ST. LOUIS-The National Association of Commercial Contractors has formed here, with the mission to benefit retail chains looking for an established professional in every state. The group aims to have one construction contractor, that has an established and proven track record of building multiple retail stores, in every major market.

Barry Spiegelglass with locally-based Spiegelglass Construction, which has built many facilities for Panera Bread, Noodles & Co. and BRIO Tuscan Grille, recently founded the group. He says instead of the current practice of a national chain having one trusted company that handles all construction projects throughout the country, his group can provide an expert that has local ties and experience.

“The franchise development departments, there are many that are expanding stores and would like to work with companies that are local to their new properties, but they don’t know how to find them,” Spiegelglass tells GlobeSt.com. “This association can be a source to find qualified local contractors. The advantage for retailers is that it’s usually cheaper to have a local person, who knows the lay of the land, and can respond to a problem immediately.”

He says the organization is holding membership to just one company per state, with a vetted joining process that ensures that company has the experience and wherewithal to complete multiple retail chain construction projects. “These aren’t going to be local homebuilders or apartment construction companies,” Spiegelglass says. “We are going to select members who do quality work.”

Members can also help each other with referral business to the national chains for other market work, he says. There will be a membership fee that will pay for marketing efforts. “There’s not anything like this out there for retail chain contractors,” Spiegelglass says. “You’ve got groups such as Associated General Contractors, but they promote overall construction, not focused on this niche.”

The association now has three members: Spiegelglass for local work, ARC Construction in Kansas City, MO, and Mattcon General Contractors in Indianapolis. “We’re trying to start in the Midwest and spread out. We’re pretty close to choosing a member in Denver, and we’ve approached potential members in Chicago, Cleveland and Cincinnati,” he says.