With over 30 years of proven expertise, Uprite
Construction is a multi-service construction company able to tackle market challenges and continuously innovate. Brad Kollar, Executive Vice President of Industrial and Strategic Markets, dons his hard hat and hi-vis to show us the ropes
Writer: Lauren Kania | Project Manager: Ben Weaver
Established in 1991, Uprite
Construction (Uprite) has built a reputation for efficiency, quality, and strong client relationships based on trust and transparency, allowing the company to deliver exceptional results nationwide.
As a general contractor specializing in several core markets, including industrial tilt-up, self-storage, industrial outdoor storage (IOS) and electric vehicle (EV) site
development, tenant improvements, retail, and medical facilities, Uprite offers unparalleled comprehensive design-build services, providing clients with a fully integrated construction solution from start to finish.
“We currently operate out of 12 offices and are actively working in 13 different states, with our eye on several additional markets across the US,” introduces Brad Kollar, Executive
Vice President of Industrial and Strategic Markets.
The company’s corporate headquarters are in Irvine with further offices in Sacramento and San Diego (California); Reno and Las Vegas (Nevada); Boise (Idaho); Salt Lake City (Utah); Phoenix (Arizona); Dallas and Austin (Texas); Orlando (Florida); and Cleveland (Ohio).
“Our client base is diverse – we work with large institutional developers as
well as smaller, privately held or familyowned firms,” details Kollar.
Additionally, Uprite partners directly with end-users, property managers, and construction management companies, ensuring it can deliver tailored solutions to meet a wide range of needs.
With extensive experience in the construction industry, Kollar has witnessed the sector in North America evolve over the years.
“Right off the bat, I’d say that the world is much smaller than it was when I first started. 43 years ago, when I entered the industry, people and companies worked in finite areas of operation. Now, it seems, everyone has multiple offices in different regions,” he insights.
“This has brought about a tremendous number of opportunities alongside many challenges. Expanding into new markets is hard. It’s risky and takes a lot of planning.”
Uprite retains the mindset that if a project occurs in a market where it sees a long-term opportunity, it will make a strategic decision to establish a permanent presence in that location.
The company will hire an entirely local, homegrown team to cement its presence and show its clients and the subcontractor market that it is there for the long haul.
“We want them to know that our intention is to hire their friends, families, and colleagues. It establishes a sense of commitment and trust, and
that we’re not just here for the oneoff,” Kollar explains.
Uprite’s motto – ‘a partnership built on trust’ – is not just a catchy phrase but a mantra that the company abides by and embodies on a daily basis, particularly through the relationships it cultivates with clients, subcontractors, employees, and suppliers.
“UPRITE CAN COMPETE AND OUTPERFORM ANYONE IN ANY MARKET IN WHICH WE’RE WORKING. WE WILL – EVERY SINGLE TIME – OUTWORK OUR COMPETITORS TO WIN A PROJECT AND COMPLETE IT”
– BRAD KOLLAR, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND STRATEGIC MARKETS, UPRITE CONSTRUCTION
HOW DO EVENTS LIKE THE I.CON WEST CONFERENCE AND THE SELF STORAGE ASSOCIATION SPRING CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW PRESENT UPRITE WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE ITS PROJECTS AND DISCUSS INDUSTRY TRENDS AND CHALLENGES?
Brad Kollar, Executive Vice President of Industrial and Strategic Markets: “We attend and participate in a lot of trade shows. For I.CON West, we typically have team members from all of our Southwestern and Northern California offices come to the event.
“It not only allows us to showcase the company but also see old friends and clients and meet new people in the industry.
“Of course, there are always issues plaguing the sector, so we never run out of things to discuss and are able to hear others’ perspectives. Whether it’s material lead times, tariffs, or a new bill that may adversely affect us, it’s good to be in front of industry leaders, hear what they think, and see what they’re doing.
“This is a small world, and everyone knows each other. It’s a good opportunity to witness the camaraderie and see people helping one another.”
Having spent ample time developing this motto, the business believes it best represents who it is and what it is truly about.
“As a company relatively new to the industrial space, we had to start from the absolute bottom. Our clients knew us as individuals who had worked at other companies, but they didn’t know Uprite,” narrates Kollar.
“We had to convince them that they were hiring people whom they know, trust, and had performed well for them in the past. We had to convince them we were the ‘real deal’ and had
assembled a national team who could go up against anyone in the country.”
To that end, the company goes above and beyond its competitors with its preconstruction and operational efforts, providing absolute transparency along the way. Uprite, therefore, encourages its clients to take a chance and allow it to prove its capabilities and reliability.
“Of course, we’ve had some missteps along the way, but what sets us apart is how we’ve handled them,” prides Kollar.
AS COMMUNITY SUPPORT IS A CORE PART OF UPRITE’S MISSION, HOW DOES THE COMPANY GIVE BACK TO BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND STAFF?
Brad Kollar, Executive Vice President of Industrial and Strategic Markets: “We’ve been engaging in some fun things that also help those less fortunate.
“We have a great group of young team members who are energetic and have huge hearts. Our Director of Marketing, Monica McGannon, is always on the hunt for ways that our team can contribute to a charity while having fun at the same time.
“Our team just recently participated in a five kilometer (km), 25km, and 50km run in Newport Coast, benefiting the John Wayne Cancer Foundation. Uprite won an award for the Top Fundraising Team for the entire event.”
“THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS NOT JUST TO BE BETTER, BUT TO BE THE BEST. WE WANT TO BE WORLD-CLASS”
–
BRAD KOLLAR, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND STRATEGIC MARKETS, UPRITE CONSTRUCTION
The company’s Uprite One initiative means it can be all hands on deck at a moment’s notice while keeping the client informed and up-to-date during the process.
“It’s really hard to hide mistakes from clients, so we don’t even try. We acknowledge that it happened, fix it, and keep moving forward. That’s the epitome of ‘a partnership built on trust’”.
To continue its legacy of perseverance, dedication, and innovation, Uprite is focusing on sustainability initiatives alongside emerging technologies at the preconstruction stage, such as
implementing artificial intelligence (AI).
For sustainability, the company has explored several options, such as ecofriendly concrete mixes using fly ash or other supply chain management strategies to reduce cement content, as well as carbon mineralization techniques, which make concrete stronger while reducing its carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
For its reinforcement bars (rebar), meanwhile, the company has looked at using fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) or recycled rebar in lieu of traditional steel.
“We work with our concrete subcontractors to ensure they’re using recycled materials. There are several opportunities to reduce our
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carbon footprint in the construction process, and we’re researching more every day,” details Kollar.
Regarding technology, Uprite has implemented AI as a tool to review its prime contracts, directing it to read through an agreement and find aspects worth analysing and discussing with clients.
“It’s not a replacement for our own interpretation or a final review for a lawyer, but it helps us get through contracts more quickly, isolate the terms we need to acknowledge or discuss, and make a business decision quicker,” informs Kollar.
In addition to Uprite’s various growth initiatives, enabling it to exceed its clients’ expectations, the company prides itself on its differentiations.
“Uprite can compete and outperform anyone in any market in
which we’re working. We will – every single time – outwork our competitors to win a project and complete it,” expands Kollar.
Coming from the ground up, the company knows it has to earn every single opportunity, as it does not believe in the right to expect to be awarded a project.
“We’d never think to assume that someone owes us a project – it’s just not our mindset. If we’re fortunate enough to have earned the trust of a client willing to give us a shot, we’re going to give it everything we’ve got to show them their trust is not misplaced,” confirms Kollar.
Uprite has participated in many notable and innovative projects over the course of its history.
While there are a plethora that aptly
showcase the company’s vast abilities, some of the most recent and notable include Advantech North America in Tustin, California, ILC 4 in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Piercy Road projects in San Jose, California.
Situated as the North American headquarters for Advantech, a Taiwanese firm focusing on the Internet of Things (IoT), the Advantech North America project is a 110,000 square foot (sqft), six-story office tower with a 79,000 sqft, twostory concrete tilt-up.
“It was a great project for us in our Southern California office as it is a very high-profile opportunity which has garnered a lot of attention throughout the region,” expands Kollar.
ILC 4, on the other hand, will be the company’s fourth building with NorthPoint Development (NorthPoint). It is a 1.2 million sqft industrial tilt-up building at the Intermodal Logistics Center and will be the largest building Uprite has constructed under one roof, making it a special development for the company.
“Having a client like NorthPoint put its trust in us time and time again is a true testament to our team,” enthuses Kollar.
Elsewhere, the Piercy projects consist of three new concrete tilt-ups and were the company’s first largescale tilt-up projects for Hines.
“I had done work for Hines previously, and the fact that we were selected over other very qualified companies was a huge win,” he informs.
“It really told us that what we’re doing is working. It validated our approach and all the hard work we put into our preconstruction effort.”
As Uprite continues to look ahead, its priorities include keeping its clients happy and maintaining great relationships with its trade partners, employees, and surrounding communities.
“The ultimate goal is not just to be better, but to be the best. We want to be world-class,” proudly concludes Kollar.
Tel: (949) 877-8877
www.UpriteCo.com