City Grill

Jerry Baker
Project Director Branch Builds

The Richmond market “is hotter than ever” with private and public work “at a breakneck pace,” Baker says. Multifamily projects are among the most prominent in terms of volume, and should be strong for up to five years, he says. The K-12 and higher education markets are also steady. 

Baker says owners, agencies and developers have a new mindset about energy savings at facilities, attaching return- on-investment expectations. Net-zero buildings are being designed and funded through alternative projects such as solar farms. “Municipalities are capitalizing on these opportunities to create win-win outcomes,” he says.

Baker says designers must consider the skilled labor shortage. “The best-laid plans will never come to fruition if the design is so far over budget that the project stalls or gets put on the shelf indefinitely,” he says, noting Branch’s backlog increased by at least 50% in the past six months and the firm has “more opportunities than we can pursue.” As backlog has increased, Baker says the firm increased its estimating and preconstruction efforts by over 50% in the past six months to keep up with demand.