WORK GROUP & COMMITTEE BULLETIN
By Jeff Cleator, Chief Operating Officer
Long-Range Plan Update: Business Performance
During our recent virtual Town Hall meeting, leaders shared updates from our annual business planning process. During the Q&A period, we received questions about the “R-word”—recession!
The real estate industry faces headwinds. Cost escalation for construction inputs, increasing interest rates, ongoing supply chain issues and declining demand for office space have reduced the construction opportunities in our core markets.
While concerning, real estate cycles are a natural and predictable part of the business. Lewis has weathered numerous recessions and depressions in our 137-year history with resiliency, adaptability and smart business planning—and it’s a focus of LRP goal #5.
More specifically, our goal is to achieve annual revenues of $900 million with profitability that meets or exceeds industry averages. We expect our 2023 revenues to be just over $1 billion, meaning we have accomplished our goal one year ahead of plan!
Long-range Plan
The more important aspect of this goal is to deliver at least $900 million in revenue every year, regardless of what’s going on in the economy. To meet this, we will shift revenues from declining market sectors to expanding market sectors.
First, launching the Data Center/Advanced Technology (DCAT) business unit under the leadership of Matt Jackson and JB Hall allows us to capitalize on the ongoing demand for data storage and high-tech spaces. Also, Crutcher Structures allows us to perform structural work as a specialty subcontractor, potentially opening new doors into public works and creating stability for our craft resources. And we recently were awarded projects in the education market sector, which remains strong.
Collectively, these strategies—being championed by Brian Aske and Matt Jackson under LRP Goal #5—will allow us to “Leverage our foundation as an expert builder to achieve paced growth and increased profitability.
DEI Community Updates
Carpenter Foreman
Shaun Hagler
Shaun joined the Carpenters Union at 28 years old, after graduating from college and looking for the right career. Nearly 25 years later, Shaun is a Foreman here at Lewis. Read our latest blog post to get to know Shaun, hear about the adversity he has overcome and learn how the construction industry can become more inclusive.
DEI Speaker Series Link
In honor of Martin Luther King Day, Lewis hosted its first speaker event of the year, with Theo Wilson. Theo spoke about finding common ground with people who bring different perspectives than your own. Scan the QR code to watch the recorded meeting!
BLUE OPS SAFEGUARD I NA AS F EGUARDIAN
Scan the QR code to read more. Scan the QR code to watch the recorded meeting!
By Ben McLean, Portland Communication Specialist
Meet the New Oregon President: The Renaissance Builder
Tony Stewart recently joined Lewis as our new Oregon President. With over 35 years of industry experience, including working as an architect, general contractor, specialty contractor and owner, he brings a broad range of experience and a balanced perspective. We sat down with Tony to get a sense of who he is, his business philosophy and his vision for his future with Lewis.
I developed a respect for the craft and found that the designs coming from architects did not always lend themselves to the realities of construction.
My success as a builder was leveraging my background in architecture to see what was supposed to be in the drawings but was left out. My years of lessons learned from the field and the design room have positioned me well to serve Lewis as the Oregon President, especially when it comes to our integrated design-build work.
How do you like to spend your time away from the office?
TS: I have developed a hobby centered around restoring 1950s and 60s-era muscle cars and turn-of-the-century outboard boat motors. I’ve been into fixing up cars since high school and have grown to see these machines as industrial art pieces. I’m currently restoring a 1956 Ford Thunderbird. Not the easiest car to drive but a beautiful design in the American post-war era. One of my fondest moments as a father was teaching my oldest daughter to do a burnout in my 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1!
How would you describe your business management philosophy? And how do you see yourself infusing it into your work as our new Oregon President?
TS: I observe, listen and look for talent in others, then partner with them to enhance that talent. I coach through facilitation, being able to come alongside and shepherd personal growth and development. I like to ‘lead the witness,’ allowing individuals to discover their inner strength and then inspiring them to maximize it. I often take on the role of director and producer, setting the lights, queuing the effects and setting the stage for others to perform.
Tell us how your past experience in architecture will impact your ability to lead a construction company. Where do you see that experience shining through in this new role?
TS: My approach is that of the ‘renaissance builder,’ a call back to when the builder and designer were one and the same, fully understanding design principles while having the training and skills to build. I am a licensed architect and spent the first ten years of my career designing buildings. I then pivoted to the field and took a position as an area superintendent.
Jobsite Jargon: Wrong Answers Only
Lewis superintendents were recently prompted to send in “Wrong Answers Only” to commonly used jobsite acronyms, and they did not disappoint. Be careful out there, you may think you are fluent in jobsite jargon, but some of the below acronyms may surprise you.
“Tentative Improvements (TI)”
— Anthony Powter
“A quick decision that I make in the field is a DBL… Design by Larry.”
— Larry Alar
“Another Stupid Idea (ASI), Reaching For Infinity (RFI), Maybe Enough Planning (MEP)”
— Patrick Millius
Tony says he joined Lewis at an optimal point in his career because he can use his passion for developing people to amplify the talent and brand we already have. His past work has prepared him to support Lewis in achieving our Long-Range Plan and business development goals in support of our Values and Purpose. We welcome Tony to the Lewis family and are eager to see him flourish as our new Oregon President!
By Teagan Wood, Seattle Marketing Coordinator
Jamie Coleman:
400 Westlake Apprentice
For a family man looking for a new direction in life, there are many things to consider about your path. For Carpenter Apprentice Jamie Coleman, joining the industry and learning the trade made sense. Jamie has been an apprentice since 2019 and works on the 400 Westlake project. Other than working with his hands on his steady to-do list of new work to learn, his favorite part about being an apprentice is the number of interesting people and tasks he gets to learn from. Everyone operates on the job differently, making it easy for him to throw himself into learning as much as he can and escape into the rhythm of his scope of work.
After slogging through unpredictable gig work with even less predictable hours, a career in construction appealed to Jamie.
“I love the schedule. I get here early enough to get off early and take care of my kids. It helps when the people in this industry are so laid back and value family and people the same way you do. People always understand life and if you’re sick or have kids, you can take care of things without having to jeopardize your job. People recognize that you’re a person,” he explained.
To Jamie, construction is more than just a job, what’s fulfilling to him is that it’s also a career in building a legacy.
“What makes me most fulfilled every day is knowing that I can take care of myself and my family. Knowing I can build up Seattle and pass it down to my kids and the city when I’m done,” Jamie said.
ISSUE #1 | 2023
Forest Grove City Hall
By Brittany Woltering, Portland Marketing Manager and MacKenzie Junor, Seattle Communication Specialist
Working with Mass Timber
Mass timber has rapidly become a high-demand construction material. Whether our clients seek to utilize more sustainable materials or want a more natural aesthetic in their spaces, we’ve seen an increase in demand and a wide variety of mass timber applications on several recent Lewis projects.
Forest Grove City Hall
One example is the renovation and expansion underway for Forest Grove City Hall. The team recently completed the mass timber structure for the new two-story Development Services Annex (DSA) building, which ties in directly to the existing building. The wood framing installation was self-performed by our crews.
The chosen design utilized concealed beam hangers called Ricon connectors to achieve their desired outcome. The unique technique enabled the glulam beams to be installed directly against one another, eliminating the steel connections from view.
Health Sciences Education Building
The original design called for 2x4 nail-laminated decking on both floors, which was labor-intensive and would have resulted in a lower-quality finish. Lewis suggested using a different product, “Lock Deck,” which saved the client time and money while also increasing the quality of the finished product.
The site of the DSA building is surrounded by adjacent facilities on three sides, which restricted the team’s installation access to just one side of the structure. Proper sequencing and detailed planning of the work were critical. Further, the concealed connectors didn’t allow for any tolerance in the length of the beams. To minimize this, the team ordered all perimeter beams longer than needed and cut them to fit on-site.
With the building envelope completed, the team is currently installing interior finishes in the DSA building and the renovation is underway in the existing City Hall building.
Health Sciences Education Building
At the recently completed Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB), a
98,000-square-foot lab, classroom and office space on the University of Washington Campus, Lewis installed 209 cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels as the primary decking material. The structure is a first-of-a-kind composite system consisting of steel, CLT, and concrete.
The HSEB team knew the long, heavy spans of CLT panels would bow if picked traditionally, so they invented a unique hoisting apparatus (now stored at the Yard) to pick the material safely. The hoisting rig attached to each panel at a standardized point, which allowed the panel to be picked up, flown and placed in a stable, flat manner. This system increased safety and saved time by reducing from five chainfalls to a single chainfall used for each pick and by being sized to work for multiple sizes of CLT panels.
Each panel was specifically sized to fit in a set location precisely, the panels were prefabricated and cored offsite, which allowed for increased accuracy and little field measuring for cutting. This resulted in no errors because each hole penetration was modeled and reviewed for accuracy before creating each panel. The only penetrations that were field cut were those too small for pre-fabrication or added by tenant request after erecting the structure.
HOW
Scan the QR code to submit your answer for the chance to win a $100 LewisGear gift card! The Q1 winner will be announced in the next issue of BlueOps!
Congratulations to our Q3 trivia winner: Robyn Overby!
BLUE OPS
OLD WAS SHAUN HAGLER WHEN HE JOINED THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY?
blue ops trivia!
By Teagan Wood, Seattle Marketing Coordinator
Sewer Heat Recovery System at 701 Dexter
The Lewis team at the 701 Dexter project has been laying the groundwork for the infrastructure of a new green Sewer Heat Recovery system (SHR) in the Life Science blocks of downtown Seattle. In partnership with King County and McKinstry, Lewis is constructing the main support system and housing unit to establish and support the SHR. Intended to support four future city blocks — 701 Dexter being the first — its function is to heat the blocks through more sustainable means. The unique trait about this SHR is that it will draw its energy for the building from the heat from the municipal sewage line running beneath the blocks.
In order for this to work, the team tapped into the 84-inch diameter King County Sewer main adjacent to the 701 Dexter building, which collects wastewater from over 100 acres of the City of Seattle! This combined sanitary and storm system runs at a temperature consistently above 56º, the minimum supply temp to be effective, meaning that the system can utilize the heat source to transport thermal energy within and between buildings in the future Energy District. By collecting the wastewater in the holding tank constructed by the 701 Dexter team, the system extracts the heat and then adds it to a closed-loop condenser water (CW) system. The team drilled horizontally beneath Roy St. and Dexter Avenue to install one of four 30-inch interconnecting casings between the adjacent buildings. This CW system loop allows the buildings in the district to share heat, reducing their overall demand on the energy grid. Lewis’s involvement in this scope is to build the foundation for the infrastructure of this future district. It’s an exciting and unique scope that allows for cleaner energy use for 701 Dexter and the future building projects that will plug into it.
Lewis has launched a charitable foundation! The Lease Crutcher Lewis Foundation serves to activate the collective resources of our employees and partners to improve our communities in support of our Purpose and Vision. Use the QR code to watch the launch video and learn more about how Lewis is using foundation resources to elevate our community.
By Ben McLean, Portland Communication Specialist
From Apprentice to Lewis Foreman: Elisha Jones
Lewis promoted Elisha Jones to foreman last January after he journeyed out of his apprenticeship. We met Elisha to talk about his experience transitioning from apprentice to foreman and what advice he has for those in that stage of their career.
What were some strategies you used to get consistent work while being an apprentice?
EJ: It was a real hustle trying to get work. I remember showing up to jobsites with my resume trying to get work. Eventually, my lady helped me design a business card with a QR code that took you to a list of all my certifications and Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute (PNCI) coursework. I feel like that went a long way toward showing my work ethic and investment in improving and learning more about the craft.
What were some of the central challenges you had to overcome during your apprenticeship?
EJ: Getting noticed and proving your reliability was the biggest challenge and strength because, despite the grind, it forced me to improve and develop. I kept signing up for additional education and training and adding to my resume to showcase my determination and commitment to the trade.
For those in apprenticeships, what advice do you have for getting floated for full-time employment with a general contractor (GC)?
EJ: Focus on being the most reliable person on the jobsite. Be coachable, lock onto instructional moments and find ways to make it clear that you learn from mistakes. Take advantage of the associate degree program through PNCI. Bosses can look up your transcripts and see if you are doing the bare minimum or taking the initiative and enrolling in courses that are above and beyond what is required. On every job, I carried a notebook, wrote down what I was doing daily and recorded notes of interest. These notes are helpful when asked about past work experience and demonstrate that you are an engaged and observant worker.
Elisha is working on a pediatric clinic buildout at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, Oregon. If you have questions for Elisha or want to learn more about moving through the apprenticeship process, email him at elisha. jones@lewisbuilds.com
ISSUE #1 | 2023
Foundation Launch VIDEO
PROJECT BACKLOG + HIGHLIGHTS
The table below is updated quarterly to show major backlog in each market sector. This is not a comprehensive list and data shown is projected. Please see Preconstruction or a market sector leader for more information about these projects.
Eugene in progress: University of Oregon Huestis
(per year for the next three years)
The project is a comprehensive structure renovation, including structural upgrades and seismic stabilization. Work requires the replacement of building HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems.
450,000-square-foot mixed-use, multi-family building with 315 units and is located in Bend, OR. Two framed buildings arise out of a superblock-sized, two-level PT concrete parking garage totaling five- and six-story structures.
This two-floor renovation will include internal and external building upgrades to meet the needs of the Counseling and Psychological Services department.
The projects encompass a wide variety of scopes, including healthcare renovations and equipment.
The Project is an approxi-mately 81,000-square-foot renovation of the Food Sci-ence and Technology and Rangeland Sciences Educa-tion building located on the Corvallis, OR campus.
Lewis is completing this $54 million project on UO’s active campus to eliminate deferred maintenance, safety and security issues while also addressing seismic vulnerabilities in this existing building. The project includes fully renovating the 1970s-era, four-story, 60,000-square-foot structure. The project team had the unique challenge of taking over this project from another GC who had already started demo work. Not only did Lewis have to begin construction on a project without any of the benefits of participation in preconstruction and project design, but they also had to hit the ground running to keep the project on track. The University has set a project completion date of January 2024.
Lewis is working with the project team to achieve LEED Gold on the project through an aggressive combination of sustainable construction practices and materials.
This $45 million Cologix Van4 Data Center CAD renovation in Vancouver, BC includes 55,000 square feet of significant seismic upgrades to the existing building structure, a new electrical system, UPS, generators, mechanical upgrades and associated security, controls and fire life safety systems.
The project is roughly 65% complete. Currently, the team is preparing to install generators on the roof of the five-story facility. This work has required a high level of coordination and problem-solving. The design team developed the structural steel generator supports while the connecting components for the steel were created by a trade partner—leading to intensive collaboration and timely back and forth to get the proper fitting. These generators are expected to be in place by the end of March. Despite significant delays caused by permit acquisition, the project is expected to finish in July.
Vancouver, Bc
in progress: Cologix Van4 Data Center
BLUE OPS
Oregon Projects Project Name Client Value Market Sector Scope Start Date Building 12 Advanced Technology Hub Lane Community College $52M
Education
Higher
Q2 2023 Jack
Straw Killian Pacific $100M Multi-Family
Q2 2023
$9M
Gilkey Hall Oregon State University
Higher Education
Q2 2023 IDIQ Construction Manager-
Contractor Contract
$15,000,000
Healthcare
General
Oregon Health and Science University
Q2 2023
Renovation
Withycombe Hall
Oregon State University $60M Higher Education
Q1 2023
PROJECT BACKLOG + HIGHLIGHTS
The table below is updated quarterly to show major backlog in each market sector. This is not a comprehensive list and data shown is projected. Please see Preconstruction or a market sector leader for more information about these projects.
A 100,000-square-foot tenant improvement to buildout the headquarters offices for this growing technology company.
A 25,000-square-foot buildout of an existing, live data center. When complete, the building will have a twomegawat critical power colocation facility, a "white space" data hall space and two 350-ton York chillers.
28,000-square-foot tenant improvement of a secondfloor office. Work includes modernizing their medical IT office department.
Progressive design-build renovations to modernize two elementary schools. Work includes addition of 23 new class rooms, construction of a new gym, commons and an inclusive playground across both campuses.
The Chapter Building 1 team has nearly completed the parking garage. They poured the ramp to the garage in early February and immediately began work on the main lobby slab. The core has risen through level two, and construction on that portion will pause until the slab construction finishes. Once level one completes, the Crutcher Structures team will begin Steel Erection on the remainder of the building!
Building Facts:
• Co-developed by Touchstone and Portman Holdings on a ground lease from the university district parking associates
• 12-story office project
• two and a half-story below-grade parking
• 12-story above-grade spec office
• Approximately 331,000 bsf
• The façade is masonry (54,000 sf), equaling 260,000 bricks and 2.4 million pounds of hand-laid materials (ties, mortar, etc.)
• Level 8 Amenity Deck complete with an outdoor kitchen, firepit and pickleball court is currently under design
• A pocket park will be built in an adjacent parcel as a part of the Master Use Permit
Seattle
ISSUE #1 | 2023
Project Name Client Value Market Sector Scope Start Date Terminal 106 Trammell Crow $140M Commercial
Recently Started Block 57 West Vulcan $100M Commercial
2024 Slalom HQ Slalom $20M Corporate
Q4 2023
$9M
Recently Started Behavioral Suite TI Seattle Children's $20M Life Science
Children’s
Building. Q3 2023 Providence Bear Creek Providence Health Services $2.3M Healthcare
Q2 2023 Kenwood and
Elementary School Northshore School District $55M Education
in progress: Chapter Building 1
Washington Projects
A two-story industrial building with 750,000 square feet of distribution of warehouse space and 350,000 square feet of parking.
An 11-story, 207,000-square-foot office building over four levels of below-grade parking. Work includes a public plaza and greenspace.
Databank Databank Holdings
Corporate
Full floor behavorial lab for Seattle
Research Institute in the Jack MacDonald
Maywood
Late 2024
2200 Western Avenue Suite 500 Seattle, WA 98121
www.lewisbuilds.com
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