William R. “Rick” Derrer has joined Gulf Building LLC as Chief Operating Officer. He oversees projects for the company, one of South Florida’s premier providers of commercial, government and custom residential construction management services.
Derrer co-founded James A. Cummings Inc. and was responsible for operations and supervision of billions of dollars of construction of commercial, government, institutional and education buildings. A highly respected builder and manager, he was inducted into the Construction Hall of Fame at the University of Florida’s M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management in 2007.
“Rick’s experience and entrepreneurial skills enable us to operate at a much higher level,” said John Scherer, President and CEO, Gulf Building LLC. “He will guide the company as we expand all of our lines of business.”
Derrer has more than 40 years of experience in the construction industry. James A. Cummings, Inc. was started in 1981 as a three-person operation and grew into a multi-million-dollar business before the company was sold in 2003 to Perini Corp. He continued as President and CEO until his retirement in October 2015.
Derrer is a member of the Broward Workshop, Chairman of the CSBE Advisory Board in Miami-Dade County, past Chairman and current member of the Board of Rules and Appeals for Miami–Dade County. Derrer serves on the board of the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade. He advocates for enhanced parks that improve people’s quality of life and for increased walkability and connectivity in communities. He is a past President of the Construction Association of South Florida and a past member of the Advisory Council Executive Committee of University of Florida’s M. E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management. Derrer graduated with honors from the University of Florida’s Building Construction Program.
Derrer joins Gulf Building as it expands in-house construction services including general contracting and construction management. Its portfolio includes new construction and renovation in the hotel, medical, office, educational, industrial and governmental sectors, in addition to its ever-growing repertoire of high-end, custom residential projects.