Competitive Value

Ex-college athletes working in Utah’s A/E/C industry reflect on how competitive sports have aided their professional careers.
By Brad Fullmer

Author’s Note: This year’s edition of UC&D’s ‘Ex-College Athletes in the A/E/C Industry’ features five individuals from four different sports—football (2), basketball, soccer, and swimming—who each immensely enjoyed their collegiate athletic careers. They have taken the lessons, experiences, and values they learned from the playing field, court and pool, respectively, and applied them to their professional careers. And they are quick to draw parallels from athletics to the real world, especially in an industry as competitive as construction and design.

Name: Dave Hogan
Title: President 
Company: Wadman Corporation 
College: Weber State University
Sport: Football; Steer Wrestling 
Years: 1986-87; 1991-92

Dave Hogan has experienced more than his fair share of tragedy in life but he’s risen above it all to become one of the major movers and shakers in Utah’s construction industry. 
Hogan, 54, has been the President of Ogden-based general contractor Wadman Corp. since April 2007, at the youthful age of 39. During his 15-plus years as the company’s top executive, he’s led Wadman to great heights, with the firm consistently ranking among Utah’s Top 10 GC’s in annual revenues, according to UC&D’s annual rankings. 
At 6-foot-2 and a stout 220 lbs., Hogan was a standout two-way football player (tailback and defensive end) at Weber High (Class of ’86) and played two seasons for Weber State University (1986-87). He also competed in steer wrestling for Weber State’s rodeo program for two years (1991-92), with a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Guatemala (1989-91) sandwiched in between. 
At the beginning of his senior year at Weber, Hogan’s father, Jack, was killed in a trucking accident outside Baggs, Wyoming, on September 3, 1985, the day before Hogan’s 18th birthday. He remembers vividly the last football game his father had seen him play, the previous week against Davis High, which Weber lost, 24-20. 
Hogan recalled, “We were ahead 20-17 in the fourth quarter and coach put in the JV kickoff team, and they ran a reverse down to the five-yard line and scored with 20 seconds left. My wife’s like, ‘You can’t even remember the kids’ names but you know exactly what happened in a football game!’ he said. 
“At 18, you lose your dad, it’s quite the deal,” said Hogan. “The community rallied around our family like no other.” The team dedicated the season to Jack Hogan, and the tiny school from Pleasant View would go on a historic playoff run in November, unexpectedly claiming the 4A State Championship, defeating the likes of much larger schools including Hillcrest, Olympus, Alta, and ultimately, Davis High in the title game, exacting a measure of revenge for the pre-season loss.  
“We had no business winning the title […] we beat Olympus and then beat Alta in the semi-finals and weren’t supposed to touch either of them,” he said. 
He earned a scholarship to Weber State and played two years at linebacker for Coach Mike Price before deciding to serve a mission. When he returned from Guatemala, he was done playing football and switched to steer wrestling, competing for Jack Hannum, who had been something of a father figure to Hogan when his father died. Hogan was equally as feisty competing in rodeo, ranking fourth in the NCAA Finals in steer wrestling in 1991. 
Hogan was also a hard worker, learning the ropes of the construction industry from his maternal uncle, Bryce Nelson. Starting at age 12, Hogan would stay with his uncle’s family in Cedar Hills during summers. He served as a “gopher” in his early years, and eventually learned how to pour concrete, use various concrete tools, framing, layout, and even doing more complex finish work as his skills sharpened. 
“I really learned a ton from him, construction-wise,” said Hogan.
He dropped out of Weber State in ’92, two days into his final year, having become disenchanted with the fact that his accounting professor and his finance professor both filed bankruptcy multiple times. “I went down to administration, got a refund, and walked out of there. I’m like, ‘I’m out. I’m going to go start framing.”
Hogan later went to work for Ogden-based R&O Construction as a carpenter and superintendent. In 1997, he was working on a Smith’s Food King remodel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when a friend of his older brother said to contact Dave Wadman. Hogan interviewed and was hired within two weeks as an estimator and project manager. Moving to the office full-time was a bit of a transition, Hogan admitted. 
“I really never projected myself in an office, like ever—it’s like putting a lion in a freaking cage!” he chuckled. “Still somedays, I’m like, ‘What in the hell am I doing’? I still like to work with my hands. I like to build things.” 
Hogan learned estimating via 10-key and “green sheets,” doing estimating takeoffs by hand while also running projects. In 2001, he was snowmobiling with friend and co-worker Rob Allred, who was Wadman’s Chief Estimator and VP of Business Development, when Allred got buried in an avalanche and died, another devastating tragedy. 
“When that happened, David (Wadman) put me in as VP of Business Development and I continued to run projects,” said Hogan. “At an early age I figured out you just move on.”
He moved up the Wadman corporate ladder to VP of Operations a couple years later, “then one day David called me and asked me to be President.” 
He credits the influence of his dad, his grandpa, and his uncle for instilling within him a strong work ethic. “Grandpa was a contract miner in Butte, Montana. He mined ore with a pick and shovel. Whatever he put in the bucket, that’s what he got paid. Dad was a hard worker [and] did whatever he needed to provide for our family.”
Hogan has been active in the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Utah, serving as Chairman in 2016. His time in that position taught him that “there are a lot of good general contractors in Utah, and even better human beings,” he said. “It was a great experience being involved, gaining a better understanding of the state legislature, how things get accomplished, and how the AGC champions rights and opportunities for contractors.”
He expressed gratitude for the Wadman family, which included learning valuable lessons from founder V. Jay Wadman, who established Wadman Corporation in 1951 and passed away in January 2013. 
“The coolest thing was going up to his office and just talking to him,” Hogan said. “You’d go up there for one question and walk out 45 minutes later with stories that taught a lesson. When they put me in as President, I went up to talk to Jay and said, ‘Man, I’ve got some big shoes to fill’. Jay said, ‘Just put your own shoes on. We chose you to run this company because we trust in you’.”
He continued, “I could never repay Dave Wadman for everything I’ve learned here […] unbelievable person.” 
“He’s got a lot of drive—he’s not afraid to tell people what to do,” said Wadman of Hogan. “If people need to be corrected, he doesn’t have any problem moving them along to the path they need to get to. He’s good at making hard decisions. He and the team have taken us to places we’d never have dreamed about. It’s been a very good thing.”
Wadman Corp. currently has 150 employees and reported another banner year in 2021 with revenues of $230 million. “They’re good, solid numbers for what we do,” said Hogan. 
Two of his five children currently work at Wadman, and his youngest son, Kohl, played football at Snow College, earning 2nd Team All-American JUCO honors last season as a linebacker. His stepson, Kyler Harsha, started as a Project Manager in April, while Kohl works in the warehouse.
Hogan believes there are a lot of similarities between the playing field and his career. 
“Whether it’s the playing field or the work environment, it’s all the same,” he posited. “It’s teamwork. It’s knowing the fundamentals and being a master of your craft. At the end of the day—and at the beginning of the day—it comes down to people.”
And he’ll always cherish the memories of playing for Weber High’s 1985 State Championship football team and the impact it had on helping him grieve his father’s death. 
“We weren’t the most talented team—we shouldn’t have won it,” he said. “We were just a bunch of rag-tag kids that played hard together and took care of each other.”
 

Name: Robby Loose 

Title: Director of HR & Safety

Company: Stout Building Contractors 

College: Brigham Young University

Sport: Swimming 

Years: 1992; 1995-98


Robby Loose was born into a sports family, and quickly realized while growing up in Washington State the value of competition. 

The youngest of four children, his father, Robert (Bob), was a college and high school football and track coach for more than 50 years. Bob was also a passionate sports fan, particularly of his alma mater, Brigham Young University, where he played football in the 1950’s. 

Loose, who turns 49 in August, followed in his father’s footsteps by competing for BYU—albeit in swimming—earning four letters in 1992 and from 1995-98 (he served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Guam/Micronesia from 1993-95). 

“Dad was a football coach, and he was okay with me playing football, but he said ‘Let’s get you into a sport where you’re not going to have to your hips replaced or your knees replaced. You want to able to move when you’re older,’” said Loose. 

Two of Loose’s siblings also gravitated to coaching professions. Dee Loose has been a swim coach for 30+ years, including a decade at BYU as an assistant coach and he currently runs Hilltop Aquatics in American Fork. Colleen Long has taught gymnastics for 30-plus years and now owns and operates Alpha Gymnastics club in Woodinville, Washington. 

Loose’s most notable achievement in swimming, he said, was being named an All-American as a senior at Woodrow Wilson High in Tacoma in 1991-92, where he swam the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly. He was recruited by BYU, the University of Utah, the University of Iowa, and the University of Arizona, but said he “desperately wanted to go to the University of Washington. But my swim coach told them I was Mormon and going to go on a mission and to not look at me. I found that out after my mission.” 

He nonetheless takes pride in his career at the Y, and it made his father extremely proud to have a son attend his alma mater. “He was stoked—he loves BYU,” said Loose. 

Loose said he had a good collegiate career, earning a few conference titles in relay races and clocking a personal best time in the 200-yard free of 1:38.2. “At the time I was a solid college swimmer, but not elite,” he said. “The NCAAs back then were won with a 1:31; now they win with 1:29—they’ve broken the 1:30 barrier. Kids today are off the charts—they’re otherworldly!

Loose is relatively new to Utah and the construction industry, having been hired in October 2021 to serve as Director of Human Resources and Safety for Bountiful-based general contractor Stout Building Contractors. He had spent the previous 16 years at MAU Workforce Solutions as Director of Risk Management and Safety, living in North Augusta, South Carolina, just across the Savannah River from The Masters and and the famous course at Augusta National. 

Loose has relished his brief time working at Stout and said the principles he learned as a collegiate athlete have aided him during his professional career. 

“You are programmed for goal setting and achievement [in sports], and I would like to think I’ve brought that to Stout in the form of performance development and our application of it here among our 120 employees,” he said. “It’s fun to work in construction at this period when the pipeline for business is wide open. You’re really pushed hard to make the environment hospitable for existing employees and attractive for potential employees. And it’s so competitive.”

“Robby is driven by passion,” said James Stout, Founder of the 16-year-old general contractor. “His contribution to Stout is recognized, celebrated, and is backed with his intentional and meaningful communication, insightful initiatives, and desire to see others excel and succeed. There is no doubt that Robby approached construction with the same passion which pushed him to be an elite athlete.” 

Loose added, “If you’re an athlete, you’ve got be competitive, otherwise you get washed up. And [construction] is competition. Construction in Utah, from what I’ve observed, is a competitive, fraternal order. There is this notion that if we all work hard, (a competitor’s) success equals my success, and I really think that’s what is happening here in this pocket of America, where construction is just going crazy. It’s a different professional culture.”


Name: Brittney Boyle

Title: Director of Marketing

Company: Pentalon Construction

College: Queens University of Charlotte

Sport: Soccer

Years: 2001-03


As the Director of Marketing for Salt Lake-based general contractor Pentalon Construction, Brittney Eakins Boyle is relishing the opportunity to utilize her competitive chops in the pursuit of new construction projects.

“I absolutely think it’s the best industry for me to be in because it mixes my creative side and my competitive side,” said Boyle, who marked her one-year anniversary at Pentalon at the end of June. 

“To go after a job, or a bid, or RFP, I take those so personal. I have very little control once it gets out of my office—I don’t control the estimating or the numbers, but I keep track of every win-loss, interview, second-round bid. I’m super competitive.”

She grew up in a competitive sports family. Her father, Rich Eakins, was the all-time scorer in basketball at Juneau-Douglas High in Juneau, Alaska (his record was later broken by former NBA/Utah Jazz star Carlos Boozer) and was recruited to play at the University of Washington. Her great-uncle, Jim Eakins, was a standout 6-foot-11 center at Brigham Young University and played 10 professional seasons—eight years in the ABA (which included 100 games over two seasons for the Utah Stars) and two in the NBA. 

Boyle, 39, was born in Utah (her parents met at Dixie College) and grew up in Mesa, Arizona. She started playing competitive soccer at age 11, including with several club teams. Her family moved to Lexington, Kentucky her junior year in high school where she competed for Tates Creek High as a striker and forward.

She was recruited to play at Queens University of Charlotte (then Queens College) in Charlotte, North Carolina by coach Jonathon Brabson, one of 12 incoming freshman women that year, and played two full seasons from fall 2001 to spring 2003, before a spate of injuries caused her to cut her collegiate career short.

“My body gave out—back, knees, nose, ankles—lots of injuries, lots of surgeries,” she recalled. “I didn’t start as a freshman, but I was usually the first sub in, and started a couple games as a sophomore,” she said. “We did pretty good, we held our own.” She enjoyed the experience and ultimately graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration on marketing and pre-law. She stays in contact with several former teammates via a Facebook alumni page. 

She is also a passionate sports fan, describing herself as a “Cheesehead and a Dookie”, in reference to her love for the Green Bay Packers and Duke University. 

She started working in Utah’s construction industry in 2016 and spent five years at two different general contractors, before landing her current role at Pentalon. She has enjoyed working for the firm and has gained a better understanding of the industry—particularly the multi-family market—under the tutelage of firm President Carl Tippets. 

“That was one of the things that was enticing to come here, to being able to work under him and see how he handles his business relationships and his company,” she said of Tippets. “I’ve always liked to sit back and watch people—I got that from my grandpa when I was a kid sitting in his business meetings. So, listening to how he talks, how he phrases answers, and how he addresses questions is valuable to me. I’m able to now go into these meetings and be confident.” 

She continued, “He’s also this gentle giant in a sense—Carl’s a tall guy. It’s interesting to watch him put teams together. He’ll admit that he doesn’t know everything. We have great people in (COO) Shay Johansen and (VP of Construction) Brian Stewart.”

“I like to hire employees who have participated in athletics at the collegiate level—I firmly believe they come to the workforce with some skill sets that are advantageous for them and the company that is fortunate enough to hire them,” said Tippets. “First, they are obviously competitive by nature. That competitiveness is a directly transferable skill to the business world. Secondly, and even more importantly, they have learned the concept of team. They have learned that you win and lose as a team. Brittney comes to us with both of those skillsets. She is a winner who has learned the necessity of working as a team to come out on top.”

Boyle has immersed herself in learning as much as she can about construction marketing and is quickly finding her stride. She served on the 2021-22 board of the Utah chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS Utah) as Programs Chair and will maintain that role for the 2022-23 year. She was also named as a 2022 Elevate HER Cohort by the Zweig Group, a special task force comprised of individuals with a commitment to promote diversity to combat recruiting and retention challenges in the A/E/C industry. 

She has enjoyed marketing to the multi-family sector, saying “I prefer to do business in the private sector. My personality is very much a handshake and relationship building. I like you, you like us, let’s do a project together. I view my competitive nature as an asset because it keeps me going. I want to see who’s doing what, what is next, [and] what I can do better on the next one.”


Name: Craig Hammer

Title: Executive Director of Secondary Schools

Company: Washington County School District

College: Dixie College; University of Utah

Sport: Basketball

Years: 1978-80; 1980-82


Craig Hammer credits his high school basketball coach Dee Jensen for instilling within him a vision of what his life could be. 

“I’m who I am today because of him,” said Hammer, Executive Director of Secondary Schools for Washington County School District in St. George and a 39-year veteran of Utah’s education system. “He saw something in me I never saw in myself. He convinced me I could be more than I could be. I didn’t make a big decision in my life without talking to him.”

Hammer grew up in humble circumstances, his parents were hard-working, blue-collar folks; his father, Norman, worked at Wonder Bread in Salt Lake for 38 years. Hammer loved sports growing up and was standout four-sport athlete at Murray High (2x Deseret News basketball first-team) who also starred at Dixie College (NJCAA All-American his sophomore year), before finishing his hoops career at the University of Utah. 

During his junior year (1980-81), Hammer played on a 25-5 Utes team that won the Western Athletic Conference (13-3 record) and were a No. 3 seed in the 32-team NCAA Tournament. 

It was a team stacked with talent, including future NBA players Tom Chambers (4x All-Star) and Danny Vranes, along with Karl Bankowski and Pace Mannion. The Utes crushed Northeastern in their first game, 94-69, then faced blue blood North Carolina in the Western Regionals, held on Utah’s homecourt at the Huntsman Center. 

North Carolina was led by future NBA stars James Worthy and Sam Perkins, and packed the paint against the Utes, who shot poorly from outside and succumbed 61-56, a game that still gnaws at Hammer.

“I remember walking out of that locker room like it was yesterday—it took me forever to get over that game,” he said. “What hurt even worse, (North Carolina) didn’t get touched until they lost to Indiana in the finals. That should have been us.”

He said his main reason to play at Utah was so that his parents could see him play. “Looking back on it, I made the best decision […] they got to see every game—row 8, across from our bench,” said Hammer. “My last [home] game at the U they gave the seniors the mic; I was the only senior. That’s the first time I saw my dad cry.”

Hammer earned a Bachelor of Political Science from the U in 1983 and was strongly considering going to law school. Out of the blue, his high school principal at Murray called to see if he’d be interested in coaching at his alma mater on a part-time basis. 

“I had the greatest experience,” he said. That led to a student teaching job, and ultimately, a full-time position, where he spent six years. “I never thought in a million years I’d be a schoolteacher, ever. I got in for all the wrong reasons, but I’ve loved every minute of it.”

Besides teaching, Hammer coached football, baseball, and golf, including five years as Murray’s head basketball coach.

He earned a Master of Education Curriculum and Instruction in 1989 from the U, and in the spring of 1990 moved with his family to St. George to teach at Dixie High and serve as head basketball coach. St. George is also his wife’s hometown—they met and married while at Dixie College. 

Hammer spent two years as a teacher and two as assistant principal, before serving as principal for 13 years. He joined WCSD’s District office in 2007 at Executive Director of Secondary Schools, a role he’s held for 15-plus years. He has thoroughly enjoyed each of the different roles he’s held in his education career. 

“One of the greatest things about being principal at Dixie High, it was a smaller school with 1,200 students, and I knew every kid and they knew me,” said Hammer. “It was hard to walk away from coaching—I miss that relationship with the kids.”

He recalled a former student that died a few years ago in a car accident, and recently looking at the obituary he had saved and tearing up. “It’s like your own kid,” he said, wistfully. 

His current job has morphed into one where he is tasked with everything related to school facilities, including land purchasing, overseeing the selection of the design and construction teams, best practices, and everything in between. He said it’s been an incredible experience, one that keeps him hopping, particularly with the challenges of today’s construction climate. 

“When the district created this position—I’m the only one to have it—they put me in charge of facilities,” he said. “When I got this job, I didn’t know a yard of cement from a yard on the football field. But I brought the perspective of being a high school principal.” 

Hammer said he’s overseen the new construction or major remodel of 30 buildings, including six large high school projects, during those 15 years. 

“One of the interesting things that has happened is we used to go vertical with schools, then went to one level […] now we’re back to going vertical because of the cost of land,” he said. “Buildings are built so much better now. Of the projects we’ve built, 90% are tilt-up concrete and we’re going to get 75-plus years out of buildings. And they look like they’re still brand new. We save 20% (construction costs) going with tilt-up, and it works great for our climate. I wouldn’t try to sell that [concept] to every [school district], but it’s worked for us.”

Hammer has also served with the Utah High School Activities Association since 2009 and is currently the Constitution and By-Laws Committee Chair. In 2013, he was presented with a NFHS Citation, one of the most prestigious awards given by the National Federation of State High School Associations, recognizing individuals whose long-time contributions have had a prominent impact on high school activity programs. 

The 62-year-old Hammer is nearing the finish line of his career (he’s set a June 2023 retirement date) one he believes has been infinitely better because of what he learned competing in sports. He believes students who participate in school sports are better prepared for life post-graduation. 

“I know what athletics did for me and I know there are plenty of kids like I was before I started playing,” he said. “It opens doors and creates opportunities. Anything related to sports or other extra-curricular activities helps students. They get better grades and have better attendance.”

A year from now, “I’m hanging up my cleats and golfing full-time,” he said. “It’s been a great career. We’ve got a great (district) team, from the architect to the facilities person. It’s consumed most of my career at this level and pulled me away from the academic side. But it’s been phenomenal.”


Name: Brett Cooper

Title: VP of Marketing & Sales

Company: Roper Buildings

College: Brigham Young University

Sport: Football

Years: 2003-06


Pull quote: 

“Sports taught me how to take criticism and coaching, as well. You learn to be coachable. You have to play as a team, but really, how well do you do when performance is required, and somebody is telling you that you need to do better?”


It was literally more than five years from the time Brett Cooper played his final high school football game at Bonneville High to the time he laced up his cleats to compete on the gridiron for Brigham Young University, and remarkably, the speedy wide receiver didn’t lose much in terms of raw speed. 

“It was bizzarro. I was a freshman and hadn’t stepped on a football field for five years. I was able to maintain my speed and ran sub 4.4 40s,” he said. “I was one of the top three fastest guys every year.” 

A native of South Ogden, Cooper was one of five boys in a competitive family playing football, baseball, and running track. His father, Sam, he said, was “a legit five-star athlete” in Southern California (West Covina) and was initially recruited to play running back at the University of Southern California (USC), but blew out his knee his freshman year and ended up transferring to Utah State, where he played receiver and running back over two seasons (1968-69). Brett Cooper’s brother, Jason, also played receiver at BYU (1994-95).

At 5-foot-11 and 180 lbs., Cooper was a slot receiver, safety, and kick returner at Bonneville High, earning 4A All-State honors his senior year (’99 graduate), He was also a burner on the track, claiming back-to-back 4A titles in the 100-meter dash, including a blistering time of 10.6 seconds his senior year. 

He was recruited by a half dozen schools to play football and run track—including BYU and the University of Utah—and chose the Y, but elected not to enroll right away and instead served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Chile Osorno Mission in southern Chile from 1999-2001. 

He redshirted his first year back and then played from 2003-06 for two coaches—two years under Gary Crowton and two years under Bronco Mendenhall. His most successful season individually was his freshman year, as he led the Cougars in kickoff returns (18 returns for 435 yards). From a team perspective, his senior year was most rewarding, as BYU claimed the 2006 Mountain West Championship with a perfect 8-0 mark (11-2 overall, good for No. 16 in the final AP rankings). 

The final regular season game of 2006 is well-remembered in BYU-Utah ‘Holy War’ lore, as the Cougars went into Rice-Eccles Stadium and stunned the Utes 33-31 on a last-second 11-yard touchdown pass. The play is simply known as ‘Beck to Harline’ or ‘The Answered Prayer’ as scrambling QB John Beck slung the ball to tight end Johnny Harline, who caught the ball near the middle of the end zone, while on his knees, as time expired. 

“It was crazy,” Cooper recalled of that play. “It’s kind of a funny story. I got subbed out on that last play […} [After] I threw up my helmet and it hit the middle of the field and rolled in front of (Utah Coach) Kyle Whittingham and the whole University of Utah team, so I had to run out onto the field and grab my helmet […] and the entire (Utah) team and coaching staff were wanting to break my neck. I threw it so high it bent my face mask.” 

After graduating with a Bachelor of Spanish and Business, and a Master of Public Administration, Cooper spent 11 years in the healthcare industry as a nursing home administrator, working primarily in California and Idaho for The Ensign Group, before moving back to Utah.

He stumbled into the construction industry in 2018 via his neighbor, Dan Scarbrough, founder/CEO of Ogden-based Roper Buildings, a company that specializes in steel pole buildings and high-end barn structures. 

“I connected with Dan and he said he had a business and needed help running it and really wanted the sales department to grow,” said Cooper. “It was happenstance—we got to be friends as neighbors and I thought, ‘What if I came to work for him?’”

Cooper said he enjoys seeing the satisfaction clients get from having their projects built according to their wishes. 

“I have found it extremely satisfying to build projects that people work their entire life for—barns, shops, garages,” he said. “It’s neat to see people’s dreams realized and us being a small part of it. I’ve seen hundreds of buildings built and it’s satisfying to build what people want.”

Cooper believes his sports background has been a boon to his professional career as it taught him lessons he’s able to use in his day-to-day work.

“I’ve always said I wish anybody in the working world grew up playing sports—there is a lot you learn from sports,” he said. “You learn how to fail; you don’t win all the time. How do you take failure? Do you let it get you down, or do you get up for the next play, the next pitch, the next at bat? Sports taught me how to take criticism and coaching, as well. You learn to be coachable. You have to play as a team, but really, how well do you do when performance is required, and somebody is telling you that you need to do better? […] Sports taught me that I had to prioritize and be organized with my time to get a lot done. That’s helped a ton in my professional career.”

Latest Shifts in Structural Engineering

By By B. Garn • May 2, 2025
The continued spread of and improvements to BIM, new fuse plate technology, and the rise of mass timber are a few of the topics shaking up structural engineering in the Beehive State. Utah Construction + Design reached out to some Utah’s leading structural engineering firms to find out about current trends, technologies, and with five years of reflection, how are owners and designers looking at and learning from the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that shook the Wasatch Front in spring 2020. Jerod Johnson, Senior Principal at Reaveley Engineers, wrote a detailed retrospective of the event in 2023 and says researchers and engineers learned a few things from the quake from how different building types responded to insights into the geology of our region. “Research has revealed that the shape of the Wasatch Fault is different from what was previously believed. The Magna earthquake, initially thought to have occurred on a fault in the western part of the Salt Lake Valley, actually took place on the Wasatch Fault. The fault extends into the valley at a much shallower angle than expected, rather than descending steeply from the toe of the mountain. This new understanding of the fault's geometry has significant implications for seismic design and building codes. We anticipate changes to the spectral acceleration maps used in structural design. The lateral shaking observed during the 5.7 magnitude earthquake was much higher than expected,” says Johnson. “It highlighted the need for updated design practices that account for this amplification. These findings will influence future building codes and practices in Utah, ensuring that structures are better equipped to withstand such events.” But Chris Hofheins, a Senior Principal at BHB Structural, is concerned the wider public may not have learned enough from the event. “Most structural engineers thought the earthquake would be a wakeup call but to a large degree I think it had the opposite effect,” said Hofheins. “People looked around and felt like it wasn’t so bad and we’ll be alright if something bigger hits. We’ve seen a few owners who decided to increase the seismic safety of their buildings but we’re also seeing the opposite where I think some people are overconfident.” Blowing a Fuse Structural resilience, designing buildings that not only protect those inside during a seismic event but can be quickly reoccupied, continues to be of great interest to structural engineers. Replaceable fuses, or structural sections that can be sacrificed dissipating energy during a seismic event and then replaced, have continued to gain popularity with designers and improve the resilience of buildings. “This innovation represents a significant shift from traditional methods of enhancing ductility in earthquake design. Instead of merely adapting existing practices, replaceable fuses offer a new paradigm for building resilience,” said Dorian Adams, Senior principal and President with Reaveley Engineers. Adams said fuse technology like buckling restrained braces (BRBs) have been available and widely adopted for several decades. Newer proprietary systems like Durafuse, among others, for moment frames have been gaining popularity. “New technologies are emerging that offer exciting possibilities. One such innovation is the SpeedCore steel shear wall with a concrete core, which is included in the new AISC seismic provisions, the 2022 edition. This technology represents a significant advancement in seismic design,” said Adams. Replaceable fuse technology is also being employed with mass timber construction as interest in and use of the material around the world continues to grow. Jordan Terry, Principal at KPFF Consulting Engineers has designed structural systems for several mass timber and mass timber hybrid projects such as the ICCU Arena at the University of Idaho in Moscow and the recently completed Portland International Airport Terminal Core Redevelopment with its 400,000 sq ft mass Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) roof. He said there have been important advances recently in seismic systems for mass timber structures. “Typically, when you get a mass timber building over five stories you have to look at the seismic reinforcing and that is where you introduce something other than just timber. You might have a concrete core with the elevator shafts or use BRBs,” Terry said. “We had a client in Portland that absolutely wanted to use as much timber as possible. We helped develop a new system called a rocking CLT core wall. The base of the shear wall panels isn’t connected to the ground and it can rock back and forth but there are energy-dissipating sections or fuses, between the panels. They are very ductile. You swap them out and it’s as good as new.” David Dunn, CEO and principal at Dunn Associates, said the firm had utilized a rocking CLT shear panel in their design for a new all mass timber building currently under construction for the Zion National Park Discovery Center at the national park’s east entrance. Terry also said the firm was assisting researchers at the University of California San Diego in developing more all-timber lateral systems but noted like all materials, it should be used for its strengths. “CLT is really strong and stiff so you’d think it would be great for seismic reinforcement, but it is not very ductile,” he said. “We have a project in Spokane [Washington] where we used BRBs. We are letting the wood be stiff and strong like it wants to be and letting the BRBs deal with dissipation.” Hofheins noted mass timber research is going on here at the University of Utah as well. Dr. Chris Pantelides and the U of U’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are developing a BRB encased in timber. Adams noted Dr. Pantelides’s project is not the only fuse research underway locally. “One such project involved a device placed in the middle of an X brace, with elastic braces and a fuse at the intersection of the diagonal braces. This device would compress and stretch, cycling through combined flexure and shear,” he said. “A University of Utah PhD candidate recently further enhanced this concept in his dissertation, adding curved plates of steel that cross one another and engage in tension only after reaching a certain threshold of displacement. This supplemental strength activates only when needed, providing a dual-level design solution that accommodates different magnitudes of earthquakes. The idea of replaceable fuses holds significant potential for the future of structural design. These innovations will become an integral part of performance-based seismic design, offering tailored solutions for varying seismic events. Simpson's Yield-Link connection is another example of this technology, although it is currently more suited for smaller applications.” Dunn said making buildings resilient and potentially reusable quickly after a seismic event not only has implications for safety but for sustainability as well. “Designing resilient structures is really an environmental consideration that is undervalued in my view,” said Dunn. “Code-based buildings will undergo massive deformations and damage after an earthquake. Sometimes small, incremental increases in first-costs can make huge differences in anticipated building performance, salvaging buildings that would otherwise be landfilled. That is a huge environmental impact, but not as buzzy as bike racks, low-water urinals, solar panels, etc.”

No Waterway? No Problem for the Utah Inland Port Authority

By Taylor Larsen • May 2, 2025
Ports? In landlocked Utah? Sure, the traditional idea of a port in Utah, with cargo ships, cruise liners, container cranes, dockworkers, barges—not to mention coastal water—is farfetched. But the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) has broadened the meaning of a port since its formation in 2018. Even without a coast, UIPA has worked to strengthen rail, air, and road cargo infrastructure to turn Utah into a 21st century logistics hub and changing the economic trajectory of the Beehive State in the process. It’s been seven years of increased industrial development that has been a boon for the A/E/C community, but more importantly the logistics and manufacturing network to build for an ever-growing consumer demand. There have been plenty of detractors to UIPA, especially as it relates to ecological conservation. Ben Hart, Executive Director of UIPA, has heard it loud and clear as he sets the organization on a path to aid in development goals that benefit the entire state and the values Utahns hold dear. Origin Story + Coordinated Efforts UIPA was created to pioneer and implement strategic and sustainable logistics-backed economic solutions that enhance the lives of Utahns and establish Utah as a global industry connector. While UIPA began its journey overseeing 16,000 acres in the northwest portion of Salt Lake County, the Northwest Quadrant, it has grown in area and emphases since 2018. Today, UIPA is associated with 110,000 acres in 12 project areas across the state. Most importantly for the organization, Hart said, is how developments within UIPA project areas create high-paying jobs to strengthen Utah communities. Where regional logistics infrastructure does not exist, UIPA can make strategic investments to unlock regional economic growth. “Part of the [UIPA] charter is developing projects that provide economic strength for their entire region. Regional projects need regional infrastructure, which most importantly includes transportation infrastructure,” said Hart, detailing UIPA tools to build out transportation infrastructure intended “to help grow the entire regional economy. Hart said that UIPA has grown its overall area scope to help meet statewide initiatives from current Governor Spencer Cox and regional initiatives from municipal leaders around the Beehive State. Speaking specifically of many of Utah’s rural counties, “There is more commerce going on in those areas than what people recognize,” Hart said, “and you still have a really good workforce in those areas as well.” Municipalities and counties of all levels (see project area map) have been willing to go through a four-step process to access UIPA capabilities in route to industrial development and the high-wage jobs that come with it.

Steely Resolve

By Taylor Larsen • May 1, 2025
Tariff talk is loud. But don’t let that be the only thing that garners attention in steel fabrication trends. Leaders in this field said that they continue to innovate and build up their spot within the industry to ensure steel continues to be utilized in projects across the Beehive State. Tariffs Add Volatility On March 12th, 2025 the Trump administration announced 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. With over 25% of steel imported, according to the US Dept. of Commerce, steel procurement is set to get even pricier. Matt Blaser, President of Price-based Intermark Steel, sees plenty of similarities with tariff policy and the pandemic effects on the supply chain. Much as supply chains needed reconfiguring during the pandemic, “The overarching goal [of tariffs] is to bring manufacturing back into the United States,” said Blaser. “Where we’re not dependent on a global supply chain.” It’s worked as intended before, when 2018 tariffs (25% on steel imports) helped increase domestic steel production by 6 million tons from 2017-2019. For Richard Wood, President of West Jordan-based Rightway Steel, the expected increase in domestic steel production, “It’s just getting started. Many new companies have plans to build steel producing plants in the US.” These incoming ‘minimills’ are bringing faster throughput in a smaller area via a much more efficient steelmaking process. According to a 2020 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report, over half of the national steel output was produced in minimills. These mills use an electric arc furnace (EAF) to melt and refine steel scrap by passing an electric current from the electrodes through the materials to melt it at a scorching 3,000 degrees. It’s making blast furnaces and “rust belt” technology a thing of the past. But on-shoring production has still been a tough pill to swallow for fabricators as steel prices surge. “As of April 1st, steel material prices have increased upwards of 25%,” said Wood. “We’re unsure if or when the tariffs will be reduced.” Even as tariffs escalate, fabricators like Rightway Steel have sought a way forward even as Wood has seen demand and project starts slow down. Rightway has pivoted with new pricing, reduced quote hold times, and internal efficiencies to stay competitive. As developments in EAF take a greater share of steel production market toward stability—and hopefully lower prices—those internal efficiencies Wood mentioned will shape the future of steel fabrication. Innovating Internally “In any steel fabrication, or any type of production, there is a four letter word that makes all the difference: flow,” said Tyler Oliver, President of Centerville-based Fineline Steel Fabrication. Limiting the amount of movement required from the fabrication team in the shop is one internal efficiency keeping costs low. Inside Fineline’s shop, TV screens and tablets keep the team in the shop fully aware of what’s going on—and keep everyone in flow. Touring through the firm’s Centerville shop, one quickly notices how long the building is. Think arena football field, but five of them end to end to reach 1,000 feet long. If Fineline could have a facility twice as long and half as wide, Oliver said, it would help that flow even better. Oliver claimed that Fineline;s facility houses “One of the most state-of-the-art fabricators in the world.” Fineline’s Voortman Steel Fabricator has been a key part of the firm’s innovative flair. The fully-automated welding system starts with the VACAM system to determine the feasibility of assemblies, production times, etc—particularly helpful when determining the amount of automation required in the welding process. From there the magnetic handling robot grabs the steel pieces fed by the Fineline team, rotates the steel, and welds steel members in the right place. Rightway Steel has looked for similar internal efficiencies, with Wood saying the firm is improving year over year with new equipment and processes to improve quality, speed, and safety. “There’s always room for improvement,” he said before mentioning how it will be incumbent on fabricators to find or train workers capable of learning the ropes as the company invests in more robotic welding, improved machinery, and emerging technologies like wearable exoskeletons to keep production humming. Technological Infusion With lead times getting shorter for many of these projects, Oliver said, “[Owners] need their parts and members bigger, better, and faster. This is why we have innovated and are constantly working on adding automation.” Technological innovation reigns supreme. Construction software Stalwarts like Procore and Building Connected are combining with emerging technologies that incorporate in-field scanning from team members to improve accuracy. “We have also seen improvements in modeling and steel shop and erection drawings through Advanced Steel and Tekla,” said Wood. As modeling has improved, so has the final product created by fabricators. Blaser echoed Oliver’s comments on speed to delivery and Wood’s thoughts on digital collaboration, saying that the ability to fabricate from a digital file has been catalytic in today’s high-speed construction market. Blaser also reiterated points from the other fabricators regarding internal systems. Having a CNC machine isn’t enough—it’s the bare minimum. Instead, working in a “Henry Ford-esque” assembly line makes all the difference today, especially when combined with digital innovations and steel detailing software. But the future is one where those systems are bolstered by AI. “Larger companies will have machines interconnected via AI,” said Blaser. With enough capital to invest in interconnected machinery that needs less human help, AI adaptation within steel fabrication will “Consolidate the market and probably push smaller shops to the wayside.” For Oliver, “AI is the top of our list as it is with everyone else,” namely allowing the team to spend their time processing material for fabrication. “There are some major advancements with AI and how we can final QC some of our members.” While AI grows in importance on the shop floor, Wood said his teams have utilized AI as much as possible in the office for great efficiency in take-offs, proposals, RFI support, and meeting information.

Designing a Sustainable Future

By Taylor Larsen • May 1, 2025
“Our thinking needs to be challenged in our culture.” The words from Bill Reed came during his keynote address at the Intermountain Sustainability Summit held at Weber State University in late March. And the strength of his advocacy for a sea change in how our culture thinks about everything—especially sustainability—only continued. “There is no such thing as a sustainable building,” said Reed, Principal of Regenesis, a regenerative design and education organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Reed spoke from experience. He is a founding board member of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and Co-Founder of the LEED Green Building Rating System. For him and many others, LEED won’t be the answer to the problems posed by the built environment. “LEED came along to tell us we could do things better,” he said. “But sustainability is a slower way to die.” “Places are living organisms,” he said. Everyone involved in development must realize, “Your project is not ‘The Project,’ but is part of a living system,” where the development in question is part of an expansive web of community priorities. “We have to make common ground in these communities,” he said, where alignment results in a project that fits within multiple contexts. Reed’s words were strong, and he challenged sustainability experts to find ways to create a regenerative built environment and all of its positive outcomes. UC+D looked to continue those thoughts and reached out to multiple design experts to see how to challenge our collective thinking and steer us to a sustainable future for the built environment. Value Alignment from the Start When Garth Shaw approaches a project, he starts with a fundamental question: "What does our client want and need, and what sustainable design strategies will help them get there?" Shaw, Principal and Director of Sustainability at Salt Lake-based GSBS Architects, said the goal is a high-performance, sustainable design that promotes, rather than dictates, client objectives. Efficient, resilient, and healthy buildings emerge from this process. “There is so much momentum in the industry to move faster and cheaper,” Shaw explained. Everyone in the A/E/C industry values efficiency, and private developers and owners are no exception. However, they also prioritize predictability. Even when a project starts with ambitious sustainability goals, compressed schedules and cost pressures can lead teams back to old methods. "It worked last time!” becomes the enemy of progress. Shaw argued that the industry must create space for innovation. "We need time to drive deep value into buildings that precisely meet client needs while protecting—and even enhancing—environmental performance." Overcoming this challenge begins with aligning values. “If you can tie people’s values into a practical approach to sustainability, that’s the magic,” Shaw said. He encourages his team to lead sustainability conversations without defaulting to LEED certification. Instead, successful sustainability strategies require tools tailored to each project. This kind of value-driven approach has broad appeal, transcending political divides. Shaw noted that leaders across the political spectrum recognize the importance of sustainability through air quality and water conservation efforts. Depoliticizing environmental stewardship is key—it’s not just a policy issue but a human issue that affects everyone. Government incentives, like the Inflation Reduction Act, have helped make sustainability more attractive to owners. The IRA provides substantial discounts for projects implementing energy-efficient systems, such as Utah’s on-site ground-source thermal exchange systems, which can now receive up to a 50% discount. When cost savings are clear and measurable, sustainability becomes an easier sell. Beyond energy systems, sustainable construction also hinges on material choices. "Manufacturers and contractors aren’t used to tracking carbon impacts," Shaw noted, but forward-thinking industry leaders continue pushing for better transparency. Tools from organizations like the Carbon Leadership Forum help architects, builders, and owners visualize the carbon footprint of materials, empowering them to make informed decisions. For the A/E/C industry, staying ahead requires continuous learning—keeping up with evolving grants, materials, supply chains, and building systems. Shaw concluded, “Change is required, and that change will ultimately benefit our clients. It may take more time, but the result is a high-value project—for people and the environment.”

Something New

By Doug Fox • May 1, 2025
The recently completed Duchesne High School (DHS) renovation is a textbook case of the old wedding adage: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Fittingly, the project resulted in an elegant marriage of design, construction, and community spirit. The old and new are carefully blended, with brand-new buildings and modernized spaces standing alongside preserved sections of renovations past. And to tie it all together? The commons area, a brand-new roof, and other key highlights are bathed in Duchesne’s signature blue color. Naturally, like any good marriage, this $62.9 million rebuild required commitment, collaboration, and a little bit of patience. Architects, builders, and school district officials worked hand in hand to ensure that the old and new came together in harmony—honoring the school’s legacy while preparing it for the future. “We strived to make a space that brings pride to the students, staff, and the community,” said Wes Christensen, Principal Architect at KMA Architects, the Spanish Fork firm that designed the rebuild. “Our approach and design philosophy were heavily influenced by the desire to create a cohesive and efficient addition that would seamlessly blend with the existing portions to remain. We feel that we were able to accomplish this successfully, working together as a design team, including our consulting engineers, the school district, school administration, and Westland Construction.” Save the Date The Duchesne High School rebuild has been on the drawing board for nearly seven years and in the construction phase for 33 months. KMA started the design process in 2018, but the project was put on hold by the Duchesne County School District due to COVID and faced additional delays because of supply chain issues and long lead times for equipment. Westland Construction of Orem eventually earned the CM/GC bid and broke ground in June 2022. The high school remained open during the course of construction, creating the need for innovative and meticulous planning to ensure safety while working around normal school activity. “The new addition at the school was built where there was a field, parking lot, old basketball gym, and shop classrooms,” said Aaron Kirkham, Project Manager at Westland Construction. “The remodel and construction in the existing school areas were done during the school summer breaks.” When school was in session, temporary construction fencing and gates around active working areas served to keep students safe, Kirkham said. Construction delineation kept workers and equipment separated from students and staff. According to Michael Weldon, Building and Grounds Supervisor with the Duchesne County School District (DCSD), the detached gym and locker rooms were built in 1965, the auditorium and shops built in 1974, and a newer building added to campus in 2005. “The parts of the school that were demolished did not meet current building codes,” Weldon said. “The original auditorium was extremely small and the shops were also small. You had to go outside and through a parking lot to get to the second gym. The new build project incorporated the shops, an auditorium, and gym attached to the 2005 building so that they feel and look like they were built at the same time.” Bridging the old and new construction is always a unique factor that is different for any remodel and addition project, Christensen said. “These previous additions were designed by another architect, so that also creates a challenge to overcome in blending styles and design choices.” One of the most significant hurdles revolved around the central placement of the auditorium within the new school structure. While beneficial in creating a focal point for the building, the new auditorium posed myriad logistical challenges during construction. According to Kirkham, a 28,000-pound steel beam needed to be placed to support the structure’s masonry walls, which were 35 feet tall. The beam placement required a 550-ton crane, which had to be strategically positioned where the future gym would be constructed. “As a result, we had to delay the construction of the masonry walls in the new gymnasium until the beam was in place,” Kirkham said. “This sequencing created a very compressed and demanding schedule to ensure the new basketball gym was completed in time for the start of the school year in August 2024.” Despite those constraints, Kirkham said, construction on the gym’s masonry walls and concrete slab began in January of 2024 and was completed within seven months.

The New SLC Rolls On

By Milton Harrison • May 1, 2025
The historic Salt Lake City Airport Redevelopment (the New SLC) project continues to roll on into its fourth—and final—phase, with a targeted finish in October 2026 and final delivery of 16 new gates in Concourse B that will allow it to serve 34 million passengers annually. At a whopping $5.135 billion, the New SLC marks the single largest project in Utah's history, with the Phase I grand opening in September 2020 the first of many project milestones. The New SLC also sports the distinction of being the first new hub airport in the U.S. built in the 21st century, making it one of the most modern, technologically advanced, and aesthetically pleasing airports in the world. Last October, the $458 million Phase III was delivered by the Holder/Big-D Construction Joint Venture (HDJV) team, highlighted by the dynamic new 1,175-foot Central Tunnel—dubbed the "River Tunnel" for its mesmerizing blue ceiling art installation that depicts a flowing river—along with the Concourse B Plaza. The new plaza features an extension of the popular canyon motif with new art installations and the remarkable preservation of the former airport’s iconic "World Map" terrazzo floor section originally installed in 1960. Mike Williams, Program Director for the New SLC, expressed his excitement at the completion of Phase III, saying it's the most significant project milestone since Phase I opened in 2020. "This is really what I call the second transformation of the airport. The first was when we opened Phase I in the fall of 2020," said Williams, the veritable maestro of this Herculean, once-in-a-lifetime project. “[Phase III] is the one that ties it all together and makes it function as one cohesive airport." Williams said it's been remarkable to see how this project has morphed since it was announced more than a dozen years ago. At that time, the scope called for constructing just a new Concourse A and landside facilities. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, a mere six months before the scheduled grand opening of Phase I, SLC Airport officials pivoted with the original program and called for Concourse B to be built as well, essentially adding Phase III and Phase IV and nearly doubling the program budget to exceed $5 billion. Having the same general contractor team (HDJV) and design team, led by San Francisco-based HOK, on all four phases allowed a more seamless expansion since the goal of building Concourse B was to have it look and function virtually the same as Concourse A. Bill Wyatt, Executive Director of Airports for Salt Lake City, has been involved since 2017 and praised all parties involved for the successful completion of three major phases thus far, and for continually trying to improve the construction process from phase to phase. "During Phase I, we had this constant barrage of issues," said Wyatt. "I'd go on these construction walks with Mike [Williams], and someone from [HDJV], and it was a constant series of decisions that had to be made. We fixed all of those little things so that almost none of those issues were in Phase III and Phase IV. It's kind of like rinse and repeat—they're going on 10 years of building gates, and they have it pretty well down by now." Wyatt agreed with Williams that Phase III is the essential functional piece tying the entire project together, with the Central Tunnel being a vital connector between the two new concourses. The Central Tunnel makes a strong statement with its unique aesthetics and general stress-free vibe—highlighted by a carefully curated music playlist designed to help visitors decompress from the stresses of traveling on their journey to Concourse B. "In some ways, other than the [Phase I] grand opening itself in 2020, the opening of Phase III is the most significant," said Wyatt. "It makes the airport flow and function so much more effectively. Prior to this, people had a hard time understanding how it was going to come together—the Central Tunnel and Plaza of Concourse B really bring that together. We're very happy with the end result, the art [...] everything about it is terrific." "There has been a ton of excitement seeing the public's reaction to the Central Tunnel opening," added Jordan Cammack, Construction Director for the past two years for HDJV, and a former Project Manager and Senior Project Manager who has been on the job since construction began in July 2014. He praised the cohesiveness of the design and construction teams over the past 11 years and the ability to make changes without disrupting the schedule or budget. "It's been impressive to see how the architect and design teams came together and worked with us throughout the project," Cammack added. "It's been a great job—it's been like a family out here with all our team members, owner reps, and architects. We've seen families grow up. It's a pleasure to come to work with such great people for an extended period of time."

New Life for the 200 South Transit Corridor

By Taylor Larsen • May 1, 2025
“What does this corridor want to be when it grows up?” The question posed by Kyle Cook was the impetus for the 200 South Reconstruction project. It helped usher in a new era for Salt Lake City’s bus corridor with the tagline: “200 South—A Place of Motion” Cook, PE and Transportation Engineer for Salt Lake City, said 200 South was discussed years before design and construction commenced, namely from the capital city’s 2017 Transit Master Plan. After evaluating 15 corridors, 200 South was deemed the most important. “A strategic corridor,” said Cook of the area from Salt Lake Central Station to the University of Utah. Working in tandem with UTA and multiple Salt Lake City departments, the design would condense the five lanes of the old street into three passenger vehicle lanes, two dedicated bus lanes, and two bike lanes. It would create a street that matches the urban character of the area, one that is much safer and better equipped to handle the multimodal traffic on 200 South. Building for Community Needs As the Salt Lake City team went from master plan to design in the early days of the pandemic, they turned to online workshops, surveys, and virtual town halls on Facebook Live to get feedback on what folks hoped to see from a reconstructed 200 South along an area between 900 East and 400 West. “At the time, that was pretty novel for us,” Cook said of that public involvement work from the city and AECOM consultants, who served as project prime. “But I think we got very good at it.” They took in nearly 1,000 survey responses plus online event insights to determine the street needed to accommodate not just buses and passenger vehicles, but pedestrians, cyclists, and the array of businesses housed along the corridor. Reconstruction of 200 South was a two-phase project, where Phase 1 would cover 900 East to 200 East, and Phase 2 would reconstruct the far busier part of the project between 200 East and 400 West. Working with the Business Community Road construction is the bane of many and grows more challenging for a project team attempting to accommodate businesses and travelers while building in an urban environment. “It’s as downtown as it gets,” said Brett Kearns of the project scope. “The amount of vehicular or foot traffic passing through, and knowing you have to re-do the entire street, remove curb, gutter, and flatwork—it’s a huge concern.” Kearns, Project Manager/Estimator for Acme Construction, said they worked hand in hand with Salt Lake City and the public engagement team at Avenue Consultants to address business needs as construction continued between each phase. “In order for 200 South to succeed, we have to have good contact within our team and good contact with businesses,” said Kearns. “The first thing we did was canvas on the corridor,” said Stacee Adams, Public Involvement Manager from Avenue Consultants, who managed public involvement from the end of design through project completion. Adams said the team “went business to business” to show them what would go in place, infrastructure amenities, and what to expect in construction. Beyond the initial meet-and-greet, the team hosted workshops at Gallivan Plaza, took daily phone calls, and met with businesses monthly to keep them in the know. They also provided information to event attendees at places like the Greek Fest (300 West) and the Salt Palace (West Temple - 200 West) to keep visitors aware of construction impacts. Working Around the Barriers Acme’s experience on other Salt Lake City projects, notably the successful 900 South Corridor reconstruction, gave the city confidence that the Acme team would build community trust in each phase. That proved especially critical with the Capitol Theatre (50 West). Uneven grades surrounding the building posed one challenge while accommodating Capitol Theatre’s busy schedule posed another. Beyond venue patrons, “[Capitol Theatre] has load-in for their stage equipment, performers and costuming coming in, plus students coming in on school days for plays,” said Adams of the complicated logistics plan required. “We found out the best time for them was for construction to work from the beginning of July to August 15th,” said Kearns, who noted the atypical nature of the project required a level of dedication matched by the construction team across both phases. Kearns especially praised Acme Superintendent Herman Sword, who coordinated across the project’s two phases and ongoing construction projects nearby to ensure good outcomes for everyone. The Acme team installed plenty of asphalt and concrete to give the road and sidewalk new life around a bevy of ongoing work. Enbridge Gas installed their pipeline along the same corridor, Royal Wood Plaza (230 West) underwent demolition, and construction progressed on Zephyr Lofts (370 West) and Astra Tower (State Street).

40 Years of Aiming High

By Brad Fullmer • April 30, 2025
Steel Encounters' Executive Leadership team consists of (Left to right): Brad Hardy, President; Brian Tlustosch, Executive VP: Tom Jackson, Chairman/CEO; Michael Rudge, CFO.

Economists Remain Optimistic about Utah

By Milt Harrison • February 28, 2025
Despite some minor economic headwinds, Utah is poised for another solid, if semi-unspectacular, year of construction and real estate development, according to top economists locally and nationally. Indeed, 2025 is shaping up to be much like 2024, a year where firms across the A/E/C spectrum completed dozens of life-enhancing, community-uplifting projects across every major building sector—in other words, a lot of projects were built outside of the still churning multi-family market. These firms thrived for the most part, posting positive revenue growth and maintaining momentum in the face of the usual challenges of shallow labor pools and volatile material costs. Utah continues to rank among the top states nationally on key economic drivers such as population growth, construction employment, a pro-business climate, and a legislative body that continues to be bullish on funding higher education and transportation projects. Prospects are good with a can-do mentality among developers, municipalities, and the firms designing and building the jobs. "Utah will continue to have above average growth and is in great position to continue its great track record with a growing population, and a strong economy and construction market," said Ken Simonson, Chief Economist for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGCA) in Washington, D.C. "Utah has been on a steady, strong upward path with 27% growth in construction employment—three times the national average of 9%—since 2020." Simonson said Utah's construction employment growth doubled last year, up 6%, which is twice the U.S. average. Growth would be even stronger, he added, if contractors could find workers, particularly skilled tradesmen. Simonson said a survey of 1,500 firms nationally stated 94% had openings for craft workers. "It's hard to fill (skilled) positions, more difficult than last year," he added. Utah's consistent population growth—the Beehive State ranked fourth according to the U.S. Census from 2023-24 with 1.8% growth (3.44 million to 3.50 million)—is a driver of demand for so many types of construction, as well as a course of construction labor. Simonson said the state has been more welcoming of immigrants, an important source of labor for contractors across the board. Utahns also have a reputation for being well-educated coupled with a strong work ethic and drive to succeed, making the state an attractive place for new businesses looking to expand. Developers Waiting Out Interest Rates; Hope for a Drop in '25 The Fed kept interest rates where they are in January—a decision not popular with many real estate developers simply itching to invest capital and have projects waiting to cut loose the minute rates become more favorable. That pent-up demand could heat up the market if rates drop by even half a point, particularly in the multi-family arena. Simonson said multi-family was down nationally 8% from September 2023-24, with Utah seeing an equivalent slowdown, despite a huge amount of inventory that hit the market in 2024, including attractive high-end downtown properties like Camber, The Worthington, and Astra Tower, and many others along the greater Wasatch Front. "Reductions in the [Fed]’s short-term interest rate target will make financing a bit less expensive but developers still can't get loans or want to proceed if rents aren't high enough to cover the financing and construction costs, including time to complete if there are extended delivery times for electrical equipment such as transformers and switchgear," Simonson added. "Utah isn't immune from these challenges, but if the underlying population growth will be supportive of rent increases, that may bring back multi-family construction sooner than in areas that aren't growing as fast, or at all." Spendlove Keynote at 2025 NAIOP Symposium Senior Economist for Zions Bank, Robert Spendlove, said Utah is well-positioned to maintain solid economic activity, with factors of low unemployment (hovering around 4%), solid wage growth (3.9% in December), and more than a quarter million jobs added at the end of last year. "Utah had unexpected, continued strength in the labor market," said Spendlove at NAIOP Utah's 2025 Symposium in January. "If we could pause the economy and stay where we're at now, we'd be in a perfect position." Consumer inflation, he said, remains sticky at nearly 3%, with the Fed targeting 2% before they can lower interest rates. "Until it's at 2%, they can't claim victory," he said. Overall, consumer prices are up a whopping 22% since 2020. "It's a struggle for people—those prices are never going back down. Inflation is just adding to those price increases. [Fed Chair Jerome] Powell said they will not make the same mistake as the 70s; they will not cut rates until inflation is down." In addition to strong 1.65% [WHAT TYPE OF] growth and 1.8% employment growth, Utah rebounded quickly from the pandemic. "That shows the strength of Utah's economy and labor market," said Spendlove. He added that Utah's GDP was up 4.6%, indicating the strongest economic growth in the U.S., with consumer sentiment improving and greater small business optimism. Utah Maintains Steady Growth, Says Eskic The Beehive State's remarkably consistent and steady growth remains a major reason why its economic outlook remains rosy, said Dejan Eskic, Senior Research Fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. "Utah's population growth has never dropped below zero since 1950—we're still increasing with net migration," said Eskic at an event hosted by the Intermountain Chapter of the American Concrete Institute in January, with growth slowing by only .08 to 1.65% "There is so much demand in our economy that even in a down year for housing, construction employment is up 6.2%," he said. "The American household, on average, has never looked better on paper when looking at financial stability," with 70% of household debt tied to mortgages. Living in Utah is still expensive, even though the state is now listed as the 10th most expensive state to live in, down from 8th. "It doesn't mean Utah is more affordable, other states are just more expensive." The housing crisis will remain among the biggest challenges, both with affordable housing and overall number of units that need to be built. Governor Spencer Cox has made his intentions known that communities need to prioritize ways to address all housing issues, with a desire to see tens of thousands of single family homes built in the next decade. Way easier said than done, simply because developers cannot be expected to be altruistic when market conditions are competitive and profit margins potentially volatile and risky. He expects rents to increase once absorption is reached. Other items of note: —Consumer Price Index dipped to 2.6%, where it is expected to stay. —Expect growth in wages and employment. —Commercial construction will be primarily flat, similar to the last two years. —Office is flat, medical and industrial markets will continue to grow; industrial may be dictated by international trade. —Utah expects to add 500,000 people in the next decade, and will need a jaw-dropping 275,000 more housing units in that time, primarily along the Wasatch Front. "We need to change the dialogue if we're going to solve the housing crisis," said Eskic. "Currently, 92% of renters are priced out of the market. Construction must be optimized."

Waterworks in the Wilderness

By Taylor Larsen • February 28, 2025
July 23rd, 1847 was a pivotal day for the pioneers. Records from the time detailed how the advance party trekking into the Salt Lake Valley built a dam to convey water from City Creek to freshly plowed land. Years later, the city hired civil and hydraulic engineer Herman Schussler to design a system to bring water through laminated wood pipes to 20,000 Salt Lake City residents while preparing for future growth. Schussler said, in a presentation to Brigham Young in 1872, “I propose to construct the pipe system of the City of such dimensions as to be capable of supplying five million gallons per diem.” While those original pipes couldn’t make it to year two, the design was in place for cast iron pipes to go in their place in 1876. The 37 carloads of cast iron pipe, plumbing tools, water gates, and more came from multiple suppliers from eastern US industrial hubs of St. Louis, Boston, and Louisville, KY. Those collaborative efforts brought modern waterworks “in our lovely Deseret,” collecting water from 19.2 square miles of watershed that feeds the 14.5-mile-long City Creek stream. Modernity Fast forward nearly 150 years, past chlorination that arrived in the 1920s, past the first water treatment facility constructed in Utah, the City Creek Water Treatment Plant in 1953, past filter installation in 1966, and past the canyon reopening for recreational use in 1975—Salt Lake City needed a new treatment facility to keep clean water flowing. The Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities (SLCDPU) partnered with engineering firm Brown and Caldwell in design in 2018 to envision and engineer something new to ensure resiliency and reliable water service to its customers. While the plant escaped any critical damage in the March 2020 earthquake, it was a reminder of the urgent need to create a new facility. Design and construction would work around a coterie of barriers and challenges—keeping operations ongoing while building on a challenging site three miles into the wilderness—to produce the future of water treatment for Salt Lake City.
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