Brought to you by HGC Design Build
At first glance, building homes and playing in the NFL have little in common. But for Garrett Gilkey, the parallels are clear.
Gilkey first came to Tampa when he was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014. Knee injuries meant his NFL career didn’t last long, but Gilkey had other plans.
“Football was always secondary in my life. I knew that there was always going to be life after football,” Gilkey says.
He had completed his master’s degree in engineering while in the league and finished his MBA soon after. Long fascinated by high-end construction, Gilkey started HGC Design Build, a custom home design build firm, in 2017. But he didn’t totally leave his football past behind.
“To be an NFL player, you have to be absolute best at everything you do, from the attention to detail to cultivating healthy habits,” Gilkey says. “I’ve taken my building acumen and combined that with the same skills that I applied to playing football at the highest level. Everything that encompasses being an NFL player, I’ve translated to running a design-build firm.
“That’s what we bring to the market — a relentless pursuit to achieve excellence.”
HGC is a design-build firm, so Gilkey and his team manage every element of the building or renovation project from start to finish. This year, HGC was voted the best home builder on the 2021 Best of South Tampa list.
“We pride ourselves on high-end design, but we’re also very organized and very transparent. Our clients are not buying into the project as much as they are the process,” Gilkey says. “We practice a process of stewardship that affords our clients the most amount of control, from the moment we start to the moment we’re completed.”
Everything HGC does is done with the most progressive materials and building science, as well as with an artistic touch. Hilary Gilkey, Garrett’s sister, leads the design team. By the end of the process, you’re left with a living work of art that encompasses your vision for the home you’ve always wanted, Garrett Gilkey says. “Everything we do begins and ends with relationships, so when it comes to design selections, we work to identify what best serves the client,” he adds. “There’s a humility that comes from us as designers. We’re not imposing our design on others. We’re looking, based on the clients needs and desires, based on architectural selections, at what is going to fit best.”
But, Gilkey says, it’s about more than just the home that’s built. He wants clients to actually enjoy the experience of an HGC build.
“Our process is unique. We’re transparent,” Gilkey. “We have the same commitment to high performance and high execution that an elite athlete does. We’re committed to giving our clients an experience that’s unprecedented.”
To schedule a consultation with HGC Design Build, visit hgcdesignbuild.com or call (813) 538-9806.
