Humphries & Company LLC

For more than 34 years, Humphries & Company LLC (HAC) has been serving Atlanta as a premier interiors contractor specializing in office space. Headquartered in Smyrna, Georgia, a dedication to establishing strong relationships with subcontractors, owners, tenants, design professionals and project managers has earned HAC a solid reputation as a firm that ensures the successful completion of every project, complete customer satisfaction, quality work and responsive service. 

Founded in 1981, HAC has been able to build a portfolio of projects that reflects its team’s passion for design and building. Over the years, HAC has completed projects in office spaces of all types, including data centers, clubs, medical offices, law firms, securities firms and base building repositioning. With a strong field staff of superintendents and skilled carpenters, HAC is able to properly support each job, meet tight schedules and maintain its own high standards of quality.

“A large part of our success is due to the steadfast relationships we have with our quality subcontractors,” says Garth Snider, chief operations officer and general counsel of HAC. “We also emphasize the importance of process and communication.” Through weekly job meetings, detailed meeting notes, action item lists, request for information (RFI) and material tracking logs, HAC is able to complete every project with a “no surprises” result.

Environmentally conscious

HAC recognizes that as a leader in the construction industry, the work it does has an impact on the environment. By maintaining companywide sustainable practices in both field and corporate operations, HAC strives to reduce harmful emissions to the air from its operations. By reducing upfront demand, reusing materials when possible and recycling, HAC consistently endeavors to generate zero waste. With its team members equipped with the expertise to identify opportunities that will enhance the sustainability of a project, HAC works to find the optimum balance between the project’s budget and its sustainable building goals. HAC has been involved in numerous Platinum, Gold and Silver LEED projects and was the interior general contractor for the first LEED Gold-certified project in Georgia, which was the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Building.

With 27 full-time superintendents, HAC completes approximately 150 projects per year. The company is currently involved in a project at Ponce City Market in Atlanta. The company has constructed numerous different office spaces within the complex and is also constructing an entirely new rooftop for the facility, which will contain a miniature golf course, restaurants and an arcade. “The roof is going to be quite impressive when it opens,” says Snider. “It’s one of the largest brick structures in the Southeast and the developer has done a remarkable job turning the old Sears building into the premier work-live-play complex in Atlanta.”

Technological advances in the industry

Ponce City Market has become a hub for technology companies, as HAC has been involved in the construction of numerous office spaces for firms including MailChimp, an Atlanta-based email marketing service. The facility that houses MailChimp’s headquarters was an existing, abandoned Sears, Roebuck & Company building that was purchased by Jamestown Properties and converted into a mixed-use endeavor.

In regards to existing and upcoming trends that Snider is witnessing in the industry, he has seen the popularization of the open space environment in office settings. “There really seems to be a more of an emphasis on a collaborative setting,” he says. The company’s experience working with office spaces in Ponce City Market was a prime example of the design approach that many companies, especially technology firms, have taken.

In keeping up with technology trends throughout the industry, HAC is transitioning into utilizing new project management software. The company currently provides its superintendents with tablets, which the company uses to communicate from the field back to the office as well as with the architects of each project. “We’re going into a system that allows us to have the architects and subcontractors all on the same system where everyone can go into the system and look at the plans as well as the submittals and other information,” Snider explains. “It will be a much more collaborative system. It will reduce not only the amount of paper work, but also the amount of time for submittals and RFIs to be approved.”

Throughout its 34-plus years in existence, HAC has relied on its reputation and its partner relationships as the cornerstone of its success. “We have never measured success strictly by the bottom line,” says Snider. ”We are very protective of our reputation for doing first-class work. Our primary concern is that the customer is not only happy, but believes that we provided them with the very best product and service.”

This philosophical approach to business ethics will guide Humphries & Company LLC as it remains a leader in interior general contracting in the Southeast.