We are not the biggest speciality ceiling contractor in Florida.
We are the most reliable one in the markets where we work
Thats not a modest claim. It’s a deliberate one.
Real Ceilings has spent more than three decades earning the right to be called back — by DPR, by Skanska, by Brasfield & Gorrie — on job sites that required competent supervision, adequate manpower, and the kind of communication that makes a superintendent’s job manageable.
The way we do it comes down to four things: Responsibility, Efficiency, Autonomy, and Leadership. Not values we aspire to. Values we hire for, train for, and hold each other accountable to on every project, every time.
Our Roots
Tampa, 1989. The standard hasn’t changed since.
Founded on one rule: do it right, every time.
Project photography. Ceiling installation, TPA SkyeCenter One
Real Ceilings was built on a foundation laid in Tampa in 1989 by Art Riehl — a ceiling contractor who understood that reputation in this trade is earned one project at a time, one superintendent at a time, and that it takes decades to build and a single job to lose.
That understanding is still the operating principle of every project Real Ceilings puts in the field today. What has grown is the scope — the markets we serve, the systems we install, the complexity we take on, and the general contractors who trust us to deliver it.
What hasn’t changed is the standard. Honest work. Reliable execution. The kind of
performance that makes a GC call you back. That’s the company Art Riehl built. It’s the company Real Ceilings continues to be.
Our operating Model
Three things we do differently. Every project, every time.
Three commitments, checked on every job site.
Accurate numbers. No surprises
We develop clearly defined scopes, communicate professional insight during budgeting, and deliver proposals that reflect what the work actually costs — not a number designed to win the bid and renegotiate later. GCs who’ve worked with us once know our estimates are reliable. That’s why they call us back.
Managed like our reputation is on the line. Because it is.
Responsible procurement, clean contract administration, and communication with the GC’s team when complications arise — not after they’ve caused a problem. We don’t leave superintendents guessing about our status. If something is going sideways, they hear it from us first.
The crew shows up. The work gets done.
Most of our work is self-performed by trained, supervised employees who are accountable to our standards. For select scopes, we work with trusted trade partners. When a schedule needs to be compressed, our field leaders plan the staffing and coordination needed to support it. We take our schedule commitments seriously and communicate early if conditions put them at risk.
What we stand for
Our name isn’t a coincidence. It’s how we work — R.E.A.L
Every company has values. Most are posted in a break room and forgotten before the paint dries. Ours are a description of how we run projects — the behaviors we hire for, the standards we hold people to, and the commitments we make to every GC who puts Real Ceilings on their bid list.
R
RESPONSIBILITY
We own our scope — fully. From the first estimate to the final close-out punchlist, the work is ours and so is the outcome. When something goes wrong on a Real Ceilings project, we don’t look for the adjacent trade to blame. We find the solution and communicate it.
E
Efficiency
Construction is a margin business for everyone at the table. We run lean operations, procure materials on schedule, and manage job sites that move. An efficient specialty sub makes the GC’s project more efficient — fewer RFIs, fewer delays, fewer surprises at close-out.
A
Autonomy
We put experienced, capable people in the field and trust them to lead. Our project managers and superintendents don’t wait for direction — they’re trained to anticipate problems, coordinate with adjacent trades, and keep their portion of the work moving. Autonomy isn’t a perk. It’s an expectation.
L
Leadership
Every person on a Real Ceilings job site is expected to lead their scope. Not manage it — lead it. Own the outcome. Improve the process. Mentor the crew member next to you. Hand off work you’re proud to put your name on. Leadership runs horizontally here, not just from the top.
Our Workforce
The ceiling is only as good as the people who build it
Elevating the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport Experience.
Project photography. SRQ Airport
Most of our work is performed by Real Ceilings employees. We invest in recruiting, training, and supervising our field teams, and work with trusted trade partners on select scopes and projects. This approach helps us maintain consistent standards and provide dependable coordination and quality for our general contractor partners.
Self-performing the majority of our work is a deliberate commitment. It means investing in our workforce and managing staffing through the changing demands of commercial construction. Keeping our teams closely involved helps us support quality, safety, and accountability across our projects.
Our field leaders bring experience with the systems that define specialty ceiling work, including curved geometries, integrated acoustic clouds, metal panel systems, and manufacturer-specific installation requirements. That expertise helps our teams plan and deliver complex scopes with care.
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Safety Record
The number that tells a GC everything before a conversation starts.
A rate below 1.0 means a company’s safety record is better than the industry average for contractors of its size and type. At .64, Real Ceilings is not just better than average — we are among the safest specialty ceiling contractors in the country.
That number is the result of a safety culture, not a safety program. Programs are documented. Culture is what happens on a job site when no one is watching — whether the crew ties off, whether the superintendent calls a stop when conditions change, whether safety is a baseline expectation rather than an inconvenience.
For general contractors who prequalify subcontractors on safety record — and the best ones do — our EMR speaks before we do.
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What Drives Us
Mission & Vision
In plain terms: the specialty ceiling company that Florida’s best general contractors trust completely — and that Florida’s best ceiling professionals want to build their careers with.
Mission
To operate an efficient construction company that earns its reputation through accurate cost estimation, responsible project management, and quality construction — delivered through people who lead from wherever they stand in the organization.
Vision
To build a company where the human resource is the competitive advantage — where sustainable profit, better-built environments, and collective leadership grow together, because none of them can grow alone.
GCs who trust us
A partial list of the General Contractors partners we’ve built with across Florida.
Don’t take our word for it. Ask them.
DPR Construction
Skanska
Brasfield & Gorrie
The Beck Group
WJCreate
Creative Contractors
The Beck Group
Create
JE Dunn Construction
Get prequalified
OUR LEADERSHIP
The people who answer the phone when something needs to be solved.
Real Ceilings is run by people who have worked in this trade — not managed it from a distance. That’s the difference between a company that understands your job site and one that just shows up to it.
Matt BordersOwner/Chief Executive Officer
Carren RiegerChief Operating Officer
Shaun WolfeVP Strategic Initiatives
Kevin De MailleDir. Sales & Estimation
Chris WilliamsVP Construction
Patrick MulcaheyDir. Field Operations
Lindsey OldsBranch Manager – Tampa
Devin ConroyBranch Manager – Ft. Myers
Jessica SokolowskiFinancial Controller
We’re building the team that builds Florida.
Real Ceilings is growing — into new markets, onto larger projects, and into the complexity that defines specialty ceiling work at the highest level. If you’re an experienced ceiling installer, project manager, or superintendent who wants to work for a company that takes the craft seriously, we want to hear from you.
