RELATIONSHIPDRIVEN SUCCESS
RELATIONSHIPDRIVEN SUCCESS Delivering a strong portfolio of industrial and commercial construction projects, Uprite Construction continues to overcome obstacles through partnerships built on trust and thinking outside the box. We catch up with Brad Kollar, Executive Vice President of Industrial and Strategic Markets Writer: Lucy Pilgrim | Project Manager: Jakub Tyl
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The general contracting industry has continued to evolve over the past year, but one thing hasn’t changed – we’ve become accustomed to navigating uncertainty. That’s simply the nature of our business today.” The opening words of Brad Kollar, Executive Vice President of Industrial and Strategic Markets at Uprite Construction (Uprite), aptly summarize its perseverance against
adversity and skill in overcoming industry obstacles since we last spoke to the company 14 months ago. For instance, increasing concerns surrounding tariffs have created significant market uncertainty and price volatility, further driven by ongoing global geopolitical conflicts. “The circumstances may change, but the challenges are often the same – material availability, labor pressures,
longer procurement timelines, and cost escalation. None of this is new to the industry anymore,” he continues. “The contractors who continue to succeed are those who know how to adapt, communicate proactively with their clients, and make informed decisions before issues become project delays.”
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The consolidation of construction partnerships is becoming equally as important, as national owners and developers are increasingly seeking firms that can deliver a consistent experience across several markets while still bringing strong local relationships and expertise. Uprite has experienced this firsthand, having expanded into several new markets since we last spoke to the company, including Colorado, Tennessee, Michigan, and Ohio, while actively pursuing opportunities in additional regions across the country. “We’ve remained focused on building long-term relationships by combining national reach with local expertise and maintaining executive involvement throughout every project. “Construction has always been, and will continue to be, a relationship business. Markets will fluctuate and technology will continue to evolve, but trust, accountability, and delivering on your commitments will always be the foundation of lasting partnerships,” Kollar insights.
COMBATTING COMPLEXITY While Uprite’s core markets have remained centered around industrial and commercial construction, project complexity has increased significantly. Indeed, many of its clients are building highly specialized facilities that demand a much deeper level of planning, coordination, and technical expertise compared to traditional industrial construction. “We’ve continued to evolve alongside those clients by investing heavily in our people, preconstruction capabilities, and geographic reach. 4 | North America Outlook Issue 37
HOW HAVE RECENT CHALLENGES ENABLED YOU TO EVOLVE AS A COMPANY? Brad Kollar, Executive Vice President of Industrial and Strategic Markets: “Growth is exciting, but it also has a way of exposing areas where you need to improve. “We experienced that first-hand over the past year. We had a project where a combination of staffing challenges, turnover, and not having the right people in the right roles impacted both the project and, more importantly, our relationship with the client. We took that very seriously. “Rather than treating it as an isolated issue, we viewed it as an opportunity to evaluate ourselves as an organization. We wanted to put everything on the table, have honest conversations about where we fell short, and determine what we needed to do to become a better company. “One of the biggest conclusions from those discussions was that we have to hold ourselves to an exceptionally high standard. Every person on our team has a direct impact on our clients’ experience, culture, and ultimately reputation. “That led us to evaluate our organization from top to bottom and ask a difficult question. Are we giving every employee the training, support, and resources they need to perform at the highest level? Where the answer was yes, we continued to invest in them. Where additional coaching or development was needed, we committed ourselves to helping them succeed. “Leadership is not about avoiding hard conversations. It’s about having them before they become bigger problems. Those decisions were not easy, but we recognized that maintaining a championship calibre organization requires a commitment to excellence at every level. “That period of introspection made us stronger, reinforcing the importance of accountability, communication, and surrounding ourselves with people who share our values and commitment to excellence.”
“Whether it’s advanced manufacturing, cold storage, mission-critical logistics facilities, self-storage, office environments, or complex tenant improvements, our approach remains the same – we become an extension of our clients’ teams from the earliest stages of planning through to project completion,” details Kollar. One of the biggest challenges Uprite has seen over the past year is the growing importance of preconstruction, as successful projects are no longer defined solely by what happens in the field. “They’re won or lost months before construction begins through thoughtful budgeting, value engineering, procurement strategies, constructability reviews, and risk identification. That’s an area where we’ve continued to invest because it provides tremendous value to our clients,” he outlines.
The company has equally expanded its presence into additional US markets to better support national owners and developers, thereby combining local expertise with the resources and experience of a national contractor. As Uprite has grown over the last 12 months, its biggest evolution has been its commitment to remaining relationship-driven. “We never want to become a company where clients feel like they’re simply a number. Executive involvement, accessibility, and accountability remain fundamental to how we operate, regardless of the size, location, or complexity of the project. “We believe that’s one of the reasons so many of our clients continue to trust us with increasingly complex work across the country,” Kollar affirms.
A PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON TRUST Uprite’s motto ‘A Partnership Built on Trust’ is even more relevant than it was 14 months ago. As the industry proves to be more competitive, trust has become the deciding factor for owners choosing who they want to build long-term relationships with. “For us, trust is not something that is established when the contract is signed. It is built every day through honest communication, transparency, accountability, and consistently delivering on our commitments. “We have always believed construction should be a collaborative process rather than an adversarial one. Our goal is to become an extension of our clients’ teams, working together to solve problems, manage risk, and create successful outcomes for everyone involved,” elaborates Kollar. North America Outlook Issue 37 | 5
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“We’ve always believed the best projects are built on strong partnerships, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to doing the right thing. Those relationships are among our greatest strengths, and we’ll continue investing in them for years to come” – BRAD KOLLAR, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND STRATEGIC MARKETS, UPRITE CONSTRUCTION
As the company has continued to grow into new geographic markets, maintaining that philosophy has become even more important. For instance, customers have direct access to Uprite’s leadership team, and its executives remain actively engaged throughout every project, therefore reinforcing accountability and demonstrating how far the business is invested in its clients’ success. “Many of our strongest client relationships today were not built on a single successful project but on years of consistently doing what we said we were going to do. “Anyone can be a great contractor when everything is going according to plan; the real measure is how they respond when things do not go according to plan. That philosophy 6 | North America Outlook Issue 37
continues to shape our culture and remains the foundation of every relationship we build.” Indeed, Kollar believes that many of Uprite’s projects would not achieve success without the trade partners, architects, engineers, consultants, and clients involved. “At the end of the day, we’re still a company that believes relationships matter, trust has to be earned, and every new project is another opportunity to prove ourselves. I hope that’s something that never changes,” he reflects.
STRENGTHENING CONSTRUCTION CAPABILITIES Uprite is currently in the design and preconstruction phase of an indoor vertical farm project for Australian AgriTech company Stacked Farm, one
of the most technically challenging and rewarding projects it has undertaken. The project has been submitted for plan check, with groundbreaking anticipated in September, and will help bring an innovative concept to life. The farm will have significant environmental benefits. By growing produce in a highly controlled indoor environment, it will have the ability to dramatically reduce water consumption, eliminate many of the variables associated with traditional agriculture, shorten transportation distances by locating production closer to consumers, and produce fresh food throughout the year without being restricted by changing weather conditions. “We aren’t simply constructing a building, we’re creating a highly controlled agricultural and food production environment where lighting, irrigation, refrigeration, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, process piping, automation, water treatment, power distribution, and environmental controls all have to function together seamlessly,” Kollar explains. Projects such as these force Uprite to think differently, whereby traditional construction methods are combined with a much deeper understanding of complex building systems and how they interact. This requires greater collaboration between the company’s preconstruction, engineering, operations, and field teams long before construction begins, therefore encouraging Uprite to expand its capabilities further. “One of the biggest lessons we’ve taken from the design and preconstruction process is the importance of integrating every stakeholder early. Success depends on bringing together the owner, designers, engineers, trade partners, equipment suppliers, and
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GIVING BACK Uprite is proud to be part of the communities where it builds, creating jobs, supporting local contractors and suppliers, and contributing to the long-term growth of the area. The company encourages its staff to engage with causes that are meaningful to them, including nearby charities, industry organizations, educational programs, and community events. “Rather than taking a one-sizefits-all approach, we believe our teams are in the best position to identify where they can make the greatest impact,” Kollar notes. One initiative that has been especially meaningful to Uprite this year has been its partnership with FrontSight Military Outreach. Through fundraising efforts and a recent charity golf tournament, the company has worked with the charity to provide critical services and resources to military veterans and their families. “We see community involvement as an extension of the relationships we build every day. Whether it’s supporting a local nonprofit organization, mentoring the next generation of construction professionals, or delivering projects that create lasting economic value, we believe success should be measured by the positive impact we leave behind as well as the buildings we construct,” he informs.
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construction team to solve problems collectively rather than sequentially. “The more collaboration that happens during preconstruction, the smoother the execution becomes in the field,” he shares. The indoor vertical farm project has also reinforced the company’s belief that the future of industrial construction will continue to involve increasingly sophisticated facilities, including indoor agriculture, cold storage, advanced manufacturing, and highly automated logistics centers, which require far more complex environments than traditional industrial buildings.
“For Uprite, projects like this continue to expand our knowledge and strengthen our capabilities. Each one teaches us something new, and those lessons make us a better builder for the next client and the next challenge. “If those projects also contribute to a more sustainable future, we’re excited to be part of that journey,” Kollar tells us,
IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT Sustainability has become an increasingly important topic across the industry as more owners and
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“Construction is a relationship business, but it’s also a people business. At the end of the day, our clients aren’t hiring a logo; they’re hiring the people behind it” – BRAD KOLLAR, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND STRATEGIC MARKETS, UPRITE CONSTRUCTION
developers are asking Uprite to analyze alternative materials, building systems, and construction methods that can improve a project’s long-term environmental performance. As such, the company’s responsibility is to help clients make informed decisions around energy efficient building systems, renewable energy integration, lower carbon materials, and water conservation strategies. “In many cases, these options require a greater upfront investment than conventional solutions. That doesn’t mean they aren’t worthwhile but that they need to be evaluated within the overall financial objectives of the project. “Every owner has to determine whether the additional initial cost aligns with the anticipated long-term return on investment, operating savings, or broader sustainability goals.
“Our role is not to make that decision for the client but to provide accurate information, reliable pricing, and practical guidance so they can make the decision that’s right for their business,” Kollar posits.
A HOME-GROWN TEAM People continue to be the foundation of Uprite’s continued prosperity – something which Kollar believes will never change. “Construction is a relationship business, but it’s also a people business. At the end of the day, our clients aren’t hiring a logo; they’re hiring the people behind it,” Kollar smiles. Indeed, Uprite has always believed in promoting from within whenever possible, as it has seen first-hand the benefits of growing within a company – a deep understanding of the culture, strong relationships across the organization, and a genuine sense of ownership in the success of the business. In line with these strengths, it is currently working on the development of Uprite University – an idea born from asking the question: how does the company help people become great? “We have a tremendous amount of knowledge throughout this business, and we want to do a better job of sharing it. Whether someone is just starting their career or preparing for a leadership role, we want to give them the tools, mentorship, and support to continue growing. North America Outlook Issue 37 | 9
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“Ultimately, buildings are the product of what we do, but people are the reason we succeed. If we continue attracting great people, investing in them, and creating an environment where they can do their best work, projects and client relationships will take care of themselves,” he states.
ON THE HORIZON Over the next 12 months, Uprite wants to continue building a company its clients trust, employees are proud to be part of, and the industry respects. Uprite will maintain its growth in strategic markets where it can support both existing and new clients. At the same time, the company is focused on growing its presence in more technically demanding sectors such as cold storage, food production, advanced manufacturing, and other complex industrial facilities.
Internally, one of its biggest priorities is continuing to invest in its people – whether through leadership development, Uprite University, recruiting exceptional talent, or creating new opportunities for the existing team. “We’re equally committed to preserving the culture that has helped us get to where we are today. Growth is important, but only if we can maintain the responsiveness, accountability, and personal relationships our clients have come to expect. We never want to become so large that we lose what has made us successful,” affirms Kollar. In parallel, the increasingly complex projects Uprite is delivering would not be possible without the trusted relationships it has built over many years. “That includes the subcontractors
and trade partners who work alongside us every day, architects and engineers who collaborate with us to solve complex challenges, and clients who place their confidence in all of us to bring their vision to life. “We’ve always believed the best projects are built on strong partnerships, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to doing the right thing. Those relationships are among our greatest strengths, and we’ll continue investing in them for years to come,” he closes.
Tel: (949) 877-8877 brad.kollar@upriteco.com
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Tel: (949) 877-8877 brad.kollar@upriteco.com www.upriteco.com
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