Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc.

What Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc. does

Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc. (ICSI) is a privately held, Wisconsin-based retail construction contractor founded in 1999 by CPAs Dave and Maureen Schwartz. The firm provides construction management and general contracting services to U.S. retail developers and select national and regional retailers, organized across three service lines: New Construction (ground-up retail shell and turnkey delivery for power centers and large-format retail), Creative Reuse (conversion of vacant big-box and grocery-anchored spaces into re-tenanted shopping centers), and Turnkey Interiors (full turnkey interior buildouts for retail and restaurant tenants). ICSI's core delivery methodology — the four-phase ICSI Process comprising Conceptual Estimating, Lease Review & Due Diligence, Design Management, and Construction Management — engages clients early in the project lifecycle, often before lease execution, and is supported by a specialized internal Special Projects Group handling restaurant and small-format tenant buildouts.

ICSI differentiates itself through a Retail Developer Advocacy Model in which the firm acts primarily as the developer's contractor and advocate, using established retailer relationships to negotiate lease and LOI modifications, recommend reuse options, and identify cost-saving compromises. Since its 1999 founding, ICSI has completed work for more than 175 unique national and regional retailers across 26+ U.S. states, delivering over 12.5 million square feet of retail space. Named client relationships include TJX-family banners, JoAnn, Petco, Hobby Lobby, Ross Dress for Less, Sierra, Menards, Cub Foods, and restaurant clients such as Starbucks, Cafe Zupas, Pizza Hut, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

The business model is project-based professional services: ICSI earns revenue through construction management fees and general contractor markup on negotiated, quote-driven engagements rather than standardized published pricing. The go-to-market is an enterprise, relationship-driven field sales motion concentrated on retail developers, with work pursued geographically across the existing 26-state footprint and willingness to expand into new territories. The firm is founder-owned, has not raised institutional capital, has no disclosed subsidiaries, and operates with a small staff (11–50 employees) anchored at its Waukesha, WI headquarters. No revenue, customer concentration, or financial disclosures are publicly available.

Name

Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc.

Legal name

Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://buildics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc. is a privately held, Wisconsin-based retail construction contractor founded in 1999 that provides construction management and general contracting services to U.S. retail developers and national/regional retailers across three service lines: New Construction, Creative Reuse, and Turnkey Interiors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Construction Services

NAICS

Site Preparation Contractors (23891), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Incident Command System (ICS) & Emergency Management Training/Exercises (Tabletop/Drills) (EUAHALAE)

Keywords

• Retail construction services
• Construction management
• General contracting
• Tenant buildouts
• Creative reuse construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Brookfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Construction Management / General Contracting Fees: ICSI earns revenue by serving as construction manager (CM/GC) or general contractor on retail ground-up, redevelopment, and tenant buildout projects. Engagements span shell delivery, warm shell delivery, and full turnkey tenant delivery. Revenue is project-based, tied to construction value plus management/contractor markup.
2. Turnkey Tenant Interior Buildouts: Project-based revenue from full turnkey interior deliveries for retailers such as TJMaxx, JoAnn Fabrics, Petco, Hobby Lobby, Ross Dress for Less, Sierra, and restaurant clients (Starbucks, Cafe Zupas), combining build-out work with finish and fixture coordination.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

ICSI is a retail construction contractor that provides construction management and general contracting services for retail ground-up builds, creative reuse/re-tenanting of vacant big-box properties, and full turnkey tenant interior buildouts. The firm engages clients at the conceptual estimating and lease/LOI review stage and guides projects through design management, bidding, and construction management to delivery, primarily serving retail real estate developers and national/regional retailers.

Product overview

Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc. (ICSI) operates as a single-service construction firm—not a modular software product—offering retail construction services organized into three core service lines: New Construction (ground-up retail construction), Creative Reuse (conversion of vacant retail properties into re-tenanted shopping centers), and Turnkey Interiors (tenant improvement/finish-out work for national and regional retailers). These three service lines are underpinned by a documented four-phase delivery methodology, The ICSI Process, comprising Conceptual Estimating, Lease Review & Due Diligence, Design Management, and Construction Management, which collectively constitute the company's structured approach to taking projects from concept through successful completion for its primary client base of retail developers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICSI Special Projects Group: The internal division of Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc. that handles smaller and restaurant-specific buildouts such as the Cafe Zupas locations in Menomonee Falls and Greenfield, WI.

Products and services

• New Construction Ground-up retail construction services for retail developers, including site work, shell deliveries for anchor tenants, and turnkey deliveries for multi-tenant retail power centers and large-format retail stores.
• Creative Reuse Specialized construction service converting vacant big-box and grocery-anchored retail properties (Menards, Kmart, Cub Foods) into multi-tenant centers, including prototype facade work, utility separation, shell modifications, and turnkey tenant deliveries.
• Turnkey Interiors Full turnkey tenant interior buildouts for national and regional retailers and restaurant clients (e.g., TJMaxx, JoAnn Fabrics, Petco, Hobby Lobby, Ross, Sierra, Starbucks, Cafe Zupas), combining build-out work with finish and fixture coordination.
• ICSI Special Projects Group Specialized internal team within ICSI dedicated to restaurant and small-format tenant buildouts (e.g., Starbucks, Cafe Zupas, Pizza Hut, Buffalo Wild Wings), operating alongside the core retail contractor practice.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CDI Contractors: Arkansas-based general contractor with a strong retail and commercial practice serving developers and national tenants across multiple states. Comparable to ICSI in retail-construction focus, project-based delivery, and multi-state operating footprint.
• Benning Construction Group: Mid-sized retail-focused general contractor serving national and regional retailers across multiple U.S. states with a similar relationship-driven, project-based delivery model. Closely comparable to ICSI in target customer (retail developers and national retailers), service mix (ground-up, buildouts, re-tenanting), and scale.
• VCC Construction: National general contractor specializing in retail, commercial, and healthcare construction with extensive multi-site rollout experience for major retailers. Highly comparable to ICSI's developer/retailer-focused delivery model and multi-state reach.
• Rives Construction Company: Tennessee-based general contractor focused on retail, commercial, and mixed-use construction for developers and national tenants. Comparable to ICSI in customer base, project types (ground-up retail, tenant buildouts, re-tenanting), and relationship-driven GTM.
• Catamount Constructors: Georgia-based general contractor with a dedicated retail and commercial practice serving developers and national retailers. Comparable to ICSI in customer profile, service mix, and project-based, developer-advocate positioning.
• ARCO National Construction: National design-build general contractor with significant retail, commercial, and light-industrial practice. Comparable to ICSI in retail-developer customer base and project types, though typically operating at a larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• The Beck Group: Design-build firm with a strong retail, commercial, and mixed-use construction practice serving developers and major tenants. Comparable to ICSI in retail construction focus and developer/retailer customer mix, though larger and with integrated design-build capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• McCarthy Building Companies: One of the largest U.S. general contractors with a broad portfolio spanning commercial, retail, healthcare, and industrial. Overlaps with ICSI in retail construction for national tenants and developers, but operates at significantly larger scale and across many segments.
• Haskell: Large design-build firm with commercial, retail, and industrial practices serving national clients. Comparable in customer profile to ICSI's national-retailer focus, but Haskell's scale, design-build integration, and segment breadth make it a broader incumbent rather than a direct niche peer.

Others

• Brixmor Property Group: Public retail real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates open-air shopping centers and routinely engages general contractors for re-tenanting, facades, and tenant buildouts. Included as a representative retail-developer customer segment for ICSI, illustrating the buyer side of the market ICSI serves rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovative-construction-solutions?trk=company_logo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Innovative Construction Solutions, Inc.