Quarter Time

The completion of Phase I of The West Quarter opens an exciting new chapter in downtown Salt Lake's hospitality, entertainment, and lifestyle markets.
By Brad Fullmer

After a lengthy process spanning seven-plus years, Phase I of The West Quarter project is in the books, offering scintillating new options for downtown Salt Lake patrons in the heart of the City's west side entertainment district and transforming the 6.5-acre Block 67 parcel—kitty corner southeast to the iconic Delta Center (welcome back)—into a world-class, mixed-use development.

"It sets the tone for what's to come," said Ryan Ritchie, Owner of Salt Lake-based The Ritchie Group (TRG), developer and co-owner of West Quarter along with Layton-based Garn Development. “We've had a vision for seven years—other than City Creek [Center], I think this is the most ambitious [mixed-use] project ever taken on in Salt Lake."

Indeed, The West Quarter is envisioned as a revolutionary, game-changing mixed-use project that will rival similar developments around NBA arenas in other metropolitan cities, like L.A. Live, the premier sports and entertainment district surrounding Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the Pearl District in Portland, and the Deer District in Milwaukee, a 30-acre neighborhood around Fiserv Forum flush with up-scale businesses, bars and restaurants. 

"The Ritchie Group always envisioned this project as being similar to L.A. Live or the [Deer District]," said Emir Tursic, Principal for Salt Lake-based HKS, design architect on the dual-branded hotel portion of the project. "This used to be the warehouse district, and we tried to acknowledge that in our design. That's why we have large, oversized windows, the use of brick, but we also inserted a curtain wall in the west corner, which symbolizes the transformation of this area [...] to more of a lifestyle and entertainment district. The idea is to create a district that will provide amenities to support the Delta Center and [300+ annual] events, not just Jazz games."  

Phase I of The West Quarter includes a pair of dynamic, 11-story high-rise buildings situated around a spacious mid-block plaza and the east-to-west Quarter Row walkway, which will gradually come to life over Phases II and III over the next five-plus years, depending on market conditions. 

The first building houses the first-ever Le Meridien for Marriott in Utah (and 26th in 23 U.S. cities)—a swanky, upscale hotel with inspiring interior finishes, functionality, and charm, along with the hotel magnate's 100th Element Hotel, which caters to extended-stay clients and offers its own unique style and decor. 
Building two is The Charles, a luxury residential tower with 240 units, offering sleek, high-end amenities—highlighted by a rooftop pool, hot tub and clubhouse, expansive workout room with an exterior component, game room areas, gourmet kitchen and more.

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An innovative, multi-material curtain wall system—highlighted with copious amounts of glass—makes a bold statement in the dual-branded hotel Le Meredien and Element, a welcome addition to the Salt Lake hospitality market. Hotel spaces are modern and sleek, with optimum functionality. 

Owner's Patience Rewarded

The Ritchie Group is a second-generation developer based in Salt Lake City, founded as Ritchie Enterprises in 1973 by James Ritchie and rebranded in 2005 by his sons Paul and Ryan. TRG's primary focus is on multi-family, self-storage, industrial, and hospitality development projects. With a development queue of $2 billion-plus, including 3,500+ MF units, 400+ keys of hospitality, and 4.4M SF of industrial warehouse at various stages of design and development.


Ryan Ritchie said the firm pivoted post-recession to multi-family development and other "income asset" properties, with a focus on offering higher-end, resort-style amenities on its projects. About a decade ago, Ritchie said the firm "was looking for a downtown site for a mixed-use project and stumbled into Block 67", a 6.5-acre parcel that housed Royal Wood Plaza and a U.S. Post Office for years, along with being part of Salt Lake's storied Japantown, an area that lost much of history and allure with the construction of the Salt Palace Convention Center in the mid-to-late 60s. 


A primary goal of West Quarter was to create a project that played off the Delta Center, with a mid-block road and walkway. "Our blocks are so huge, they aren't intimate," said Ritchie. "Other than Regent Street, maybe Pierpont (Ave.), very few streets break the block up. We wanted to break the block down in scalable chunks and make it walkable and connected," referencing Portland's Pearl District. "We want to make the connection to downtown [Central Business District] with the West [CBD] and be this key connecting block. You have to activate it; it has to be the ultimate live/work/play destination." 


The relationship between the developers and Salt Lake City and its government officials was a real boon to the project over the course of its entirety, with Salt Lake City Corp. contributing money towards the cost of the two-level underground parking structure.


"It's a very unique project and speaks to why we've required some help from the public side," said Ritchie. "Projects like this can't come to life on its own. It was critical for the City to buy off and be a partner. I'm really happy with the first two projects, but I look at this as a steppingstone to where we want to end up." 

Ritchie also talked about the timing of Phase I coming to the downtown market and coinciding with a slew of high-quality, sexy high-rise projects—including 95 State at City Creek, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Astra Tower, Liberty Sky and others—each contributing immeasurably to boosting Salt Lake City's profile as a true world-class metropolitan destination. 


"I know it's cliche, but a rising tide lifts all boats," he said. "I'm excited to get to a point where we see more like-minded projects."


Twice as Nice

While the dual-branded hotel is unique to the Utah/Salt Lake market, Tursic said "they are very common in other markets; HKS has designed many of them with several different brands across the nation. They are becoming increasingly popular because of their programmatic efficiencies that share the back of house, and in some cases amenity areas, while providing a variety of guestroom offerings."


Architecturally, the hotel is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional warehouse architectural style reflecting the history of the Gateway district and its vernacular architecture.  Brick references the district’s warehouse history, and metal panel references industrial uses. The building massing is articulated with two-story punched openings divided by muntins that capture the essence of the warehouse typology. Areas of natural wood are employed to bring warmth to the more human-scaled spaces, all while balancing the demands of well-established international hotel brands.


While HKS was responsible for the exterior architectural design and general building planning, HBA Studio of Los Angeles focused on the interior design of all guestroom and hotel public areas. HKS and HBA Studio worked collaboratively to plan those spaces. 


In addition, Beecher Walker Architects (BWA) of Salt Lake served as Architect of Record and was present at all design meetings to serve as a secondary set of eyes to HKS, while handling contract documents. 


"As with all projects of this size there were some late nights, but we had a great team and were able to come together," said Owen Blake, Project Manager for BWA. "You have to put differences aside to create something this magnificent." 


"If there was ever a quadrant that needed strength, it was the southeast corner of the Delta Center complex," added Lyle Beecher, Principal-in-Charge for BWA. "This project is a great addition to the area in so many ways." 


One design challenge was creating a lifestyle hotel with a high level of street and pedestrian engagement that in addition to attracting travelers, will become an extension of the sports district and the entertainment hub. 


Along with its residential counterpart, The Charles, the hotel has created a vibrant entrance into the new development by engaging its context through deliberate planning of active uses and contextual architectural design. Hotel lobbies line both street frontages, connecting at a corner restaurant with outdoor seating. On level two, the large pre-function area engages the street, and the 10-story curtain wall façade symbolizes the latest transformation of the Gateway District. Street and corner engagement continue vertically and terminate at the rooftop terrace with a long cantilever that activates the City skyline. 


Moving on Up 

Designed by Salt Lake-based Architectural Nexus, The Charles is every bit the equal to the hotels with its lavish style and amenities, and slots nicely into the downtown, high-end residential apartment market, designed with a head-turning exterior curtain wall system with varying window sizes in a playful pattern with masonry, steel, and glass working in harmony. 


The building offers a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments and 11 penthouse units, along with plenty of fun public spaces with modern, highly functional amenities highlighted by the dazzling rooftop pool terrace and lounge area and state-of-the art, 2,600 SF indoor/outdoor fitness center with yoga studio, a social club, clubhouse/lounge, outdoor grilling stations and even a poker lounge, Aces & Vinyls. STK Steakhouse signed a lease in May and will occupy 8,500 SF of interior space and 2,000 SF of patio space on the ground floor end cap of The Charles. 


"When you can expose concrete you get a marriage of refinement and rawness and you see that in the interior, you get that feel of modern and new," said David Abraham, Sr. Principal with Nexus. "It offers a bit of nostalgia and what it means to live a downtown lifestyle."


Even minute items stand out for their fine detail, added Charles Bagley, an Associate at Nexus, such as "details in elevator buttons, ivory and circular elements, other whimsical elements throughout the entire project [...] creates a unique identity." 


Interior design elements are lively and fun, with modern, decorative furniture and floor-to-ceiling glass offering exquisite downtown views.

Lisman Studio of Salt Lake, led by Principal Belle Kurudzija, provided interior design on The Charles, including space planning for all amenity areas and hallways, and art and lighting procurement—"the wall sconce feature is my favorite in the lobby," said Kurudzija. 


"I wanted to create a bespoke space that was authentic and new to the city," she added. "A space that has balance of comfort and familiarity to out-of-state tenants, and a space that melodiously incorporates the rhythmic liveliness, improvisational nature, and soulful mood of Jazz."


Construction Techniques, Innovations Key to Success

Tony Castillo, Sr. Project Manager for Jacobsen, had his hands full dealing with three different architecture firms, representatives from both hotels, and numerous other stakeholders, on top of everything brought to the industry by Covid and supply chain challenges. That said, this project is a landmark and one that was ultimately successful due to a total buy-in from all contractors on the project. 


"We definitely had our share of challenges, but we're proud of the effort of all team members," said Castillo. "The two buildings mirrored each other. This is a marquee project for us."


Jacobsen's estimators were able to keep costs down and manage a tight schedule including the challenge of a hotel branding change, which necessitated different items, FF&E, etc. 



Another boon to the schedule was the use of Structionsite, sophisticated jobsite imaging technology used to identify exact locations of key components of the building, including post-tensioning cables, rough-ins, electrical and mechanical systems and more, to reduce re-work or constructability conflicts.

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The Charles is designed for the upper-class residential market, with a head-turning exterior and luxurious, topshelf amenities across the board, including a playful rooftop pool/lounge area and inviting common spaces. 

Much More to Come; Interest Rates Pausing Phase II

Future additions to The West Quarter will focus on activating the mid-block space, with new retail and dining areas creating Quarter Row via a curbless, pedestrian-friendly design.


Ritchie said Phase II (Block C) will include another upscale 321-unit residential tower and 24,000 SF of retail space—with dramatic 20-24 ft. ceilings, offering true mezzanine level retail opportunities. The project is ready to break ground, but interest rates at 7%+ will push the official start to mid-2024. 


Phase III (Block D) will be highlighted with two towers up to 375 ft., including another 200-key hotel and 130 condominiums in the same tower, plus a swanky, Class A office building, which Ritchie admits is a very ambitious plan given a cooling office market due to uncertainty over flex/remote demands of today's workforce. 


"No one wants to build [office], no one wants to finance it, but we believe," he said. "95 State filled up because of location and amenities. My belief is when there is another [office] building built in Salt Lake City, it will be ours. The office is important because it allows parking on weekends—that really activates the center. We want to leave a legacy we can be proud of."


Tursic, who is also Principal-in-Charge for HKS on the 450-ft. Astra Tower high-rise luxury tower, said it's rewarding to be involved in transformative urban Salt Lake projects that "are changing our skyline and enriching our downtown experience. The most satisfying part for me, however, is seeing how these projects are used and enjoyed by their end-users, people for whom we ultimately design. Projects like The West Quarter demonstrate that good design is good business that benefits the development, our communities and the City as a whole."

The West Quarter (Phase 1)

Location: Salt Lake City 

Delivery Method: CM/GC

Square Footage: 737,000

Stories/Levels: 11 Stories (+2 underground parking levels)


Project Team

Owner: The Ritchie Group; Garn Development

Owner’s Rep: Ryan Ritchie

Developer: The Ritchie Group


Design Team

Design Architect: HKS (Ph. I Hotel) 

Architect of Record: Beecher Walker Architects

Design Architect: Architectural Nexus (Ph. 1 Residential)

Civil: Twin Peaks Engineering & Land Surveying

Electrical: Hunt Electric Inc.

Mechanical: CCI Mechanical

Structural: SE-Solutions, Inc.

Interior Design: HBA Studio 

Landscape Design: MGB+A 


Construction Team

General Contractor: Jacobsen Construction Company

Concrete: Suntec

Plumbing: CCI Mechanical

HVAC: CCI Mechanical

Electrical: Hunt Electric

Masonry: IMS Masonry

Drywall: Wallboard Specialties 

Acoustics: Golder Acoustics, HD Acoustics LLC

Painting: Grow Painting Inc., Pete King Commercial 

Tile/Stone: Global Stone and Tile LLC, Metro Tile Associates, Millcreek Tile & Stone LLC, 

Curtain Wall/Glazing: B&D Glass, LCG Facades 

Flooring: Spectra Contract Flooring 

Roofing: Utah Tile and Roofing 

Waterproofing: Waterproofing West, Guaranteed Waterproofing & Construction

Steel: Glassey Steel Works, Sanpete Steel

Excavation: Reynolds Excavation 

Vertical Shoring: Keller North America Inc.

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