Seabold Construction

For more than 30 years, Seabold Construction Company Inc. has been a family-owned general contracting business performing commercial and multifamily residential projects of all sizes. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Seabold Construction provides a personal touch to each project and makes it a priority to establish solid relationships with their clients. “We work with the owners; not against them,” says Jay Coalman, vice president of operations. “We look at each project from start to finish as a whole and from the owner and investors point of view. Because we are also owners and investors on numerous projects we have the unique perspective of being able to view each project as a contractor as well as an owner.”

The relationships that Seabold Construction has established over the years have been a major factor in the company’s continued success through the economic downturn. “It has always been important to us to maintain relationships with owners,” Coalman explains, “We also took on some smaller projects that we wouldn’t normally have done so we could keep our employees working through the recession.”

Founded in 1984 by Harry and Steve Seabold, Seabold Construction has achieved steady growth and is an established organization with a careful eye on planning, progressive management and a commitment to partnering with its clients. When the company was started, the Seabold family had a combined experience of 60 years in the multifamily, commercial, industrial, and retail construction markets. With more than 50 full-time employees Seabold Construction is licensed in Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Arizona, Illinois, Georgia and Utah.

A multiservice company

Seabold Construction has successfully completed more than 3,000 new multifamily, senior, and farmworker housing units. The company has a broad range of construction experience including new construction and the renovation of residential multifamily housing, senior living, commercial and industrial projects; many of which are with repeat clients.

The design-build aspect of Seabold Construction brings the team’s collective experience to work for each client. The company approaches each project with an analytical perspective to discover potential value engineering opportunities during the process. Seabold Construction will spend a great deal of time working with owners and architects to complete in-depth plan reviews for the entire project team.

With safety as a primary concern for Seabold Construction, the company is proactive in providing carefully trained, well-equipped crews to all projects and facilities. “Training is given during preconstruction meetings, new hire orientations, and/or on-site safety meetings, to ensure all employees are up-to-date on our policies and programs,” explains Coalman.

The company is currently working on multiple assisted-living centers in Oregon, Arizona and Utah. “These are interesting projects because the new senior and assisted-living centers are a lot more like actual apartment buildings rather than nursing homes,” says Coalman. “There is a combination of amenities that you wouldn’t see in a nursing home but also wouldn’t see in an apartment.”

Green building

As an Earth Advantage Certified Builder, Seabold Construction is at the forefront of green and sustainable construction practices and technologies. “We have worked closely with the Portland Development Commission [PDC] and the City of Portland on their green building initiatives,” says Coalman. “We incorporate many of their requirements into our projects.”

In 2007, Seabold Construction completed the Clara Vista Town Homes project which was the first residential LEED project to be completed in the western United States. The project was awarded the LEED Silver certification and incorporated a number of green features such as stormwater management through natural drainage swales at both sites with trench drains at the sidewalks. The project included upgraded site protection during construction to control erosion and sedimentation, and also implemented waste reduction, reuse and recycling programs.

Coalman was introduced to the construction industry through his family. “My dad and my uncles were millwrights,” says Coalman. “It just runs in my family.”

Through his experience in construction Coalman says he appreciates the progressiveness of Seabold Construction. “We’re always staying on top of market trends, new building products and more efficient building techniques,” he says. “Our company philosophy is a big asset of ours as well. Owners like us because we’re personable and we care about their needs, wants and desires.”

As the company continues to focus on profit and volume, Seabold Construction will be looking to expand into the tenant-improvement market. “That’s a market that we haven’t really been involved in for the past 10 years,” says Coalman. “That is a market that is continuing to expand so we have our sites set on increasing our market share in the tenant improvement and renovations arena.”

While the company expands into new markets and new areas, Seabold Construction will remain an example of how a general contractor can maintain personal connections with its clients to the benefit of all parties.