Competitive Value

Ex-college athletes working in Utah’s A/E/C industry reflect on how competitive sports have aided their professional careers.
By Brad Fullmer

Author’s Note: This year’s edition of UC&D’s ‘Ex-College Athletes in the A/E/C Industry’ features five individuals from four different sports—football (2), basketball, soccer, and swimming—who each immensely enjoyed their collegiate athletic careers. They have taken the lessons, experiences, and values they learned from the playing field, court and pool, respectively, and applied them to their professional careers. And they are quick to draw parallels from athletics to the real world, especially in an industry as competitive as construction and design.

Name: Dave Hogan
Title: President 
Company: Wadman Corporation 
College: Weber State University
Sport: Football; Steer Wrestling 
Years: 1986-87; 1991-92

Dave Hogan has experienced more than his fair share of tragedy in life but he’s risen above it all to become one of the major movers and shakers in Utah’s construction industry. 
Hogan, 54, has been the President of Ogden-based general contractor Wadman Corp. since April 2007, at the youthful age of 39. During his 15-plus years as the company’s top executive, he’s led Wadman to great heights, with the firm consistently ranking among Utah’s Top 10 GC’s in annual revenues, according to UC&D’s annual rankings. 
At 6-foot-2 and a stout 220 lbs., Hogan was a standout two-way football player (tailback and defensive end) at Weber High (Class of ’86) and played two seasons for Weber State University (1986-87). He also competed in steer wrestling for Weber State’s rodeo program for two years (1991-92), with a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Guatemala (1989-91) sandwiched in between. 
At the beginning of his senior year at Weber, Hogan’s father, Jack, was killed in a trucking accident outside Baggs, Wyoming, on September 3, 1985, the day before Hogan’s 18th birthday. He remembers vividly the last football game his father had seen him play, the previous week against Davis High, which Weber lost, 24-20. 
Hogan recalled, “We were ahead 20-17 in the fourth quarter and coach put in the JV kickoff team, and they ran a reverse down to the five-yard line and scored with 20 seconds left. My wife’s like, ‘You can’t even remember the kids’ names but you know exactly what happened in a football game!’ he said. 
“At 18, you lose your dad, it’s quite the deal,” said Hogan. “The community rallied around our family like no other.” The team dedicated the season to Jack Hogan, and the tiny school from Pleasant View would go on a historic playoff run in November, unexpectedly claiming the 4A State Championship, defeating the likes of much larger schools including Hillcrest, Olympus, Alta, and ultimately, Davis High in the title game, exacting a measure of revenge for the pre-season loss.  
“We had no business winning the title […] we beat Olympus and then beat Alta in the semi-finals and weren’t supposed to touch either of them,” he said. 
He earned a scholarship to Weber State and played two years at linebacker for Coach Mike Price before deciding to serve a mission. When he returned from Guatemala, he was done playing football and switched to steer wrestling, competing for Jack Hannum, who had been something of a father figure to Hogan when his father died. Hogan was equally as feisty competing in rodeo, ranking fourth in the NCAA Finals in steer wrestling in 1991. 
Hogan was also a hard worker, learning the ropes of the construction industry from his maternal uncle, Bryce Nelson. Starting at age 12, Hogan would stay with his uncle’s family in Cedar Hills during summers. He served as a “gopher” in his early years, and eventually learned how to pour concrete, use various concrete tools, framing, layout, and even doing more complex finish work as his skills sharpened. 
“I really learned a ton from him, construction-wise,” said Hogan.
He dropped out of Weber State in ’92, two days into his final year, having become disenchanted with the fact that his accounting professor and his finance professor both filed bankruptcy multiple times. “I went down to administration, got a refund, and walked out of there. I’m like, ‘I’m out. I’m going to go start framing.”
Hogan later went to work for Ogden-based R&O Construction as a carpenter and superintendent. In 1997, he was working on a Smith’s Food King remodel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when a friend of his older brother said to contact Dave Wadman. Hogan interviewed and was hired within two weeks as an estimator and project manager. Moving to the office full-time was a bit of a transition, Hogan admitted. 
“I really never projected myself in an office, like ever—it’s like putting a lion in a freaking cage!” he chuckled. “Still somedays, I’m like, ‘What in the hell am I doing’? I still like to work with my hands. I like to build things.” 
Hogan learned estimating via 10-key and “green sheets,” doing estimating takeoffs by hand while also running projects. In 2001, he was snowmobiling with friend and co-worker Rob Allred, who was Wadman’s Chief Estimator and VP of Business Development, when Allred got buried in an avalanche and died, another devastating tragedy. 
“When that happened, David (Wadman) put me in as VP of Business Development and I continued to run projects,” said Hogan. “At an early age I figured out you just move on.”
He moved up the Wadman corporate ladder to VP of Operations a couple years later, “then one day David called me and asked me to be President.” 
He credits the influence of his dad, his grandpa, and his uncle for instilling within him a strong work ethic. “Grandpa was a contract miner in Butte, Montana. He mined ore with a pick and shovel. Whatever he put in the bucket, that’s what he got paid. Dad was a hard worker [and] did whatever he needed to provide for our family.”
Hogan has been active in the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Utah, serving as Chairman in 2016. His time in that position taught him that “there are a lot of good general contractors in Utah, and even better human beings,” he said. “It was a great experience being involved, gaining a better understanding of the state legislature, how things get accomplished, and how the AGC champions rights and opportunities for contractors.”
He expressed gratitude for the Wadman family, which included learning valuable lessons from founder V. Jay Wadman, who established Wadman Corporation in 1951 and passed away in January 2013. 
“The coolest thing was going up to his office and just talking to him,” Hogan said. “You’d go up there for one question and walk out 45 minutes later with stories that taught a lesson. When they put me in as President, I went up to talk to Jay and said, ‘Man, I’ve got some big shoes to fill’. Jay said, ‘Just put your own shoes on. We chose you to run this company because we trust in you’.”
He continued, “I could never repay Dave Wadman for everything I’ve learned here […] unbelievable person.” 
“He’s got a lot of drive—he’s not afraid to tell people what to do,” said Wadman of Hogan. “If people need to be corrected, he doesn’t have any problem moving them along to the path they need to get to. He’s good at making hard decisions. He and the team have taken us to places we’d never have dreamed about. It’s been a very good thing.”
Wadman Corp. currently has 150 employees and reported another banner year in 2021 with revenues of $230 million. “They’re good, solid numbers for what we do,” said Hogan. 
Two of his five children currently work at Wadman, and his youngest son, Kohl, played football at Snow College, earning 2nd Team All-American JUCO honors last season as a linebacker. His stepson, Kyler Harsha, started as a Project Manager in April, while Kohl works in the warehouse.
Hogan believes there are a lot of similarities between the playing field and his career. 
“Whether it’s the playing field or the work environment, it’s all the same,” he posited. “It’s teamwork. It’s knowing the fundamentals and being a master of your craft. At the end of the day—and at the beginning of the day—it comes down to people.”
And he’ll always cherish the memories of playing for Weber High’s 1985 State Championship football team and the impact it had on helping him grieve his father’s death. 
“We weren’t the most talented team—we shouldn’t have won it,” he said. “We were just a bunch of rag-tag kids that played hard together and took care of each other.”
 

Name: Robby Loose 

Title: Director of HR & Safety

Company: Stout Building Contractors 

College: Brigham Young University

Sport: Swimming 

Years: 1992; 1995-98


Robby Loose was born into a sports family, and quickly realized while growing up in Washington State the value of competition. 

The youngest of four children, his father, Robert (Bob), was a college and high school football and track coach for more than 50 years. Bob was also a passionate sports fan, particularly of his alma mater, Brigham Young University, where he played football in the 1950’s. 

Loose, who turns 49 in August, followed in his father’s footsteps by competing for BYU—albeit in swimming—earning four letters in 1992 and from 1995-98 (he served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Guam/Micronesia from 1993-95). 

“Dad was a football coach, and he was okay with me playing football, but he said ‘Let’s get you into a sport where you’re not going to have to your hips replaced or your knees replaced. You want to able to move when you’re older,’” said Loose. 

Two of Loose’s siblings also gravitated to coaching professions. Dee Loose has been a swim coach for 30+ years, including a decade at BYU as an assistant coach and he currently runs Hilltop Aquatics in American Fork. Colleen Long has taught gymnastics for 30-plus years and now owns and operates Alpha Gymnastics club in Woodinville, Washington. 

Loose’s most notable achievement in swimming, he said, was being named an All-American as a senior at Woodrow Wilson High in Tacoma in 1991-92, where he swam the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly. He was recruited by BYU, the University of Utah, the University of Iowa, and the University of Arizona, but said he “desperately wanted to go to the University of Washington. But my swim coach told them I was Mormon and going to go on a mission and to not look at me. I found that out after my mission.” 

He nonetheless takes pride in his career at the Y, and it made his father extremely proud to have a son attend his alma mater. “He was stoked—he loves BYU,” said Loose. 

Loose said he had a good collegiate career, earning a few conference titles in relay races and clocking a personal best time in the 200-yard free of 1:38.2. “At the time I was a solid college swimmer, but not elite,” he said. “The NCAAs back then were won with a 1:31; now they win with 1:29—they’ve broken the 1:30 barrier. Kids today are off the charts—they’re otherworldly!

Loose is relatively new to Utah and the construction industry, having been hired in October 2021 to serve as Director of Human Resources and Safety for Bountiful-based general contractor Stout Building Contractors. He had spent the previous 16 years at MAU Workforce Solutions as Director of Risk Management and Safety, living in North Augusta, South Carolina, just across the Savannah River from The Masters and and the famous course at Augusta National. 

Loose has relished his brief time working at Stout and said the principles he learned as a collegiate athlete have aided him during his professional career. 

“You are programmed for goal setting and achievement [in sports], and I would like to think I’ve brought that to Stout in the form of performance development and our application of it here among our 120 employees,” he said. “It’s fun to work in construction at this period when the pipeline for business is wide open. You’re really pushed hard to make the environment hospitable for existing employees and attractive for potential employees. And it’s so competitive.”

“Robby is driven by passion,” said James Stout, Founder of the 16-year-old general contractor. “His contribution to Stout is recognized, celebrated, and is backed with his intentional and meaningful communication, insightful initiatives, and desire to see others excel and succeed. There is no doubt that Robby approached construction with the same passion which pushed him to be an elite athlete.” 

Loose added, “If you’re an athlete, you’ve got be competitive, otherwise you get washed up. And [construction] is competition. Construction in Utah, from what I’ve observed, is a competitive, fraternal order. There is this notion that if we all work hard, (a competitor’s) success equals my success, and I really think that’s what is happening here in this pocket of America, where construction is just going crazy. It’s a different professional culture.”


Name: Brittney Boyle

Title: Director of Marketing

Company: Pentalon Construction

College: Queens University of Charlotte

Sport: Soccer

Years: 2001-03


As the Director of Marketing for Salt Lake-based general contractor Pentalon Construction, Brittney Eakins Boyle is relishing the opportunity to utilize her competitive chops in the pursuit of new construction projects.

“I absolutely think it’s the best industry for me to be in because it mixes my creative side and my competitive side,” said Boyle, who marked her one-year anniversary at Pentalon at the end of June. 

“To go after a job, or a bid, or RFP, I take those so personal. I have very little control once it gets out of my office—I don’t control the estimating or the numbers, but I keep track of every win-loss, interview, second-round bid. I’m super competitive.”

She grew up in a competitive sports family. Her father, Rich Eakins, was the all-time scorer in basketball at Juneau-Douglas High in Juneau, Alaska (his record was later broken by former NBA/Utah Jazz star Carlos Boozer) and was recruited to play at the University of Washington. Her great-uncle, Jim Eakins, was a standout 6-foot-11 center at Brigham Young University and played 10 professional seasons—eight years in the ABA (which included 100 games over two seasons for the Utah Stars) and two in the NBA. 

Boyle, 39, was born in Utah (her parents met at Dixie College) and grew up in Mesa, Arizona. She started playing competitive soccer at age 11, including with several club teams. Her family moved to Lexington, Kentucky her junior year in high school where she competed for Tates Creek High as a striker and forward.

She was recruited to play at Queens University of Charlotte (then Queens College) in Charlotte, North Carolina by coach Jonathon Brabson, one of 12 incoming freshman women that year, and played two full seasons from fall 2001 to spring 2003, before a spate of injuries caused her to cut her collegiate career short.

“My body gave out—back, knees, nose, ankles—lots of injuries, lots of surgeries,” she recalled. “I didn’t start as a freshman, but I was usually the first sub in, and started a couple games as a sophomore,” she said. “We did pretty good, we held our own.” She enjoyed the experience and ultimately graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration on marketing and pre-law. She stays in contact with several former teammates via a Facebook alumni page. 

She is also a passionate sports fan, describing herself as a “Cheesehead and a Dookie”, in reference to her love for the Green Bay Packers and Duke University. 

She started working in Utah’s construction industry in 2016 and spent five years at two different general contractors, before landing her current role at Pentalon. She has enjoyed working for the firm and has gained a better understanding of the industry—particularly the multi-family market—under the tutelage of firm President Carl Tippets. 

“That was one of the things that was enticing to come here, to being able to work under him and see how he handles his business relationships and his company,” she said of Tippets. “I’ve always liked to sit back and watch people—I got that from my grandpa when I was a kid sitting in his business meetings. So, listening to how he talks, how he phrases answers, and how he addresses questions is valuable to me. I’m able to now go into these meetings and be confident.” 

She continued, “He’s also this gentle giant in a sense—Carl’s a tall guy. It’s interesting to watch him put teams together. He’ll admit that he doesn’t know everything. We have great people in (COO) Shay Johansen and (VP of Construction) Brian Stewart.”

“I like to hire employees who have participated in athletics at the collegiate level—I firmly believe they come to the workforce with some skill sets that are advantageous for them and the company that is fortunate enough to hire them,” said Tippets. “First, they are obviously competitive by nature. That competitiveness is a directly transferable skill to the business world. Secondly, and even more importantly, they have learned the concept of team. They have learned that you win and lose as a team. Brittney comes to us with both of those skillsets. She is a winner who has learned the necessity of working as a team to come out on top.”

Boyle has immersed herself in learning as much as she can about construction marketing and is quickly finding her stride. She served on the 2021-22 board of the Utah chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS Utah) as Programs Chair and will maintain that role for the 2022-23 year. She was also named as a 2022 Elevate HER Cohort by the Zweig Group, a special task force comprised of individuals with a commitment to promote diversity to combat recruiting and retention challenges in the A/E/C industry. 

She has enjoyed marketing to the multi-family sector, saying “I prefer to do business in the private sector. My personality is very much a handshake and relationship building. I like you, you like us, let’s do a project together. I view my competitive nature as an asset because it keeps me going. I want to see who’s doing what, what is next, [and] what I can do better on the next one.”


Name: Craig Hammer

Title: Executive Director of Secondary Schools

Company: Washington County School District

College: Dixie College; University of Utah

Sport: Basketball

Years: 1978-80; 1980-82


Craig Hammer credits his high school basketball coach Dee Jensen for instilling within him a vision of what his life could be. 

“I’m who I am today because of him,” said Hammer, Executive Director of Secondary Schools for Washington County School District in St. George and a 39-year veteran of Utah’s education system. “He saw something in me I never saw in myself. He convinced me I could be more than I could be. I didn’t make a big decision in my life without talking to him.”

Hammer grew up in humble circumstances, his parents were hard-working, blue-collar folks; his father, Norman, worked at Wonder Bread in Salt Lake for 38 years. Hammer loved sports growing up and was standout four-sport athlete at Murray High (2x Deseret News basketball first-team) who also starred at Dixie College (NJCAA All-American his sophomore year), before finishing his hoops career at the University of Utah. 

During his junior year (1980-81), Hammer played on a 25-5 Utes team that won the Western Athletic Conference (13-3 record) and were a No. 3 seed in the 32-team NCAA Tournament. 

It was a team stacked with talent, including future NBA players Tom Chambers (4x All-Star) and Danny Vranes, along with Karl Bankowski and Pace Mannion. The Utes crushed Northeastern in their first game, 94-69, then faced blue blood North Carolina in the Western Regionals, held on Utah’s homecourt at the Huntsman Center. 

North Carolina was led by future NBA stars James Worthy and Sam Perkins, and packed the paint against the Utes, who shot poorly from outside and succumbed 61-56, a game that still gnaws at Hammer.

“I remember walking out of that locker room like it was yesterday—it took me forever to get over that game,” he said. “What hurt even worse, (North Carolina) didn’t get touched until they lost to Indiana in the finals. That should have been us.”

He said his main reason to play at Utah was so that his parents could see him play. “Looking back on it, I made the best decision […] they got to see every game—row 8, across from our bench,” said Hammer. “My last [home] game at the U they gave the seniors the mic; I was the only senior. That’s the first time I saw my dad cry.”

Hammer earned a Bachelor of Political Science from the U in 1983 and was strongly considering going to law school. Out of the blue, his high school principal at Murray called to see if he’d be interested in coaching at his alma mater on a part-time basis. 

“I had the greatest experience,” he said. That led to a student teaching job, and ultimately, a full-time position, where he spent six years. “I never thought in a million years I’d be a schoolteacher, ever. I got in for all the wrong reasons, but I’ve loved every minute of it.”

Besides teaching, Hammer coached football, baseball, and golf, including five years as Murray’s head basketball coach.

He earned a Master of Education Curriculum and Instruction in 1989 from the U, and in the spring of 1990 moved with his family to St. George to teach at Dixie High and serve as head basketball coach. St. George is also his wife’s hometown—they met and married while at Dixie College. 

Hammer spent two years as a teacher and two as assistant principal, before serving as principal for 13 years. He joined WCSD’s District office in 2007 at Executive Director of Secondary Schools, a role he’s held for 15-plus years. He has thoroughly enjoyed each of the different roles he’s held in his education career. 

“One of the greatest things about being principal at Dixie High, it was a smaller school with 1,200 students, and I knew every kid and they knew me,” said Hammer. “It was hard to walk away from coaching—I miss that relationship with the kids.”

He recalled a former student that died a few years ago in a car accident, and recently looking at the obituary he had saved and tearing up. “It’s like your own kid,” he said, wistfully. 

His current job has morphed into one where he is tasked with everything related to school facilities, including land purchasing, overseeing the selection of the design and construction teams, best practices, and everything in between. He said it’s been an incredible experience, one that keeps him hopping, particularly with the challenges of today’s construction climate. 

“When the district created this position—I’m the only one to have it—they put me in charge of facilities,” he said. “When I got this job, I didn’t know a yard of cement from a yard on the football field. But I brought the perspective of being a high school principal.” 

Hammer said he’s overseen the new construction or major remodel of 30 buildings, including six large high school projects, during those 15 years. 

“One of the interesting things that has happened is we used to go vertical with schools, then went to one level […] now we’re back to going vertical because of the cost of land,” he said. “Buildings are built so much better now. Of the projects we’ve built, 90% are tilt-up concrete and we’re going to get 75-plus years out of buildings. And they look like they’re still brand new. We save 20% (construction costs) going with tilt-up, and it works great for our climate. I wouldn’t try to sell that [concept] to every [school district], but it’s worked for us.”

Hammer has also served with the Utah High School Activities Association since 2009 and is currently the Constitution and By-Laws Committee Chair. In 2013, he was presented with a NFHS Citation, one of the most prestigious awards given by the National Federation of State High School Associations, recognizing individuals whose long-time contributions have had a prominent impact on high school activity programs. 

The 62-year-old Hammer is nearing the finish line of his career (he’s set a June 2023 retirement date) one he believes has been infinitely better because of what he learned competing in sports. He believes students who participate in school sports are better prepared for life post-graduation. 

“I know what athletics did for me and I know there are plenty of kids like I was before I started playing,” he said. “It opens doors and creates opportunities. Anything related to sports or other extra-curricular activities helps students. They get better grades and have better attendance.”

A year from now, “I’m hanging up my cleats and golfing full-time,” he said. “It’s been a great career. We’ve got a great (district) team, from the architect to the facilities person. It’s consumed most of my career at this level and pulled me away from the academic side. But it’s been phenomenal.”


Name: Brett Cooper

Title: VP of Marketing & Sales

Company: Roper Buildings

College: Brigham Young University

Sport: Football

Years: 2003-06


Pull quote: 

“Sports taught me how to take criticism and coaching, as well. You learn to be coachable. You have to play as a team, but really, how well do you do when performance is required, and somebody is telling you that you need to do better?”


It was literally more than five years from the time Brett Cooper played his final high school football game at Bonneville High to the time he laced up his cleats to compete on the gridiron for Brigham Young University, and remarkably, the speedy wide receiver didn’t lose much in terms of raw speed. 

“It was bizzarro. I was a freshman and hadn’t stepped on a football field for five years. I was able to maintain my speed and ran sub 4.4 40s,” he said. “I was one of the top three fastest guys every year.” 

A native of South Ogden, Cooper was one of five boys in a competitive family playing football, baseball, and running track. His father, Sam, he said, was “a legit five-star athlete” in Southern California (West Covina) and was initially recruited to play running back at the University of Southern California (USC), but blew out his knee his freshman year and ended up transferring to Utah State, where he played receiver and running back over two seasons (1968-69). Brett Cooper’s brother, Jason, also played receiver at BYU (1994-95).

At 5-foot-11 and 180 lbs., Cooper was a slot receiver, safety, and kick returner at Bonneville High, earning 4A All-State honors his senior year (’99 graduate), He was also a burner on the track, claiming back-to-back 4A titles in the 100-meter dash, including a blistering time of 10.6 seconds his senior year. 

He was recruited by a half dozen schools to play football and run track—including BYU and the University of Utah—and chose the Y, but elected not to enroll right away and instead served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Chile Osorno Mission in southern Chile from 1999-2001. 

He redshirted his first year back and then played from 2003-06 for two coaches—two years under Gary Crowton and two years under Bronco Mendenhall. His most successful season individually was his freshman year, as he led the Cougars in kickoff returns (18 returns for 435 yards). From a team perspective, his senior year was most rewarding, as BYU claimed the 2006 Mountain West Championship with a perfect 8-0 mark (11-2 overall, good for No. 16 in the final AP rankings). 

The final regular season game of 2006 is well-remembered in BYU-Utah ‘Holy War’ lore, as the Cougars went into Rice-Eccles Stadium and stunned the Utes 33-31 on a last-second 11-yard touchdown pass. The play is simply known as ‘Beck to Harline’ or ‘The Answered Prayer’ as scrambling QB John Beck slung the ball to tight end Johnny Harline, who caught the ball near the middle of the end zone, while on his knees, as time expired. 

“It was crazy,” Cooper recalled of that play. “It’s kind of a funny story. I got subbed out on that last play […} [After] I threw up my helmet and it hit the middle of the field and rolled in front of (Utah Coach) Kyle Whittingham and the whole University of Utah team, so I had to run out onto the field and grab my helmet […] and the entire (Utah) team and coaching staff were wanting to break my neck. I threw it so high it bent my face mask.” 

After graduating with a Bachelor of Spanish and Business, and a Master of Public Administration, Cooper spent 11 years in the healthcare industry as a nursing home administrator, working primarily in California and Idaho for The Ensign Group, before moving back to Utah.

He stumbled into the construction industry in 2018 via his neighbor, Dan Scarbrough, founder/CEO of Ogden-based Roper Buildings, a company that specializes in steel pole buildings and high-end barn structures. 

“I connected with Dan and he said he had a business and needed help running it and really wanted the sales department to grow,” said Cooper. “It was happenstance—we got to be friends as neighbors and I thought, ‘What if I came to work for him?’”

Cooper said he enjoys seeing the satisfaction clients get from having their projects built according to their wishes. 

“I have found it extremely satisfying to build projects that people work their entire life for—barns, shops, garages,” he said. “It’s neat to see people’s dreams realized and us being a small part of it. I’ve seen hundreds of buildings built and it’s satisfying to build what people want.”

Cooper believes his sports background has been a boon to his professional career as it taught him lessons he’s able to use in his day-to-day work.

“I’ve always said I wish anybody in the working world grew up playing sports—there is a lot you learn from sports,” he said. “You learn how to fail; you don’t win all the time. How do you take failure? Do you let it get you down, or do you get up for the next play, the next pitch, the next at bat? Sports taught me how to take criticism and coaching, as well. You learn to be coachable. You have to play as a team, but really, how well do you do when performance is required, and somebody is telling you that you need to do better? […] Sports taught me that I had to prioritize and be organized with my time to get a lot done. That’s helped a ton in my professional career.”

Deer Valley Expansion

By Taylor Larsen • February 25, 2026
Start spreadin’ the news I’m leavin’ today I want to be a part of it… I can hear everyone singing the final line: Deer Valley Resooooooooort Fine. Frank Sinatra may not have had après ski on the mind in “New York, New York”, but if the famous singer were alive today, I bet he would want to be a part of Deer Valley’s East Village—even with no relation to the New York City neighborhood—and the transformational development ongoing across Mayflower Mountain and Deer Valley Resort. East Village—Deer Valley Style “Deer Valley East Village is a long-anticipated project that will serve as the heart of the expanded terrain at Deer Valley Resort,” said Gary Barnett, Founder and Chair of Extell Development Company (Extell), in a press release. “With careful planning, we’ve curated a village that will redefine luxury and offer unparalleled amenities for our guests.” The ability to curate such luxury came from 10 years of collecting. Since 2015, Extell has purchased over 20 land parcels, assembling well over 5,000 acres for development. Extell partnered with the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) and Reef Capital Partners (Reef) to create a highly capable development team. These efforts set the stage for the 2023 agreement between the developer and Alterra Mountain Group (Alterra), Deer Valley’s parent company, to fold Extell’s East Village property into its existing resort operations—what Deer Valley President and COO Todd Bennett called, “Your new Deer Valley.” Barnett, speaking of what’s to come with this partnership and the billions of dollars of work set to go in on the mountain, said, “Extell and Deer Valley collaborated to craft a village and ski experience where luxury, adventure, and experience come together effortlessly.” Thus began the monumental transformation of Mayflower Mountain. Big Name Arrivals Two projects helped get the party started in the East Village. The Residences at Pioche Village delivered four buildings comprising 400-plus condominiums built by New Star General Contractors in December 2023. Although the project is outside the epicenter of ongoing development, it is becoming increasingly important to the area, as MIDA recently purchased one of the buildings to set aside 42 units of workforce housing. The first finished project within the epicenter was the award-winning Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, designed by OZ Architecture and built by Jacobsen Construction, completed in 2024. Extell partnered with MIDA to develop the hotel on military land, offering 100 rooms at a discounted rate for service members. The opulent hotel and condo property introduced a total of over 380 guest rooms, 40 suites, 55 private residences, and nearly 40,000 SF of conference space. And it’s just the beginning. On a recent tour of the East Village, Michael Woisin, Extell’s Sr. VP of Construction in Utah, detailed the immense manpower required to bring the vision to life. The six tower cranes currently operating there, along with a handful of other cranes, combine with dozens of concrete trucks heading up and down the mountain to support around 1,000 construction workers on site, driving projects of all sizes. Reef is developing multiple residential properties in the coming years. On the single-family side, Marcella at Deer Valley has already sold out the 143 homesites in the future private community, which is currently under construction. Marcella Landing will deliver a gated community of 50 ski-in/ski-out luxury townhomes designed by Olson Kundig. Cormont will deliver five residential condo towers and a vibrant central plaza, with construction completed in 2027 and 2028, and local architectural experience provided by FFKR Architects. The big brands are coming, too. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Deer Valley, designed by ODA Architecture and built by Jacobsen Construction, will deliver 134 guest rooms and suites, as well as 123 for-sale residences, with completion in 2028. Canopy by Hilton will open a 180-key hotel near Pioche Village. The property will feature architecture by The Richardson Design Partnership and interior design by DLR/Brayton Hughes and will open its doors in summer 2026. Waldorf Astoria Deer Valley Resort and Residences was announced in late January, with plans to bring 132 guest suites and 105 for-sale residences near Deer Valley’s Green Monster, the resort’s 4.85-mile ski run—Utah’s longest. With architectural design from KPF and interiors by AvroKO, the project will open its doors in 2028. Beyond the ski-in/ski-out access at many of the above properties, the East Village will also feature a skier services building and an extensive, tiered pedestrian plaza designed by ODA for year-round enjoyment when completed. The building will serve as the heart of the ski village, surrounded by the “ski beach” at the base of the mountain—with a future holiday market, a snow maze, and The Ribbon’s state-of-the-art ice- skating circuit planned for winter months. In summer, the area will be activated by a music festival, farmer’s market, outdoor movie screenings, and other events.

AGC of Utah Installs Gary Ellis as 2026 Chair at Annual Convention

By Bradley Fullmer • February 25, 2026
If the turnout for the 104th Annual Convention for the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Utah is any indication of the current state of the construction industry in the Beehive State, 2026 will indeed be a robust year. The popular industry convention—held January 29-30 at Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake—continues to draw room-busting crowds at its events. The AGC's 2026 Awards Breakfast kicked off the convention on January 29, with the Utah chapter handing out nearly 50 awards for innovative projects and dedicated people. The second day—an all-day event—included entertaining keynote speakers at breakfast and lunch, along with informative breakout sessions in between. The convention was capped by an always-entertaining Installation Banquet, where Gary Ellis, President/CEO of Salt Lake-based Jacobsen Construction, was installed as 2026 AGC of Utah Chairman of the Board. Brett Nielsen, President of Brigham City-based Whitaker Construction and 2025 AGC of Utah Chairman, thanked AGC's staff of 13 for their efforts to elevate the association, and highlighted the work of the Construction Learning Committee (CLC), which aims to cultivate the next generation of construction industry leaders. "Earlier today, I made a comment that the generation that's coming into our industry today is about 20% of our population, but they are 100% of our future," said Nielsen. "We owe it to them to make sure we're providing the same tools, the guidance, the leadership that we received as we were coming up in the industry." Ellis followed with an initial plug for Nielsen, who is in line to serve as the AGC of America's 2030 President—a first for the Utah chapter. "We're excited to share Brett and his wisdom and terrific leadership to the entire country with regard to our industry—he'll do a great job and carry Utah in his heart," said Ellis. Ellis said he never imagined working in the construction industry, thinking he'd rather be a river running guide or physical therapist. Ultimately, he pursued accounting, earning a Master of Accounting from Provo-based Brigham Young University in 1995 and spending the first five years of his career as a Senior Auditor for KPMG in Salt Lake. He was hired in December 2000 at Jacobsen Construction as a Financial Controller, later ascending to his present title of President/CEO in January 2021. "The amount of construction experience I had before I landed at Jacobsen Construction was two weeks sweeping floors at a residential construction site," said Ellis. "I never imagined I would be part of the construction industry, but it's been life-changing for me. Our theme for the convention this year is Building What Matters—I wanted to do something that mattered [...] I wanted to be part of growing something, something I could put my arms around and say, 'wow, look what we just did together'. That's really what my motivation was when I found the construction industry." During the first five years of his career at a large corporate firm, Ellis said the gig lacked fulfillment. Joining Jacobsen opened his eyes to a new world, one he quickly gained a true passion for. "My kids are sick and tired of me pointing out every [Jacobsen] building as we go up and down I-15, I-80—I know, I'm preaching in the choir. There are incredible things that we do at Jacobsen; quite often, we talk about the 'wow factor'. That is what we have in this group. It is the wow factor, being able to [bask] in the pride we feel." Ellis also thanked his team at Jacobsen for believing in the AGC's mission and recognizing the importance of giving back to the industry. "I'm indebted to Ted [Jacobsen] and his family for what they've created at Jacobsen. The day I was asked [...] to take over as President, my very first phone call was to Ted Jacobsen [...] to let him know that I commit to making sure his family name is known in good standing in this marketplace."

Tick Tock from the Water Clock

By Taylor Larsen • February 25, 2026
Time is running out. Not for Utah water. Not yet. But it is for negotiations on the Colorado River. Recently, Utah and six other states, Mexico, and Native American Tribes missed another deadline to revise the current Colorado River Compact. Like family members negotiating a handwritten will, their agreement, or lack thereof, will determine who gets what from the Colorado River in 2026 and beyond. The compact has dictated water rights for the Upper Basin states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, and the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California, and Nevada since it was signed in 1922. The agreement, a result of phenomenal collaboration and compromise, has worked out as well as something written 100 years ago could. But the compact is starting to look it’s age. As the desert sun is unkind to the skin, the prolonged megadrought of the American Southwest has been unkind to the Colorado River. Overallocation of the river, droughts, drastic population growth, and a lack of consideration for all of the water-drawing entities mean compromises are on the horizon to ensure that each party at the table can provide Colorado River water to the estimated 40 million people who rely on it. The seven states and the federal government have tried previous facelifts with federal guidelines and plans to draw less water, but blemishes remain. Native tribes are still awaiting corrective surgery to remove the scars of historical injustice, especially after the Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the federal government was not required to take steps to ensure the tribes’ water rights. While Colorado River negotiations reach the end, four of Utah’s biggest water conservancy districts are pushing past existential drought to create solutions with their water users and industry partners to ensure taps flow for generations to come.

Rural Roots

By Taylor Larsen • February 25, 2026
Little did the team at KMA Architects know how much a proposal for one high school would change their fortunes forever. Duchesne School District released its RFP for a new Altamont High School in 2011. Wes Christensen, then Project Architect, felt like it was a winnable project. After all, KMA Architects had built a stellar reputation designing schools throughout Utah since the firm opened in 1996. There was just one problem with this RFP: KMA didn’t design new high schools. While the firm focused primarily on elementary and junior high schools, Christensen and others on the KMA team were confident in their design proposal and threw their hat in the ring to win the job. “I was certain our competition was going to present a two-story high school,” said Christensen, recalling the various brainstorming sessions that hinged on how to best present their design for a durable and economical one-story school with easily accessible mechanical mezzanines over the corridors. The district's response had the KMA team ecstatic: “We love it.” Winning the Altamont High job with a one-story design is one of many examples of KMA’s emphasis on listening first, a legacy established long before the firm relocated its headquarters in 2020, and long before the team sat for this interview, overlooking Spanish Fork Main Street from their stylish second-story conference room. Sometimes two stories are best, and KMA’s history is among them. Starting Shop in Provo It starts with Kevin Madsen initially pursuing engineering at the University of Utah, graduating in 1972, but with a passion for the entire industry. He earned his contractor license in 1974, but he made his mark in design. “I was good at drawing and drafting,” Madsen, now retired, said from the comfort of the drafting table of his Palmyra home. Madsen even taught drafting and CAD at the former Utah Valley State College (now Utah Valley University) from 1990-1993, saying, “That’s when I realized I wanted to run an architectural firm.” After Nebo and Sevier school districts personally requested Madsen’s services, he founded Kevin Madsen & Associates Architects in January 1996, bringing Christensen and others to work on the firm’s many projects. One of which began when Madsen bought a historic Victorian home at 195 East and 100 North in Provo and turned it into the KMA office in 1998. “It was a work in progress all the way,” laughed Madsen over the phone. That contractor license came in handy; Madsen salvaged high-quality carpet scraps from schools and brought them back to the office. Christensen, now KMA’s Owner and Principal, remembered sanding beams, tearing out old carpet, and stapling in the new flooring in its place—he’s got the scars to prove it. Other famous memories the entire senior KMA team recalled involved creating original blueprints with ammonia and venturing up I-15 to the old Service Blue print shop in Salt Lake to print off dozens of client copies. “We called it a ‘Printing Event’,” Christensen said, recalling the various times that the team would yo-yo between Provo and Salt Lake to drop off their specifications and drawings, often at midnight or later, before returning the next morning to fill an entire truck bed with boxes of freshly printed copies.

Seasoned to Perfection in Providence

By Taylor Larsen • February 25, 2026
The new Weber Blackstone headquarters project involved significant civil work in dewatering and wetland preservation so close to Big Ballard Springs and Blacksmith Fork River. Once completed, the finished build’s Prodema wood paneling exterior gives the building take-off. (all photos courtesy R&O Construction except where indicated)

New Trajectory for New Star

By Taylor Larsen • February 25, 2026
Midlife crisis? Try mid-life calm for New Star General Contractors as the Salt Lake-based construction firm celebrates 40 years of building great projects. As President Jeff Pettit sits in the firm’s conference room on the second story of the New Star office (self-performed in 1996), he reminisces on his 37 years there, as well as plenty of lore established when the firm emerged. In 1986, carpenters Dave Love and Steve Williams were building a home for their boss’s lawyer in Salt Lake City’s Federal Heights. Their boss, Ranch Kimball, was the owner of Cannon Construction, and announced he would be closing shop later that year. Love and Williams vowed to continue the good work, but under a new venture—New Star General Contractors. Based in Bountiful, New Star performed any small project or remodel they could, even venturing east to remodel an Episcopal church in Vernal. The two owners ran New Star from a “carpenter’s perspective”, Pettit said with a smile, “A good, honest trade.” As employees gained a deep understanding of fieldwork and constructability, New Star self-performed much of the concrete, framing, and interior and exterior finishes, buoyed by a large pool of high-level union carpenters from Utah Carpenters Union Local #184, ready to build. Pettit came aboard New Star in 1989, joining his father and uncle at the firm, two journeymen union carpenters, while he apprenticed as the company grew. Early Years; Midlife Struggles Pettit praised the foundation established by Williams and Love in New Star’s first decade, recalling how both owners worked as estimators and project managers as they sought to win work, while Treasa Love and Patti Williams, Love and Williams’ respective wives, ran accounting, billing, and payroll. The firm was at the cusp of taking off when Williams passed in 1997, but Love and the few dozen members of the New Star team pressed on, working for Deer Valley’s former parent company, Royal Street, on projects like Royal Plaza and Goldener Hirsch Phase 1. “Those projects helped put New Star on the map,” Pettit said. Another foundational project was Peace House, a four-bedroom domestic violence shelter for women and children built in 1995. “It was Dave’s way of giving back to the community,” said Pettit of the relationship between New Star and Peace House that has burned brightly ever since. Love joined the organization’s board of directors, and New Star built Peace House’s 40,000-SF expansion over 20 years later—a massive upgrade that delivered eight units of emergency shelter and 12 units of transitional housing for mothers and children. The project, a monumental community victory, eventually earned UC+D’s “Publisher’s Pick” award in 2019. Company culture in those early years benefitted from the “New Star Band”, a six-member ensemble of New Star employees. Love, his office wall lined with a notable guitar collection, led the charge. “Dave was a great musician and a great guitarist,” said Pettit of the culture- and relationship-building efforts of the New Star Band. “Anyone who knew New Star knew of the band.” But it wasn’t all roses, as New Star’s union roots counted for little as the firm and many other general contractors battled trade unions in the early 2000s. Pettit recalled the picket lines that formed around their Salt Lake City office and their job sites. As the Great Recession hit in 2007 and dragged on into the next decade, Pettit grimaced at how New Star laid off many employees as he, Love, and the remaining executives took massive pay cuts, following through on Love’s advice: “Keep money in the company, because there will be lean times.”

Sky High-End Club

By B. H. Wright • February 25, 2026
When it comes to classy sophistication, the sparkling new Delta Sky Club—Concourse B at Salt Lake City International Airport sets an incredibly high bar in both form and function. The opulent 34,000-SF club—Delta's second at The New SLC—offers members myriad ways to relax and decompress from the rigors of travel, highlighted by the truly unique Digital Immersion Room. Salt Lake-based HOK worked with Zenapptic of Novato, Calif., on the impressive display, which was designed with neuroinclusive principles in mind. The innovative space surrounds guests with seven expansive screens featuring aerial views of Utah’s iconic landscapes, including the state’s five national parks and cityscapes of downtown Salt Lake architecture. Synchronized natural soundscapes enhance the visuals, creating a calming, immersive, and four-dimensional experience. Velvet drapery, darker tones, and curved acoustic baffles further support the sensory environment. As the only club in Delta’s network to offer this experience, Salt Lake City sets a new benchmark for innovation and traveler comfort. "We wanted it to feel like a cocoon, a space you can get away from the hustle and bustle, even from what's going on within the club," said Sarah Oppenhuizen, Director of Interiors at HOK. The seven screens are tied into the speaker system, "so you're hearing birds chirping, or a plane flying by, or a storm rolling in. Zenapptic did a fabulous job of taking these scenes, images taken all across Utah, and splitting them into layers [...] that can move in a way that makes it feel like you are actually viewing that scene." The material palette and lighting selections also reflect and amplify Utah’s natural beauty. From warm tones to reflective surfaces, every detail connects travelers to the spirit of the state. The club itself is a diverse wonder of breathtaking spaces created from a highly curated and layered material palette. Each space was meticulously crafted into "neighborhoods" appealing to myriad client tastes and preferences. There are eight specific ceiling systems, eight custom terrazzo blends, a dozen tile products, and dynamic specialty lighting—creating a refined ambience inspired by Utah’s diverse landscapes while maintaining the elevated experience synonymous with Delta's iconic brand. The distinct neighborhoods highlight the club's supreme functionality supporting a robust 600-seat capacity—it's Delta's second-largest club after La Guardia in New York City—while maintaining comfort, intuitive circulation, and a soothing acoustical environment. Larger-scale stone flooring with red accents evokes a natural hiking path while providing durability and ease of movement for guests with rolling luggage. Sound-absorbing properties are integrated into ceilings and select walls throughout the space to maintain a serene guest experience. “Creating distinct neighborhoods gave us the flexibility to increase seating capacity without sacrificing comfort,” said Mishael Thompson, Design Lead at Delta Air Lines. “Guests can easily find a space that fits how they want to travel—whether that’s social, private, or somewhere in between.” “The goal was to bring a true sense of place into the space without overwhelming the guest,” added Oppenhuizen. “By layering materials, color, and technology, we were able to reference Utah’s landscape in a subtle way while maintaining the timeless, hospitality-driven feel of a Delta Sky Club.” Design elements on Level 2, which serves as the entry experience, incorporate cooler whites and blues inspired by a Park City winter, while Level 3 transitions to warmer reds and bronze tones that reference Utah’s caves and caverns. A signature seating area at the top of the escalators—featuring layered blue furnishings and a rippled metal ceiling—draws inspiration from the Great Salt Lake. An expansive, curving bar is an eye-catcher—a unique reflective ceiling above with twinkling lights is a highlight that recalls the state’s copper mines. Blue-veined marble countertops in the space reflect crystal-like light fixtures reminiscent of stalactites, adding a sense of natural wonder. Emphasis on High-Quality Finishes, Resort-like Feel Maintaining the Delta brand is always a top priority for designers, and while explicitly branded elements in Delta Sky Clubs are minimal—primarily limited to the check-in area and select touchpoints—the broader brand strategy centers on elevating the airport experience through high-quality design, materials, and comfort. Branding is subtly expressed through a hospitality-driven environment that conveys both luxury and durability. “We want all our guests to feel like they’ve just stepped into a high-end hotel lobby—not an airport,” said Thompson. “That sense of arrival, comfort, and quiet luxury is fundamental to how we think about the Delta Sky Club experience, and this project truly delivers on that vision.” While program standards remain consistent across all Delta Sky Clubs to ensure familiarity, hub locations such as Salt Lake City provide opportunities to further elevate the experience through regionally inspired materials and design cues. This balance of consistency and localization reinforces Delta’s brand promise while allowing each club to feel distinctive and connected to its location. The new club is larger than its sister Delta Sky Club in Concourse A—that one checks in at 29,000 SF. The expanded footprint provided opportunities to further elevate the experience through additional amenities, greater spatial variety, and a stronger emphasis on regional design elements while still maintaining consistency with Delta’s established Sky Club standards. Attention to detail is a Delta hallmark, added Thompson, with high-quality finishes essential to the project's overall aesthetic. Achieving this level of quality required extensive coordination, including detailed submittal reviews to ensure each material and design element met Delta’s performance and durability standards. Attention to craftsmanship played a critical role in delivering a club that aligns with Delta’s elevated brand experience. “Our guests notice the details,” Thompson emphasized. “From the durability of finishes to how materials feel and perform over time, quality was non-negotiable on this project.”

2026 Economic Outlook

By Bradley Fullmer • February 25, 2026
Dejan Eskic was blunt in his assessment of Utah's 2026 economic outlook during a January 13 presentation to the American Concrete Institute (ACI), Intermountain Chapter, remarking in his opening statement, "I feel like we're living in a season of the [television] show '24', where every episode, you're holding your breath." Eskic, Sr. Research Fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, was talking about geopolitics, specifically referencing the economic impact of the Trump Administration’s global tariffs after a year, and how economic outlooks are not so easy to predict when dealing with the potential impact of national and international factors. "Part of talking about economics, it can get political," he continued. "I try not to be political about it, but it's hard to unravel the two, right? Whatever [information] President Trump releaes on whatever media platform has influence on the market. Tariffs really brought a lot of uncertainty and made the market very skittish." Eskic said tariffs are his "least favorite subject, because we haven't had to talk about it for 100 years, and all of a sudden it's gone haywire—there's a lot of uncertainty with tariffs." He added that the Gardner Policy Institute will release a white paper detailing tariff impacts later this year. Interest Rate Cuts Not Anticipated in 2026 The Fed did not cut interest rates at its first meeting of the year on January 28, and Chair Jerome Powell believes keeping the current rate of 3.5% to 3.75% is prudent, with stabilizing unemployment and inflation rates signaling a steady economic year. "Employment rates have stabilized to the point where they're not forecasting a rate cut. I think they're anticipating steady rates between 3.5% and 3.75%," said Ryan Starks, Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. "Just having that predictability is the most important thing." Home mortgage rates took a sharp dip in January, Eskic reported, from 6.8% to 6%, which is something "you pay attention to" considering it happened in just a few days. Steady rates mean developers know exactly what to expect and can determine whether or not to pull the plug on projects that have been paused while more favorable rates are seen. Utah Expected to Have Moderate Economic Growth Eskic cited the Gardner Institute's 2026 Economic Report to the Governor when announcing a slew of favorable projected stats that underscore moderate 1.5% economic growth, including: • Steady job growth of 1.5%, including a robust 3.2% construction job growth (143,000 jobs); • Rising average wages of 3%-4%, with some construction trades expected to eclipse 5% wage growth; • Continued population growth, albeit at a slower 1.3% clip overall; Utah County led the way with 2.1% growth; • Low state unemployment rate of 3.3% in 2025, significantly better than the national average of 4.4%. While these numbers are down from peak totals within the past decade, they still portend a growing economy, with construction playing a vital role in the state's overall economic health. AGC Optimistic for Another Solid Year The Associated General Contractors of Utah (AGC of Utah) remains a steady voice for construction in the Beehive State, and its members "are cautiously optimistic about 2026, with the strongest confidence in infrastructure, power, and data-driven projects," said Joey Gilbert, AGC of Utah President/CEO, citing his association's record-level 700+ members statewide as an indicator of the health of the industry. “Utah's biggest structural advantage is that it's still a growth state with strong population gains and job growth creation with durable demand for housing, commercial space, and public infrastructure," added Robert Spendlove, Chief Economist for Zions Bank. "We also benefit from a relatively healthy labor market and strong household fundamentals. Utah's unemployment rate (hovering around 3%) remains lower than the national average (4.4%), and wage growth has been running above the U.S." That's not to say everything is peaches and cream, as job growth "has cooled compared to the post-pandemic surge," said Ken Simonson, AGC of America Chief Economist. "Contractors are still dealing with labor pressures, wages are expected to keep rising 4%-5%, and policy actions affecting labor availability could make staffing harder in 2026. At the same time, the national data show job openings have fallen, which is consistent with a market that's still tight in key trades, but less overheated than a year or two ago." Gilbert agreed that construction labor in Utah has steadied a bit, saying "the labor market is still tight but stabilizing, with steady wage growth and increased focus on workforce development and retention." There are other tailwinds in Utah's favor as 2026 begins. Spendlove said, "Utah's underlying economic fundamentals remain strong: population growth (about 1.5%) and employment growth (north of 2.0%) are still outpacing the U.S., which supports a steady pipeline of construction demand. “ Simonsen agreed that Utah remains a hot business market—yet again—to have another solid year. “Utah remains resilient. The opportunity set in 2026 looks best where demand is most durable—data centers, power, and infrastructure. Utah is well-positioned to compete [nationally] in those areas. Even with uncertainty, contractors are planning, not freezing. The main watchouts are financing conditions and cost volatility, but there's still meaningful work in the queue.” Gilbert added, ”Utah's construction industry is well-positioned in 2026 due to strong economic fundamentals and sustained demand in key sectors.” Demand Brisk for Data Centers, Infrastructure, Energy, Other Markets Contractors and designers recognize the rapidly rising demand for data centers, and therefore, the energy to drive power-thirsty—not to mention water-thirsty—projects, and are positioning themselves accordingly. Utah Governor Spencer Cox has "Operation Gigawatt" rolling, a 10-year initiative started in 2024 to develop new energy production across multiple power sources. "It's absolutely essential that we get in front of energy," said Starks. "We're seeing that from a population growth standpoint, but also from a commercial growth standpoint. With more development taking place, somebody's got to take the lead, and we feel like Utah is well-positioned to be that leader. The Governor wants to double energy production as part of the 'Operation Gigawatt' initiative. Our approach to energy is an 'all-of-the-above' approach—natural gas, solar, nuclear, geothermal." Gilbert said Utah's legislative leaders are keen to see Governor Cox's energy ideas come to fruition. "Their priorities are energy production and reliability," said Gilbert. "Senator [Stuart] Adams believes the state that controls AI will control the world. AI demands power and a lot of it. [State legislators are] dedicated to making sure Utah has infrastructure and power resources. We're looking at energy resources, from nuclear to solar and everything in between."

Like a Phoenix Rising

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
Residents have access to a wealth of modern, high-class amenities: Check out this open-air rooftop patio with tasteful lighting, pool, and spacious hot tub—it’s party time! (all photos courtesy Kier Construction)

Mission In Progress

By LADD MARSHALL • November 15, 2025
Steve Green is out in McCornick, Utah. Where is that? And what’s near McCornick? “Nothing,” joked Green, the Sr. Vice President for Wheeler Machinery Co. While he may be far from even the smallest of small towns, with Holden and its 492 residents 13 miles away, he’s close to the site of a major development in data center technology. Isolated on the western edge of the Sevier Desert, the Joule Data Center will also be isolated from the grid—by design. Operation Gigawatt Rolls On Green is one of many energy and power professionals hoping to double Utah’s power generation capacity by 2034 as a part of Operation Gigawatt, an initiative launched by Utah Governor Spencer Cox in October 2024. Utah has long been an economic growth leader; Operation Gigawatt aims to make Utah a power player in energy development by increasing transmission capacity, increasing energy production, strengthening policy, and investing in energy innovation. While Governor Cox’s Operation Gigawatt moves forward statewide, out in McCornick, Green said, “We’re doing operation gigawatt and a half off grid.” The Joule Data Center project team will deliver “In-situ power generation”—power not connected to any electrical distribution or transmission system. It starts with Caterpillar G3520K reciprocating generator sets that produce 1.5 gigawatts of electricity. Waste heat and exhaust from the generators then move through an absorption chiller system as part of the overall systems combined cooling, heat, and power (CCHP) solution, providing much of the water required to cool the data center servers. Beyond the electric power to be generated for the Joule project, there will be 1.5 gigawatts of thermal energy and 1.1 gigawatts of available battery storage to meet the data center's peak electricity needs. Added Green, “And we’re not taxing the local utility grid.” Isolated or Community Power? The massive power capabilities delivered there are impressive, but they reveal a troubling trend in how Utah will double its power generation capabilities. Will it be from well-funded companies looking to power data centers and AI technology separate from the grid? Or will Utah fulfill the mission of Operation Gigawatt by creating power solutions accessible to all? According to Troy Thompson, Chief Operations Officer for Big-D Companies, power generation is about more than supplying data centers. “In my mind, how do we build a billion-dollar hospital downtown that needs ten megawatts of power?” he said, referencing Intermountain Health’s future downtown Salt Lake campus, “let alone the data centers, and manufacturers who we are hoping that will come here?” Ten megawatts of power may pale in comparison to what data centers require, but it is one of many projects seeking regulatory approval to move forward. The Utah Inland Port Authority, the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, and others continue to drive projects and jobs into Utah—data centers, too. But Thompson said he has heard from many potential clients who are hesitant to bring their energy-intensive projects to the state without firm guarantees of available power. Operation Gigawatt and state leaders have embraced an "all of the above" approach to energy sources, extending the design lifespans of coal plants, embracing new technologies and power sources, and developing new power-generating capabilities. While the industry is willing, the operating environment needs rewiring to meet state goals. Changing for 21st Century Needs “With as hot as the Utah market is,” began Eric Haslem, “there are too many obstacles for us to overcome.” The market may be ready to ramp up production, said Haslem, Chief Operating Officer for Vernal-based utility and heavy civil contractors BHI, “But the current system can’t handle it. We have this massive web of transmission and distribution infrastructure that was not designed or built for the power demands of the 21st century.” “In 1970, they didn’t know what a smartphone was,” Haslem said, “let alone AI.” Transmission projects have been developed. Rocky Mountain Power/PacifiCorp’s Energy Gateway South transmission line—a 416-mile, high-voltage 500-kilovolt transmission line that runs from Mona to Medicine Bow, Wyoming—certainly helped when it went live in 2024. Still, it's just one project amidst a plethora of needs. Haslem stated that Utah's growth over the last 10 years meant a large majority of the transmission line's capacity was accounted for when it went live. .