50 Years of Excellence at VBFA

The MEP firm established by Howard Van Boerum in 1972 has become one of the preeminent consulting engineering companies in the Intermountain region, with three satellite offices and headquarters in Salt Lake.
By Brad Fullmer

When J. Howard Van Boerum puts his mind to something, there is no slowing him down. 

The 84-year-old founder of one of Utah’s preeminent MEP engineering firms, Salt Lake-based Van Boerum & Frank Associates (VBFA), established his consulting firm in 1972. He intended for it to be the very best at what it did, and he worked diligently to achieve those results.

As the firm celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, Van Boerum admitted great satisfaction with the current state of the firm, which was No. 2 among all MEP firms in UC&D’s 2021 Top Engineering Firms rankings with $19.3 million in annual revenues from 2020, the firm's highest mark. He trusts that the current leadership will continue steering the company in the right direction. 

“I wanted to be the best, wanted to be the biggest, with a good reputation,” said Van Boerum. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished as a firm and as a team.”

In addition to its headquarters in Murray (the firm moved from its long-time Salt Lake location in 2020), VBFA has offices in Logan, St. George, and Tempe, Arizona, with a total of 125 employees. 


Early Days

The oldest of four kids, Van Boerum knew from an early age that he wanted to combine his drive and determination with his natural inclinations and become an engineer or architect. 


“I had my visions of being my own boss and having my name on the door,” he said. “I always liked drawing. As a kid I would draw 2D perspectives of homes—I remember drawing the home across the street. I had a propensity to like that kind of stuff.”

 

His father, John E. Van Boerum, worked hard for the federal government as a civilian commander at the Army Supply Depot in Ogden. He impressed upon young Howard the importance of going to college “so you don’t have to work for the damn government,” he chuckled. Van Boerum was also musically inclined, playing several instruments and forming a dance band in high school. He later served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Holland and married his college sweetheart, Joanne, upon his return.


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    Provo City Center Temple

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    Medical Center in Murray

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    Snowbird Resort Co-Gen Plant

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    Hale Center Theater in Sandy

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VBFA is renowned for its design of complex healthcare projects, including the landmark Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, a multi-building project on a 100-acre campus that opened in 2007 (all photos courtesy VBFA). The firm has vast MEP expertise in virtually every major building market. Some key projects in recent years include: the Snowbird Resort Co-Gen Plant; the Provo City Center Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and the Hale Center Theater in Sandy.

Starting Out

Van Boerum worked for Nelson Reeve Maxwell in Ogden prior to his mission and for two years after. He realized early on he didn’t want to work for a big company like Boeing, “being stuck in a big hangar with 500 people in a corner. I knew I wanted to be in business for myself,” he said. 

He moved to Salt Lake City to gain mechanical consulting experience at Hardy and Naylor then decided he was best suited to venture out on his own and started Van Boerum Associates on April 1, 1972. 

“I’ve always been driven to be good at what I was doing,” he said. “It became apparent that I needed to start my own firm.”

Life came quick and fast, as Van Boerum was called to be a Latter-day Saint Bishop of a Salt Lake congregation five weeks after starting his firm. He found himself pulled in myriad directions and challenged to find time to run his fledgling business, dedicate himself to his church calling, and tend to his wife and their four children (they would eventually add two more kids to their family). 

Joanne, who passed away September 21, 2021, at the age of 81, supported her husband’s ventures, despite him being a man of “too many aspirations,” he said. “If you shoot for the moon at least you’ll fall on a star,” he continued. “I didn’t always get home for dinner on time. I had to learn to compartmentalize.” He said he worked hard to be fully committed to home and church duties in addition to work and “tried not to let one interfere with the other. Those are the fun parts of life you look back on and say, ‘Well, I made it through!’” 

Lori Van Boerum Haglund, the oldest of Howard and Joanne’s six children and VBFA’s Marketing Director since 2001, recalled how hard both her parents worked on behalf of their family. Looking back at the firm’s success, Haglund said her father possessed all the key traits that make for an effective business owner and leader. 

“Integrity, drive, work ethic—he will always stand behind his work,” she said. “If there’s a problem, he’s honest and makes it right.”


Steady Growth 

Six months after establishing his firm, Van Boerum was approached by Lloyd Frank, owner of Associated Sheet Metal of Salt Lake, about hiring his son John, who had recently graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. 

“I had enough work that I needed help. [John Frank] and I were polar opposites in almost everything, but that turned out to be a herald for the business,” said Van Boerum, acknowledging the unlikely fit between them. “He appealed to a certain part of the industry and I did the other. He was a smart engineer and brought a lot to the table. He was a good partner.”

Frank, who formally retired in 2015, said, “Howard was always a good partner. He was not always the easiest to get along with, but I will tell you, we got along for 40 years and never had a major disagreement we could not resolve. You have to learn to work with your partners.”

Frank continued: “[…] We had a similar work ethic. We never tried to take advantage of clients. We worked hard and we were honest. We had a strong belief in helping our clients—that was 100% what it was about.”

Another key member of the firm, Kim Harris, came aboard in July 1977. The firm at that time was still relatively small, with only Van Boerum, Frank, and four other employees, but had just landed work on the University of Utah Medical Center expansion and needed help. Harris would go on to serve as VBFA’s President from 2006–2019 and was instrumental in growing the firm from 45 employees to more than 100. 

“I had an interest in owning my own business or being a key part of a business,” said Harris. “I didn’t want to work for a large firm and just be an employee, so this was a perfect fit and I was able to get in on the ground floor with Howard and John. I was fortunate they recognized potential in me.”

One of the key moments for the firm under Harris’ watch came within his first year as President, with the hiring of 16 employees in six months, the majority from Bennion Engineers, including Neil Spencer (retired 2014), Wade Bennion (current Principal), and Steve Shepherd (VBFA President from 2018–2021). 

“That was a big step from a business standpoint, taking on that many employees at once, but it propelled us forward,” said Harris. “We meshed well together.”

VBFA also began offering more in-depth electrical engineering services in 2007, becoming more of a full-fledged MEP firm. Mechanical engineering design still accounts for the majority of the firm’s revenues, but the electrical side has steadily grown over the years. 

Van Boerum said hiring talented people has been the underlying theme of VBFA’s success. 

“I had a philosophy; I would hire the smartest people I could find, people who were smarter than I was,” he said. “In the beginning, it was about being a better engineer and learning to be a better businessman.” 

He affiliated himself with the American Consulting Engineers Council, went to as many meetings as he could, met a lot of associates/friends, and “became a good businessman. I love the variety in our business. You have to be a good marketer, a good communicator. I love making presentations.”

“Howard was on the ball—his reputation was top-notch,” said Jeff Watkins, who was named President/CEO of VBFA in January 2022. “He’s been a great mentor and help, not just within the engineering community and my occupation, but advice for my own challenges and trials with family and life.”

“Howard is frank and to the point,” added Ladd Birch, Principal/Office Manager of the Southern Utah office in St. George. “I thought that’s how all businessmen are, but he has many unique qualities. He’s a great leader.”


Stout Reputation for Designing Complex, Challenging Projects

VBFA has built a stellar reputation over five decades of designing intricate and challenging MEP systems on a host of project types, from healthcare and education to municipal and sports/recreation—including several Olympic-related projects. 

Prior to the Salt Lake Winter Olympics in 2002, Van Boerum and Dave Eckhoff created a VBFA-EWP joint venture with their respective firms and toured the world looking at Olympic venues, so by the time the State of Utah put out an RFP for various projects for the 2002 games, they were ready to pursue the work. 

It paid off big-time, with the partnership landing design work for the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, including the bobsled/luge track, ski jump pool, the speed skating oval in Kearns, and an ice rink at Steiner Aquatic Center. The firm is also pursuing work for a potential return of the Olympics to Utah in 2030 or 2034.

Van Boerum said of the Olympic projects: “That’s one of the highlights of my career. It’s been a great thing to talk about over the years. It’s been a significant feather in our cap.”

Van Boerum and Harris recently completed a complicated cogeneration plant at Snowbird Resort in Utah, a remarkable project that Harris said was “not a cookie-cutter project, not everyday engineering. It’s the most complicated system I’ve ever designed.”

The firm has designed numerous healthcare projects, including Intermountain Medical Center in Murray and several phases of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, another highly satisfying accomplishment for Van Boerum.

K-12 projects have also been a key market segment, with the firm displaying its innovative chops in the design of ground source heat pump systems that offer schools greater energy savings—up to $40,000 annually. 

“It’s been embraced more than I ever would have expected,” said Wade Bennion, who leads all K-12 work. “We’re seeing more of a push nationally and locally for sustainability and it’s pushing towards all-electric systems and getting away from natural gas.” 


Key Executives Reflect on 50 Years, Future Outlook

Another of the firm’s hallmarks is the number of long-time employees who have been with the firm for multiple decades. The importance and significance of a 50th anniversary is not lost on them. 

“[Howard’s] legacy is this culture has been maintained for 50 years,” said Harris. “He set the culture of taking care of clients, taking care of employees, and doing quality work.”

“It’s been an exciting journey!” said Lisa Simons, who started at VBFA in 1992 when the firm had 27 employees and serves as Business Development Director working out of the Tempe office. “VBFA’s leadership is a true testament to the firm’s ability to attract top engineering talent. Our culture is focused on collaboration and mentorship, which has created friendships that last decades and promote staff longevity.”

Simons said that although Van Boerum and Frank had differing leadership styles, their values were aligned—achievement, integrity, and individual accountability. 

“It has been a privilege to work with Howard, John, Kim Harris, Steve Shepherd, and now Jeff Watkins,” she added. “Each has contributed to the growth and success of VBFA.” 

“It’s impressive to think about 50 years,” said Watkins. “Success requires the efforts of the whole company—one person can’t do it all.”

He added, “Howard gave me some advice back in the mid-’90s that is still valid today, where I can step into this role and succeed. It’s not about me, it’s about the engineers, the BIM specialists, our administration team—all of us together is what makes VBFA successful.”

VBFA is comprised of a talented cast that includes 11 principals, 5 associate principals, and 13 associates, along with designers, drafters, and support staff. Principals include: 


  • Jeff Watkins, President/CEO 
  • Ben Davis, Vice President/COO
  • Don Bradshaw, Vice President, CIO
  • Dave Baranowski, Corporate Secretary
  • Wade Bennion, Chairman of the Board
  • Ladd Birch, Vice President, CFO/Director of Southern Utah Operations
  • Byron Torgersen, Director of Arizona Operations
  • Ray Vernon, Director of Northern Utah Operations 
  • Jed Lyman, Principal
  • Scot Muir, Principal
  • Brad Rosenhan, Principal


Watkins believes the future is as bright as it has ever been, and is confident the firm will continue to thrive in Utah, Arizona, and the Intermountain West in general. 

“We’re a mainstay,” Watkins said. “We have great leaders and great people who work at VBFA. As people retire, it’s hard to see. These are people you’ve worked side-by-side with for a long time. It’s a realization that it’s now our responsibility and the buck stops with us. I’m excited about the future and confident we will continue to serve our clients effectively and maintain our high standards of quality.”

Van Boerum is also optimistic that those carrying on his name are poised for great future success. 

“We have always tried to hire the very best, and I couldn’t be more proud of the people we have today,” he said. “It’s exciting to know my childhood dreams came to fruition and that we are thriving 50 years later. I’m very proud of what we have accomplished together.”


One of the firm’s most iconic projects is the Bobsleld/ Luge Track at Utah Olympic Park in Park City. VBFA founder Howard Van Boerum stands in the track during construction in 2000. Van Boerum called the complex project “one of the highlights of my career”.

VBFA has completed design on numerous K-12 and Higher Education projects, including Odyssey Elementary (above left), Davis County School District’s first-ever ‘Net-Zero’ designed school, and the Human Performance Center at Utah Tech University (formerly Dixie State).

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. .

One-Stop Shop

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
And the King shall answer and say unto them, "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."—KJV Matthew 25:40 From a social and community impact standpoint, few projects match the value to disabled and special needs individuals as the new Utah State Development Center (USDC) Comprehensive Therapies Building in American Fork. The $36 million, 65,000-SF facility was designed as a "one-stop shop," said Joe Jacoby, President of Salt Lake-based Jacoby Architects, whose team led the project’s design. It consolidates and modernizes myriad services under one roof, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, recreational therapy, speech, language, and hearing resources, and behavioral health resources. In addition, the new building offers full-service medical and dental clinics, an indoor therapy pool, an Autism treatment wing, and workshops for life skills and vocational training—all geared to helping people live independent, authentic lives, while striving to reach their full potential. "This building was very much about accessibility," Jacoby said, "and putting in many different types of resources for these residents—all in one building." Jacoby's firm has significant recent experience in projects that combine education and healthcare for people with special needs. The firm's design of the Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence in Utah State University's College of Education and Human Services earned UC+D's 2016 Most Outstanding K-12 Project. Two years later, the firm earned another UC+D award for the C. Mark Openshaw Education Center for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, a project similar to this one in that it contains an array of services, including education and therapy for varying levels of sensory, behavioral, physical, and cognitive abilities. "We've been working on different [design] aspects for many years, starting with a deaf preschool, which led to working with the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind," said Jacoby. "With that came many other sub-specialties, like therapy for behavioral issues, cognitive issues, development disabilities, and even speech, language and hearing clinics. It helps people with a variety of disabilities and serves an underserved population of people."

Built Different

By Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
On a fall tour of Utah State University's (USU) Carolyn & Kem Gardner Learning & Leadership Building (Gardner Building), students and faculty are hard at work on a late Tuesday afternoon. Getting here, where USU's business school students could thrive, was a long time coming. The University commissioned the Gardner Building to meet a new mission for the school outside the traditional knowledge acquisition and transfer for which USU has excelled since its founding in 1888: Giving students a differentiated experience they cannot get anywhere else. Purpose Revealed Frank Caliendo, Senior Associate Dean of the Huntsman School of Business, said that the new building is the third and final piece of the business complex, "a realization of the longtime vision of Dean Douglas Anderson, the driving force behind the school's transformation, to meet the needs of students for generations to come." Caliendo, a longtime Aggie (USU BS, '98; PhD, '03), said that, even after the opening of the George S. Eccles Business Building and its faculty offices and classrooms in 1970, growth in business courses eventually outpaced the school's capacity. Jon M. Huntsman Hall's 2016 opening broke the campus bottleneck, with classrooms and other spaces dedicated to business school participants. "But we still needed space for our centers and experiential learning programs," Caliendo said, of the importance of collaborative spaces and differentiated experience for the five programs (see page XX) that would call the Gardner Building home. The design intent for this final piece wasn't a re-creation of Huntsman Hall, Caliendo said of the initial message to MHTN Architects, "But it does need to rhyme with Huntsman Hall." Working within a Busy Environment The first order of business was siting the building just east of the other two business school structures. Stan Burke, Project Manager for Jacobsen Construction, said the Gardner Building was part of a trio of projects that included Ridge Point Hall and a parking garage—three Jacobsen-led projects that utilized the same construction corridor as construction commenced from "An active campus is difficult enough," said Burke of the challenges of simultaneous construction, which required constant coordination amongst the three teams, made a tad easier as they shared a job trailer. "We had to stay cognizant of the school's activities and coordinate with them so that everyone was aware of what we were doing." Coordination went from important to critical, with the three teams meeting daily to discuss coordination and scheduling material and equipment deliveries in 15-minute intervals as the respective construction teams worked on each of the three structures.

The Long and Winding Road

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
Warren and Jennie Lloyd (above) have built Salt Lake-based Lloyd Architects into a well-rounded, versatile firm capable of excelling in both the commercial and custom residential markets, as evidenced by projects such as Snuck Farm in Pleasant Grove (main photo) and this cozy private Powder Mountain based cabin in Eden (below ).

Power Player

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
The last five years have been a whirlwind for the Larry H. Miller Company (LHM), with the organization selling the majority of its beloved Utah Jazz franchise in October 2020 for a reported $1.66 billion, followed by the sale of its auto dealership empire of more than 70 properties for a reported $3.2 billion a year later. The influx of nearly $5 billion was parlayed into several jaw-dropping real estate and other corporate purchases, including: —1,300 undeveloped acres within the massive 4,100-acre Daybreak development in South Jordan in April 2021. —Advanced Health Care Corp. in January 2021, a transitional health care provider with operations in eight states (primarily in the west) and 3,500 employees. —The purchase of the majority stake in Swig, a leader in the flavored soda craze, in May 2023. — Partnering with Utah Trust Lands Administration to develop 1,200 acres in Saratoga Springs. — The acquisition of over 1,000 acres near Park City and Hideout will include multi-family units, housing, restaurants, and retail. —100+ acre mixed-use development in an area along North Temple being dubbed “The Power District”; the future home of not only Rocky Mountain Power’s new corporate campus but potentially a ballpark for a future Major League Baseball expansion team. —A reported $600 million acquisition of controlling interest in MLS team Real Salt Lake and NWSL team Utah Royals, along with associated infrastructure, including America First Field and Zions Bank Training Center. —The development of Downtown Daybreak, a 200-acre parcel that this year saw its 30-acre Phase I debut with the completion of the Salt Lake Bees' new 8,000 capacity stadium—dubbed The Ballpark at America First Square—in April, followed by a new Megaplex cinema entertainment center in July with luxury theatres, bowling, games and a scratch-made kitchen in addition to an open air plaza. A seven-story, 190-unit multi-family development is currently under construction and rising along the right field bleachers, with views that will look down into the ballpark upon completion next year. And LHM is just getting started, said Brad Holmes, President of Larry H. Miller Real Estate since 2018, calling Downtown Daybreak a "new urban center that is central to where the majority of growth is occurring" and combines a "full spectrum of business and year-round entertainment, culture and connectivity, as well as a wide range of housing options." When LHM executives first conceived of a new home for the Salt Lake Bees, Holmes said they went on a "ballpark tour" of MLB and minor league stadiums, and "really fell in love with a ballpark" in Durham, North Carolina—home of the Durham Bulls—which had buildings that framed in the stadium. So, The Ballpark at America First Square has the multi-family project underway in right field, with a proposed hotel slated to begin next year in left field. "In another two seasons, you'll have this urban setting for the ballpark that frames the mountain views. [The design is] really intentional, and I think it will bring a finished edge to Downtown Daybreak," said Holmes. "It was a process trying to figure out the best location, site plan, traffic, but it's in a great spot. The goal for us was to make it feel like it fit in with the community, almost like having a baseball stadium inside of a park, with an open corridor that connects to a plaza."  Holmes said the seemingly small 8,000-capacity stadium (about half the capacity of the Bees former home at Smith’s Ballpark) aligns with national trends. "It's better to play in front of a sold-out crowd than in a half-empty stadium. Some new MLB stadiums are at 30,000 [capacity]. The trend is smaller, more intimate venues with closer views of the field."

Hogan Construction 80th Anniversary

By Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
Much has changed about Hogan & Associates Construction since the company's inception 80 years ago. The name may be the most obvious example, the size of the company may be another giveaway, and the difference in markets served might require a double take if the founders could see the company today. But what hasn't changed is the firm's desire to build communities. It has regularly built important, community-focused projects with a similar purpose since the company came to life in 1945.

(De)signed, Sealed, Delivered

By Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
Imagine this: A company has just begun a meeting with the intent of moving forward with a major investment. One party knows something that will help minimize the investment's risk. Should that party tell everyone, it will save money, time, and everyone involved from future headaches. So when should that party spill the beans? At the beginning of the meeting At the end of the meeting At the right time during the meeting Never Bradley Crocker, Director of Preconstruction for Mollerup Glass, has seen how answering this question correctly—and choosing “A”—brings about successful and profitable investment in commercial construction. “I think that [project teams] need to bring in subcontractors early to help guide budgets in general,” said Crocker, detailing how every trade can bring a similar level of expertise to architects and owners by being involved from the beginning of the “meeting”, while the project is in design. Why? “We can vet cost versus performance and find the best value for the performance, which is essential as meeting or beating the budgets gets the project to construction on time,” said Ben Hiatt, Chief Estimator for Steel Encounters. After all, he said, “Nothing moves if budgets are not met.” Design-assist is a positive step forward, where subcontractors assist in matching design intent with a deep understanding of building envelopes to ensure glazing, roofing, walls, and fenestrations perform at their highest level. Glenn Rainey, Salt Lake City Branch Manager, and Larry Luque, Senior Estimator and Business Developer for Flynn Companies, each said efforts in design-assist fulfill what owners and architects want: buildings that meet the design intent and perform at their highest level for as long as possible. It’s not just architects who benefit from that early involvement. “More GCs realize they need us right up front,” said Luque. With teams whose combined experience totals thousands of hours, building envelope contractors stay up to date on changing codes, materials, and specifications, which is highly beneficial to the project. Their close involvement with vendors can help ensure a variety of solutions that meet each job’s needs and help optimize building envelope performance. Consultant Involvement Other parties are lending their expertise. Brandt Strong said building envelope quality has increased with the arrival of more building envelope consultants in Utah and a greater dedication to the building envelope in general. “We had a time where we could say ‘This is a Vegas project, and we have to have the belt and suspenders,’” said Strong, Director of Operations for Mollerup Glass. On Utah projects, the building envelope used to be an afterthought. But it’s changed for the better over the years. “The Utah teams are as sophisticated as anywhere else.” While the markups on shop drawings can draw some ire, both mentioned how working with consultants has led to better, more efficient projects, potentially reducing the need for future repairs by inspecting every material and transition on the building envelope. Said Crocker, “We cannot discredit the envelope consultants’ role in making us, and the industry as a whole, perform at a higher level.” Hiatt credited each party overseeing the building envelope scope for learning and adapting to create a better building environment, specifically in understanding seismic drift and its relationship to glazing, as well as thermal performance and continuity. Improvements to air-barrier coordination and tie-ins to stop water and air leaks are helping buildings operate at peak efficiency. “The architects, general contractors, consultants, and trades have improved their knowledge over the years,” said Hiatt. “Design and execution of façades are better coordinated and executed.”

Taylor Electric Thriving at 50

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
Taylor Electric proved its mettle on the challenging Salt Lake International Airport, Southeast Concourse project, with their portion of work concluding in October 2023. (all photos courtesy Taylor Electric)

Hungry and Ready

By Bradley Fullmer and Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
By Bradley Fullmer It's been a whirlwind 18 months for Adam Del Toro and Nick Pexton, who co-founded Fountain Green-based Reliance Engineering Services in May 2024, a company specializing in full-service telecommunications engineering, including design, project management, permitting, and funding and grant applications. Two years ago, Del Toro was more than a decade into his career as a Research & Development Supervisor for natural gas giant Dominion Energy, while Pexton was working for Nephi-based Rocky Mountain West Telcom (RMWT) as a Sr. Director of Business Development, with just over four years at the company. The two had met a couple of years earlier while collaborating on a potential fiber optic network project in Mona that never happened. Neither was particularly content with their respective positions, so when Del Toro got a random call from Pexton in March 2024, the timing could not have been better. "I was planning on leaving the natural gas industry and start my own firm [...] Nick happened to call the day I was putting in my two weeks [at Dominion],” said Del Toro, 39. "It definitely felt like Providence was helping us." "Somebody was looking after us, because the timing was unbelievable," added Pexton, 35. "It's crazy how things lined up." Del Toro is a native of St. George and earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Utah State University in 2011. After 2.5 years as a USU Graduate Research Assistant, he joined Dominion Energy in January 2013, where he designed major natural gas systems and structures. Del Toro also earned a Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, Kentucky) in 2023, and moonlights as a counselor at The Center for Hope in Springville, where he helps clients address life challenges both personally and professionally. Pexton is a native of Nephi and studied at Utah Valley University from 2008 to 2010, and earned the Certified Telecommunications Network Specialist designation from Teracom Training Institute (2013-2014). Pexton joined Nephi-based Mid-State Consultants, a telecommunications engineering firm, in March 2011 and spent more than nine years there. He joined RMWT in June 2020, gaining experience in project management and operations. After that fortuitous phone call from Pexton to Del Toro, the pair met four times from March to May to "make sure we were aligned on what the company would look like," Pexton said. "It was a pretty quick process," added Del Toro. "We got talking about goals, how to build a general company vision. I trusted Nick's background and experience, and his character, as well. It was a big risk, but I'm a sink-or-swim guy. If those are my options, I'm going to swim!" Since teaming up, the pair have been aggressive regarding company growth, having exploded from just the two of them to 30 employees, with revenues expected to more than quintuple from $560,000 in 2024 to nearly $3 million by the end of this year. Both expect the telecommunication market to be a fruitful, busy market given the need for fiber optics to rural America, in addition to the "Internet for All" initiative in May 2022 that was part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) implementation of the infrastructure law that allocated $65 billion to improve high-speed Internet access. Utah, specifically, received $330 million, with the goal of reaching some 40,000 unserved homes and businesses. The firm's location in Sanpete County puts them in the center of the state geographically, and they're committed to working with communities of all sizes to improve their internet capacity. In addition to Utah, Reliance is working in Michigan and Oklahoma, and Del Toro and Pexton expect to land significant future work throughout the Midwest. They want to grow intentionally while ensuring a diversity of revenue streams. "We set some early goals, and we've been able to do really well—we're on track to beat our goals," said Del Toro, crediting the many employees who have joined the firm. "Those individuals took great risks coming on board. We anticipate we'll be even larger next year with the work coming down the pipeline." "Our outlook has been wise," said Pexton. "We've taken into consideration diversification into other sectors—that's a key element. Adam has experience in the natural gas industry, and we want to further our diversification and get into the power side of the industry." Major clients include the federal government (USDA), utility companies, and municipalities, with a focus on rural communities. "We love Sanpete County," said Del Toro. "We value helping the communities we live and work in and providing services that help build up the community and hopefully help the residents." "We depend on repeat work from 18 major clients, and continuously getting work from them," said Pexton. "The minute we stop doing a good job, they can go someplace else. As long as we do a good job, we'll keep getting work." The pair expect Reliance to maintain its explosive growth, perhaps even doubling its employee total in another 12 months. "Next year's [revenue] goal is $4.8 million," said Pexton. "We have confidence in what our workload will be like. We are scaling quite dramatically and want to grow at a healthy pace, where we're not stringing ourselves out too thin. We're in a good position right now."