Beginning in 2002, the plumbing and HVAC specialty contractor MTech Mechanical has gradually but steadily diversified the range of projects it takes on. With its headquarters in Westminster, north of Denver, the firm has added Colorado locations in Eagle, Loveland and Colorado Springs. Growth in revenue has followed suit, with earnings rising to just over $200 million in 2023 from $154.8 million in 2021. Despite its focus on growth, the employee-owned company has maintained its commitment to employee and workforce development and community service.

“We’ve tried to be intentional in our growth and diversify our offerings, and that has really been key to our expansion and revenue growth,” says MTech COO John Falzone.

Falzone says recent growth has come, in part, from increases in its services and special projects divisions. The service division provides comprehensive maintenance, repair and retrofitting of mechanical systems, while special projects has a focus on end user tenant improvement and smaller-scale commercial installations.

“Five years ago, we were probably 50/50 large construction vs. special projects and service. Based on focused geographic growth in our special projects/service offerings, about 35% to 40% of our annual revenue is attributable to large construction today,” Falzone says.

The most recent addition to the company’s offerings is MTech’s energy unit, launched in 2023. The division specializes in energy efficient retrofits, renewable generation and building envelope improvements. MTech President Marco Capitelli says the move was an effort to address the emerging needs of owners.

“The state of Colorado and the city of Denver have a lot of energy initiatives, and we wanted to respond to that need,” he says. “It aligns well with our technical and design build capabilities, and with more cities and states looking at more electrification, I think our timing was right.”

Among the latest all-electric projects MTech has been a part of is the newly completed 1900 Lawrence office tower in downtown Denver. Designed by Chicago-based Goettsch Partners, MTech joined general contractor Hensel Phelps for the design-build delivery of the $400-million, 30-story, Class-A office tower completed in May. The project pursued LEED Gold certification in addition to WELL Platinum certifications and follows the city of Denver’s electric building initiatives. MTech designed the 100% energy recovery ventilation, water source heat pump systems and VRF heating and cooling system.

Challenging and technical projects are something the company has become known for, according to Falzone. He cited a current project, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Energy and Minerals Research Building at the Colorado School of Mines. The 190,000-sq-ft building will house multiple laboratory spaces for USGS researchers and CSM faculty and students. “It has a very complex mechanical system that has specialty systems within it,” he says. “In the last 10 years, we’ve done a lot of laboratory projects, and they just get more complex each time.”

Last year, the company completed the 77,000-sq-ft CLIMB development and production facility with exacting laboratory space for Umoja Biopharma Inc. in Louisville, Colo.

MTech’s construction pipefitters installed chilled water pipes in the 1900 Lawrence office building in Denver. A key part of the all-electric HVAC system is cold water, which is moved over 30 stories to supply the building’s cooling system.
Image courtesy MTech/The Unfound Door

Reputation Building

Falzone says as the company has grown, its leaders have prioritized maintaining and building relationships.

“We work to build trust and relationships with our clients and put together full turnkey proposals for them,” he says. “We try to get involved early in the design with design build or design assist to put together something solid for the client.”

Roger Smith, president of Denver-based Howell Construction, has worked with MTech on numerous health care and laboratory projects.

MTech “has been helpful to us on projects for advanced industries where the consequences of screwing up are high,” Smith says. “We like to get them to the table early.” He adds that the firm’s “in-house engineers are great” and that they have the specialized expertise needed for lab and health care projects.

MTech has also partnered with Englewood-based Saunders Construction on numerous projects ranging from office buildings to health care facilities. For the past four years, the team has been carrying out the redevelopment of the Base Village at Steamboat Springs ski area.

“Steamboat isn’t an easy place to work, but MTech didn’t hesitate to partner with us. They have a great reputation working in the Colorado mountains,” says Justin Cooper, president of Saunders Construction. “At the end of the day, this is still a relationship business, and the leaders at MTech, I consider friends. We can talk frankly with each other on a project, and that means a lot to us.”

Saunders has also partnered with MTech in supporting community causes, specifically those focused on suicide prevention.

“We know it is a big issue in the construction industry, and we’ve tried to take a proactive approach and make sure our team members have access to resources and try to reduce the stigma around mental health issues. We want them to know it's OK to have conversations with each other about how we’re doing,” says Capitelli.

In recent years, several company leaders and employees have completed the H.O.P.E. suicide prevention training program. Additionally, MTech has hosted events raising nearly $400,000 for community-based suicide prevention groups.

For more than 22 years, MTech’s community service committee has helped local charities with volunteer hours and money from company fundraising activities.

Going forward, Falzone says the company has a strong backlog of projects mostly in the institutional sector. In addition to the company’s growth, he says it’s rewarding to see the next generation of company leaders emerging.

“We want this to be a legacy company, and we see great potential in some people we hired years ago to carry us another 20 to 25 years,” he says.