President & CEO, Lastop Construction
Charlie Hong
Still on the Job Site. Every Day.
Charlie Hong started in this business as a project manager in the field, and he never left it. Becoming the owner didn’t change where he works. You’ll still find him on site, walking the job, teaching the crew, and checking the work himself.
Charlie Hong has passed the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial Building Contractors. Licensing agencies in 17 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands accept it in place of their own trade exam. When a client opens in a new state, we don’t start from zero. We file the application and get to work.
Built for Franchise Brands
One Contractor for Every State You Open In
Most contractors stop at the state line. Lastop doesn’t. We have already passed the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, the exam that licensing agencies in 17 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands accept in place of their own.
The Exam Is Already Done
When your next location is in a new state, we don’t start from zero. We file the license application there and skip the trade exam other contractors still have to pass.
Same Team, Store After Store
The crew that learned your prototype, your finishes, and your brand standards on the first location builds the tenth one too.
One Point of Contact
One contract style, one way of reporting, one person who answers the phone, in English or Korean, wherever the project is.
Licensed today: Virginia (Class A), Georgia, Alabama, New Jersey
Ready to apply, no trade exam needed: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands
Each state still requires its own application and may add a business and law exam.
About Lastop
Where Vision Meets Precision
Founded in 1999 in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area, Lastop has spent 27 years turning demanding designs into finished buildings.
Our work runs from Manhattan penthouses and hotels to medical and dental offices, franchise stores, and custom homes. We hold Virginia’s Class A license (CBC and RBC) and operate from offices in New Jersey, Virginia, and Georgia.
We bring an industrial designer’s eye for detail to every job, and we manage our projects with modern digital tools so that decisions are documented and nothing is left to memory.
27 Years of Mastery
Proven expertise in navigating complex urban construction environments.
Design-First Philosophy
Bridging the gap between aesthetic intent and structural integrity.
Modern Innovation
Utilizing the latest smart construction technologies for seamless project delivery.
37 Years in the Field
Projects Few Builders Ever Get to Run
Over 37 years as a project manager and as the owner of a contracting company, I have completed a range of projects that very few builders ever get to experience: Manhattan penthouses and hotels, medical and dental offices, pharmaceutical dry rooms, franchise stores, and custom homes. Each one taught me something the next one needed.
Two things come before everything else on my projects: safety and the quality of the work. Schedules and budgets matter, but a job built unsafely or built poorly is a failure no matter when it finishes.
How I Work
A Designer’s Eye, a Builder’s Hands
I trained as an industrial designer, and that training never goes away. I see the details: the reveal that is off by an eighth of an inch, the joint that won’t age well, the finish that doesn’t match the drawing. That is why our millwork and interiors look the way they do.
Background
Credentials at a Glance
37+ Years
As a project manager and contractor owner. In the U.S. since 1999.
Design and Business
Industrial design degree. MBA, Boston University.
Safety and Quality First
On every job, safety and the quality of the work come before schedule and budget.
Medical and Dental Specialty
Dental suites, treatment rooms, and X-ray shielding, built to code.
130,000 YouTube Subscribers
We film our jobsites and post the work, project by project.
Korean and English
Fluent in both, on site and at the table.
Licenses
Licensed Where It Counts
We hold contractor licenses in four states, and our founder held New York City’s Construction Superintendent registration for 15 years. Each one is a record of finances checked, exams passed, and work completed.
Virginia
License: Class A Contractor, Commercial Building (CBC) and Residential Building (RBC). License No. 2705196953.
What it covers: Virginia’s highest class, with no limit on the value of a single project or on annual volume. We can take on work of any size, from commercial buildings to custom estates.
How it is earned: Net worth verification, a documented track record managing large projects, and state exams in law and business management.
Georgia
License: Commercial General Contractor Company, Georgia’s unlimited tier. License No. GCCO008960. Qualifying agent: Charlie Hong.
What it covers: General contracting across Georgia with no limit on project size, unlike the state’s limited-tier licenses.
How it is earned: Passing the NASCLA commercial exam and the Georgia Business and Law exam, plus proof of minimum net worth, general liability insurance, and documented project management experience.
Alabama
License: General Contractor, Building Construction. License No. 60680.
What it covers: Commercial and residential building projects throughout Alabama.
How it is earned: Licensed since 2015, after the board reviewed our experience, financial statements, and project management record.
New Jersey
License: Registered contractor. Registration No. 13VH14049200.
What it covers: New Jersey is our home base. We build medical and dental offices, retail and franchise spaces, and high-end residential projects here, with a local network of trusted subcontractors.
How it is earned: State registration with proof of insurance, renewed every year.
New York City
Registration: Construction Superintendent, 2008–2023. Registration No. 021682.
What it covers: On major construction work, New York City holds a named individual, not the company, responsible for code compliance and site safety. Our founder, Charlie Hong, held this registration for 15 years.
How it is earned: Documented supervisory experience and a Department-approved 40-hour site safety course.
Training
Fire, Security, Low Voltage, and Control Panel Training
Charlie Hong completed all five modules of the New York State approved Security or Fire Alarm Installer Course with the Metropolitan Burglar & Fire Alarm Association of New York (MBFAA) in September 2012, 81 hours in total.
Module 1: Basic Electricity and Codes
15 hours
Module 2: Control Panels and Alarm Transmissions
15 hours
Module 3: Security Systems
15 hours
Module 4: Fire Technology
15 hours
Module 5: Service and Maintenance of Security Systems
21 hours
Want Charlie on Your Project?
Tell us what you are building. He reads every inquiry himself.
Tell Us About Your ProjectWhy It Matters
Why Our Licenses Set Us Apart
A license is more than a number on a truck. It is proof that a state has checked our finances, tested our knowledge, and cleared us to build.
01
Financially Vetted
Holding a Class A license means proving financial strength and keeping taxes, general liability, and workers’ compensation insurance current. You are hiring a contractor the state has already examined.
02
Tested Beyond the Trade
State licensing exams cover construction law, contracts, labor, and environmental rules, not only building technique. Our licenses show we know how to run a project, not just how to build one.
03
Proven Across State Lines
Every state writes its own rules. We hold licenses in Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and New Jersey, and we work inside each one’s requirements every day.
Have a Project in Mind?
Tell Us About Your Project