A Campus to Bank On

Zions Bancorporation 400,000-SF Technology Center will be the hub of future activities for the company as it contributes to the ongoing development of a campus in Midvale.
By Taylor Larsen

“Remember the past with eyes to the future”


The simple slogan from Jennifer Smith, Executive VP and Chief Information Officer for Zions Bancorporation (Zions), was an inspiration for the interior phase of the Zions Bancorporation Technology Center. But those words and that sentiment are present in much more than the gorgeous interiors of Zions’ new building. As the project team began the massive undertaking, it would be hard to forget the past of the building site as team members worked together to create something with a steady eye to the future.


A Site to Behold


The 270-acre Sharon Steel Superfund site, where the Technology Center is located, is situated in the Jordan River Valley in Midvale. Milling and smelting conducted between 1906 and 1971 produced upwards of 10.5-million cubic yards of heavy metal tailings. The contamination was recognized in the 1980s and remediated in the late 1990s by installing a five-foot thick combined vegetated soil and geosynthetic cap over the site to prevent precipitation from leaching the site’s heavy metals into the Jordan River.


But there was also a future to consider and a better path to pursue.


With a development and master planning dream that had the potential to transform this site into the first phase of a sustainable community, that path has been realized. Integrating public transit and walkability to the Technology Center, utilizing a superfund site, and restoring nearby wildlife habitats would lay the groundwork. Creating an office space where people would feel welcome and connected would be the interior mission. 


Driving the entire project would be tricky. Spencer Allen, Sr. Project Manager for Layton Construction, explained it in the most straightforward way possible. 


“The [construction] priority was the schedule,” he said. Since the campus is a consolidation of satellite offices from across the U.S. into this one, “it was important for them to have substantial completion on the first of June so they could start bringing these people over.”


Every leading company needed to be on the same page. The response to that was a firm commitment—from owner Zions and developer Gardner Company, general contractors Layton Construction (interior) and Okland Construction (core and shell), and designers WRNS Studio (architect of record) and Method Studio (interior design). And that started well before the project broke ground.

Creating Foundation

The superfund status of the location made for an early challenge for the construction team. Like an onion, parfait, or even an ogre, this site had layers. Liners, clean fill, demarcation fabric, and more were present from the initial remediation efforts, but there were plenty of layers full of random debris from the site’s milling history, according to Eric Barton, Senior Project Manager for Okland Construction.

“Not knowing how much it is going to settle, not knowing what was in the soil—there was just no way to actually design the building to be supported by the existing soil,” said Barton. So engineers with BHB Structural designed a Torque Down Pile deep foundation system.

Barton explained it like a drill bit going through the soil. The hollow piles are installed by a combination of torque and downward force, while the custom fitting aids in both pile advancement and pile alignment throughout the installation.

BHB Structural’s Travis Brackus, Associate, said that the system allowed for a higher level of precision for pile location and plumbness versus a traditional driven-pile system. It even eliminated unwanted noise and vibrations associated with diesel hammers, too. According to Brackus, 380 Torque Down Piles support the 400,000-SF building.

Barton and Brackus both spoke of how the structural work created a crawl space under the building, which means the ground floor was a concrete and steel floor system much like the floors above.

Building Location

With the foundation set, architects led the next charge by designing a sustainable building that could anchor an overall campus. It would need longevity that would benefit the general public and the community of Midvale while providing beautiful office space where employees would want to be. WRNS’s design would emphasize the closeness of community through density and sustainability. According to Brian Shiles, Principal with San Francisco-based WRNS Studio, those emphases started with ownership.

“Zions was completely on board,” said Shiles of the concept to feature community sustainability on both the site and the building. “There was no resistance to this dialogue. [Zions] led it.”

The building itself is strategically positioned to be a better part of the community and emphasizes concepts not seen often in suburban areas. The Technology Campus is part of Midvale’s Jordan Bluffs master plan, which employs an urban design mentality centered on walkability and connection to the landscape, transit, and amenities.

Brain Millman, Principal with WRNS Studio, described the building massing as a major driver for the project. As a connector for the overall campus plan, he said the full building cantilevers out to the Jordan River, merging the density of the building with massing for viewers at every sight line. It provides an architectural connection to not just nature, but the community nearby as it serves as a focal point and draws people from the Jordan River Trail and the light rail station up the hill.

Exterior building choices included brick, glass, and zinc panels which combined with insulation to form a tight envelope. Barton reported that the zinc came from the Netherlands and is a 100-year material. He explained how the zinc panels are fastened to a z-channel that holds in place two inches of semi-ridged, high-density mineral wool insulation which covers the entire face of the building. A self-adhered air barrier on the exterior sheathing beneath the insulation and behind the brick portion provides additional envelope efficiency. All brick areas are capped with a precast concrete coping made to match the masonry.

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Masonry and glass are more common than the third material that made up the building façade: zinc. The gray zinc panels came from The Netherlands and provide a unique, long-lasting exterior to match a company with such a special and extensive legacy (photos by Endeavour Architectural Photography).

Progress Moves Vertical


A great site and solid planning concepts were a great start, but building up would be just as consequential to hold on to the initial vision behind the quote from Smith and create an interior that could match the intentionality of the core and shell and greater campus.


Several broad floors frame space, Shiles said, connect to the exterior garden, and support team building and collaborative work. A stock of smaller plates accommodates more focused work from employees and their respective teams. He spoke of how WRNS designed courtyards cut into the larger plate to provide employees with natural light, views, and access to nature. With private offices closer to the core of the building, majestic views are within the reach of every employee.


Layton’s Allen said it was a quick build considering the size of the building and the challenging construction environment. "It almost felt like miracles took place,” he said. Instead of two buildings that were in their first designs, the project team embraced one building with two massings—a six-story tower and a three-story massing—to lock in connectivity to the different offices from across the U.S. that would soon be sharing the same roof.


With both of the general contractors, the developer team, and other trade partners involved in another major project together just a few years ago, the project team re-combined seamlessly to create a great experience and a great building. 


“You're working together with another contractor, so you basically are joined at the hip,” said Allen. He said communication was on point as the two teams went about their separate scopes that came together to create a magnificent whole. “We met together weekly, if not more, with Okland.” Concerns, delays, and updates between the two contractors were readily shared. 


The contractor teams decided on a “flow” that would allow construction to progress on the northern, three-story portion of the building first then move south to another three-story portion of the building before moving east to the tower massing. As core and shell progress on each floor was completed and moved on to the next phase, tenant improvement began in its place. The breakup of the project over 12 phases of construction helped to keep quality control at the highest level. 


Allen credited the work done a few years ago, reemphasizing how greatness happens in unison. “Our success is together, our failure is together.”


That commitment to succeed together extended to everyone involved. Team members for interior designers Method Studio said the timing of this project meant that it was a 100% virtual design project. Kim Webb, Vice President and Project Architect of the Workplace Studio, spoke of the difficulties adjusting to the learning curve and not being able to inspect designs together in the same room.


With such a large contract and multiple major players in the scope, Webb explained how certain critical items were divided up between the interior and core and shell—made extra difficult without those consistent, in-person meetings to quickly remedy any potential issues. The wood trellis at the front desk that moves throughout the space and up the stairs was a critical mark and element needed for an inviting and awe-inspiring lobby befitting Zions.


But, with multiple contractors and subcontractors involved in this scope and materials coming from different parts of the country and a challenging construction schedule, the rift-cut white oak elements throughout the building would need to match at first go.


A Perfect Match


Match it did. Copious daylighting from extensive glazing provides additional warmth to the wood grain's natural touch. Millwork was one of many impressive features visible all over the office, one most apparent in the crown jewel: the “all-hands” space.


Allen described it as “the biggest selling point feature of the building.” One step in, and the praise is accurate. Wood grain throughout the two-story area, along with terrazzo flooring, giant windows looking out to the Jordan River and distant mountains, and an inviting feature stair make it into a flexible and beautiful space. Collapsable glass walls in nearby rooms combine with the impressive AV work done to provide training, announcements, lectures, and more to the hundreds who work in the building. 


Conference rooms just above the all-hands space give Zions some formal room to conduct business. Add to all of that the “Hub” and its full kitchen, cafeteria, and cafe back on ground level—all available for public use—and you have quite the setup. 


Interior design choices emphasize three pillars of balance for the company and its new tech building: strong foundation, innovation, and transparency. Masonry, wood, and metal showcase the owner’s strong Utah foundation. Screens, especially the wood grain “Z” pattern present in the all-hands space, are a nod to innovation. The glazing showcases the owner’s commitment to transparency.


The WRNS Studio team conducted a thorough analysis of façade performance and evaluated glazing and shading opportunities to build up a high degree of interior comfort. Triple paned windows perform incredibly in the winter and were installed on the east and north sides to deal with the cold, dark winters. The west and south façades, on the other hand, called for sun shades and solar protective devices that would still allow for the transparency wanted by the owner and create a well-lit comfortable space for employees and visitors.


Creating a Theme


Each of the six floor plates contains different colors, with branding that showcases the ripple effect of the company’s work funding historic projects and dreams across the West over the last century-plus. Jenn Celestino, Vice President and Project Designer with Method Studio, mentioned how the six stories have six corresponding floor names (Summit, Cirque, Mesa, Moraine, Caldera, and Playa) that give the interior a wayfinding element and an additional sense of place in the West.


She explained how two branding elements emphasize the connection between individual employees and the larger company. The ground floor timeline wall shows the history of Zions and how there are still plenty of stories to tell. Another ground floor piece, entitled “Foundations of our Future” highlights employees with individualized plaques that recognize the many who have helped Zions gain and maintain its premier status in Utah and beyond. 


Webb demonstrated during a tour how the building functions as a gallery of sorts for three local artists that Zions commissioned. Pieces from Jann Haworth, Brian Kershisnik, and Matt Monsoon all hang throughout the space, emphasizing different themes like the West, community, and diversity. Kershisnik’s “Work of Many” hangs prominently in the ground floor lobby, honoring this consolidation of resources that has combined to create this invigorating space.


Other specific branding elements include layers of silhouette profile graphics, all from the organization’s employees, that showcase the volume of people the company has influenced. Those same colors that represent the different floors are present here too, with a rainbow spectrum to reinforce the diversity that creates the strength of an organization. 


The creation of that type of space—a diverse, inclusive space where people would come to and enjoy—is something that Method Studio’s Marbe Agee, Principal of the Workplace Studio, felt like the project team knocked out of the park. “The feedback we received from Zions Bancorporation was that remote people wanted to be in this office.”


Good Stewardship


Through construction recycling and the use of recycled and recyclable materials, contractors and designers followed through on the owner’s commitments toward sustainability, recycling well over a combined 80% or more of cardboard, plastic, wood, and trash. Celestino spoke of how the terrazzo flooring and countertops on the various levels of the building all include recycled glass. 


Agee spoke about how this commitment to recycling included choosing recycled and recyclable carpets and Forest Stewardship Council-certified woods. Exterior brick was sourced locally from Interstate Brick for yet another sustainability win.


As a leading lender of renewable energy companies, Zions established aspirational sustainability goals tied to reducing carbon, improving air quality, and resiliency, according to the WRNS Studio team. The Technology Center is all-electric, targeting LEED Platinum with its goals—a high bar as the inaugural project of the overall Jordan Bluffs campus. Ongoing ecological reclamation efforts will support habitat restoration and the larger regional waterway while healing the site’s industrial past.


Regarding energy conservation and sustainability, the building utilizes over 2,000 photovoltaics to help offset 75% of the energy use for the building. Two light wells and terraces on the second floor provide another connective spot with nature while filling in more interior spaces with daylight.


And most importantly, at least to Agee, was how Zions, as a local member of the community, committed to strongly moving forward with this project amid so much insecurity.


“They put their money where their mouth was,” she said. “And not just the architecture and design communities, but the construction, trades, and craftsman that make these projects possible.” 


The building has built upon not only the site’s historic past but also the history of one of the premier Utah-based companies in Zions Bancorporation. But as it remembered the past, it is still looking forward. In a business world struggling to recruit and retain employees, superb construction and high design allowed a strong community ally to look ahead and achieve a top-class technology center where employees want to be.


Zions Bancorporation Tech Campus


Project Team

Owner: Zions Bancorporation

Developer: Gardner Company


Design Team

Architect: Method Studio, Inc. / WRNS Studio

Electrical Engineer: Spectrum Engineers 

Mechanical Engineer: PVE 

Structural Engineer: BHB Structural


Construction Team

General Contractor: Layton/ICS (T.I.), Okland Construction (Core & Shell):

Plumbing: Reliable Plumbing

Concrete (Core & Shell): Okland Constrcution (Structural Concrete, building conctrete, site walls), Gene Peterson (sidewalks, curb & Gutter)

HVAC: Altas Sheet Metal

Electrical: Rydalch Electric

Drywall/Acoustics:  K & L Drywall & Acoustics, CSI (Core & Shell):

Painting: Professional Painting, Grow Painting (Core & Shell):

Tile/Stone: Dowland Tile, Metro Tile (Core & Shell)

Masonry: Troy Hales Masonry (building), AK Masonry (Parking Structure)

Carpentry: Diversified Flooring, Contempo Cabinet & Mill (Core & Shell)

Flooring: Stewart Specialties (Sealed and Polished Concrete)

Glass/Curtain Wall:  Bountiful Glass (Interior Glass), Sykview Glass (Core & Shell)

Roofing: Utah Tile & Roofing (Core & Shell)

Waterproofing: Water Proofing West

Steel Fabrication & Erection: SME Steel Contractors

Excavation: Siri Contracting

Landscaping: Intermountain Plantings

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."