The building blocks to DDT KONSTRACT’s 20 towering years
Who would have thought that a fisherman and farmer would someday build the tallest office building in Ortigas, one of Metro Manila’s premier business districts? The founder and CEO of DDT Konstract, Inc., Engr. Danilo D. Tamayo — or DDT, as his colleagues call him — never did.
Despite being the youngest among frontrunners in the construction industry, DDTKI took the long way toward success. In an interview with The Philippine STAR, Engr. Danilo ‘Danny’ Tamayo shared with glee how he started from scratch, with his family relying on him.
“It started during the Asian Financial Crisis where both the companies that my wife and I were working with folded up,” Tamayo recalled.
Running out of opportunities, the former vice president of GP Zapanta Construction defied the odds and applied as an operations manager, project manager, even as a project engineer, but had no luck.
However, Engr. DDT was not new to hardships, noting how he grew up underprivileged in a remote town in Cagayan and how he struggled as a dreamer and newcomer in Manila.
WINDOW TO SUCCESS
“I lost 10 pounds. It was very scary,” Engr. DDT said, recalling the risk of establishing DDTKI. With the given situation, Engr. DDT and his wife, Engr. Cynthia Tamayo decided to start a labor-subcontracting firm.
“In just one month, I had already borrowed P250,000. We already had employees but did not have projects. It was very scary, but the guts, persistence and determination were there,” he added.
Using their last money as weapon — a P50,000 joint savings plus the borrowed money from his wife’s mother, DDTKI managed to work its way up within a 20-square-meter office space in EDSA, with seven employees and a secondhand elf truck, which was marked with a company logo Engr. DDT made himself.
After securing an P80,000 deal with MDC, several other projects followed. But these were not enough to further hoist the company and pay for the loans. Engr. DDT admitted he gripped the 5-6 lending scheme to sustain the early years of the company.
“Banks will never lend you money because you do not have a track record. Suppliers will never give you credit because of the fear that they will not be paid, even your personal friends — because you are asking for a hefty amount of money,” he shared.
Engr. Cynthia, on her end, noticed how difficult it was to hire and retain employees when DDTKI was still an unstable start-up. The only ace she had over their competitors was her unparalleled skill in cost engineering, which she willingly shared to their employees.
THE QUANTUM LEAP
After 5 years of dedication despite working on small projects, the DDTKI built Cavite’s Our Lady of the Pillar in Imus, Cavite, a school building donated to then Archbishop Tagle of Imus by SM matriarch, Felicidad Sy. The project served as a crane that lifted the company. Shortly after it was completed, the Sy family awarded the SM Molino project to the then-neophyte contractor. These stepping-stones led to more successful SM projects.
Through these projects, DDTKI was able to make a name and showcase its integrity and credibility. They soon went out of the box and joined the international bidding for the iconic World Health Organization (WHO) building, which they grandly built on Taft and United Nations Avenues, Manila.
According to Engr. DDT, the WHO project defined the company and opened doors to various opportunities. The said milestone pushed them to evolve and secure other bigger projects.
But behind the landmark BDO and Globe Telecom general headquarters and other dream buildings, the low-key Tamayo family managed to keep their feet on the ground. The family’s humility, passion for construction, and love for people are said to be the true backbone of its current success.
UNCONVENTIONAL STRUCTURE
Engr. DDT was once told that it was unusual for a couple to work in the same company, let alone appoint the wife as vice
president. A clever risk-taker, he slammed the idea for he trusted the brilliance and premium expertise of his wife. Engr. Cynthia’s role in the company complemented DDT’s vast visions and skills in other engineering fields. Her over 20 years of experience in costing has become the base of the company’s successful creations.
Engr. Cynthia balances her duties as a wife, vice president, and tutor who patiently and generously shares her knowledge to new engineers. As a result, DDTKI not only holds the best team of cost engineers in the industry today, but has also raised a bigger and devoted family.
The familial bond and respect between DDTKI workers, from top management to rank-and-file employees, serve as the company’s shield against the looming lack of skilled workers and professionals. The company also trains and gives employees ample professional exposure for them to grow further.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Familiar with crises, DDTKI battled yet another financial crisis after 10 years. Instead of folding up, DDTKI further expanded and established businesses close to their heart: construction and agriculture.
To maintain its momentum during the surge of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, the Tamayo family decided to establish Whiteport, Inc., a DDTKI subsidiary founded and formerly spearheaded by Engr. Andrea Tamayo-Ulep.
Despite being new to the arena back in 2009, Whiteport successfully constructed several small projects, such as SM Supermarket branches, as a way to support and complement DDTKI. Following the natural evolution of construction companies, DataLand, a real estate company, was created in 2011.
In 2010, Engr. DDT also decided to turn a muddy land in Sta. Teresita, Cagayan into a fishpond, which soon evolved into a shrimp farm and was called DATAJ Aquafarm. This time, DDT was again challenged by several failed attempts to breed shrimp.
Determined to succeed, Engr. DDT flew experts from Thailand to assess the farms. Using a top-notch aquaculture farm technology, the team succeeded and was able to expand the business to nearby towns in Cagayan. The company now provides tons of shrimp nationwide. DATAJ, together with Agriwaras agricultural company, now carries DDTKI’s name in the field of food security.
“We will continue to sustain the growth path of DDTKI and Whiteport. We will focus on the long-term growth of our subsidiaries DataLand, DATAJ Aquafarm, and Agriwaras,” Engr. DDT said, adding that group has a lot in-store as it celebrates its 20 years in the booming construction industry.
Moving to further greater heights, DDTKI has also invested in a state-of-the-art and fully automated precast plant in Tanauan, Batangas. The billion-worth technology from Finland can produce 50 hectares of precast concrete panels annually.
Two big economic crises, a determined man, a brilliant woman, and a supportive family; looking back, these elements are the building blocks of DDTKI’s 20 solid years in the construction industry.