MBA Energy & Industrial : Executing a Bold Construction Vision

MBA Energy & Industrial has created a team of experienced designers, engineers, superintendents, and managers to help streamline construction processes and invigorate the industry. We hear more about the burgeoning business from CEO, Damian Rockett.

EXECUTING A BOLD CONSTRUCTION VISION

The most recent and transformative evolution of the US construction industry has seen a heavy shift toward energy production. 

As such, the last decade has witnessed a growing focus on enabling the energy transition, including addressing renewables such as wind, solar, hydrogen, and carbon capture, while oil and gas continues to be a foundational resource. 

Meanwhile, the rise in data centers and manufacturing onshoring has taxed the current energy grid, and many businesses are now seeing a heavy push to utilize a combination of natural gas and nuclear power. 

Boldly navigating this ever-evolving landscape, MBA Energy & Industrial (MBA) is a design-build construction services provider focusing its efforts in the vast industrial, energy, and manufacturing sectors. 

“Due to our reputation for successfully completing energy projects in remote locations all around the country, we have found ourselves a perfect fit to meet the needs of the energy, industrial, data center, and manufacturing sectors’ growth that is going on across the nation,” introduces CEO, Damian Rockett. 

“At the same time, labor shortages and supply chain swings have been real challenges, but we are utilizing our experience and vast supply chain to mitigate these difficulties for our customers,” he sets out. 

This formidable ability to adjust and keep delivering is a big reason clients continue to come back to MBA, particularly as end users are no longer willing to wait for utilities to come to them. 

“We are built to handle complex, fast-moving, and remote projects and keep them moving when others stall. That is why so much of our backlog comes from repeat clients – they know we will find a way to deliver,” Rockett affirms. 

STICKING TO PRINCIPALS

Recognizing an industry need for cost-effective oil and gas design-build, engineering, industrial contracting, and construction services, Principals Cory Martin, Mark Brown, and Daniel Acevedo founded MBA to deliver practical, effective solutions for the energy and industrial sectors.  

The three founders took their vision for success and came together to combine their construction, engineering, and contracting experience to grow the business into a successful design-build construction company. 

Since its inception, MBA has grown into an industry leading company offering services throughout North America with its headquarters located in Houston, Texas (TX) and field offices in Austin, TX and Salt Lake City, Utah. 

“The MBA name was conceived using the first initial of each principal’s last name. To this day, the company is still owned by the original founders, continuing their vision of providing quality design-build construction services at affordable rates,” Rockett recalls. 

“Today, we manage every phase of a project’s lifecycle – from design, procurement, project management, and construction – with one team and one process. Our projects span oil and gas, renewable energy, renewable natural gas (RNG), carbon capture, water treatment, manufacturing, and large-scale data centers,” he elaborates.

Furthermore, MBA is now licensed in 42 states and often works in remote areas where few other companies can mobilize so effectively. It excels at large-scale facilities and multibuilding campuses, delivering projects that demand significant coordination and execution discipline. 

MASTERING THE INDUSTRY

At MBA, every project brings unique demands and requires specialist attention.  

“Our approach is to own the complexity, not hand it back to the client – open communication and trust are part of it, but the real differentiator is how we make the process simple without cutting corners,” Rockett explains.   

Furthermore, when the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed in 2022, MBA did not wait for others to figure out how it would work – instead the company hired a full-time IRA specialist to ensure all its operations stayed ahead of regulatory requirements.  

“We have already completed several IRA projects and are currently involved in over a dozen others. Our reputation has led us to support construction operations on multiple new chip manufacturing facilities across the country,” he continues. 

Additionally, MBA is the premier choice for data center development. It has 1.5 gigawatts of data center capacity and offers unmatched expertise in design, engineering, procurement, and construction for such facilities.  

Within this portion of the company’s work, its high-performance computing (HPC)-certified Design Manager is crucial to creating elite new centers. 

The company’s leaders are hands-on problem solvers and well known by both internal and external stakeholders throughout each project.  

“We also reinforce accountability with dedicated roles for safety, quality, and warranty, so clients know we deliver and stand behind our work.” 

Ultimately, this is the reason why more than 74 percent of MBA’s work comes from repeat clients, who can always rest assured that the company makes the hard jobs easier for them.

COMMUNITY CARE

For MBA, corporate philanthropy is less about recognition and more about supporting its people as they help their local communities. 

“The company and our employees pride themselves on being engaged members of the communities we work in. We partner up with clients around the country to support local charities while also aiding nearby schools and organizations,” Rockett prides. 

This support doesn’t stop at just financial donations, however, as MBA prides itself on responding in person when it can. 

“Our people can often be found helping local charities like the Houston Food Bank and we have also been involved with cleanups after every major storm that has hit the Gulf Coast, from New Orleans, Louisiana to Brownsville, TX, over the last few decades,” he adds. 

MBA also makes it a priority to recognize achievements and celebrate its people. Every March, the company takes time to recognize Women in Construction Week to honor and celebrate the incredible women on its team. 

“We also organize activities such as pickleball, basketball, go-karting, and even fielded a softball team, while a yearly highlight is our annual Christmas paintball tournament.” 

These moments matter to both the company and Rockett, as they keep the team connected.  

We understand that what sets MBA apart from our peers is our people, so we make investing in our employees a top priority. 

“Put simply, if we take care of our doers, they will take care of our clients,” he expands. 

DEDICATED TO THE JOB

Undoubtedly, what continues to set the company apart is the tried and tested structure of its team. 

MBA places a lot of emphasis on accountability, which is the reason why it employs a full-time Safety Director managing its site-specific safety plans, a Quality Control Manager focused on consistency, and Warranty Manager who ensures the company stands by its work even after the job is finished.    

Using this formula for success moving forward, MBA will endeavor to focus on its core client base in the heavy industrial and oil and gas sectors. At the same time, the company is growing in renewables, data centers, and energy production. 

Elsewhere, MBA has also been at the forefront of large bitcoin mining facilities and is now part of the artificial intelligence (AI) data center revolution. 

“We have also seen substantial growth with our engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) partners, and we plan to continue to build on that. Across every industry, our priorities stay the same – safety, quality, client satisfaction, and operational efficiency,” adds Rockett. 

“At the end of the day, our goal is simple – deliver high-quality projects on time, on budget, anywhere, every time,” he firmly concludes. 

MBA ENERGY & INDUSTRIAL PARTNER