Ormaza Construction

Elko, Nev., is something of an anomaly these days with unemployment rates hovering at about half the national average stemming from a modern-day gold rush. It’s not the first or probably the last time the town will see an influx of skilled professionals looking to build the American dream, but Ormaza Construction will see to it that Elko’s newest residential developments don’t turn into the ghost towns that pepper the state of Nevada. The Ormaza Construction team has the knowledge, experience and personal conviction to develop rental properties that will stand the test of boom-and-bust economies.

“We’re building Rabbitbrush Run Apartments to be not only some of the largest rental apartments on the market, but also some of the nicest,” says Brandon Palmer, project manager for Ormaza Construction. Rabbitbrush Run Apartments, which officially broke ground in early 2011, will add 192 units and 16 buildings in three stages of development. The first phase will add 72 units across six buildings, followed by an additional five buildings in phase two and the final five buildings will complete the third phase, wrapping up the project in early 2013.

Even though the development aims to meet the growing need for housing in gold-fevered Nevada, Ormaza Construction has taken great care to ensure the units set a new standard for quality craftsmanship and community alike. The residencies are split between two-bedroom, two-bathroom and three-bedroom, two-bathroom units in order to accommodate the many assorted families moving to the area. The much-anticipated development will also provide a community center for tenants, in addition to two allocated parking spaces for each unit.

Considerate Construction

Ormaza Construction is using Sobella fiberglass flooring as a durable and sustainable alternative to traditional hardwood and stone for the project. The building façades are stucco and brick, and every unit has a granite counter top as well as its own hook-ups for both a washing machine and a dryer. An external mechanical room enclosing the water heater units and a furnace provide each tenant with a 100-percent usable floor space in each apartment. Central air systems both heat and cool the building, allowing tenants to toast to good fortune and friends on quaint individual terraces.

The team at Ormaza Construction prides itself on its ties to the local community. Pedro Ormaza, president of Ormaza Construction, grew up in the area and helped establish Ormaza Construction as a company for the community through his involvement in the Elko Basque Association and the Elko Desert Sunrise Rotary. In a professional capacity Ormaza Construction’s ties to the community play out in the level of professionalism every crew brings to work.

“Ormaza Construction has been in business since 1963 and we have built many longstanding relationships with the local workforce,” expands Palmer. Still, Elko is still a small town and Ormaza Construction has always been open to working with new talent.

Seizing Every Opportunity

And the timing of the Rabbitbrush Run Apartments couldn’t have been any better as mining operations ramped up production just as other areas of the state saw construction activities come to a screeching halt. Amongst the project’s team members is a local mechanical contractor that Palmer estimates Ormaza Construction has worked with for over seven years. The core of long-time partners is balanced by newcomers for the stucco portion of the work, which Ormaza Construction imported from Reno, Nev., as well as the project’s electrical contractor that came onto the project after establishing a reputation working exclusively on apartment complexes in the Las Vegas area.

“Multifamily electrical contracting is that company’s specialty and it’s evident in their work for us, but I doubt I would have been able to get them on board if Las Vegas was still booming,” says Palmer. Not only did the electrical contractor jump at the chance to build in Elko, but the company also signed onto the project with enough material in its inventory to complete the first phase of the project.

Together the teams have been able to keep the momentum up, with a careful eye turned toward the safety of the surrounding area. The first units were only made available once a few buildings had been completed, but construction will continue even after those initial units have been occupied. Ormaza Construction erected temporary fencing to mark off limit for any nonconstruction personnel; residential access to and from the site has also been limited to just one public entrance, which is separate from the construction-related traffic, for both safety and convenience for all parties.

As construction crews tie up the remaining knots on the Rabbitbrush Run Apartments site, Ormaza Construction will position itself to find growth in other markets by leveraging its considerable expertise in industrial and commercial construction. Wherever opportunity arises Ormaza Construction’s ambition will always be balanced by the team’s experience and consideration for the welfare of the community.