How Onshore Construction is continuing to deliver ultimate luxury amid significant structural change
Founded in 1993 by Daniel (Dan) Reedy, Onshore Construction (Onshore) is a premier custom home builder specializing in the construction of high-end, large custom estates. Having established an excellent reputation, across the Palm Beach and Jupiter Island markets in Florida, Onshore is well known among local residents, architects, engineers, and subcontractors for its innovative and dedicated approach to not only homebuilding, but also project success and client satisfaction.
Onshore has entered a new era with Dan partnering alongside two long-term employees, Evan Anderson and Paul Segedin. We sit down with Dan, Evan, and Paul to learn more about this partnership, as well as the company’s journey to its current market-leading position.
“I received an engineering degree in 1982 and began working on large Palm Beach County school facilities before transitioning to building large custom homes,” Dan begins. “During these roles, I met lots of people and built relationships across the network in the Palm Beach and Jupiter Island markets. I met a former client who gave me the opportunity to build a beachfront home overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, which gave me confidence and motivation to start my own custom homes business.
“So, in 1993, I started Onshore and over the last 30 years, we’ve grown to more than 50 employees and complete over $100 million worth of projects every year. Our primary locations are Palm Beach and Jupiter Island, which have become increasingly popular with celebrity stars like Celine Dion, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and most of the top 50 PGA golfers. Starting in the early 2000s, the demographic has changed from a fishing and tourism destination to an upscale location that is home to many celebrities and hundreds of successful businesspeople from all over the USA. Although we’ve worked extremely hard to grow Onshore, I was fortunate that our timing and location aligned with the area’s growth and catapulted the business to new heights.”
Turning to Onshore’s capabilities, Dan continues: “Our focus is major high-end residential and around 85 percent of our projects are waterfront homes. We’ve delivered a 26,000-square-foot home for Ed Brown, the former CEO of Patron Tequila, for instance, and we’re currently embarking on a $20-million renovation project for a well-known athlete and star, as well as building a new home for an MLB player, which will exceed $40 million. Balancing the management of these large and complicated projects with that of smaller new homes and renovations has been something we continually focus on, maintaining a high level of management and quality control on all of our projects regardless of size.
“Ed Brown of Patron Tequilla’s house was a particularly interesting project, and we worked closely with an excellent interior designer to deliver a transitional resort style home featuring a flat roof and raised center portions. Alongside traditional details, the home includes a 60-foot glass bottom rooftop pool that cantilevers out from the house and creates a skylight feature for the club room on the lower level. This was a challenging feature to include due to the weight of the glass and pool water. The home was completed in 24 months in 2021, and recently, the home sold to a new owner for an impressive $58 million.”
Speaking specifically about Onshore’s next steps and its management, Evan adds: “I started with Onshore in 2014, just one year after Paul, and at present, we’re both equal partners along with Dan, focusing on high-end residential projects. We have grown the company exponentially and all three of us have strong backgrounds in residential construction. When I first joined, we reached around $30 million in annual sales, but this year we’re set to achieve a turnover of around $105 million.”
Impressive project portfolio
Although the company grew significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic, Onshore’s reputation and position as one of the largest high end custom homebuilders also lends itself to success. “The quality of our projects speaks volumes, and we provide meaningful value to our clients,” Paul states. “We like to get involved in the design and construction process as early as possible, and take part in a collaborative approach with the architect and interior designer to help the clients meet their style and budget requirements.”
Dan elaborates: “There’s a small town feeling where we work, and we see most new business because of our reputation and word-of-mouth recommendations from happy clients. I’ve always thought that spending money on ensuring we satisfy clients provides more value than traditional marketing or advertising because people will always share positive experiences with friends or family, which often leads to new business and generally creates greater awareness of our service and capabilities.” 
Client reputation is clearly a significant contributing factor to the company’s success, but we ask Dan, Paul and Evan their thoughts on why a personal approach to leadership and client relationships is also key. “Trust is key when it comes to such high-end projects, so we work with clients to foster a relationship based on not only quality delivery, but also integrity and communication,” he shares. “Overall, our mantra continues to be as simple as this; if you treat everyone, regardless of whether you’re cleaning one of our homes or are one of our billionaire clients, with the respect and care you want to receive, you can leverage opportunities for growth without making enemies along the way.”
Since its inception in 1993, Onshore has witnessed many challenges and evolutions, including the economic downturn of 2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the company has also had to navigate gradual changes with Paul and Evan’s leadership, including the rise in frequency of natural disasters and demand for sustainable solutions.
“Building in Florida means we must prepare our homes for volatile weather conditions, as we’re in a brutal environment in terms of heat, humidity, storms, and corrosive air from the Atlantic Ocean,” Dan explains. “While environmental sustainability is largely driven by individual client preferences, we focus on long-term sustainability through processes like waterproofing and resource management. There’s a new generation of architects, builders, and managers who will not only prioritize sustainable building materials and processes but also educate the market on how to best look after their home, ensuring that our projects will function effectively for generations to come.”
Delivering any successful construction or remodeling project requires a robust supply network. “We have a very close-knit group of trusted subcontractors who meet our methods, expectations, and ways of working over the years,” Paul says. “Ensuring we have talented people is not only essential to deliver quality projects on time and within budget, but is also a key element to sustaining the reputation that Onshore is known for.”
As our conversation closes, Dan, Paul, and Evan turn their attention to Onshore’s ongoing ownership transition and how this will shape the company’s operations moving forward. “We have some exciting projects coming in the years ahead and while we’ll inevitably continue to grow, our priority is to maintain the quality and customer satisfaction we’re known to deliver,” Dan reveals.
Paul agrees: “There are also some upcoming projects in Miami, and we have the capacity to organically grow to the area if demand continues, but we’re still focused predominantly on the Palm Beach and Jupiter Island markets. Onshore’s expansion will come as a result of continuing to excel in our niche of ultra high-end residential projects.”
From speaking with Dan, Paul, and Evan, it’s clear to see that all three individuals are dedicated to Onshore’s ongoing success, building strong relationships with both clients and suppliers along the way.
Dan concludes: “It has been exciting and challenging to grow Onshore to its current position and to create a legacy that is continued by its owners and management. Every business has an impact, but it will be down to Evan and Paul to maintain Onshore’s position at the forefront of luxury home construction and ensure the business thrives for generations to come.”