Deus Ex Machina

In this article, Samuel C. Florman, the chairman of Kreisler Borg Florman General Construction Co. recalls how a sequence of events in 1963 led his young construction firm to $2 million in billings at the World’s Fair. During the summer of 1962, Norman Winston was appointed as the United States Commissioner to the World Fair. He was specifically charged with supervising development and construction of an American pavilion. The construction contract for the pavilion had gone to famous developer Del Webb. However, in late 1963, due to some issues, Del Webb walked out of the project. The job of finishing the federal pavilion was then offered to Florman’s firm. Florman’s firm was to perform miscellaneous finishing items and provide “general oversight.” While the original fee of the firm was a measly $45,000, the amount grew rapidly as the scope of the activities increased. By the time the Fair closed in 1965, Florman’s firm had billed some $2 million on which it earned approximately 20% in gross profit.