Small Enough to Listen, Large Enough to Deliver

David Mitchell Company
Written by Jen Hocken

David Mitchell Company provides general contracting for commercial businesses and specializes in hotel, corporate, and dental office improvement. Periodically, it also works in residential and civil construction. David Mitchell can control the quality and schedule of a project with its in-house millwork shop and installation crew. The company’s over sixty years of experience has established a reputation as a trustworthy partner that is capable of producing a high-quality project.
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The company was established in 1955 by David Mitchell and Rudy Ebner with a focus on corporate offices, banks, hotels, and restaurants in downtown Vancouver. After David Mitchell passed away, Rudy Ebner took control until he passed the company along to his son, Richard Ebner. Davood Moradi joined the company in 2002 and became the owner in 2015. Davood has been influential in the company’s growth and expansion into new markets such as dental offices, medical offices, and high-end retail stores. David Mitchell Company now provides its services all over British Columbia, Alberta, and along the west coast of North America. Throughout its history, it has been known for its ability to deliver what it promises.

In the last fifteen years, the company has created a niche for itself in dental and medical offices. It has significant experience with the specialized and challenging field, and clients often reach out to David Mitchell for its expertise. Today, roughly one-third one the company’s work is for dental and medical offices.

Approximately sixteen people are employed by David Mitchell Company, primarily in its main facility in Vancouver. It also has two satellite offices located in San Francisco and Los Angeles to keep up with developments in the southern market. Many of the staff have been with the company for their entire careers, often as long as thirty years. There is one person who has been with the company for over forty years.

“We are a very family-oriented entity. People [employees] come here, and they don’t go anywhere else. They stay because we treat them well and fairly. They like to stay around, and we don’t have a lot of turnover like other companies,” says Davood, president and chief executive officer of David Mitchell Company. “I take pride in creating a team atmosphere, and people love to work in this environment.”

The company is regularly noticed for its exceptional work. Recently, it was recognized with an award for its work on PDG Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics. It completed the entire project in one month and showed a high level of efficiency working inside a mall and following all of the restrictions of that work. It has become known for its incredibly efficient work done in a short amount of time. “We’ve been doing projects in one month, and now that has become our benchmark. No one can beat us in timetable,” says Davood.

David Mitchell Company has grown dramatically since its humble beginnings, and the challenge is finding the right crew to hire. It looks for skilful and intelligent employees who are up-to-date with the latest technology and knowhow to incorporate today’s technology to benefit the company. “The other challenge is trying to get the jobs done that get referred to us. We are getting more and more, and trying to get them done on time with the number of staff can be challenging,” says Davood.

The distinguishing factor of the company compared to its competition is that it is small enough to listen to its clients, large enough to deliver complicated projects and experienced enough to be trusted in the industry. “My biggest achievement is I always get most of my clients to become our friends. We have a very interesting dynamic that at the end of the project. We end up having a relationship with the clients, and they want to continue that relationship,” says Davood.

In one instance, when David Mitchell Company owed some money to one of its clients, the client suggested that the company not pay the small amount, but invite them over for a home-cooked meal instead. “It’s a credit that the clients want to come to my house, sit at my table, eat, and have that kind of relationship. To me, it speaks volumes that it’s not about money; it’s about the relationship, and that’s where I think I succeed more than anything else,” says Davood. It is a very rewarding experience when clients are completely content with a project and want to form a close relationship.

The company’s efficiency and its ability to connect with people, while delivering a high-quality project, is what sets it apart. It provides a more personal experience, and Davood makes sure to visit every project to ensure that he is involved and understands the process completely. A clause is established in every project to ensure that the company finishes projects on time. Its ability to complete projects quickly, combined with its relationships with customers is something with which no other company can compete.

David Mitchell Company was featured in Impressions Magazine for its financial support of the Villa Cathay dental clinic project. The Villa Cathay Care Home for senior citizens now has its own dental care operation, and the University of British Columbia (UBC) dental students have a place to learn about geriatric dentistry. The UBC geriatric dental program teaches students about the specialized type of dentistry to provide critical oral care to seniors in a dignified way. David Mitchell Company often works with UBC to bring awareness of the necessity of providing the best educational experience.

Giving back to the community is a priority for David Mitchell Company. It regularly donates to the UBC faculty of dentistry and provides financial support to a variety of other organizations in Vancouver. It put together a small conference course at UBC to advise new dentists of their options after they graduate. Davood and a group of others who are well known in the industry offer their knowledge and experience about dental offices, including the choice to build a new dentistry practice or purchase one.

Sustainability is always a prominent part of projects completed by David Mitchell Company. “We try to be as green as possible. We try to be conscientious about recycling whatever material is being demolished on site and try to reuse whatever is reusable,” says Davood. In terms of energy savings, the company uses low consumption energy lighting as much as possible and includes sustainable solutions in all of its proposals to clients.

David Mitchell Company is a little more sophisticated than the average general contractor. It has design capabilities, and a few of the staff have PhDs in architecture. These services are not required on every project, but the company does have the ability to complete a project from the beginning to the end using architecture and interior design with its full range of construction knowledge. Davood Moradi previously worked for the city of Vancouver for eight years where he developed a widespread experience in design, administration, building codes, and zoning bylaws. This experience is quite useful for David Mitchell Company. “I have a full range of knowledge of construction from very heavy to very detailed, and that comes in handy,” says Davood.

David Mitchell Company was established to provide innovative construction services to the industry, and it has its own mill shop that adds a personal touch to its work. Its professional and resourceful staff’s high-quality craftsmanship reinvents spaces into functional and modern works of art.

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