Haselden Construction broke ground in December on a $280-million renovation and addition at UCHealth’s Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colo. Designed by the S/L/A/M Collaborative, it includes a five-story tower, a cancer center, an expanded emergency department and additional imaging and cardiac spaces. When complete, the project will increase hospital bed capacity to 287 from 191 with room to grow up to 323 beds. UCHealth says it plans to hire more than 250 employees before the expansion opens in 2026.

Photo courtesy AGC of Utah

Members of the Utah chapter of the Associated General Contractors gathered in Salt Lake City for the group’s 102nd annual convention. Scott Parson, CEO of Staker Parson Materials and Construction and 2023 chapter chairman (in photo), was succeeded by Slade Opheikens, president of R&O Construction, chairman for 2024.

Joey Gilbert, chapter president and CEO, said that AGC of Utah recently centralized its workforce development efforts under Annee Farmer, its newly hired specialist. “We’ll have a clearinghouse of information for members, and we’ll continue our outreach to schools,” he said. “We want to make sure we find students who have an interest or aptitude for construction and provide them a pathway into the industry.”

Gilbert added that members are optimistic about the Utah construction industry’s near future, particularly along the Wasatch Front. Recently announced major projects include development of a minor league baseball park and surrounding entertainment district in South Jordan; the $11-billion expansion of a Texas Instruments fabrication facility in Lehi; expansions and remodels of major resorts around Park City; and redevelopment of the former state prison site at the Point of the Mountain in Draper into a new multi-phased community known as The Point.