Shai Henig

What recent key move did you lead?
Over the past year, we significantly increased the scope of the company's operations through winning two Mehir LaMishtaken (government price-cap) projects in Ashkelon with more than 1,200 apartments.

What are the firm’s strongest attributes?
- Family-like atmosphere: We are first and foremost a family, with everything this entails. The company that my father founded about 30 years as a small family business, never lost its intimate family atmosphere, even after it grew into a leading company with numerous employees.

- High Building Quality: Our company takes care to utilize advanced construction techniques and works with the industry-leading suppliers and contractors, and with materials of the highest quality, in order to achieve a perfect result. In addition, the company applies quality control mechanisms on all of the construction stages, from the planning stage and throughout all of the execution stages. We combine our high building quality with attentive and functional planning, in order to create together a unique and exciting residential experience.

- Personal Support: The company and its team personally accompany the buyers from the first meeting until long after the delivery of the apartment's key. The service that we provide our customers lasts beyond the mandatory check-up warranty period that is stated in the Apartments Sale Law

- Excellent Work Relationships: the company and its team of employees maintain excellent relationships with the suppliers and subcontractors that work with the company. As a result of this close relationship, the work relationships usually last for years and in-between the various projects and there is also a high commitment of the suppliers for the services that they provide to us.

- The Loyalty of the Employees: The company has a team of permanent workers, some of whom has been working in the company for more than 20 years. There is almost no turnover of headquarters employees.

- Constant Quality Improvements: The company and its team of employees are constantly committed to improving the quality, of both the construction, the planning and the work processes, and of the customers service, and carry out internal and external controls for this purpose.

- The company is both the initiator and the executor (it doesn’t transfer the execution of the project to other contractors) – thus being solely responsible to the buyers from end to end, from signing the contract up to the delivery of the apartment and after the check-up period.

- Part of the company's worldview is strengthening the relationship between the residents, the apartments, the building and the surrounding area. Accordingly, Afgad dedicates some of its profits for the benefit of the community.

Which of the firm’s recent key moves will lead to it becoming stronger over the next few years?
- As I mentioned above, our company recently won two Mehir LaMishtaken tenders in Ashkelon, with a very large construction scope – a total of more than 1,200 apartments.

- Recently, our company expanded its urban renewal operations, in various types of Pinui-Binui and Tama projects.

- We recently launched processes for bettering the lots on which we construct through the promotion of rezoning plans.

What are the main challenges facing the firm in the next few years?
Our main challenge over the few years would be the execution aspect. Our main goal is to build a large quantity of apartments in one go and not in several phases.

What would you recommend an up and coming executive?
Up and coming executives must understand that the construction sector is complex from several aspects: There is a professional complexity that requires one to handle the challenges in the field. Alongside this challenge there is the challenge of handling bureaucratic challenges that require patience, attentiveness and creativity. Every up and coming executive must keep an open mind and willingness to learn from employees of all ranks, from the most senior ones to field workers, as there is no substitute for experience.

What should one remember during hardships?
It is important to remember that also hardships are transient. One must know how to survive the wave – keep your head above the water while keeping your eyes on the goal and when the time is right, continue towards your goal with confidence and the tools you acquired.