According to the World Economic Forum, 70 percent of the world’s kids will live in cities by 2050. Its estimates also show that around one in seven adolescents battle mental health disorders. Diving deeply into these issues by making mental health a priority in conscious and deliberate placemaking, progressive city planners aim to mitigate the pressures of urban living through supporting rather than hindering the mental homeostasis of such children.

Several researchers have been investigating the subject for some time. One such scholar, Dr. Pamela Collins, and her team, have made an invaluable contribution toward how planners tackle the issue. “Overall research points to urban living as a risk factor for poor mental health,” she said in a speech at the University of Washington School of Public Health.

Looking at practical suggestions for how cities can facilitate improved mental health for youngsters, Dr. Collins suggests focusing efforts on diverse communities first. By getting healthcare providers, urban planners, educators, and city leadership together to invite young people into open dialogue on what their needs are, healthy links are established among all stakeholders. “Young people around the world are talking about their mental health. And they have a lot to say,” Dr. Collins continues, pointing out the importance of being receptive to their messages.

Her research has brought to light a few interesting factors at play within the urban dynamic. The young participants indicated that a lack of physical and emotional safety and connection was one of their main concerns living within densely populated urban settings. As a result, having a safe space to go where they can be heard without judgment while relaxing into who they are—places where they can connect with peers close to home—was at the top of their wish list. This core need was followed by the need for continuity—knowing that such spaces would always be there and that they would not be destroyed in favor of other developments.

Improved access to mental healthcare was another common need they brought to her attention. To achieve this, Dr. Collins advises making mental healthcare affordable and more available while actively changing the culture surrounding its adoption. She also underlines the importance of ensuring that such services are culturally aligned with the people they serve and that these services are delivered free of discrimination.

Another need children experience is for connection to nature, for safe outdoor spaces where they can have their personal space but also connect with others with a sense of security. This brings us to what Tim Gill, an independent scholar, writer, and consultant on childhood, terms the “shrinking horizons of childhood” in his book, No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society. In an interesting conversation on the subject put forth by The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), Gill shared some fascinating data on the “roaming rights” of children over four generations growing up in the same general area of Sheffield, UK. The map illustrates the region that the great-grandfather could explore in 1919—basically all the streets of Sheffield in a roughly 6-mile radius. With the coming of age of the grandfather, the range shrank consistently over the next few decades to where he could roam within only a 1-mile radius in 1950. In turn, his daughter had half a mile to explore in 1979, while the great-grandson was limited to a 300m walk to the end of the family’s road in 1997. Which raises the question of what the fifth generation would be confined to these days.

While some find Gill’s work controversial, he does ask a few very relevant questions. Focusing on the precious developmental years between starting school and becoming teenagers, Gill broadly argues that too little freedom to explore their capabilities unhindered results in severe issues in adolescence, by which time correction of problems like anxiety and depression may be more difficult to solve than anticipated.

As valid as Gill’s thesis may be, one must keep in mind why children’s roaming zones shrank in the first place. Beyond the social ills borne of overpopulation and other factors, urbanization comes with multiple inherent dangers of its own, from cities being built for cars rather than people to the lack of social cohesion caused by outdated design. In a conversation with Lior Steinberg—co-founder of Humankind, urban planner, and activist in favor of returning cities to people—Gil Penalosa, Canadian founder of Cities for Everyone and founding chair of 8 80 Cities, explores the post-WWII history that saw playgrounds for children becoming afterthoughts in the wake of growing industrialization and economic development.

Some of these, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, designed by Aldo van Eyck, Steinberg points out, were a part of the concrete urban landscape—unfenced, unapologetic, and in some contrast to the piecemeal corners of city blocks fenced off for protection from the automobile takeover of city streets that have become the norm. “The result is quite sad. We are building quite boring places that are separated from public life, and this is where children are allowed,” Steinberg said on the importance of including children of all ages in society and its daily routines and rituals.

In many ways, children in our cities live with the results of outdated city planning models driven by traffic and other concerns that had their roots in a past era. And the evidence of the damage is undeniable, rendering Penalosa’s words poignant, wise, and timely when he says, “Now is not a time for anyone to be a spectator.”

Actively involving children in the decision-making process does indeed appear to be a key factor in effecting lasting improvement. Many are working hard to be a part of this solution. One such initiative, the Smart City Expo World Congress, which will be held from November 4^th to 6^th this year in Barcelona, Spain, will look at how youth can proactively help transform how cities are designed—a modern way of solving a too-old and incredibly serious public health and social concern.

Returning, for a moment, to the work and thesis of Tim Gill, one could argue that the solution could be to provide children with more opportunities to learn to navigate and embrace risk as a healthy part of a normal, wholesome childhood, once very real dangers like traffic are legitimately mitigated. “More than once we have concluded that trends in education and child policy have been going in the wrong direction and we have set out to help develop new thinking and support others in advocating a change in approach,” he writes. Perhaps, with the help of progressive urban planners advocating for more humane spaces, this decades-old message will finally find public expression in healthier urban futures for the precious youngsters who hold those tomorrows.

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Well-planned and well-executed transit systems not only contribute to reduced congestion, lower carbon emissions, and safer roadways—which improves the livability of a community—they also have the power to promote social equity through enhanced mobility and independence by connecting people to centres of employment, education, healthcare, retail, and social outlets.

This is particularly impactful for individuals on lower or fixed incomes, seniors, people with disabilities, and youth who do not have access to their own modes of transportation and rely on transit for its lower costs and accessibility.

Measuring (and meeting) demand
Public transportation systems are only as good as their performance, and as a public good, public transit best serves a community when its routes and service are optimized. This begins with understanding demand, something that varies greatly from community to community. The transportation needs of a highly populated urban centre are far greater than those of a rural community, but the value of transit and the role that it serves is the same.

According to StatCan, in April 2025, urban transit ridership in Canada totalled 132.5 million trips, figures that continue to grow year over year, which is why the Canadian government is taking action to invest heavily in public transportation improvements over the next decade to ensure that necessary maintenance, upgrades, and expansions are possible to elevate service levels as demand grows.

Further to investments in new infrastructure and the maintenance of existing assets to ensure service is reliable, safe, and affordable, technology is necessary for the optimization and integration of service across local and regional transit systems and modalities to promote stronger connectivity and improved user comfort and experience.

Tech-enabled optimization
Taking a whole-network and whole-city approach is an effective transit-oriented approach to development that emphasizes intermodality and integration to achieve results. The only way this can be achieved is through the use of technology which enables the collection of valuable data sets that can inform the decision-making process. Considerations can include current travel behaviours such as patterns and preferences—distances and times traveled, routes, modes, costs, and reasons for travel—to determine how to design the most attractive public transit system.

There are several technologies that can be leveraged to optimize the costs, performance, and sustainability of transit systems. From sensors and GPS-connected vehicles to automatic fare collection systems and smart stations equipped with Wi-Fi-enabled real-time information about arrivals and departures, the advent of smart public transportation infrastructure has greatly empowered community planners who can use this valuable data to optimize routes and the user experience.

This technology affords city planners a certain degree of flexibility to adapt to incidents and delays more effectively. As passenger flows change, planners can use technology and data sets to audit service delivery and identify changes in patterns and behaviours to better predict and sustain demand and optimizing resource allocation.

Technology also supports the user experience. User-friendly apps promote seamless ticketing and payment, as well as new data streams from which information can be gathered and analysed. And programs like PRESTO, an electronic fare payment system that offers integrated ticketing at discounted prices across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), the Ottawa area, and other municipalities, promote convenient local and regional travel.

Working together for greater connectivity
To better integrate the various transportation modalities, governments and employers are working closely with private sector partners to address gaps in service and improve the connectivity that keeps the community and economy running. One example is Hop In Technologies, a provider of optimized employee shuttle solutions that leverages data-driven insights with logistics to design seamless shuttle experiences that address gaps in transportation networks to ensure that employees get to work on time without a stressful commute. As the company’s website states, “We pick up where transit drops off,” with designated pick-up locations, personalized ride schedules, live shuttle tracking, and advanced ticketing systems.

The stronger the network, the greater the outcomes. The movement of people and goods is not only tantamount to a well-functioning economy by connecting people to jobs, services, and amenities; it reduces social isolation, promotes stronger civic engagement, reduces congestion and carbon emissions, and improves the overall quality of life a community enjoys.

Transit-oriented developments are becoming increasingly common in urban community development. By understanding the flow of people and goods in relation to employment, education, healthcare, retail, and other service hubs in the community, decision makers can encourage developments that maximize land use along major transit corridors to sustain and optimize growth.

The move toward 15-minute cities is an example of a comprehensive whole-city approach to planning, where the flow of public transit is reflective of a neighbourhood’s behaviours to ensure that businesses and services are proximate, convenient, and accessible to residents.

A comprehensive approach to development
By understanding the existing quality of service and usage patterns of transportation systems, planning officials can better devise strategies that improve and expand service where needed, which promotes optimal expenditures of time and money while elevating service provision in an impactful way. Transportation officials must also have a strong understanding of the spatial distribution of land, the location of the transportation infrastructure relative to services and amenities, and the traffic flows to and from these hubs which include employment centres, educational institutions, healthcare centres, and commercial areas. There must be dedicated road space and land, as well as funding to maintain and upgrade existing infrastructure where needed. Dedicated lanes for public transit and non-motorized modes of transportation, including cycling lanes and pedestrian trails, can further strengthen the connectivity and viability of these systems and support sustainability goals.

Spain has long been a leader in the provision of public transportation and is once again demonstrating why this is the case. As Paige Bennett of EcoWatch reports, Barcelona is taking sustainability to the next level through the MetroCHARGE project, which leverages regenerative braking to power trains and station amenities like EV chargers. Energy inverters installed on the city’s metro network convert kinetic energy from the braking trains into electricity that can be captured and redistributed. A third of the regenerative power is used to run the trains, while the rest can be used in other ways.

Investments like these are the mark of a healthy community and would not be possible without advanced technologies and forward-thinking leadership that understands the implications of strong transportation infrastructure on a community.

Having well-integrated local and regional transportation systems helps to improve quality of life for individuals, the livability of a community, and the strength of the economy—but it also helps to drive sustainable growth for the long-term, which should be a goal of every development-oriented community going forward.

The post Driving the Future<p class="company">Building Smarter Public Transportation Systems</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

True to its name, New England Foundation Company (NEFCO) Geotechnical Contractors is rooted in the very market it serves. Drawing on deep technical expertise and decades of regional experience, the company is uniquely positioned to navigate the area’s distinct climate, soil conditions, and construction challenges, delivering reliable solutions that build confidence from the ground up.

As President Deirdre O’Neill explains, “Outside maybe a 15 or 20 mile radius from Boston, you commonly have glacial till or rock close to the surface, and shallow footings bearing directly on those competent materials can support a reasonably large building. Once you come into the basin of Boston, ground conditions completely change. And then on top of that, you can be confronted with environmental issues and the potential cost of removing contaminated soil, et cetera.” This is why having a geotechnical engineer/contractor like O’Neill involved in projects to help optimize the foundation selection can be so critical.

NEFCO’s multi-generational expertise is second to none. A lean and focused operation, the company is large enough that it has the capacity to take on projects of grand scale, size, and complexity—and this team, with its highly skilled and dedicated field crews, is always up for a challenge.

Building a reputation
New England Foundation Company has been serving the region as a drilling company for more than a hundred years, but it was in 1985 when Eric O’Neill took over that the company flourished, thanks to his unmatched reputation as an engineer and his pioneering ability to introduce new ideas and applications to advance the deep foundation construction industry.

At 60 years of age, Eric O’Neill jumped in with two feet. From going to Italy to acquire a custom-designed, low-headroom rig that enabled drilling underneath the highway, to the design and manufacture of more agile pressure injected footings (PIF) rigs, he substantially broadened the scope of NEFCO’s products, vastly enhancing the potential solutions to foundation problems. Prior to and after acquiring NEFCO, Eric had been on the frontlines of effecting change in the way work was done in the region, a legacy that is upheld to this day by his daughter Deirdre, the rest of the NEFCO team, and, more recently, his son Brian.

“He had such enthusiasm for doing the work that nothing about the whole situation daunted him at all,” says Deirdre. “He just powered forth. He figured out the design, he figured out the equipment, he figured out the people, and he made the world move because he saw what was coming at the time with the Big Dig [in Boston]. He saw that we needed to grow to get to the size where we could actually get involved at that level.”

One job at a time, completing them on time and on (or below) budget, often working with congested, sometimes precarious, site logistics, with the foremost commitment to safety, quality, and service, NEFCO’s reputation continued to grow, as did its portfolio and reputation—which enabled it to secure high-profile jobs, just as Eric O’Neill intended.

Piling it on
When it comes to respecting project construction schedules, NEFCO Geotechnical Contractors brings energy, equipment, and technical expertise, which is why its portfolio is full of high-profile projects such as the seating expansion project at Fenway Park’s famed Green Monster. Home to the Boston Red Sox, this was a drilled micro pile (DMP) project that pushed the limits, bending time as it were, to meet a hard deadline.

NEFCO field crews worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week with three drill rigs to get the job done in an extremely short timeline, during less than ideal, frigid temperatures and weather—especially for a water-based operation—but they got the job done ahead of schedule.

“They decided on the final design somewhere at the end of January, beginning of February, and it had to be ready for opening day (early April), which meant the DMP needed to be complete in four weeks to give time for construction of the rest of the structure,” Deirdre recalls. “That was the dark side of Fenway. After 10 o’clock in the morning you were in shadow from the Green Monster, and the wind would just tear up the place. It was cold and that’s a water-based operation; there was water and then ice everywhere. It was a nightmare, but we got it done.”

The project entailed the installation of 140 drilled mini piles that supported 25 columns carrying the weight of the steel frame superstructure. “We got it done, and the NEFCO team, along with the other subcontractors involved in the construction, were also the first people to sit in the Green Monster seats. It was supposed to be the Mayor, but that opening day game got rained out so it was all ours the next day—it was awesome,” Deirdre shares.

One would think that iconic projects like these would be few and far between, but the reality is, NEFCO Geotechnical Contractors doesn’t back down from a challenge, which means it has some very impressive projects under its belt.

NEFCO applied its value engineering technical expertise to identify a secant pile wall as the optimal support of excavation solution to protect an existing, early-1900s, brick and masonry building. The project was on Martha’s Vineyard, which Deirdre jokes was “probably one of the closest projects that was somehow the farthest away,” given the lengths the team had to go to reach the work site. With a rented barge and a hope and a prayer, NEFCO got the 180,000-pound drill rig and a crane of equal weight to the project, drilled the secant piles and soldier piles, and installed the timber lagging, all of which prevented settlement of the old building on its sand dune while a new basement was dug right beside it. The old building is still standing but today is next to a brand new addition, owing to the team’s expertise and commitment to devising the best possible solution to meet the client’s needs.

As another example of the company’s value engineering capabilities, Deirdre tells us about a client who reached out for assistance because “they were in a situation where there was a certain budget and the cost of the building was substantially over that budget, so we came in, worked with the design team to understand the building loads and soil profile, and made a recommendation for a foundation using the PIF in an innovative way that, at the end of the day, was significantly less than the original cost of the foundation as previously designed.”

This unconventional solution got the job done within the owner’s budget and proved to be another instance where Deirdre’s expertise set the tone for the project. As Vice President Brian O’Neill explains, “Some of these contractors and owners just reach out to Deirdre directly now because they know that she’s going to come up with the best design at the lowest cost.”

“If you give me a call and tell me what the parameters are, I can work with your engineers to find out exactly what loads are being applied and where, match them with the ground conditions and specific aspects of construction, and verify that all the design team’s concerns are being addressed,” says Deirdre of the back-and-forth that ensues while she works to identify the best possible solution for the project conditions.

A legacy in action
Under the leadership of the O’Neill family, NEFCO Geotechnical Contractors has become a one-stop shop, equipped with the specialized knowledge of a variety of disciplines to design the optimal solution for any project’s complexities and specifications. With an array of products including Pressure Injected Footings (PIFs), drilled micro piles, drilled shafts of various sizes, belled caissons, soldier pile and lagging walls, secant pile walls, and more, the team at NEFCO can isolate what will address a client’s needs in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

Like their father before them, Brian credits his sister’s work ethic and the intimate role she plays on all projects. “She’s deeply involved in so many aspects of a particular job,” he says. “This enables a level of creativity that can oftentimes change the way the designers or the geotechnical engineers or the owner or her clients will look at a job; often, Deirdre and her experienced field personnel come up with a solution that is significantly different from what they had originally imagined they were going to do, and often that ends up being significantly cheaper.”

This depth of engineering knowledge and the ability of our dedicated, expert field crews to execute time and again regardless of “bad ground, bad weather, or bad luck,” is why NEFCO does “big work in a small, familial sort of way,” says Deirdre. “We roll with the punches,” she says, a sentiment that is echoed by Brian.

As such, the company has not only strengthened its reputation in the New England market; it has fostered the development of a culture of excellence, a culture of safety, and a culture of pride in a job well done and the legacy each project represents. Its performance speaks for itself.

The O’Neills tell us that when renewing their insurance this year, the agent said that they have never seen a company be claim-free for five years straight. This is because each year, the team is trained in rigging, fall protection, crane signaling, First Aid, CPR, and other safety efforts to ensure that this trend continues. “Our guys just do it the right way… just do it right and make safety the most important thing on a job site,” Deirdre says of NEFCO’s commitment to safety and quality.

Digging deep
The best indicator of success is demand, and that is certainly the case for NEFCO Geotechnical Contractors. The company is extremely busy, and for good reason. Speaking with Deirdre and Brian, you quickly get a sense that the expertise and experience across the board of NEFCO personnel is so deeply rooted that it is second nature.

Together with the rest of the NEFCO team, the O’Neills are working to not only grow the company but to advance the industry in terms of what is possible, believing that each project is an opportunity to level up. The company aims to elevate value engineering through enhancements and the utilization of foundation elements to not only support projects’ physical weight of but also their sustainability goals.

“I’d like to move forward on the use of foundation elements for sustainability initiatives like geothermal technologies, a whole different avenue that I would like us to focus on,” Deirdre tells us. “Every time I see a massive cast-in-place concrete thing going into the ground, I just think, ‘that could be equipped, connected to a system, and you could be getting some energy out of it.’ That’s the goal,” says Deirdre, who continues to tirelessly help clients get the very most out of their projects, spending less and achieving more through value engineering and the specialized expertise of NEFCO Geotechnical Contractors.

The post Family Is the Foundation of Success<p class="company">NEFCO Geotechnical Contractors </p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Over the years, LWA has earned a national reputation for excellence in design and leadership in sustainable building. In 2007, the firm became the first women-owned practice to receive the prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architecture Firm Award, a milestone that signified both its design legacy and cultural influence in the field. With a diverse and collaborative team at the helm, including Principals Josiah Stevenson, Tom Chung, and Ashley Rao, the firm continues to expand its impact through civic, academic, cultural, and infrastructure work.

“Public architecture has always been a core focus of our practice,” Chung says. “We’re interested in projects that make a difference in people’s everyday lives.”

LWA’s work spans a broad spectrum, from performing arts centers and academic buildings to urban infrastructure. The consistent thread is a design approach grounded in site, material, and purpose. “Whether it’s a campus precinct plan or a chilled water plant, we approach each project with the same rigor and intention,” Chung explains. “We want our buildings to feel grounded in their place and responsive to their users.”

A strong example of this philosophy in action is the John W. Olver Design Building at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Designed as a hub for interdisciplinary learning in architecture, landscape architecture, and building construction technology, it stands out not only for its pedagogical mission but for its innovative use of mass timber construction. “The Olver Design Building was one of the first academic buildings in the U.S. to use cross-laminated timber at this scale. It embodies our approach to merging environmental responsibility with design excellence,” says Chung.

The project also showcases the firm’s commitment to sustainable building strategies. From a structural standpoint, mass timber offers a lower carbon footprint than steel or concrete and reflects the firm’s forward-thinking approach to environmental stewardship. “We’re moving from doing less harm to doing more good,” Chung explains. “It’s not just about reducing carbon footprints; it’s about regenerative design, about creating buildings and landscapes that give back more than they take.”

Beyond technical innovation, the Olver Design Building demonstrates LWA’s deep understanding of community and pedagogy. “We worked closely with the faculty and students to understand how they teach, how they interact. The atrium became this vibrant social heart where students from different disciplines naturally cross paths. That kind of spatial integration is key to how we think about architecture.”

The theme of connectivity between people, programs, and place runs throughout LWA’s work. This is perhaps most evident in Adohi Hall at the University of Arkansas, a student residence constructed with cross-laminated timber. “That project was about pushing the boundaries of what a residence hall could be,” says Rao. “It challenged us to think holistically about material, community, and site.”

Designed in collaboration with Modus Studio and Mackey Mitchell Architects, Adohi Hall is both a living space and a learning laboratory, reflecting a new paradigm in student housing that supports wellness, sustainability, and creative engagement. “We designed it to be porous, to allow students to engage with nature and each other,” Rao explains. “The landscape moves through the building, and there are shared spaces where students can gather informally or work collaboratively.”

Chung believes that architects have a responsibility to think beyond the building envelope. “Sustainability is not a feature; it’s a lens through which we view everything. It’s embedded in how we site the building, how we select materials, how we plan for energy use,” he says. This commitment to environmental ethics is not just about checking boxes; it’s about influencing the culture of building from the ground up.

This philosophy also shapes how LWA collaborates with clients, particularly large institutions who want their built environs to reflect their ethos. Rather than focusing solely on standalone projects, the firm often partners with universities on broader, campus-wide strategies, approaching design as a means of aligning infrastructure with long-term institutional goals and values.

Another significant project that embodies the company’s values is the Harvard University District Energy Facility. On the surface, it’s a plant for power and chilled water, a utilitarian structure that most firms might treat as invisible. But LWA elevated the design, turning it into a piece of civic infrastructure that reflects the university’s climate goals. “The idea was to take something that’s often hidden and make it a teaching tool,” says Chung. “It’s a visible marker of Harvard’s commitment to sustainability, and it shows that even the most technical buildings can contribute to the public realm.”

Internally, LWA’s culture is rooted in collaboration and inclusivity. “We’re not a firm of corporate hierarchy,” Stevenson says. “Everyone’s voice matters here, and that’s reflected in the work. Our best ideas often come out of deep collaboration across disciplines, generations, and roles.”

This egalitarian ethos has been essential to LWA’s ability to grow while remaining nimble. As architectural practice becomes more interdisciplinary and technologically complex, collaboration is more crucial than ever. “We’re constantly learning from each other,” says Stevenson. “There’s a real humility in the way we practice, and I think that creates space for innovation.”

That spirit of openness extends to community engagement as well. LWA often facilitates workshops, public forums, and design charrettes to include stakeholders in the design process. “We see architecture as a dialogue,” Stevenson explains. “The more voices we include, the better the result.”

Looking ahead, LWA is expanding its portfolio to address some of the most pressing challenges facing cities and campuses today. From decarbonization and climate resilience to housing affordability and infrastructure equity, the firm is leaning into its public mission. “Architecture is ultimately about people,” says Chung. “If our work can help communities thrive socially, environmentally, and culturally, then we’re doing our job.”

More and more, the firm has also been exploring adaptive reuse and urban revitalization projects that breathe new life into neglected sites. “We’re very interested in working within existing frameworks and rethinking old buildings and underutilized urban fabric. There’s so much potential in reimagining what’s already there, especially as cities look to become more sustainable and equitable.”

LWA’s leadership in mass timber design continues to inform this work. “We’re seeing a real shift in the industry toward low-carbon construction,” Chung says. “Mass timber is not just a material; it’s a catalyst for rethinking how we build. It requires early collaboration, precision, and a different kind of craftsmanship.”

Chung is deeply committed to mentoring emerging architects, particularly those drawn to socially and environmentally responsible design. He believes that today’s students are highly motivated to create meaningful change and sees it as the profession’s responsibility to help channel that enthusiasm by equipping them with the skills and frameworks to lead the next generation of sustainable design.

As LWA approaches its fifth decade in practice, its mission remains clear: to design with purpose, to lead with empathy, and to serve the public realm with integrity. Under the guidance of the firm’s Principals, LWA continues to demonstrate that architecture can be a force for positive change—beautiful, impactful, and deeply human.

“Every project is an opportunity to create something meaningful, to uplift a community, to care for the environment. That’s what motivates us every day.”

The post A Vision for Transformative, Sustainable Architecture<p class="company">Leers Weinzapfel Associates</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

In a very short time, the Kentucky-based company began making a name for itself in the utility sector, mainly through word of mouth. Initially hired by DC Power for sales, Jesse Tyree, out in the field and speaking to potential customers about their needs, quickly realized that many opportunities in products, services, and solutions were missing from the market. With an extensive background in running and managing businesses, Tyree soon developed hiring strategies, and, with DC Power’s owners, investigated new opportunities opening up and the many services the company could offer.

Hitting the ground running
DC Power started off small, providing industry-leading mobile dielectric testing and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) inspection services to power contractors across America.

“We travelled, interacted with our customers, and found a huge need for many services that we felt we could offer, and could do so in a way that catered to these companies and their hectic and unique schedules—because everybody is different,” says Tyree, DC Power’s Operations Manager.

Much of the company’s work started with clients having equipment breakdowns. While out on site performing dielectric testing, DC Power crews frequently saw clients experiencing various equipment stoppages that urgently needed the attention of a skilled mechanic. “Not only could we offer a certified mechanic to come to them in a fully equipped service truck, but we could rent a piece of equipment to them, and even fully tool that equipment with everything they needed to get the job done,” Tyree says. “That could include anything from light or heavy-duty utility trucks to earth-moving equipment in our shop or mobile.”

Soon, demand led to the establishment of a full equipment rental program alongside a range of other services, including repairs and a body shop. DC Power has materials on hand or will order as needed. Customers can rent a basic bucket truck, use customized tooling services, or purchase tools and personal protective equipment (PPE).

To meet all customer needs, DC Power has a full, well-stocked warehouse and a massive body shop accommodating several trucks. Investing in a state-of-the-art paint booth and paint-mixing system, DC Power can perform everything from entire paint jobs to touching up scratched fenders. And since the paint system is highly efficient, the team can mix just enough paint, with no waste.

Covering the entire United States, the company can also arrange shipping for clients. “That goes back to us being a one-stop shop,” says Tyree. “We will never say no to anything our customers run into.”

One-stop benefits
DC Power provides services that are wide-ranging and designed to meet all the needs of its customers, even during unexpected situations. Recognizing that equipment breakdowns can happen anywhere at any time, the company offers 24/7 Emergency Response Field Maintenance services to minimize downtime. Fast, friendly, and professional, DC Power’s highly skilled technicians address customer repair issues quickly to get them back on the road again.

The company’s Field Maintenance Service handles everything from repairs to inspections and maintenance, and is complemented by an extensive parts department stocking OEM parts as well as high-quality aftermarket parts. Along with being a leader in Utility Material, Tooling, & PPE, DC Power’s full-service Body Shop & Fabrication service takes care of everything from minor dents and dings to major collision repairs. Combined, these professional services fit well with the company’s mission statement.

“Our mission is to be a one-stop shop for anything in the utility industry that our customers may need,” says Tyree. “We’ve grown quickly by investing everything back into our company from the start to offer as many services as we can to our customers. From providing them with a piece of rental equipment to urgent testing and inspections, we have them covered all while offering safe, fast, and courteous services.”

In addition, anticipating customer needs saves them money and frustration, and makes life much easier by having just one invoice. “It cuts down on confusion for our customers and saves them a lot of time.”

Staying safe
To ensure everyone gets home safely at the end of the day, DC Power has a safety consultant with over 30 years of experience and in-depth knowledge of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

“Our biggest thing when it comes to safety—and this is how we’ve looked at it since day one—is we are all in it together,” says Tyree. “We don’t take shortcuts with anything. If a customer asks us to, we are very upfront in saying, ‘We’re not going to do that’ if it’s something we don’t consider safe ourselves.”

Even if a client calls for mobile repair, and DC Power technicians see something unrelated, like using conductive lines instead of non-conductive lines, they will let them know it is unsafe on the spot. “That’s not to sell our services; it’s a safety issue.”

Modern marketing
Now, DC Power is growing and is about to embark on a massive social media campaign. Along with traditional advertising tools like paper flyers and online videos, the company’s staff wear shirts with QR codes on them. “If somebody is in a picture with the shirt on, it’ll pop up and say, ‘DC Power services,’ and show them everything we offer,” Tyree explains. Back when he was in the automotive industry, he was the first to come up with using QR codes on vehicles so they could be scanned for information.

The company will also have a booth at the upcoming Utility Expo. The largest trade show and conference for the utility construction industry, the Utility Expo will be held this October 7^th to 9^th at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

For DC Power, the Expo will be a valuable opportunity to connect with existing and potential customers. “We want to provide any meaningful solution we can for anything somebody might run into in the field,” says Tyree. The DC Power team plans to continue educating customers into the future on everything from the importance of keeping inspections and testing up to date to safety in the field.

“Our goal is to centralize many important services needed in this industry without having to contact and coordinate with many different companies, especially when you’re in a time crunch,” Tyree says. “This saves time and cuts down on communication breakdowns which can lead to delays, and in extreme cases, to unsafe situations out in the field for those working to keep important services online. We want to be the first company you think to call, no matter what your issue is, and we will offer a solution.”

The post Powering the Industry That Powers America<p class="company">DC Power</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Although notorious for the witch trials of 1692, when 25 people died after being accused of witchcraft, there’s far more to Salem’s rich and remarkable history, including the first confrontation between the Red Coats and American colonists in 1775’s Salem Gunpowder Raid. “We’re proud to have been the site of that first act of resistance to British rule, and also the official birthplace of the National Guard,” says Mayor Pangallo.

As a harbor city, Salem also played a significant role in the commercial growth of the young nation. “The great age of sail was a significant time in our history, and people still visit Salem to learn about that,” says the Mayor. “In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Salem’s ships traveled the world trading goods, making us the wealthiest city per capita in America at the time, and also the home of America’s first millionaire, Elias Hasket Derby.”

From the historic House of the Seven Gables to the Peabody Essex Museum, America’s oldest continuously operating museum and a landmark institution for arts and culture, to Salem Maritime National Historic Site on the waterfront and a walkable downtown, Salem is a charming and eccentric city boasting an intriguing history and a strong connection to the sea. “It defines the character of our community,” Mayor Pangallo says. “We have a population of 45,000 people, but we welcome about four million visitors from around the world each year. It’s easy to get around and a great place to live, work, study in, or visit.”

Making housing a priority
As in most areas of the country, housing affordability is a challenge in Salem, and the city is working to get ahead of it, finding solutions to better meet demand and avoid prices outpacing the ability of its residents to afford to stay in Salem and raise their families. “[High housing prices] change the character of our community, which has historically been a place of great diversity and a working community,” says Mayor Pangallo.

The nonprofit organization, MassINC, completed a study last year finding that Salem needs to produce around 2,200 new housing units in the coming decade to overcome the current shortage while maintaining a reasonable vacancy rate and keeping up with projected population growth. “We’ve done it before, and I’m confident we can do it again,” the Mayor says, adding that there are a number of exciting projects under construction. “It’s achievable.”

The Exchange is one apartment complex that will provide 115 mixed-income units, to be built on what is currently a municipal parking lot next to the train station. “What’s especially exciting is not just the construction of housing units; it’s that the developers are also doing historic preservation and reuse of two vacant 19^th-century courthouses across the street.” These iconic buildings are located at the gateway between the train station and downtown. “To have those restored and put back into active use is very exciting, and it’s possible because of The Exchange,” says Mayor Pangallo.

Lore, a 250-unit project being built on land near Salem State University, will have twice as many units offered at the affordability threshold, which is 60 percent of AMI (area median income), as ordinances require. The Schools projects are made possible by the North Shore Community Development Coalition (CDC), a key partner with the city. “They’re reusing two former Catholic school buildings to create 61 units of 100 percent affordable housing—one building for seniors and the other for artists.”

A third North Shore CDC project, El Centro, is at the intersection of the downtown and El Punto, Salem’s highest-density and lowest-income neighborhood, with numerous multifamily buildings. “It’s a very diverse population,” Mayor Pangallo says, “with a lot of people from the Dominican Republic and also growing populations from Venezuela and other countries. El Centro will have about 48 units of 100 percent affordable senior housing, but what’s especially exciting about that project is that it will include a new home for North Shore Community Health, our local community health center, and our first and only downtown urgent care facility.”

Forest River Residences, meanwhile, comprises 475 units, with 100 of those dedicated to seniors with affordability levels down to 30 percent of AMI. This is also a project that’s not just repurposing part of the Salem State University campus but is adjacent to one of the area’s largest conservation areas. It will include public trail improvements and new access points into the wetlands.

Last but not least is a partnership between Lifebridge North Shore, a homeless shelter operating in Salem, and a nonprofit housing developer, Harborlight Homes, working together to upgrade the shelter from its current 50 congregate beds to 70 non-congregate beds and add an improved day center facility for the unhoused in the community. Next door to the shelter, a new supportive housing building will replace an existing 12-unit single-room occupancy structure, with 53 studio apartments for formerly unhoused individuals.

“The idea is that folks moving out of the shelter site may be able to get stability in the supportive housing facility, and from there move on through additional opportunities for stability in housing,” says Mayor Pangallo. “It’s exciting work, but it’s taken a lot to get here. We’re also doing a lot in the world of policy to meet our community’s need for housing.”

This includes adopting an inclusionary housing ordinance and working to adopt Smart Growth zoning districts. “We have an ordinance pending right now to remove our arbitrary, nearly 60-year-old parking minimum mandate for multifamily housing to allow for projects to not have unused parking taking up space that could otherwise be available for housing. We’re not geographically large—only eight square miles—and multifamily housing is only allowed on less than one square mile of our city. To have land being used for unnecessary parking lots is extremely frustrating and problematic.”

A host of other policy changes include changing surplus property disposition ordinances so that when the city gets rid of property, it’s able to prioritize affordable housing to make space, land, and buildings available.

“It’s ongoing and important work,” says Mayor Pangallo. “It’s probably some of the most important work we do. We have a Housing Stability Coordinator in the Mayor’s Office who’s exclusively dedicated to helping vulnerable residents in crisis, while at the same time bridging the subsidy tools and the zoning tools we have to try to fix housing supply and make sure it meets our demand,” he explains.

He says the city strives to ensure it not only adds housing but does so in a way that prioritizes transit and trail-centered development, reducing the need to have a car. This means access to the ferry to Boston and commuter train station, with plans to build a second train station that will unlock additional areas for transit-oriented growth.

Always something to celebrate
Viewed as the “Halloween capital of America,” Salem is particularly busy in October, welcoming just over a million people in the month alone. “When you’re a city of 45,000 people, to welcome a million folks over a month in a very historic and walkable—but also compact—downtown takes a lot of planning,” says the Mayor.

Another big event is the city’s 400^th birthday in 2026, which will feature a number of special events, parades, and festivals, as well as an opportunity to make substantial investments in the amenities on which the community relies. These include the Signature Parks Project, with more than $16 million invested in improvements to the city’s six busiest parks and public spaces in order to ensure they will remain vibrant and accessible for future generations.

The year 2026 will also see a community vote concerning the advancement of one of the largest public building projects in the city’s history: a much-needed, brand new high school.

Other exciting projects on the way include three new hotels, courthouse restorations, and, at the waterfront, the Friendship of Salem, a tall ship that has recently returned from long-term repairs and is being welcomed back for the 400^th.

Looking to the sea—and to the future
Along the water, the city has welcomed a new public fishing pier at Salem Willows Park, opened earlier this year; a new ferry terminal building for service to Boston; and a transformational project for the waterfront on 42 acres of empty land following the demolition of one of the dirtiest coal-fired power plants in America. Underway for the last five years, the latter project is “transforming the area into a heavy-lift deepwater port that will help create jobs, grow our tax base, and reactivate it as part of our working waterfront,” Mayor Pangallo says. “It will also support the clean energy economy, whose intention was initially to be used for offshore wind marshaling for turbines. It will be able to serve a variety of purposes for maritime use.”

Such projects are all about embracing the past while looking to the future. “Throughout our history, we’ve looked to the sea and to what’s possible on its horizon. That’s very much true today,” says the Mayor. “Salem has more diverse offerings for restaurants and shops than typically seen in a city of this size, and our connections to our history, including our Indigenous history, to the great age of sail, to our revolutionary history, and to historic architecture and literature, are all profoundly unique and very much characterize the spirit and the built environment of our city today,” he says.

“Salem is truly a unique city. We have the spirit and offerings of a large city, but the affordability and neighborliness of a smaller town. It’s a great mix, and it’s always been that way. I grew up in this city, and I’ve seen that my entire life. Generations of Americans and those hoping to become Americans have found a place in Salem and transformed this famous gateway city into a place where, instead of turning on our neighbors, as happened here in 1692, we turn toward them and lift each other up,” says Mayor Pangallo. “And we’re proud of that.”

The post A Seaport with a History – and a Future<p class="company">City of Salem, Massachusetts</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

After completing his apprenticeship and earning his Red Seal (a national endorsement for tradespeople), Diddens found opportunities to work in roofing administration and sales as well as within the trade itself. After only a couple of years, he secured a financing partner in a former customer who had a large portfolio of buildings, allowing for the cash infusion necessary to launch Civic Roofing in its home of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

When summarizing what Civic Roofing brings to the table above others in the field, Diddens tells us that the business has a quality-based focus to its services that pairs with the strength of its catalogue, and that the entire team remains focused on relationship-building with its diverse clientele. Within these relationships, Civic Roofing strives to understand every owner’s goals and priorities when it comes to a roofing job, which dictate the elements needed for success.

“A personable approach and quality people and installations are what set us apart,” Diddens says, a formula that has underpinned the company’s direction for two decades and counting.

Recent years have seen continued success on major projects for Civic Roofing. In 2024, the company executed a large project with a Sobeys grocery store in Winnipeg, which Diddens says is the biggest footprint on a job the firm has ever done. This was a unique project in that it required the removal of old single-ply rubber membrane roofs that were under-performing, which presented challenges with compatibility between assemblies. It was also particular in how the company managed its temporary fields and daily transitions to keep the grocery store dry and safe while executing on the project. Despite the membrane providing a healthy challenge, the project turned out very well and Diddens says that his workers did a terrific job on it.

Elsewhere, Civic Roofing has performed roofing work on over a dozen Tim Hortons stores across Manitoba and into parts of Northern Ontario. Diddens says that the company has a unique understanding of the needs of these stores because they are detailed installations with a lot of mechanical equipment. Some of these projects are renovations while others are new builds, often carrying a lot of humidity because of the omnipresence of hot water. This means that the roof systems need a quality vapour barrier to stand up to moisture migration. Thanks to the expertise the team has built up, Diddens anticipates a lot more roofing jobs for Tim’s restaurant locations in the future.

The company’s biggest project to date is still ongoing, as it is involved in roofing for Fort Richmond Collegiate high school in Winnipeg. This project, Diddens says, has continued to grow in terms of scope despite still being in the early stages. With a tight timeframe in which to work, the project is challenging, but Civic Roofing has worked with Fort Richmond Collegiate for years and is looking forward in turning over a quality result.

Diddens tells us that, when it comes to the company’s growth over the past 20 years, the firm has embraced the opportunities in front of it. Diddens says that the biggest catalyst to growth in the past few years has been taking on Ukrainian refugees to Canada as Civic Roofing employees, all of whom have been able to overcome the inherent language barrier. Their hiring has been nothing short of transformational for the company because of the high-quality performances each worker has put in, with the company rolling through a lot more work thanks to the workers’ positive attitudes and growth mindsets. In fact, the new workers have been so easy to teach that many are moving up to becoming foremen. Diddens is pleased to be part of the personal and professional growth of all his employees and to help them transition into the next phases of their careers.

From his perspective, the construction and roofing industries overall have been healthy for a number of years; despite a slowdown in activity last year, business has picked up in mid-2025 and things have remained busy. The roofing industry specifically has experienced holdups this year because a number of government projects were shelved thanks to the Manitoba provincial election. However, work has come back on the horizon since the end of the election and, as Diddens says of the company’s prospects for the rest of the year, “there should be enough work out there if you’re a good roofer.”

Indeed, Civic Roofing’s future is looking bright as it passes the 20-year mark. Going forward, the team will be identifying the goals they want to achieve and the directions they want to take. Never one to shy away from innovation, the team has been engaged of late with hot work applications, meaning universal roofing installations done with an open flame. These are necessary because of the area’s cold climate; while some new products are coming to market that will make it more palatable to install self-adhering roofs that don’t require heat for installation, some of the self-adhering products are not suitable once the colder temperatures hit, which is where hot work comes back into play.

And more change is on the way for businesses in any realm of the construction sector. Diddens says that there is new legislation forthcoming that will aid the entire industry in obtaining financing. This will hopefully help with the age-old problems Civic Roofing and all its contemporaries have encountered and, in turn, should generate healthy competition within the industry and keep everyone on their toes. The ultimate goal, as always, is to keep the entire roofing ecosystem healthy and wealthy moving forward.

After 20 years in business serving the greater Winnipeg area, Diddens says that the biggest lesson learned by the company has been quite simple: “There’s no greater resource than people.” When it comes to growing a business over the long term, one needs to focus on the people who do the work with you and remember that a team of people is always more effective than going it alone.

High-quality customer relationships are only possible when a group of people—like the team of workers found at Civic Roofing Inc. for the past two decades—is committed to the very best in service. At Civic Roofing, this commitment has never wavered.

The post A Personable Approach<p class="company">Civic Roofing</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

Founded in 1995, Burgess Company has become the go-to subcontractor when project challenges demand more than a cookie-cutter solution. Under the leadership of Bryan and Angie Sewell, the company has expanded its reach, developed a deep portfolio of signature projects, and perhaps most notably, built a reputation rooted in integrity, creativity, and strong partnerships. Now celebrating its 30^th anniversary, Burgess Company remains committed to the same principles that launched it: doing the job right, treating people well, and never backing down from a challenge.

The company began with a relatively narrow scope, installing Division 5 miscellaneous metals. But it quickly evolved into a trusted partner for more advanced and customized solutions. Over the years, Burgess has become a sought-after expert in smoke containment systems, high-performance doors and louvers, decorative operable walls, and other architectural features that require precise installation and coordination.

“From early on, we realized that our strength wasn’t just in the products we were installing; it was in how we thought through problems,” says Bryan Sewell, President of Burgess Company. “We bring a problem-solving mindset to every project.” This mindset has proven to be the company’s greatest asset. Whether retrofitting hangar doors on a decades-old building or coordinating smoke control doors in a multi-story museum, Burgess doesn’t shy away from complexity. It leans into it.

While the firm’s technical chops are undeniable, it’s Burgess Company’s people-first culture that truly sets it apart. From clients and vendors to employees and local communities, the company applies one guiding principle across the board: treat others the way you want to be treated.

“We apply the Golden Rule to everything,” Sewell says. “It’s easy to say, but we live it out every day, whether that’s showing up on time, paying vendors promptly, or going above and beyond to make sure our clients are taken care of.” This approach has fostered long-term partnerships and earned the company a level of trust that few in the industry can match. Many of its clients have worked with Burgess for years—some for decades—relying on the team not just for quality installations, but for expert advice and proactive solutions.

“We have partners that come back to us because they know we’ll be honest about what works and what doesn’t,” Sewell says. “Even if it means less work for us, we’re not going to recommend something that doesn’t make sense for the project.”

Burgess Company provides an extensive range of services across Divisions 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14 specialties, with a standout reputation for handling intricate building envelope components. Its work consistently requires a blend of technical skill, coordination, and design sensitivity.

One of its most in-demand specialties is the installation of interior space management systems. These include both horizontal and vertical smoke-rated coiling doors, smoke curtains, fire doors, operable partitions, and raised access flooring. Integrating these elements demands not only precision but a thorough understanding of how they interact with a building’s overall fire safety system, and Sewell notes that ensuring code compliance and coordinating installation within tight structural tolerances is critical in these scenarios.

The team also has deep expertise in custom daylighting solutions, handling oversized or uniquely shaped translucent fiberglass panels and complex aluminum framing that require structural insight and a keen eye for aesthetics. In fact, the firm’s ability to work closely with architects and engineers makes it a preferred partner for visually ambitious projects.

Ventilation and sun control systems are another core offering. Burgess frequently installs architectural louvers, sunshades, and airfoil systems that serve both functional and decorative purposes, especially in large civic or institutional buildings where these elements are often centerpieces of the exterior design.

In addition, the company specializes in high-performance and specialty doors, including acoustical and security doors, as well as assemblies that must meet exacting code standards. These installations often involve tight coordination with other subcontractors and trades to ensure seamless integration.

Burgess has a strong presence in Division 9, building many data center and casino floors. The team excels in installing raised access flooring in difficult environments which allows general contractors to rely on them for the most challenging projects. Sewell states, “raised access floors hide a plethora of data cables, electrical conduit, and mechanical ductwork, which require intricate coordination amongst many trades to ensure each has the required space in which to install without interfering with the grid of many thousand floor pedestals.”

By bringing a problem-solving mindset and high standards of execution to every job, Burgess Company continues to deliver on its reputation as a dependable, highly skilled specialty contractor. “Some of the products we install might seem simple on paper, but the execution is where it gets tricky,” Sewell shares. “It’s one thing to install a piece of hardware; it’s another to do it within a complex architectural feature or historical retrofit.”

The Burgess team isn’t afraid to step in where others hesitate. “We’re not just installers,” he continues. “We’re consultants, problem solvers, and project partners. We’ve seen it all, and we know how to adapt.” That adaptability has helped the company work across diverse sectors, from healthcare and higher education to hospitality, government, museums, and stadiums. Regardless of project type, Burgess prioritizes performance, aesthetics, and coordination with the broader construction team.

In addition to the Gilcrease Museum, Burgess Company is currently working on several high-profile projects that reflect its technical and logistical capabilities. One recent highlight includes a specialty daylighting system designed to allow natural, diffused light to illuminate multiple aircraft hangars at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. “It’s the kind of job where you need more than a good crew; you need a clear strategy and tight coordination with the general contractor and other trades,” Sewell says. “That’s where our team excels.”

Another standout project involved the installation of vertical smoke-rated coiling doors at a multi-level educational facility. Due to the tight space constraints and irregular structural layout, Burgess had to work closely with architects and fire protection engineers to adjust the system in real time, ensuring compliance without sacrificing the building’s design. “There’s no substitute for experience,” says Sewell. “We’ve had to figure things out on the fly and make judgment calls that only come with time in the field.”

Burgess Company’s 30^th anniversary is not only a moment of celebration but also reflection and strategic investment. Internally, the team is focused on mentoring new talent, strengthening operations, and building on the company’s legacy of excellence. “We’re doing a lot of work behind the scenes right now to make sure we’re ready for the next 30 years,” Sewell says. “That includes hiring people who align with our values, actively working toward cybersecurity maturity model certification, and training our people to leverage technology efficiently.”

This year, Burgess launched an initiative to update internal workflows and communication platforms, making it easier to track projects and share knowledge across teams. The goal? To reduce friction and increase transparency for both employees and clients. “We’re also taking a more proactive role in preconstruction and design-assist phases. The earlier we get involved, the more value we can bring.”

That’s especially true in today’s market, where cost overruns, material delays, and labor shortages remain a concern. By stepping in early, Burgess helps mitigate risk and ensure constructability, a win for everyone involved.

As the company looks to the future, the mission remains the same: do excellent work and treat people right. But this team isn’t standing still; Burgess is actively expanding its digital capabilities, exploring new specialty product lines, and forming deeper relationships with manufacturers and general contractors. “Innovation doesn’t have to mean chasing trends,” Sewell says. “For us, it’s about doing what we do even better and continuing to deliver value in ways that matter.”

This includes leveraging its hard-earned expertise to educate the next generation of field leaders and project managers. Sewell and his leadership team are investing time and resources into training programs that will ensure Burgess continues to be synonymous with quality and reliability for decades to come. “We’ve never been the loudest voice in the room,” he reflects. “But we’ve been the steady one—the one people can count on. That’s who we’ve always been and who we’re going to continue being.”

After 30 years in business, Burgess Company isn’t just marking a milestone; it’s reinforcing a mindset built on humility, grit, and a deep sense of responsibility to the people and partners who’ve helped shape the journey. “In this business, your name is everything,” Sewell says. “And we’ve spent three decades making sure that when people see the Burgess name on a job, they know it’s going to be done right.”

With an expanding portfolio, a reputation for solving the toughest problems, and a culture rooted in values that don’t waver, Burgess Company is more than just a contractor. It is a trusted collaborator, a creative partner, and a gold standard in specialty construction.

The post Celebrating 30 Years of Specialty Construction Excellence<p class="company">Burgess Company</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

A privately owned and operated company founded in 2007, Primera’s current markets include Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Southern California, and Nevada, with plans to keep growing. “We’re a longstanding company here in Arizona and in other markets,” says Pat Heine, Chief Revenue Officer.

Providing such interior finish products as cabinets, countertops, floor coverings, and wall tile, Primera also runs and operates design centers in several of its markets. “We’ve taken a dynamic approach to entering new markets,” adds Heine. “If we have an anchor customer who would like to bring us into new markets, or if we have a partnership with a manufacturer, we’re open to entering new markets that way.”

By offering quality products and superior customer service, Primera has built relationships with numerous long-term clients who appreciate the company’s attention and care. “I’ve been here a little over 12 years, and some of the clients we have now we had when I started—and some, prior to my starting,” Heine says. “We pride ourselves on long-term relationships with the right partners.”

Focusing on maintaining meaningful relationships has allowed the company to grow and expand its footprint along with its projects.

Product-wise, builders still construct houses with much the same items, he adds, and while some products gain popularity while others fade away, Primera’s Design Center helps customers choose the exact right look for each home. In fact, the state-of-the-art Design Center, built in 2019, has since been awarded two silver awards by the National Association of Home Builders. “It’s a pretty big honor and a beautiful showroom,” says Heine.

Primera’s Design Center consultants assist and, if desired, guide homeowners to select a complementary suite of products for their new home that reflects their individual style. It can be a daunting process for some homebuyers, so Primera’s design experts take away the pressure. Notable trends right now are: “In cabinets, we’re seeing a lot of natural wood tones,” says Heine. “In flooring, we’re seeing large format tiles, lighter colors, and wood tones. With wall tiles, we’re seeing a lot of very bold accent colors. It’s great to see the market transition to more color. It makes our job more diverse and fun.”

Creating a warm and welcoming company culture is also important to the company, says Tony Reinhardt, who moved into the CEO role a little over 18 months ago. “We wanted to bring our core values to the front and center,” he says.

Establishing its core values into a framework has allowed Primera employees to talk about them, live them, and use them in their day-to-day decision making. “They really are our guiding principles of how we want each other to work together and how we want to conduct business, both internal and external,” stresses Reinhardt. “The leadership team put together a really nice presentation of the values followed by a full rollout.”

Each member of Primera’s Executive team recorded a video message about a core value, introducing and discussing behaviors that would exemplify how to live the values on a daily basis.

“We’re starting to integrate those into our employee reviews,” adds Reinhardt. “We’re also integrating them into our job description and our hiring process, because we believe if we have individuals that live those core values, it will make our overall business better.”

For instance, the core value of being solutions-driven encourages Primera’s installation and service teams to come up with solutions every day while assisting customers. “We want people to try to find solutions in the field as well as continue to find ways inside the office to do things better,” Reinhardt says.

Embracing core values was one of the bigger projects the company undertook in 2024, along with launching a monthly newsletter to help identify employees who have exemplified these values, complete with nominations and awards. “We’re really trying to shape our culture to support each other and work together,” says Reinhardt.

“Our Executive team meets on a weekly basis,” Heine adds. “We address our immediate issues, and then on a quarterly basis, we identify the top items in moving our company forward. Actions are assigned to Executive team members, so they are responsible for their timely delivery. We’ve focused on improving our customer service and moved our KPIs (key performance indicators) from a monthly dashboard to a weekly dashboard.”

“This approach allows us to deal with things more quickly,” Reinhardt agrees. “This new management process has allowed us to be more proactive than we were in the past.” And customers appreciate these efforts. Primera has received several quarterly awards from large builder partners for excellence in customer service, warranty, and on-time completion.

As for obstacles, Primera’s focus on single-family builders coupled with an overall market slowdown due to higher interest rates has made it a challenging selling environment. “Our biggest challenge is finding the right product at the right price in order to meet our builders’ expectations,” Heine shares. “Tariffs are also a big challenge right now. We’re looking at more domestically based manufacturers and products that are readily available so we’re not impacting our builders’ customers. It’s all about the security of our supply chain.”

Overall affordability applies to everything, adds Reinhardt, whether it’s interest rates, product, labor affordability, or the affordability of a house. But there is hope on the horizon regarding home building with an eye to affordability, whether in the realm of attached houses, built-for-rent units, or standalone, small apartments. “There’s a new focus on building that’s not just single-family production that we’re able to tap into,” says Reinhardt. “Affordability is key. The people working in the home building industry are also getting older, and not as many folks are entering it,” he says. “We have some long-tenured people, whether at Primera or just in the home building space, who have a lot of knowledge who are getting ready to retire. Finding that next generation of expertise is certainly a challenge in the home building space.”

Additionally, the company is deeply committed to helping out its local communities via a range of partnerships and philanthropic endeavors. Such initiatives have included the Woody and Millie Ingram Guest House, where Primera contributed cabinetry and installation labor in Colorado Springs, Colorado for the facility, which provides a warm environment close to medical facilities for cancer patients, NICU infants, and other patients.

Primera is also a proud construction sponsor for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, donating the cabinetry and labor in support of raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the fight against childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

There is also the HBA’s annual Cares Cup Top Golf Tournament, which Primera consistently supports and participates in, raising funds for accessible and transitional housing in Colorado Springs.

But one of the more interesting projects Primera undertook in the last 12 months was participating in the ABC show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Phoenix, Arizona. “We partnered with Taylor Morrison to provide cabinets and countertops for the Banner Health Center, which was a really neat experience for us,” says Reinhardt of the project, which helps families in need while also bringing together volunteers and communities during challenging times.

This commitment to helping others is an extension of Primera’s dedication to creating a healthy, happy, and well-rounded workforce. “We’ve really been in the industry a long time,” says Heine. “We understand the needs of our builders and have a breadth of product offering. We feel we’re aligned with the best vendors in the business, and we have the ability to geographically serve our builders in multiple markets. A lot of those relationships carry over from state to state.”

This means Primera isn’t just working with builders in one market, but in many cases, in multiple markets, because “we understand them.”

And while Primera has a significant footprint in the southwest area of the United States, it benefits from being neither a small company nor an especially large company, adds Reinhardt. “We are nimble,” he says. “We’re able to make decisions quickly, and when a customer needs something, we’re able to make a decision and help them. We’re sure we’re taking our company in the right direction.”

The post Solutions-Driven, Customer-Centric<p class="company">Primera</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

“We’ve grown quite a bit in the last year—we added something like 30 employees. Things are growing pretty quickly,” notes Jean-François Landry, engineer and head of the firm’s energy and sustainability team.

Collaboration rules
Over 150 people now work for DWB (up from 120 at the time of our previous profile) in over a dozen offices based in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. The company still operates in a decentralized, non-hierarchical fashion. Collaboration between offices and departments is strongly encouraged, which helps explain recent growth, says Landry.

“Let’s say the structural department is doing a new building, and they need somebody to do energy modelling, so they ask me to do the model. As one department grows, the other departments grow too because they bring more work for all the other departments,” he says.

An eco-friendly company, DWB also excels at energy modelling (using computer programs to forecast energy use in a building that hasn’t yet been constructed) and retro-commissioning. In a retro-commissioning study, DWB personnel examine HVAC, control, and electrical systems in an existing building with an eye to finding efficiencies and saving energy, Landry explains.

The firm can handle a wide array of specific tasks including project management, cost analysis, feasibility studies, preliminary and final plans, estimates, and site supervision. This “one-stop shop” model is highly appealing as it means customers enjoy multiple services from a single source.

From a zoo to the bowels of the Earth
The company’s burgeoning popularity also stems from its ability to accommodate a wide range of assignments: “We’re getting more and more robust in the services we offer, taking on larger and larger scale projects,” notes Landry.

One of these larger projects involves the Zoo de Granby (the Zoo) located in the city of Granby in Quebec). DWB has also been hired for a big job at the LaRonde complex in northwest Quebec. For the Zoo de Granby assignment, which commenced in April, DWB is performing “a large-scale energy saving study where we look at the entire site. It’s an interesting site because they have three different areas: there’s the Zoo and also a water park and amusement park.”

Open year-round, the Zoo facility houses over 1,800 animals grouped by geographical origin. The water park, open in the summer, features pools and slides, while the amusement park accepts visitors in the summer and fall, and boasts a carousel, rollercoaster, and a “7D movie theatre” among other attractions. The Zoo facility has “huge ventilation requirements” thanks to the presence of vast numbers of animals, Landry tells us. This system consumes plenty of energy, as does the air conditioning infrastructure in buildings throughout the entire Granby site; the pools in the water park also need to be heated.

The Granby locale already utilizes hydroelectricity, geothermal wells, and heat recovery solutions; as such, DWB’s mission is to go beyond what they’ve done already. “The study is about halfway done. We are hopeful they will be able to save a lot of money and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.”

Owned by Agnico Eagle Mines, the LaRonde complex mines gold and, to a lesser extent, silver, copper, and zinc. The LaRonde mine features a shaft that extends 2.2 kilometres below the Earth’s surface—the deepest single-lift shaft in the Western Hemisphere, according to Agnico. Some of the mine’s operations extend even deeper, to over 3 kilometres. “When you go that deep, it gets pretty warm, so they have a very sophisticated ventilation and cooling system to keep the mine cool so the miners can work in safe conditions,” notes Landry.

For its part, the processing plant produces doré bars (bars containing a mixture of precious metals, usually silver and gold) and other services.

DWB began working at LaRonde complex in January of this year. As with the Zoo de Granby, DWB is carrying out a large-scale energy study at the site, which uses natural gas and hydroelectricity. Mine management wants a precise accounting of energy use in all the buildings at the complex. “We’re proposing an energy management system that would look at the energy consumption of each building every 15 minutes and natural gas consumption every 15 minutes, so they can better understand who uses the most energy and then act on it and find ways to save energy.”

Making buildings better
Some projects that were underway at the time of our previous profile have since been completed or extended. These include a retro-commissioning study at the University of Waterloo in Southern Ontario, a study that began as a pilot project and has grown since then. “I think we were pretty successful with the pilot because they decided to go with a second round of retro-commissioning,” says Landry. “We’re seeing quite a bit of potential to save energy, but also to improve the comfort of the users and students, and improve the overall operation of the buildings. We found lots of stuff that can be done.”

DWB also wrapped up a campus-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction study at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). The firm compiled its findings regarding emissions and energy conservation into a document which was presented to TMU. “I think TMU is now taking that information and working with partners to be able to implement some of those measures,” says Landry.

A finished project cited in the previous article involved a building at L’Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) campus in Mont-Laurier, Quebec. This innovative structure features geothermal power and ample use of natural light. DWB has completed its work at UQAT, which happens to be based in Landry’s hometown.

“I worked on the life cycle analysis at the end of the project. It makes me very proud that my company worked on that project,” he shares. “It’s probably one of the most beautiful buildings in my hometown now.”

A life cycle analysis aims to estimate the long-term impact a building will have on the environment. Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels were used in the construction of the UQAT building for their positive environmental impact. CLT panels are fabricated by glueing together multiple layers of lumber, making them both sturdy and sustainable, and as wood can store carbon, the carbon footprint of wooden buildings is smaller than structures made from concrete, steel, and other materials.

DWB has embraced Cross-Laminated Timber as part of its green ethos. Staff from DWB recently gave a presentation about the merits of CLT at the Cecobois Conference in Quebec, which showcased low-carbon and bio-based construction methods and materials.

And the firm’s caring mentality extends beyond the environment. DWB is highly supportive of its staff, with offices offering side benefits in the form of ping pong, video games, yoga, and organized sports, depending on the locale. The goal is to provide some relaxing diversion and encourage interpersonal relationships.

With a branch in Moncton and having recently opened an office in Ottawa, the company is pondering whether to offer additional services in Ontario and New Brunswick. Currently focused on eastern Canada, DWB will take on tasks farther afield. A page on the company website highlighting completed projects cites a 450 cubic meter water tank the company worked on for a mining complex in Nunavut Territory, in Canada’s Far North.

Growing differently
Ironically, DWB’s success has presented a new set of challenges.

“As the company is growing, we are trying to add structure and some new procedures,” says Landry. The goal is to provide more of a template outlining roles and responsibilities regarding hiring, IT, and other aspects of the business. At the same time, DWB wants to continue to “do things a little bit differently so that people feel like it’s a nice place to work and they want to belong,” he adds.

As for the type of employee DWB hopes to attract, “We’re looking at people who want to grow, people who are creative and curious,” he shares.

An independent mindset is also a big asset at DWB Consultants; if someone has a good idea, DWB is prepared to provide them with the budget and tools required to bring their vision to fruition. DWB staff have the authority to open new offices in new locales if the market warrants such a move.

Regarding the future, the company’s preference is for natural growth, with, as Landry hints, no limits. “Ideally, we’ll continue to grow organically. At some point, maybe we start new offices. It could be as far as Calgary, Vancouver, who knows. Currently, that’s not in the plans, but if there’s an interest and some of our folks want to open new offices out West, that’s always possible. Technically, we could embrace the entire Canadian market,” says Landry.

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