Fast-starting Brinkman brothers grow business 6 times in 3 years

FORT COLLINS — In the three years it’s been in operation, development company Brinkman Partners LLC has changed in ways that set it well apart from competitors.

The company went from a single Brinkman — Kevin — to two, with the addition of brother Paul. It migrated from an office in someone’s home to one of Fort Collins most elegantly appointed new office buildings. Annual revenue soared from $2.2 million in 2002 to $13.3 in 2005.

And Brinkman Partners is still in the fast lane, with projects set to double in the next year and revenues expected to increase exponentially, as well.

The pattern of growth, and projections for more, make the Brinkman brothers the  winners of the 2006 Bravo! Emerging Entrepreneur Award.

The key to Brinkman Partners’ success lies in the company’s unusual business model.

“It’s a very different company,” remarked Paul Brinkman. “We wanted to create a culture where you can do different things.”

Kevin Brinkman, 28, started the company in 2003 with a heavy residential focus. For the first two years, he was able to double his revenues. Paul Brinkman, 32, decided to hang up his hat as the chief operating officer at Neenan Co. in 2005 to join his brother.

With both brothers at the helm, the company ventured into the commercial real estate world and bigger revenues.

Today, the 16-person staff is capable of handling the construction, development and real estate services that its clients might need. Many companies in the construction industry will find partners to deal with some of the services that Brinkman Partners keeps in-house.

This is key, the Brinkmans said, because many business people do not have time to coordinate with several different companies. However, they are careful not to stretch the company’s talent too thin.

“We don’t want to be everything to everyone,” Kevin Brinkman said. “We want to focus on our core business.”

The company is typically working on some stage of 10 to 15 deals at any given time. In addition to acquiring land, building and finding tenants, Brinkman Partners also tries to help ease the risk for its clients. The company has been part-owner on several of its projects in order to lighten the financial burden.

But success isn’t all about business models and great service. It helps to have strong ties in the community.

The Brinkman brothers grew up in Fort Collins, and they both traveled and lived elsewhere after graduating high school. But when it came to establishing roots, they found themselves back in the “Choice City.”

“I think we’re definitely both Colorado guys,” Kevin Brinkman said.

The Brinkmans have been able to leverage their commitment and knowledge of the community to attract business and retain it.

“We’ve had the luxury of being born and raised here,” Kevin Brinkman said.

Aside from a few mountain properties, all of Brinkman Partners projects are in Northern Colorado.

“We have no aspirations to work out of state or in southern Colorado,” Paul Brinkman said.

The company is definitely keeping busy right in the region. It has a lot of projects in the pipeline now that promise to keep the staff occupied for a while. Because the company has so much going on and is so young, Kevin Brinkman likes the idea of being named the 2006 Emerging Entrepreneur.

“I don’t think we’ve emerged yet,” he explained.

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