R&O Construction Celebrates 40 Years

Also:Subcontractor/GC RelationsK-12 Market ReviewOgden/Weber Spotlight

Ogden-based general contractorcontinues to build on enduring legacy

R&O ConstructionCelebrates 40 Years

March/April 2020

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© 2020 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, LET’S DO THE WORK, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow,” the “Power Edge” and Cat “Modern Hex” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission. VisionLink is a trademark of Trimble Navigation Limited, registered in the United States and in other countries.

The Great Payback Event includes a partial parts and fluids Cat Customer Value Agreement (CVA), featuring a 3-year/5,000-hour Equipment Protection Plan, 5,000 hours of Planned Maintenance with Genuine Cat® Parts, Cat fluids, connectivity with Cat.com or VisionLink®, and S•O•SSM with expert dealer support. EASY TO OWN. READY TO WORK. THAT’S A CVA.

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Mar/Apr 20 | UTAH CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN | 7

Table of Contents

On the Cover: R&O Construction has been led the past 40 years by two generations of the Opheikens family members – Patriarch and Founder Orluff (center) and sons Slade (President/CEO; left) and Chet (VP of Business Development; right). (photo by Sohm Photografx)

Utah Construction & DesignUC&D

Features32 R&O Construction Celebrates Anniversary Led by its second generation of Opheikens family members, the venerable, Ogden-based general contractor has built an enduring legacy over four decades.

40 Tightening their Belts K-12 builders and designers find cost-efficiency paramount as fewer and smaller bonds gain voter approval.

46 Steering Committee Gardner Batt, Dixon and Associates take the wheel, bring extreme go-kart racing across the finish line at The Grid.

50 Taming the Untamable North Adaptive reuse and a plethora of space leave Ogden and Weber County in a great place moving into the next decade.

54 Teamwork Makes the Dream Work With the changing landscape of construction, subcontractors are relied upon more than ever to perform the various tasks that go into building up the great projects we see across this Beehive State.

59 Seeing Green The movement toward sustainability is creating opportunities for landscape architects to show their value to clients in creating beautiful landscapes that serve a functional purpose while saving both water and money.

8 Message from the Editor

10 Industry News

14 Marketing Strategies

16 Design Viewpoint

20 Commercial Office Q&A

24 Utah Glass Association

28 UAPA Conference Recap32

54

59

40

< Message from the Editor

8 | UTAH CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN | Mar/Apr 20

As an essential service during this pandemic, people are

still counting on the A/E/C industry to deliver. Whether that is

new housing, new healthcare facilities or new schools, this work

remains incredibly important.

One thing that has been on my mind recently has been

sustainability. I had no idea what sustainability entailed beyond

the word “green” before I started working at UC&D. I distinctly

remember one of my first interviews with the construction and

design team for Hardware Apartments: Doug Thimm, Brian Cassil

(Arch Nexus) and Lars Erickson (Big-D Construction). I was so obviously unprepared to talk about

the project that at one point Doug asked me: “Have you seen the apartments?” Regardless, they

were good sports even though my boilerplate questions were not worthy of their time.

I was nearing the end of my questions when I asked: “What sustainability elements do these

apartments have?” thinking they would tell me something like: “We planted trees, achieved

LEED status and didn’t use grass on our landscaping. Ta-da! Sustainable.”

But then Doug Thimm said this: “We’re talking about fitting in 100 units per acre at

Hardware. We’re building a parking lot that needs only one-ninth of the land with the nine

levels of parking structure. We wanted to create a healthy, live, 24/7 experience that’s critical in

high-density housing. In terms of loving the land and conserving that precious resource that we

have—that’s sustainable.”

He opened my eyes to a crucial fact: sustainability can come from a wide variety of sources.

Sure, it can be more greenery. But, as developers will mention, it’s truly about creating spaces,

green or otherwise, that people want to use.

Part of using spaces is learning, living and connecting with people. During this time of social

distancing it is refreshing to learn about great design of the Living Learning environments that

the University of Utah is creating as part of their Kahlert Village (see page 16).

Sustainable can also come from the adaptive reuse projects that are happening in Ogden/

Weber County (see page 50). They may be more expensive, but renovating a space and saving

materials from entering the landfill is a sustainable way to build.

The word even fits when thinking about companies like R&O Construction. They’ve

sustained success for 40 years through good management, diversifying their clientele and

giving their all to meet and exceed owner expectations (see page 32).

It comes from Subcontractors/General Contractors (see page 54) choosing to work together

for the betterment of the whole instead of the few.

Heck, sustainability is even more greenery. The landscape architects showed us that

Landscape Sustainability—even in scope of their work—is wide ranging (see page 59), including

everything from rooftop landscapes to bioswale gardens on city streets.

This industry will always be essential. But with that comes responsibility. As Robb

Harop from Arch Nexus said to me, “We’re stewards of both the environment and the built

environment. What we build will be in place and affect the space for the next 40-plus years.”

I hope that the decisions each of us makes are conscientious of our environments where we

seek to sustain this industry. Whether that is a manager looking out for employees, someone

taking an extra look around for safety hazards or a designer simply choosing landscaping for a

project that goes above and beyond in conserving water, I hope we always choose to sustain our

gains and push for a better industry.

Regards,

Taylor Larsen

UC&DUtah Construction & Design Magazine

3047 W Parkway Blvd. STE A,

Salt Lake City UT 84119

O: (801) 747-9202

www.utahcdmag.com

Bradley H. Fullmer

Publisher/Managing Editor

[email protected]

Taylor Larsen

Editor

[email protected]

Ladd J. Marshall

Advertising Sales Director

[email protected]

Jay Hartwell

Art Director

[email protected]

Utah Construction & Design is published eight (8) times a year. Postage paid in Salt Lake City, UT. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Subscriptions: $64.00 per year. Subscribers: If Postal Service alerts us that magazine is undeliverable to present address, we need to receive corrected address. Postmaster: Send address changes to 3047 W Parkway Blvd. STE A, Salt Lake City UT 84119. To subscribe or contribute editorial content, or for reprints, please call (801) 433-7541 or email [email protected]. For Advertising rates/Media Kit, please call (801) 872-3531 or [email protected].

Vol. 8 No. 2

Coming in May issue of UC&D:

2020 Top Utah Architectural Firm Rankings

Architectural Precast

Affordable Housing

A/E/C Technology

Gain and Sustain

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In Memoriam: Jack B. Parson Jr.Jack B. Parson, Jr. passed away on March 21,

2020, at the age of 85.

Born on October 15, 1934, in Logan,

Utah, Jack spent his career working with

his father, brothers, sons and trusted

colleagues building Jack B. Parson

Companies. From its roots in Cache Valley,

the business grew to become a leading

contractor and materials supplier in the

Intermountain West. Jack surrounded

himself with a strong team, empowering

and supporting them to grow the business.

Beyond his far-reaching influence at

JBP/Staker Parson, Parson believed firmly

in putting people first—clients, employees,

even industry competitors. He spent many

years helping champion the industry

through service with the Associated General

Contractors (AGC) of Utah. Parson served

as a long-time board member, was elected

President in 1994 and ultimately earned the

distinction as a national Lifetime Director

for the chapter. Such an acknowledgment

is prestigious as only a handful of people

achieve this title.

“He always put people first—whether

it was employees or customers,” echoed

Scott Parson, son of Jack B. Parson, Jr. and

President of Staker Parson Companies and

Oldcastle Materials West Division, in an

interview from 2017. “I’ve had a number of

customers talk about dark days with their

business during bad economic times… Dad

was willing to work out payment terms

which allowed them to stay in business.

Those types of approaches were innovative

at the time. It allowed our customers to

thrive and our business to grow as a result.”

“Jack Parson Jr. ranks among the

industry titans,” said Rich Thorn, President/

CEO of AGC of Utah, in another interview

from 2017. “He has influenced people from

the top of the state to the bottom, and he’s

been on both ends of the shovel. He brought

a temperament to meetings that required

people to put their best foot forward

in highly stressful situations. He’s the

quintessential gentleman contractor.”

He is survived by his wife of nearly 66

years, DeAnne Wilson, as well as children

Becky Trimble, John Parson, Susan Allen and

Scott Parson.

COVID-19 Prompts Reactions Across All

Facets of Construction & Real Estate

In a webinar through the Utah

Chapter of the Urban Land Institute,

industry professionals spoke on some

of the forthcoming concerns regarding

commercial real estate and landlord-tenant

relations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jonathan Woloshin, Head of Real

Estate & Financials Research at UBS, told

prospective landlords: “Be proactive

with your tenants. You need to over-

communicate with your tenants.” Loans,

rent forgiveness and other things should

be backed by data and not emotions. “We

saw this in the [2008] financial crisis… We

want to help people that are operating good

business and not [those that are] just being

opportunistic.”

President/CEO of AGC of Utah, Rich

Thorn, said that ongoing safety concerns

require ongoing responses. “We’ve never

seen anything like this, and it seems like

it changes with each passing day. We’re

blowing up our members inboxes with how

to do different things.”

As construction is classified as an

essential service, the industry is still headed

forward even if the work is taking longer

due to social distancing and other safety

protocols. “Most of our members are still

looking for workers and are still working,

even if it is slowing down,” he said, relaying

that no member of the AGC of Utah had

stopped working. “We don’t know of any

projects from our members that have been

shuttered. These projects are badly needed

across the state.”

His parting words were focused

on solidarity and getting through this

pandemic. “We’re all partners in the truest

sense. Utah needs to flatten this curve.”

Engineers Busy with Structural Analysis

After Recent Earthquakes

Structural engineers were awash

with work shortly after a 5.7-magnitude

earthquake struck near Magna in western

Industry Legend Jack B. Parson Jr. passes away at 85

COVID-19 Prompts Reactions Across Construction Industry, Engineers Busy with Structural Analysis After Recent Earthquakes, Henrickson Butler and Riverwoods Mill Celebrate Grand Openings, Lagoon Amusement Park Buckles Up for New Ride.


Salt Lake County on March 18th.

The quake, just after 7:00 A.M., was

felt in the county and beyond; it tested

structural preparedness and the work

done by structural consultants across the

state. Although most were overwhelmed

just trying to respond to the sheer volume

of buildings to inspect, companies and

individuals teamed up to efficiently and

effectively problem-solve after the shake-up.

“We responded with great attitudes,”

said Jessica Chappell, Associate with

Reaveley Engineers, and noted how their

phones didn’t stop ringing for days with

clients requesting inspections. To cope,

“One engineer was fielding the calls

and building a database to make sure

observations were recorded.”

Determining building safety was

a process all were engaged in shortly

after the seismic event. “They hire us as

[structural engineering] professionals to

write a professional opinion based on our

expertise,” said Chappell. “We’re seeing

existing problems that are exacerbated

with some buildings.” She mentioned that

many building owners were aware of these

issues beforehand, but were using the

earthquake as a wake-up call to prioritize

their building’s structural needs.

Historic buildings and unreinforced

masonry units took the bulk of the

damage, with 77 historic structures

sustaining damage as of April 6th. Magna’s

historic Main Street, close to the epicenter,

had buildings that sustained serious

damage, as did a mobile home park in West

Valley City.

BHB Structural Principal Dallin

Pedersen saw that most concerns revolved

around one common thing in both

residential and commercial buildings:

cracking. “Cracks often seem to occur

at weaker points in the structure—such

as corners, around openings and where

the material changes thickness,” he

mentioned. “If the cracking appears to be

structural in nature, we will recommend

that further analysis needs to be done to

determine a repair and possibly adding

shoring until the repair is made.”

Tait Ketcham, President and Principal

Engineer of Dunn & Associates, mentioned

that even though some cracks and breaks

wouldn’t affect the building, it still affects

business. “One warehouse client had a

drywall partition that didn’t perform well.

It’s not a structural issue but helping them

figure out solutions” was one way Dunn &

Associates helped out. While the building

may not be compromised, “[cosmetic

damage] still affects the tenant.”

While the structural damage caused

by the earthquake was fairly minimal

across the county, the engineers were

quick to note that these seismic events

are serious. “It was a moderate-sized

earthquake or a test earthquake,” Chappell

concluded. “It certainly got everyone’s

attention.”

Henrickson Butler and Riverwoods Mill

Celebrate Grand Openings

Two major interior furniture and

finishing companies celebrated a joint open

house on March 11th. The two firms occupy

a master-planned space known as “The

Foundry” in St. George, a campus created

to elevate and inspire the design/build

community in Southern Utah.

While the grand opening celebrated

Henrickson Butler and Riverwoods Mill,

The Foundry will soon include Colab Space,

Coppertop Metals, COSY and Desert Star

Glass once the third building on campus is

completed in fall 2020.

Dave Colling, President and CEO of >>

> Industry News

Magna, the epicenter of the March 18th earthquake, sustained the most damage on their historic Main Street.

Henrickson Butler and Riverwoods Mill joint grand opening March 11th was attended by a host of guest and clients in celebration of the new design destination.


Henrickson Butler, was ecstatic about what

the new showroom means for design work

in Southern Utah. “Lots of our customers

have said things like ‘Wow, I’ve never seen

anything like this.’ We wanted to raise the

bar […] and inspire the community to think

differently about design,” he said. “We’re

providing the best in design for home, office

and elsewhere.”

Colling was blown away by the turnout.

“We had to have had at least 500 people

there for the entire three hours,” he said.

Riverwoods Mill joyfully opened their

showroom and warehouse a day after their

construction was completed on March

10th, with Hughes General Contractors

performing the work on the tilt-up concrete

panels. CEO Chris Peterson felt like it has

helped clients better understand his

company. “We’re more than just a cabinet

shop. We’re a one-stop interior shop,” he

said. “We’re about creating and designing

environments to help [customers] better

their lives.”

While the virus pandemic has changed

business, both companies are available by

appointment to show off their new spaces,

available products and designs.

UAPA Awards Scholarships

to Pavers

The Utah Asphalt Pavement

Association awarded $6,000 in scholarships

split among four students to continue

their education. Money was raised in

raffle tickets for the association’s annual

conference that occurred in late February.

Scholarship winners included:

Braden Watson—Project Manager,

CMT Engineering laboratories; will be using

the scholarship money to continue his civil

engineering education.

Colton Davis—Plans on using his award

to continue his education at Weber State

University while continuing his work in the

paving industry.

Tanner Spencer—Pipe Layer/Operator,

Morgan Asphalt; the scholarship will help to

fund his senior year of college.

Dalton David—Plans on using his

award to moving forward at Weber State

University while continuing his work in

asphalt paving.

Airports Across State Receive Grant Funding

U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Elaine L. Chao announced that the U.S.

Department of Transportation will award

$520.5 million in airport infrastructure

grants to 287 airports in 41 states. According

to Chao, of the $520.5 million, Utah will

receive around $9.4 million to upgrade 11 of

the state’s airports.

Utah airports receiving funding

included:

• Duchesne Municipal Airport:

$300,000 to fund updating the

airport master plan or study.

• Hanksville Airport: $208,116 to fund

sealing the runway pavement

surface and joints.

• Kanab Municipal Airport: $161,291

to fund building, repairing and

expanding a snow removal

equipment building.

• Wayne Wonderland Airport: $2.4

million to fund runway repairs.

• Milford Municipal/Ben and Judy

Briscoe Field Airport: $2 million to

fund runway repairs.

• Monticello Airport: $213,776 to fund

updating the airport master plan or

study.

• Ogden-Hinckley Airport: $1.6 million

to fund apron repairs.

• Spanish Fork Airport Springville

Woodhouse Field: $300,936 to fund

taxiway construction.

• St. George Regional Airport: $150,000

to fund snow removal equipment

purchase.

• Vernal Regional Airport: Received

two different grants. One $300,000

grant to fund improvements

to the airport’s drainage and erosion

control system, another $620,197 to

fund installation of perimeter

fencing.

• Wendover Airport: $1 million to fund

the installation of perimeter fencing.

Lagoon Amusement Park

Buckles Up for New Ride

Construction is currently under way

at Lagoon, the largest amusement park

in Utah, for a top-secret attraction due to

open in 2021.

Located just 18 miles north of Salt

Lake City, Lagoon welcomes 1.5 million

visitors every year. The park offers fifty-

four attractions and ten unique roller

coasters—including Cannibal, the largest

ride at Lagoon.

Geneva Rock, Lagoon’s sole concrete

supplier, is pouring the biggest concrete

slab ever recorded at Lagoon—over 1,700

cubic yards and 30 percent larger by area

than Cannibal. The incredible size of this

rollercoaster is one of the aspects that

makes it one-of-a-kind. At its completion,

drivers on the freeway won’t be able

to miss this enormous feat of a ride.

Because Lagoon is very strategic on what

information they release and the timing,

no other details are currently available.

Due to the magnitude of coaster, over

355 piles were driven into the earth, each

40–60 feet deep, to provide structural

> Industry News

Colton Davis (center right) was one of the four recipients of UAPA’s 2020 scholarship fund, pictured with UAPA leadership—(left-to-right) Scott Fernald, Jeff Collard, Jaden Kemp and Reed Ryan.


integrity. The slab was so big that Geneva

Rock supplied concrete from two plants:

the Layton plant and the downtown Salt

Lake City plant. The sales, dispatch and

quality control teams had to collaborate

in lockstep to provide consistent quality

product according to spec.

“This required that our quality

assurance department was on their

A-game. We needed to guarantee

consistency of mixes and product types

so it all set uniformly and strong,” said

Logan Ritchie, North Utah Area Manager at

Geneva Rock, who is overseeing the project

completion.

The enormous pour was split into two

nights.

“In one night, we poured 1,400 cubic

yards starting at 1 A.M. One month later,

on another night, we poured another 1,000

cubic yards,” said Ritchie.

“It’s really exciting for me personally,”

the Area Manager mentioned. “It’s one

thing to go there as a visitor to the

amusement park and it’s another thing to

see what structurally goes into building

these amazing rides from start to finish.”

Hydraulic, Rolling Building Move Makes

Way for UDOT Freeway Project

The Utah Department of

Transportation (UDOT) is planning to

construct a new freeway-style interchange

at Bangerter Highway and 10400 South

with work scheduled to begin as early as

this May.

During the design of the project,

two office buildings west of Bangerter

Highway were purchased by UDOT to

make way for the future southbound off-

ramp. The owner of one of the buildings,

Osborne Dental, coordinated with UDOT to

repurchase his building and had it moved

to a new location to provide room for the

freeway expansion.

The Osborne Dental building move,

which happened on March 31st, happened

at low speed, rolling to its new location on

a system of hydraulic jacks, steel beams,

and wheels. UDOT project staff as well as

the building owner were on-site.

UDOT will build three new

interchanges on Bangerter Highway at

6200 South, 10400 South, and 12600 South.

Construction on all three is scheduled to

start this summer and be complete by the

end of 2021. During the past five years,

UDOT has removed traffic signals from

Bangerter Highway and replaced them

with interchanges at seven locations as

part of an ongoing effort to meet the

transportation needs in western Salt Lake

County. n


As a global pandemic began to fan out

around the start of 2020, we found

ourselves slow to understand the impact.

There is still much impact left unknown,

especially as it regards our business.

One thing is for certain, the most

traditional form of business development

and marketing for the A/E/C industry

has been shaken to its core. For many

decades our firms have relied on personal

relationships earned through long lunches,

conference attendance and networking

events. As a result, many of our firms have

been on the very slow end of the curve in

moving toward digital marketing platforms

that consumer-facing businesses have

embraced.

This period of social distancing and

remote work will certainly prompt an

evolution for our industry along with so

many others. Here are a few ways the

marketing of our firms might be ultimately

transformed by COVID-19:

1. Conference Attendance &

Sponsorship Investment

Reallocation

While we don’t yet know the

long-term impact on industry

conferences, we know we will

all likely have money back in our

coffers from 2020’s conference

cancellations. An important

reminder: be sure to reallocate

those dollars to the same purposes

for which they were originally to

be spent—marketing. We need to

be careful to reinvest this money in

marketing and not risk our future

workload well running dry. How?

Now might be the time to invest

in the sponsorship of a webinar

or in paid digital advertising. Hire

a consultant to help you craft

new pieces of thought leadership

or purchase video equipment to

support your social media team.

2. Better Promotion of Our

Intangible Services

Another potential impact of

2020’s quarantines might be felt

in our deliverables themselves.

With job sites shut down, projects

delayed and teams grounded,

now is a great time to finally learn

the art of selling your consulting

services. This part of our industry

is often the most valuable to our

clients but the most under-sold

by our firms. Though many clients

might be slow to break ground on

their next new building, perhaps

we help them take a step back

and study their facility plans on a

larger scale or an environmental

scale, looking well beyond the

immediate decade ahead.

3. Move Toward Virtual Education

Since 2020 will likely be

remembered as the year without

the conference; we are likely to

see a massive shift toward virtual

education in the form of webinars,

whitepapers and podcasts.

Organizations like SMPS Utah will

be one of many transitioning to

these web-based education modes

this year. As we all come out of the

isolation period, our best practices

knowledge in tow, our firms should

utilize this new knowledge to make

smarter decisions about their

integrated marketing approach in

the years ahead.

4. A Giant Leap Forward for Our Web

Presence

In a period of isolation within

our homes, one of our greatest

tools for industry connection

will undoubtedly lie within our

laptops. This computer-based time

might finally force us to evaluate

ourselves a bit longer in the virtual

mirror. Cue in: the website refresh.

Given that we know that more

When Marketing Moves Virtual

Integrating the Marketing Approach of the AEC Industry Once and For All

By: Nicole C. Marshall, MBA

> Marketing Strategies

Nicole C. Marshall

As a global pandemic began to fan out around

the start of 2020, we found ourselves slow to understand the impact.

There is still much impact left unknown, especially as

it regards our business.


than 80% of our potential A/E/C

clients visit our website before

they meet us in person, 2020’s

virtual transition should hopefully

better prepare us for future in-

person introductions thanks to

more engaging, timely, and robust

websites.

5. A Notable Reduction of Our

Environmental Impact

As project teams encounter

a period of grounding, design,

construction and engineering

firms will have a new opportunity

to shift their processes toward

more virtual engagement. For

the future, this might mean a

massive reduction of our industry’s

professional travel and thus our

environmental footprint. As clients

are forced to learn to trust the

effectiveness of virtual meetings

and e-intros, we might all see

that traveling for the purpose of

sales could become reduced or

eventually evaporated. n

Nicole Marshall is a marketing and

communications consultant based in

Salt Lake City. Through her firm, Curated

Communications, she helps A/E/C firms,

real estate developers, investors, and

property managers all garner the attention

of their desired audiences through

approachable, incremental marketing

and public relations programs at a

range of scales. She is a member of the

SMPS Utah Board of Directors, currently

leading the organization’s education

efforts. She can be reached at nicole@

curatedcommunications.com.

KNOWLEDGE EXPERIENCE COMMON SENSE

Craig Coburn* Lincoln Harris Brian Bolinder

111 E. Broadway | Suite 400 | Salt Lake City, Utah 84111801.531.2000 | www.rbmn.com

*Hon. AIA Utah; General Counsel AIA Utah and Special Counsel ACEC Utah Since 1985

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The new University of Utah Kahlert Village

is getting ready to open its doors in Fall 2020

to students who will seek their place on this

planet. They will be a smaller sustaining

community, informed by their experience of

a world-wide pandemic. The project comes

at a time when the idea of neighborhood

and integrating living, learning and social

infrastructure for a community of nearly

1000 students, will be rediscovered.

Kahlert Village was designed with a

mindset of sustainable urbanism. Unlike

multi-family residential, which designs are

based on supporting each household’s

autonomy, campus student living learning

environments must be designed around

the residents’ interdependence. We must

consider the sustaining aspects of a student

village, whose goal is to nurture student

wellness and success while creating a

strong identity within the larger University

of Utah community.

The 360,000 SF Living Learning

environment is designed to achieve LEED

Platinum certification for green building. It

will be the first higher-education residence

hall of its size to be certified with the

Platinum rating in the country.1

As a world-community example,

the guiding principles of Sustainable

Urbanism are modeled in the Freiburg

Charter, the city that won the World

Habitat Award in 2013. This charter’s nine

objectives2, abbreviated right, are

demonstrated by Kahlert Village and

are a holistic companion to LEED when

considering the sustainable design of all

Living Learning Communities:

1. Identity, strengthening of

neighborhood and encouragement

of cultural diversity and

distinctiveness

2. Interconnection with existing and

new modes of public transit

3. Wise use of land resources by

moderate degrees of urban

density

4. Safeguarding and interconnecting

green spaces with networks of

public spaces

5. Advancing social harmony

by encouraging social and

functional interaction

6. The economic value of careers and

creating new and innovative ones

7. Advancing a culture of discourse

8. Creating long-term partnerships

between the community and the

public and private sectors

9. Participation in lifelong learning

processes, seeing urban life in its

wider context

These sustainable urban principles

reflect the broader motivations behind the

decisions of Kahlert Village project team

on massing, site, systems and renewables,

leading to the LEED Platinum path and a

lower carbon footprint.

Building a Community on Student Cohorts

Social scale is a foundational design

driver. Sustainability, student wellness and

success are linked by residential cohort size.

Charter Objectives 1, 3, 5 and 6—identity,

density, social harmony, and career—are

illustrated in Kahlert Village’s strategy

of named communities. Three five-level

towers, each home to about 330 students,

are identified with an academic cohort: The

Heather Kahlert STEM Tower, the Patricia W.

Child Health and Wellness Tower and the Gail

Miller Community Engagement Tower. Each

tower has eight or nine residential clusters or

suite neighborhoods, two per floor.

Each student neighborhood is a group

of 36–40 people—based on data that first-

year resident cohort sizes in this range

are likely to form lasting connections

among fellow students, field of study and

community engagement, leading to higher

rates of retention and holistic success.

Each of the 26-total student neighborhoods

in Kahlert Village are designed to create

a sense of belonging with branded

environments to reinforce a sense of

purpose in each cohort, each tower and

each floor.

As a home base, each student

neighborhood has a living commons with

basic kitchen features and access to views

and natural light that nudges students

out of their rooms to interact, study and

snack together. Every floor has a central

lounge where elevators and stairs arrive,

laundry/study is done, waste and recycling

is taken and campus activity posters can

be checked. Each floor lounge at the center

of the three residential wings captures

surrounding views and encourages

mixing of STEM, Health and Community

Engagement residents.

A Living Learning Neighborhood

The ground level of the project is

conceived as a series of urban public spaces.

> Design Viewpoint

Sustainable Urbanism inLiving Learning EnvironmentsBy: Peggy McDonough Jan

Peggy McDonough Jan


Charter Objectives 7, 8, and 9—advancing

discourse, community partnerships and

seeing urban life in its wider context—occur

here. Transparency is strategized for views,

safety and a “see and be seen” vibe through

the ground floor of the village. This is where

everyone comes to learn, eat and meet the

wider campus community, giving students

choice and opportunity. A balance between

openness and alcoves, this hub is open to

all students on campus with focused and

social spaces such as a hearth, study rooms,

Adobe Knowledge Commons, Geek Bar,

Bennion Center community engagement,

faculty advising, a meditation room, music

practice rooms, classrooms and over 700

seats of dining.

Many important learning moments in

life occur over either preparing or sharing

a meal. The dining experience is designed

as several open, street-style restaurant

environments, giving students food choices

where they can share culture, delight

in differences and find commonalities.

Conceived as urban street dining, it has six

food venues, a demonstration kitchen and a

café and grill—each with their own exterior

access. After peak meal hours, the millwork

design of the breakfast bar hinges closes

to reveal writing surfaces alongside lounge

furniture to transform into an evening study

and collaboration space.

Interconnection of Greenspace and Transit

True to Charter Objectives 2, 3, and 4,

site and landscape considerations were

crucial to the overall goals of sustainability.

The site is conveniently located next to mass

transit and a diverse mix of community

services decreasing student’s reliance on

automobile travel. Along with the mass

transit options, bicycle amenities—317

bike parking stalls (109 indoor, 208

outdoor) and bike repair stations—invite a

healthy alternative mode of transportation,

helping to reduce carbon emissions and

seasonal effects of the Wasatch Front

inversion. Connecting bicycle circulation

to adjacent campus paths and streets was

planned for ease and safety.

The existing high-water-use turf soccer

fields were replaced by a native and low-

water-use plant palette of trees, shrubs,

grasses and perennials. Decreasing the

amount of turf on the site by 90 percent,

irrigation is now provided by an efficient drip

and advanced control system that manages

flow and optimizes station programing to

aid in water conservation.

The landscape design engages students

through a large, open courtyard activated by

a porch with patios accessing the restaurant

grill and the café. Also provided are a variety

of outdoor amenities and spaces, including

a bouldering and slack line-area, a hammock

relaxation area and firepits to converse and

interact with fellow students.

Performance

To achieve LEED Platinum certification

for the $91-million Kahlert Village, several

key strategies are in place:

To achieve LEED Platinum certification

for the $91-million Kahlert Village, several

key strategies are in place: >>

The ground floor is conceived as an urban neighborhood with a “see and be seen” vibe. To the left, views to the exterior courtyard. To the right, the Knowledge Commons is an open resource for advising, study assistance and collaboration.

The Hearth is a social anchor. It is a central lounge and meeting point that offers students a place to meet friends, gather thoughts or hang out by the fire (renderings courtesy MHTN Architects).

18 | UTAH CONSTRUCTION & DESIG | Mar/Apr 20

• Efficient building structure and

carefully-selected building

materials resulted in a 10 percent

reduction in global warming

potential, eutrophication and

tropospheric ozone formation when

compared to the building design

prior to optimization of the building

materials via a life cycle assessment.

• Water metering in conjunction

with water-efficient landscaping

irrigation, plumbing fixtures, laundry

equipment and commercial kitchen

equipment are predicted to reduce

indoor water use by 40 percent.

• Enhanced commissioning of

the envelope, mechanical and

electrical systems.

• Innovative design strategies of

green building education, design

for active occupants, zero percent

mercury lighting fixtures, walkable

project site, low VOC materials

exemplary performance and

working towards social equity

within the community.

• Regional Priority thresholds

of Quality Views, Optimize Energy

Performance, Joint Use of Facilities

and Renewable Energy Production

have been met.

The biggest performance factor is

the commitment the University has made

to sustainability as a campus. A recent

campus renewable-energy purchase will

enable Kahlert Village to leverage its

energy efficiency for a 48 percent offset in

energy and a 72 percent reduction of its

greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainable urbanism means being

part of the campus community, contributing

to it and benefiting from it. The power of

individual decisions for the greater good will

now be placed into resident students’ hands.

As a well-balanced student neighborhood

in a post-pandemic world, its potential to

positively impact the world for generations

to come could not be more hopeful. n

Peggy McDonough Jan has 35 years

of experience in architecture and design.

She brings particular understanding to

civic, office, and higher education projects,

where flexible strategies and desire to

increase collaborative interaction is

directly and positively influenced by design

considerations.

1. Two smaller residence halls in

the neighboring State of Colorado have

targeted Platinum status are both on CU

Boulder’s campus: The Williams Village

North residence hall, 500 beds, earned LEED

Platinum status in 2011, and the new 705-

bed Williams Village East residence hall,

which opened this past fall, tracking toward

Platinum certification.

2. Thorpe, David. The Twelve

Rules of Sustainable Urbanism. 2014;

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/

sustainablecitiescollective/12-rules-

sustainable-urbanism/239556/

> Design Viewpoint


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UC&D spoke with Jami Marsh, Vice

President, JLL, to get her thoughts on

commercial office space in Utah and where

it is headed in 2020 amidst the recent

uncertainty.

UC&D: Looking back, what were the

biggest commercial office developments of

2019?

Marsh: The biggest development was

that we had 2.8 million SF of office space

under construction at the end of 2019. It was

record setting—we hadn’t seen anything

like that for the past five years. It is going to

fuel construction in 2020 and probably into

2021 for some projects.

But many of those projects are coming

on-line now. Minuteman 5 in Draper is one

of those projects. It’s 125,000 SF and they

just signed a lease for the top three floors

(75,000 total square feet).

UC&D: 2.8 Million Square Feet!? How

does that affect absorption rates?

Marsh: 2019 had the record-breaking

construction year but absorption was

pretty anemic. We ended the year right

around 350,000 SF absorbed. The year

before, 2018, we had almost two million feet

absorbed. And there are two reasons we

think this is happening:

One, companies are getting more

efficient with their space. They’re doing

what everyone else is doing, they’re

densifying their footprint, decreasing the

space they need, or instituting “work-from-

home plans” to where they don’t need the

same footprint.

For the second reason, we had to ask

ourselves: Why is absorption so low in a

healthy economy? Unemployment is so low

while job and rent growth are both solid—

the fundamentals are sound. But then we

dug into it and saw so much sublease space

on the market getting reabsorbed instead

of going back on the market.

Pre-COVID-19, we were hoping that

2020 was going to be a healthy year

for absorption, but now it is a lot more

unknown with how that is going to look.

UC&D: We have to talk about the

instability we are all experiencing. What is

that doing to commercial office space?

Marsh: Terms from a week or two ago

aren’t good enough for tenants anymore.

They may be in negotiations for office space

but the uncertainty of the last two weeks

has changed everything— tenants are

pushing pause, tightening things up, and

assessing what their current real estate

needs are. Landlords are conceding on a lot

of these smaller points in order to lock in

tenants for the future.

UC&D: How does this look in

comparison to the recession?

Marsh: It looks different from 2008.

From a real estate perspective, this isn’t a

bubble that burst. Companies aren’t riding

with lots of debt and they are in a better

position to weather this, even if it changes

how we all make strategic decisions.

UC&D: How does this affect the

coworking space?

Q&A w/ Jami Marsh

JLL Vice President discusses various commercial real-estate trends and topics in light of shifting market.

> Commercial Office

Jami Marsh


Marsh: Coworking is going to be a major

market swing. It provides a way for these

companies and tenants to scale at a rate

that is more reasonable and sustainable

without committing to something so long-

term. A five-year lease is an eternity for a tech

company that doesn’t know how things will

scale in a few months to a few years. There’s

definitely a place for this space—it’s solving

a high-growth company need.

A month ago, this was really on the up,

but some of these big groups are struggling

right now with the recent changes. People

are working from home and don’t need that

short-term office space due to COVID-19 and

it will be interesting to see what it looks like

on the other side.

UC&D: Will companies embrace this

“work-from-home” philosophy?

Marsh: I would say there are two

schools of thought and I’m seeing it both

ways.

One comes from a client that told us

how their work from home initiative was

working so well that they were no longer

needing to renew their lease.

The other is that companies see that

there is an online connection right now,

and they’re happy to have it, but they like

the idea of coming into work and they’re

still going to need space. The idea that

everyone is going to work from home is

unrealistic. There’s always going to be a

need for office space.

UC&D: Switching subjects a bit, do you

see more corporate HQs moving to Utah?

Marsh: Corporate headquarters

may come in at a slow trickle, but you will

certainly see more regional offices coming

here as has been the case for the past ten

years. Everyone wants a presence here.

It may not be the C-suite, but it could be

engineering groups, accounting groups, and

other back office that is built up here. There

is a talented, young, multilingual workforce,

cheaper rent, and overall quality of life that

make Utah an attractive place to be.

UC&D: Is there an area outside of the

obvious places where office space is really

hot?

Marsh: There are some pockets in

different spots around the Wasatch >>

Front. South Salt Lake has an interesting

redevelopment going on near 2100 South

and State Street. That is seeing a resurgence

as an office corridor. The close access to the

freeway, the S-Line and TRAX stops that are

right there, and the amenities like housing

and shopping centers are building out from

there.

UC&D: What drives that rise? Is it

infrastructure or amenity spending?

Marsh: They are very connected.

Employers are really looking to expand

their employee pool and how they recruit.

Being close to a TRAX stop or frontrunner

station is a huge advantage when recruiting

employees. >>


More importantly, the trends are

changing in how we consume space.

Landlords aren’t just providing a building

with a lot of glass. Now, they are seeing

their building as more of a hotel service and

increasing the amenities. They’re bringing

your lunch up to you, providing day care

for the kids, offering dry cleaning services,

concierge services, and other things. But

you have to be well-located to make those

things happen.

UC&D: How do you think Utah will

respond to these challenges?

Marsh: JLL looked at past pandemics

and how it affects areas regionally—SARS,

H3N2, Spanish Flu. All of these pandemics

had V-shaped recoveries. Hopefully, it will

spring back faster because everyone is in a

better spot than previous recessions—this

isn’t a bubble.

But there are other economic pressures

and maybe it won’t be a complete “V”. The

dot-com recovery took over 28 quarters

while the financial took 30 quarters until

we were back to pre-recession, office asking

rent, and that’s strictly office space.

But we’ll bounce back, we always

bounce back. n

Jami Marsh is a Vice President with JLL,

specializing in office tenant representation

and agency transactions. With over 18

years experience in commercial real estate,

Jami brings innovation and energy to the

industry but her passion extends beyond

the office with her work to advance women

in commercial real estate through her

engagement with CREW Network and JLL

Women’s Business Network.

> Commercial Office (Courtesy of JLL 2020Q1 Insights)

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Utah Glass Association’s kick-off

event in early Spring 2019 came and

went without much fanfare from

outside of the industry. But inside the glass

industry it is a different story.

Formed in March 2019, UGA boasts

membership from across the Wasatch

Front. Now a year in, UGA is pushing

forward to fulfill its mission statement

to educate future tradespeople, promote

the glass industry, advocate for its

prominence, and increase the association’s

impact and results.

Educating the Future

The primary goal of the association

is rooted in the education of future glass

workers via the glazier apprenticeship.

The association’s apprenticeship program

is a product of Steel Encounters’ original

apprenticeship program, which was

developed in August 2018 by current UGA

Apprenticeship Chair Tim Hall, who still

works with Steel Encounters. Now, this

curriculum, certified by the Department

of Labor, has been adapted to fit Utah’s

glazing industry as a whole.

Hall went through a Utah-based

glazier apprenticeship 20 years ago and

sees how students today will be better

prepared for all facets of life if they are

given a mix of technical training and

real-world skills. Beyond learning about

correct glass installation, “our partners at

Mountain America Credit Union have sent

instructors to help students learn about

financial management and we even have

classes on conflict management,” Hall

details. “We’re unique in that way.”

And the apprentices are grateful for

it, too. “It’s teaching people the right way

to do things,” mentions Cole Robinson, a

first-year apprentice currently working

with Steel Encounters. With veteran

glaziers leaving the trade for retirement,

there needs to be a new generation to

take glazing forward. He and the other

apprentices see how they can be the ones

to do just that. “It’s making things easier

and teaching us better skills before we do

the work on our own.”

It’s an ambitious goal to help train

Utah Glass Association

Glass of 2020Utah Glass Association, which recently completed its first year together, aims to educate, promote, advocate and grow with Utah’s glazing industry.

By Taylor Larsen


generations of glaziers, but Hall and the

other instructors are definitely up for it.

That determination and willingness comes

from a huge collaborative undertaking

between the various members of the

association. Maren Fisher, Chapter

Administrator for the Utah Glass

Association, mentions, “We have these

highly-skilled people who want to teach

these classes and companies that want

to provide the space to educate the

apprentices. Everyone recognizes that

what’s good for the industry as a whole is

good for them.” >>

(above) The Nu Skin Campus in Provo, UT (our cover feature from February 2014) showcases inspiring design with the use of jaw-dropping glass and curtain wall systems (photo courtesy Steel Encounters). (below) Members of the glazier apprenticeship class of 2022. (bottom left) Steel Encounters President Tom Jackson speaks to members of the Utah Glass Association. (bottom right) An apprentice from Bountiful Glass practices glazing techniques during class.


Promote the Industry

The push toward unifying the various

groups within the industry is a collaborative

undertaking between all members of

the association. For that reason, the

apprenticeship is a great place to foster that

intra-industry contact.

The two current cohorts of 18 and 20

students respectively are made up of people

who have been in glass for years as well as

ones who have been in for a just few months.

For those hesitant to change careers, Hall

pitches in with how the association is

meeting the demands of today’s workforce.

“It’s not about the almighty dollar anymore,”

said Hall. “We want our people to be happy.

We want people taking their vacation time

and enjoying their holidays.”

With the field changing from where

it was 20-30 years ago, Hall mentions that

glazing has really tried to do away with

stereotypes. “For starters, we’ve got to get

more women in the field. You don’t have

to be this big, burly construction worker

lifting hundreds of pounds to do this job

anymore,” he laughs. “We’ve got machines

and cranes to help with the heavy lifting.

We don’t want people destroying their

bodies to do this work.”

Advocate for Glass

Another goal for the UGA, then, is

challenging society’s push for “bachelor’s-

degree-only” secondary education—

showing that the glazing industry is a great

career to cut one’s teeth.

“There was never any talk of anything

but college when I was in high school,”

Fisher recalls. “Skilled trades were never

really mentioned.” She points out that the

current dearth of skilled tradespeople is a

huge opportunity for someone to come in

and work hard to have a wonderful career—

regardless of when they enter the field.

Hall echoes those thoughts as well and

points out a growing industry challenge. “If

we don’t get more people coming through

any trade—not just ours—we won’t have

anyone to build for Utah’s projected

growth,” he says. “We want to erase

whatever stigma remains about trades and

show that this a great career path for men

and women.”

He mentions a recent meeting with

a local job corps. “This is such a great

opportunity. I told them that they can be

finished with their school in four year years,

debt-free, and with a great starting wage

and great career.”

Money is a great advocate, but even

better is a supportive industry with plenty of

opportunities for career advancement.

Onward and Upward

Growth in the young Utah Glass

Association has been the best of both

worlds: a huge initial member sign-up in the

first month, then a sustained interest and

new membership as the group celebrates

each passing month. Fisher understands,

though, that a professional association is

only as good as its value to members.

We want it to be useful,” Fisher stresses.

“We aren’t going to have a bunch of social

events because our members don’t want

that. They want trainings and updates on

technological advances. We want that, too.

This is for them.”

Utah Glass Association

www.vomech.com

PlumbingProcess

MechanicalMedical

801-392-6461


Yearly membership dues cost between

$300–$600 depending on company size and

membership type. UGA isn’t just for glaziers

and glass businesses. Vendors, lawyers,

suppliers and other industry-specific

companies can become members to sponsor

future events and stay informed of trends

within glazing.

Companies must join the association

and pay tuition before being able to put

employees into the apprenticeship. Instead

of individual fees, UGA instituted company-

based fees—a strategy that has encouraged

growth and membership. Fisher sees the

association as very accessible to new

members “and I’m confident that our current

members will renew for 2020 and beyond.”

What’s Next?

UGA isn’t interested in lobbying in

politics or pie-in-the-sky ideas—they’re

interested in the ideas that generate needed

results and bring additional prominence to

a growing field. They want to elevate the

image of glass as a safe, healthy, sustainable

and inspiring building product. They know

that the industry is a viable, thriving and

exciting career path. They are ready to

showcase it.

Fisher, Hall, members and apprentices

are all excited to see expanded possibilities

for their industry. It’s off to a fast start.

With good membership, leadership, and

industry buy-in, the Utah Glass Association

will only continue to elevate glazing to the

prominence it deserves. n

“We have these highly-skilled people who want to teach these classes and companies that want to provide the space to educate the apprentices. Everyone recognizes that what’s good for the industry as a whole is good for them.”—Maren Fisher, Utah Glass Association Chapter Administrator.

Pave it, BlackUtah Asphalt Pavement Association’s annual conference draws big crowds and creates new perspectives within the industry as the organization completes its seventh year together.

By Taylor Larsen


(photos courtesy Newslink)


The Mountain America Expo Center

in Sandy was chock full of milling

machines, pavers and rollers for the

Utah Asphalt Pavement Association’s two

day conference held on February 25th and

26th. While the machinery and activities

were certainly an eye-opening spectacle,

the over 1,100 attendees was a true sight

to behold and set a new record for the

association’s conference.

Breakout Sessions Pave the Way

The breakout sessions included cultural

topics like addressing addiction in the

workplace, increasing asphalt workforce

development among high schoolers using

the UAEC Pathway program and a session

on creating a safety culture.

There were also plenty of pavement-

specific presentations, like “Rapid Tests &

Specifications for Construction of Asphalt-

Treated Cold Recycle Pavements” by Dr.

Elie Hajj and Dr. Adam Hand of University

of Nevada, Reno. There, the two scientists

focused on developing guidelines for end

use of asphalt-based, cold-constructed

materials.

Ryan Proctor of Suncor Energy

presented: “Asphalt Emulsions with an Eye

Toward Preservation,” where he discussed

the value in rejuvenators, the difference

between maltenes and asphaltenes and

how emulsions could be beneficial to the

Utah mrket.

Some presenters even addressed

how technology is assisting in asphalt

pavement maintenance, like Scot

Gordon of Data Transfer Solutions. In his

presentation, “Trends in Technology to

Optimize Maintenance Spending,” Gordon

demonstrated how leveraging a pavement

management database could reduce

spending while increasing safety and end-

user satisfaction.

Each of the presentations addressed

a critical component of the asphalt paving

industry while remaining both informative

and engaging. >>

UAPA Conference Recap

Pave it, Black

Cutler Repaving and other representatives presented with the Quality in Pavement Preservation Award for their work on SR-43 (MP 0.0 to Wyoming).

Granite Construction representatives presented with the award for Small Project of the Year for their work on SR-173; Bangerter Highway to 1500 West.

Geneva Rock representatives presented with the award for Large Project of the Year for their work on Mountain View Corridor – Saratoga Springs.


Hal Labelle Inducted

Into UAPA Hall of Fame

The Utah Asphalt Pavement Hall of

Fame Inductee is chosen each year from

among industry representatives and

peers. In terms of criteria, the committee

searches for someone who has significantly

contributed to the betterment of the

asphalt pavement industry in Utah. The

honor is presented to an individual who,

throughout the entire year, actively fostered

and demonstrated vision and dedication

in advancing the asphalt pavement

industry and overall investment in quality

infrastructure for the state of Utah.

This year’s inductee and recipient of

the J. Don Brock Award is Hal Labelle, who

spent his career working with state DOT’s,

counties, cities and contractors—supplying

them with liquid asphalt products for their

road maintenance projects.

“I’m humbled,” Labelle began. “I see

so many great people in this industry.

Chemical suppliers, truckers, highway

engineers, superintendents—they handle

their work with integrity and do a great job.”

Labelle recognized his wife, Helen,

along with the rest of his family that was in

attendance as supports crucial to his success

within the paving industry. It has been a

family affair for Labelle as he has worked

alongside his sons for a number of years.

He spoke to his beginnings in asphalt

pavement when he, freshly graduated

from Utah State University, joined with his

father and started Utah Emulsions. They

were pioneers in bringing emulsions to the

western states. “It was a big change at the

time,” he recalled, “and I see even more

changes along the way.”

LaBelle echoed the message of unity

surrounding the occasion. “We’re all on the

same team,” Labelle concluded. “We may

compete on various projects. But we’re all

in one industry. We’re on the same boat and

on the same team.”

Keynote Addresses Add

to Industry Positivity

Guest speakers included consultant

Jarrett Ingram, Utah Jazz telecaster Craig

Bolerjack, former Utah Jazz standout and

NBA All-Star Mark Eaton and UAPA President

Reed Ryan. While each had memorable

advice and counsel, none were as moving

as Ryan’s lunch address at the Wednesday

session.

Ryan recognized the initial charter

members and the original companies that

helped form the Utah Asphalt Pavement

Association in 2012. “There were 200 of us

when we first started,” Ryan intoned as he

looked over the hundreds of attendees to

the annual event.

200 people was then. Now? “We are

110 member organizations strong. I hope

for you that this is a visual that this is an

organization growing together. […] We may

not always agree, but we all come to the

table as one. That is truly our one industry.”

Closing Remarks

“One of UAPA’s core values is our

commitment to industry. I think the Utah

Asphalt Conference is a direct manifestation

of that commitment. I would put our

conference up against any other asphalt-

related conference in the entire nation—it

is simply that good. At first blush, that may

sound like a very prideful statement on my

part, but as an association we have never

forgotten what makes it all work: it’s the

people [who] attend, ready to learn, with

a strong desire to get better at their jobs.

For me, that’s humbling, and we better be

certain that we continue to deliver on those

expectations.”

If you are looking for a group that

is laser-focused on paving the way for

others to succeed, look no further than the

members of the Utah Asphalt Pavement

Association. They are looking inward,

finding the best practices within asphalt

paving and road construction and paving

the roads that keep Utah moving. n

UAPA Conference Notes

• 1150 attendees—vendors, pavers,

engineers, surveyors and more.

• Nearly 90 exhibitors selling everything

from massage guns to graders and cold

planers.

• 32 classes and workshops during the

two-day conference.

• $6,000 awarded in total scholarship

money awarded to four worthy

recipients.

UAPA 2019/2020 Awards Winners

• Quality in Pavement

Preservation Award:

Cutler Repaving—SR-43 (MP 0.0 to

Wyoming)

• Quality in Construction Award:

Western Rock Products—St. George

Regional Airport

• Small Project of the Year:

Granite Construction—SR-173;

Bangerter Highway to 1500 West

• Large Project of the Year:

Geneva Rock—Mountain View Corridor

– Saratoga Springs

UAPA Conference Recap

“If I had one word to describe Hal it would be integrity. He has worked tirelessly for 50 years to establish credibility for all those he did business with—all in the name of customer satisfaction.”—Rusty Price, Area Manager, Intermountain Slurry Seal


R&O CONSTRUCTION MARKS 40 Years of Excellence

Now led by its second generation of Opheikens family members, the venerable, Ogden-based general contractor has built an enduring legacy over four decades: it has developed to include satellite offices in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City as well as

consistent work in multiple Western U.S. states.

By Brad Fullmer


C elebrating historic milestones offers

company executives the chance to

peel back layers of memories from

decades of experiences. It's often

difficult to summarize in a few sentences

the wide-ranging and heartfelt emotions

one feels when reflecting on a career of

notable success.

So it was for the Opheikens

family during an extensive interview

with UC&D regarding R&O Construction's

40th Anniversary in January 2020. Patriarch

and Founder Orluff Opeikens, and his sons,

Slade (President/CEO) and Chet (VP of

Business Development), each expressed

tremendous gratitude for the countless

individuals who have helped make R&O

Construction one of the top commercial

general contractors in the Intermountain

region.

With headquarters in Ogden, along

with offices in Las Vegas (opened in

1994) and Salt Lake (opened in 2010) R&O

Construction has perennially ranked

as a Top 10 general builder in Utah per

annual revenues, dating back to before the

beginning of this century. Current annual

revenues have consistently hovered around

$300 million overall the past five years,

including a robust $319.8 million in 2018

($204.6 million from Utah offices), good for

No. 5 among Utah-based general builders,

according to UC&D's 2019 Top General

Contractor Rankings.

Other top executives since the firm

was founded in January 1980 include Lynn

Wright, Frank McDonough, Dale Campbell

(passed away December 5, 2014 at age 67),

Rick Zampedri and Barbara Taylor—people

Slade affectionately dubbed "the heroes of

the company.” Rightfully so considering the

decades of collective experience and overall

passion for construction each brought to

the table on a daily basis.

"It's very satisfying," said Orluff, 75,

after several moments contemplating the

significance of what a 40-year anniversary

feels like. "It's been a hard journey for lots of

different reasons."

The senior Opheikens quickly followed

that up by insisting that he and his sons

could have in no way accomplished this

level of success over four full decades

without the dedication of dozens of integral

people, from the laborers in the field to

the board of directors, and everyone else

in between—supers, estimators, project

managers, safety directors, etc.

"You're interviewing me, Slade and

Chet, but we aren't the only people

who make it happen," Opheikens said

emphatically. "There are other people that

have been every bit as important as Slade

and Chet, and certainly more important

than me at this point in time. I'm the old guy

sitting on the sidelines. I'm listening to their

[executive] meeting [today]… I'm thinking,

'This is so complicated!’"

He added, "The world we live in [now] is

so much more difficult. It was a lot more fun

40 years ago."

Genesis of R&O

As the decade of the 1970s drew to a

close, Orluff Opheikens was riding high (in

a sleek, baby blue Corvette, no less)—or

at least he thought he was as the owner

of Opheikens and Company, a profitable,

up-and-coming residential construction

company. He was happily married with a

young family, living in a big house and >>

R&O Construction Celebrates 40 Years

(from left to right) Slade, Orluff, and Chet Opeikens stand outside their Ogden headquarters (photo by Sohm Photografx).


seemed destined to keep riding the wave to

financial independence.

It all changed on October 6, 1979 when

the Federal Reserve adopted new, stricter

policy procedures that led to massive hikes

in interest rates virtually overnight, kicking

off two back-to-back recessions and igniting

the infamous Savings and Loan Crisis that

saw the failure of nearly one-third of U.S.

savings and loan associations.

Opheikens' firm had 11 houses under

construction at the time, and only one had

been sold. With rates skyrocketing to a jaw-

dropping 20%, he was faced with the grim

reality of switching gears on the fly for his

career. It's a feeling Orluff admits he'll never

forget, regardless of R&O's current lofty

position as a respected and highly sought-

after regional general contractor.

"One month I'm sitting fat and have

the world by the tail," he recalled, his voice

trailing off. "Interest rates shot up to 20%. It

was just horrible."

Opheikens quickly pivoted, selling the

Corvette and liquidating other assets while

also turning to long-time friend Les Randall

for $65,000, which, along with some of his

own money, was used to create Randall and

Opheikens Construction Company (R&O

Construction) on January 17, 1980—just over

three months from that fateful October

date.

Trying to land work and muster up

whatever jobs they could, Orluff worked

out of his basement with Wright and

McDonough while utilizing Campbell's

abilities during those initial years. It was

daunting trying to convince owners that

the firm's past residential experience could

seamlessly transition into the commercial

construction world, but they kept at it.

"Orluff, he was gutsy!” exclaimed

Wright. “He would lay it all on the line. They

wanted our resume; we had no resume.

When you start a commercial [construction]

company, you start at the bottom of the

barrel."

McDonough added, "It was a tough

bidding market. I bid 20 jobs before I got one

in the early part of 1980. I had more second

and third place results than I could count. It

was very frustrating."

Orluff recalled he and Campbell doing

whatever they could to get work with Hill

Air Force Base and Thiokol; cold-calling an

operations' front gate wasn't out of the

realm of options.

"Dale and I would try and just get

through the gate, try to do work for Thiokol,

put up a fence... we told them we'll do

anything to get through the gate," he said.

"Now, these guys are building Northrop

Grumman's headquarters [part of the

prominent Falcon Hill project]! That blows

my mind! Isn't that cool?!"

Opheikens said he'll also never forget

how hard every single top executive

and project manager worked, how they

committed to owners to always delivering


R&O has done a wide range of projects including (top left) the USU Center for Clinical Excellence, (far left) The Ledges Event Center, (left) Families First Pediatrics building, and (above) Kihomac Production Warehouse located in Clearfied, Utah. (all photos courtesy R&O Construction)


the optimum final product.

"We'd go out and make a promise [to

owners], that if you want the heart and soul

of R&O, it's in the field," he said. "That's Lynn

Wright and guys like Rick Zampedri and Will

Haymond. That's the hardest part of our

business."

To that end, Orluff said, Slade has made

it a priority in recent years to "improve the

quality of life for guys in the field. He really

cares about our people, and safety is so

important."

Wright was the firm's go-to man in

the field from its inception through 2004—

the ultimate Project Manager—up until

he started experiencing heart problems

related to stress, anxiety and frankly, too

much work, and was forced to resign from

his full-time duties at R&O. He remains a

member of the board, content to run a farm

in Ridgedale, Idaho (10 miles west of Malad).

"His dream was to run a dry farm,

but his doctor told him you have three

choices—construction, run the farm, or you

can die," Orluff said of Wright. "Lynn was a

real estate guy; he'd sell you a house, he'd

help you move in and buy you a bucket of

chicken! When I started to build homes, I

remember Lynn saying, 'Let me go with you,

you'll never be sorry.’ I was never for one

second sorry."

Orluff continued, "I remember Ted

Whitmire came to us from another

company. That was a big deal for me. I was

like, 'why would you want to work for me?’"

Opheikens said his greatest

contribution was putting people in the right

places to maximize their talents. "I live a

charmed life […] surrounded by people who

do their job and take care of me."

Retail Gain

It's no secret that R&O Construction's

rise from a virtually unknown commodity

to a major player in the commercial arena

was initially fueled by its work in the retail

sector. Its first major retail client was Salt

Lake City-based Smith's Food and Drug

(formerly Smith’s Food King; subsequently

acquired by Kroger in 1998) beginning in the

mid-80s.

Orluff had a relationship with Tom

Welch, then legal counsel for Smith's, and

it led to a first project in 1985—a brand-

new store in West Valley City. Two other

key Smith's projects in that early time were

remodels of existing stores in Sandy and Salt

Lake, which helped crews better understand

the nuances of having a store stay

operational during a major construction

remodel, with an emphasis on keeping the

public—and its workers—safe. >>

With headquarters in Ogden, along with offices in Las Vegas (opened in 1994) and Salt Lake (opened in 2010) R&O Construction has perennially ranked as a Top 10 general builder in Utah per annual revenues


“We did [both stores] at the same

time—doubled the size of both of them,”

said Wright, adding that they were able

to negotiate with Smith’s for the firm to

“celebrate” Thanksgiving in the actual

bakery so that their crews could work

through the holidays. “It was mind-

boggling… I don’t think I got four hours of

sleep for three months.”

Those early projects kicked off a

relationship with the grocery giant now

spanning 35 years and 171 total projects in

the Western U.S., the most recent of which

include a new store in Las Vegas, a remodel

in Columbia Falls, Mont. and several small

remodel projects in Utah.

Slade credits Wright for setting the

tone on those early Smith's projects, as

he worked on a couple of Smith's projects,

learning how to frame, pour foundations,

etc. He also remembers the top-shelf

expectations set by Fred Urbanek of Smith's,

who set the bar high as the owner’s rep/

project manager for years.

"It was Fred Urbanek, years ago, that

always reminded us 'You're only as good

as the last two weeks of your last project.’

He didn't mean it as an insult—he meant

it. It was a great lesson. Lynn Wright would

always remind us, 'You have to finish

strong.’"

Slade recalled a young project

manager who didn't fully comprehend

Wright's version of “done” who reported to

Wright and was then asked if the project

was truly done. He replied yes, they were

done, except for some doorknobs and light

fixtures.

"And then they would get to hear the

Lynn Wright-what-is-done [talk] with some

flavor," Slade laughed. "Done is you don't

go back; the owner is 100% satisfied. Done

is done.

"I love that Lynn instilled that in us,"

he adds. "And now it's on us—how do we

instill that culture and expectation into the

current and next generation?"

There have been dozens of other

retail clients through the years—Slade

said he took Orluff to a ribbon-cutting of

a new Maverik convenience store in North

Ogden last year, the firm's 87th Maverik—

in addition to successful projects across

virtually every major building market,

including multi-family, sports/recreation,

government/institutional, historical

renovation, resort/hospitality, and others.

The firm has garnered dozens of

awards for its projects during its history

and was named “Contractor of the Year” in

2018 by the Associated General Contractors

of Utah, an honor Slade called "cool, and

humbling" as it came from peers in the

industry.

Diversification Key to

Growth; Vegas, Baby!

Diversifying from the retail market—

and having the ability to successfully

complete projects on time and on budget

across multiple markets—didn't come

easily, as work was plentiful in retail when

the firm started surging in the late 90s/early

2000s.

R&O's strong bond with Smith's was

paying dividends to its overall bottom line,

but starting 15 years ago, company brass


started to worry that maybe the firm was

too invested in the retail market. The need

to deliberately diversify became a top

priority for developing and maintaining

growth. In 2001, for example, Slade said

80% of R&O's work was in retail, with 70%

being just Smith's projects. "You don't want

all your eggs in one client's basket," he said.

"We're seeing glimpses of what we can be.

It's been cool to see in the last 10–15 years

how much we've accomplished by way of

diversifying."

Retail remains one of the firm's top

markets, accounting for just under 30%

of its total projects from 2019, with multi-

family growing to be the largest generator

of top-line revenue.

Major inroads have been made

into other busy markets such as key

public sectors including municipal and

institutional/higher education projects

for government clients. While much of the

company's work is negotiated directly with

long-time repeat clients—the bread and

butter of many successful contractors—

R&O's success the past 15 years in a low-bid,

public environment is equally impressive.

Opening an office in Las Vegas has

proved equally prudent, and after more

than a quarter-century in Nevada's most

populous city, R&O's name and reputation

now spans most of the Western U.S. The firm

opened the office in 1994—last year marked

its 25th anniversary—with significant

progress being made since 2012. Chet

moved down to work full-time in 2002—“a

decision,” Orluff said, “that shows how

dedicated he was to the cause, uprooting

his family and taking on the challenge of

growing revenues in that office.”

"We opened the office in 1994 and

Chet was a young guy, just married... and

he makes the leap," said Orluff. "I've often

thought that was hard on him. I remember

going down with Dale and banging on

doors, like we did at Thiokol. We'd get a little

nibble here and there. Chet goes down and

five years later he's walking me into board

rooms of people I couldn't even get in the

door with! It's pretty cool... pretty amazing

to have these guys following the efforts we

put in."

"The office had been up and going

before I got there," said Chet, who was six

when his father, Wright and McDonough

all worked in the family basement, more-

or-less learning the ins-and-outs of the

industry by just observing those men

and asking them prudent questions. "I

committed to 10 years and that was 17

years ago. I like Henderson, where I live,

but I miss home, I miss family. But it's been

great for our family and we have ample

opportunity to get back [to Utah]."

Learning through osmosis was as good

of an education he could have asked for.

"My father is the most subtle salesman

you'll ever meet—he'll definitely make it

your idea," Chet laughs. "It's in a great way. I

was very blessed to be raised by my father

and to work in this office. My office used

to be there—” he said, pointing to the >>


The Kimball on Main exemplifies R&O’s ability to overcome challenges. The project included the complex marriage of the 90-year-old Kimball Arts Center (left) with a modern new 33,000 SF building in Old Town Park City.


next room in R&O's Odgen office, "—when I

ran our residential division. Every day I had

my door opened and I learned a lot. How

they engaged with clients, how they always

made sure the client was taken care of,

that the project was completed on time, no

matter what."

Revenues from the Las Vegas office

have been strong since 2013, with a peak of

$144 million in 2014 and a six-year average

(2013–18) of $110 million.

"There are a lot of great opportunities

that we've seen in Las Vegas," he added.

"Las Vegas is a market that has a lot

of developers out of California [L.A.,

Irvine, NoCal]. We're almost a suburb of

California. Most regional developers, if

they're doing business in California, they're

doing business in Nevada. It's opened

opportunities for us to not only build

beautiful projects, but create relationships

with people on a national level."

Eyeing the Next

Generation of Leaders

With Slade and Chet firmly entrenched

as the second generation leaders of R&O

Construction, they’re quick to note that

the firm is keenly invested in making sure

a strong succession plan is in place for the

next generation.

“I’m proud of the team we have…

at every position,” said Slade, recanting

various people who have been working at

the firm as long as he has and quipping that

his father’s true passion was “Watching

people grow. I didn’t get that [initially]…

when you’re 25–30 it’s about money

and whatever you define as success. I

understand it now.”

Slade added, “Orluff’s vision was to give

some people an opportunity, but give them

a lot of rope. Hire attitude. If someone has a

good attitude, the sky is the limit.”

On a familial level, Slade’s oldest son,

Jaden, is a 23-year-old laborer and one of six

student-workers at R&O slated to graduate

from Weber State University’s Construction

Management program in the fall. Slade is

excited about what these young folks bring

to the table, and he’s optimistic that Jaden

could indeed prove himself—well into the

future—to be worthy of being among the

third generation leaders of R&O.

Slade said his son has expressed

frustration at times with the rigors of "grunt

work"—for instance, shoveling snow all

day, every day, for three straight months

on a project in Logan last winter, with

temperatures well below zero on some

days. He had to drive up and tell the crew

to go home. It reminded Slade of when he

was in a similar position three decades ago,

digging trenches on a Park City job with two

feet of frost on the ground.

“It will be interesting knowing if Jaden

ends up being the right person—you have

to earn the position, whatever that title

may be,” said Slade, matter-of-factly. “I get

excited to see that he may have potential.

It’s a big mantle…and he has to build

camaraderie and respect, and helping him

remember that is as important to me as

anything. The name is not a blessing… it is

from what we’ve been blessed with, but the

expectation, it is not. I don’t mean that in a

negative way… you have to rise up to meet

what is expected.” n

www.mhtn.com

Silver Ridge Elementary SchoolWeber School District, Farr West, UT

DESIGN INNOVATION for the K-12 LEARNING ENVIRONMENT



R&O CONSTRUCTION REVENUES (2013-18)

YEAR OVERALL UTAH OFFICES

2018 $319.8 $204.6

2017 $293.5 $213.5

2016 $300.1 $198.3

2015 $269.3 $165.7

2014 $298 $155.7

2013 $220.3 $96.6

SIGNIFICANT R&O PROJECTS IN UTAH (SINCE 2015)

PROJECT LOCATION COST COMPLETED

Falcon Hill Aerospace Research Park Hill Air Force Base $88.4 M 2012-Present

Weber County Library Headquarters Roy $16 M 2015

USU Academic Building Brigham City $13 M 2015

Smith’s Marketplace South Jordan $13.3 M 2016

American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Salt Lake City $10 M 2016

Space Dynamics Labs R&D Building Logan $23 M 2017

Pointe Meadows Healthcare Resort Lehi $8.9 M 2017

USU Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence Logan $29 M 2018

The Monarch Historic Restoration Ogden $5 M 2018

The Kimball on Main Park City $12 M 2019

Silver Ridge Elementary Farr West $25 M 2019

The HUB of Opportunity Midvale $32.8 M 2020

Northrup Grumman Innovation Center Hill Air Force Base $41 M 2020

The Green on Campus Drive Orem $102M 2020

SIGNIFICANT R&O PROJECTS IN NEVADA (SINCE 2015)

PROJECT LOCATION COST COMPLETED

MarMaxx Distribution Center North Las Vegas $23 M 2015

IKEA Las Vegas $42.5 M 2016

Evo Apartments Las Vegas $41 M 2017

Echo 1055 Student Housing at UNLV Las Vegas $40.3 M 2019

Elysian Apartments at Tivoli Village Las Vegas $53.5 M 2020

St. Rose Square Retail Shops Henderson $18 M 2020

The Dairy Farmers of America Creamery Retail Store is prominently located off I-15 in Beaver, Utah. This area icon serves as a stopping place for road warriors and a retreat for local families.


TIGHTENINGTHEIR BELTS


K-12 Market Review

TIGHTENINGTHEIR BELTS

K-12 builders and designers find cost-efficiency paramount as fewer and smaller bonds gain voter approval.

By Emma Penrod | Photos by Endeavour Architectural Photography


Thousands of Utahns voted against

large bonding proposals last fall,

leading to a slowdown in K-12

construction that could later be curbed

again this year if a looming recession causes

voter skepticism to grow even further.

After several years of enthusiastic

expansion, Utah residents apparently lost

their appetite for passing new school bonds

in 2019, rejecting four of the six bonds

put before voters last fall. Only Kane and

Carbon school districts managed to pass

relatively small bonds of $23 and $36 million,

respectively, while much larger bids in

Provo, Tooele, Wasatch and South Summit

school districts found no purchase.

There is still plenty of K-12 construction

work to go around, local contractors say,

but the loss of so many key bonds means

there are fewer projects in the pipeline than

in the recent past. That might be a good

thing if it reins in the soaring construction

costs that led, at least partially, to last

fall’s voter fatigue. But contractors and

tax experts are keeping a wary eye on the

faltering economy, which could spell more

trouble at the ballot box this coming fall.

It’s not necessarily uncommon for

school bonds to fail in Utah, according

to Rusty Cannon, Vice President of the

Utah Taxpayers Association (UTA), which

tracks bonds across the state each year.

On average, he said, one-third of the bonds

brought to vote will fail.

In 2019, however, voters doubled the

average, rejecting a full two-thirds of school

bonding initiatives.

Although there are unique local factors

involved in each of the four bonds that

failed, the common denominator, Cannon

said, is cost. Provo asked for $245 million,

Tooele $190, Wasatch for $150 million,

and South Summit sought $87 million—

compared to the bonds that passed in rural

Kane and Carbon school districts, these are

significantly larger requests.

“When you have a price tag over

a hundred million for a school, … that’s

tough for the average voter,” Cannon said.

“Because they used to cost $80 million for

the same school, most voters and taxpayers

feel like you can build this for less.”

However, not every failed initiative

struck the taxpayers association as

strictly “overpriced.” Steep escalations in

construction costs have made trimming the

costs down to what might be acceptable

(previous) Modern glass and steel is juxtaposed against more traditional masonry in the courtyard of Shoreline Junior High in Layton. Mueller Park Junior High in Bountiful (pictured) as well as Mountain Ridge High School in Herriman (top right) are examples of dynamic construction and design that promote learning, collaboration and creativity. (far right) Teams from Hughes General Contractors raise a 75-foot concrete panel at Canyons School District’s new Alta High Performing Arts Center. It is estimated that tilt-up construction offered savings of more than half a million dollars to the District (photo courtesy Hughes General Contractors).


ranges for voters difficult, Stephenson said.

“We were surprised—we went and

visited Timpview [High School],” said Howard

Stephenson, UTA Vice President. “It’s literally

crumbling because the earth is moving and

it’s not safe, but they defeated it. Part of

the reason is probably because the district

lumped several other projects into it—to

where the cost was astronomical—and

voters say, ‘Oh, no thank you.’ But if I were the

parent of a kid at Timpview, boy would I want

that thing fixed.”

Many school districts plan to bring

repeat proposals before voters again this

coming fall, but Stephenson is skeptical that

success rates will increase.

“Given the recession we’re just

embarking on, I could see that we could

continue with this kind of failure rate,” he

said. “I would expect that this November,

people will be far less likely to vote for

a bond if their personal finances are so

affected. It’s going to require school boards

rethinking their construction costs to prove

to voters that we’re looking at these lower

costs harder.”

The slow-down has already helped

to address the rapid escalation of

construction costs by easing a growing

labor shortage, said Chris Houghton, CEO

of Westland Construction. But this alone,

others agree, won’t bring costs in line with

voter expectations. It is fortunate, then, that

recent trends in school design are already

headed toward cost savings, according to

Aaron Metcalfe, Chief Marketing Officer at

Hogan & Associates Construction.

“As a response to the sharp cost

increases in construction, the design trend

that we are going to see in the next few

years is the elimination of what some call

‘unnecessary architectural elements,’”

Metcalfe said in an email. “Most of the

special features and details that most

architects in Utah add to the design are

well-incorporated as part of the practical

use of the spaces and buildings. However,

designers will have more push-back

from districts than in the past to justify

what some in leadership may believe is

extravagant.”

Contractors have also seen an

increased interest in more cost-effective

materials and construction methods,

according to Kendall Smith, Vice President,

Building Division, at Hughes General >>

K-12 Market Review


Contractors. While some school districts

have held fast to traditional looks such as

having a brick exterior, other districts have

recently expressed openness to alternatives

like tilt-up construction. The Alta High

School Performing Arts Center, Smith said,

is one of their first public school projects to

use this technique.

At the same time, administrators are

also thinking about the need for more

physical transparency—windows and open

spaces—and safety features in schools, said

Greta Anderson, Senior Principal Architect

at FFKR Architects.

“Administrators need to see teachers,

need to prevent the perception of sexual

assault and bullying, which leads to active

shooter situations,” she said. “And I wonder

if viral safety is going to be a thing. I’ve

been thinking about this—faucets that are

motion activated, motion activated lights.

We have a lot of those things already but

there’s still a lot of contact.”

School interiors are also increasingly

designed with more flexibility in mind,

according to Ben Hansen, Director of K-12

Environments at MHTN Architects, with

rooms that expand and contract as required

and furniture that moves and adapts with

them. Building spaces that suit multiple

uses not only make the building more cost

effective, but also promote a learning

environment that more accurately reflects

modern workplaces.

“We’re creating places to collaborate

in schools instead of just a series of

classrooms,” said Jeanne Jackson, Principal

Architect of VCBO Architecture. “Teaching

children how to work in groups has become

a priority—with more tailored learning to

each student instead of learning everything

the same.”

Even with increased flexibility, though,

Smith said school boards will have to get

creative to accommodate growth and stay

within budget if the next rounds of bonds

fail to pass.

“That could be very difficult,” he said. “It

could mean they will have to look at some

different ways to get more kids to be able

to use a building, which might mean some

flex scheduling or more portables, because

I don’t know of a district that doesn’t have

a need. It’s just figuring out a way to pay for

them.” n

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Ladies and gentlemen, start your go-karts …

next-generation racing has arrived at The Grid

in Pleasant Grove.

The Grid, with a construction price tag of $1

million, is no ordinary kart racing experience. The

vision of venue mastermind Ken Bretschneider – yes,

the same creative genius who who birthed nearby

fantasy park Evermore – The Grid offers a unique level

of indoor go-kart racing that can only be found in a

few select locations throughout the United States.

And according to those who designed and

developed The Grid with Bretschneider, shifting

STEERING COMMITTEEGardner Batt, Dixon and Associates take the wheel, bring extreme

go-kart racing across the finish line at The Grid.

By Doug Fox


shifting into gear on this project was quite

unlike anything they had previous work

experience with.

“Every now and then you get to work

on a special project that is different than

anything you have ever worked on before,”

said Troy Anderson, principal, AIA, of Dixon

and Associates, the firm which handled

design. “Ken’s vision of an entertainment

hub with a variety of unique and exciting

venues that will attract people of all ages

and interests, makes The Grid one of those

projects.”

There was not much of a pre-existing

road map for developers to follow,

according to Andrew Johnson, construction

manager for developer/owner Gardner Batt

and general contractor Vista Construction,

at the time of its completion in the fall of

2019, there were only two other similar

tracks in the U.S.

“There aren’t many of these tracks

in the world,” Johnson said. “I’ve never

been involved in an entertainment project

like this. The track itself took a lot of

coordination with the manufacturer, but it

went together quickly.”

So, what makes The Grid so unique in

the realm of kart racing worldwide? We’re

glad you asked.

For starters, there are three levels of

elevation – which feature two banked turns

and a three-story diving corkscrew over a

half-mile lap of track.

Additionally, The Grid’s electric-

powered karts are truly a gas. The go-karts

themselves average speeds of 30 mph,

but can top out at 40 mph. Much more

exhilarating than your ho-hum “bury the

accelerator to the floorboard and keep it

there throughout while never going fast

enough” race. This is not your grandfather’s

go-kart ride.

“To be elevated 12 feet in the air

on a banking curve is incredible and an

experience that I have never had on any

other karting track,” Anderson said. “On

a flat track you can see your competition

on a flat two-dimensional plane. The Grid,

with its unique multi-level track, changes all

that. There are times when you are driving

and see someone traveling perpendicular

and over or under you. It is so much more

dynamic to feel the track rising and falling

under you as you ramp up or spiral down

the vertical transitions.”

The track was designed by a Slovenian

company, which sent on-site reps to oversee

things, but G5 Construction, based in

Vineyard, handled the track installation

itself.

There were several obstacles to

overcome, said Grant Thurman, owner of G5

Construction, the first of which was getting

all the proper materials – which were >>

The Grid


being sent from Europe -- to the job site in

a timely manner. Sometimes that meant

taking the visiting foreman around town to

find suitable materials and tools to expedite

the process.

The installation of the actual track

also provided some challenges, especially

with getting the necessary big machinery

in and getting materials to the top levels.

“The track is packed in there so tight

that you needed to be an acute driver to

maneuver around all the standing posts

and beams overhead,” Thurman said. “Not

to mention having the workers tie-off to

keep them safe while working the different

levels.”

Thurman said the European crew

included a team of three from the

Slovenian company which designs the

tracks, and some Germans who were on

site to test the actual go-karts.

“What I think makes their tracks

different are their designs themselves, and

the way they push the limits on the design

of the steel and the use of space that gives

you this awesome ride and experience,”

Thurman said. “They really have a fierce

attention to detail.”

Indeed. Thurman said one amazing

aspect was that in the end, everything fit

together so precisely.

“Every beam went in with no more

than a 1/16th of an inch plus/minus error,”

Thurman said.

“Luckily the shell was designed with

generous height and spans to meet the

needs of the track,” said Anderson. “The

track design did have to work around the

existing columns and within the envelope

provided, though. This was no small feat for

a track that in some places has three layers

of track stacked over one another. The track

designers did an exceptional job fitting all

that they did into the space provided.”

You can bet the principals took a first-

foot spin around the track when it was

operational.

“We were the test dummies for the

track as they were setting up the cars,” said

Thurman. “The first time I drove that track

on those fantastic cars, I was floored (and)

simply in awe of how smooth the track was

and how fast those electric cars were. It’s

really quite the experience.”

“I have been on tracks in Kansas,

California and a few in Utah,” said

Anderson. “Nothing compares to the

experience you get at The Grid.”

“It’s a riot,” said Johnson. “I’ve taken a

couple dates there, too, and they love it.”

In addition to the lead-foot

excitement generated by racing on the

track itself, the lobby, with its Great

Gatsby-themed décor, transports visitors

to another era as well.

“A lot of people that come here, you

can tell that they’re just diehard racers,

but when they come in and see our

environment, they go, ‘Wow, this is really

cool.’ It’s just different,” Bretschneider

said in a January interview with the Daily

Herald. “Because you’re used to seeing

a very industrial, checkered flags, 1950s

diner kind of concept. All racing places

look the same, and generally do the same

thing. Then they come in here and it’s all

1920s deco and retro ’80s and has a whole

different feel to it, and they get super

The Grid


excited about it.”

In another ode to Bretschneider’s

attention to detail, Johnson said the

eventual vision is to make the track even

more of a virtual experience.

“We have painted all the warehouse

walls with a projection mapping paint to

allow for that in the future,” he said.

The Grid experience is not complete

yet. There are plans in place to add a

gaming/virtual reality arcade and a

restaurant – although target dates are not

finalized.

It’s all part of the Bretschneider vision

and fantasy that is becoming a reality in

Pleasant Grove.

“The Grid in conjunction with Evermore

promise to provide an entertainment

experience not found anywhere else in Utah

and perhaps the country,” Anderson said.

“How fortunate we are to live in a place

that Ken Bretschneider chose to make his

dreams reality.” n

THE GRID TENANT IMPROVEMENTLocation: 593 S. Evermore Lane,

Pleasant Grove

PROJECT TEAM

Owner: Gardner Batt

Owner’s Rep: Andrew Johnson

Developer: Gardner Batt

DESIGN TEAM

Architect: Dixon and Associates

Civil: Ensign Engineering

Electrical: Rydalch Electric (Design Build)

Mechanical: Gunthers (Design Build)

Structural: Dunn and Associates

Geotech: GSH

Landscape: Great Western

CONSTRUCTION TEAM

General Contractor: Vista Construction

Plumbing: Gunthers

HVAC: Gunthers

Electrical: Rydalch

Glass/Curtain Wall: Anytime Glass

Drywall/Acoustics: K&L Drywall

and Acoustics

Painting: DABS Painting

Tile/Stone: CP Build

Carpentry: G5 Construction (Track Install)

Flooring: Josh White

OUR PEOPLE AREOUR FOUNDATION

www.stakerparson.com | 801-731-1111

Sand, Rock & Landscape Products | Ready Mixed Concrete | Asphalt | Paving | Construction Services


Ogden/Weber County Spotlight

Taming theUntamable North

Adaptive reuse and a plethora of space leaveOgden and Weber County in a great place

moving into the next decade.

By Taylor Larsen

Ogden City’s motto explains a lot: “Still

untamed.”

That may be the motto for the county

seat, committed to living a life unburdened

by labels, but the county as a whole is

embracing all aspects of what makes Weber

County great. Whether it is through Ogden’s

iconic architecture or the open space going

west to the Great Salt Lake and east into the

Wasatch Mountains, builders, architects,

and developers are seeing the potential of

Weber County.

They’re trying to channel the passion

and energy of the area into unique

projects—and it’s paying off handsomely.

Embracing the Outdoors

Much like other parts of Utah, Weber

County has the snow to go. Three ski


resorts—Snowbasin, Powder Mountain

and Nordic Valley—are less than an hour

away from downtown Ogden. The county

goes beyond winter sports, too, with trails

for mountain biking and hiking dotting the

county map with many of them just outside

major residential hubs.

With the creation of Amer Sports’

Winter and Outdoor Americas Division, their

move to Ogden in 2007 and the company’s

recent plans for expansion in 2019, Ogden

has kept pace with other outdoor hotspots

around the Beehive State.

That commitment to embracing the

outdoors shows in urban green spaces

like the Ogden Municipal Block, Junction

Plaza, and the Ogden Temple North Block—

all designed by Utah-based landscape

architecture firm MGB+A.

Jay Bollwinkel, Principal, MGB+A,

gushes about one of their projects in

Ogden. The work done on Grant Avenue

speaks to that commitment to green space

in the city. It is one of the more premier

sustainable projects for its incorporation

of roads into sustainable features for the

Weber County seat.

Whereas normal streets drain into

storm drains that then run on into rivers

and contribute to pollution, Bollwinkel

and company tried something different.

“We tipped the streets to take water into

depressed landscape beds, or ‘bioswales,’”

the Principal says, explaining how the

bioswales also act as a groundwater

recharge. “They do a good job of cleaning out

the toxins and oils. The plants are drought-

tolerant and get the water they need.”

Not only that, but Grant Avenue now

has dedicated bike lanes that have their

own median from the street along with

wide sidewalks for strollers and pedestrian

traffic. “It’s a complete street. The only thing

it’s missing is a TRAX lane,” Bollwinkel quips.

Keeping Locals Local

One of the big pushes for the area

has been to keep workers closer to home.

The combined span of Ogden and Weber

counties loses a little over 100,000 workers

to the daily commute for Salt Lake County’s

employment opportunities.

Chris Roybal, President of the Northern

Utah Economic Alliance for EDC Utah,

sees keeping those people working closer

as his group’s goal. Thankfully, there are

many things going in Weber County’s favor.

“There’s a loyal workforce up here, and

companies love the old infrastructure. It

really gives the city and county character

that you can’t buy.”

Hill Air Force Base, one of the top

employers in the state at over 20,000

military and civilian personnel, is running

out of space and in need of expansion—

something that economic developers

appreciate as a fantastic opportunity to

help keep that workforce up north.

“They can pull their workforce outside of

the base for non-classified work and attract

a younger workforce,” Holin Wilbanks, Public

Affairs Officer for Weber County, points out.

Whether it is HAFB or a defense contractor,

either can usher in tenant improvements or

new office space across the county with both

Roy and Ogden being great destinations for

these types of projects.

The individual cities and towns in the

county are looking to capitalize on the

progressive view of county officials and

developers and renewing efforts to build an

infrastructure to support these lofty goals.

Staker Parson executives mentioned

that municipality spending seems to be

robust in pavement preservation which

includes roadway rehabilitation and some

new capacity projects. UDOT is >>

Peery Lofts is another historical renovation project that has gone on to become a central building block of Ogden’s Nine Rails Creative District (photo courtesy Carbon Architects).


also investing in some much-needed

capacity and maintenance in the county to

address the growing needs of commerce.

Rediscovering Industrial Roots

Weber County always had the

industrial chops but is now looking to

exploit some of the space on the west side

to expand the area’s employer base and

build up the community.

Leadership at Staker Parson mentioned

that industrial projects are certainly

booming in the county. They mentioned

supplying concrete to many large projects

in Ogden including the FedEx tilt-up

building, two tilt-up concrete projects by

the Ogden stockyard and a concrete paving

project at Business Depot Ogden.

“What’s unique about Weber County is

our ability to provide rail-served property,”

mentions Wilbanks. “We have about 4,500

acres west of I-15 that has an existing rail

line and spur. When you talk about building

an industrial park, this could be one of the

prime locations.”

The space is prime for the right investor

to come and usher in a new industrial area

to serve not only the county in particular

but the state at large.

“We’re expanding the road, Rocky

Mountain Power is upgrading the power,

fiber is already there, and the real estate is

cheaper [than Salt Lake County],” the Public

Affairs Officer continues. “And you’re just

30 minutes to the airport.” In other words:

don’t be surprised when someone jumps on

this great investment.

BDO = Big Deal for Ogden

There are also places like the joint

project between Boyer Company and Ogden

City, Business Depot Ogden (BDO). What was

once a military depot has been converted

into 12 million SF of multi-purpose space,

with 25 percent of the area served by rail.

It’s made the city a go-to for industrial and

manufacturing spaces.

According to Cameron Cook, Partner

with Boyer Company, “We’re trying to be

flexible with expansion options for our

tenants,” he relates. “We’ve helped some

relocate if they outgrow their building to

manage their size. We’ve even overbuilt

for some clients to help them prepare for

expansion.”

Over $250 million has been invested in

the BDO from Boyer Company, Ogden City

and individual tenants in the form of tenant

improvements and infrastructure upgrades.

Currently, the booming industry hub has 130

different tenants supporting a grand total

of 6,500 employees on site.

Tenants in the BDO truly run the gamut.

There are nutritional supplement suppliers,

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“There’s a loyal workforce up here, and companies love the old infrastructure. It really gives the city and county character that you can’t buy.”—Chris Roybal, President of the Northern Utah Economic Alliance, EDC Utah


a custom millwork shop, a taxidermy

specialist, a sugar-beet seed supplier, and

even an armored car manufacturer.

But Industry and manufacturing

rule the day at BDO. “We’re seeing a lot of

growth up,” he says. “36-foot clearances

with more automation [...] conveyor

systems, automatic PIC stations. The

industrial market is changing and becoming

more high-tech.

The manufacturing, fulfillment and

warehouse hub isn’t done growing, either.

“We’ve built an average of two buildings

per year,” Cook explains. “And we can build

another four million square feet of space.”

Preserving the Past

On a site visit to Wasatch Elementary

School on Ogden’s east bench, Mason Van

Noy, Superintendent for R&O Construction,

shows off the new addition to the school:

over 18,000 SF of space designed by Design

West Architects.

“This is a perfect example of ICF in its

construction phase. It links up like legos.”

Van Noy shows off the insulated-concrete

forms that create the exterior and interior

for the school, forms that are becoming

more common in construction due to the

flexibility of use and tremendous returns

in heating and cooling expenses and

consumption due to the high R-value of ICF.

“With all of these windows and

openings we are making sure to support the

structure through our shoring and forming of

the supports that go inside,” he mentions. It

may cost more to the school district and take

R&O a little more time to bring the structure

together, “but with the energy savings that

comes from ICF, this is 100 percent the right

move for the school district.”

The two-story, free-standing addition

to the nearly 70-year-old school will

accommodate an additional 270 students.

The commitment from the school district

to lean into alternative learning styles is

commendable. Design West Architects has

designed various learning areas through

the building along with project studios to

diversify student education. There’s even a

concrete learning stair to serve as a mini-

auditorium for demonstrations and other

activities.

All these changes to the iconic, 29,000

SF school—plus kitchen, media center and

administration wing remodels—come

from Ogden investment in a bond initiative

passed in November 2018. Even though it

would be cheaper to demolish the building,

voters wanted to upgrade the older building

and add to it.

It comes from a big push from residents

and leaders in Ogden to preserve the hidden

gems that encompass the city.

When Adaptive Reuse

Builds Community

Carbon Architects certainly knows

what it is like to engage in adaptive reuse.

They have been involved in Ogden’s

architectural scene for the better part of 12

years and have seen the immense growth

of the area, especially from that adaptive

reuse perspective.

The most obvious is The Monarch,

the magnum opus of the city’s Nine Rails

Creative District and expanding arts scene.

“There’s a real renaissance going on in

Ogden,” relays Carbon Architects’ Founder

and President, Dan Schmeling, “and a

pinpoint focus of that is the Monarch and

Nine Rails.”

The Monarch is 57,000 SF of creativity

and community divided into exhibit space,

retail space, café and a hefty amount of

artist studios. The building acts as a hub

for local artists to develop their work as

well as a community space for arts and

entertainment, exploring Ogden and Weber

County’s eclectic, urban cowboy vibes.

Carbon Architects has also been

involved in residential rehab with their

work on Peery Lofts. Schmeling likes to call

it a labor of love as the 100-plus-year-old,

brick-clad beauty was another building in

desperate need of attention when it was

purchased by Ogden-based Fisher-Regan

Enterprises. He adds, “We had our hands on

every part of that space.”

It speaks to a larger point about

Ogden’s historic architecture. “There’s

a lot of good building stock in Ogden

that is ripe for adaptive reuse or historic

renovation,” Schmeling says in making

his case for choosing to hold on to these

antique buildings. “We’ve found that with

this investment—from purchase through

upgrades—the owner is getting 25% more

per square foot.” The renovation jobs are

daunting, but preserving these vintage

spaces? “It’s worth it.”

County Swoon

Whether it is through new

developments or adaptive reuse, Ogden

and Weber County are poised to continue

their upward trajectory with outstanding

commercial, residential, public, and

industrial projects. It’s 100 years on, but the

roaring 20s are back with a bang.

“There is some secret sauce,” Hollin

Wilbanks concludes. “We’ve got something

really special here.” n

What was once a 1940’s garage became an eye sore in the city for years. Carbon Architects adaptive reuse turned the space into an oasis of relaxation in the form of A. & Co. Spa & Salon.



Subcontractors and general

contractors haven’t always seen eye

to eye. Much like any relationship,

there are some ways to get on the other’s

good side while there are some buttons you

just don’t push. Utah has a unique culture—

one where collaboration and working

together is lauded.

It may not be all roses, but the

commitment to communication,

understanding and trust will help to build

the partnerships up and help each party

reach greater heights.

Keep it in State

At an SMPS meeting in late February,

Jeff Palmer, Executive Vice President of

Layton Construction, mentioned that when

the Utah State Correctional Facility came up

to bid, Layton wanted to work the project

with an in-state partner to help keep money

and resources in the Beehive State.

Those feelings of wanting jobs to stay

local go beyond keeping money where the

project resides. There’s a certain pride and

connectedness that subcontractors can feel

during projects done with local teams.

Ibi Guevara, VP of Business

Development and Marketing at Hunt

Electric and ULI Utah District Council Chair,

asks general contractors to look locally for

needed talent to complete these projects.

Within her scope of work at ULI, “I want

to make sure a developer or whomever else

is coming into the state knows about the

talented architects, general contractors

and subcontractors here,” she mentions.

Guevara is passionate about the quality of

work done in this state and wants everyone

in the industry to recognize it. “There is so

much talent here.”

Best Practices Start Early

Everyone quoted in this article

mentioned that best practices start long

before the project ever begins. Often, the

work is done via relationship-building that

has been going on for years. But, when

awarded the project, preparation work

needs to begin in earnest.

Guevara mentions that her best

practice is in building relationships months

or even years before any project starts.

“The last thing I want to do is to call the

client when the project is announced when

I haven’t been talking to them for months,”

Guevara says. “I like to make sure I stay in

touch with clients on a continuous basis.

We want to find out what their biggest pain

points are and be a resource for them at all

times.”

CCI Mechanical President and CEO

Dave Engel has a few words of advice for

trade partners looking to begin a successful

project: “Be obsessively prepared. […]

Provide a proposal with details that can be

understood and provide transparency so

when the start date arrives, you’re ready to

be on-site because you’ve done your prep

work and the schedule is in the general

contractor’s hands.”

It’s something Kevin Smith, Estimator/

Project Manager with Taylor Electric, has

seen as he looks back on the company’s

successful partnerships. “In order to make a

successful partnership, you first have to get

a foot in the door and get the opportunity

to deliver a successful product to your

customer. This can be difficult to achieve,”

he says. “But once this occurs you have the

chance to build a lasting relationship that

will keep your customer coming back to you

with future requests and projects.” >>

Subcontractor/General Contractor Relations

Teamwork Makes the Dream WorkWith the changing landscape of construction, subcontractors are relied upon more than ever to perform

the various tasks that go into building up the great projects we see across this Beehive State.

By Taylor Larsen

Adobe Phase 2, located in the heart of silicon slopes, represents a development where communication on all levels from owner to subcontractor facilitated increased teamwork and efficiency (photo courtesy Okland Construction, by Endeavour Architectural Photography).


Schedule Management

All the subcontractors also mentioned

that they are happiest when scheduling

concerns are addressed at all points of

contact and communication.

The CCI Mechanical Vice President

Jessica Ely stands by that sentiment. “As a

subcontractor, we live and die by how well

the general contractor manages schedule,”

she says. “But it doesn’t just fall on them, it

falls on us too. Everybody has to come to

the weekly scheduling meetings to find out

what I impact and what impacts me.”

It goes on to a larger point about

everyone, regardless of their role.

Essentially, everyone should be showing up

to the table and doing their job and then

communicating about that job.

Rick Higgins, President of Mountain

States Fence, has seen that communication

and responsibility with every project his

company has completed—even if chain-

link fence is perhaps the last thing on the

general contractor’s mind. “Without us,

the building owner can’t get a certificate of

occupancy,” he mentions. Even with a minor

role, his team is crucial in the construction

process.

It requires the general contractor to

set the expectations and schedule, but

subcontractors are more than willing to go

along with a trusting GC partner.

“If general contractors will work closely

with the owners, they can help advocate for

the right schedule that everyone can meet,”

Guevara requests. She recognizes that

there is a push to complete things faster

and faster, but knows that subcontractors

are willing to meet those demands. “If the

general contractor can hold everyone

accountable to the schedule, we know that

we can get our job done to help the other

subcontractors.”

Triangulating Quality

Price, and Relationships

The balance between these three

concepts are a Venn-diagram where each

affects the other at nearly every point.

Cost affects relationship and quality,

while quality affects relationships and

vice versa.

“It’s not even so much about the

quality of work, but the quality of the

sub,” says the Mountain States Fence

President. “We always do what we say

we’re going to do. Fence is fence and we

have to differentiate ourselves based

on the quality of the company. [General

contractors] are buying our reputation and

buying who we are.”

Tony Rickards, President of Archer

Mechanical, echoes that wholeheartedly.

“There is a lot of weight in the value of the

relationship. Doing what you say you are

going to do. It just needs to be who you are.

Stand by your product in good times and

bad times. Be accountable to your partners

and do what it takes to complete your job

and make sure it is right.”

The Taylor Electric Estimator/

Project Manager relayed that price was

certainly a contributing factor, but that

the continuous quality of both work and

relationship are paramount in maintaining

good partnerships with general

contractors. “Everyone is looking for the

most competitive cost when contracting


CCI Mechanical workers install radiant heating system under sidewalk. (top middle) Josh VanOrden and Daniel Fonoti with VO Brothers Mechanical look over building specifications for an upcoming project. (far right) The intricate, beautiful finishing work on the staircase is a great representation of work done by Granite Mill. (bottom Left) Archer Mechanical worker inspects Adobe Phase 2’s plumbing system during construction. (opposite page) Wood accents within the Security National building in Salt Lake County offer warmth and texture to the entrance (photo courtesy Layton Construction, by Endeavour Architectural Photography).


in any business,” Smith says. “Quality is

important too, but customers will keep

coming back when they have positive

experiences with you.”

Josh VanOrden, President and CEO of

VO Brothers Mechanical, sees that equation

to a successful working relationship slightly

differently, even if it accomplishes the same

goal. “Trust is essential to a collaborative

experience,” relates the VO Brothers

President. With trust comes an environment

where people feel comfortable sharing

their questions and concerns—all while

realizing that this is a business. “Have

everyone realize that we’re doing this to

generate a profit. Create brainstorming

sessions to improve schedule, cost and

quality deliveries. Focus on trust, value and

collaboration—profit will follow.”

Technology and Delivery

Methods Spur Collaboration

Technology is also aiding in the

collaborative process—another trend for

which subcontractors are grateful.

“The cloud-based technology allows

us to communicate in real-time,” mentions

Engel. Slack, Bluebeam, BIM 360—there is

a huge list of software that allow teams

to collaborate and make the project run

smoothly. “It has improved our ability to

communicate, and it makes a difference.”

VanOrden agrees that things are better,

mostly because he vividly recalls the old

way. “When I started in estimating, we were

still using fax machines. The last 15 minutes

of an estimate was a rush trying to organize

it and send it in to the fax machine and hope

to hell it would be there in time to hit the

number.” The VO Brothers President lets out

a relieved laugh that he never has to do that

again. “It’s better [and] faster now.”

But, Ely warns, it shouldn’t be the reason

that personalized communication goes

out the window; technology and personal

communication should work in tandem. “If

you are drafting a change order, you should

be drafting it because you’ve already had

that conversation with the GC,” she explains.

The phone call before the email isn’t just

polite, “it’s best practice. The other way is just

lobbing one over the fence.” >>

“There is a lot of weight in the value of the relationship. Doing what you say you are going to do. It just needs to be who you are.”— Tony Rickards, President, Archer Mechanical


Communication Keeps

the Fire Burning

Even amidst all of the talk about trust,

price, quality and the million other details

that go into creating a successful project,

everything starts with communication,

whether it is during the project or during

contract negotiation.

Archer Mechanical’s President

requests transparency. “If you can explain

what you are going for and why you are

going for it, subcontractors can really help

support solutions oriented around those

ideas,” he says. “We want to understand

the intent of the owner to help better

support their vision and share that

passion. Some of these owners will only

build this one building. It means the world

to them, and it needs to mean the world to

us. Stand by your product.”

Sandberg sees communication as

the main hurdle that must be overcome

for a job to be successful. One of the

earliest and possibly most significant

communication hurdles of any project is

contract negotiation—an oft sore spot in

the relationship between contractors and

subcontractors. “I look at the [contractual]

terms of the relationship and try to find

things that we can compromise on. I’m not

lookin’ to take the teeth out of a contract,

but I am trying to create parity,” he details.

Sandy Sandberg, President of Granite

Mill, sees communication as the main

hurdle that must be overcome for a job to be

successful. One of the earliest and possibly

most significant communication hurdles

of any project is contract negotiation—an

oft sore spot in the relationship between

contractors and subcontractors. “I look at

the [contractual] terms of the relationship

and try to find things that we can

compromise on. I’m not lookin’ to take the

teeth out of a contract, but I am trying to

create parity,” he details.

Where Collaborative

Partnerships Pay Off

All of these things—trust, long-standing

commitments to quality, communication—

go to making great projects and experiences

for the subcontractors.

Rickards remembers fondly of

Archer Mechanical’s work with the Adobe

Phase II project that is just wrapping up.

“Adobe as an owner was great to work

with. Okland, WRNS Studio, Gardner and

everyone involved was good to work

with, too,” he beams. “When we fed them

information, they listened. When they fed

us information, we listened. They were all

very collaborative and understanding. It

made for a great project.”

The VO Brothers Mechanical President

has always loved the work done at Utah

State University. “We have to give Jacobson

huge credit for the Life Sciences Building

at Utah State. Their leadership took the

initiative to bring a bunch of subcontractors

in from all different avenues to get us to

think about planning our projects better. I

had to thank them for thinking about the

subcontractor community.”

That early involvement was a key

catalyst for successful relationships and

successful projects.

Sandberg fondly recalls a project with

Jacobsen on the Oakland California LDS

Temple remodel. “We talked to their Project

Executive Jon Wight before we were awarded

the job. Even though we didn’t have the job

yet, he asked us to take a look to see how

we could reduce costs and streamline the

project,” relays the Granite Mill President.

They bid and were awarded the job,

having already come up with different ideas

to bring to the table. “That’s a wonderful

position to be in. While we certainly weren’t

handed this job and had to competitively

bid it, we are always grateful when

contractors or owners recognize the value

of our experience early on in the bidding

phase and invite us to provide value-

engineering suggestions.”

Ely remembers one of her favorite

projects, Security National Mortgage in

Murray. “All the key subcontractors were

engaged from the start, we knew what the

budget expectations were, and we knew

what the driving factors were,” the VP

recounts, noting how the location of the

building within the Murray city limits then

allowed CCI to find a unique solution for the

owner’s cooling needs—ice storage that

forms at night and then melts during the

day to cool the building. “We gave them a

list of 15 things to consider when building

a project, and they ranked them. […] But

it all started with Layton bringing key

subcontractors to the table early.”

Good Industry is Good for All

The most important theme in all of

these accounts was that everyone rises and

falls with the work done by other groups. As

an industry, as a trade or as a subcontractor,

bad work reflects poorly on everyone—

regardless of who does it. But good work, on

the other hand, is good for the state, good

for the industry and good for everyone

involved. n



Commercial Landscape Sustainability

Green is a beautiful color. It’s

the color of youth and the

reemergence of life. It’s the

color that businesses across the

country are chasing. The sustainability

movement has been primarily focused on

the first use of green—the leafy kind. But

landscape architects across the Beehive

State are helping developers and architects

see how going green in practical ways can

help save some financial green.

Cities and Citizens Push

Toward Sustainability

Whether through legislation or market

forces, sustainability is becoming a focal

point for landscape architects across the

state.

Brandon Reed, Founder and Chief

Visionary Officer of LoftSixFour, loves

building for cityscapes and sees the

definite need to build green space in the

urban environment. His first few jobs that

began over seven years ago awakened

a passion in him for finding value in

something so often overlooked—rooftops.

“My first rooftop was such a

challenging creative endeavor,” he begins.

It pushed him to think about value and

not just dollars and cents. Reed was

thinking about the value to the apartment

community or end users of the property.

“We want to design places that people

would actually use […] that creates a

community around these places.”

He wants developers across

downtown to see these spaces as ones

that engender a healthier community in

SEEINGGREENThe movement toward sustainability is creating opportunities for landscape architects to show their value to clients in creating beautiful landscapes that serve a functional purpose while saving both water and money.

By Taylor Larsen

“The plants are important, but what is more important is to recognize why we’re designing this. It needs to be for people first.”— Brandon Reed, Founder, LoftSixFour


the high-rises destined to poke through

Salt Lake City skies.

Jennifer Styduhar, Associate and

Landscape Architect for Architectural

Nexus, is based in the company’s

Sacramento office—a “living building” that

achieved the highest of sustainable honors

when occupancy began in December

2016. Achieving that honor is a testament

to the company’s commitment to green

initiatives and improvement efforts of

the built environment. Because of that

dedication, Styduhar sees where Utah’s

capitol could push builders and citizens to

a higher level of sustainability.

“Salt Lake City started encouraging

drought-tolerance plants in 1995 and has

encouraged better watering policies for

years,” she recounts. “But there is still

room to adopt ordinances” that would

“give people the math and tools to see the

water they are using” on landscapes.

Going beyond Grass

The starting point, on the ground level

at least, is finding a way to get away from the

turf that has come to dominate commercial

landscapes across the Wasatch Front. It has

been noted that 60 percent of drinking water

in the state goes to landscaping, with far too

much going to watering grass.

“Turf grass isn’t something from here,”

notes Styduhar, briefly delving into the

history of turf in the European aristocracy.

“And it takes so much water. Grass needs

three times as much water as the amount

we receive naturally from rain. We’re not

advocating for cactus and gravel, but >>

“Regions and ecosystems are different in every locale. We have to find what can thrive out here without human touch.”— Robb Harrop, Senior Principal/Design Director, Architectural Nexus

MGB+A’s landscape work on OC Tanner’s corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City showcases the lush possibilities of creating beautiful, usable space. (previous page) 4th West Apartments in Salt Lake City has been a revelation for rooftop space in the downtown area.



we can inform clients there is a big middle

space between turf and desert. People are

comfortable with what they know—and

they know grass. But now they’re seeing

that there can a beautiful landscape

without it.”

“Regions and ecosystems are different

in every locale,” mentions Robb Harrop,

Senior Principal and Design Director

for Architectural Nexus. “So how do we

embrace a more natural system? It comes

from ‘re-wilding’ or reintroducing native

plants or plants accustomed to our arid

climate. We have to find what can thrive

out here without human touch.”

Jay Bollwinkel, Principal for MGB+A

Landscape Architects, is a practical family

man, even if he’s still got his landscape

architect “hat” on. “I’ve got grandchildren,”

says the Principal. “We can leave the grass

in the back for them to play on but in the

front it can be all perennials or shrubs,

which are a lot more water conserving,”

instead of the standard turf lawn. Grass

needs to serve a purpose beyond a green

filler. Bollwinkel prefers “usable grass”

instead.

Creating Usable Space

And that triggers another interesting

question about usability as a whole. After

all, what is usable?

“The plants are important, but what is

more important is to recognize why we’re

designing this,” Reed answers. They need

to have a function that goes beyond the

sustainability of creating more green space,

specifically creating a usable green space.

“It needs to be designed for people first.”

Bollwinkel shares the feeling. On the

University of Utah Landscape Master Plan,

“We analyzed the (University) and found that

nearly half of their grass is unusable for any

type of activity—whether that is on a slope,

too small, or in an inaccessible location,”

he notes. “We want to help the University

eliminate the high maintenance of turf [in

certain spots] and maintain usable turf areas

for people to picnic and play.”

Sustainability encompasses a vast

array of concerns. One even goes beyond

walkability or use, creating an environment

where the plants aren’t just there but

thriving.

“People used to just put a tree in the

sidewalk and didn’t think as much about

what the plant needs underground.”

Bollwinkel laments, frustrated at the

shortsightedness of previous landscape

installations he’s seen in the capitol city.

“The trees on 100 South in Salt Lake

City have grown barely a foot in 20 years

because they were just planted in the road

base without organic material.” But times

are changing. “Instead of that, we’re pulling

up the sidewalk and installing ‘structural

soil’ where there is a mix of gravel to

support the sidewalk along with organic

matter that give the trees nutrients, water,

and oxygen” where those trees thrive and

fulfill their beautiful purpose. >>


Pushing the Limits

Bollwinkel recognizes that there

is a certain limit on how sustainable

organizations and individuals will tolerate

change when it comes to landscapes, but

the ground—excuse the pun—is changing.

“Even some of the really sustainable

plants need at least a little bit of water

for establishment,” he thinks out loud. He

mentions that Utah juniper and desert

plants may not be the most beautiful, but

“people are becoming more accepting of

these drought-tolerant plants.”

Reed wants to push the limits. “I would

say that we prioritize sustainability, for

shock factor, at a zero,” he states about his

firm, bluntly. “But I would say we look at

it in a counterintuitive way. As landscape

architects, we’re already trained to think

about everything in a sustainable way.”

His frustration comes from a myopic

view where sustainability is the be-all

and end-all. He’s drawn to the idea of

“hedonistic sustainability,” a term coined

by Bjarke Ingels, the famous Danish

architect, meaning: the idea that you can

actually be sustainable but increase the

quality of life while doing so. “This notion

really resonates with our philosophy and

mindset—projects can be sustainable

while increasing the quality of life and

enjoyment of the end user.”

Reed mentions the High Line in New

York City, a public park built on a historic

freight rail line on Manhattan’s West Side

where people can enjoy plant life, walking

and socializing—all 30 feet above city

streets. “That project has helped bring in

billions of dollars in investments in and

around the park.”

He continues,“Those types of spaces

are good for both developer and end user.

They build longevity. They create places

where people want to be,” he says. “Make

a space that does all that and you would

be surprised at just how sustainable it is.

People will fight to help it last and succeed.

Add sustainable landscaping and building

practices as part of that and you’ve got

yourself a truly sustainable place.”

Finding your Role

Bollwinkel finds a role in helping to

get to LEED status on projects. While a vast

majority of the LEED points for certification

come from architectural design and

materials, “We’ve got about a half-dozen

points we can help with as landscape

architects” he adds.

“Whether that comes through

using indoor water from air conditioner

condensers going to water landscapes, >>

drought-tolerant plants, or less- or no-grass

Grant Avenue in Ogden is a prime example of sustainability that seeks to create something both practical and beautiful. Bike lanes, bioswales, and waterwise landscaping make this an appealing route for walkers, bikers and drivers.



landscapes, there are a few ways we can

help with that LEED certification.”

Reed and LoftSixFour aren’t just

landscape architects wanting to plop

down a few planters and a sprinkler system

and call it good. They want the pressure

of taking ownership for designing a

community gathering space.

“We’re fully coordinating with

structural consultants on the project,”

he starts, mentioning how the firm

coordinates with MEP, building envelope

and others >> with current projects. They

see the financial value they provide and

want to be involved as early as possible.

“As a landscape architect, we want to take

ownership over what we’re doing. We

want to create opportunities for people to

connect.”

Harrop sees Architectural Nexus’ role

as bringing their expansive knowledge

of sustainable building and landscape

concepts to meet client needs.

“We’re stewards of both the

environment and the built environment.

What we build will be in place and affect

the space for the next 40-plus years,”

says the Senior Principal, appealing to

the bottom line of maintenance and

environmental costs like fertilizers,

pesticides, and herbicides. “We want to help

clients understand sustainable strategies

where they recognize that it’s good for

environment and good for business.”

The Future

Whether through aesthetics,

investment, or future concerns, one thing

is certain—change is coming quickly in the

landscape architecture space.

For Reed and LoftSixFour, he wants

more downtown builders to utilize their

space and utilize it effectively. “Every

building has a rooftop,” he concludes. “Are

you creating an immersive outdoor space

that happens to be on a rooftop? Or are do

you just have a rooftop that happens to

have some plants?”

Bollwinkel sees one future endeavor as

bringing the water grid closer to projects.

The recently completed Salt Lake Regional

Athletic Complex in Rose Park near I-215

is a set of 16 soccer fields that will soon

be working in conjunction with the water

treatment plant to use reclaimed water for

keeping the turf green.

There was also MGB+A’s Grant Avenue

project in Ogden. The project utilized

bioswales to move street water to depressed

landscape beds, thus cleaning out any toxins

before it passed into groundwater recharge.

The project would close the sustainability

loop for landscape water needs.

Harrop and the rest of his team see the

future in combining indoor and outdoor

spaces, much like they are doing with

the Daybreak Library, currently under

construction. “The library works with the

natural topography of the site,” he informs.

“We’re creating something that is more than

a place to store books, but an active space

in that community, where you can walk

right onto the roof without going up stairs

to this great view of the valley and a new

learning environment. It’s essentially a park

right on top of the building.”

It’s finding a practical sustainability

where businesses are shown the financial

value, present or future, that will help drive

the movement forward. When it’s all said

and done, it’s all about the green. n

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