Local construction company Creative Contractors is celebrating its 50th anniversary and announcing a leadership transition. Founder Alan Bomstein is passing the CEO role to his son Josh Bomstein, marking a new chapter for the company.
Founded in 1974, the company, originally named Store Builders, began with tenant buildouts in Clearwater’s Countryside Mall. Alan said he and his team focused on commercial work because there was little to no money to be made in housing at that time.
“There was a housing glut in Pinellas County,” Alan recalls. “There were thousands of unsold condominiums. They were virtually giving away beach condominiums. If you had $15,000 in 1974, you could have your pick of any condominium in a high rise on Clearwater Beach. So, looking for an opportunity, I came upon the idea of building out the mall stores.”
When Countryside Mall opened in 1975, Alan’s company had built out approximately 30 of the 100 or so stores. Clients then began coming back to ask for help building free-standing shopping centers and office buildings. As the company’s portfolio of projects diversified, Alan decided the original name was no longer the right fit, renaming the company to Creative Contractors.
As the company continued to grow, it expanded into new projects in various industries, like healthcare and education. Creative Contractors has left its mark on numerous iconic projects in the Tampa Bay area, including the second-floor expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, which Alan calls a “watershed moment,” and a renovation to the historic St. Petersburg High School.
“St. Petersburg High was a hugely important project. This was one where we could not afford to mess up, and that is why we hired Creative,” said Former Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Michael Grego.
The company was also selected to complete multiple additions to Ruth Eckerd Hall, an expansion at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the recent joint Speer YMCA and Mangrove Bay Middle School and several projects at the University of South Florida (USF) St. Petersburg campus.
“When we started at USF St. Pete, you couldn’t walk the campus because there were there were roads going through with cars and traffic,” Alan said. “We wound up tearing out 2nd St. S. and making a pedestrian promenade there. We built the Sembler family fountain, the Science and Technology building, the College of Business building and the student activity center. We really transformed that campus dramatically and made it into a true urban campus.”
Lynn Pippenger Hall at the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, part of the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus. Photo: Ashley Morales.
In the ’70s, Creative Contractors helped build a 22,000-square-foot office building at 21649 U.S. 19 in Clearwater. Alan recalls what happened next: “About 20 years after we built it, there mysteriously appeared on the reflective glass of the building the image of the Madonna, and it caused a minor riot. People were flocking to this building to pray to the Madonna.”
The iridescent image, discovered by a passer-by Dec. 17, 1996, who reported it to a local TV station, towered 60 feet over the Seminole Finance Corporation parking lot. By the following morning, hundreds of believers had made a pilgrimage to U.S. 19 and Drew Street. They wept, they prayed, they left rosaries, votive candles and other offerings beneath the panes.
“Locally, it was a miracle. There was no internet back then, so it was only on the radio [and tv] and it drew throngs of people,” Alan said. “It’s interesting because that was my first building of substance that had an elevator. It was two stories, all glass, and at the time, it was very contemporary-looking.” (The glass panes were shot out by an 18-year-old with a slingshot in 2004 and have since been replaced with new windows.)
The south side of 21649 U.S. 19, where nine large panes of reflective glass reportedly became discolored from sprinkler system residue, resembling what some believed was an image of the Virgin Mary. Photo: Florida Archives.
Looking forward, Josh Bomstein is now set to take over as CEO. His journey to leadership wasn’t direct; he initially pursued other interests before joining the family business.
“I attended Emory University in Atlanta, which does not have any design or construction programs. I studied anthropology,” Josh said. “I always liked seeing what my father was building and I enjoyed construction, so I wanted to do this [eventually], but I wanted to carve my own path.”
After working in publishing in California, Josh decided to return to Florida and join Creative Contractors in 2004, initially working alongside the company’s Chief Marketing Officer at the time. With him, Josh brought fresh perspectives, particularly in sustainable design and construction.
“While I was doing my own thing, I learned a lot at larger companies that I brought with me,” Josh said. “I learned a lot of transferable skills, especially in marketing, business development and sales.”
Now entering its sixth decade, Creative Contractors has grown from four employees to a team of 102, with annual revenue exceeding $175 million. The Bomsteins said they typically juggle about 15 projects at any given time, most of which are repeat clients.
“These institutional buildings that we build are part of the fabric of the community,” Josh emphasized. “These are really meaningful facilities where people are taking care of themselves or learning or being healed or praying or exercising. I know all of our management team takes a lot of pride in those buildings that make a difference and make this region a better place, and we want to continue to build more and more important and meaningful spaces in our region.”
Creative Contractors completed a renovation of the 1,252-seat Tampa Theatre in 2018. The company will begin another significant project there in 2025. Photo: Creative Contractors.
The father-son duo are proud of the fact that Creative Contractors has become the largest locally-owned commercial general contractor in Tampa Bay, and plan to keep focusing on its local and regional impact in the future.
“It was never my intention to build a big company quickly. There are plenty of companies in our business that started when I started in the mid-70s, and today, they’re giant, international, billion-dollar companies. That really wasn’t my thing,” Alan said. “I like being local and being hands-on, and I found that owners appreciated having someone to deal with locally who has skin in the game. That’s how we got here.”
As for the leadership transition, Alan said he’s been letting go of responsibilities and delegating tasks to his son for years in preparation. Josh was named President of Creative Contractors in 2015 and will formally take over as CEO in 2025.
As Creative Contractors’ 50th anniversary approaches, the company is focused on constructing community and institutional projects, including hospitals, schools, municipal facilities, cultural facilities and wellness spaces. Responding to growth throughout the region, the company recently opened offices in Lakeland and Bradenton.
Although he will be stepping back from his current role as CEO, Alan plans to keep his office and continue to “watch the success” he helped build and pass on.
“I don’t know that all father-son working relationships go as well as this one,” Josh said. “It really has been better than I ever could have imagined.”
