People living in mountainous states like Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho and Montana aren't accustomed to things that are flat. Flat hats. Flatland. Flatlanders. And, especially, flat economic forecasts. Related Links: Regional Designers Seeing Some Improvement in Work Opportunities U.S. Construction Spending Reaches Post-Recession High This is boom-and-bust country, where the skyline is filled with hills and valleys. But the plot twist to the regional contractors' story of 2012 is a mostly flat forecast for the remainder of the year—with a few bumps on the horizon.At first glance, the healthy 2011 revenue reported by the larger regional firms looks promising. But
Salt Lake City-based Big-D Construction landed the top spot in this year's Mountain States ranking of the Intermountain area's largest general contractors with an impressive $555.2 million in 2011 revenue, pushing the firm up from its No. 6 spot a year ago. Related Links: Intermountain Owner of Year: Utah Transit Authority Mountain States Designer of Year: CH2M Hill Much of that surge can be attributed to the firm's role in building the state's largest ongoing project, the $1-billion-plus Utah Data Center, but it is also evidence of a contractor that has found success during the downturn and slow recovery by
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock recently joined the Denver Housing Authority in launching a landmark public-private partnership to bring renewable energy to 387 affordable housing buildings throughout the city. Courtesy of DHA Denver Mayor Hancock helps launch the DHA solar partnership at affordable housing buildings throughout the city. The ambitious Solar Power Purchase Agreement spearheaded by DHA and several renewable energy leaders—including Oak Leaf Energy Partners, Enfinity America Corp. and Namasté Solar—makes DHA one of the first housing authorities in the country to implement such a complex, large-scale residential solar-electric project.“The Denver Housing Authority continues to serve as an aggressive leader
Denver-based Burkett Design was recently honored by both the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and International Interior Design Association (IIDA) with first-place awards for the firm’s work on the Holland & Hart law office in Salt Lake City and on the Leprino Foods Innovation Center in Singapore. Photo courtesy of Burkett Design Leprino Foods hired Burkett Design to create a 7,000-sq-ft facility in Singapore that would eventually become the prototype design and concept for the firms other facilities worldwide. Holland & Hart won first place for Commercial Interior Design for Over 15,000 Square Feet from the ASID and first
Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison broke ground in mid-July for its new on-campus student recreation center and multipurpose field house. Photo courtesy of JE Dunn Construction Members of the Western State College board of trustees celebrated the recreation center groundbreaking with Rachel Burleson, WSC assistant athletic director; JE Dunn Vice President Kevin OGara; WSC President Jay Helman; WSC Student Recreation Director Janna Hanson; Andy Barnard, principal architect with Sink Combs Dethlefs; Steve King and Fred Coester with Sink Combs Dethlefs and Matt Vineyard, senior project manager with JE Dunn. Scheduled for completion in spring 2014, it will be
Design firms in the Mountain States share the same concerns about industry growth as their colleagues and competitors elsewhere in the U.S.: uncertain support for public infrastructure and shaky financing in the few private-sector markets showing signs of life. There is more optimism now than in the past few years but also ongoing angst—after another year of flat revenue—about the health of the global economy and political vagaries here at home. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record "Our greatest concern is the international debt crisis, its potential impact on the U.S. economy and recovery from the recession," says Brad
CH2M Hill's Scott Ingvoldstad keeps his copy of the "Little Yellow Book" on his desk. The simple sketchbook of values was written in 1982 by the engineering and construction company's co-founder Jim Howland and serves as a reminder of how to incorporate the basic concepts of ethics and integrity into everyday situations. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Ingvoldstad, who is CH2M Hill's director of government affairs for the central U.S., says customer satisfaction and an overriding goal to "keep clients delighted" permeates the firm's culture. Recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies
Merrick & Co., an international engineering, architecture, design-build, surveying, and geospatial solutions firm headquartered in Aurora, has acquired the water-engineering firm of McLaughlin Water Engineers of Denver and Aspen. The acquisition was announced this week by Christopher Sherry, senior vice president at Merrick. McLaughlin has served the water systems, wastewater, water resources, drainage and flood control, utility economics and whitewater design markets in the Rocky Mountain region since 1966. This acquisition provides Merrick with the added wet-infrastructure resources to continue its reach throughout the U.S. in the firm’s focus markets of energy, sustainable infrastructure, life sciences, national security and geospatial
Construction manager/general contractor Pinkard Construction Co., with Aller Lingle Massey Architects, broke ground in late May on an $8.9-million independent-living facility for the housing authority of the city of Loveland, Colo. Courtesy of Pinkard Construction The Mirasol Phase II groundbreaking was led by, from left: Cody W. Fullmer, branch president, Bank of Colorado; Cecil Gutierrez, mayor, City of Loveland; Samuel G. Betters, executive director, Housing Authority of the City of Loveland; Sue Mendenhall, president, Mirasol Resident Council; Kim Pardoe, vice president, The Richman Group Affordable Housing Corp.; Shelley Marquez, vice president, Wells Fargo; Cris White, executive director, Colorado Housing and
Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon, members of the city council and more than 300 residents gathered in the Festival Plaza of Centennial Center Park in late April to celebrate the grand opening of Centennial’s first civic park. Design Concepts of Lafayette, a community and landscape architecture firm specializing in parks, multigenerational play areas and schools, designed the master plan for the park. Photo courtesy of Design Concepts The parks playground complex is sunken, surrounded by walls and trees, and offers parents and other childcare providers good views of the entire playground area. The 11-acre park is located next to the Centennial