NETWORKING® MAGAZINE'S DAVID AWARD HONOREE, JANUARY 12, 2006

JACK KULKA
President, Kulka Construction Corp.

by Maureen Traxler

A licensed electrical engineer, Jack Kulka recognized early on that he liked to work with people. Fresh out of New York University, he landed a job in the aerospace industry, but sitting behind a drafting board all day as one of 1,000 other engineers wasn't for him. He says, "I lasted three days."

Kulka went on to gain valuable work experience at a small electrical contracting firm that grew significantly when it secured the electrical contracts on 11 E.J. Korvette shopping centers. The company expanded onto Long Island, and just two years after graduating from college, Kulka was appointed Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Long Island division. He considers himself fortunate, too, to have had the opportunity to become a construction superintendent for Max Marcus, the premier industrial developer on Long Island in the 1960s and '70s, and learn construction from a home-grown master. In those early days, he worked side-by-side with men from Italy and Portugal whose skill and knowledge were gained from their fathers and grandfathers in the trade before them, and they passed on much of that knowledge to Kulka. His experiences helped him realize that a successful tradesman needs more than "book learning" and that practical experience in real situations would ground his career.

In 1977, with $100 and an investment in a typewriter and a phone, Kulka founded Kulka Contracting in the basement of his home. Mustering up the courage to deliver a proposal in person to influential owner Mike Leeds, he won his first project. Through the friendship that was struck between the two men, Kulka gained three additional major clients: Harrison Conference Center, Industrial Fasteners and Avant Garde Optics, and was on his way to a successful construction business.

Today, Kulka Construction employees 30 people and his team of professionals oversees anywhere from $50 to $100 million of construction a year. The company's projects range from industrial buildings to corporate headquarters, from theater complexes to shopping centers, from office buildings to multi-family residential projects, and they handle all aspects of the job from getting government approvals, to value engineering and planning.

"We have a large client base that continues to provide business and is happy to recommend us," Kulka says. "By ensuring quality construction, we protect our customers' interests. It's the only way to build customer loyalty and earn the respect of contractors."

Kulka credits the success of his business to his "construction management" approach Ð a new concept he brought to the Long Island building industry in the 1970s. As a professional builder, Kulka charges a fixed fee, which includes his efforts and those of his employees. In this way, he feels he and the owner develop relationships that are mutually rewarding and allow them to complete the project in a cost effective manner.

Kulka calls his business his "good luck charm" because as it prospered, he began to build his life of community service. He became active in the Hauppauge community, where he lived, operated his business, and sent his children to school. "When you get something from a community," he says, "you have to give something back."

Kulka was one of the early builders of the Hauppauge Industrial Park, conceived by noted planner Lee Koppelman. In 1978, when the park experienced a three-day power outage and found little help from the power company, he helped form the Hauppauge Industrial Association to advocate for the park's interests and for the business community. He served as president, is a lifetime board member and is still very active in the organization.

At the same time, Kulka was one of the five founders of the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center, where he is a past president and remains an active member today. Years later, he founded the Hauppauge Education Foundation, which provides programs for the Hauppauge school district and supports educational, athletic and recreational activities. He's founder and past chairman of the Farmingdale College Foundation, and served on the Touro Law School Advisory and Development Committee.

He was chairman of the Long Island Israel Bond Campaign, the Long Island American Cancer Society Charity Fund Drive, and St. John's Hospital fundraising committee; is an active member of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, and was founder and past chairman of the Suffolk County Congregational Coordinating Council.

"One of the highlights of my community service," notes Kulka, "was when I was chairman of the United Way campaign, and worked with a National Football League player to raise funds and promote the good works of Long Island's nonprofit community."

"In the construction business, I can see the physical results of my efforts in the buildings and it makes me feel proud," remarks Kulka. "In much the same way, seeing people benefit from good works also makes me feel good." He adds that to succeed, one needs "tenacity. You have to keep trying and keep making things happen. This is true in business, in community service and in your personal life."

Kulka and his wife Harriet, who served as dean of students at New York Institute of Technology for 28 years, live in Hauppauge. The couple has 4 grown daughters, all college grads: Paula (University of Miami), Lee (SUNY Oswego), Amy (University of Florida), and Nell (University of Delaware) and a son Devin, 16 years old. Three of the girls are educators - a higher education counselor and elementary and high school teachers - and one followed a business career.

There's one thing on Kulka's wish list: a 36-hour day. He says he'd like "more free time," but in all likelihood, this community activist and successful business man could easily fill 12 more hours.