Ironline Builders is a self-perform commercial general contractor serving Central Ohio — tenant build-outs, restaurant and retail fit-outs, and small ground-up shells in the $150K–$2.5M range. We win on bonded capacity, hard schedules, and crews we control instead of subbing out the whole job.
The model is deliberately disciplined. We self-perform concrete, framing, and carpentry — the trades that make or break a schedule — and tightly manage a vetted subcontractor bench for the rest. That keeps roughly a third of every contract in-house, protects margin, and lets us commit to dates the do-everything brokers can't.
Central Ohio is in a build cycle — Intel's New Albany campus, a surge of warehouse and medical-office work, and a steady churn of retail and restaurant fit-outs. Mid-size commercial GCs are backed up 4–6 months. A disciplined, bonded contractor with open capacity can win work on availability alone.
Dominic Vance ran field operations as a superintendent on $80M of commercial work; Rachel Okafor managed project budgets and owner relationships at a regional GC for nine years. We bring the crews, the sub relationships, and three letters of intent worth $3.1M before incorporation.
A revolving line of credit covering equipment, the bonding-collateral deposit, and the receivables gap on our first three projects. Combined with $150,000 of owner equity, it funds a fully insured, fully bonded GC ready to mobilize on day one.
A focused commercial scope: the project types where a disciplined mid-size GC with self-perform crews has a real edge on schedule and price. We do not chase heavy civil or high-rise — we own the build-out and small ground-up lane.
We self-perform concrete, framing, and finish carpentry — roughly 30–35% of contract value in-house. A vetted bench of 40+ licensed subs covers MEP, roofing, and specialty trades under lump-sum agreements with retainage held to spec.
Negotiated GMP and competitive hard-bid both supported. Standard markup is fee of 4–6% plus general conditions at 8–10%; self-perform labor billed at a blended $78/hr loaded rate, protecting margin the open-shop brokers give away.
Central Ohio is one of the fastest-growing commercial construction markets in the Midwest — anchored by a generational semiconductor investment and a deep bench of mid-market owners who need a bonded GC with open capacity.
Intel's $28B New Albany campus has pulled the region's larger GCs onto mega-project work, thinning the field for $150K–$2.5M jobs. Owners report bid backlogs of 4–6 months and subcontractors stretched thin.
A bonded GC entering with open capacity, self-perform crews, and credible references competes on the one thing owners can't buy at any price right now: a contractor who can start.
The mid-market is contested by two kinds of firm: large GCs distracted by mega-projects, and broker-style contractors who sub out 100% of the work and can't hold a schedule. Our wedge sits between them — bonded capacity with crews we actually control.
Ironline runs lean field-heavy operations: a core self-perform crew, a managed subcontractor bench, and a project pipeline fed by the founders' relationships. Overhead stays low so capacity goes to the work, not the office.
First TI build-outs from signed LOIs; crew & equipment staged, bonding line opened.
Add a restaurant fit-out and first ground-up shell; second super hired.
Pipeline self-sustaining on referrals; warehouse shell breaks ground.
Year-two work under contract; bid-hit rate stabilized above 25%.
A $2M single / $4M aggregate surety line plus $2M general liability and full workers' comp — the credentials to bid institutional and public work. Business development is relationship-led: the founders' developer and architect network drives the pipeline at near-zero cost.
Two owner-operators, one PM, and a part-time controller. G&A held under 7% of revenue; the field carries the company.
Conservative first-year assumptions — eight to ten contracts averaging $510K, a blended 14.5% gross margin, and G&A held under 7%. Every figure below holds even if we miss the backlog plan by 15%.
Funded by $150,000 owner equity + $250,000 revolving line.
~8% net margin per project; nine contracts cover all fixed cost and reach break-even by the eighth month.
Year-2 growth comes from a higher bid-hit rate and larger ground-up shells; Year 3 adds a second self-perform crew and a raised bonding line, funded from operating cash — not new debt.
Ironline Builders is a disciplined, credentialed GC entering a market that is short on exactly what we offer: bonded capacity and crews that hold a schedule. The capital below is the only thing between a finished plan and steel in the ground.
Entity, bonding line, insurance and equipment in place; first two LOIs converted to contracts.
Self-perform core staffed; three to four projects active and billing on schedule.
Cash-flow positive; the line drawn down and revolving against receivables, not principal.
Second self-perform crew and a raised bonding line — funded from operating cash.
The plan reaches break-even in month eight, services the line from contribution rather than principal, and self-funds the second crew by Year 3. The $250,000 isn't a bet on demand that might show up — it's working capital for a backlog already lining up.