Proven INTEGRITY & EXCELLENCE in General Contracting
By Dawn Paul, Contributing Writer
It’s not every day that you hear the words “construction” and “integrity” in the same sentence, E Contractors 
USA, LLC. (E Contractors) is a name that stands out from the competition by not only speaking of integrity, but leading by example and walking in integrity. This construction enterprise has established a great name and reputation for itself through their work and work ethic. The company’s foundation was built on honesty and integrity, in addition to experienced professionalism and exceptional relationship management. These virtues are what continue to keep E Contractors one of the most valuable assets in this industry that successfully serves countless clients in the public sector. Its impressive client roster includes school districts, colleges and universities, NASA, municipalities, and other federal and state departments. “Our consistent commitment to quality and ethics is what helps us to build and sustain long-lasting relationships with clients and others in the construction industry. These principles have played a great part in our continued growth in becoming a trusted general contracting firm in Houston, Texas, and the surrounding areas,” says Irfan Abji, Principal of E Contractors.
Irfan Abji –Principal
Abji is a highly respected businessman with a proven track record for success not only in the construction field, but in banking, finance, and real estate. Abji is the founder and President of Oakdale Group, a conglomerate that is a sister company of E Contractors. Abji is a well-renowned financial consultant who has helped many entrepreneurs manage their finances and risk. He established the Oakdale Group in 1998 and has more than 20 years of experience in real estate development, construction, infrastructure, finance, banking, and insurance, among other areas.
Manny Garcia – Managing Director
As impressive as Abji’s professional background is, he does not take the credit for the substantial strides and impressive growth of E Contractors alone. E Contractors is a true team effort, with Manny Garcia serving as the company’s Managing Director. Garcia has more than 45 years of experience in design, engineering, and construction technologies. In his storied career, Garcia started in construction as one of the first welders on the Twin Towers in Manhattan, New York. His most recent position prior to joining E Contractors was heading Job Order Contracting for the City of Houston.
Alejandra Cobas-Abji – Principal
Ms. Cobas-Abji is the Executive Vice President and co-owner of E Contractors and the Oakdale Group. Ms. Cobas started her career in design in Argentina. She has a strong background working with investors especially in the public sector and cross boarder risks as she represented the Chilean Government in San Juan, Argentina prior to moving to Houston, Texas. Working closely with the governments and investors has given her an international advantage over her peers in understanding the challenges of municipal funding and growth. She has since worked in tandem in the enhancement and growth of the group of companies. She has over 12 years of experience in financial consulting, real estate acquisition, business development and construction.
Michael Doucette –Vice President of Operations
Mr. Doucette offers a diverse range of experience in both Project Management and Client Services. His construction experience includes numerous projects for public and commercial clients with an emphasis on Job Order Contracting. Mr. Doucette brings a strong client focus to construction projects, which emphasizes communication, quality and results. Mr. Doucette has 30 years of local, US-based and international commercial and residential construction experience. As Vice President of Operations, his experience includes direct customer service, purchasing and expediting of orders, negotiating with vendors and organizing all aspects of business. Specializing in both interior renovation projects as well as many JOC programs, he has managed complete on-site construction management including effective scheduling, monitoring and inspections of all work inclusive of responsibility for interaction with client’s representatives including Architects and Engineers. He epitomizes an understanding of the relationship a contractor must have with a client.
General Contractors
Under the exceptional leadership of Abji and the rest of the management staff, E Contractors is more than your average general construction contractor. Its services include job order contracting, design build, and emergency response. Dependable and reputable subcontractors are vital to the quality services that E Contractors provides. Abji says, “We routinely evaluate current and prospective contractors to ensure that they are able to meet the quality, time and money commitments we make to the client. We want to minimize surprises.” It would be impossible for E Contractors to perform on the level it does without reliable subcontractors. This relationship is so important in that Abji created a specialized position within the organization – the Subcontractor Relationship Manager, whose duties are to act as the liaison for all subcontractors within the office. The individual tasked with this position, namely Willyann Paz, is consistent in doing due diligence to require and ensure that subcontractors hold the correct certifications and proper insurance and are able to meet their financial and risk for every project. In its unique but effective approach, E Contracts has become a mentor to their subcontractors. This type of relationship allows everyone to thrive and win on each client project. “The subcontractors appreciate our approach in how we work with them. Again, it’s all about building strong and loyal relationships that help us serve clients and continue to grow together as a team,” Abji says.
Cobas-Abji shares the same attitude of moral principles when it comes to business. She calls the company’s high standard of ethics its “secret sauce.” and adds, “We do not waiver from our values, and the same is required of staff, subcontractors, and anyone else involved with E Contractors. This has led to skyrocketing growth since its takeover. Jobs are bid honestly, accurate project timelines are provided, and realistic promises are made — and often exceeded.”
E Contractors prides itself on going against the normal way of thinking when it comes to serving clients and the level of responsibility it has when approaching each project. It has assisted school districts in saving thousands of dollars by reconfiguring the layout of temporary buildings required due to school overcrowding. With so much business in the public sector, E Contractors is always cognizant that it’s not just the client’s money they are spending, but it is also the public’s money. The impact of Hurricane Harvey was catastrophic to so many, and that included the schools. Abji explains, “We take pride in how we handled work necessitated by the devastating flooding brought on by Hurricane Harvey. Where other companies increased pricing post Harvey, we kept with our original pricing strategy. Clients were surprised. In fact, a local ISD who originally rejected our bid because it was so much lower ended up hiring E Contractors. We replaced half of the sheetrock after 90% of a school experienced great damage after receiving 16 inches of water due to Harvey. The project took 2 ½ weeks, which was less than the estimated time for completion. We felt a great sense of obligation to not only the school district, but to the community to bring the school one step closer to readmitting students.”
The company’s business has grown 2,700% in the first three years of business, and there is continued impressive projected growth. In 2017, E Contractors debuted at No. 200 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the United States. E Contractors is also a proud and active member of several cooperative networks including BuyBoard, Choice Partners, National IPA and Region 19. . E Contractors is a trusted construction company. With its extensive knowledge and commitment to integrity and client service, this company is unmatched. For more information about E Contractors, please visit www.econtractors.com or call 713-493-2500.
