CROM
CROM has been building and restoring essential water and wastewater infrastructure for municipalities and private clients since 1953. The Gainesville, Florida-based business is a market leader in prestressed concrete tank design and continues to innovate. After featuring CROM in December 2023, Construction in Focus is checking back this month to learn about the company’s latest solution.
Bolair Fluid Handling Systems
Bolair Fluid Handling Systems is a leader in the two-component spray and dispense industries. Founded in 1982 in Ontario, the specialty equipment provider has been making a significant impact throughout Canada for over 40 years, with Western Canadian branches in Alberta and British Columbia. In 2020, Construction in Focus featured the second-generation family company, detailing its history and secrets to success. This month, we sat back down with Vice President and Owner Gregory Haddow to hear the news since then.
Teel Construction
Teel Construction provides general contracting, construction management, and design-build services for a nationwide list of commercial clients. Headquartered just outside of Washington, D.C., in Fairfax, Virginia, the company boasts additional offices in Oakland, California; New York City, New York; and Richmond, Virginia.
METALCON
METALCON is the only annual tradeshow exclusively devoted to the application of metal in design and construction. This year’s event will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta from October 30 to November 1, 2024.
Living Stone Design + Build
Living Stone Design + Build’s mission is to build happier, healthier lives. This comprehensive design firm crafts top-tier custom homes, performs whole home renovations, and creates luxury commercial spaces specially tailored to the client’s individual need. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, the company is known for its collaborative approach, extensive experience, and commitment to green building.
Paradise Exteriors
Paradise Exteriors of Boynton Beach, Florida specializes in premium windows, doors, and roofing to protect property during severe weather. We sat back down with Chief Operating Officer Anthony Beckner this month to learn how the family-owned and operated company continues to provide a safe haven from storms.
TerraWise Solutions
TerraWise Solutions delivers a complete range of advanced construction technologies. Founded in 2002, the McDonough, Georgia-based company built its reputation by offering the highest-end Leica lasers along with dedicated customer support. Today, the company is recognized as the top authorized Leica Geosystems Machine Control Dealer for all of North America.
Fabral
Since its founding in 1967, Fabral has grown to become a major supplier of metal cladding and has taken part in some of the largest building projects in the United States. Construction in Focus sat down with Marketing Manager Michael Vaughn to learn the details behind the enduring success of this multi-site business’s lasting success.
Blythe Construction
Blythe Construction Inc. is one of the Southeastern United States’ leading heavy construction firms. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the full-service company takes on a complete range of projects from roadway, bridge, and railway construction to paving, drain systems, utilities, and more. Backed by a 101-year history and by parent company VINCI Construction USA’s global network, Blythe Construction plans and builds hundreds of projects each year throughout the region.
Palmer’s Security Solutions, LLC
Family-owned and operated, Palmer’s Security Solutions (PSS) distributes, manufactures, and installs a full range of high-security door systems, supporting the client throughout the entire process from pre-construction and logistics to operations and support. At PSS, innovation and customer service are always at the forefront, ensuring that clients receive door systems carefully engineered for top performance.
National Glass Association
National Glass Association (NGA) is the unified voice of the glass industry. Founded in 1948, NGA combined with Glass Association of North America (GANA) in 2018 to become the industry’s largest trade association, with over 1,800 member companies. From glaziers and fabricators to manufacturers, suppliers, and full-service glass companies, NGA takes pride in bringing the entire industry together.
Geis Companies
Erwin Geis founded a small construction firm in 1967, and an innovative approach and strong work ethic soon propelled the Ohio-based company forward. Erwin’s sons Fred and Greg came on board along the way. Since then, Geis Companies has grown into a multi-million-dollar development and construction business with an extensive portfolio, a staff of over 150 people, and a Geis family member still at the helm.
Novalis Innovative Flooring
Dr. Z.L. Wu founded Novalis Innovative Flooring in 1984, when he became the first manufacturer to ship luxury vinyl flooring from China to the U.S. At the time, only a few companies in the world had any involvement in the product, giving the insightful entrepreneur a unique opportunity to bring an emerging product to customers around the globe.
Holtzman Home Improvement
Holtzman Home Improvement is a top-ranked, Arizona-based contractor specializing in kitchen and bathroom remodeling. After 18 years in business and over 5,000 customers, the licensed, bonded, and insured business also has extensive experience in whole house renovations and home additions.
Dekker Perich Sabatini
Architecture firm Dekker Perich Sabatini (DPS) has enjoyed 65 years of excellence. With offices in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the company has expanded into a multifaceted, multidiscipline firm over the years.
Charlan Brock Architects
Butch Charlan and Gary Brock founded Orlando-based Charlan Brock Architects in 1980. The firm has been earning international recognition ever since for its buildable, marketable, and financially successful design solutions.
A&H Equipment Co.
A&H Equipment Co. is a market-leading distributor of environmental and municipal product solutions, from street sweepers and sewer cleaners to snow removal trucks. The company operates throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia. After reporting on the company’s latest developments in 2022, Construction in Focus sat back down with the team to hear this year’s news.
TurnPoint Services
Since its founding in 2016, TurnPoint Services has skyrocketed to success, growing from $30 million in annual sales in a single market to annual sales of over $1.4 billion and an active presence in 34 states.
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
After profiling the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) sustainability efforts in previous articles, Construction in Focus caught up with the organization once again, this time to learn about an exciting new report. State of Decarbonization: Progress in U.S. Commercial Buildings 2023 discusses the sector’s progress, the current status of data availability, and mechanisms available to reduce the carbon emissions of commercial buildings in the United States—the first report to compile all of this information into a single source.
J. Pettiecord
Known as one of the Midwest’s premier specialty contractors, J. Pettiecord, Inc. handles large-scale land clearing, environmental remediation, demolition, wood waste grinding, railroad services, underground storage tank removal, snow removal, dump trucking, and heavy haul trucking. With 70 full-time employees at the ready, the Bondurant, Iowa-based business is well prepared for whatever short-term, long-term, or emergency project comes its way.
Atlantic TNG
Atlantic TNG LLC, originally Atlantic Concrete, has been casting quality precast concrete products since 1969. In 2019, we sat down with Megan Kitchner, a third-generation precaster who launched her own division of the family business in 2011. We checked back in with Kitchner this month to learn the latest from her Sarasota, Florida headquarters.
American Concrete Institute
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) is always advancing the industry by guiding and assisting individuals and organizations involved in concrete design, construction, and related materials. With more than 100 chapters, 146 student chapters, and over 30,000 members spanning 120 countries, the Michigan-based non-profit develops and distributes consensus-based standards, technical resources, educational programs, training programs, and certification programs.
Easi-Set Worldwide
Headquartered in Midland, Virginia, the Smith-Midland family of companies includes three precast concrete manufacturing facilities, a barrier rental company, an advertising and marketing business, and a product licensing subsidiary: Easi-Set Worldwide.
CROM
CROM is a Gainesville, Florida-based specialty contractor with five locations across three states, and has been building and restoring essential infrastructure for 70 years. “The company has remained a market leader in prestressed concrete since 1953,” says Director of Restorations and Field Operations, Bruce Russell.
AEC
Barbara O’Toole launched AEC in 1991 with a vision to bridge the gap between acoustics, construction, and design. “She started the company by taking her knowledge of acoustics and marrying that together with what she saw as a void in the industry,” says Executive Vice President Crystal Durham.
Andropogon
Andropogon, a Philadelphia- and Raleigh-based landscape architecture and ecological design firm, gets its memorable name from the Latin word for a type of grass. “The significance of that is that it’s a pioneer species,” says Principal and Director of Practice Development Darren Damone. “It’s one of the first grasses to recolonize and restore environmentally degraded sites.”
TerraWise Solutions
TerraWise Solutions supplies superior products that hold up against the very toughest job site conditions. With over 20 years’ experience under its belt, the McDonough, Georgia-based business has emerged as a leader in premier positioning technology, known for providing the latest, most leading-edge equipment from Leica Geosystems, one of the world’s largest positioning technology manufacturers.
Braam’s Custom Cabinets
Braam’s Custom Cabinets got its start as a humble three-man family operation in Southwestern Ontario. Four decades later, with founders Peter and Rob Braam still at the helm, the business has grown to fill a 47,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and two showrooms in London, Ontario and Oakville, Ontario, and employs about 70 people across all three locations.
YORK1
YORK1 is a forward-thinking and innovative environmental company with a fully integrated infrastructure division. This impressive team delivers environmental services focused on non-hazardous solid waste management, asset recovery, soil remediation, beneficial reuse, and liquid waste solutions—all while ensuring strict compliance with safety and environmental regulations. At the same time, its infrastructure offerings include civil and site services, demolition and abatement, excavation, shoring and foundations, and telecom and utilities.
Controlled Demolition Inc.
Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) has been a global pioneer and leader in explosives demolition for over seventy years. Three generations of the Loizeaux family have steered the company through decades of innovation from their Maryland headquarters, setting world records and felling thousands of structures across six continents.
Shoring Up the Construction Workforce
It’s no secret that construction companies are struggling to find workers to fill vital job openings. The workforce shortage has officially surpassed half a million in 2023. In order to meet labour demands this year, the construction industry must attract 546,000 new employees on top of the normal hiring pace, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) determined using a proprietary model to estimate the numbers.
Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals
The Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (AOLP) is on a mission to promote and advance the landscape and architectural lighting industry.
Brink Constructors
Electrical contractor Brink Constructors, Inc., a Quanta Services company, boasts more than 75 years of experience in high-voltage transmission line and substation erection. Headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, the business has expanded from its Midwest roots to include regional offices in Princeton, Minnesota and Leesburg, Florida.
Alpha Iron
Alpha Iron, part of the Alliance Industrial Group, Inc., specializes in steel erection, fabrication, steel painting, and coatings for a variety of industries including high-tech, commercial, marine, bulk handling, primary metals, energy, and chemical.
Jeremy Hiltz Excavating Inc.
Jeremy Hiltz Excavating Inc. specializes in large-scale commercial excavation work. Founded by Jeremy Hiltz in 1996, the business has grown steadily over the years to become a major player within the New Hampshire market, leading to the company tagline ‘We Dig NH…’
CRS Crane Solutions
CRS Crane Solutions knows cranes. In business since 1991, the Alberta-based company has grown into one of the largest crane suppliers in North America, building a reputation for exceptional lifting solutions and a relentless commitment to customer service. The team produces more than 150 cranes a year, with up to 175-ton capacity and 130-foot span, in one of the biggest crane manufacturing plants on the continent, which boasts a whopping 30,000 square feet of quality-controlled production space.
Cultivating Psychological and Physical Safety Onsite
Narrow scaffolding and steep roofs, gaping pits and collapsible trenches, heavy machinery, and live wires—construction sites can be dangerous places. Traditionally the industry has focused on these ever-present physical hazards, which is certainly critically important. However, feeling safe psychologically while onsite is also crucial.
Zen Residential Ltd.
Zen Residential Ltd. is a leading property management company based in Edmonton, Alberta. With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, having robust, fully digitized systems in place, this business has earned its place at the top.
E&S Construction Engineers
E&S Construction Engineers is recognized for its innovative and challenging projects throughout the United States. In 2019, Construction in Focus profiled the company’s successful balance of culture, engineering, and architecture in an award-winning redevelopment project in Honolulu that required the incorporation of revered heritage trees.
Tex-Cote
Tex-Cote LLC delivers a full line of decorative and protective architectural coatings for residential, commercial, transportation, and industrial applications. These coating materials are formulated so one coat can cover a surface thickly, without runs or drips.
U.S. Green Building Council
Construction in Focus last spoke with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2019 to learn about the organization’s mission to transform buildings and communities through LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and other important initiatives. We caught back up with USGBC this month to learn about current efforts to help architects, building owners, and developers meet their sustainability goals.
Charlan Brock Architects
Over the last four decades, Charlan Brock Architects has earned international recognition for producing marketable, buildable, and financially successful design solutions that have positively impacted the lives of more than one million people. Known as thinkers, collaborators, designers, and innovators, the Orlando, Florida-based team stays abreast of emerging trends and is at the forefront of creating sustainable, affordable communities.
MacQuesten Development and MacQuesten Construction Management
Rella Fogliano, founder and CEO of The MacQuesten Companies, launched her enterprise after growing up in the industry. She was the only child of prominent general contractor, Sabino Fogliano, and began spending time at construction sites at just six years old. At seventeen, Ms. Fogliano began working part-time in her father’s construction company, which was founded in 1960.
Carrco Painting
The cousins’ eagerness to embrace every opportunity kept them pushing forward and the work grew organically from there. “There was so much work that you couldn’t leave; you had to stay there. We always saw the opportunities.”
TurnPoint Services
TurnPoint Services delivers residential and commercial heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, power, and electrical services. The Louisville, Kentucky-based business also boasts a sizable construction division focused on plumbing construction and HVAC construction, primarily for the residential and multifamily markets.
Millennium Construction, Inc.
Millennium Construction, Inc. was launched with a purpose: to simplify the building process for customers by bringing the best approach to every building design and construction project. The team recognizes that each project is different and is committed to giving the time and consideration needed to meet their unique needs with customized solutions.
B. Tait Builders
Building on his experience as an ironworker, Brian Tait Sr. launched a construction business, B. Tait Builders in 1980. The Pennsauken, New Jersey, company grew steadily from humble beginnings to earn its place in the industry, and is now able to work in forty-eight states. Christopher Tait, the founder’s son and current owner, joined the family company as soon as he was of age.
Montagno Construction
Montagno Construction Inc. does it all, offering construction services including preconstruction, construction management, general contracting, and design-build.
Dittemore Insulation Contractors, Inc.
Dittemore Insulation stands out for both its solution-based approach and its family-oriented company culture in which employees are a valued part of the team and clients’ needs are respected and fulfilled.
Mongiovi & Son
Rick Mongiovi was born into the plumbing business and grew up working for close friends and family members within the industry. He learned the value of hard work and honesty from his father, an Italian immigrant who ran a bakery full-time and did plumbing on the side to earn extra income for his family. By the time Rick graduated from high school, he knew he wanted to make a career from his plumbing background, so he skipped college and went straight to trade school.