Concrete foundations

THERE’S concrete evidence suggesting Lettieri Constructions deserves the Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce Premier Regional Business Award in the category of Service Excellence.
Ironically, the Dandenong South-based company built the premises of last year’s Premier Regional Business Awards overall winner Hilton Manufacturing, and is in the process of building the premises for another local business stalwart – Jayco.
The reason the city’s top businesses are choosing Lettieri Constructions is because of the company’s excellent customer service, project manager Tony Lettieri says.
“I think it’s our service and how we treat our clients,” he said.
“It’s our ability to turn around a building in a short amount time and of the highest quality.”
Tony’s father, Tony Lettieri Senior, formed the company with brother Michael in 1970 after migrating to Australia from the tiny southern Italian town of Rofrano.
It wasn’t long before the bricklaying duo turned to precast concrete slabs in the mid 1980s.
It was a direction that would lay the symbolic foundations for the company, which has since exploded as the business has passed into the hands of the children of the original Lettieri brothers.
Mr Lettieri said the emphasis on expansion while remaining a family-owned and operated business was one of Lettieri Construction’s shining qualities.
“People love working for us,” he said.
“We are a small family business but we allow staff overtime plus Saturdays, which a lot of employers usually shy away from because of the cost.
“But we love to give something back to our staff.”
Lettieri Constructions now has a division that is solely dedicated to the production of precast concrete slabs, called Letcon Precast.
The division produces the slabs required for Lettieri Construction jobs as well as supplying other builders.
Letcon Precast opened in 2002 after the company discovered it was using enough materials to justify its own plant.
Mr Lettieri had no idea that the company would win the award, but in an earlier interview said the field of nominees would prove tough.
“We’re all excited, I hope we win it,” he said. “But there are a lot of good companies out there so we will have to wait and see, I guess.”
Lettieri Constructions was also nominated in the small business and innovation categories.