News & Awards

Matcon Construction Services was one of the four businesses selected for the program. 

"My initial reaction was oh my goodness, it's a two year program. It seems kind of daunting, but we said let's go for it," Derek Mateos, owner of Matcon Construction Services, said. 

Mateos started the family business 16 years ago but said something has been missing. 

"We just didn't have much of a footprint here in Tampa. A lot of our clients were shopping center owners down in South Florida and Orlando," he said. 

In the first few months, the business owners created two new positions and hired 12 additional employees. 

For Derek Mateos, the ongoing expansion at Tampa International Airport has meant more than just new flights and destinations; it has opened a world of opportunity and growth for his business.

“We poured the first bit of concrete on this billion-dollar project,” said the locally-based, Cuban-American entrepreneur and president of Matcon Construction Services Inc. His firm is one of 145 minority- or women-owned businesses participating in the nearly $1 billion master plan that will ensure the growth of Tampa Bay’s main airport.

“We’ve been out here for three years doing the tunnel work,” Mateos said.