Fifteen years ago, TBG Construction began as a modest framing business founded by two brothers guided by their father with a clear belief in hard work, accountability, and the long-term value of doing things properly. Today, the Central Indiana-based contractor has grown into one of the region’s largest framing operations, offering a fully integrated, turn-key construction package that spans exterior and interior scopes. The journey from a small family operation to a multi-division contractor reflects both deliberate growth and a willingness to adapt as projects, clients, and expectations evolved.
The company was founded in 2010 by Carlos Bonilla and his brother, Osman, under the name O&D Bonilla Framing LLC. In those early years, the focus was narrow and practical: framing work delivered reliably, project by project. Over time, as the brothers built relationships with general contractors and developers, the scale and significance of the work began to change. In 2019, the company rebranded as The Bonilla Group, or TBG Construction, a name that Carlos felt reflected both the company’s identity and its future direction. “This is who we’re going to be forever, I think,” he said.
From the outset, TBG’s strength lay in its ability to self-perform. That capability has since expanded into two core divisions that together offer clients a comprehensive, turn-key solution. On the exterior side, TBG delivers rough framing, siding, and roofing. The interior division, launched in 2023, now covers metal framing, drywall, insulation, painting, finish carpentry, and cleaning. For clients managing complex schedules and tight margins, the value of that integration is clear.
Crystal Roxanne, Director of Pre-Construction, explained the approach simply: “We do turnkey on everything – we will provide materials and labor on all the scopes that we self-perform.” That model reduces handoffs, improves coordination, and allows TBG to take greater responsibility for outcomes, something that has become increasingly important as projects grow in size and complexity.
For much of its early life, the company remained intentionally small. Carlos reflected that it was only around five years ago that the leadership team began to think seriously about scale. “We’ve been small until at least five years ago when we started to really get into it and started to think we’re going to grow more,” he said. That decision coincided with a period of rapid development across Indiana and neighboring states, opening opportunities for contractors capable of handling larger, more complex builds.
Since around 2020, TBG Construction has accelerated sharply. Jason Bonilla, Vice President of the Framing Division, pointed to that period as a turning point. “Around 2020 is when we started going higher. Now we’re doing over $20 million a year,” he said. Alongside financial growth came a shift in the types of projects the company was trusted to deliver, many of which carried civic or community significance.
Carlos takes particular pride in that evolution. “We started very small,” he said. “What I like most is that we have done projects that mean a lot to the city. We have gone from a house that means a lot to somebody to these historical buildings.” He recalled driving past Florence, a former school that had been transformed through redevelopment. “That was a school that was built, and it gave the intersection a whole point of view,” he said. “We’ve done feature projects for big cities. To me, that’s what I feel like we have done good.”
“What I like most is that we have done projects that mean a lot to the city. We have gone from a house that means a lot to somebody to these historical buildings.”
That focus on meaningful work is reflected in TBG’s project portfolio. The team is currently working on the redevelopment of the Old Marion County Jail in Indianapolis, a complex and historically sensitive project. Over the years, they have also completed work for fire departments, schools, churches, senior living facilities, and universities, including Marion University. Each project has added to the company’s reputation for reliability and adaptability.
One of the most significant milestones for TBG was its work on the Flats at Heartland Crossing in Camby, Indiana. The project consists of 13 garden-style apartment buildings owned by TWG, totaling more than 500,000 square feet. Valued at $5 million, the scope saw TBG provide a full turn-key package, including framing and final cleaning, with lumber supplied by Timberland Lumber. “We did the framing, and we’re doing the final cleaning,” Carlos said. “That was one of our biggest contracts. That was a very successful project; the margin was good.”
The company has also built a strong track record in hospitality and residential developments. TBG has worked on multiple Staybridge Hotel properties and is currently framing a four-story, 80,000-square-foot Staybridge Hotel in Illinois. Another ongoing project is The Charles in Lexington, Kentucky, a development comprising approximately 10 buildings and 24 units, totaling around 450,000 square feet, where TBG is providing framing services for CRG Residential.
More recently, the company completed the Sullivan Townhomes project, where it delivered both framing and interior scopes, including drywall, painting, finishing, carpentry, and cleaning. Valued at $1.2 million, the project marked another step forward for the interiors division and demonstrated the benefits of offering integrated services under one roof.
The launch of the interiors division in 2023 stands out as a defining moment in TBG’s growth. By expanding beyond framing, the company positioned itself to offer greater value to clients while smoothing project delivery. Flooring and installation services are now being added, further strengthening the turn-key model and reducing reliance on multiple subcontractors.
Beyond projects and revenue, TBG’s leadership speaks frequently about people. Carlos, who is of Hispanic descent, sees the company’s success as inseparable from its role in supporting the Hispanic community, both within Indiana and beyond. Javier Escobar, Vice President of Operations for the Interior Department Division, emphasized that impact. “I strongly believe that Carlos being of Hispanic descent has helped our community so much here, not just in Indiana, but out of the state of Indiana as well, providing work and giving the Hispanic community more choices and the opportunity to do more as well,” he said.
For Carlos, the team itself is his greatest achievement. “My biggest achievement personally is starting this and having the team that I fortunately have – having you guys here with me, that’s my biggest achievement,” he said. That sentiment is echoed across the leadership group, where versatility and shared responsibility are seen as essential to success.
Javier summed up the culture succinctly. “We do whatever it takes to get it done,” he said. “Sometimes it can be very challenging dealing with GCs and their PMs and whatnot. But at the end of the day, we take pride in what we do now, and we love doing what we do. We’ll keep on pushing forward.”
Crystal highlighted the same ethos from a pre-construction perspective. “We all wear many hats,” she said. “I can be a preconstruction director, but I can also pick up a hammer, I can hang insulation, I can install flooring – whatever it takes, you wear whatever hat is required to meet timelines and complete the project efficiently and hopefully within budget.”
As TBG Construction looks ahead, the focus remains on disciplined growth rather than expansion for its own sake. Vision, according to Carlos, has been the guiding principle. “Vision is the key to success and finally making the right team, the right people that I have fortunately found,” he said. With projects already lined up into 2026 and beyond, the company is positioning itself to continue filling its pipeline while strengthening internal structure.
“We are very busy, and we’ll end 2025 with a lot of work,” Carlos said. “We do have work to begin 2026, and 2026 is going to be better than this one.” Crystal added that the company is preparing for that growth by formalizing roles and planning ahead. “We have new roles coming to the company as we grow,” she said. “We have our vision. We’ve started putting that together and what our goals are and what positions we’re going to have become available as we’re growing to try to keep us all structured, growing, and moving forward successfully.”
After 15 years, TBG Construction’s story is no longer just about framing buildings. It is about building capacity, opportunity, and trust, one project and one team at a time, with a clear sense of where the company has come from and where it intends to go next.
