In just two years, Chris and Amber Linde, founders of Linde Construction, Inc.,have grown from two to 20 employees.

One of the company’s largest projects completed to date includes the Rockefeller Group Professional Center office building in Rancho Cucamonga.

Under the warm California sun, the next generation of construction owners are digging in.

With impressive skills and a business savvy well beyond their years, Chris and Amber Linde founded Linde Construction, Inc., a woman- and minority-owned general contracting firm in 2016 in Montclair, California.

In just two years, the couple have grown the company from two to 20 employees and completed a number of high-profile improvement and renovation projects—from multimillion-dollar office buildings to complex medical facilities.

Together, they are rapidly turning their dream into one of Southern California’s foremost go-to construction firms. Their story is one of energy, enthusiasm and hard work.

Entrepreneurial Ambitions

Always an entrepreneur, Chris has been “in business” since he was 11 years old when he started his first lawn service, with responsibilities that included monthly invoicing. He moved on to a car detailing business and even a clothing operation, all while working for his parents’ construction business and going to school.

Though he learned the finer points of carpentry, Chris was not convinced that construction was the career of choice for him. “I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” recalls Chris. “But after taking a few college classes, I realized I missed working with my hands and instead went through the union carpentry apprenticeship.”

As it turns out, carpentry was a perfect backdrop to fulfill his business aspirations. He went to work for City Constructors Inc., one of the leading contractors in Southern California, working his way from laborer to project engineer and finally to superintendent—all before the age of 30.

As a superintendent, Chris oversaw complex, $200-plus million commercial renovations throughout the greater Los Angeles area. His point of pride was the $60 million renovation of The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, originally built in 1926, where he was the lead superintendent.

But, Chris’ entrepreneurial spirit continued to haunt him. He says, “I’ve always wanted to own my own firm—but I also knew that I needed the right combination of experience and connections.” After almost a decade with the construction firm, he began to set the foundation for his own operation.

While continuing to work for City Constructors, Chris began taking on some side jobs, primarily carpentry work, building a reputation in the Montclair area. For the next year, he worked full time on the Roosevelt Hotel project during the day and then nights and weekends on independent jobs. His reputation for quality work grew; before long, he got his contractor license, insurance and an official company name.

In the meantime, Amber, who had just left her job to have their second child, sought to do her part to help the family company. Amber recalls, “At the time, Chris was doing everything in the office and in the field. I began researching the operational side of running a construction business. I read every construction and project management book that I could get my hands on and learned as much as I could about everything from contracts to payment processing.”

Today, Amber, as President of Linde Construction, has taken over the operational side of the business, while Chris, as Vice President, manages estimating, bidding and project management.

Growing Reputation

For the first year of business, Chris and Amber worked out of their house, hiring labor as needed for jobs as they came along—all while Chris continued to work at his former company. Their early projects were small, often including the removal and replacement of carpets, doors, windows and some painting at commercial properties.

Everything changed in early 2017 when they were subcontracted to complete two large projects: the $700,000 tenant improvement of an infectious disease center in Claremont and the $1.3 million Rockefeller Group Professional Center office building in Rancho Cucamonga. They completed both jobs on time and on budget.

In the meantime, Chris continued to work at his old job. He adds, “I was trying not to leave my employer hanging. So, I stayed with them until I closed out all of my projects including a large structural retrofit that was completed in August 2017.”

The next month, Chris and Amber moved their operation out of their home and into a rented office space in Montclair—and began building their work family.

Traditional Values

A true family affair, Chris and Amber hired their first three employees in April 2017 and four more in September that same year. Today, there are 20 employees, largely project managers and laborers that Chris has known and worked with for a decade.

Chris freely admits that he is a tough taskmaster when it comes to quality and safety on his jobsites—and has high expectations of his team. He adds, “I was trained by some of the best project managers and superintendents in the business. I expect quality work, a clean jobsite and strong lines of communication—and in return, I’ll provide interesting jobs, opportunities for professional growth and benefits.”

In particular, Chris is excited about his growing number of talented project managers. He continues, “These guys may not have decades of experience, but they have skill, a team mentality and a great work ethic—all qualities that fit our company culture.”

The “team” attitude is important to Amber as well, who sees employees as part of her growing work family. She adds, “We want our team to be just as excited as we are and to feel like they’re a part of something much bigger. We’re just beginning, but we’ve got the skills, the passion and the energy to really make a difference in our lives as well in the lives of our team and our customers.”

The strategy is working. In its first complete year (2017), Linde Construction completed over 40 projects of varying scope and scale. This year (2018) promises to be even better.

“We want our team to be just as excited as we are and to feel like they’re a part of something much bigger” Amber Linde, Co-owner and Vice President,
Linde Construction, Inc.

Fast-Track Growth

As it completes its second full year of business, Linde Construction continues to grow its reputation and backlog of business with work throughout the Los Angeles, Orange County and Inland Empire regions.

In all jobs, large and small, Chris and Amber firmly believe that the best sign of a quality job is a repeat customer. Chris adds, “My goal is to keep clients for a lifetime—and where they go, we’ll go.”

While much of Linde Construction’s work over the last year has been tenant improvements, their entire team is excited to begin its first ground-up project—as the subcontractor on a new 36,000-square-foot tilt-up building for Charter Communications in Garden Grove.

They were also just awarded a $2.2 million, 20,000-square-foot tenant improvement project in Redlands.

While the company currently self-performs much of every job—including structural, plumbing and electrical work—it has also developed partnerships with top subcontractors throughout Southern California. Chris and Amber envision the company growing in broader directions.

Chris concludes, “Our goal is to become a true general contractor and project management firm in the private and, soon, the public sectors.”

Given the success to date, Linde Construction is well on its way to fulfilling their version of the California dream.