Lund Construction

Lund Construction is a family-owned and -operated preconstruction, earthmoving and pipeline contractor based in North Highland, California. George and Alta Lund established the company in 1957 with the goal of building relationships through service and expertise. Working out of a small office at home and storing materials in the back yard, the family launched a tradition of quality work and service that continues in 2015. More than half a century later, the crew maintains the same commitment to customers after three generations in business.

In 2015, George and Alta’s son, Jerry Lund, serves as president of the site work and utility contracting operation. Jerry’s sons, Kevin and Jeff, share responsibilities as vice presidents of the company. The twin brothers have been working at Lund Construction since a young age, coming to work with their father and grandfather at the age of 15. George has since passed away, but Alta remains an integral part of the family business, working in the office four days a week.

Lund Construction is a mid-sized union company. With 150 employees, the business is able to take on projects large and small in the areas surrounding Sacramento, California. The operation’s target market includes larger homebuilders and municipalities, providing services in both the public and private sectors. Scope of work frequently includes grading, digging trenches, laying pipe and conduit and laying surface material.

A growing portfolio

The team currently has a three-year contract with the Sacramento Municipality Utility District (SMUD). Valued at $18 million, the contract has 25 Lund Construction employees working for the public organization. “We go out everyday and put in new primary conduits and electrical in older neighborhoods,” says Kevin. “These lines used to be direct buried, and are beginning to deteriorate. We are going through laying conduit and running a new primary electrical line through it.”

The Lund Construction team has performed a range of power-related contracts over the years. Around 2004, the company completed work for GEMMA, a national power construction company, as a subcontractor. Lund Construction performed mass grading and dug electrical line trenches for a new power plant project in Colusa, California.

In the residential sector, Kevin and the team worked on construction of Fiddyment Ranch, a 160-lot subdivision in Roseville, California. The company graded the entire project, performed underground utility work on half of it and paved the roads. In a similar vein, Lund Construction worked on Whitney Ranch, a subdivision in Rocklin, California. Scope of work included $5 million worth of grading in 2014 and another $7 million worth of grading in 2014.

Kevin says one of the more interesting recent projects was work at Beal Airforce Base, completed in 2014. “This was a three-year project,” he explains. “The developer is actually converting old housing neighborhoods into new houses. We served as a subcontractor under Balfour Beatty. We performed the grading, a lot of rehab work and new sewer lines through old 1960s-era neighborhoods. The developer tore down all the old houses, reconfigured lots and built new houses. The biggest challenge was getting onto the base with all of our construction equipment, trucks and employees. Anytime you need to have a part sent in, you have to have special paperwork due to security restrictions.”

Maintaining a reputation

Lund Construction has a long record of efficient, safe, high-quality work. While the business performs most work in-house, Kevin says relationships with subcontractors play a significant role in the company’s success. “We have go-to guys for concrete and asphalt that we try to work with on a regular basis,” he explains. “We try to help where we can and we work with them to make projects run more smoothly for everyone.”

Scheduling is a major factor in the company’s growth as well as safety. “Anytime we are digging ditches, our guys are in the ground,” Kevin explains. “We have a solid safety program that I head up. Our program includes weekly tailgate meetings and we do a lot of training in the winter when it rains. We bring guys in and run first aid, confined space, CPR, forklift, shoring and traffic control training. As a union company, the union provides a lot of the training for us.”

While the recent economic downturn broadsided the construction industry, Kevin says his team has done fairly well. With strong relationships and participation in both public and private sectors, the business remained stable. Going into 2015, Kevin is optimistic about growth for the company. Over the coming years, the Lund Construction team will work to manage that growth while maintaining high standards of quality, safety and performance.