Magnificent Mass Timber

Baltic Pointe stands as a beacon on the hill as Utah’s first-ever multi-story mass timber project.
By Milt Harrison

The era of full-scale mass timber design and construction has officially arrived in Utah, courtesy of the majestic new $80 million, five-story Baltic Pointe building in Draper, a trendsetting, 194,665 SF office project that sets a high bar for this aesthetically pleasing and environmentally conscious building type in the Beehive State. 

Highlighted with gorgeous mass timber and CLT (cross-laminated timber) columns and beams, interior spaces within Baltic Pointe are simply jaw-dropping, as visitors—and particularly occupants—marvel at the simplistic beauty of interior wood finishes and the calm, peaceful energy it inspires. 

Jared Wright, Project Manager for Salt Lake-based Method Studio, said witnessing responses of people who tour the project has been unlike anything he's ever experienced. 

"When people come to see it in person, whether it was early when framing was just going up or near completion, their reaction [...] you can see the light bulb moment of 'I thought I knew what this would look like and oh, now I get it!' When you can smell the wood, feel it and touch it, it's a different experience." 

"I've given more tours of this building than any building I've been a part of in my career," added Eric Barton, Project Executive for Salt Lake-based Okland Construction. "Pretty much everyone who sees this building in person, they stand inside and look around and say 'this is awesome, we want to do this on our project'."

That aesthetic "wow factor" of mass timber is exactly what developers had in mind more than four years ago when this venture of bringing a multi-level, mass timber spec office building to the Wasatch Front began. A team from Salt Lake-based Gardner Group—led by Christian Gardner, CEO and Chairman—and architects from Method Studio set out in early 2020 to learn as much as they could about mass timber, including touring several notable projects on the West Coast for inspiration.

The complexities of designing and constructing a completely new building type proved challenging on many fronts, coupled with the unfortunate timing of the pandemic and subsequent chaos affecting material and supply availability and pricing. All parties worked hard crunching numbers to make the project pencil, knowing materials and new processes would add approximately 10% to the bottom line, a sizeable number to a project pushing nine figures.

Method Studio quickly assembled a "Mass Timber 101" report for Gardner on how CLT and glulam timber products could work, and the project gained traction post-Covid when Gardner approached Pelion Ventures Partners about being a partner on Baltic Pointe, with Pelion executives so enamored with the mass timber concept it's occupying the top floor as its new headquarters, while subleasing floors three and four. HB Workplaces is moving its headquarters from downtown Salt Lake and will occupy the main floor. 

Gardner's firm began doing its research with local and national design firms and mass timber consultants because of the uniqueness of the mass timber market and as a more sustainable way to build projects. 

"The goal is to find a way to make a significant change in how we're consuming fossil fuels," said Ryan Bevan, President of Construction for Gardner Group, "and become more environmentally conscious. That precipitated what we want on the construction and development side. In lieu of giving lip service to green building, we want to live what we're preaching. This project is a testament to our efforts." 

"We believe in using state-of-the-art technologies and building materials to reduce our building impact to the environment," said Gardner. "Part of Gardner’s mission is to discover more sustainable ways to build. To do this, we need to venture from the status quo and embrace new innovations and building materials. This building will be the first commercial project in Utah to be built with mass timber, and we are optimistic that it will be the first of many.” 

“In many ways, building using this new technology embodies our vision as a company,” said Blake Modersitzki, Managing Partner at Pelion Venture Partners, whose firm occupies the top floor, while subleasing floors 3-4. “We value creation, vision and positive disruption as we build successful communities, and Gardner Group has been an amazing partner to work with as we embrace this innovation.” 

"We think the benefits of the prefabrication process of mass timber—compared to traditional steel and concrete construction methods—will see an offset of cost from the rising rates of labor, making mass timber more cost-effective," added Bevan. "Our hope is that Gardner sets a new precedent in Utah for prioritizing the use of renewable natural resources in construction."

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Natural Beauty of Mass Timber Shines Through

Design inspiration for Baltic Pointe combined three distinct layers of form: the outer opaque facade—"the veil"—over a glass volume—"the jewel box"—revealing the warm wood structure beneath, with the three-pronged mass hovering over a two-level concrete parking structure—"the base".


The intent was to reveal the mass timber by framing views through glazing where it would be most impactful on the highly visible west side and its birds-eye view of The Point development at the south end of Salt Lake Valley, while treating other facades as playful expressions between solid and void layers, while carving out multiple access points on the steep topography.


The design phase benefitted from having several key Salt Lake-based A/E/C firms meet together early and often—including Gardner, Method, Okland, structural firm BHB Structural Engineers, civil firm Ensign Engineering, and mass timber fabricator Kalesnikoff Mass Timber of British Columbia. Okland also worked closely with Ogden-based TimberWorks, the mass timber installer, to meet tight schedule demands.


To ensure structural integrity, a buckling restrained brace (BRB) system was designed to connect all timber and steel elements, while resisting cyclical lateral loads during a potential seismic event.


Floors are open and spacious, with an 11 ft. 4 in. clearance to the underside of the higher beams and a 13 ft. 5 in. clearance to the underside of the deck, offering optimum daylighting throughout all levels. Leaving the beams and deck exposed adds to the architectural expression of the natural wood. Mechanical and electrical systems were strategically painted black, part of the overall design theme.


Wright said an early design challenge was figuring out how to showcase various systems without comprising or interfering with the look of the mass timber. "You can hide [systems]      with clouds or soffits or other wood paneling, or you can leave it raw and not paint it. We felt that showing off systems [works] in a finished way. Window frames are black, exposed steel elements are charcoal black. We felt the wood and dark metal or black finishes worked well together."


Marbe Agee, Principal at Method Studio, said the "design-assist" process was "a collaborative approach" that was innovative and essential, given the new construction type. "It didn't add complexity to the [delivery method], it was an educational process," said Agee.


Concessions had to be made to get the project to make financial sense for its investors, with the glass curtain wall system having to be more opaque than desired by the owners, simply to mitigate glare and heat gain from the harsh afternoon sun. Site challenges were extensive given the two-level, mountainside topography that required extensive earthwork and retaining walls.


Qualities of Mass Timber

Mass timber consists of tightly layering soft lumber boards to create columns, beams, and panels. The products are strong enough to replace steel and concrete in load-bearing applications and are slated to be approved for buildings up to 18 stories under the International Building Code (updates are pending). 


Structurally, there is confidence in mass timber measuring up well vs. concrete and steel, although there are areas of concern regarding strength and durability that require specific design considerations, which can be overcome for most buildings, said Brett Goodman, Principal for BHB Structural Engineers of Salt Lake.


"Utilizing mass timber in Baltic Pointe brings unique engineering challenges and opportunities," said Goodman. "Integrating mass timber systems requires careful consideration of load-bearing capacities, fire resistance, and dynamic performance.


Collaborating with architects and other engineering disciplines, we optimized the structural design to ensure the building's safety, durability, and long-term performance. For the building's seismic design, we kept the high performance of a steel buckling restrained brace frame system (Core Brace) and tied that into the mass timber structure."


The floors of Baltic Pointe are comprised of massive Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels measuring 5 in. thick by 10 ft. wide by up to 60 ft. long. The CLT is made by “laminating” layers of standard 2x4 to 2x10 members, similar to glulam beams. Each layer “crosses" by stacking them perpendicular to the last—the result is one large, stiff wood member that makes for a great floor. 


Approximately 1,500 mass timber projects have been constructed or are in design in the U.S., although few exist in the Intermountain West. Mass timber is largely prefabricated off-site and pieced together like a giant puzzle, so it can facilitate shorter construction times and be completed by a smaller labor force.


Mass timber also aids in reducing construction schedule time since "with this kind of construction, as soon as we get the structure up, we don't have to pour decks and fireproof beams—we can start right in with framing and MEP rough-ins," said Barton. "It turned out really great—it's a beautiful building."


Perhaps the single most substantial benefit—the one factor that ultimately will drive interest in this market—is the carbon footprint reduction vs. steel or concrete, which are well-known contributors to global CO2 emissions. According to 2020 statistics, cement and steel production accounts for 11% to 15% of all global CO2 emissions, a major driver of climate change.   


Replacing these traditional building materials with CLT mass timber would naturally reduce CO2 levels; the use of mass timber on Baltic Pointe reflects a decrease in carbon impact equal to taking 1,500 cars off the road for a year or powering nearly 800 homes for a year with renewable energy.


Other positive factors include mass timber’s high strength-to-weight ratios and natural flexibility, which enable excellent performance during seismic activity. CLT columns and panels also meet or exceed fire code requirements. During a fire, exposed wood chars on the outside, forming an insulating layer that protects the interior from damage the same way redwood trees survive fires.



Mass timber’s aesthetic and environmental appeal are market differentiators that increase a project’s value and lease rate. Research indicates that when people are surrounded by natural materials, it lowers their stress response and improves cognitive function.

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Mass Timber's Future in Utah and the Intermountain Region

Given the challenges with static interest rates—and a stubborn Fed that is likely to keep it where it's at through 2024 based on inflation concerns—it's a safe bet to assume projects of a similar scope and nature to Baltic Pointe won't be getting built until rates drop.


Agee and Wright said they're just grateful the project actually got built, with Method Studio playing an integral role in      its success.


"It could have died a thousand times—Gardner was determined to keep it alive," said Wright. "Being able to work with them to make it [pencil] was a testament to proof of concept, and saying this can be done. There's always that first one."


"It was more expensive to build, but it's a premium offering in the market," added Agee. "Some of that [cost] was affected by the environment we were in, [wild swings] in lumber prices and supply chain volatility. It's innovative because it got built."


Future mass timber projects on a large scale like Baltic Pointe will ultimately get built, but beyond a more favorable development climate, it will take an owner with a similar vision as the Gardner-Pelion-Celtic Bank tri-venture displayed on this project—willing to sacrifice some long-term margin to make a statement.


"Education awareness takes time," Wright said of mass timber. "We're on a trajectory of an exponential curve [internationally]. It's just a matter of time before more [mass timber] projects come online."


"We've had a lot of inquiries; it's going to take more exposure, more education," Agee added. "It's still going to take [a developer] who believes in doing something innovative and different."


Bevan said Gardner Group will continue to operate at the forefront of the mass-timber-building market, confident in the belief that premium up-front costs will ease as local A/E/C firms better understand how to design and build with mass timber, utilizing smart design strategies and value engineering to keep costs down.


"We need to venture from the status quo and embrace new innovations and building materials," said Gardner. "This building will be the first commercial project in Utah to be built with mass timber, and we are optimistic that it will be the first of many.”


"We think the benefits of the prefabrication process of mass timber—compared to traditional steel and concrete construction methods—will see an offset of cost from the rising rates of labor, making mass timber more cost-effective," added Bevan. "Our hope is that Gardner sets a new precedent in Utah for prioritizing the use of renewable natural resources in construction."

Baltic Pointe Office Building

Owner: Gardner Group, Pelion Ventures Partners, Celtic Bank

Developer: Gardner Group

 

Design Team:

Lead Design Firm: Method Studio

Structural Engineer: BHB Structural

Civil Engineer: Ensign Engineering

MP Engineer: PVE Consulting Engineers

Electrical Engineer: Spectrum Engineers

Interior Design: Method Studio

Furniture: HB Workplaces

Landscape Designer: Arc Sitio Design, Inc

 

Construction Team:

General Contractor: Okland Construction

Electrical: Rydalch Electric

Mechanical: Harris Mechanical

Plumbing: Harris Mechanical

Concrete: Okland Construction

Mass Timber Fabrication: Kalesnikoff Mass Tiber

Mass Timber Erection: Timber Works

Steel Fabrication: D&D Welding & Fabrication

Steel Erection: American Steel Erectors

Glass/Curtain Wall: B&D Glass

Masonry: Allens Masonry

Drywall/Acoustics: CSI Drywall

Painting: Accent Painting

Tile: CP Build

Flooring: CP Build

Roofing: Utah Tile and Roof

Excavation: Siri Contracting

Landscaping: Utah Complete Landscaping

Black Desert Oasis

By Brad Fullmer • October 15, 2025
When Lehi-based Reef Capital Partners (Reef) initially announced plans in 2018 to build a sprawling, estimated $2 billion mega-resort with a championship-caliber golf course on 600 acres covering parts of Ivins and Santa Clara—small towns with just over 15,000 combined residents at the time—it was difficult to fathom what a project of that magnitude might look like. Fast forward seven years, and Black Desert Resort is indeed a shining oasis amidst Southern Utah's famed red rock cliffs, sitting atop an ancient lava field, with buildings strategically carved into the land to produce a resort unlike anything else. "This is the biggest project we've ever done—we feel really good where we are," said Brett Boren, President of Real Estate for Reef, acknowledging the general completion of the $290 million, 806,000-SF resort center, along with significant ongoing work—including a 1,298-stall parking garage, condominiums, and a private water park. As of September, all aspects of the main resort center were open and fully complete, with the hotel celebrating its first official year in business after partially opening in September 2024 as it hosted the inaugural PGA Black Desert Championship October 10-13. The second installment of the tournament—now dubbed the Bank of Utah Championship—is slated for October 23-26, with a third tournament signed for 2026.

Calder Richards Celebrates 20 Years of Sustainable Evolution

By UC&D • October 1, 2025
In 2005, Calder Richards Consulting Engineers formed after the merger of two smaller structural consulting firms who, interestingly enough, both started in 1986. Calder Richards has provided a steady structural support for Utah’s built environment ever since. As the firm celebrates its 20th anniversary, UC+D spoke with Managing Principals Shaun Packer and Nolan Balls to look back over the company’s history and celebrate what has helped their firm stand out to deliver solid projects in Utah and beyond. Their responses were edited for clarity and brevity. UC+D: What have been some catalytic moments for Calder Richards since that initial merger? SP: Winning the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona is the first one. The big reason for the merger between Richards Consulting Group and Calder Consulting was to build a large enough company to go after bigger projects like that.” NB: That was my first project when I was hired straight out of college. We helped design the 17-story hotel and casino, a conference center, as well as parking structures, a central mechanical building, and a pool building. Talking Stick helped get us through the downturn a few years later. UC+D: What have been your key market sectors you all have targeted over the last 20 years? NB: We were breaking into K-12 along the Wasatch Front soon after the Talking Stick Resort and it’s been our bread and butter since then. SP: Absolutely, but I credit our firm for always adapting to the current environment. We’ve been fortunate to do so much K-12, but we used to do a lot of office work, and now we are working on conversions like the Ebay Headquarters to CTE/Innovation Center for Canyons School District as the market has shifted away from commercial office. UC+D: Schools have certainly evolved over the last 20 years, how has your work as structural engineers evolved? SP: We are seeing more creative design on the architectural side, certainly. We see many more two-story designs; more windows and daylighting. But we’re utilizing more powerful tools and continually building our understanding of the structural materials that are in use more than ever—tilt-up concrete, steel columns and beams, especially—to be the architect’s trusted partner. NB: Schools have definitely changed, and we’ve had better experience in helping projects move forward successfully when we are involved earlier in the design process. As we got involved early on in West High School’s schematic design, we were able to provide structural solutions and options to accommodate the architects’ design intent. UC+D: How has company growth changed Calder Richards? SP: It’s certainly changed the number of people in our office. We started with around 10 people when we merged, and today we have 27. But we often say that we don’t want to grow just to grow—we want to grow sustainably. We don’t lay people off when works slows down, and we have an expectation that sometimes there will be overtime work, and other times you may be waiting for our next project to begin.

The (Epi)Center of it All

By By Taylor Larsen • October 1, 2025
Nested in the middle of the University of Utah (U of U) campus sits the aptly-named Impact & Prosperity Epicenter, the second living learning community (LLC) project designed on campus by Los Angeles-based Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign. After nearly a decade since their first LLC project, the award-winning Lassonde Studios (UC+D’s 2016 Most Outstanding Public Building over $10 million), Mehrdad Yazdani, the design firm’s Principal and Studio Director, said their work on a sequel was an exciting prospect for the firm, and enlisted Salt Lake-based MHTN Architects and Okland Construction to serve as the respective local architect and general contractor. Today, the Epicenter serves as a striking piece of architecture and construction, one whose curvilinear shape asks users and visitors plenty of questions. But moving from idea to execution has been a work in progress. One query from Yazdani stood out as it relates to students and the built environment, and helped begin the journey to create the Epicenter: “How does your living environment as a student impact your success as a student and as a changemaker?” A Project for an Evolving Campus Katie Macc, CEO of the Sorenson Impact Institute, said LLCs like the Epicenter and Lassonde Studios next door have been massive steps forward in advancing entrepreneurship and social impact. But both play a major role in creating “college town magic”—a phrase coined by University President Taylor Randall that invokes a vibrant campus where students can find community and have one-of-a-kind experiences. With more on-campus student housing in the works, the state’s flagship university is hoping to shed the “commuter school” label and deliver a level of desirability that matches the resources students commit to higher education. “There is some soul searching going on across university campuses,” said Macc of the challenge at hand. “We have to be convincing that going to college matters.” She said overall university enrollments across the nation are decreasing as students grapple with tuition costs, COVID and its isolating aftershocks, and a different perspective on higher education. Universities are no longer a place where students come to learn what they couldn’t learn elsewhere—remote learning and the internet have opened a fissure in that idea that will never close. Instead of that educational transaction, being at a university must include building community and creating in-person experiences only available on campus. Macc said that the Epicenter helps steer the campus experience toward the future, with design goals to create a base of operations for two changemaking organizations and a living and learning home for 778 students. The three-story commercial portion of the building, known as the “Changemaker Pavilion”, includes office space for The Center for Business, Health, and Prosperity (second floor) and the Sorenson Impact Institute (third floor). While each organization has a different focus, both are firmly invested in helping students access and create the resources needed to change the world. Each entity works hand-in-hand as owners of the Epicenter to host events and “create a full spectrum of ways for students to get involved,” said Chad Salvadore, Chief Financial Officer for the Sorenson Impact Institute. “We’re dialing in the programming to energize the student body,” said Salvadore of the work done at the Epicenter. With over 60 majors represented among the 778 students who live there, he said that the diversity of students is less a reflection of their chosen major and more a desire to reside in a space built for students to work their entrepreneurial muscles. “Living here is a mindset—you can engage across many different paths you choose.”

Goal!

By Brad Fullmer • October 1, 2025
Front view of the bleachers, press box, and suites. (photos courtesy SIRQ Construction)

Four Decades of Transformation

By Brad Fullmer • October 1, 2025
Over the course of its 40-year history in Utah, WSP's Salt Lake office—originally founded as Parsons Brinckerhoff in 1985—has morphed from primarily a transportation design firm to one that successfully operates in multiple civil engineering markets. The results of WSP's transformation the past decade into a more diverse outfit speak for themselves, with the 128-person Salt Lake office (with locations in Cottonwood Heights and South Jordan) posting three consecutive years of revenues over $50 million, including a record $70.1 million in 2023, and a robust $59.9 million in 2024—good for the No. 2 ranking in UC+D's 2025 Top Utah Engineering Firms rankings.

Good Career? Start Here

By Taylor Larsen • October 1, 2025
Lucio Gallegos vividly remembers the workforce development meetings he attended during his time at Ogden-Weber Tech. These career and technical education (CTE) discussions consistently focused on one thing: young people were not entering construction, and the industry needed a new approach to attract them. Gallegos recalled one member of the workforce development team, a training director with a prominent general contractor, saying, “We have been trying this for over 10 years, screw it, we’re just gonna hire them.” The Long Road Those conversations occurred nearly 10 years ago, and workforce development concerns continue to permeate the industry. The National Center for Construction Education & Research estimates that 41% of the construction workforce will retire by 2031, leading to potential gaps in skill and safety and decreases in productivity and project quality. While stakeholders have aligned on the overall goal of providing students a foundation for future success through career development, the means to achieve the ends were seemingly at odds. High schools, trade schools, colleges, and private industry took different paths to achieve their goals, with some moving in opposite directions. “I’m gonna be honest with you,” Gallegos recalled one school administrator saying, “If I promote what you’re telling me to get them over to the tech college, I lose head count. And then I lose teachers. I can’t have a school without teachers.” Jobs that took away student learning experiences, according to federal guidelines and child labor laws, made the idea a non-starter. However, after years of lobbying the Utah Legislature for a compromise between industry and education, H.B. 055, passed in 2023, provided a catalytic change in how younger people can engage with construction and other industries. High school students could participate if they were involved in a school-sponsored work experience and career exploration program. Private industry finally had the compromise it wanted. It was time to act. Big-D Charts New Path Gallegos, now the Workforce Development Manager from Big-D, joined the company in 2023 with the express purpose of creating a program that fit within the new guidelines. Gallegos said he sees career development through the lens of the immigrant experience, one he knows personally as a Mexican immigrant with a father who worked in commercial construction. “I was 9 years old and busting pins out of concrete forms with a hammer that was as big as I was,” he laughed. “I’ve got the cliché immigrant story.” That story has a theme familiar to many immigrant families, he said, one where parents say, “I want my kids not to have to work as hard as I do. I want them in school.” Add to that, it’s a law—children must attend school. Gallegos was unfazed by those obstacles. As he began planning how Big-D’s internship program would operate, he knew that engagement had to start at the elementary school level and build on personal relationships between private industry, school administrators, students, and their families to succeed. “We want to be the solution, not the obstacle to get into this industry,” said Gallegos. So Big-D removed the barriers. Students can still attend school, work towards graduation, and be available in the afternoon for sports, extracurricular activities, and the high school experience. But working was another significant part of the immigrant experience, Gallegos said, and internships needed to be paid to alleviate the family concerns. “We asked what we would pay somebody fresh out of high school who worked at Big-D,” Gallegos said. Interns have earned those same wages ever since.

It's A Knockout

By Brad Fullmer • October 1, 2025
On January 2, 1957, Gene Fullmer, a scrappy, underdog fighter from West Jordan stunned the boxing world with a 15-round unanimous decision over the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson at New York’s fabled Madison Square Garden. Fullmer captured the world middleweight championship and established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers during the late 50s and early 60s. Since then, the Fullmer name has been synonymous with boxing in Utah, with brothers Gene, Jay, and Don establishing the Fullmer Brothers Boxing Gym in 1978, and offering free boxing instruction and life mentoring to thousands of youths—carrying on a tradition they learned from their trainer, Marv Jenson. Their legacy of community giving will live on in the new Fullmer Legacy Center in South Jordan, a 16,500-SF facility that will serve as a permanent home to the boxing gym—after years of bouncing around to various temporary facilities—along with a museum, snack bar, and gift shop. “The Fullmers are the first family of boxing in the state of Utah—that’s well understood,” said Dave Butterfield, a founding board member of the Fullmer Legacy Foundation. Butterfield served as Chairman of the Board from June 2016 to early 2025 and was influential in helping raise money—nearly $6 million via donations to date, which includes $2 million from the Utah Legislature. Project Driven by Vision to Find a Permanent Home for Fullmer Brothers Gym It was Jay Fullmer who led the charge to teach boxing in the community. By 1978, the Fullmer Brothers Boxing Gym had formally opened at the Butterfield farm chicken coop in South Jordan, recalled Larry Fullmer, Don’s oldest son and the man who spearheaded the efforts for the Fullmer Legacy Center. From there, Larry said the facility moved to Riverton Elementary, an old church house in West Jordan, a sugar factory, a former fire station, and the Salt Lake County Equestrian Park in South Jordan, where it had resided since 2011. When they got word that Salt Lake County planned to transfer ownership of the park to Utah State University, Fullmer knew they needed to find a long-term home for the boxing gym. Fullmer met with Butterfield and Robert Behunin—who at the time was a Vice President with Utah State University—in 2016 and told them he just wanted a “tin shed of our own” for boxing. Behunin countered by saying, “If you want people to donate money, you need something better than a tin shed!” They quickly formed the Fullmer Legacy Foundation (FLF), and by 2018, the wheels were in motion on a building. Doc Murdock, a long-time trainer at the gym, connected Larry with his former roommate at Brigham Young University, Vern Latham, who is a Principal at Salt Lake-based VCBO Architecture. VCBO offered pro-bono services initially while helping FLF put together an RFP, while North Salt-based Gramoll Construction provided value engineering and other services in an effort to get the project launched. Larry expressed sheer gratitude for the contributions of both firms in helping make the project a reality, especially for many generous donations from various foundations and individuals. “[VCBO] believed in us early on and did our first phase of planning at no charge—they have been amazing and so professional to work with,” said Larry. “Gramoll helped us get the budget done as tight as it could be. This project had the absolute tightest budget. We met weekly with architects and the general contractor to see the progress—I’ve never seen such an amazing process. Construction started in November ’23, and every time I would come to the jobsite in the first six months, I’d get emotional.” “We leaned on our relationships with contractors for flooring, ceiling, tiles, donated furniture and got deep discounts and a lot of in-kind donations,” said Phil Haderlie, Principal-in-Charge for VCBO. “To me, the story of this project is the grassroots effort of people seeing the value—this is something that came from their heart. It will have a long-lasting impact on the community.”

Significant Buzz

By Brad Fullmer • October 1, 2025
The first season is in the books for the Salt Lake Bees in its spectacular new home—the Ballpark at America First Square, the exciting new heart of Downtown Daybreak and certainly one of the premier Triple-A stadiums in the country. "It's a really cool stadium—the field looks so good!" gushed Eric Barton, Project Director for Salt Lake-based Okland Construction, while surveying the spacious 280,000 SF, 6,500-seat (8,000 capacity) ballpark. Barton said his team faced an extremely difficult construction schedule with the mandate the project had to be sufficiently ready for Opening Day 2025 on April 8, less than 18 months after the formal October 20, 2023, groundbreaking. Barton said Okland knew it was going to be a grind, with long hours and tight windows to get various milestones accomplished. "When we bid this to our trade partners, we had them bid it with the expectation of it being six days a week," he said. "We want not only your best guys, but you have to be adaptable to the plan. It was gangbusters from the start.” Up to 300 workers were onsite during peak construction activity, requiring meticulous coordination throughout. Okland even brought in Fred Strasser, a legendary project director who came out of retirement to shepherd the project through. "Fred is the genius behind getting this whole thing done," said Barton. The project was designed by Salt Lake-based HOK, who worked closely with the owner, Sandy-based Larry H. Miller Real Estate (LHMRE) and Miller Sports + Entertainment (MSE) to bring about a project that would add even more buzz to its wildly popular, 4,000-acre master planned Daybreak development in South Jordan, making it a true entertainment destination. The design weaves together best-in-class baseball experiences with year-round public amenities, including a recently opened Megaplex theater, a performing arts center, a large amphitheater, along with retail, restaurants, and apartments, with buildout continuing through 2027. Walking paths and open spaces create natural connections between The Ballpark and the surrounding neighborhood, making the area an iconic community asset and a true sports and entertainment district. Downtown Daybreak is slated to host more than 200 annual events—including the Bees’ 75-game regular season. Supporting this entertainment destination, the venue’s prominent location just off the Mountain View Corridor freeway makes it highly visible to passing traffic while providing easy access. The stadium is also connected to multiple transportation options, easily reached by walking, biking or light rail across the Wasatch Front, and by car from the new freeway corridor. The Ballpark site drops 20 feet from the loading dock to the plaza, managed through terraced spaces that echo the region’s mining heritage. Though the slope stays gentle at under 5%, carefully placed stairs and planters make walking comfortable while honoring the industrial past. The center field main entrance connects to light rail, while a formal plaza at home plate serves as a second entrance, primarily for VIP access. The street design follows Daybreak’s established standards for lighting and tree spacing. Bike racks at the light rail station and plaza make cycling to games convenient. Utah’s Landscape Shapes Design The Wasatch Mountains, visible from every angle of the ballpark, directly influenced the ballpark's design. Throughout the venue, carefully planned viewpoints frame these mountain vistas. The structure resembles this mountainous setting in its form, transitioning from solid brick and concrete at its base to lighter materials—metal and expansive glass—as it ascends. Working with Kansas City-based architectural metal fabricator Zahner, HOK and MSE created a distinctive facade using perforated metal panels that suggest Utah mountain peak silhouettes from Ben Lomond Peak in Weber County to Mt. Nebo, the southernmost and highest mountain in the Wasatch Range of Utah. These panels transform into a glowing display at night, serving as a lantern on The Ballpark’s ‘front porch’ and welcoming visitors. This connection to Utah’s landscape flows throughout the site. Angular planters guide visitors along pathways, while public spaces are arranged in terraces that echo the mountainside. The copper colors and stepped surfaces of the nearby Kennecott Mine inspired the ballpark’s materials and layout. Inside, the decor features warm copper, gold and honey tones, with textured materials that blend the natural landscape with the Salt Lake Bees’ team colors.

Firms Making Moves

By Brad Fullmer • October 1, 2025
Horrocks CEO Bryan Foote (left) shakes hands with Matt Hirst, former President/CEO of CRS Engineering & Survey. Horrocks acquired CRS a year ago in a move that has proven to be a seamless fit for more than 60 CRS employees.

Q&A with Nathan Goodrich

By UC&D • August 1, 2025
Nathan Goodrich