Case Studies Region: West

Nate Mendel likes to joke that less than five years ago he knew nothing about marijuana, not even which part of the plant people smoked. Granted, Mendel never had a reason to learn much about marijuana before 2011—he was too busy running a commercial construction firm. Mendel’s first job for the marijuana industry involved building […]

With every window, there’s an opportunity. An opportunity to save on heat and air conditioning. To enhance the aesthetics of the house, apartment, condo or commercial building. To let the sunshine in or to keep the drafts out. Even to control that window’s covering from afar using an app. And there’s an opportunity for someone […]

A few years after SRM Development finished Google’s three building office complex in Kirkland, Washington, in 2007, the developer began thinking of ways to expand the project. In 2010, “we started looking at the vacant land across the way from the original three buildings, and started to formulate some thoughts about ways we could expand […]

Half of Byrom-Davey Inc.’s potential client leads are word of mouth, but in 2016 word of mouth looks a little different than when the company started in 2001. Eric Jennings Sr., Byrom-Davey’s vice president, was at a project site when his son showed him how to use Snapchat, a photo and video-sharing app. Jennings took […]

Some construction companies will try to build a hangar like they would a distribution facility for semi-trailer trucks, thinking the two buildings will require the same materials. But an aircraft can weigh over a hundred thousand pounds and that weight is concentrated on very small wheels. Jimmy Severson, director of business operations at Centrex Construction […]

Since 1992 GCI General Contractors has been serving clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as a leading sustainable building and commercial interior construction specialist. With a strong presence in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, the company’s list of clientele has grown over the years to include some of the country’s most recognizable brands GCI […]

Of all things, McCarthy Building Companies is stocking up on shipping containers. The reason why? Safety. By opening the front and back doors of enclosed, conex-type containers, the company can use them as tunnels at worksite entrances, protecting workers from falling debris. Robert Coibion, chief estimator for McCarthy, says the idea came from one of […]

The hiring process at Martin-Harris Construction sounds like something you’d find at the CIA. New employees—known as associates—take personality tests so executives can group them into highly efficient teams with complementary personalities and skillsets. Though it doesn’t handle espionage or national security, the Las Vegas-based general contractor is remarkable for its sophistication, both because its […]

Back when he was in high school, Brent Pence recalls hearing teachers tell students “you don’t want to be a ditch digger” all your life. His response now? That ditch digger may be making $35,000 or $40,000 a year, without going into overwhelming student debt. A fourth generation contractor, Pence honed his chops working for […]

Nelson Algaze and Rick Shlemmer, the founders of SAA Interiors + Architecture, work in an industry that is always changing. Each year presents new trends and challenges for their design and architecture firm, which creates interiors for commercial real estate owners and landlords, as well as process driven environments, commercial businesses and healthcare institutions. The […]