Celebrating 100 Years in Style

A Century after its founding by Danish immigrant Soren Jacobsen, Jacobsen Construction remains a major mover and shaker in the A/E/C industry throughout Utah and the western U.S. 
By Brad Fullmer

A few years before the turn of the 21st Century, and with his tenure as the top executive of his family’s sizeable and well-respected general contracting firm winding down, Ted M. Jacobsen made a uniquely strategic—and incredibly selfless—decision to change the structure of Salt Lake-based Jacobsen Construction from a family-owned business to one wholly owned by its employees. 

Referred to as an ESOP—Employee Stock Ownership Plan—this unique employee-owned business model stands as one of the most important decisions Ted Jacobsen ever made during his influential 40-plus-year career. As Jacobsen Construction celebrates the mother of all corporate milestones this year—its 100th anniversary—Jacobsen knows he made the right decision in guaranteeing that his family’s legacy of construction excellence will carry on well into the future. 

“At one point my wife and I owned 98.3% of the company before we began transferring ownership in the 1990s,” said Jacobsen, 81. His decision dates back to 1989, when he initially started pondering company transition options. “We went from that ownership arrangement to having the stock held by some of the key employees, then to having it held by virtually every employee to some degree or another. When I retired in 2005, I sold all my remaining stock back to the company. When you leave the company, you must sell your stock back. That was very purposeful—you don’t want to have a bunch of stockholders who aren’t in the fight down in the trenches.”

Lonnie Bullard, former President/CEO and current Chairman of the Board, said having the firm become an ESOP was a brilliantly executed move, one that allowed Jacobsen Construction to maintain its relevance and continue flourishing in the Utah market and throughout the western U.S. 

“There aren’t a lot of companies that make it to 100 years,” said Bullard, 66, who currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and maintains an integral role in mentoring new company executives. “We didn’t get swallowed up by a big conglomerate. It’s unusual to go past three generations of ownership, and the move from family ownership to an ESOP structure was not easy to do. Ted’s commitment to make it an employee-owned company is special—we couldn’t have done it without him.” 

Jacobsen initially learned about the ESOP program on a visit to a Seattle-based general contractor. “I went out to a job site and met one of their project managers,” Jacobsen recalled. “I’m guessing he didn’t have a college degree, but he had a lot money set up in his ESOP account as a result of having been in the company for a long time. I remember thinking, ‘That’s the kind of guy that makes the company go, and that’s what I want.’ I didn’t need millions of dollars in my own bank account. I felt like in all fairness, moving toward employee ownership motivates people because it becomes their company instead of Ted’s company. So, the 2 x 4 on the ground belongs to him, or the pickup truck is partly his.”

“Ted’s attitude and desire to have employees benefit from the success of the company was huge,” said Doug Welling, 66, who retired on January 1, 2021, after 34 years at Jacobsen, including serving as CEO for more than eight years and President for more than 14 years. “He wanted an ownership group that could move forward. The power of people being owners of a company, and invested in doing a good job, is real.”

“Our company structure as an ESOP helps us consistently make the best long-term decisions,” added Gary Ellis, current President/CEO. “We’re not in it for the quick dollar. We believe in doing business the right way and growing Jacobsen Construction for many years to come.”

“It seemed like a win-win for the employees, and it seemed like in the future it would do nothing but improve their loyalty and determination to do well,” added Jacobsen. “There are a lot of Jacobsen employees who have done very well devoting their careers to the company. I think that’s just wonderful.”


Jacobsen was the general contractor for Phases I (completed 1998) and IV (2017, pictured) at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of
Utah, Jon M. Huntsman’s signature project and a revolutionary facility in the battle against cancer (photo by Dana Sohm, Sohm Photografx).

Company Origins 

A native of Denmark, Soren Jacobsen lost his father in a windmill accident at the age of one and grew up as an only child, raised by his mother and stepfather. He emigrated from Denmark at 18 in 1900, settling in Iowa. 

After several years working in Iowa, Soren met another Danish carpenter, and the pair decided to move to Seattle. They boarded a train from Omaha, but Soren ran out of money in Salt Lake City and thought he better work in Utah for a while.

Soren eventually met a striking Norwegian girl named Anna Jensen who caught his eye. They dated for a time, with Soren moving to California to chase work following the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. 

“He was bright enough to realize there would be a lot of building/rebuilding opportunities,” said Jacobsen. 

Soren landed work initially at a cabinet shop, then became a sub-carpenter foreman overseeing 40 carpenters on the rebuilding of the Fairmont Hotel. He maintained communication with Anna, and the couple married in 1908, living in San Francisco until 1911. Soren’s time on the West Coast was highly educational. He served as a concrete superintendent on the rebuild of the Fairmont Hotel, which was key for him, as he learned to work with reinforced concrete, a relatively new construction method at the time. 

“They hired him [on the Fairmont] to do something he had never done before; he was excited,” said Jacobsen. “He was a good learner, and his experience there with reinforced concrete was very helpful when they moved back to Salt Lake after a couple of years.”

A decade after Soren and Anna moved back to Utah, he struck out on his own and founded Jacobsen Construction in 1922. The company built several prominent buildings over the next 20 years, including the original Primary Children’s Hospital, the Deseret News Building, and—the highlight of his career—the Los Angeles for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Ted Jacobsen said his grandfather was a people person first and foremost—with experience forged by working with a host of different types of people in post-earthquake San Francisco, which taught him compassion for others. 

“He knew what he was doing—he had a good business mind,” said Jacobsen. “He was congenial. People liked him; people came to trust him.”


A Perennial Top Utah General Contractor

Soren’s sons, Leo and Ted C., inherited their father’s passion for construction and were instrumental in helping lead the firm from the time they became full-fledged partners in the early 1940s until their retirements in the 1970s. Under their watch, Jacobsen Construction built a reputation as a no-nonsense contractor that delivered quality projects on time and on budget. It’s a reputation that the company is careful to maintain to this day.

Jacobsen Construction has perennially ranked No. 4 among Utah-based general contractors since 2010 (per UC&D annual Top Utah GC rankings) with revenues over half a billion dollars annually for the past several years, including a record $746 million in 2021. 

The firm provides an array of top-shelf services/delivery methods, including CM at-risk, preconstruction, CM/GC, design-build, green building/LEED, BIM, and self-performed work including carpentry and concrete. Its markets span nearly every project type: government/institutional, religious, healthcare, multi-family, commercial office, sports and recreation, retail, hospitality, mixed-use, and education. Its list of notable projects is lengthy and includes many iconic, once-in-a-generation projects.


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Some of the firm’s once-in-a-generation projects include (opposite page, clockwise from top left): the iconic Salt Lake Temple, which is undergoing a complex restoration and seismic retrofit, along with the construction of a new visitor’s center (courtesy Church Newsroom); the Utah State Capitol Restoration (interior view of the fabled rotunda); the mammoth 1.4 million SF Conference Center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a JV project completed in 2000); the magnificent 775-room, five-star Grand America Hotel (a JV project completed in 2001, photo courtesy Jacobsen Construction).

New Paragraph

Generations of Leaders Share Common Traits of Hard Work, Competitive Drive


Ted M. Jacobsen—President 1974–1996; Chairman 1996–2005

Ted M. Jacobsen learned the construction business initially from his father, Leo, but became a seasoned professional under the tutelage of his uncle, Ted C. Jacobsen, his namesake. Born in 1940, Jacobsen remembered his father taking him on a project as a five-year-old at the Dugway Proving Grounds where his dad ran a grader on a dirt road. He said his grandfather Soren was “always very kind to me and approachable.” 

Leo and his wife, Rosebud, had four children, including three boys. Ted M. was the only one to work for the family business long-term. His parents expected their children “to get good grades—we needed to learn interpersonal skills as well,” said Jacobsen. He worked summers as a youth doing various jobs, including building precast concrete columns in the construction yard, before graduating from East High in Salt Lake. He then attended Stanford for two-plus years before leaving on a religious mission to Scotland from 1961–1963. 

He earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering at the University of Utah and went back to Stanford for a Master of Construction Management, graduating in 1966. 

Jacobsen admitted he “didn’t want to work for the family business—I wanted to go out in the real world to see if I could make it.” He accepted a job as a project engineer with DuPont in Victoria, Texas in February 1966. A month later, he got a call from his dad. Leo Jacobsen was called to serve as a mission president in Norway for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and informed his son Ted that he needed to come back to Salt Lake and help his uncle with the family business—no questions asked. 

“My uncle was really my mentor,” Ted M. said. “He was important in helping me get my feet on the ground.” 

Ted C. was a stickler for detail and demanded excellence in the projects his employees built. “The superintendents would say he could see a problem two blocks before he got to the job—he had a very keen eye,” said Jacobsen.

Shortly after Ted M. started working full-time, his uncle assigned him to perform manual labor on a small project on the Goggin Drain, on the margins of the Great Salt Lake. It was winter, so working conditions were less than favorable. He worked with a shovel ahead of a grader, ran the grader and a crawler/loader, and did other physically taxing work.

“At the time, I thought, ‘What is my uncle doing this for?'” Jacobsen said. “I had a master’s from Stanford. But it was very helpful. I learned the impact on human beings that comes with working in cold weather. I wasn’t there very long, but I chuckle at it.”

Jacobsen worked as an estimator for 18 months and as a project manager for a high school project on the north end of Lake Tahoe before being called to help the company with other executive-level work. 

He would soon develop his own critical eye and attention to detail that had made his uncle such an effective company leader. He also learned the value of the English language, especially when it came to crafting contract documents.

“I tried to write with exactness, so when we would write a sentence, there was only one possible interpretation,” he said. “An important letter would go through five or ten or even more drafts. We worked very hard to have contracts that were crystal clear; we tried to eliminate ambiguity.”

Ted M. Jacobsen took over for his uncle as President in 1974 at the relatively youthful age of 33. The company wasn’t very big at the time, with annual revenues in the $4–$5 million range.

“Soren started it, and my dad and Uncle Ted were second generation and did a good job,” he said. “There is sort of a legend that in the third and fourth generation, the ship is sunk—somebody inherited the keys to the office but didn’t have the right skills and so on. I was quite determined not to wreck it.”

Jacobsen guided the company through the glum 1980s, a period marked by the nationwide Savings and Loan Crisis. Gradually, the construction climate in Utah improved, and Jacobsen Construction began to flourish in the 1990s and beyond. 

“Things cycle and we had to adjust to those [periods],” he said. “There eventually came a significant economic wave to the Salt Lake Valley and Utah in general—we managed to catch that wave. To do that, [we] had to grow in terms of people and financial capacity. Growing is not a low-risk thing—you have to train people to do things the way you want things done. We hired a lot of wonderful people who have played their role well.” 


Lonnie Bullard—President 1996–2006; CEO 1996–2012; Chairman 2005–Present

A native of Roy, Lonnie Bullard is a descendant of Archibald Gardner and member of the well-known Gardner family. He started his professional career in finance after graduating with an MBA from Northwestern in 1980. He worked on Wall Street for four years before joining Salt Lake-based Boyer Company in 1985, doing project financing for company founder Roger Boyer. 

In 1996, Bullard joined Jacobsen Construction. Despite not having a traditional construction background, he thrived in the position and led the company to new heights, overseeing the completion of several hallmark projects. 

“He didn’t have much in the way of construction experience, but he has a good mind, and he’s a very likeable human being,” said Jacobsen. “He’s energetic, and he’s a fierce competitor.”

Bullard didn’t know what to expect in transitioning to the world of construction but was excited at the prospect of leading one of the state’s biggest general contractors. 

“You move forward and hope for the very best,” said Bullard. “I appreciate Ted bringing me on—it was difficult bringing in a President/CEO from the outside. It was a leap of faith on his part, a leap of faith on mine, but I’m grateful he would entrust me with his company in that manner.”

The first major project under Bullard’s watch was the Conference Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Today, the mammoth, 1.4 million-SF building seats over 21,000 in its main auditorium and is believed to be the largest theater-style auditorium ever built. Jacobsen Construction teamed with Utah-based firms Okland Construction and Layton Construction to form the Legacy Contractors joint-venture, which delivered the building in time for the April 2000 session of the Church’s general conference. 

“We had a good partnership,” said Bullard. “Everyone took their company hat off and put on a project hat. We didn’t separate the project; we integrated our teams into one team.”

Bullard focused much of his energy on establishing and maintaining a positive work culture.

“Our goal was to embrace the culture established by the Jacobsen family and never give Ted a reason to be embarrassed,” he said. “A reputation can be lost in the blink of an eye.”

Bullard added that the employees are unquestionably the firm’s main asset. 

“We’re not an asset-rich company—we’re a company where the assets are people,” he said. “While I like the fact that Jacobsen has been involved in iconic construction projects along the Wasatch Front, that’s not what I have focused on. I get more enjoyment and more good feelings out of watching people grow, seeing the tremendous talents of people blossom.”


Doug Welling—President 2006–2020; CEO 2012–2021

Welling was raised in Davis County by prominent educators Lawrence and Kathryn Welling. He naturally gravitated to construction and worked as a laborer and carpenter while attending college at Brigham Young University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Construction Management in 1981. He gained experience as a project manager for a drywall subcontractor and a general contractor while in Houston, then as a project engineer on a hydroelectric project near Boise before arriving at Jacobsen in 1987. 

Jacobsen Construction hired Welling as a project engineer on the seismic retrofit project for the Salt Lake City and County Building, the first-ever base isolation of an existing building in the world. 

“As a company, we get into very challenging engineering projects,” said Welling, who was tasked with figuring out the project schedule so Jacobsen could secure its first million-dollar payment from the owner.

There were essentially three phases to the complex project: exterior, interior, and base isolation. The exterior work called for all stone to be strengthened or replaced. The interior scope included caring for historic plaster, paint, flooring, and other delicate items. The base isolation portion required the installation of 447 lead/rubber isolators underneath the building. The building is isolated from the surrounding ground by a perimeter moat wall that allows for lateral movement during a seismic event.

“I was able to put a schedule together that reflected the intricate sequencing of the project—the team worked wonderfully together,” said Welling. “You can draw a straight line from that project to the complex seismic work we’re able to do today on other buildings.” 

Jacobsen has constructed other significant historic seismic renovation projects, including the Salt Lake Tabernacle, the Provo City Center Temple, and the $220-million Utah State Capitol Seismic Retrofit (2004-–2008), highlighted by 265 base isolators installed as part of its overall restoration. The current renovation and base isolation of the iconic Salt Lake Temple is perhaps the most prominent example of Jacobsen’s base isolation expertise. The Salt Lake Temple is the most historically recognizable structure of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one that, when its renovation finishes, “will stand as nothing short of an engineering and construction marvel,” according to Welling. 

He agreed with Bullard that Jacobsen’s employees are the primary reason for the firm’s past and current success. 

“This company is full of driven people—birds of a feather flock together,” he said. “Our employees are driven, respectful, successful, kind people. We have always been very interested in being the best we can be and taking care of clients. If we did that, we would be invited back. We have amazing long-term clients that give us very difficult projects.”

In addition to Jacobsen employees, Welling said the firm would not be where it is without the support of many great partners over the years, including subcontractors, suppliers, owners, architects, bankers, sureties, and craftworkers. 

“All have joined together to create legacy projects through grit, sacrifice, and determination, and their work will stand tall throughout the coming decades,” he said.

Welling said seeing the firm celebrate 100 years in 2022 is monumental.

“I had the thrill to work at Jacobsen for a third of its history—what a tremendous opportunity for me to see our expertise and relationships grow,” he said. As President/CEO of Jacobsen, my desire was to add to the momentum and luster of the Jacobsen legacy. I really feel like we did that.”


Gary Ellis—President June 2020–Present; CEO January 2021–Present

Gary Ellis, 52 and born in Holladay, comes from a finance background just like Bullard. Ellis earned a Master of Accounting from BYU in 1995 and spent five years at KPMG’s Salt Lake office, which he described as a “terrific experience working for great people” in many different industries. 

Ellis started at Jacobsen in 2000 as Controller, spending many hours his first couple of years acclimating to the ins and outs of construction. He was mentored by long-time CFO Richard Kirkham, along with others. He knows he has big shoes to fill but understands that the key is simply relying on the bevy of top-notch professionals who help guide the firm’s 650-plus employees. 

“The biggest challenge going in was feeling the need to know everything, and then the recognition that, no, you don’t need to know everything,” said Ellis. “I am surrounded by a seasoned team that lives our core values and who know the industry inside and out. That has been a fun realization. We make much better decisions collaborating and relying on one another’s expertise.”

A focus of his first year as President was making sure everybody on the executive team felt safe communicating their ideas and collaborating, and then conducting strategic planning to set up the company for future success. 

Ellis is carrying on a proud and extensive tradition of Jacobsen Construction’s close involvement with the AGC of Utah, where he currently serves on the Board of Directors. Five of Jacobsen’s Presidents served as President (later named Chairman) of the venerable construction association, including Soren (1926), Ted C. (1946), Ted M. (1982), Bullard (2008) and Welling (2018).

“In the construction industry, it’s rare a family business can last 100 years—it’s a testament to their core values,” said Rich Thorn, AGC of Utah President/CEO. “They are known for giving back to the community. They helped build the AGC of Utah headquarters and our training center, and the list goes on and on. They don’t live for the moment—they know it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Their reputation means everything to them. Owners automatically have a high degree of confidence and trust in them.”

Ellis is confident in the firm’s bright outlook as it embarks on its next 100 years.

“We don’t have a goal to be the largest contractor in Utah. We have aspirational goals to be the best contractor in the marketplaces in which we do business, and to provide stellar service,” Ellis said. “That is truly who we are and what we believe. We believe in building for the life that will go on in the facilities we build—the places where people will worship, where they will learn, where they live and play. I like to call it the ‘wow factor,' where we can step back and say, ‘Wow, look at what we left behind for that community or for that client.’ If we can keep doing that, we’ll continue to see long-term success. That’s our vision.”


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The Provo City Center Temple was another supremely complex and challenging restoration project that won numerous local and national awards (completed in 2015).  The Amangani Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyo., illustrates the firm’s high-end resort chops (photos courtesy Jacobsen Construction). Jacobsen restored the Salt Lake City and County Building (originally completed in 1894) in the late 1980s, believed to be the first-ever seismic base isolation of an existing historic structure in the world. The isolation system consists of 443 lead-rubber isolators installed under the building on top of existing spread footings. The building is isolated from the ground by a perimeter moat wall, permitting lateral movement during an earthquake (photo by Dana Sohm, Sohm Photografx).

Significant Jacobsen Construction Projects


Project  Location  Year Completed


Primary Children’s Hospital Salt Lake City N/A

Los Angeles Temple Los Angeles 1956

Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City 1969

Salt Lake City & County Building Salt Lake City 1989

Seismic Base Isolation

Jon M. Huntsman Cancer Center Salt Lake City 1998; 2017

Phases I & IV

Amangani Resort Jackson Hole 1998

Conference Center (JV) Salt Lake City 2000

Grand America Hotel (JV) Salt Lake City 2001

Utah State Capitol Seismic Salt Lake City 2007

Base Isolation/Restoration

Salt Lake Tabernacle Salt Lake City 2008

Seismic Upgrade

Provo City Center Temple Provo 2015


Jacobsen Construction Leaders

Soren M. Jacobsen President (1922–1951)

Ted C. Jacobsen President (1951–1956; 1966–1974)

Leo M. Jacobsen President (1956–1966)

Ted M. Jacobsen President (1974–1996); Chairman (1996–2005)

Lonnie M. Bullard President (1996–2006); CEO (1996–2012); Chairman (2005–Present) 

Douglas C. Welling President (2006–2020); CEO (2012–2021)

Gary Ellis President (2020–Present); CEO (2021–Present)

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."