This construction company is enjoying sweet victory lap-20 years after it first set up shop in the country and changed the game in the real estate industry. Built from scratch, DDT Konstract, Inc (DDTKI) is a corporation which caters to all types of general building construction. In the two solid decades that it has operated, the company has managed to become one of country’s most reliable construction company. Founded during the Asian crisis in the late 90’s by Engr. Danilo Tamayo and his wife Engr. Cynthia, the Tamayos had always seen DDTKI as a technology company, employing state-of-the-art equipment and weaving industry best practices in the business. While DDTKI was making a name for itself as a company that churns out top quality products, the game changer came when the company invested in a fully automated precast plant in Tanauan, Batangas-a rare thing in the country’s construction company. The precast technology, which can produce 50 hectares of precast concrete panels every year, was worth over a billion pesos of investment, it allowed DDTKI to truly compete with-and even surpass-more established players. Today, DDTKI has diversified into other business. There’s Agriwaras, a company that focuses on distribution of agricultural products, rice production and poultry and swine-raising, Whiteport, One of the fastest growing all-Filipino owned construction companies, Dataj Aquafarm, a 150 -hectare state-of-the-art aquaculture farm in Northern Cagayan. There’s also the Andres P. Tamayo Sr. foundation (named after Danilo’s father) which oversees the CSR activities of DDTKI, and DataLand, Property development arm of DDTKI.

ROAD TO SUCCESS
The company’s road to success was filed with challenges and triumphs. While DDTKI was still trying to find their footing in the industry that could be quite competitive, the company had to settle for small projects – a repair of sagging ceiling of a room in an office building owned by Ayala Land. The projects led to other small projects such as entrance gates, guard hoses, CHB fences, basketball courts and reservoirs thru Makati Development Corp. There is also precast mass housing and wooden lofts for then LHPI, Now Avida Land all owned by Ayala Land. It was Ayala Land who gave the first project as a contractor and nurtured DDTKI to what they are now and even adapted to Ayala’s corporate core values. Another early believer to their cause was the SM group. The big break was when SM, through Mr. Hans T. Sy awarded the construction of Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay. While doing the Taal Vista Hotel Mrs. Felicidad Sy through Mr. Hans entrusted DDTKI the construction of 3-storey school building, a donation to the Archbishop Tagle of Imus This project was successfully turned-over together with Taal Vista Hotel leading to its small project, the SM Molino in Bacoor, Cavite. That began the partnership with SM Group opening up other opportunities for DDTKI to fruitful partnership with other partners: Robinsons Land, Globe, Megaworld, Taft Properties, La Panday, Keppel Land, Arthaland, Anchorland, Eton Properties, Filinvest, Udenna, and GeoEstate. With several projects under their belt that showed their integrity and capability, DDTKI joined the international bidding for the World Health Organization (WHO) building Taft and was awarded with the contract. After the string of big breaks that came their way, It was like a quantum leap for DDTKI. They started to bag big ticket projects left and right, providing they could stand side with other established construction companies.

MOVING FORWARD
It was in the late 2000’s, when the global financial crisis was wreaking havoc all over the world that DDTKI really started to expand it’s footprint. In 2009, DDTKI established Whiteport, Inc, an affiliate which successfully constructed several projects, such as SM Hypermart and Savemore. A year later, In 2009, Danilo and his wife thought of putting up the Dataj Aquafarm in Sta. Teresita, Cagayan turning a huge parcel of land into a fishpond, which later evolved into one of the country’s biggest shrimp farms. Together with Agriwaras, DDTKI is fully involved in the field of food production and security. In 2011, as a natural evolution of construction company DataLand (DDTKI’S real estate arm) was created. To Date, the company has put up several iconic buildings across the country. Today, with 20 solid years of hard work and perseverance, DDTKI stands as one of the country’s top Quadrupal “A” construction companies.

Every day is a big day that has its own story. As DDT Konstract, Inc. (DDTKI) celebrates two solid decades in the construction industry, Engr. Danilo Tamayo, who founded the company and is the seating Chairman, said each day of the past 20 years was filled with challenges and triumphs. But humility, an unwavering faith in the Lord, supportive family, an excellent team of employees, and the quality of their work, is what has allowed DDTKI to enjoy a solid reputation. “It took a lot of guts and determination to put up the company, especially because there was an Asian crisis when we set up shop in 1998,” Engr. Danilo Tamayo, who hails from Cagayan Valley, told the Inquirer in an interview Tamayo recalled how hard it was to keep a job back and then, even for an experienced project engineer like himself. With a growing family and loans to pay off, knew he had to start something for himself. Armed with determination to succeed and the little cash he had managed to borrow from his mother-in-law, he put up DDTKI. For years he had to resort to “5-6” (A loan scheme that carries exorbitant interests) to finance the company’s ventures. Many times he thought of giving up. It wasn’t until they got their big breaks a decade later that DDTKI experience a quantum leap of sorts, said Engr. Cynthia Tamayo, the better half of Danilo. A civil engineer herself, Cynthia helped build DDTKI to the powerhouse construction company it is today. While Engr. Danilo was in charge of the company’s strategic moves. Engr. Cynthia busied herself with costing, mastering budget control and procurement. Together, the two were the pillars of the company. ”it is highly unusual that a husband-and-wife tandem runs an all-Filipino construction company, but I think that has become one of our strengths” Engr. Cynthia said. Cynthia has always been a good follower. A bit more conservative, she balances Danny’s aggressiveness and tendency to take risky endeavors. (‘if you don’t take risk, you won’t grow, Danny would often say) One thing the spouses share between them is that they are both more of a “doer” rather than a talker. Apparently, Danny wants something done, he does it as soon as possible. In Cynthia’s case, when she wants to prove her point, she would rather prove her point by action, rather than by argument. “Danny has been called crazy many times, but I never lost faith in him because I know the others don’t have that kind of humility and intelligence my husband possesses,” she said. In whatever business they put up. Danny said they always use the latest technology and the highest standards of quality in their work. They import the best and finest equipment, regardless of the price as long as its going to further elevate the quality of their work. The Tamayo matriarch said it is very advantageous to work with fellow family members, but mentioned talk of work is mostly non-existent at home. “The best I have with my family. So when we do have conflicting ideas, we talk and we pray. But we never let it cause any hard feelings among us” Cynthia said. Family is how they treat the more than 20,000 individuals employed in the various companies they own. “Our love for our people is very intense. That’s the beauty of knowing when you started low in your life, you understand and can related to everyone. We treat our employees like family and in return our people care for the company. It’s a two-way system” Danny said. Despite the success DDTKI and their other companies has achieved, Danny feels they are just getting started and he remains very hands on in the going-on of the business. Cynthia said: “Our journey has been amazing, unbelievable, one of the books. Even now I can’t believe its been 20 years since we had put up DDTKI. I’m just glad to know that even if Danny and I fully step away from the company, that our business are strong enough to stand on their own because they will be in the hands of equally capable people. We’ve achieved so much but there’s so much more to look forward to.”

DDTKI: A NEW GENERATION IN CONSTRUCTION

If you see him in the office, you would think that DJ is an ordinary employee, and not the only son of the couple who owns DDTKI. And that’s a good thing. A soft-spoken guy, the 25- year- old DJ wants mot special treatment. He wants to learn everything that happens in the company, and that won’t be possible if people start treatment him like a prince. This is the only way he could be sure that he would be worthy to succeed his parents in heading DDTKI when the time comes.

DJ is currently undergoing a management program in DDTKI, meant to familiarize him further with the goings on in the company. He’s been with the engineering department reporting to a boss, just like a regular employee.

“Decision-making should not just be right, it should be fast. As a leader, If I know the smallest detail, I know be able to make the right decisions in a timely manner” he said

The plan is for him to go around the different departments of DDTKI in the next couple of years. While DJ already holds a degree in civil engineering from the University of Sto. Tomas, he plans to get a masters degree, preferably in an Ivy League school, then come back to DDTKI to apply whatever he has learned.

“It was my calling to become a civil engineer. Nobody forced me to take this path. I guess, I’m lucky that the family business is in line with what I want to do in life,” he said.

Before DJ became part of DDTKI, he worked at a structural design firm for almost two years, where he helped design dimensions of a building’s columns, beams as well as determine the right number of reinforcements among others.

“For me, there’s a sense of fulfilment when I achieve the goals that I set on a daily basis. It also feels good when someone in the office comes to me for help and I am able to be of assistance because of my skills,” he said.

DJ said he does get tips from his parents on how to handle the business, but at home, work is barely mentioned.

“ What I like best about DDTKI is the culture of the company. We have a culture of ‘if you want to be number one you, have to think out of the box’ in the most positive way. Here when we work, we work hard. When we play, we really party,” said DJ.