Construction Today Volume 18, Issue 8

VOLUME 18, ISSUE 8

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A legend in lumber A family-business culture and a people-first approach have helped 84 Lumber rise to become America’s leading privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components and industry-leading services

An efficient path Project Business Automation (PBA) creates one end-toend cloud system for project businesses pg.8

RedTeam Construction management software from RedTeam keeps projects across the US running smoothly and efficiently pg.32

Editor’s Letter Chairman Andrew Schofield Managing Director Joe Woolsgrove Editor - Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.com Assistant Editor - Will Daynes

ON THE COVER

Staff Writer Alex McDonald, Danielle Champ XX.\ -XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Art Editor/Production Manager - Fleur Daniels xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx Art Editor - David Howard Advertising Designer - Paul Gillings

COLUMNS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Sales Director FROM OUR EDITORS AND WRITERS Alasdair Gamble

XX.\ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX

Operations Director Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Philip Monument xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Operations Manager XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX NatalieXX.\ Griffiths Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Research Managers xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Ryan Finn, Rachel Harper, James Page, Jo-Ann Jeffery, Ben Richell, Kieran Shukri

XX.\ XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX

Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Editorial Researchers xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Adam xxxxx Blanch, Mark Cowles Jeff Goldenberg, Mark Kafourous James XX.\ Page,XXXXXXX Wendy Russell, Richard Saunders XXXXXXXXXX Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Advertising Sales xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Johanna Bailey, Jessica Eglington, Alex Hartley, Reid Lingle, Theresa McDonald, Ibby Mundhir, Sam SurrellXXXXXXXXXX XX.\ XXXXXXX Xxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx Web Sales xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx web@schofieldpublishing.com Subscriptions i.kidd@schofieldpublishing.com Administrator Jessica Olley

Hello and welcome to the August issue of Construction Today. This magazine offers some insights into a diverse range of topics for you – from the benefits of parking lot surveys, to cloud based IT solutions! Hopefully there is something in our pages that interests or educates you, but if you ever want CT to focus on a particular area, then do get in touch and let me know, I’d be happy to hear from you.

Our cover story this month shines the spotlight on the activities of 84 Lumber. A company that truly represents the concept of a ‘family business’, 84

Schofield Publishing - Corporate Head Office

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Lumber has weathered economic highs and lows throughout its 65 year history. Today, it is proud to stand as the nation’s leading privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components and industry-leading services for single- and multi-family residences and commercial buildings.

The story of the company is fascinating - as our interviewee Frank Cicero, Chief Operating Officer (who has worked for 84 Lumber for 38 years) puts it ‘how

© 2021 Schofield Publishing Ltd

VOLUME 18, ISSUE 8

A legend in lumber A family-business culture and a people-first approach have helped 84 Lumber rise to become America’s leading privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components and industry-leading services

many 65-year-old companies are there, privately-held

An efficient path Project Business Automation (PBA) creates one end-toend cloud system for project businesses pg.8

by the second generation and turning over $7 billion

Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road,

a year?’ As the company navigates the second half of

Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K.

2021, and the fight back against the pandemic is in full

T: (312) 854-0123 T: +44 (0)1603 274130

flow, now is a great time for

RedTeam Construction management software from RedTeam keeps projects across the US running smoothly and efficiently pg.34

84 Lumber to highlight all of its successes – for the full story, visit page 18.

Finelight Media

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207 E. Ohio Street, Suite 351, Chicago, IL 60611

T: (312) 854-0123

Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, and

Libbie Hammond EDITOR

libbie@schofieldpublishing.com

correct at time of writing, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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Features 4

EARTHMOVING

Ensuring the right trailer for the right application is a job best left to the pros, but with these tips,

COVER STORY

18

operators can get a jump start on the process

84 Lumber 8

PROJECT BUSINESS AUTOMATION

Project Business Automation (PBA) creates one end-to-end cloud system for project businesses

40

and represents an opportunity for the future post Covid-19

10 LAND The right parcel of land plays a pivotal role in a variety of ways, ranging from the ease of permitting to material delivery to the long-term success of the business

12 CLOUD As construction businesses continue to face a unique set of challenges, technology is undoubtedly the key to navigating the way

Prescient

through a volatile and competitive marketplace

14 PAVING Minor parking lot repairs can significantly extend

56

a lot’s lifespan and reduce repair costs down the line, and a parking lot survey can help you spot when action is needed

16 NEWS The latest news and announcements from the world of North American construction – contracts, projects, products and more!

Pinner Construction 2 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

Profiles 32

36

RedTeam

Pacific Landscape Management

44

48

Dempsey Construction

LEMOINE

62

Empire Crane Company

Your company profile here 3 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

Working with an experienced manufacturer will ensure a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to making sure trailers and loads are safe and compliant for each area of operation

Jump

start

Five trailer sizing tips for earthmoving equipment.

By Troy Geisler

E

shapes and sizes. From bulldozers

dealers and manufactures can help

to excavators, scrapers to dump

operators select the right trailer tomove their

trucks, finding a trailer to haul the

earthmovers - one that will safely increase

necessary equipment to and from

productivity for years to come.

the jobsite can seem like a daunting task. But

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Here are five tips to keep in mind

it’s not impossible. Researching, answering

when sizing a trailer for earthmoving

questions and working with knowledgeable

equipment.

Earthmoving

1. Equipment weight and dimensions

dimensions and weight with added

The first step in sizing a trailer for any hauling

accessories.

Some equipment will require special considerations, as well. Some excavators, for

When making initial calculations, ensure

example, have adjustable track widths for

of the load. Start by determining the length,

availability of a truck that can handle hauling

operation or transportation mode. Be sure

height, width and weight of the machine.

the equipment before moving on to the

to figure out which mode will be used during

Be sure to keep in mind that the information

trailer. A 3-axle tractor and a 4-axle tractor

transport as it may take time to make the

on the spec sheet might not include the

will have different hauling capabilities.

necessary adjustments to convert between

job is determining the weight and dimensions

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Determining which deck configuration will be the best fit is a question for the professionals, as there are pros and cons to each. Custom trailer manufacturers have the experience and knowledge to determine what style would be best overall

the two. For safety reasons, one half of the

beam. Determining which one will be the

machines, like certain models of bulldozers

track or tire width of any machine must be on

best fit is a question for the professionals,

and scrapers, an RC deck might not provide

the deck, excluding the outriggers. While the

as there are pros and cons to each. Custom

the safest, most durable option.

standard 8-foot, 6-inch trailer might work on

trailer manufacturers have the experience

Beam - Equipment straddles a central

paper for a particular excavator’s transport

and knowledge to determine what style

beam with this deck design, meaning it has

mode, one must be honest in how trailers will

would be best overall. While the primary

the lowest ground clearance of the three.

actually be loaded from job to job. Be sure to

focus might be a bulldozer or scraper, a trailer

The main drawback is the lack of deck for

keep this in mind.

often hauls a variety of types of equipment.

accessories or smaller components. This

Backhaul equipment should also be included

configuration might not be suitable for all

are another area where operators will need to

Accessories, such as an excavator’s boom,

in calculations. An expert can determine the

earthmoving equipment, as well.

be aware of special requirements. There are

best trailer to meet all hauling needs. Here’s a

various boom lengths, and operators need to

brief overview on deck designs to get started.

2. Trailer Capacity Rating

consider where the boom will sit on the trailer

Flat - This is the standard deck design. It

While knowing the overall weight of

and how it will be cradled. A low-enough

offers the most versatility for moving a

equipment is imperative, it is also important

position of the boom is critical for keeping

variety of equipment. However, it also has the

to know where that weight is concentrated.

the load within height restrictions. Some

highest deck height and might not be ideal for

An excavator might have a 10-foot track, but

top-tier manufacturers offer customizations

taller machines.

all of the weight might be in the 8-foot span

such as a rear bridge design that eliminates

Raised Center or ‘RC’ - This deck offers a

between the front idler and the final drive.

interference with boom placement and makes

lower deck height than a flat deck. Not all

transportation safer and easier.

equipment will fit nicely over the raised

10 feet shouldn’t be a problem for a 26-foot,

After determining the weight and

Still, whether all of the weight is in 8 or

center, though. For some machines, extra

50-ton lowboy, right? Not exactly. The length

dimensions, it’s time to look at trailer deck

blocking might be required to make sure it sits

of deck calculated in the capacity rating varies

designs. Manufacturers usually offer three

safely on the trailer. This reduces efficiency

between manufacturers. One trailer might

deck configurations: flat, raised center and

when loading and unloading. For other

need the entire deck length for that 50 tons,

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Earthmoving

while another handles that same weight in half the deck length. So, if the majority of the machine’s weight is concentrated in 8 or 10 feet, a trailer with a half deck load concentration rating offers the best solution.

Failing to pay attention to how the capacity rating is calculated can lead to overloading the trailer, which can result in stress fractures and ultimately trailer failure.

3. Loading Configurations Today’s trailers offer a variety of loading

There are lots of variables when it comes to finding the right trailer for hauling earthmoving equipment.

Make the decision easier by following these five tips from Talbert Manufacturing

configurations. While tag-a-long trailers that unload off the back are an accepted option for smaller equipment in tight spaces, safety can be a concern. Driving over the back of the trailer is no easy feat and requires a careful and experienced driver to prevent damaging the trailer and minimize the risk of tipping the machine. Removable goosenecks reduce the safety risk by eliminating the need to drive up and over the trailer axles. This configuration saves time, hassle and expense while also extending the life of the trailer. However, keep in mind that a removable gooseneck requires ample space for loading and unloading.

Removable goosenecks reduce safety risks by eliminating the need to drive up and over the trailer axles.

4. State and Federal Regulations

This configuration saves time, hassle and expense while also extending the life of the trailer

Knowing where a trailer is headed is as important as knowing what it’s hauling. In general, operators should not need additional

everything the client needs to haul, the

Investing in higher-quality materials and

permits for loads 102-inches wide or less

territories of operation and the specific

components can double the life of the trailer,

and under 13 feet, 6 inches tall, but weight

challenges they face. The manufacturer will

significantly enhancing ROI.

and height regulations vary for bridges and

use that information to design a trailer that

between states, especially trailers hauling

offers maximum flexibility, versatility and

may also include positive camber in the

in California and the surrounding states.

strength.

original design. The amount of camber can be

Operators must also consider state king

Also consider the construction materials.

Trailers from a respectable manufacturer

customized based on the estimated usual load

pin laws. Working with an experienced

Look for materials like heavy-duty T-1,

manufacturer will ensure a wealth of

100,000-psi minimum yield steel for extreme

knowledge and expertise when it comes to

durability and longevity. Apitong flooring is

application is a job best left to the pros, but

making sure trailers and loads are safe and

another good choice because it stands up

with these tips, operators can get a jump start

compliant for each area of operation.

better than traditional oak and pine decking.

on the process.

5. Trailer Construction Not all trailers are created equal. It’s important to consider the quality of a trailer, not just the price tag. Working with a custom manufacturer offers the best results when it comes to safety, value and peace of mind. A trusted manufacturer will work to understand the client, not just the load. They will consider not just the earthmoving equipment, but

to ensure the flattest loaded deck possible.

Ensuring the right trailer for the right

Troy Geisler is the vice president of sales and marketing for Talbert Manufacturing.

He has more than 15 years of experience in trailer sales, including five years with Talbert. Talbert has been building world-class heavy-haul and specialized trailers to rigorous customer specifications since 1938. The company offers complete lines of heavy-haul trailers and specialized transportation equipment for the commercial, industrial, military and government sectors. Its trailers and equipment are used in applications as diverse as renewable energy, aerospace, heavy construction, in-plant material handling, manufacturing and processing systems and much more. www.talbertmfg.com

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An efficient

path

Construction industry productivity improves with project business automation. By Matt Mong

W

hile Covid-19 is not past us,

The problem is, construction, engineering

services through projects for their customers.

it certainly isn’t stopping

and professional services are all seen as

Identifying as a project business is the only

us. If last year has taught

completely different industries, even though

way construction companies will be able to

us anything, it’s that

80 percent to 90 percent of what they do is

understand how they should structure their

the same: projects.

business and what systems and solutions are

project businesses must make changes to embrace new technologies and ensure they

Failing to recognize a construction

possible.

are not only more productive, but sustainable

company as a project business makes it

and profitable in the long run.

almost impossible to organize and support

operate in multiple systems and applications

the business processes in a way that sets

to run their business. These apps include

online retail are already operating in the cloud,

contractors up for success. Chances are

project scheduling, project costing,

many project-based industries including

business processes are set up in a haphazard,

estimating, budgeting, ERP, time and expense

AEC, project manufacturing and professional

disjointed fashion where nothing is

and more. Most definitely, it includes lots of

services are not. The fact is productivity in the

integrated. Sound familiar? In addition, the

spreadsheets.

construction industry has remained stagnant

problem is made worse due to the lack of

or even declined over the last few decades.

business systems support for these types of

are not cloud-ready. What does that mean?

This is not only due to poor project business

companies.

They may not be accessible remotely, or the

While many industries such as finance and

management and the lack of technological

Covid-19 has presented a rare opportunity

Unfortunately, many project businesses

The problem is many of these applications

files and applications could be sitting on

innovation, but also the fact that construction

to reevaluate how contractors look at their

someone’s desktop in the office, completely

companies fail to recognize themselves as a

business and how they should set the

cut off from the rest of the organization. The

project business.

company up for success in the future.

data is spread all over the place and the ability

Construction must identify as a project business to optimize activities and investments While project businesses have many traditional industry labels, essentially, they have the same fundamental business practice: they deliver their products and

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to integrate, share and present that data is compromised in this setup. This also means contractors don’t have real-time visibility into their projects, so they have no idea of the current status of the business.

This setup is why many project businesses have not taken advantage of the cloud.

Project Business Automation Adopting a cloud strategy does not mean taking what you have and simply replicating it to the cloud. The goal is to consolidate disparate point applications into one comprehensive business system. Insights that used to take days or even weeks to produce now can be available instantly.

Construction firms now implement project-based ERP in the cloud Traditional ERP systems do not work for project businesses simply because they were not built with projects in mind. Project businesses need a project-based ERP solution in the cloud that provides greater flexibility when it comes to updating the system or adding new modules.

The fact is, to be successful and profitable, contractors need visibility into all aspects of the business at any time, from anywhere and on any device. Deploying the project ERP in the cloud will increase productivity because employees can record time and expense, check the status of their projects, assign, monitor tasks, and review reports in real-time.

For project businesses, having real-time visibility into operations can mean the difference between low profitability and high profitability. It allows contractors to anticipate and respond to changing market conditions, meaning they can make and save a lot of money. In addition, having access to performance data in real-time means contractors can eliminate time-consuming and error-prone manual data collection.

Project businesses that run their business operations in the cloud lets them focus on proactively managing and delivering projects to their customers. The result is improved

processes so everything is connected

when managed in separate applications. PBA

operational performance and shared

seamlessly in real-time. PBA provides real-

represents an opportunity for the future

information across the organization, making

time KPIs that facilitate the acceleration

post Covid-19. It provides an effective and

it easier to make better business decisions

and automation of business processes. This

efficient path to the cloud for architectural,

faster.

type of automation is simply not possible

engineering, and construction companies.

Project business automation transforms the construction industry Project Business Automation (PBA) creates one end-to-end cloud system for project businesses. As a new category of business systems built specifically to support projectbased companies, PBA standardizes, integrates and systemizes all project business

Matt Mong, Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Adeaca, is a Project Business evangelist, leading thought leadership efforts for Adeaca. Mong has worked to define and expose the fundamental issues plaguing project-based companies today, and the solutions needed to fix them. He coined the product category term Project Business Automation (PBA), now adopted by Forrester, as a new approach to digital transformation for project-driven businesses. www.adeaca.com

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Trees

to keys

Project management adds value to commercial and industrial construction.

By Chris Tilton

T

he world is filled with clichés,

up costs. Despite the escalating prices,

many of which are overused.

companies looking to build aren’t deterred

real estate brokers in Savannah and the

However, the old adage ‘location,

but still want good value for their investment.

surrounding counties gives us a leg up on

location, location’ is as true now

Knowledge and planning are how to ensure

competitors. He knows every broker because

the best bang for the buck in today’s climate.

he deals with them day to day in the appraisal

as it ever was when it comes to real estate.

Andrew’s knowledge of the commercial

Finding the right parcel of land is critical.

Andrew DeWitt, my business partner,

business. So, we’re able to reach out to a

It plays a pivotal role in a variety of ways,

and I basically grew up together, attending

number of the brokers to get not only the

ranging from the ease of permitting to

Benedictine Military School in Savannah. After

land that’s on the market but also a lot of wins

material delivery to the long-term success of

graduation, we headed in different directions

off-market.

the business that will call that site home.

with Andrew attending the University of

Knowledge of properties before they’re

Georgia and earning a degree in real estate,

widely available is clearly a tremendous

commercial real estate developers are facing

while I went to Georgia Tech to receive a

advantage in securing the best locations,

a new reality: demand for land is driving

bachelor’s in building construction.

whether they’re prime spots or alternative

With the economy on the rebound,

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Land get anymore. With this in mind, the minute we finalize a deal, we begin ordering the supplies and materials needed, thus allowing us to secure the best price and ensure the material is on-site and ready once construction begins.

This keeps a project on time for all involved, especially when subcontractors are in high demand. Any delay or hiccup could result in a subcontractor shifting to another available job or impact the pricing of that project.

We don’t really shop around much for subcontractors. We have a team of subs that we work with on basically every project and they give us a good price because they know they get paid when they give us a bill.

I recently had a client say he regrets not using our team to handle an entire project because dividing it up in the search for a better price resulted in a much longer time frame to complete the building, offsetting any of the gains they may have achieved.

That mindset of keeping to a schedule is crucial to keeping on time and budget. Our people focus on the day-to-day happenings at jobs as well as those looking at 30 days and 60 days ahead.

We’re always looking at angles where we can actually gain time, and that’s what we do. One of our mottos is ‘We get it done.’ At the very beginning of the design, we try to think of time management skills that can help us in the end. Our goal is to get that job done as quickly as possible because it gets our customers in the doors to start their new business.

We embrace new technology for our business continues to grow too, which helps with the design phase as well as the building phase. Keeping up with the latest technology ensures the customer gets the competitive ‘outside the box’ sites that may not provide

our industry only place a greater value on

advantage needed while helping our team

the best visibility, instead offering great value.

knowledge and planning. Advocating for

ensure the project’s success.

However, knowledge represents only part

clients through that design-build process can

Our company’s strategy, planning, design-

of the equation for success. With our full-

expedite the project much quicker with cost-

building process, time management and

service commercial and industrial construction

effective results.

technology all come together, but only after

services and being able to see the entire scope of the project, we add the best value to customers’ projects either through leveraging our suppliers for improved material and labor pricing or, perhaps more importantly, eliminating mistakes before they happen.

The unprecedented building material

As with many other builders, a lot of the material that we use day-to-day, we just can’t

a place to build is located. It all starts with the land.

Chris Tilton is president and co-principal of Dewitt Tilton Group, a premier construction firm located in Coastal Georgia and the Lowcountry, which specializes in commercial construction. www.dewitttiltongroup.com

costs and labor shortage currently affecting

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Cloud: The cornerstone of the modern construction enterprise

Simon Eyre looks at the crucial role cloud ERP has to play in the construction industry

E

ver-tighter regulations,

ensure consistently positive outcomes.

More construction firms are recognizing

increased project complexity

Technology is undoubtedly fueling business

that technology is no longer just a nice-to-

and a well-documented skills

transformation across the globe, something

have but represents a critical element in

shortage are just some of the

which we’re starting to see evidence of in

the execution of business strategy, as well

the construction sector.

as key a component in building competitive

issues currently faced by the construction industry. Add to this the ongoing volatility

advantage.

of the price and availability of materials, as

Technology for change

well as a lack of subcontractors, and it’s easy

To survive and thrive in this era, businesses

(ERP) is one such technology, helping

to see why construction businesses are

need to be operating within an agile

construction businesses overcome their

under pressure to work smarter and more

framework, one which connects the entire

challenges. By uniting disconnected silos

efficiently, keeping pace with the demands

ecosystem, including operational systems,

of information across the business into

and expectations of both the industry and

business processes and the wider supply

a centralized platform, what results is a

customers.

chain. In combination with increased

single version of the truth, accessible to

transparency, automation and access

all, providing a comprehensive view across

one of the lowest levels of investment in

to more in-depth business insight, this

the business. This facilitates seamless

technology but, faced with this unique

approach enables firms to drive sustainable

collaboration on projects and helps

set of challenges, the sector should

growth in an increasingly competitive

construction businesses better understand

reassess this approach, putting in place

marketplace, embracing technology to drive

and optimize their complex operations.

the appropriate digital technology to

business transformation and innovation.

In-built analytics take care of all the data

Construction firms may historically have

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Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning

Cloud

forecasting accuracy too, with estimated

solution can underpin stringent compliance,

and forecasted project costs grounded in

be it health and safety, environmental, HR,

precise, up-to-date and comprehensive

taxation or CSR. It can support both local

business insight.

and international standards, including ISO

Enhanced productivity

14001 environmental management and 45001 occupational health and safety,

Complex projects call for seamless,

IBC International Building Code, ICMS

simplified, business-wide functionality,

International Construction Measurement

which is exactly what a cloud ERP delivers.

Standards, and SSIP Safety Schemes in

The automation of core tasks means

Procurement. Embedded contextual apps

fewer errors and less time dedicated to

support the communication of and adherence

administrative tasks, increasing efficiency

to safe handling of materials, health and

and productivity. Instead, team members

safety compliance information, and risk

can carry out more value-add, strategic

mitigation policies, for further peace of mind.

activities. Staff can become more projectfocused, taking less time to find the right

Cloud confidence

information, and more time acting on the

By choosing a cloud ERP solution,

valuable insight that the right cloud ERP

construction businesses are guaranteed

solution can deliver.

a solid underlying platform to support

Empowered workforce

the entire enterprise ecosystem. A cloud deployment ensures systems work together

The best solutions unite what is often

seamlessly, delivering actionable insights

a remote workforce, providing real-time

automatically. The agility and flexibility

access to centralized data, making it much

afforded by the cloud means that it can

easier to connect with colleagues and

support a changing business, with the option

collaborate with partners. It gives teams

to add or modify systems as the business

the tools and insight needed to do their job

grows. Where all too often systems can stand

well, optimizing their efficiency and their

in the way of business growth, the right

productivity. When it comes to addressing

cloud ERP solution can be a true enabler of

the industry’s skill shortage, the right cloud

business development, providing the agile,

ERP solution can make a real difference. To

flexible and secure foundations needed for

attract and retain the best talent, it’s vital

rapid business growth.

that construction firms put modern, robust

As construction businesses continue to

heavy-lifting, turning data into meaningful

systems in place to support the entire

face a unique set of challenges, technology

and actionable insight, paving the way for

workforce across all operational and project-

is undoubtedly the key to navigating the

smarter, faster and more effective decision-

based disciplines.

way through a volatile and competitive

making, transforming the way construction firms do business.

Increased visibility The depth and breadth of organizational

Stringent compliance

marketplace. The right cloud ERP solution delivers the tools and insight needed to

Regulatory and legislative compliance can

do just this, building an enterprise that’s

no longer be managed effectively without

efficient, agile and productive, able to deliver

digital technology. A robust cloud ERP

on time, every time.

visibility afforded by the right cloud ERP solution enables issues to be identified before they have a negative impact on operations. Such is the data confidence that the solution provides, boosting data integrity, consistency and accuracy significantly, that it underpins timely, robust decision-making, creating a more agile organization, able to respond quickly and effectively to changing demands. Similarly, such data confidence leads to greater

Simon Eyre is Global Product and Industry Market Strategy Director – Engineering & Construction at Infor. Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. Providing mission-critical enterprise applications to 65,000 customers in more than 175 countries, Infor software is designed to deliver more value and less risk, with more sustainable operational advantages. It empowers 17,000 employees to leverage their deep industry expertise and use data-driven insights to create, learn and adapt quickly to solve emerging business and industry challenges. Infor is committed to providing its customers with modern tools to transform their business and accelerate their own path to innovation. www.infor.com

13 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

Smooth

solutions

When should you conduct a parking lot condition survey? Emily Newton reports

M

inor parking lot repairs — like

includes sealcoating, you’ll begin to see

assessment or maintenance. If a ride

crack sealing or patching

cracks appear about three to five years into

across a stretch of pavement is sufficiently

— can significantly extend

its lifespan. These cracks can quickly expand,

bumpy, the department will survey the

a lot’s lifespan and reduce

potentially growing into potholes. However,

road and begin to plan maintenance

repair costs down the line. However, small

with the right treatment — crack sealers,

operations.

unaddressed issues can quickly become

fillers and other preservation methods1, like

much more severe problems.

fog coatings — you can quickly manage them.

A parking lot survey can help you spot

However, you’ll only know these cracks

You can also base your frequency on how often parking lots need maintenance.

Recommendations vary somewhat on how

parking lot distress that you may be able to

have emerged if someone’s keeping an

frequently you should perform parking lot

patch with the right maintenance. However,

eye on the parking lot, or if you’re regularly

repairs. Some asphalt preservation experts

asphalt takes time to wear down, and it’s not

surveying your lot’s condition.

recommend crack filling and sealcoating

practical to continually reevaluate your lot’s

There’s no industry-standard metric

every three to five years, while others may

condition. Instead, you’ll need to develop a

for determining when it’s time to inspect

advocate for more frequent sealcoating and

schedule of parking lot condition surveys.

parking lots, but you can borrow best

less frequent filling.

practices and work backward from

If you haven’t inspected or maintained a

Best practices for timing pavement surveys

recommendations on lot maintenance to

parking lot in the last three to five years2,

roughly estimate how frequently you should

a condition survey will likely turn up some

A quality parking lot can last as long as 20

examine a lot.

pavement distress you need to manage.

years before needing repaving. Between

Most state departments of transportation,

However, if there are signs of visible

construction and then, however, the parking

for example, use a ride quality metric —

distress, you may want to stage a survey

lot will need regular maintenance.

like the International Roughness Index

anyway, even if only a year or two has

— to determine when pavement needs

passed since the last examination.

Typically, if a parking lot’s construction

14 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

Paving • Rutting

likely the most in-depth standard available

• Shoving

for parking lot surveys.

• Bleeding •

Polished aggregate

• Raveling

With the standard, you’ll need to note every deformation, crack or patch on your parking lot, and record this distress in several ways.

If you can see obvious or extensive

Once the survey is complete, you’ll be

damage to the parking lot at a glance — or

able to calculate the pavement condition

if the pavement ride is rough or bumpy —

index for your lot, a number between 0 and

it’s typically a good idea to stage an early

100 that represents how distressed the

condition survey.

pavement is.

If you already plan to spot-patch an area

A survey that meets the ASTM D6433-

of a parking lot or fill a crack, it can also be

20 standard will take significant time to

a good idea to conduct a survey anyway.

complete. However, it will also provide you

Condition surveys can reveal major structural

the best idea of your parking lot’s condition.

or design defects, helping you identify

If the distress only consists of a few

root causes behind unusual or unexpected

individual cracks or patches, the simpler

distress.

PASER approach should work well. For more extensive damage, however, you may

How to conduct a parking lot condition survey

want the detail and specificity the ASTM’s

Construction companies use a few different

or practice you use to survey your lot, you

standard methods and metrics to survey

should include the date of the inspection,

asphalt parking lots’ condition. Some

as well as a future date for the next

construction companies use the Pavement

examination.

standard provides. No matter what standard

Surface Evaluation and Rating (or PASER) departments initially developed. The PASER

Know when to survey and repair a parking lot

method lends itself to a quick parking lot

Pavement surveys and maintenance can help

inspection. You won’t need to note every

ensure a parking lot lasts its full potential

instance of distress, just the general

lifespan.

method3, which state transportation

Signs a pavement survey may be necessary

condition of the lot.

You may also want to adjust your surveying

to assign your parking lot a rating between

A survey every three to five years, with

schedule based on your parking lot’s status.

one and ten. Lower ratings require more

additional surveys as needed, could be

If there’s visible distress or major changes to

intensive repairs, while higher ratings may

enough to help you identify common issues

the pavement since the last survey, it may

require little or no maintenance.

and prevent them from developing into major

be a good idea to stage an early condition survey.

Catastrophic problems or design

At the end of your survey, you’ll be able

There are also more comprehensive

In general, it’s good practice to survey frequently enough to catch new distress.

problems.

standards available.

The ASTM D6433-20, or Standard Practice

oversights can cause a parking lot to develop

for Roads and Parking Lots Pavement

cracks or other damage ahead of schedule

Condition Index Surveys, is the 2020 version

— meaning it can be valuable to inspect your

of the American Society for Testing and

lot before that three- to five-year milestone

Materials standard. The ASTM D6433-20 is

1 http://asphaltmagazine.com/the-importance-ofpreserving-pavements/ 2 https://www.dbkrieginc.com/parking-lotmaintenance.php 3 http://www.apa-mi.org/docs/AsphaltPASERManual.pdf

has passed.

It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the signs of visible pavement distress, like those outlined by the Federal Highway Administration Program’s classification system: • Cracking • Potholes •

Emily Newton is the Editor-in-Chief of Revolutionized, an online magazine exploring innovations in construction and industry. Subscribe or follow her on LinkedIn for more of her articles. https://revolutionized.com/author/emily/

Patches and patch deterioration

15 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

News In Brief Finance funding

Premium living

Billd, the leading provider of material financing for commercial subcontractors, has closed $30 million of funding led by LL Funds, with participation from RJT Credit and Ulysses Management. With this latest round, Billd will expand its product and technology offerings to better solve the cash-flow challenges faced by contractors, and continue to forge partnerships with the most widely

Embrey has closed on its site purchase for Hensley at The District in Centennial,

used platforms in the construction

Colorado, a 304-unit multifamily community project with mountain views to the west,

industry. Additionally, the funding will

neighborhood walkability and easy access to jobs, shopping and entertainment. The

support the addition of top talent in

project is a six-story multifamily wrap-style project that will help create a pedestrian-

order to accelerate growth and scale

oriented promenade within The District, an emerging mixed-use community being

the company’s infrastructure.

developed by Brue Baukol Capital Partners. Embrey purchased its property from Brue

“Supply chain finance in the

Baukol Capital Partners, a Denver-based company.

construction industry is terribly broken

“We are known for creating places where people want to be. This is a beautiful

and has been for decades,” says CEO

site and we are excited to contribute our unique development style and skills to

Chris Doyle. “This funding round is a

the Centennial community,” said Jimmy McCloskey, Executive Vice President of

major milestone towards achieving our

Development for Embrey. “Residents will enjoy premium living with luxury amenities

vision of solving insurmountable cash

and plenty of lifestyle enhancement opportunities.”

flow challenges for contractors.”

Billd has taken major strides in the

The first units and clubhouse are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2024 with project completion later that year.

construction industry to provide financing terms that align with payment cycles.

Light fantastic Smartlabs, a pioneer

Driving excellence Balfour Beatty has appointed Daniel LaFrance as the Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer for its Buildings, Civils and Investments operations in the US. Daniel joins Balfour Beatty from Colas USA, an infrastructure, construction, mining and materials firm and subsidiary of Colas Group, where he spent the last 16 years in various positions, most recently as Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer.

“My goal is to help team members do their jobs in a way that drives operational excellence through a culture built not only on compliance, but a commitment to integrity and always doing what’s right. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues, our partners and our customers in successfully achieving their business goals and to implementing industry best practices in compliance,” said Dan.

16 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

in smart lighting and electrical control, has launched Nokia Smart Lighting, a suite of IoT-powered lighting and electrical control products.

Built for everyone to enjoy, the first-ever Nokia Smart Lighting products are designed to make smart lighting straightforward-to-buy, easy-to-install and intuitive-to-use.

Incredibly versatile and featuring universal compatibility, Nokia Smart Lighting brings consumers and the trade a solution with high-end style.

Nokia Smart Lighting products have a clean, modern aesthetic found in high-end custom solutions, yet resemble familiar wall switch and dial designs that won’t require family or guests to learn how to use them. Precision engineering delivers a high-quality product with soft-touch haptics for an elegant feel and quiet operation.

“We understand that every home is different, so we’ve created the new Nokia Smart Lighting products to complement any style of home and make smart lighting easy for everyone to enjoy. The line is designed to work with any fixture, any bulb, and wiring configuration and you can control the system by touch, voice, phone or tablet,” said Rob Lilleness, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Smartlabs. “These new products enhance one’s home with beautiful lighting whether creating a mood for a dinner party or automatically turning on the staircase lights for the morning – its lighting that improves life.”

News Art deco refurb

New solution

Adam M. Lutz of

Travelers Haven has revealed a new

Lutz Real Estate

category of housing solutions, Workforce

Investments and

Housing-On-Demand, to eliminate a

Matthew Sosin

critical workforce housing gap - providing

of Northern

nomadic workers in specialized industries

Equities Group

such as construction, healthcare, and

have announced

consulting with an easier, more flexible

that their joint

way to secure short-term housing that

venture has

feels like home.

completed its

Workforce housing-on-demand is a

$70 million

full-service solution that lets anyone

renovation of

find and customize housing for nomadic

The Albert Kahn

specialists from an expansive virtual

Building, and its

inventory of possibilities, placing workers

conversion into 206 apartments, now named The Kahn Apartments (TheKahnDetroit.com).

into the right place at the right time with

Located in Detroit’s New Center/Midtown North neighborhood, the 11-story, 320,000

complete flexibility. All of the set-up,

square foot Art Deco masterpiece was built by The Fisher Brothers and designed by famed

tear down, billing and any other loose

architect Albert Kahn.

ends that might come up gets taken care

As two fourth generation Detroiters, The Albert Kahn Building’s renovation was an

of by Travelers Haven. The customer

undertaking and a point of pride for Lutz and Sosin, and included the conversion of the office

simply provides specific destination and

space on floors two thru 11 into 206 studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments with

accommodation criteria and then, using

floorplans ranging from 530 to 1317 square feet. The penthouse units feature an interior

their proprietary network of leases,

stairwell unique to each apartment. With interiors designed by Detroit-based Kraemer Design

agreements and partners, Travelers

Group, Lutz and Sosin ensured the one-of-a-kind Art Deco architecture remained intact.

Haven assembles the perfect solution in

The first floor, with 18-foot-high ceilings and massive windows, is available and ready for a new office, showroom, or retail tenant.

any city, large or small. To the customers, it just gets done.

First for US Mammoet and Flatiron Construction have successfully completed

in operation. Once positioned next to the bridge piers, Mammoet

the main span float and lift of the Wellsburg Bridge, which connects

jacked up the bridge again in order for the bridge to be floated

Wellsburg, West Virginia and Brilliant, Ohio. Upon completion, the

between the piers and

tied-arch bridge will significantly reduce travel time between the

over the bridge bearings and the approach girder. Mammoet’s tool

two communities, aiding in improved local commerce.

kit consisted of a total of 18 jacking beam layers to cover all possible

History was made during the project as floating a bridge had

water levels during execution. Next, the jack-down operation began

never been done before in West Virginia. In addition, it is the

to precisely position the bridge on its bearings and to allow the

heaviest floating bridge lift ever executed in the US.

barges to be floated away.

Mammoet’s proposed technical solution utilized its Mega Jack system to jack-up and install the Bridge, weighing 3870t (8540 kips

With safety as highest priority, Mammoet skilfully executed the scope of work ahead of schedule in one day without incident.

or 8.5 million lbs).

Flatiron Construction opted to use Mega Jacks due to increased efficiency, reduced disturbance, and a more controlled method which offered a higher level of safety.

This was the first time the Mega Jack 5200 system was used on a barge, and the first time a system of this type and capacity was used in the US. Mammoet mobilized eight Mega Jack 5200 towers and eight 500-ton strand jacks and installed the equipment onto four prepared barges in New Orleans, Louisiana, and began function testing of the system. Flatiron Construction floated the barges to Wellsburg, West Virginia where Mammoet then took over the load of the bridge on its Mega Jack system.

Mammoet jacked-up the bridge with a total of six jacking beam layers and their client executed the float

17 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

84 Lumber

A legend in

lumber

Celebrating 65 years in business in 2021, 84 Lumber remains the first choice for contractors and builders across the entire US, thanks to its dedicated team and inspirational President and Owner, Maggie Hardy

A 84 Lumber www.84lumber.com Services: The USA’s largest privately held building materials supplier

18 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

s the nation’s leading privately held supplier of building materials, manufactured components and industry-leading services for single- and multi-family residences and commercial buildings, 84 Lumber already holds a unique position in the market. Not only does its lack of shareholders give it a lot of operational flexibility and freedom, but its owner, Maggie Hardy, is one hundred percent invested in the success of the company and her people, in way that public-listed businesses find hard to emulate.

Frank Cicero, Chief Operating Officer at the company (and who has worked for 84 Lumber for 38 years), believes that this is a

very important factor that sets the business apart. “Maggie doesn’t really view 84 Lumber Company as a company, although that sounds strange!” he said. “She really thinks of it as a living, breathing entity, or almost one of her children. This is really, truly a family business, built around people and full of staff who have been here for years and we have all grown together to do this job.”

Given Frank’s history with the business, he is perfectly positioned to give the magazine’s readers a brief insight into its evolution, which started back in 1956, with its founder, and Maggie’s father, Joe Hardy. “Joe started a company to help contractors build houses in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where there was

Below: Maggie Hardy, Company President with her father and company founder Joe Hardy

a miniature housing boom at the time,” said Frank.

For 20 years, 84 Lumber added stores across the States and then in 1976, it recognized a new competitor in the form of ‘home centers.’

These were selling raw materials for building houses as well as stocking bathrooms and kitchens – bolting on the other peripheral items that are needed to create a home. “We saw this as a great model as the stores would draw in retail traffic. But then in 1989, the big box stores like Home Depot start opening up, so in turn, the company spent the next three years figuring out how to best fit into this new world.”

In 1992, Maggie became Company President,

and while only in her late 20s at that time, she had essentially spent much of her life beside her father at 84 Lumber, learning about the business and how it works, and her arrival heralded a step change in approach. “It was a major shift in our company and is why we are successful today,” asserted Frank. “When Maggie became 84’s President in 1992, she visited stores, listened to our company associates and found out what each individual market needed to be successful. It was really her patience, listening to people and then acting on what they said – which is another of Maggie’s strengths – that made us what we are today.”

Maggie’s philosophy recognized the different

needs and trends of each location, and over the four years from 1992 to 1996 she reset the culture. “Deciding to stop waiting for people to come into stores, she created an outside sales program, with associates that go out and meet builders and find out what their needs are, and drive sales into the stores in that way,” added Frank.

If 1992-1996 reset the culture, then 19962001 set the foundations. Having established a great model and facilities, 2001-2006 saw 84 Lumber enter bigger markets, and just as it was seeing success in new locations such as Dallas, Los Angeles and Phoenix, the market was hit by the 2008 housing bust. It heralded a tough few years for 84 Lumber,

19 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

84 Lumber

but as a company that was privately held, it weathered the storm. “Maggie personally invested her own money to keep the company going through those hard times,” said Frank.

With Maggie’s support, 84 Lumber persisted; in 2011 it entered a period of recovery, with new stores arriving four years later.

“We had this little growth spurt in 2016/2017 and from 2017 to where we are today, we have been on this wonderful trajectory of growth that could see us end 2021 at over $7 billion of revenue,” exclaimed Frank.

Maggie’s philosophy of learning a lot about the areas where stores are located has been a crucial factor in the evolution of 84 Lumber, and a differentiator between it and the competition, because as Frank notes “it’s so different from market to market. As you can imagine – a builder in Boston is going to have different needs to one in Northern California.”

The strategy has been very successful and means that 84 Lumber can supply

range is broad and encompasses everything that you see in a house,” explained Frank.

Frank referenced a few of the items supplied by 84 Lumber, but his list was just a small selection – the business offers a huge variety of construction building materials and supplies, from decks and drywall to stairs and moldings.

Its buying power and depth of inventory means that contractors’ projects will stay on budget and on time, and its understanding of local markets means that the advice of staff and range of professional services and specialty products available meet the needs of its customer base.

Another significant additional aspect that sets 84 Lumber’s product selection apart is its own in-house manufacturing capability.

“Once Maggie’s new philosophy and culture were set up, she knew we had to get into manufacturing,” said Frank. For over three decades, the organization has established itself as a leading manufacturer of metal plate connected roof and floor trusses and wall

its customers at every stage of a house’s construction, wherever they are located. It starts with the framing. “We do windows, exterior doors, siding and roofing, and then we go inside with interior doors and trim. The

panels for some of the country’s largest singlefamily and commercial builders.

To get some further details about this important segment of 84 Lumber’s business, Vice-President of Installed

20 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

Above: Maggie Hardy, Company President

James Hardie James Hardie is the world leader in fiber cement siding.

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James Hardie’s exclusive ColorPlus® Technology delivers a beautiful finish that resists fading. Learn more at jameshardie.com

Congratulations 84 Lumber on your continued success!

We look forward to our ongoing partnership.

© 2021 James Hardie Building Products Inc. All Rights Reserved. AD2115 07/21

Enjoy the endless design possibilities, trusted protection, and long-lasting beauty of North America’s #1 brand of siding.

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84 Lumber

Sales & Manufacturing Ken Kucera joined our conversation. He explained that the business now has 12 manufacturing plants in total, based predominantly east of Mississippi and manufacturing for its own stores and customers. With an investment and modernization program underway, 84 Lumber is greatly expanding its capacity both in facilities and the equipment inside, upgrading to automated truss lines, pluck systems, wizards and various types of modern equipment. “We are looking at autofeed systems, and with some of the new plants we have staked out, we see that type of technology becoming part of it,” he said.

“The efficiencies also come from our associates and the training programs we have for them, as well as the set up of the equipment. We have focused on our industrial engineer talent process, with process managers going into our facilities to work with the operators to look at how they are setting up and then modernize that aspect of it as well.”

The products built inside 84 Lumber’s facilities – trusses, wall panels and floor panels – may not be new inventions in themselves, but they do include innovation in the way that

22 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

84 Lumber delivers them to the construction site. “What we want to do is receive a question from our customer, work with them to develop a measurement of that delivery option, go and do it, assess it, come back and review it, score it, price it and if it’s deemed worthy and it goes to the adoption stage, ultimately scale it,” said Ken. “That could be for floor panels, it could be longer panelized wall systems, or it could be usage of cranes instead of rolls on a job site. It involves manufacturing of products, as well as the installation side and how we can join them together. We work really hard with our stores to make sure that the store, the plant and the labor are all pointed at the customer.”

In fact, the synergy between stores and manufacturing is a priority, and Ken confirmed that the business is committed to increasing its manufacturing capability to support the growth of the stores. “That means looking at markets with stores we are in today and adding or increasing manufacturing in those markets. We are also taking positions in new markets both in terms of stores and manufacturing sites, so it is really exciting to be on the edge of that.”

This process of location expansion is already underway, with March 2021 seeing

INDOOR SPACES WITH AN OUTDOOR FEEL The indoor/outdoor living trend has continued to rise in popularity. For the past few years, homeowners have been craving spaces designed to open to the outdoors, framing the views around them and seamlessly integrating their interior design style to outdoor entertaining spaces. While traditionally indoor/outdoor living spaces have included opening an entire wall to the outside, there are many ways to bring the outdoors in.

Remove Boundaries with Big Doors Contemporary design is on the rise, with more homeowners seeking out designs that incorporate natural light and clean lines. As a pillar of contemporary design, walls of glass like big doors from Andersen, accentuate the view outside and provide the feeling of openness in the home. The Andersen MultiGlide™ doors help homeowners add more square footage to their home by connecting the indoors to an outdoor living space designed for relaxing and entertaining.

Visit your nearest 84 Lumber store for more information about Andersen MultiGlide™ doors.

INDOOR SPACES WITH AN OUTDOOR FEEL Andersen® Big Doors give you the ultimate design freedom to blur the line between indoors and out. And with the best options for indoor and outdoor living spaces*, there is a style and design for almost any home.

Explore the possibilities at andersenwindows.com/bigdoors “Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are trademarks of Andersen Corporation. ©2021 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. 07/21 DMS

For information on Andersen products, visit 84Lumber.com to find a location near you.

2107_84Lumber_BigDoors_Ad.indd 1

7/19/21 11:41 AM

84 Lumber

Explore the Georgia-Pacific ForceField® Difference at 84 Lumber ForceField® Weather Barrier System is the integrated WRB sheathing system for walls and sloped roofs that helps you dry in structures faster and reduces the number of trips around the building compared to traditional systems.

the opening of a new, dedicated truss plant in Richmond, Virginia. The new component plant, which primarily manufactures wall panels, roof and floor trusses, is fully automated, outfitted with the latest design software, computerized saws, a trackless gantry system and laser projection equipment.

Just five months later, 84 Lumber celebrated another opening, this time in Statesville, North Carolina. The utilization of the technological solutions in each of these new truss plants means that the manufacturing teams can design and manufacture the right solutions for customers in much less time and deliver them to the jobsite ready to install.

While the component manufacturing side is a crucial contributor to the success that 84 Lumber has achieved over its history, the facilities and machines are nothing without the right operators, and this applies to the stores, too. From the top floor to the shop floor, the business strives to hire great people and keep the same culture – for this reason it has never undertaken an acquisition.

“Our people set us apart,” stated Frank. “We build everything from the ground up, and I think that’s how we keep our culture as one.

24 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

We bring transparency to everything – to our associates, our customers and our vendors, and we all work together. We have 350-400 people that work in our team headquarters, and these are the people that support our 250 locations throughout the US. “Surprisingly enough, everybody is here between 6:30-7:00 a.m. and everybody leaves between 5:30-6:00 p.m. because the team headquarters works the same schedule as the stores; there is no differentiation here - we are all one team.”

“What our associates can get done both in the manufacturing space and in the stores that we supply, I think it’s been a differentiator in this current run that we are on,” agreed Ken, from a manufacturing perspective. “In some markets, we are adding tools that they haven’t had before, and they quickly take advantage of it.”

The growth the company is undergoing also means that it is looking for new associates to add to the team – it is looking to hire as many as 3,000 roles across the country throughout the rest of 2021. In a short video on YouTube that gives a small insight into 84 Lumber’s truss plant in New Britain, Pennsylvania,

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84 Lumber

Sean O’Connell, the plant general manager, commented that working for the business has given him the opportunity to ‘play a part in building the future.’

For any young people who want to experience this for themselves, 84 Lumber has a component designer apprenticeship program, where successful applicants enter at the ground level and learn all about design and engineering. The opportunities for advancement through the company are impressive, and recruitment and finding the right team members is a continuous

process for 84 Lumber. “We are proud of our associates and what we do here, and I think it’s reflected in our growth and what we will be doing in the future,” said Frank.

In fact, everyone along the value chain is important to 84 Lumber – putting people first is a priority. “I think what drives the company more than anything is watching the success of its people. We all get tremendous amounts of enjoyment from that, especially Maggie,” said Frank. “We are going to take care of our associates and customers first, and indeed, building long-term relationships with

customers is also something else that sets us apart,” he added.

This echoed Ken’s previous comments about forming close collaborations with the customer, and he agreed that this approach would remain very important. “It can happen in many different ways, so it could be simply having the product they need, but it’s also the research and development, value engineering, bringing them cost and time saving ideas, decreasing cycle times - that is the trade off to get to that relationship,” he reiterated.

This collaborative approach requires a lot of flexibility, and Ken agreed that this way of operating has contributed to 84 Lumber’s success. “I think its going to really tell the tale in the next 12-18 months where capacity and constraints of manufacturing are going to remain,” he added. “We need to listen to our customers and form deeper relationships with them and ultimately, if there is an investment in capital to get there, we are willing to do that, but we want to make sure we have a strategic partner along for the ride with us.”

This customer-first approach was also made evident during the Covid-19 pandemic months

RoyOMartin 84 Lumber became a customer of ours in 1999 with their first purchase of 23 AC plywood. Our relationship grew when they purchased their first load of 8’ 7/16 OSB in July 2007.

Along the way 84 has helped expand our demographic reach especially in WindBrace® and Tuffstrand® extended length panels. Today, we are proud to have 84 Lumber as one of our top OSB customers.

84 and RoyOMartin are both family owned businesses, so we can both appreciate all the highs and lows that come with that! In 2016, RoyOMartin hosted their annual shareholders meeting at Nemacolin and had the very unique privilege of having Maggie Hardy speak to Martin family members. RoyOMartin family board member Eric Howard recalls, “Maggie opened her heart up to us about her growing up, working with her dad and her lumber company that, like ours, had very humble beginnings.

Noting the numerical size of her family (quite small), versus ours (enormous), I realized: Maggie’s employees are her family, and it shows in her actions.”

RoyOMartin President Scott Poole attributes 84 Lumber’s success to their commitment to their customers’ success.

“Through their decades of growth to over 250 locations, 84 Lumber has proven their commitment to the building industry. As we prepare for the generations to come, we are excited to have 84 Lumber at our side.”

From all of us at RoyOMartin, we congratulate 84 Lumber on an amazing 65 years. Thank you for being a wonderful partner.

26 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

84 Lumber of 2020, when, as a designated essential business, 84 Lumber and its stores remained open. “Those front line associates that took care of our customers were the true heroes of this company,” proclaimed Frank. “We didn’t miss a beat, and actually after the first three to four weeks starting on March 16th, our business boomed off the planet, and we had front line associates who worked through it with us.

“The pandemic did cause people to really love their homes,” he continued. “I think the way people look at their homes is a bit different right now, plus we have an economy with very

Metrie Metrie has been a proud partner of 84 Lumber for over 25 years. Rooted in family ownership and values, our two companies are dedicated to serving customers’ needs at an exceptional level. This focus allows us to be operationally entrepreneurial while delivering across a national footprint. We have grown together over the years, enduring earthquakes, housing bubbles, and pandemics. In today’s constricted supply and high demand environment, our strong relationship has fostered the communication, collaboration and trust needed to not only survive, but thrive in these uniquely difficult conditions.

Congratulations to the Hardy family and 84 Lumber on 65 Years of success!

28 WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

low interest rates for people to buy houses. So, we have a boom in the building industry, but I think some of those suppliers through 2019 into the pandemic weren’t ready for the surge.

“However, when you are a 65 years old company with an owner like Maggie, and vendors that have been with you for over six decades, beside you every step of the way, giving you what you need and probably a little bit more - all that has kept us growing and thriving through these challenges.”

From Frank’s description of Maggie, getting feedback from those working on the front line has been a cornerstone of her success: “Having an owner who constantly asks ‘what do you need’ has been essential,” he said. Therefore, when Frank described the arrival of Paul Yater, the newly appointed Chief Information Officer in 2017, it wasn’t a surprise to learn that part of his process involved discussions with the teams on the shop floor. “We are around three and half years into this IT road map, and our CIO spent several months travelling the country seeing people so that he could take

what we had and make it better,” said Frank.

Paul was tasked with optimizing the company’s network to support 84 Lumber’s planned growth and expansion, and his conversations revealed a key theme: It was time for change. “The evolution of technology in the building materials industry is reshaping how we do business,” commented Maggie upon his appointment. “Paul’s vast experience with global organizations will allow us to redesign our digital and technology offerings to operate at an even higher level.”

Through the transformational roadmap Paul is creating, which focuses on both customers and associates, 84 Lumber’s systems and technology are being designed to work as hard as every member of the team and help take the organization to the next stage.

From speaking with Frank and Ken, it is clear that Maggie’s management style (Frank described her as a ‘fearless leader and entrepreneur’) and her approach to business have been game changers for 84 Lumber.

Decisions made from a female perspective

can bring a different angle to solving challenges. “I believe that ‘group think’ can be counterproductive at some point, so if an owner who happens to be a woman can put a little different tilt on that and crack open some new ideas and creativity then all the better,” added Ken. With the business also being nationally certified through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Ken acknowledged that being female-owned and operated does give the business a uniqueness in the industry and gives it a platform from which it can work with customers on certain projects.

“We also found that we were able to provide

mentorships for women-owned firms that are smaller in nature. This is definitely a relationship we are focused on building, so we are going to be adding associates to that program,” he elucidated. “We want to get the word out and make sure we are connected with groups that are focused on women and minority ownership and bringing more people to the table to help face all the shortages and constraints we have on the industry.”

Mentioning the way that 84 Lumber works with some community groups and smaller businesses brought Frank to the topic of philanthropy. The business believes that being a good corporate citizen goes beyond donating

BlueLinx Congratulations to 84 Lumber on 65 years in business and becoming the nation’s largest privately held building materials supplier. BlueLinx are proud to have served 84 Lumber for over half a century. As one of the nation’s largest building products distributors, we take pride in providing each 84 location with the products and services that meet their individual needs. We look forward to the next 65 years.

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84 Lumber money and materials. For 84 Lumber, it means having a commitment to helping individuals and organizations most in need, as well as a vision for making a positive impact. Through its Building Hope program, it has worked with numerous charitable organizations, ranging from volunteer fire departments, to chapters of the Red Cross and United Way, to the national efforts of Habitat for Humanity. In 2020 alone, the business donated millions to a variety of charitable causes.

Members of the United States military have always been recipients of 84 Lumber’s strong commitment to helping others. To continue

the tradition, the building materials supplier hosted its sixth annual Operation Appreciation campaign in May 2021 in honor of Military Appreciation Month. “Operation Appreciation is one of our favorite times of year,” said 84 Lumber Vice President of Marketing Amy Smiley. “It means a lot to us to be able to set aside time to honor heroes from all of our communities across the country and to give back to those who have given so much.”

Throughout the years of hosting Operation Appreciation, 84 Lumber has donated to various military-related charities, highlighted company associates around the country who

Biewer Lumber We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible company like 84 Lumber every day. We really appreciate the relationships built and the business that we have done together over the years out of our SPF and SYP sawmills. Congratulations to 84 Lumber on 65 successful years of business, we are looking forward to being a part of the next 65 years!

The Biewer Sawmill Team

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have served, launched major partnerships with organizations including the Fisher House Foundation, and one year, the company even gave away a tiny house to a military veteran in need.

May 2021 also witnessed an event that highlights not only 84 Lumber’s dedication to developing the technical skills of the next generation, but also its generous approach to philanthropy and Maggie’s hands-on involvement. In celebration of the next generation of trade workers, 84 Lumber hosted ten high school seniors for a SkillsUSA National Signing Day event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In a style similar to National Signing Day events for high-school athletes, the students committed to careers in the skilled trades and signed ‘letters of intent’ for a job offer, apprenticeship or advanced technical training. Following the signing, Maggie surprised all ten students with scholarships, totaling $50,000, towards the trade school of their choosing.

At a time when the residential housing

sector is booming, and businesses continue to expand, this event shone a much-needed public spotlight on students pursuing careers in the skilled trades. “As a 65-year-old building materials company, we know firsthand that young people can thrive and have incredible, lifelong success through the skilled trades,” said Maggie. “We are proud to be a sponsor of SkillsUSA, and we are even more proud of the students we’ve been able to get to know through this event.”

As the company navigates the second half of 2021 and celebrates its 65th anniversary, now is a great time for 84 Lumber to highlight all of its successes. As Frank puts it, “how many 65-year-old companies are there, privatelyheld by the second generation and turning over $7 billion a year?”

As it heads into its next decade, Frank and Ken envision the business continuing to be a privately-held, family company, consistently growing its store locations, expanding its team of loyal associates, and entering new markets where it is not present. “We will also be

investing capital back into our existing stores so that they continue to have the tools they need,” added Frank.

New store openings are already frequently celebrated at the business, and 84 Lumber is expanding into Stockton, California; Boise, Idaho; Detroit, Michigan and more later this year. “This is all part of the road map to growth that is driving us forward,” said Frank.

These investments are all very much part of Maggie’s willingness to give back to the company, and Frank concluded with a story that really highlighted not just Maggie’s own generosity, but also her personable approach to management and the level of engagement she has with her teams. “Her true love is visiting a store and seeing the associates, making sure people are successful,” he said.

“One of our stores in Dallas, Texas got on a bit of a run this year where they were doing a million dollars in revenue a day. Maggie visited the store when they were on day five of this success, and she saw just 86

associates delivering these results. She really wanted to give back to each and every one of them, and she came up with the idea that we would pay each one of those staff members a certain dollar amount for the first five days they achieved $1m revenue and then she kept adding $500 a day. We went back 40 days later and gave everyone in the store a check for $18,000! I think this really shows what being privately-owned means, as you can really put your money where your mouth is. If you are the CEO of a public company, I am not sure if that is your MO.” Under Maggie’s leadership, 84 Lumber has been built to survive the highs and lows of market changes, embracing innovation and technology, and creating valuable and rewarding careers for hundreds of staffers. On a continuing path of evolution and growth, and representing a true American success story, 84 Lumber can be proud of its heritage and legacy and look forward to a future where its contributions continue to build on the success of a nation.

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RedTeam

Mission driven

RedTeam www.redteam.com Services: Construction management software developer

With its own extensive background in construction, RedTeam knows how vital it is to look after those involved in a project. With new investments and a closely-knit team, the business is determined to bring innovation and safety together to keep its industry thriving

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he success of a building project requires more than assembly of the raw materials that form the final project; as the process itself is as important as the end result. Paramount issues are the safety of the construction crew and quality of the work. Effective communication between contractors and owners will have

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a direct impact on the overall cost and time required to complete the project. This is where RedTeam comes in. The business was founded

by Michael Wright who is an experienced general contractor himself, and having worked in an industry layered in potential risks, commissioned development of a software program to manage and facilitate relationships

among various project stakeholders. Since its inception, the organic software developer has been passionate about ensuring that all relevant parties involved in a building project possess the crucial information needed to get the job done.

“We make sure that the people who need to know what they need to know, have that

EXCLUSIVE FEATURE

information when they need it,” says Frédéric Guitton, the Chief Revenue Officer at RedTeam.

He speaks with Construction Today about the intricacies that make up both the business’s software, as well as its team behind the scenes.

“Obviously having a founder who has walked the walk is critical to us being able to provide the solutions that we do. There are so many

factors that impact the efficiency of project management and clearly the issues we try to solve are affected by communication and ensuring that people have the necessary information at all times,” he adds.

Based in Florida, this 70-member team is dedicated to providing exceptional customer experience and ensuring that its software is well utilized by its commercial contractor customers. “To me, purchasing the software is just like buying a crane; having it is only the first step – you need to know how to use it. In the same vein, helping our clients to maximize the value of our software is crucial to our success.

Delivering our platform as a cloud service enables users to collaborate from mobile devices anywhere around the world, because these days real-time accessibility to data is vital. The ability to utilize all these devices allows our clients to create a much more unified perspective for every member of the project team,” he shares.

RedTeam’s deep industry roots keep it grounded in the practical realities of

commercial construction, informing every aspect of the company’s product design and development. Construction technology providers without real world perspective can create great solutions that solve real problems, but in doing so they sometimes create new problems, as well. Drawing markup tools have been adopted across the industry and it has revolutionized how we utilize design information in the field, but it also provides a perfect example of how a great new tool can also create new risks.

Consider how annotations on a drawing can have significant contractual implications depending upon who does the annotation, and who responds to it. Our team is well aware that contractual obligations and entitlements are formed by what people say and do, which is why RedTeam provides guardrails around the day to day communication it facilitates.

RedTeam recognizes that its job is to protect its contractors, by helping them manage their contracts, control their project funds, and memorialize jobsite collaboration. “Getting

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RedTeam

these three things right,” says Michael Wright, “…is absolutely essential for success in the business of commercial construction.”

“We have had to carefully consider the various tradeoffs between efficiency and risk in project management,” Frédéric explains.

According to him, a project consists of a myriad of distinct contracts. “With that in mind, we want to ensure that our contractors have a clear view of each contractual relationship over the life of their projects. We also need to be aware of the tasks everyone has and the financial implications of performance and change,” he points out.

“As contractors adopt RedTeam, they gain a better understanding of how all communications may be considered contractual. As RedTeam handles everything, from business development well before a project may start all the way through final completion, contractors begin to understand how contract formation is a continuum in which every communication among contracting parties affects assignment of ultimate responsibility. Instead of thinking of contract administration as an administrative

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burden, savvy contractors learn how to utilize contracts as a tool to get their jobs done more efficiently and profitably.”

“One thing we emphasize is a simple daily report and we help make that easier for the team to get their job done, while also optimizing the quality of the information with those data reports. We do this through our mobile application, which assists the data report in being completed more organically. If you think about a site manager’s day, a few issues could come up: they become busy very quickly, and reports are put on hold. So, by the time the end of the day comes around, they have to remember everything and annotate a lengthy document, but with our app, you just take your mobile device, jot down the issue and it is already part of your data report for any safety observations you have that you can go back to in the future so the ease of use is mission critical,” Frédéric informs us.

When it comes to innovation of this level, RedTeam depends heavily on client feedback as one of its key drivers for new developments, “It’s one of those situations where we have to be intentional and we cannot draw conclusions

too quickly, we spend a lot of time speaking with clients to find out how they would use certain features, what works best and what would make their lives easier. We really do prioritize the development-based feedback from customers and how typically they manage their work so that our software assimilates with them. We manage a log of around 300 to 400 suggestions and we review them regularly, so new enhancements to the software come out on almost a monthly basis at the moment. Of course, we are also being careful to not change too many aspects because making changes to the software also impacts the user’s experience so we have to continually balance our input-output operations in optimizing the technology we offer,” shares Frédéric.

Considering the ability to develop the software to the standard that RedTeam has, it comes as no surprise that the company is keen to continue to see its capabilities advance, bringing in new offerings to its portfolio along the way. “A massive gain for us has been the release of our TeamPlayer product, which is designed to enhance the

collaboration between general contractors and their subs. With this, the sub-contractors can access documents in a single environment, and do their billing from their mobile device, so that has been a huge gain. There is a lot of work invested in managing the sub-contractor invoicing process, TeamPlayer helps hugely with that,” he says. The company also acquired Fieldlens last December to enhance field collaboration and is now looking to investigate the best way of marrying operations of both RedTeam and Fieldlens to provide additional value to the construction market place.

Alongside the acquisition, Frédéric also shares how the business has undergone fresh management transformation, in which key hires were brought into the company to continue to pioneer it forward. “We had the opportunity to bring some great talent at a senior executive level, like Andy West for example, our new COO. We also recently hired Jim Atkinson as our new CEO, who is a fantastic professional for this industry. Both of them understand that this company serves the construction sector, not investors, and they know to make sure the interests with whom we work are well aligned with our own so that we create a win-win scenario for other parties involved in RedTeam,” he expresses.

These impressive hire appointments came as a result of the business’s recent $5 million investment from Jettycove, a private equity firm that focuses exclusively in technology companies, which Frédéric is excited to see help his business flourish. “An investment always comes with a validation of the work we’ve done, but I think what JettyCove brought to the table is a level of discipline to grow the business and this pushed us to take a hard look at everything we do and how we do it to maximize the final product for our customers.

From my first phone call with the team, I knew they were the company we wanted to do business with. Since our first conversations, it was clear that the managing owner, Jamie Nissen, had a mindset relative to our own regarding what we wanted to achieve for this industry, and they have been perfectly in tune with what we think of ourselves as well,” he says.

The investment is opening a host of opportunities for RedTeam and in the coming years, Frédéric has an ambitious and optimistic outlook for the company’s success. “Although five years seems quite a long time from now, we see RedTeam continuing to deliver great value to construction companies, because that is how we think of ourselves. It is a very high stress industry and we want to support our clients in having a high level of confidence

that their information is flowing the way it needs to be in order to make sure project delivery is as smooth as it can be. Yes, we know it won’t always be perfect, but we all understand that this is a very fluid sector and changing circumstances need to be managed appropriately. Providing peace of mind is how we are driven and so in the future, I would love to see us recognized as the company that did right by the industry we serve, and I believe these goals are very achievable.

“I will also tell you that the Fieldlens acquisition went a long way into driving that mindset for us because it gave us a leap into field collaboration, which is critical. At the end of the day, when you think of construction, money is made in the field, but it’s also lost there, and we have to make sure that the information is available to help every team member know what they need to be doing next – that is really mission critical,” he emphasizes.

From Frédéric’s experience, construction companies are adopting technology as a means to retain their talent as well as to improve the livelihoods of their labor. Because availability of a workforce can be a major constraint, RedTeam has put at the forefront of its focus the ability to make it easier for employees to complete their work efficiently, while being afforded the peace of mind that they will return home safely. “We often talk

about construction people missing out on quality time with their family, because they just work so hard. That is why we are the perfect service for the industry because many of us have been employees and founders who have worked in the field so this isn’t something that we look at from a third-party perspective; we lived it, we walked the walk and we know what it means to get up in the morning and worry about whether everyone working with us has all the information they need to complete their tasks, because if not, those mistakes fall on the manager and they need to be accountable for them. But that’s why we do what we do; to help eliminate that stress and make their work easier,” Frédéric adds.

As part of the construction industry, RedTeam is completely committed to giving working professionals access to the best value technology to help them thrive in their business. “We are truly a service company. It’s easy to say we are a software company, but we are in the construction business, as well as the service business – the software is really the tool. We work exceptionally hard to make sure the satisfaction of our customers is at the forefront for us,” he expresses. As RedTeam aspires to be a pioneer in this niche sector, Frédéric is looking forward to the longevity of his business, as well as being part of sharing its success to keep construction projects across the US running smoothly and efficiently.

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Pacific Landscape Management

Orange is the

new green

Pacific Landscape Management www.pacscape.com Services: Commercial landscape management

Known to its many customers as much for its brand colors as its expert commercial landscape management services, Pacific Landscape Management has built its success by taking care of the people who take care of its customers

E

stablished in 2001 – and celebrating its 20th anniversary this year (2021) – Pacific Landscape Management (Pacific) is a commercial landscape management company forged with a mission of becoming the leading player in its field in the Northwest of the United States. Founded by Bob Grover

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and Elias Godinez, the business has grown considerably in its two decades of operations, to the point where it today maintains over 800 properties with a staff of more than 250, working out of three branch offices serving the Portland/Vancouver metro area, and a fourth in Salem, Oregon.

“Pacific’s primary business is commercial

and homeowner’s association landscape management,” Owner Bob Grover tells Construction Today. “We provide our customers with full service landscape solutions, including maintenance, water management, restorations and renovations, arbor care, and pest control, and are best known for our outstanding levels of

“ It is an exciting time for Pacific, and we remain proud to say that we don’t just cut grass and plant shrubs, we also manage what is an enhanced urban outdoor environment!”

communication, and our proven track record for protecting and maximizing the value of our customers’ landscape assets.”

Throughout its time in business, Pacific has been committed to providing its people with the tools and technologies necessary to facilitate their ability to efficiently and effectively serve said customers. Across each

of its branches, the company makes regular investment in its equipment and truck fleet, and ensures that it utilizes cutting edge, cloud-based software and technological solutions in order to aid communication and deliver real-time project management.

“Many of the landscapes that we manage today were originally developed and built in the 1980s and 1990s, and can come with small age related problems with plant material, irrigation, and overall design,” Bob explains. “Therefore, a significant part of the work of Pacific is helping our customers to improve upon things like water conservation and aesthetic appeal, and reduce long-term maintenance costs through landscape renovations. In order to achieve this, we have developed an array of landscape renovation

solutions, including water conservation planning, remote weather-based irrigation control, lawn conversions, plant replacement with native and/or lower maintenance varieties, and several different drainage solutions.”

Of the above-mentioned services, water conservation has become a particularly important one of the company in recent times, especially as water rates in the Portland metro area have roughly tripled in the last decade.

“Regardless of our customers’ differing levels of sustainability focus, water conservation boasts a great ROI, and that inevitably provides a hook for everyone,” Bob points out.

“Our water conservation solutions include Weather-Based remote irrigation controls, pressure regulation systems, conversion-

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Pacific Landscape Management

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Bob Grover (right) with his business partner Elias Godinez

to-drip irrigation solutions, and updating products.

“Lawn conversion of difficult to irrigate lawns is a key component to our water conservation programs. Parkway strips and parking islands are notoriously difficult and expensive to water, so what we at Pacific have done is recommend to many of our customers that they cover such features with lower irrigation and landscape elements.

By doing so, they not only save water, but also lower ongoing maintenance costs, thus resulting in the greatest possible return on investment.”

While Pacific’s dedication to its work is unquestionable, its real passion is caring for people, for customer service, and employee development. “Historically, landscaping has been what I would consider to be an underrated profession, therefore we work hard here at Pacific to buck that trend,” Bob states. “Among the ways that we try to do so is through detailed training and personal development programs. All of our employees are given such plans, and we provide them with a number of internal and external resources to aid with their development.

We also have multiple employee appreciation programs and take great effort in celebrating the great work of our people. Each branch has weekly training and celebration meetings, bi-weekly barbecues, and regular teambuilding activities. We also support many local charitable causes, which is another reason why our employees are proud to wear Pacific’s colors and refer to themselves as ‘Team Orange’.”

As the company marks its 20th anniversary, Bob is happy to reflect back on its two decades of success. “In that time, we have grown in ways that we probably never imagined,” he says. “When we started the business, we hoped to be able to be successful enough to support our own families. As we started having success and attracting others to join us, it quickly became as much about other people’s careers and families as our own.

Today, all of our focus is on continuing to grow Pacific in order to provide better opportunities for our team.

“We are proud to have built what we call a destination company, attracting many educated and established landscape professionals, but our greatest enjoyment comes from watching people grow and develop. Many of our supervisors and operations managers started out as entrylevel laborers here at Pacific, and over the years they grew into technically skilled and

highly-trained professionals in their own right. It is helping people to achieve, and often exceed, their own professional expectations that gives us our greatest level of pride.”

In the years to come, Bob and his team look forward to achieving continued growth across the business. “The needs of our customers are constantly changing, as is the environmental landscape,” he

adds. “For our part, we are motivated by helping our customers to maintain the function and aesthetics of their respective landscapes, while also achieving the various environmental objectives set out by society in general. It is an exciting time for Pacific, and we remain proud to say that we don’t just cut grass and plant shrubs, we also manage what is an enhanced urban outdoor environment!”

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Prescient

Digital

visionaries A pioneering modular building company developing complete turnkey steel structures, Prescient is leading the industrialization of offsite construction

Prescient www.prescientco.com Products: Modular building company

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“In Europe, I think our solution has the potential to resonate even more than it does in the US. We have carried out studies on the continent and we believe we have some significant advantages, particularly in terms of cost and labor”

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Prescient

D

etermined to transform an industry that has, for many years, been reluctant to embrace the power of new, technology-driven methodologies, Prescient is ‘revolutionizing the building environment’.

At the forefront of change for close to a decade, the company believes that the construction sector’s choice is clear – digitize or die out.

Launched in 2012 by John Vanker, a real estate executive; Michael Lastowski, an architect and structural engineer; and Satyen Patel, an entrepreneur; Prescient’s Founders had experienced the inefficiencies of traditional construction firsthand and shared a vision to modernize the $10 trillion industry.

Working from a 6000-square-foot aircraft hangar in Broomfield, Colorado, the trio soon designed and patented a construction system that would lend itself to better repeatability, standardization and industrialization.

“At Prescient, we manufacture a kit of four core structural elements - posts, panels, trusses and roof decks - out of steel and light gauge steel,” explains company CEO Magued Eldaief. “What really sets us apart though is that these parts can be used in collaboration with our own software application, allowing us to model the elements in 3D and employ an algorithm for automated process of solving the engineering for a building structure based on any bespoke design using our system.

“Once the design is set, our software identifies every single structural element and material for the project and assigns it a QR code that will shepherd those structural components through our automated

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apartments, student housing, hotels and senior living - the organization can perform developments up to 180 feet in height.

“We are now expanding into new geographies that are historically difficult to build in,” Magued points out.

“These include places like California, where labor costs are high and building cost effective seismic projects is a real challenge.

“In 2020, we completed a 1.3 million square foot housing project at UC Davis– the largest ever built in the United States. Currently, we are working on two 500,000-square-foot projects in San Francisco, so we are certainly gaining traction. People like what we do and now we are getting repeat business, which is really important for us.”

Having recently raised $190 million from investors, Prescient will continue to invest in the company’s technology and wider growth in the years ahead.

Expansion into new locations and geographies, such as Europe, will also be a core aim going forward.

“In Europe, I think our solution has the potential to resonate even more than it does in the US,” Magued

particularly in terms of cost and labor. For example, using our approach, we can build 20,000-square-foot per five-day work week with less than a 30-person crew. If you were to do that same project with traditional methods, you would probably need twice the amount of labor and double the amount of time.”

Ongoing software and hardware enhancements, as well as continuous R&D efforts, reflect Prescient’s determination to see more owners adopt its revolutionary platform. Ultimately, the organization believes that its ability to marry digital and physical processes - making for more automation on the factory floor and further development processing at the job site - can not only remain successful in the multi-family sector, but in a whole range of similar markets.

“There is a shortage of housing all over the world and that is going to accelerate the adoption of platforms like ours,” Magued states. “There hasn’t been a whole lot of innovation and R&D expenditure in this industry compared to other sectors, but I think that is finally changing. Construction is a multi-trillion-dollar

argues. “We have carried out studies on the continent and we believe we have some significant advantages,

industry crying out for new ways of doing things. It’s an exciting time to be a company like ours.”

manufacturing process. Uniquely, the software adapts to the area in which you are building, meaning that if you are constructing a project in a high wind area or seismic region, for example, the software will automatically set the geometry and placement of the elements to ensure the building structure meets building code.”

Boasting manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Colorado, Prescient’s manufacturing process has become renowned for its efficiency, speed, cost advantage, safety and accuracy. By embracing digitization, the company can now carry out steel engineering with a precision of 1/32nd of an inch.

“Our company name, Prescient, comes from our visionary approach and process,” Magued says.

“Traditionally, in construction, you would arrive on a job site and find yourself hit with all sorts of surprises due to poor co-ordination, but at Prescient, we deliver an incredibly high level of predictability, eliminating waste and onsite inefficiencies.

“Sustainability is another key benefit,” he adds.

“The steel we use in our structures is 90 percent recycled, meaning you could pretty much disassemble one of our buildings and recycle it for use in a different structure.”

In support of its production sites, Prescient also operates a Global Technical Center in Poland. Home to more than 200 employees, the Polish location oversees the smooth running of the company’s software, as well as engineering back office functions.

As of July 2021, Prescient has completed over nine million square feet of construction over 62 projects in 17 states. Focusing on four major segments –

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Dempsey Construction

Build

differently

Dempsey Construction www.dempseyconstruction.com Services: General contracting services

Enthusiastic about who it works with and driven by a desire to have a good time working, Dempsey Construction strives to build inspiring spaces throughout San Diego, Southern California, and beyond

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or San Diego-based company Dempsey Construction, every one of its activities is rooted in the belief that its work stands the test of time and that the legacy its buildings’ create exist long after it has left them behind.

Founded in 2010 by local construction veteran John Dempsey (John has more than 40 years of experience within the industry), the company was the result of his desire to create a general contracting company that was filled

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with great people, that boasted a fulfilling culture, that did great work, and that gave back to the community, all while having fun doing so!

As of today – 2021 – the company employs approximately 70 people who are collectively responsible for helping Dempsey Construction perfect its general contracting services for both commercial property owners and commercial tenants. “We provide a full range of pre-construction and construction services

throughout the Western Region of the United States, namely in California, Arizona, and Nevada,” begins the company’s Vice President and Principal, Nick Alford. “We specialize in a very broad spectrum of product type, including new construction, renovation, and tenant improvements of industrial, office, retail, automotive, educational, life science/ laboratory, hospitality, historic renovations, and specialty projects. At present, approximately 60 percent of our projects

Right: Vice President and Principal, Nick Alford

“Working together as a team – from the design concept stage through to completion of construction drawings – positions the project for success by aligning the team with the client’s goals. Furthermore, this efficient process allows the team to manage the design and budget, resulting in the best building, for the best price” fall into the category of new construction, 30 percent are classed as renovation, and the remaining ten percent are tenant improvements.”

Nick’s responsibilities within Dempsey Construction include overseeing/managing the company’s long-term and short-term strategies, opportunity sourcing efforts and growth initiatives. So, what is it – in his opinion – that sets the company apart from its competition? “One of the biggest factors is

our attention to detail,” he states. “We have an incredibly robust pre-construction department that digs into the details at the very early stages of a project, allowing us to add value by maximizing design efficiencies, controlling the budget and schedule. We place a lot of focus on the early stages of project design.

Over 90 percent of our projects include early engagement and heavy involvement during the pre-construction process.

“In addition, Dempsey Construction is

recognized for being a very ‘hands-on’ company. Our professionals are very engaged in their individual projects and take pride of ownership in assuring that we are providing best-in-class service, and unparalleled expertise. As a result, we deliver institutional grade processes and procedures, through the high-touch of a boutique company.”

As its track record demonstrates, Dempsey Construction really excels when it comes to complicated and detailed projects that

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Dempsey Construction

require a high level of sophistication, and solution-oriented thought. “Since we are typically involved in the early stages of a project, we find ourselves playing an integral part in the ultimate design, by providing detailed conceptual estimates, constructability reviews, cost analysis, and value engineering solutions,” Nick continues.

“We have also earned a reputation for being

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a great contracting partner for clients with complicated projects that require someone to come in, roll up their sleeves and figure out how best to make it happen.”

Nick adds: “When it comes to making said projects successful, collaboration and open communication is vital. For us, collaboration starts in the early stages of design with the client, architect, and key consultants.

Working together as a team – from the design concept stage through to completion of construction drawings – positions the project for success by aligning the team with the client’s goals. Furthermore, this efficient process allows the team to manage the design and budget, resulting in the best building, for the best price.”

In the last decade in particular, Dempsey Construction has enjoyed a period of tremendous growth, and Nick puts this down to several things. “From the start, our primary focus as a business has been to simply provide great service and an industry-leading experience for our clients. This has resulted in growth and success year-after-year,” he notes. “Dempsey Construction’s philosophy has always been focused on creating long-lasting relationships with our clients, partners, and vendors. This approach has helped us to grow in a smart and controlled manner, where nearly 80 percent of our projects come from either repeat clientele or are referral-based. We do not look at a project as solely an isolated project, but rather look at each new project as the opportunity to create a lasting, mutually beneficial partnership.

“Equally as important as any of the topics mentioned above is, of course, our people.

Like any other aspect of our daily operations,

focus and effort must be allocated to creating and maintaining company culture. We have five primary pillars (or goals) that we focus on each year, the first of which is to have a ‘Sustainable, Fulfilling Culture’. Our overlying objective is to create an environment that is fulfilling personally and professionally, inspires people to reach for their highest potential, is open and supportive about career goals, and fosters trust as the root of every relationship.”

Another part of the mission statement of the company is to give back to the community, and a component of this is providing an educational platform for young professionals in the construction industry. “Dempsey Construction has a robust intern program where we bring on young professionals and run them through a comprehensive educational curriculum,” Nick points out. “For instance, currently we have eight interns working at the company who spend time with senior professionals on the job sites, in estimating, pre-construction and project management departments. Our goal is not to work them to the bone, but rather provide them with a well-rounded introduction and

education on all the facets of the general contracting industry.”

Turning to the company’s efforts today and its future outlook, Nick reveals that as Dempsey Construction navigates its way through to the ‘new normal’, it continues to focus on relationships and serving its clients in the best way that it can. “The industry has and will continue to change, but the basis of our operation remains the same, and will

remain focused on people, culture, and doing great work.

“With that in mind, we are optimistic for the future and hope to grow as a company to create additional opportunities for our people.

I envision our product focus to be similar to what it is today, but with a broader reach of geography and clientele. In addition, I envision the employee count to grow as we are always looking for great people to add to the team.”

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LEMOINE

Healthy growth The experienced staff at LEMOINE, a Louisiana-based ENR Top-400 contractor, all work to one united purpose – to achieve excellence in construction while enhancing the lives of all involved

LEMOINE www.lemoinecompany.com Services: Construction contractor

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Rendering of Children’s Hospital New Orleans – This rendering shows the completed east elevation of the new Infill Tower & Concourse along Henry Clay Avenue

“As construction managers, we’ve been honored to build thousands of projects and work with hundreds of clients, with us being immersed in every aspect of each project from conception through construction”

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LEMOINE

Above: MOB Main Entrance Render of the West Jefferson Medical Center – This rendering shows the new, modern main entrance of the Medical Office Building boasting a unique metal canopy with a glass roof

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ith a long-standing core practice in commercial construction, LEMOINE is a full-service general contracting and construction management firm based in the South-eastern United States. LEMOINE constructs and manages projects ranging from minor interior renovations to some of the most complex commercial, educational, healthcare, public and industrial landmarks in the Gulf Region.

To give Construction Today a more complete picture of the workings of the company, we spoke to Wills Hover, VP of Healthcare, who shared some history and highlighted the underlying principles of its success. “Fifty years of construction experience, industry resources, and superior talent form the bedrock of the ONE LEMOINE philosophy,” he began. “Our service lines deliberately connect to support the full building lifecycle, leveraging our expertise every step of the way.

“Our success is cultivated by our philosophy of building authentic, lasting relationships,” said Wills. “Strategic partnerships are the key to delivering the results our clients expect.”

Safety, integrity, attention to detail, work

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ethic, and innovation – these are the values that drive the LEMOINE process.

“Overall, we provide a full suite of services, from infrastructure to building construction, disaster response and recovery, and comprehensive project and program services, all with one call. We are uniquely qualified to partner through every stage of any project.”

LEMOINE is also able to offer these services across a wide area, from its full-service offices in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans, Louisiana. “We also have additional offices in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Birmingham, Alabama, Houston, Texas and Puerto Rico,” added Wills.

Thanks to the approach of building projects adopted by LEMOINE since its foundation, the

business has in Wills’ words ‘raised the bar and set the standard in construction by delivering excellence across the southern United States’.

“As construction managers, we’ve been honored to build thousands of projects and work with hundreds of clients, with us being immersed in every aspect of each project from conception through construction,” he noted.

Having introduced the multitude of projects that LEMOINE has been part of creating, Wills highlighted one of the most substantial it has worked on in recent times - Children’s Hospital of New Orleans (CHNOLA). “The Expansion and Renovation at Children’s Hospital is part of a $300 million campus master plan,” he said. “Construction, which began in early 2017, is anticipated to conclude this Fall. At

“LEMOINE is a dynamic company that approaches each day with enthusiasm to make a difference in the world.

Throughout the decades, our ability to execute projects successfully while building lasting relationships with our clients has always been a differentiator. Today, that same level of execution exists, with a more advanced range of services”

LEMOINE

Above: Birdseye View of Children’s Hospital New Orleans Campus – This aerial image shows progress during the expansion and renovation of Children’s Hospital New Orleans Opposite top: Campus Rendering of West Jefferson Medical Center – This rendering shows what the completed West Jefferson Medical Center Campus will look like upon completion of the South Wing project

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completion, there will have been nearly 75 distinct phases of work executed across the campus.”

The majority of this project focuses on a complete renovation of the current main campus, creating a new Children’s Hospital, with key features including a new 230,000 sq.ft. medical tower providing a 28-bed cardiac intensive care unit, 12 operating rooms, an imaging department, central sterile processing, dietary, and emergency department. Further construction included a freestanding 51-bed, 70,000 sq.ft. behavioral health center, a new 593 space parking deck, a comprehensive cancer center and central energy plant (CEP) expansion.

Clearly a significant project not just in terms of value and scale, but also complexity, Wills noted some of the key challenges, which included a single point of connection between the hospital and ambulatory care center (ACC).

“The lone internal corridor connecting the north and south sides of the facility carried

new Pavilion. The CEP Expansion required extensive use of temporary equipment to prevent any downtime of HVAC systems.

Furthermore, an existing underground 50k gallon diesel fuel tank was decommissioned under the footprint of the CEP expansion to allow for foundations to be installed.”

The comprehensive range of skills and repository of construction knowledge available at LEMOINE is invaluable when it comes to projects such as this, and thanks to its experience in the medical facility field it is also involved in another similarly challenging scheme in Louisiana. “We are working on the renovation of the West Jefferson Medical Center, which is part of the same healthcare system as CHNOLA (LCMC Health),” confirmed Wills. “This is also a multi-phased project, and what sets it apart is the removal and replacement of the cladding of the west elevation of the existing eight-story patient tower while occupied. Additional scope includes an addition and renovations to the

an MEP rack with all the services feeding the ACC. It was referred to by the project team as the ‘spine’ and had to remain active while being rerouted to allow for demolition of an existing structure and construction of the

emergency department, a new concourse connecting the hospital to the medical office building (MOB) and renovations to the patient tower.”

The overall project, valued at $86 million,

is designed to deliver a modern medical center, which features improved and reshaped facilities - making it more convenient, with expanded spaces and more services on offer.

The finished product will create a comfortable and contemporary environment for patients and visitors.

Providing solutions to requirements such as these necessitates an extraordinary contractor – one that can be truly trusted to deliver whatever is needed. This is where the LEMOINE Brand Promise comes into its own, which pledges ‘The right people. The right solutions. Building peace of mind.’ This is an integral part of the company’s culture and serves to reassure clients that all their needs and requirements will be met. “LEMOINE is a dynamic company that approaches each day with enthusiasm to make a difference in the world,” Wills stated. “Throughout the decades, our ability to execute projects successfully while building lasting relationships with our clients has always been a differentiator. Today, that same level of execution exists, with a more advanced range of services.

Gallo Mechanical Gallo Mechanical is proud to have partnered with The LEMOINE Company and Children’s Hospital of New Orleans for this incredible undertaking not only for the children of New Orleans, but across the Southeast. Through the use of industry leading construction technology and pre-fabrication strategies, its team executed one of the most ambitious and important medical projects in the country.

From pre-construction and design-assist services, to being a partner through the construction process, and finally to postconstruction support, Gallo Mechanical strives to be the mechanical contractor of choice across all of the geographies it serves.

After 76 years, the company motto of ‘Family. Service. Performance’ continues to thrive as Gallo adapts to the ever-changing world of construction and consistently delivers a quality product for its customers in the communities they love.

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LEMOINE

Above top: MRI Room inside Children’s Hospital New Orleans Imaging Department – This image shows the careful attention to detail within an MRI Room at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, providing state-of-the-art care in an age appropriate space Bottom: Main Lobby at Children’s Hospital New Orleans – This image illustrates the Betty & Hank Lauricella Pavilion, the main lobby of Children’s Hospital New Orleans. The two level public circulation concourse is enhanced by extensive natural light

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“Furthermore, despite our tremendous growth, there is still a close-knit feeling of family and community, which allows us to consistently rank as a ‘Best Place to Work’ in the communities we serve. As an employer, we continue an upward growth trajectory, which creates additional opportunities for our team members to advance their careers.”

Having assembled a team of people with the mindset for both success and customer

satisfaction, LEMOINE then equips them with state-of-the-art technology and modern solutions, in order to assist them in their roles, and overall, help to make the company more efficient. “LEMOINE is a process driven organization that leverages technology and innovation to drive continuous improvement,” Wills confirmed. “Utilizing LEMOINE’s signature Project Success Ladder on every project provides certainty of outcome to our clients. Additional technologies include in-house virtual construction services such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Matterport, laser scanning, and drones.”

A further recent addition to the business also strengthens its position and adds a new range of services to its portfolio. Wills shares the benefits that it will experience thanks to the acquisition of Workforce Group. “This is part of LEMOINE’s strategy to strengthen its position as a global leader in the emergency preparedness, disaster recovery, and resilience industries. Workforce Group is a leader in disaster recovery program management, inspections and claims, debris monitoring and strategic surge staffing.

The firm’s data management and mobile app development to federal, state and local governments enables LEMOINE to provide

a full suite of emergency preparedness and disaster recovery services, building more resilient communities,” he said.

Commenting on the deal in May 2021, LEMOINE CEO Lenny Lemoine pointed out that this is an important and exciting expansion for the business. “Workforce Group’s approach of bringing cutting edge technology to the disaster recovery environment enables governments and citizens to recover quicker and more efficiently. The diversity of talent and services within Workforce Group, combined with LEMOINE’s decades of experience in construction and disaster recovery, are uniquely poised to deliver value to the customers and communities we both support.”

With its current course continuing along the tremendous growth trajectory it has been experiencing in recent years, Wills is confident that LEMOINE will enjoy increasing annual revenues in the years ahead. “The primary driver of growth for the organization is twofold: to fully serve our clients through all stages of the project

lifecycle with strategic, intimate knowledge of their facilities; and to provide continuous advancement opportunities for our team members,” he elaborated. Wills also predicts that within three to five years the business will have a national footprint. “We will also continue sourcing opportunities for strategic acquisitions and mergers,” he added.

While its projects may increase in intricacy and value, and the technology, solutions and equipment of the industry gain sophistication,

what won’t change is LEMOINE’s approach to superior delivery, its non-negotiable attitude toward safety and its overall determination to be the best in the market. “We will continue to look for opportunities to expand and grow the organization, but we will always remain focused and committed to our core business of building construction,” Wills concluded, assuring clients both old and new that the LEMOINE name always stands for excellence above all else.

“The primary driver of growth for the organization is twofold: to fully serve our clients through all stages of the project lifecycle with strategic, intimate knowledge of their facilities; and to provide continuous advancement opportunities for our team members” Ernest P. Breaux Founded in 1945 by Ernest P. Breaux, Sr., E.P. Breaux have grown into one of the largest electrical contractors in the south.

Founded on the principle: provide superior electrical work that our customers can always depend upon. For over 75 years this principle has enabled us to be a leader in the Electrical Contracting Industry and we are firmly committed to providing quality craftsmanship in electrical installation. Our expert electricians and troubleshooting teams demonstrate excellence in project performance and productivity.

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Pinner Construction

Construction centurions

With more than 100 years of experience behind it, Pinner Construction is leading the way to better building in Southern California

Pinner Construction www.pinnerconstruction.com Services: Design-build, design-bid-build, construction management and best value construction services

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Below: Port of Long Beach Fireboat Station 15

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Pinner Construction

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ince its founding in 1919, Pinner Construction has experienced sustained growth by providing quality services to the Southern California construction industry. Working across a number of key sectors - including education, life sciences and the civil sector - the company’s design-build, construction management and best value construction services have led to the delivery of some of the region’s most celebrated projects.

“We’re fortunate to have achieved sustained success in serving and supporting clients in one of the most competitive regions in the country,” declares Justin Davis, Pinner’s President of Business Development. “Maintaining our success and fulfilling greater goals challenges the Pinner team to be dynamic and find new ways to differentiate ourselves. However, at our core, we’re a team that values trust, partnership and collaboration. As we embark on our 102nd year, staying true to those values will continue to serve as our foundation for future success. Attention to detail and transparent communication, as well as always having the customer relationship in mind, are hallmarks of what we do and how we do it.”

Earlier in 2021, Pinner completed its

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most recent major development - the Port of Long Beach Fireboat Station 15 project.

Consisting of a 20,000-square-foot landside fire station and a 11,200-square-foot boat bay, the $40 million project is the first of its kind for the Port of Long Beach. Critically, thanks to Pinner’s ability to personalize its work, the facility was specifically designed and constructed to last more than 50 years in the harsh harbor climate. A unique project in many ways, Fireboat Station 15 required all the company’s expertise to complete it safely and on time.

“Working in construction is naturally accompanied by significant inherent risk, however, our responsibilities get even more precarious when constructing a 40-foot steel structure over water,” Justin says, in reference to Fireboat Station 15. “As far as safety challenges go, our project had them all - from hydrographic surveying, to installing piles into the seafloor, to an interior temporary scaffolded platform extending out over the ocean.

“Our approach to ensuring the safety of our personnel, the public and marine life involved on-site planning and oversight by our management team, which included a full-time safety representative. We created a positive

Below: Port of Long Beach Fireboat Station 15

site-specific safety culture and process that was implemented by all team members throughout. Finally, we complied with the very unique requirements for waterway safety, vessel traffic coordination and the protection of marine life set forth by the USACE, USCG, Port of Long Beach and other regulatory agencies.”

Pinner’s diligence paid off. Not only did the Fireboat Station 15 project earn USGBC LEED Gold status, but it won the construction firm a contract for the $31.6 million Port of Long Beach Fireboat Station 20 project.

“We’d like to extend a big thank you to all our client, design and subcontracting partners on the successful completion of Fireboat Station 15 and we look forward to getting started on Fireboat Station 20,” Justin reports.

“The new project will involve the construction of a two-story fire station building, fireboat bay enclosure, floating dock, positioning and fender piles, retaining walls, emergency generator and additional site improvements.

For this development, we are proud to, once again, be partnering with many small business enterprises and a workforce consisting of local community members and veterans.”

Construction continues to be one of the fastest growing industries in Southern

California and, as well as playing a key role in the sector’s ongoing success, Pinner is determined to use its capabilities to serve local communities. An expert in providing high-performing critical infrastructure to the public, in April 2021, the company was honored to be selected for the construction of the $171.6 million San Pedro High School Comprehensive Modernization project.

“We are so excited to play a role in the economic recovery of Southern California by partnering with LAUSD, our subcontractors and the LPA design team on this shovel-ready project that will bring contract opportunities to local and small businesses, as well as jobs to local residents,” Justin asserts.

“The endeavor to modernize San Pedro High School will bring new high-performance learning opportunities in state-of-the-art classrooms, culinary arts, science labs and specialized spaces for band, woodshop and many more programs. A new administrative wing, dining service and major modernization of historic buildings are also included. When completed, the campus will feature a new main entrance, outdoor learning spaces, new

“As a builder in California, we are already constructing to a very environmentally friendly building code, however, all Pinner projects go beyond the code prerequisites with regard to energy efficiency, fossil fuel consumption, use of recycled materials, healthy building strategies, indoor air quality, and elimination of light pollution”

parking lots, tennis courts and sustainable landscaping.

“San Pedro has always been very near and dear to our hearts,” Justin continues.

“We take great pride in playing a large role in the development of this city through our completion of many public works projects.”

In order to stay at the head of the market in Southern California, Pinner makes use of technological advancements in construction planning, coordination and delivery that have transformed the industry in recent years.

Building Information Modeling, for example, is one such area of improvement, as Justin explains: “Pinner teams leading both project development and project delivery efforts have expanded our use of modeling to include more than just detailed system and element coordination. How we transparently and reliably communicate our information is a great way to influence efficiency in how we work.

“Through the use of laser scanning, we are now able to capture and integrate large amounts of existing condition data to better inform our designs, generate tighter

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Pinner Construction Left: LA Harbor College Science Complex

estimates, and discover better logistic plans.

Merging our construction schedules with coordinated, three-dimensional models improves our ability to illustrate how projects get delivered, and by identifying critical work

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and key relationships early, we avoid and mitigate schedule delay.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has required all industries to accelerate innovation with regard to processes and technologies,”

Justin adds. “It is important not to lose the momentum toward leveraging systems and technologies further developed over the past 14 months. Today, we are utilizing focus groups to ensure our team stays on track with regard to maximizing our efficiency, which also includes off-site fabrication practices and hybrid Last Planner System planning.”

Strengthened by its technological proficiency, Pinner’s work, as it has been for more than a century, is regularly recognized by partners, colleagues and industry professionals for its quality and innovation.

In 2020 alone, the business ranked in the top 50 on various lists, including the LABJ Top Los Angeles County General Contractors, ENR Top Public Works Contractors, and the ENR Top Education Contractors.

“Humbling and fulfilling, the awards we have received are affirmations of the trust, support and commitment our teams and partners bestow on us,” Justin remarks. “To celebrate those collective successes means a great deal to the entire Pinner team and emboldens our desire to achieve more.

“Our success stems from the strong foundation we have built over the many decades we have been in business: our people. Nothing we achieve is possible without the hard work, determination and sacrifice of the men and women who strive to do the right thing in everything they do.

We are proud that our team is part of a larger family and feels they receive the support, guidance and rewards they deserve. We are on the right path and will never stop trying to provide the best possible experience.”

As Justin suggests, people have played a vital role in establishing Pinner as a building staple in Southern California for more than 100 years. Named as one of the Orange County Business Journal (OCBJ)’s Best Places to Work in 2020 and 2021, the company attracts and retains some of the sector’s most skilled and hard-working employees. The secret, Justin believes, lies in Pinner’s wellestablished culture of care.

“When our employees were surveyed about our company culture, some of the most common words they used were: hard-working, collaborative, motivating and flexible,” he reveals. “We attract people who want to be part of a team. Continuous improvement and what we do for each other keeps us connected and focused on delivering and having fun.

“As a means of ensuring that all our employees remain fully engaged, happy, and further their careers, we will continue to

East LA College Student Success Center offer industry-leading benefits, training and opportunities for advancement. Our goal now, as a company, is to grow together by becoming more effective and efficient, and partnering on exciting and critical projects desired by our community.”

Not wholly reserved for those within the organization, Pinner’s culture benefits people across Los Angeles and Orange County - areas in which the company has donated to more than 15 different not-for-profit organizations over the last 12 months. Listed as one of the OCBJ’s Companies That Care in 2020, Pinner is determined to continue making a positive difference to Southern California communities through both philanthropic initiatives and environmental leadership.

“As a builder in California, we are already constructing to a very environmentally friendly building code,” Justin asserts, “however, all Pinner projects go beyond the code prerequisites with regard to energy efficiency, fossil fuel consumption, use of recycled materials, healthy building strategies, indoor air quality, and elimination of light pollution.

“The performance of our sustainability efforts is often measured through the LEED building certification process by the USGBC. Historically, our firm exceeds our clients’ expectations with regard to the desired level of sustainability, and just recently, we achieved the highest rating LEED Platinum - and were honored to be recognized for constructing the USGBC Project of the Year.”

Benefiting from strong leadership throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Pinner now hopes to accelerate its growth as government restrictions are relaxed and vaccination programs are rolled out across the globe. Excited to be an indispensable part of Southern California’s rejuvenation, the company will continue to invest in its people, providing teams with the right training, the best tools, and high-quality internal infrastructure.

“We have achieved great success as a premier builder of educational and public facilities for the past 102 years, and that will not change going forward,” Justin proclaims.

“We aim to responsibly grow our firm by adding the right talent and building new relationships in markets that could benefit from our culture and core values. Most importantly, we will rely on the foundation established by those before us to continuously improve - delivering iconic projects and cherishing the accomplishments with the people we hold dear.”

Orange High School Science Center

Inglewood Senior Center

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Empire Crane Company

Reaching

for the sky

Empire Crane Company www.empirecrane.com Services: Crane sales, rentals, parts and servicing

One of the leading crane dealerships in the Northeast United States, Empire Crane Company has provided its customers with uplifting service for almost two decades

B

rainchild of New York brothers Luke and Paul Lonergan, Empire Crane Company was founded in 2002 following the dissolution of the Lonergan family’s previous business.

Headquartered in Syracuse, New York, the company grew quickly through hard work and perseverance, so that within a few short years, Luke and Paul had launched satellite offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Bridgewater, New Jersey. Operating from

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these three key sites, Empire Crane can offer crane sales, rentals, parts and servicing on a local and global scale.

“In the early 2000s, my brother Paul and I decided to place our confidence and faith in ourselves by establishing Empire Crane,” CEO and Vice President Luke Lonergan explains.

“We started with only a couple of mechanics, an office manager and ourselves, and the company grew from there.

“Opening satellite offices was a bit of a

milestone in our expansion and a core part of how we operate today. It means we now have sites acting as both service centers and home bases for our technicians. They allow us to better support customers throughout our whole New England territory. Additionally, by having our technicians present throughout the Northeast, they can be dispatched more quickly if a customer’s crane needs servicing.”

Empire Crane is a dealer for major crane manufacturers like Tadano Demag, Tadano

Mantis, Kobelco, Manitex, Terex, Magni, and Broderson. Empire Crane boasts one of the broadest product ranges on the market.

Among its offerings, the firm provides all terrain, boom trucks, carry deck, rough terrain, telehandler, truck crane and crawler models.

“At Empire Crane, we are always ordering equipment to serve our customers’ needs,” Luke reports. “We talk with clients and salespeople in the field to forecast equipment

needs for the year ahead and we regularly review our rental fleet. If something sells from the rental fleet, we’ll often look at replacing it with a new piece to keep the technology up to date.”

In 2020, Empire Crane added another renowned manufacturer to its portfolio when it was chosen to represent Tadano products in the Northeast United States. Known for its high-quality, industry-leading technology, Tadano has been a trusted producer of

cranes for more than half a century.

“We’re really proud to offer Tadano to our customers and have received excellent support from the factory’s experienced team,” Luke states. “We can now provide customers with superior products like Tadano Demag All Terrain Cranes, Tadano Mantis Tele-Crawlers, Tadano GR Rough Terrain Cranes, and Tadano ATF All Terrain Cranes.”

Empire Crane’s comprehensive offering has made for a long list of satisfied clients over

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Empire Crane Company Left: Paul and Luke Lonergan

the years. For instance, in the spring of 2019, CWI Crane and Rigging purchased a Tadano Demag AC250-5 from the firm. CWI’s positive experience with Empire Crane ultimately influenced its decision to purchase another Tadano Demag from the company in January 2021 - this time an AC100-4L model. In June 2021, the company also took delivery of a new 2021 Tadano Demag AC60-3. “We’ve worked with the Lonergan family since I was a kid,” CWI Owner Chet Chludenski III said at the time. “It’s always good to do business with people you know and trust.”

As Chet’s endorsement of Empire Crane suggests, the company receives a great deal of repeat orders thanks to its individualized customer service and personal approach to business. At its core, Empire Crane is a business with family roots and the Lonergan brothers are determined to make their clients feel like part of the family.

“When customers purchase a crane from Empire Crane, new or used, they get a personal introduction to folks in all departments so that they know where to go for support,” Luke reveals. “Plus, knowing that we’ll take care of any of their crane needs makes us a quick and reliable source to come back to time and time again.

“When you own a crane, a car, or any other piece of equipment, you will eventually need parts to maintain it and a mechanic to solve any issues. We’ve set ourselves up to be a

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one-stop-shop for our customers, from sale, to parts, to servicing. We support clients from day one, to years down the road.”

In February 2021, Vergona Crane Co purchased a new Tadano GR1000XLL-4 from Empire Crane. The 100-ton rough terrain crane features a 224.1-foot max lift height, smart counterweight system, and asymmetrical outrigger setup. As the first GR product sold into Empire Crane’s New Jersey territory since being awarded the Tadano account in 2020, the sale marked a milestone for the Lonergan brothers’ business. Looking back on the landmark transaction, Luke is quick to compliment his workforce and the role they continue to play in the company’s growth.

“We have a great sales team, parts team, service team, and in-house business support team,” he declares. “All our employees are very motivated and support the customer as best as they can. It’s a goal-oriented group that believes in the ‘big picture’. By that, I mean we strive to respond to every single inquiry and serve each client like they’re a part of the family.

“I truly believe that having a strong team has been a huge contributing factor to our growth. We currently have four outside salesmen, a sales manager, three parts representatives, three service managers, and eight technicians. With all our teams working seamlessly together to deliver success,

we have never been in a better place as a complete dealership.”

As the Covid-19 vaccination program rolls out across the United States, more and more businesses in the Northeast are re-opening their doors after being forced to close in some capacity during the pandemic. Having made it through what has been a difficult year and a half for many organizations around the world, Empire Crane is looking forward to re-connecting with customers who may have been absent from the industry of late, and hitting the summer 2021 construction season at full force.

“As owners, my brother Paul and I are very active in day-to-day operations at Empire Crane,” Luke remarks. “I’m more focused on the business and accounting side, while Paul works more with manufacturers and service teams, but both of us love getting involved.

We like to get out and see customers, learn what projects they’re working on, and know what equipment challenges they face so that we can help them find solutions. That’s what really excites us about things hopefully getting back to normal over the course of the next six months.”

Having seen its product range evolve drastically over the last five years, Empire Crane is ready to embrace the technologies of tomorrow as it tackles the challenges of the decade ahead. If the future is anything like the company’s history to date, Luke knows that Empire Crane has no reason to be anything but optimistic.

“I can only imagine how technology will advance as we journey into the next decade,” Luke says. “Looking back at our experiences since 2015, there have been so many safety updates to new equipment between then and now. Back then, we had just taken on the Magni Rotating Telehandler line. Today, that product is the number one item in our rental fleet with about 20 units at 95 per cent utilization. With more customers becoming aware of the Magni products and their amazing capabilities, its potential will be infinite for years to come.

“One thing for sure is that we will continue growing together as a team,” Luke adds in summary. “Many of our employees have been with us for over ten years now, and with their successes and hard work, we’ll be able to serve our customers even more effectively.”