Wagstaff Crane Service and Sure Steel worked together on the installation of a pedestrian skybridge, one of many highlights on this latest dynamic phase at HCI. (photo courtesy Wagstaff Crane Service)
A New Hope
Stunning new $178 million Kathryn F. Kirk Center is the latest state-of-the-art facility on the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the U of U, the fifth phase of a glorious campus spanning the past quarter century. By Doug Fox
As has been common on virtually every phase of HCI over the years, contractors were challenged by a tight worksite on a bustling university campus. (photo courtesy Layton Construction)
By serving five states in the Mountain West region, the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) already provides care to the largest geographic region of any center in the United States. Its ability to care for those patients—and the 52,000+ new cancer diagnoses expected in the region this year alone—just improved substantially with the opening of the Kathryn F. Kirk Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care and Women's Cancers.
The new 10-story center—overall the fifth expansion phase on the HCI campus in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah—adds 225,000 SF and increases the institute's clinical care capability by 50%. The $178 million project adds 48 inpatient rooms, an entire floor dedicated to breast and gynecologic cancers, an operating room suite, an endoscopy center, a blood and marrow cancer treatment space, an expanded wellness and integrative health center, and an oncology faculty workspace.
Mary Beckerle, PhD, and CEO of the institute, said the opening of the Kirk Center is not only a significant milestone that greatly enhances the research and patient care organization's mission, but also specifically addresses the growing need for specialized cancer care and early detection services in the Mountain West, ensuring patients receive the best possible care.
"This expansion allows us to perform more sophisticated cancer surgeries and serve more patients effectively," Beckerle said. "Patients now have access to more than 325 innovative clinical trials, giving them the opportunity to explore cutting-edge treatments and therapies."
According to Lisa Whoolery Ramidan, Senior Principal at Salt Lake-based Architectural Nexus, the design firm that oversaw the project (and all five phases of the iconic campus), the goal of the new center is to capitalize on the HCI's previous success to further develop the facility and care for patients.
"The mission of the HCI is patient first, united effort, and excellence in all it does," Ramidan said. "The expansion will further enhance the ability to meet that mission to serve patients."
The project, which held its ribbon-cutting May 8 and began welcoming outpatient and inpatient appointments in June, appears well-positioned to accomplish all of that.
A Beacon on the Hill
Sandy-based Layton Construction provided general contractor duties for the project, which held its groundbreaking on Sept. 9, 2019, and reached substantial completion in April of this year.
One of the project's biggest challenges, Layton representatives said, had to be resolved right from the beginning and revolved around location logistics and site availability. With the new center's location planned to sit on the side of a mountain, up against a preserve, the site first had to be prepped with blasting and excavation—a time-consuming process. Complicating matters was the fact patient treatments and regular work continued in the campus' other four existing buildings.
"As with any healthcare project, it is our goal to work seamlessly with hospital operations," said Jim Faussett, Senior Superintendent for Layton Construction. "We excavated for approximately nine months and then blasted for eight months—all while prioritizing the facility's patients and staff."
Faussett said the crew specifically scheduled daily blasting at 5 p.m. to ensure linear accelerator procedures were complete for the day in case recalibration was needed. In addition, they learned that their presence, and the blasting, actually turned out to be a welcome distraction to patients rather than an annoyance.
"The director at Huntsman informed us on multiple occasions how patients enjoyed watching us work so much that they would schedule their infusion treatments during that specific time of day to watch the blasts," Faussett said.
Another construction and engineering challenge was erecting a double-decker bridge that needed to be set prior to building the Kathryn F. Kirk Center due to site access and schedule availability.
According to Jeff Miller, a Principal at Reaveley Engineers in Salt Lake City, the two-level patient transport bridge connects the existing cancer hospital (the Phase II expansion) with the new Kathryn F. Kirk Center.
"For the bridge to connect to the necessary circulation points, almost the entire length needed to extend over the roofs of the existing Phase II and Phase III buildings," Miller said. "The new loads imposed on the existing structure by the bridge needed to be supported with little to no interruption to the ongoing function of the existing hospital space. After working with the architectural team to study several options for configuring and supporting the bridge, a solution was developed to support the bridge on existing concrete walls at a stair core in Phase 2. This made it possible to perform all bridge construction above the roof levels of Phase II and III with no interruption to the operation of the existing hospital space."
Faussett also pointed to the challenge of setting the bridge.
"We brought in a 900-foot crane to give us better access to the area and ultimately decided to set the bridge at night to accommodate the clinic area beneath it," Faussett said. "An added component to the crane was that the manufacturer needed to upgrade the software to allow the crane to handle the picks. This crane and pick has been featured in multiple Liebherr articles because of the technicalities and complexities."
According to Ronnie Wagstaff, Project Manager for Murray-based Wagstaff Crane Service, the firm utilized a Liebherr LTM 1750-9.1 to hoist the 175-ft., 125,000 lb. sky bridge into place, requiring tight precision by the operator, and a great team effort between WCS, Layton, and South Weber-based Sure Steel to ensure project safety on this massive lift.
"This was such a challenging and rewarding project to be involved with from start to finish," said Wagstaff. "We definitely enjoyed the challenges that were presented with the job site [...] it took a great team effort to get this bridge set."
With the Kirk Center being the institute's fifth construction phase, Ramidan said it was important for the new building to align with, complement and build upon the pre-established campus design aesthetic. The exterior design of the building includes a mixture of concrete, masonry, curtain wall and metal panel systems.
"The combination of groundface and chiselface concrete masonry gives a natural limestone appearance to blend with the natural landscape, and projects a strong and permanent presence," Ramidan said. "The curtain wall is a unitized system with custom champagne-colored frame that matches the existing hospital. A variety of low-E energy efficient glazing is used throughout the building, from fritted glazing at the main lobbies and waiting spaces to maximize daylighting while reducing glare to glazing with different visible light transmittance based on its orientation direction. Custom champagne-colored metal panel profiles provide architectural accents and trim throughout the building exterior."
Faussett noted that the building features 85,000 SF of metal panels and glass on the exterior, which, for perspective, is roughly equivalent to one and a half football fields. Also of note, the project used 1 acre of tile and 2,232 tons of steel.
Architectural Nexus’ team of architects and interior designers collaborated to produce another scintillating design, with stunning interior spaces meant to inspire hope within patients and their families. Nexus has been the architect on all five phases of Huntsman Cancer Institute, an impressive achievement spanning three decades. (photos courtesy Layton Construction)
Prioritizing Warm, Expansive Views
Substantial effort was undertaken to make the new center visually and aesthetically welcoming for patients and visitors alike.
"While the proximity of the mountains already creates a stunning backdrop to this impressive campus, this building stands out on its own with large quantities of glass and high-end finishes," said Todd Hardcastle, Construction Manager for Layton. "Rather than looking like a conventional hospital, the goal for Huntsman was to make patients feel more at home by prioritizing warmth and expansive views—more akin to a high-end hotel rather than a sterile facility."
Ramidan said the building's architecture, along with its elements, equipment and systems, was centered around promoting health and healing.
"The building site is immediately adjacent to the open federal lands, so every effort was made to provide views from the building and keep the building's occupants, especially patients, in contact with the natural environment," Ramidan said. "To further this concept, the design incorporates special central public spaces, in order to promote interaction with and views to the exterior mountains and valley.
"Outdoor spaces between buildings and the rooftop garden were designed with subtle barriers to create private spaces, while not feeling closed off, to give HCI employees and visitors places for respite, work breaks, and lunch," she added.
Something visitors will no doubt be inspired by the approximately 160 pieces of Native American art, representing the works of more than 25 indigenous peoples. These items include weavings, basketry, ceramics, jewelry, sculptures and carvings.
The extensive display of modern and contemporary art, said Beckerle, was made possible by Karen Huntsman, who along with her husband, Jon M. Huntsman, who established the Huntsman Cancer Institute in 1995 with a $100 million donation.
"The incorporation of American Indian art into the design is particularly noteworthy," said Beckerle. "Because Mrs. Huntsman made this gift of art so early in the process, the architects were able to design interior spaces to highlight the art in stunning ways with special cabinetry, mini-art displays between each inpatient room, and museum-quality glass cases."
Hardcastle said designers wanted the lobbies and waiting rooms to have a museum-quality vibe, rather than that of a typical hospital.
"These decisions were made with the patients in mind," he said. "They are the No. 1 priority, and we wanted to create a cancer center that made their visit and treatment as comfortable as possible.
Hardcastle said all the high-end finishes for the project were intended to create a home away from home for patients. These finishes included 21 tons of stone imported from India to the coffered wood ceilings and soft tones of custom woodwork throughout the facility.
'Everyone's Been Touched by Cancer'
The project's naming donors, Spencer and Kristen Kirk, bestowed the name of Spencer's mother, Kathryn Kirk, on the building. Beckerle said the Kirk family and many other donors were integral in the design process and the selection of the finishes, in harmony with the existing HCI buildings.
While noting that every project is special in its own right, those involved admitted that knowing this is not just a treatment facility but also a beacon of hope to those struggling with cancer, gave this one a little extra importance throughout.
"Everyone has been touched by cancer and there's no preparing for it when it hits," Hardcastle said. "Several of our own family members have had to receive care at this campus, and so there's a more personal connection when it comes to building a project like this and, ultimately, we want to build projects like this. […] For Huntsman in particular, we knew that this facility had been at capacity for a while, so there was a great deal of motivation among the team to get the project completed as soon as possible so more patients could receive care."
Faussett noted that his team met with donors on tours of the facility during construction and heard many stories of the excellent care their loved ones had received while at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. "It made it even more special to know that we were building a facility that will go on to treat and touch so many people."
Faussett related that a member of the Layton Construction team from another state was diagnosed with cancer and wasn't getting the care he needed at a facility where he lived.
"Thankfully, he was able to come up to the Huntsman Cancer Institute and find the care that he needed," Faussett said. "This instilled a new hope for him and his wife. He had to undergo a bone marrow transplant in the existing facility, and this brought everything close to home as we worked on the project and had bone marrow transplant patient rooms in our tower."
The Kathryn F. Kirk Center has wasted no time in getting up to speed in fulfilling its mission to help battle cancer.
"Every day, we are driven by a sense of purpose to eradicate cancer and deliver a cancer-free frontier," Beckerle said. "The major hospital expansion plays a crucial role in this mission by providing the resources and expertise needed to make this vision a reality."
New ParagraphKathryn F. Kirk Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute
Cost: $139.9 M
Delivery Method: CMAR
Stories/Levels: 10
Square Footage: 225,000
Design Team
Architect: Architectural Nexus
Civil Engineer: Psomas
Electrical Engineer: Spectrum Engineers
Mechanical Engineer: VBFA
Structural Engineer: Reaveley Engineers
Geotechnical Engineer: Atlas
Interior Design: Architectural Nexus
Construction Team
General Contractor: Layton Construction
Concrete: Layton Construction
Plumbing: Archer Mechanical
HVAC: Archer Mechanical; Western States Mechanical
Electrical: Copper Mountain Electrical
Masonry: IMS Masonry
Drywall: CSI Drywall
Painting: Grow Painting
Tile/Stone: Millcreek
Millwork: Masterpiece Millwork
Flooring: Spectra
Roofing: Superior Roofing
Exterior Glass/Curtain Wall: Steel Encounters
Interior Glass/Curtain Wall: Mollerup
Waterproofing: Guaranteed Waterproofing; Specialty Systems
Steel Fabrication: Sure Steel
Steel Erection: Sure Steel
Excavation: Reynolds Excavation
Demolition: Red Rock Demolition
Precast: IMS Masonry
Landscaping: Stratton & Bratt
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)
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. .
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."
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.
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 ).
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."
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.
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 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)
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."
