We’ve got some great competitors here in San Antonio, and many are friends. But we’re focused on being the best. That doesn’t mean we’re perfect, but it does not stop us from aiming for perfection.
The recognition we’ve received — Best Place to Work, General Contractor of the Year, and two statewide project awards — is the result of a team effort. It’s about the culture we’ve built and the Nunnelly team members who live our core values every day.
Why is it important for Nunnelly to engage in the legislative process?
We believe in giving back — not just to San Antonio, but to the construction industry. Being in business here for over 100 years gives us a responsibility to contribute beyond just our projects.
I’ve been involved at the Texas Capitol for a while now, and I’ll continue to be. San Antonio’s construction industry is strong, but legislation can change things quickly. That’s why we engage.
Lawmakers are smart and well-intentioned, but they often don’t have first-hand knowledge of how a bill might affect our industry. Our role is to help educate them. When I testified on House Bill 3005, it wasn’t about pushing an agenda; it was about providing facts and perspective.
This firm started small, passed through three generations of family, and now we are the first non-family generation to lead it. We’ve grown the company significantly, and that’s thanks to the team we’ve built and the support of this community. Even our competitors have helped us along the way, which is another unique aspect of San Antonio. Here, we can call up a competitor for advice or support, and they’ll take the call. That kind of collaboration is rare, and we’re proud to be part of it.
What role does technology play in helping Nunnelly deliver on its mission?
There’s so much technology, and it’s moving so fast that it can be overwhelming. You can develop an app or tool for everything these days, and while that’s amazing, not all of it adds value to the client experience.
We’re always asking: Where’s the happy medium? How do we integrate innovation without losing the personal relationships that define Nunnelly?
We could automate emails, client responses, or scheduling, but that’s not who we are. We want our team members picking up the phone, meeting face-to-face, and building trust. That’s how we deliver the Nunnelly experience.
At the same time, there are fantastic tools we do use, especially when it comes to scheduling, procurement, and lean practices. The goal is to be better and more efficient without losing the human element that sets us apart. It’s all about finding the right balance between technology and service.
What are your top priorities over the next two to three years?
We’ve gone through a strategic planning process with our executive team to identify the most critical areas for growth. One of the top priorities is to be the best, not just in quality or volume, but in the experience we provide to clients, employees, and partners. We’re laser-focused on that.
We’re also focused on developing careers internally. I came up through the company and sat on both sides of the table — as an employee and now as a leader. That gives perspective on what it means to grow within an organization.
We get real satisfaction from seeing someone who started in an entry-level role grow into leadership. That kind of internal development is intentional. We’ve built mentorship pipelines where senior team members are developing the next generation. It’s all about growing from within.
The third area of focus is making sure everything we do, day in and day out, aligns with our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Safety, and Service. Our Core Values are not just a slogan or a sales pitch; they are who we are and what the Nunnelly Organization represents.
