Profiles
Former Granite executive Tom Case was a bit of a nomad during his 27-year career that saw him move six times, including two stints (14+ years) at the firm’s Salt Lake office.
Just over a year ago, Ben Rogers completed a complex restoration of the very first car he purchased as a 17-year-old in 1984—a sleek, cherry red 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle, one of the premier “muscle cars” from the historic 1960’s automaking decade in the U.S. Rogers said he self-performed 95% of the intensive work on the car (he hired someone to paint it)—which he originally purchased for $400 from a lady in his neighborhood in St. George. It proved to be a true labor of love. “It’s been fun,” said Rogers, who started the full rebuild process in 2017, and at one point was asked by his wife, Michelle, what the budget was for this project. “I said, ‘Well, there isn’t one’. A budget just limits what you can do,” he smiled. He’s tricked out the prized automobile with all-new interiors, a new suspension, a stiffer frame, and a high-powered 6.2-liter LS3 Corvette engine. Needless to say, it hauls ass. He hadn’t driven it since 2010, so the first time he took it out for a spin down St. George Boulevard since finishing its restoration, he cranked Aldo Nova’s 1982 hit “Fantasy” (chorus: Life is just a fantasy, can you live this fantasy life?)—along with some classic Van Halen. He said he’s had it over 100 mph once but tends to keep it within the posted speed limit—usually. At the beginning of 2022, Rogers, 54, along with long-time co-worker Scott Gilberg, 46, set out building a different kind of project: founding St. George-based Desert Edge Architecture. They had spent the past 22 and 16 years, respectively, honing their craft at a prominent Utah architecture firm and felt the time was right to venture out on their own. “We joked about it for a long time, that maybe one day we’ll do it,” said Rogers of the decision they made to switch gears well into their careers and start a firm in Southern Utah’s largest city. “Those discussions would go by the wayside because we love what we do and enjoyed working together. It was just never a priority, and we didn’t need to push it.” “I had cold feet initially,” Gilberg admitted. “I got a little more confident as our client base continued to grow. I needed more confidence. It got to a point financially where I could take that risk, and I warmed up enough to the idea to where we were taking the steps necessary to make it happen.”
S o far during their 19-year marriage, Donavon and Andrea Minnis—CEO and Treasurer, respectively, of Salt Lake-based Engage Contracting—have built/remodeled six houses to date, becoming so adept at the process that friends just refer to them as the famous TV couple of the hit show “Fixer Upper.” “Our friends call us ‘Chip and Joanna’ (Gaines),” laughed Donavon. “We’ve done a lot of homes together. They were our homes. Honestly, we were able to build up enough equity [flipping homes], which helped us start Engage.” Their first house project was a complete gut and remodel in Salt Lake’s Rose Park neighborhood, which they bought for $89,000 and sold two years later for $169,000. They’ve also remodeled/sold homes in Woods Cross, Bluffdale, and Murray, where they live with their two children (13 and 12 years old). Andrea recalled a memory from a Mother’s Day several years ago when they were hanging insulation during a driving rainstorm while their children happily played on a dirt hill. “We both are really determined to get it done—we are not afraid to work,” said Andrea. “We just do crazy things.” They started to work full-time building Engage Contracting in January 2019, based largely on Donavon’s 20-plus years of professional experience in construction and the contacts he made. A dozen of those years were spent working for a prominent Salt Lake-based general contractor, where he quickly proved himself and moved up the ranks from assistant superintendent to director. When he left in 2017 for another opportunity, he said it was a difficult decision, but highly values and appreciates the mentorship he received. It didn’t take long for the Minnises to realize Donavon’s career trajectory wasn’t meeting their aspirations, and together decided that going out on their own was worth the risk. Quickly Inseparable Donavon grew up in Murray, the son of a painting contractor, Scott Minnis, who owned Master’s Touch Painting. He remembers doing homework in the bed of his dad’s truck and then joining crews on job sites from the age of 11. By 17, he was working full-time. Andrea’s father was in the military and her family moved a lot growing up, coming to Utah in 1999. She graduated from Dugway High in 2000. They met at a Christian ministry at the University of Utah at the beginning of 2002, and prior to their first official date on February 1. Donavon took Andrea to check out a job he was going to paint, a feature wall for Pier 1 Imports in Park City. “I didn’t know it was a date, I thought we were hanging out with other people,” said Andrea. “We went to the Mayan (restaurant) and saw ‘A Walk to Remember’. A year to the day later, we got married.” “We quickly became inseparable,” said Donavon. Andrea, who earned a Master of Therapy from the U of U, worked seven years at Primary Children’s Acute and Inpatient Rehab, and now serves as Treasurer of Engage, which encompasses a slew of administrative-related duties. Donavon earned a Bachelor of Construction Management from Weber State University from 2006-10, a grueling period for the couple as they both worked full-time, raised their kids, and remodeled a couple of houses. “You learn the value of a power nap,” said Donavon, citing 16- to 18-hour days. “It was a long five years,” Andrea agreed. Poised for Growth When the couple began working full-time at Engage three years ago, they immediately contacted people Donavon had worked for at USPS, which proved fortuitous. “They were issuing an emergency JOC contract when we called. We were able to bond the contract and that has propelled us,” he said, citing $20 million in USPS contracts in Washington and California alone. During the firm’s first three years in business, revenues have risen meteorically year over year. Donavon said his CFO asks him daily, “How big do you want to be?” Could Engage become a $100 million per year company? “I don’t think it would be hard,” said Donavon, coolly. “I am shocked at how much we’ve been able to grow. We’ve doubled in size every year, if not tripled. It sets the stage to make us comparable to other general contractors in the valley. We don’t want to be seen as just a smaller [tenant improvement] company.” One of the firm’s current major projects is a remodel of a former Dick’s Sporting Goods in The Gateway in Salt Lake into an expanded office space for Recursion Pharmaceuticals. Other recent projects include a $550,000 remodel of the Columbia Care Pharmacy in Springville, a $2.2-million remodel of Edwards Lifesciences Cleanroom 5 in Draper, and a $5.2-million HVAC upgrade for USPS in Fresno, California. “We’ve picked up some massive projects recently,” he added. These include: the North Gate project at Hill Air Force Base in Clearfield, a building that will conduct in-depth searches of trucks coming into the base; a sizable biotech industry project in downtown Salt Lake; the firm’s first two ground-up projects which are slated to break ground in Draper later this year. “It’s a little daunting and scary, right?” posed Andrea. “It’s absolutely scary,” replied Donavon, smiling.
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.
Drawing from a Well of Understanding Hans and Jessica Hoffman While meeting new people happens all the time, real connection is often unexpected but can be the start of an incredible bond. Jessica and Hans Hoffman’s first meeting was in a physics class, then at a basic design studio while at college years ago. Their connection was shared ideologies and passions. What began over 20 years ago at the University of Utah’s School of Architecture has turned into a family of four. The constant connection in all of it? Their love of both good design in the built environment and each other. Hans’ architectural passions developed while working on his first sports and resort projects. He eventually used his skills and relationships to open up his own firm in 2006, Hoffman architects LLC. On the other side of the relationship, Jessica has helped FFKR Architects become one of the premier design firms statewide since she started work there over 20 years ago. Hans’ eye for design is best seen with resort projects in Canyons and stadiums both local—softball stadiums at Dixie State University and the University of Utah—and abroad—Seaman Stadium for the Okotoks Dawgs in Canada. Jessica’s work has also taken her both near and far, whether for the underground work at City Creek Mall in downtown Salt Lake City or for tribal projects like the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Administration Building outside of Sacramento. Beyond the travel for work, their constant connection to architecture has broadened their perspective for what’s possible in the built environment and what it can achieve. Work has also shown both Jessica and Hans the strength found in one another. Hans loves sharing a profession with his partner, especially hearing the stories that Jessica brings home after working with her clients. “There is a genuine feeling that she steps forward to help clients understand things,” Hans said. He sees Jessica as a natural leader, one who is great at client relations because she connects to their needs; every client knows she will take care of their project. “It’s cool to hear how the clients’ understanding evolves under her leadership.” Jessica loves how Hans has taken the reigns to find his own personal joy. “His drawings are gorgeous,” she said. “He was meant to do this. He’s helped me prioritize what is important in the profession and how to be better. He’s a confident, talented, amazing human [… and] he’s so fun to be with.” For them, their profession isn’t just a livelihood, but a shared passion. “When we go on vacation, it’s centered around architecture and the built environment,” Hans said. During one trip to celebrate a friends’ birthday in Las Vegas, their friends teased the Hoffmans about how the architects can’t resist discussing perspectives on surrounding architectural choices. “We taught them to look upward and discuss how things are designed and constructed,” he said, Even as their friends tease the couple about their passion, the Hoffmans don’t mind sharing the gospel of good design. After all, “it’s how you experience space. It’s how you feel,” Jessica said about the choices made by architects—a warm material here, the shadows and daylight hitting a certain spot—and how all of those things within man-made spaces can bring about such incredible experiences. “All of those things translate into feelings. They mentioned that this passion for good design has brought them to see and understand some of the lovely peaks of architecture. Whether that was at a Tom Kunding hotel in Cabo San Lucas, or meeting and listening to internationally renowned architect Glenn Murcutt and touring around places like Sydney, Australia. It’s a passion that has been instilled in their kids. Whether it is talking about the business of architecture, ADA ramps, or accessibility, “we joke that our kids could pass the architecture exams just listening to us for the last 20 years,” said Jessica. With exams comes licensure and practice, another commonality between the two. While Jessica has served on the board of directors for AIA Utah and currently serves as President-Elect, Hans has served on the State of Utah Architects Licensing Board and many National Council of Architectural Registration Boards committees. While he shows the technique, she voices the message: the architectural community in Salt Lake City is where top-tier design talents lie. That good design and high-quality architecture are how we best enjoy the built environment. It goes back to that birthday trip in Vegas years ago, telling everyone in their sphere that good design needs to be shared and understood. It’s taking a look at something that can be so taken for granted—homes, hospitals, offices, and community spaces—and seeing how the space they occupy can best achieve the goals of the companies, families, and individual people that occupy them. “We’re evolving in terms of design,” said Jessica. “There’s great new design here in Salt Lake.” And the Hoffmans plan to be there every step of the way, helping move Utah architecture forward.
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