Our History

Who is Optima Consulting?

Mr. Steven Black is the founder and President of Optima Consulting. Prior to establishing Optima Consulting in 2015, Steve worked in NYC, Seattle and Jacksonville for design-build companies that served both national and international clientele. He was responsible for overall project management and ultimately, client satisfaction. Providing continuous updates and feedback to his clients, Steve worked hand-in-hand with all project stakeholders to assure his projects met functional and aesthetic criteria, as well as being delivered on schedule and within budget.

After graduating from SUNY Buffalo in 1989, Steve moved to New York City where he began his career in the architectural industry. He started at an intermediate sized architectural firm, specializing in mostly high-profile corporate tenant improvement projects. While there, at a young age, Steve was promoted to Project Manager to lead the renovation of the TIAA-CREF corporate offices. Ultimately Steve spent his years in NYC gathering a multitude of experience, working on new construction, tenant improvements, and custom residential projects.

in 1995, Steve moved to Seattle, WA with his now wife Cathy. While in Seattle, he worked in a unique design-build/private equity firm. As a Project Architect/Manager, his largest accomplishment at the time was the renovation of an existing 175,000 SF high-bay warehouse in to a 3-story 550,000 SF/$255M data center. At its time, it was the world’s largest data center.

In 2000, Steve and family moved to Jacksonville, FL. In Jacksonville, he worked at an international design-build firm where he was a Sr. Design Project Manger, and specialized in commercial projects. This is where Steve gained his most valuable experience, working on a wide array of project types including; office, automotive, faith-based, educational, light industrial, and military. In 2009, he was promoted to Commercial Division Manager, where he led a team of integrated architects and engineers. His crowning project was for Nestle, where he was the Project Executive for a 150,000 SF/$58M new R&D facility. This was only one of seven in the Nestle global portfolio, and the largest.

In 2015 Steve’s entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and he created Optima Consulting. The goal of Optima Consulting was (and is) to combine Steve’s vast design and construction experience into a single entity that provides business owners with both sides of the project management process. Most Owner Representatives/Construction Managers have only the construction side of the equation. As your Agent, Steve will offer his decades of client management experience, creativity, knowledge and tested Value Management process to the benefit of your project. A unique aspect of Steve’s professional character, is his ability to visualize and communicate design intent to the field. This knack of translating design concept into the field, makes Steve a very valuable project member. He will bring to your project his unique combination of design and construction expertise to successfully manage the entire project team.