VCBO Celebrates 50 Years

Esteemed Salt Lake architecture firm defined by strong personalities and a penchant for designing impactful, cutting-edge projects that stand the test of time.
By: Brad Fullmer

At age 77, Niels Valentiner (left) maintains a prominent role in the firm he founded in 1973, which morphed into VCBO Architecture by the early 90's. The firm’s four founding partners include (left to right) Steve Crane, Sean Onyon, Valentiner, and Peter Brunjes.

For more than a half century, Salt Lake City-based VCBO Architecture has delivered iconic architectural projects throughout the Beehive State, with a focus on timeless design, innovative excellence, and unwavering dedication to its clients. The firm is still led by original founder Niels Valentiner, a Danish immigrant who initially came to the U.S. in 1969 to continue his college education and ended up establishing a truly iconic design firm that now boasts 15 Principals and more than 100 employees. 


Valentiner has long been revered for his tenacity and genuine passion for architecture, and even at age 77 he's resolute in making sure everything with his firm is as perfect as it can be before he sails off into the sunset. 


"It's always interesting looking back," said Valentiner, when asked what it means for his firm to be celebrating its 50th Anniversary. "We were all hungry and worked hard at it; now we're established. In the early days we had to fight for every job and prove ourselves. Now we have a reputation as a top architecture firm, and we've earned it."


"It's a significant milestone—I associate it with Niels because it's all been during Niels' tenure," said Brent Tippets, a Principal who started at the firm in 1984 while still in school. "He grew it from a one-person operation to what we have today. A lot of (our success) is because of his business sense. He minded the finances and made sure operations were going smooth. To a large extent, he left the architecture side to the rest of us to be successful at." 


"People are excited about it," said Jeanne Jackson, a Principal with 33 years at VCBO, about hitting the 50-year mark. “We've worked hard to create a culture of respect and camaraderie, so that people have a great experience here." 


VCBO is a full-service architectural firm, providing architecture, interior design, planning, and sustainability in virtually every major building sector, including Civic/Government, Sports/Recreation, K-12, Higher Education, Healthcare, Religious, Commercial, Industrial. 


The firm has been ranked among the top five architectural firms in Utah per annual revenues for more than 25 years consecutively, with annual revenues consistently ranging between $25-$30 million since 2015.


Early Years

As legend has it, while Valentiner was still in graduate school at the University of Utah School of Architecture, he was in the midst of founding his small firm, which he figured he could do from his desk in the design studio. With only one phone available for graduate students, the running joke was that anyone calling was trying to reach Niels about a job, and classmates would consistently pick up the phone and say, "Niels Valentiner Architects." 


It was only a matter of time before that joke became reality. Once Valentiner earned his license in 1973, he launched Niels E. Valentiner and Associates at a small office on South Temple and 600 East. 


He had modest experience, having worked part-time for a couple of local Salt Lake firms, but he had swagger and believed in himself, a defining trait.


"I called my firm Niels E. Valentiner and Associates, even though there wasn't an associate," he laughed. "I had to look like I was somebody. When you start small like that, you have to convince people you can handle the work."


The early-to-mid 70s saw cities in the Salt Lake Valley morphing into more urban, lively communities as developers started investing in commercial office buildings, corporate campuses, strip malls, and retail outlets. 


Valentiner's determination landed him some small early projects—his first was a Hill Air Force Base credit union for federal employees that led to several repeat projects—and he also made a connection with a young ambitious developer, Roger Boyer, who had founded The Boyer Company in Salt Lake a year earlier in 1972. The relationship with Boyer spawned many notable commercial projects over the years, including the design of several swanky, all-glass office buildings in the Union Park area of Midvale. The 24-story Utah One Center office tower, completed in 1991 by Boyer, has proven over the years to be one of VCBO's landmark designs. 


When Tippets joined the firm in 1984, the firm was 10+ years in the making and had moved the prior year into the building it has called home for 40 years near Trolley Square, a modest operation of seven employees trying to wade through a sluggish economy. While work was coming in, it was a challenging period. To Valentiner, the pace felt slow.

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    VCBO office, SLC

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    Rome Italy Temple

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    Rome Italy Temple

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    111 South Main, SLC

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    VCBO lobby, SLC

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A Turning Point

Meanwhile, his former classmate at the University of Utah, Steve Crane, was busy trying to grow his own firm, Crane and Associates. The two men had developed a cursory friendship and happened to cross paths while working for the same client on different projects. Crane recalled, "I had gotten to know Niels quite well and thought he was a pretty aggressive, confident guy. His right-hand guy left to join another firm, and my partner left, and Niels walks into my office one day and says, "I think we should join our firms together." I had done a lot of schools and public work, and he had done military projects and private development. It was a good fit."


"I knew even then it was a recipe for success because they were driven," said Derek Payne, who worked at Crane's firm prior to the merger and has been a Principal at VCBO since 2000. "They wanted more than ever to compete with higher-level architectural firms." 


In addition to Valentiner and Crane, Sean Onyon and Peter Brunjes were associates at the firm, and the synergy between the group started paying dividends, with Valentiner and Crane shouldering much of the marketing and business development responsibilities, and Onyon and Brunjes tasked with getting projects completed on time. Despite obvious differences in personalities, leadership style, and skillsets, the melding of talents proved fortuitous. 


"Between the four of us there was a lot of positive energy," said Crane. "I was a strong marketer, and that's Niels' middle name. We had two go-out-and-get-'em guys, and Peter and Sean were the guys to get [projects] out the door. I can't think of a major thing we argued about. We always seemed to leave a meeting, and everyone felt good."


"[Neils] loves working with people, making connections—that is one of his top qualities. In architecture, you're always improving somebody's life; those are things he thrives on. He likes the involvement. His bailiwick is putting together deals. That combination is what gives him vitality,” said Onyon.


In 1989, Valentiner made Crane, Brunjes and Onyon partners, but kept 51% ownership, saying "I wanted to have some control of where we were going. That lasted 2-3 years and we worked it out and decided to become equal partners—that was the beginning of VCBO Architecture."


The completion of One Utah Center in 1991 started attracting attention from out-of-state clients, and the firm started expanding its geographical reach, winning projects in Arizona, Texas, Wyoming, Idaho, and California. 


Poised for the 21st Century

The 1990s in Salt Lake City was a time of expanding community and blossoming culture, and VCBO’s work during this period reflected this regional renaissance. After Salt Lake City secured the 2002 Olympic Games, the firm was chosen to design the prestigious Utah Olympic Park. The firm also opened a new era when it won the bid to design its first K–12 school: the Lake Powell School. 


This foray into K–12 design would grow to become an award-winning competency for which VCBO is celebrated today. So too came opportunities to work in the higher education and sports facilities sectors, both of which would become integral arms of the firm’s work. But, most notably, the 1990s brought SLC and VCBO a truly celebrated building: The Salt Lake City Library, designed in collaboration with Moshe Safdie.


As the firm's projects grew in size and scope, so did the team, requiring new partners. Tippets, named a Principal in 1994, has a vast skill set with expertise in civic projects, and a focus on recreation and courthouse design. Boyd McAllister was a force designing K-12 projects and creating decades-long relationships with school districts in the region. Jackson, the first woman Principal at the firm (2001) and a member of the AIA College of Fellows, has brought dynamic, imaginative design to the K-12 market spanning more than three decades. 


Payne reinforced the firm’s commitment to design excellence and brought new ideas to state-of-the-art higher education projects.


"I feel like we've been able to be leaders (in K-12) not just in Utah, but the country," said Jackson. "Our goal has always been to design schools that children can't wait to go to, schools that teachers and students love being in and learning together." 

As the sting of the recession hit in 2008, causing untold economic pain for millions of Americans and the wilting of local economies, Salt Lake City—and VCBO—forged ahead and maintained positive momentum. People that needed a fresh start nationally found their way to the Wasatch Front and a metro area ready to welcome them. "The world is welcome here," states Utah's Olympic motto.


And it came, in abundance. Salt Lake City's population surpassed the one million mark for the first time in history, with more than 200,000 transplants and record-setting births almost every year of the decade, and the Wasatch Front overall added more than a half million people. 


With this rising tide, VCBO took on projects that welcomed this growing community and honored Utah’s history. The Utah State Capitol Restoration became the firm’s biggest project to date and one of the largest, most significant restorations in the country. VCBO’s painstaking work on the iconic Capitol was further complemented by projects that furthered community access and opportunity, including healthcare and higher education facilities.



"There is a lot of diversity [among Principals], but all type A personalities," said Tippets. "That made us successful, but that wasn't always comfortable. We butted heads at time. It's challenging because people have strong personalities, and they think it ought to happen a certain way. But I think everybody respected and appreciated the diversity we had and who we were [individually]. We always leaned on each other, and we supported each other."


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    Ivins City Hall

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    Ken Garff Red Zone at University of Utah

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    Farmington High School

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    doTERRA Corporate Campus

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New Horizons

First, the world came to Salt Lake City. And then, VCBO went out to the world. The 2010s brought the firm its first opportunity to design and build an international landmark: the Rome Italy Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of many temples the firm has designed for the Utah-based faith, and certainly Valentiner's signature project.

A sculptor at heart, Valentiner initially studied art in college and said "I see buildings as pieces of sculpture—it's got to come together as a uniformed sculpture experience." 


Design and planning of the Rome Temple took three years and construction took seven, a patience-trying 10 years that consumed an inordinate amount of Valentiner's time, but was a true labor of love, given his admitted deep faith. 


"[The] Rome [Temple] was important because of what kind of architecture it is," said Valentiner. "The Church recognized we couldn't compete with Renaissance or Baroque or Roman architecture. It had to be something that stands out as an icon, yet having historic connection and relevance, and of course, being a temple."


He continued, "It was such a unique window we had. We designed things, then presented it, and it worked. It's the second most important temple to the Church because it is in one of the most significant cities in the world relating to Christianity. It has become an icon to Italy."


In this decade VCBO also cemented its place as an innovator on K–12 projects, civic structures, sports facilities, and sustainable design. The firm completed the state of Utah’s first LEED Gold school (Odyssey Elementary for Davis School District), as well as a 12-building, 500,000-SF global headquarters campus for dōTerra in Pleasant Grove. Teams dedicated to civic and government, sports and recreation, K–12, higher education, healthcare, religious, commercial, and industrial sectors were formed and stayed active with projects.


By the time 2020 rolled around, the firm had expanded its team to more than 100 employees and as of this year, boasts 15 Principals. VCBO has long been an early adopter of new technologies, having invested in computer-aided design from the outset, and it continues to adopt cutting-edge techniques in the field.


Many of the firm's Principals and Associates have each proven their worth through hard work, loyalty, and by expanding their respective talents, and they will be counted on to lead the firm into the future. 


Vern Latham excelled with sports facilities and higher education design. Jeffery Pinegar arrived at the firm with 22 years of partnership experience and worked closely with Brunjes to lead healthcare projects. David Cox brought experience from the world of construction and became an integral part of the K–12 team. Celestia Carson shadowed on the SLC Library project as a student and has specialized in K-12 and higher education, while also founding Utah's Women in Architecture association in 2013. Nathan Leavitt moved to Utah after graduating college and focuses almost entirely on civic architecture. Melissa Wood joined VCBO as a strong business administrator in 2011, and as COO serves a vital role in operations. Alex Booth, who was once a student of Jackson's at the U of U, used his talents for design on a myriad of projects in the institutional, educational, and commercial sectors. Whitney Ward graduated with a Master’s at a young age and found a home at VCBO as a leader in sustainability and planning. Pablo Gotay interned for the firm as a Cornell University student, and later was chosen to lead the firm’s St. George office when it opened in 2019. Philip Haderlie assisted Niels for 10 years on the dōTERRA campus before becoming a principal. Julia Oderda was named the newest Principal in 2023, bringing a broad background in education design.


It all adds up to a firm that is firing on all cylinders, and one well-prepared to tackle the next 50 years.

Valentiner knows his career window is closing, but as long as it remains cracked, his individual light and air will continue to inspire those he interacts with. He has long valued the importance of each individual day, and the amazing opportunities and experiences that can be found in life just by looking for them in that moment.


"You only look at tomorrow, you never know what you envision later," he said. "What's going on tomorrow [...] that's what I've tried to do, look at what we're doing tomorrow, and make sure it's done the right way, so people keep coming back."

Notable VCBO Projects


Project                          Location      Completion

One Utah Center                    Salt Lake City 1992

Utah Olympic Park                    Park City         2001

SLC Public Library                    Salt Lake City 2003

Utah State Capitol Restoration                    Salt Lake City 2008

dōTERRA Corporate Campus                    Pleasant Grove 2014

Odyssey Elementary                    Woods Cross 2014

111 South Main                    Salt Lake City 2016

Fourth District Courthouse                    Provo         2018

Farmington High                    Farmington 2018

Rome Italy Temple                    Rome, Italy         2019

Alta View Hospital                    Sandy         2019

U of U Ken Garff Red Zone Expansion    Salt Lake City 2021

Greater Zion Stadium Expansion    St. George         2022

Noorda Engineering Bldg.                    Ogden         2022

Like a Phoenix Rising

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
Residents have access to a wealth of modern, high-class amenities: Check out this open-air rooftop patio with tasteful lighting, pool, and spacious hot tub—it’s party time! (all photos courtesy Kier Construction)

Mission In Progress

By LADD MARSHALL • November 15, 2025
Steve Green is out in McCornick, Utah. Where is that? And what’s near McCornick? “Nothing,” joked Green, the Sr. Vice President for Wheeler Machinery Co. While he may be far from even the smallest of small towns, with Holden and its 492 residents 13 miles away, he’s close to the site of a major development in data center technology. Isolated on the western edge of the Sevier Desert, the Joule Data Center will also be isolated from the grid—by design. Operation Gigawatt Rolls On Green is one of many energy and power professionals hoping to double Utah’s power generation capacity by 2034 as a part of Operation Gigawatt, an initiative launched by Utah Governor Spencer Cox in October 2024. Utah has long been an economic growth leader; Operation Gigawatt aims to make Utah a power player in energy development by increasing transmission capacity, increasing energy production, strengthening policy, and investing in energy innovation. While Governor Cox’s Operation Gigawatt moves forward statewide, out in McCornick, Green said, “We’re doing operation gigawatt and a half off grid.” The Joule Data Center project team will deliver “In-situ power generation”—power not connected to any electrical distribution or transmission system. It starts with Caterpillar G3520K reciprocating generator sets that produce 1.5 gigawatts of electricity. Waste heat and exhaust from the generators then move through an absorption chiller system as part of the overall systems combined cooling, heat, and power (CCHP) solution, providing much of the water required to cool the data center servers. Beyond the electric power to be generated for the Joule project, there will be 1.5 gigawatts of thermal energy and 1.1 gigawatts of available battery storage to meet the data center's peak electricity needs. Added Green, “And we’re not taxing the local utility grid.” Isolated or Community Power? The massive power capabilities delivered there are impressive, but they reveal a troubling trend in how Utah will double its power generation capabilities. Will it be from well-funded companies looking to power data centers and AI technology separate from the grid? Or will Utah fulfill the mission of Operation Gigawatt by creating power solutions accessible to all? According to Troy Thompson, Chief Operations Officer for Big-D Companies, power generation is about more than supplying data centers. “In my mind, how do we build a billion-dollar hospital downtown that needs ten megawatts of power?” he said, referencing Intermountain Health’s future downtown Salt Lake campus, “let alone the data centers, and manufacturers who we are hoping that will come here?” Ten megawatts of power may pale in comparison to what data centers require, but it is one of many projects seeking regulatory approval to move forward. The Utah Inland Port Authority, the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, and others continue to drive projects and jobs into Utah—data centers, too. But Thompson said he has heard from many potential clients who are hesitant to bring their energy-intensive projects to the state without firm guarantees of available power. Operation Gigawatt and state leaders have embraced an "all of the above" approach to energy sources, extending the design lifespans of coal plants, embracing new technologies and power sources, and developing new power-generating capabilities. While the industry is willing, the operating environment needs rewiring to meet state goals. Changing for 21st Century Needs “With as hot as the Utah market is,” began Eric Haslem, “there are too many obstacles for us to overcome.” The market may be ready to ramp up production, said Haslem, Chief Operating Officer for Vernal-based utility and heavy civil contractors BHI, “But the current system can’t handle it. We have this massive web of transmission and distribution infrastructure that was not designed or built for the power demands of the 21st century.” “In 1970, they didn’t know what a smartphone was,” Haslem said, “let alone AI.” Transmission projects have been developed. Rocky Mountain Power/PacifiCorp’s Energy Gateway South transmission line—a 416-mile, high-voltage 500-kilovolt transmission line that runs from Mona to Medicine Bow, Wyoming—certainly helped when it went live in 2024. Still, it's just one project amidst a plethora of needs. Haslem stated that Utah's growth over the last 10 years meant a large majority of the transmission line's capacity was accounted for when it went live. .

One-Stop Shop

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
And the King shall answer and say unto them, "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."—KJV Matthew 25:40 From a social and community impact standpoint, few projects match the value to disabled and special needs individuals as the new Utah State Development Center (USDC) Comprehensive Therapies Building in American Fork. The $36 million, 65,000-SF facility was designed as a "one-stop shop," said Joe Jacoby, President of Salt Lake-based Jacoby Architects, whose team led the project’s design. It consolidates and modernizes myriad services under one roof, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, recreational therapy, speech, language, and hearing resources, and behavioral health resources. In addition, the new building offers full-service medical and dental clinics, an indoor therapy pool, an Autism treatment wing, and workshops for life skills and vocational training—all geared to helping people live independent, authentic lives, while striving to reach their full potential. "This building was very much about accessibility," Jacoby said, "and putting in many different types of resources for these residents—all in one building." Jacoby's firm has significant recent experience in projects that combine education and healthcare for people with special needs. The firm's design of the Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence in Utah State University's College of Education and Human Services earned UC+D's 2016 Most Outstanding K-12 Project. Two years later, the firm earned another UC+D award for the C. Mark Openshaw Education Center for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, a project similar to this one in that it contains an array of services, including education and therapy for varying levels of sensory, behavioral, physical, and cognitive abilities. "We've been working on different [design] aspects for many years, starting with a deaf preschool, which led to working with the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind," said Jacoby. "With that came many other sub-specialties, like therapy for behavioral issues, cognitive issues, development disabilities, and even speech, language and hearing clinics. It helps people with a variety of disabilities and serves an underserved population of people."

Built Different

By Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
On a fall tour of Utah State University's (USU) Carolyn & Kem Gardner Learning & Leadership Building (Gardner Building), students and faculty are hard at work on a late Tuesday afternoon. Getting here, where USU's business school students could thrive, was a long time coming. The University commissioned the Gardner Building to meet a new mission for the school outside the traditional knowledge acquisition and transfer for which USU has excelled since its founding in 1888: Giving students a differentiated experience they cannot get anywhere else. Purpose Revealed Frank Caliendo, Senior Associate Dean of the Huntsman School of Business, said that the new building is the third and final piece of the business complex, "a realization of the longtime vision of Dean Douglas Anderson, the driving force behind the school's transformation, to meet the needs of students for generations to come." Caliendo, a longtime Aggie (USU BS, '98; PhD, '03), said that, even after the opening of the George S. Eccles Business Building and its faculty offices and classrooms in 1970, growth in business courses eventually outpaced the school's capacity. Jon M. Huntsman Hall's 2016 opening broke the campus bottleneck, with classrooms and other spaces dedicated to business school participants. "But we still needed space for our centers and experiential learning programs," Caliendo said, of the importance of collaborative spaces and differentiated experience for the five programs (see page XX) that would call the Gardner Building home. The design intent for this final piece wasn't a re-creation of Huntsman Hall, Caliendo said of the initial message to MHTN Architects, "But it does need to rhyme with Huntsman Hall." Working within a Busy Environment The first order of business was siting the building just east of the other two business school structures. Stan Burke, Project Manager for Jacobsen Construction, said the Gardner Building was part of a trio of projects that included Ridge Point Hall and a parking garage—three Jacobsen-led projects that utilized the same construction corridor as construction commenced from "An active campus is difficult enough," said Burke of the challenges of simultaneous construction, which required constant coordination amongst the three teams, made a tad easier as they shared a job trailer. "We had to stay cognizant of the school's activities and coordinate with them so that everyone was aware of what we were doing." Coordination went from important to critical, with the three teams meeting daily to discuss coordination and scheduling material and equipment deliveries in 15-minute intervals as the respective construction teams worked on each of the three structures.

The Long and Winding Road

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
Warren and Jennie Lloyd (above) have built Salt Lake-based Lloyd Architects into a well-rounded, versatile firm capable of excelling in both the commercial and custom residential markets, as evidenced by projects such as Snuck Farm in Pleasant Grove (main photo) and this cozy private Powder Mountain based cabin in Eden (below ).

Power Player

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
The last five years have been a whirlwind for the Larry H. Miller Company (LHM), with the organization selling the majority of its beloved Utah Jazz franchise in October 2020 for a reported $1.66 billion, followed by the sale of its auto dealership empire of more than 70 properties for a reported $3.2 billion a year later. The influx of nearly $5 billion was parlayed into several jaw-dropping real estate and other corporate purchases, including: —1,300 undeveloped acres within the massive 4,100-acre Daybreak development in South Jordan in April 2021. —Advanced Health Care Corp. in January 2021, a transitional health care provider with operations in eight states (primarily in the west) and 3,500 employees. —The purchase of the majority stake in Swig, a leader in the flavored soda craze, in May 2023. — Partnering with Utah Trust Lands Administration to develop 1,200 acres in Saratoga Springs. — The acquisition of over 1,000 acres near Park City and Hideout will include multi-family units, housing, restaurants, and retail. —100+ acre mixed-use development in an area along North Temple being dubbed “The Power District”; the future home of not only Rocky Mountain Power’s new corporate campus but potentially a ballpark for a future Major League Baseball expansion team. —A reported $600 million acquisition of controlling interest in MLS team Real Salt Lake and NWSL team Utah Royals, along with associated infrastructure, including America First Field and Zions Bank Training Center. —The development of Downtown Daybreak, a 200-acre parcel that this year saw its 30-acre Phase I debut with the completion of the Salt Lake Bees' new 8,000 capacity stadium—dubbed The Ballpark at America First Square—in April, followed by a new Megaplex cinema entertainment center in July with luxury theatres, bowling, games and a scratch-made kitchen in addition to an open air plaza. A seven-story, 190-unit multi-family development is currently under construction and rising along the right field bleachers, with views that will look down into the ballpark upon completion next year. And LHM is just getting started, said Brad Holmes, President of Larry H. Miller Real Estate since 2018, calling Downtown Daybreak a "new urban center that is central to where the majority of growth is occurring" and combines a "full spectrum of business and year-round entertainment, culture and connectivity, as well as a wide range of housing options." When LHM executives first conceived of a new home for the Salt Lake Bees, Holmes said they went on a "ballpark tour" of MLB and minor league stadiums, and "really fell in love with a ballpark" in Durham, North Carolina—home of the Durham Bulls—which had buildings that framed in the stadium. So, The Ballpark at America First Square has the multi-family project underway in right field, with a proposed hotel slated to begin next year in left field. "In another two seasons, you'll have this urban setting for the ballpark that frames the mountain views. [The design is] really intentional, and I think it will bring a finished edge to Downtown Daybreak," said Holmes. "It was a process trying to figure out the best location, site plan, traffic, but it's in a great spot. The goal for us was to make it feel like it fit in with the community, almost like having a baseball stadium inside of a park, with an open corridor that connects to a plaza."  Holmes said the seemingly small 8,000-capacity stadium (about half the capacity of the Bees former home at Smith’s Ballpark) aligns with national trends. "It's better to play in front of a sold-out crowd than in a half-empty stadium. Some new MLB stadiums are at 30,000 [capacity]. The trend is smaller, more intimate venues with closer views of the field."

Hogan Construction 80th Anniversary

By Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
Much has changed about Hogan & Associates Construction since the company's inception 80 years ago. The name may be the most obvious example, the size of the company may be another giveaway, and the difference in markets served might require a double take if the founders could see the company today. But what hasn't changed is the firm's desire to build communities. It has regularly built important, community-focused projects with a similar purpose since the company came to life in 1945.

(De)signed, Sealed, Delivered

By Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
Imagine this: A company has just begun a meeting with the intent of moving forward with a major investment. One party knows something that will help minimize the investment's risk. Should that party tell everyone, it will save money, time, and everyone involved from future headaches. So when should that party spill the beans? At the beginning of the meeting At the end of the meeting At the right time during the meeting Never Bradley Crocker, Director of Preconstruction for Mollerup Glass, has seen how answering this question correctly—and choosing “A”—brings about successful and profitable investment in commercial construction. “I think that [project teams] need to bring in subcontractors early to help guide budgets in general,” said Crocker, detailing how every trade can bring a similar level of expertise to architects and owners by being involved from the beginning of the “meeting”, while the project is in design. Why? “We can vet cost versus performance and find the best value for the performance, which is essential as meeting or beating the budgets gets the project to construction on time,” said Ben Hiatt, Chief Estimator for Steel Encounters. After all, he said, “Nothing moves if budgets are not met.” Design-assist is a positive step forward, where subcontractors assist in matching design intent with a deep understanding of building envelopes to ensure glazing, roofing, walls, and fenestrations perform at their highest level. Glenn Rainey, Salt Lake City Branch Manager, and Larry Luque, Senior Estimator and Business Developer for Flynn Companies, each said efforts in design-assist fulfill what owners and architects want: buildings that meet the design intent and perform at their highest level for as long as possible. It’s not just architects who benefit from that early involvement. “More GCs realize they need us right up front,” said Luque. With teams whose combined experience totals thousands of hours, building envelope contractors stay up to date on changing codes, materials, and specifications, which is highly beneficial to the project. Their close involvement with vendors can help ensure a variety of solutions that meet each job’s needs and help optimize building envelope performance. Consultant Involvement Other parties are lending their expertise. Brandt Strong said building envelope quality has increased with the arrival of more building envelope consultants in Utah and a greater dedication to the building envelope in general. “We had a time where we could say ‘This is a Vegas project, and we have to have the belt and suspenders,’” said Strong, Director of Operations for Mollerup Glass. On Utah projects, the building envelope used to be an afterthought. But it’s changed for the better over the years. “The Utah teams are as sophisticated as anywhere else.” While the markups on shop drawings can draw some ire, both mentioned how working with consultants has led to better, more efficient projects, potentially reducing the need for future repairs by inspecting every material and transition on the building envelope. Said Crocker, “We cannot discredit the envelope consultants’ role in making us, and the industry as a whole, perform at a higher level.” Hiatt credited each party overseeing the building envelope scope for learning and adapting to create a better building environment, specifically in understanding seismic drift and its relationship to glazing, as well as thermal performance and continuity. Improvements to air-barrier coordination and tie-ins to stop water and air leaks are helping buildings operate at peak efficiency. “The architects, general contractors, consultants, and trades have improved their knowledge over the years,” said Hiatt. “Design and execution of façades are better coordinated and executed.”

Taylor Electric Thriving at 50

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
Taylor Electric proved its mettle on the challenging Salt Lake International Airport, Southeast Concourse project, with their portion of work concluding in October 2023. (all photos courtesy Taylor Electric)

Hungry and Ready

By Bradley Fullmer and Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
By Bradley Fullmer It's been a whirlwind 18 months for Adam Del Toro and Nick Pexton, who co-founded Fountain Green-based Reliance Engineering Services in May 2024, a company specializing in full-service telecommunications engineering, including design, project management, permitting, and funding and grant applications. Two years ago, Del Toro was more than a decade into his career as a Research & Development Supervisor for natural gas giant Dominion Energy, while Pexton was working for Nephi-based Rocky Mountain West Telcom (RMWT) as a Sr. Director of Business Development, with just over four years at the company. The two had met a couple of years earlier while collaborating on a potential fiber optic network project in Mona that never happened. Neither was particularly content with their respective positions, so when Del Toro got a random call from Pexton in March 2024, the timing could not have been better. "I was planning on leaving the natural gas industry and start my own firm [...] Nick happened to call the day I was putting in my two weeks [at Dominion],” said Del Toro, 39. "It definitely felt like Providence was helping us." "Somebody was looking after us, because the timing was unbelievable," added Pexton, 35. "It's crazy how things lined up." Del Toro is a native of St. George and earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Utah State University in 2011. After 2.5 years as a USU Graduate Research Assistant, he joined Dominion Energy in January 2013, where he designed major natural gas systems and structures. Del Toro also earned a Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, Kentucky) in 2023, and moonlights as a counselor at The Center for Hope in Springville, where he helps clients address life challenges both personally and professionally. Pexton is a native of Nephi and studied at Utah Valley University from 2008 to 2010, and earned the Certified Telecommunications Network Specialist designation from Teracom Training Institute (2013-2014). Pexton joined Nephi-based Mid-State Consultants, a telecommunications engineering firm, in March 2011 and spent more than nine years there. He joined RMWT in June 2020, gaining experience in project management and operations. After that fortuitous phone call from Pexton to Del Toro, the pair met four times from March to May to "make sure we were aligned on what the company would look like," Pexton said. "It was a pretty quick process," added Del Toro. "We got talking about goals, how to build a general company vision. I trusted Nick's background and experience, and his character, as well. It was a big risk, but I'm a sink-or-swim guy. If those are my options, I'm going to swim!" Since teaming up, the pair have been aggressive regarding company growth, having exploded from just the two of them to 30 employees, with revenues expected to more than quintuple from $560,000 in 2024 to nearly $3 million by the end of this year. Both expect the telecommunication market to be a fruitful, busy market given the need for fiber optics to rural America, in addition to the "Internet for All" initiative in May 2022 that was part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) implementation of the infrastructure law that allocated $65 billion to improve high-speed Internet access. Utah, specifically, received $330 million, with the goal of reaching some 40,000 unserved homes and businesses. The firm's location in Sanpete County puts them in the center of the state geographically, and they're committed to working with communities of all sizes to improve their internet capacity. In addition to Utah, Reliance is working in Michigan and Oklahoma, and Del Toro and Pexton expect to land significant future work throughout the Midwest. They want to grow intentionally while ensuring a diversity of revenue streams. "We set some early goals, and we've been able to do really well—we're on track to beat our goals," said Del Toro, crediting the many employees who have joined the firm. "Those individuals took great risks coming on board. We anticipate we'll be even larger next year with the work coming down the pipeline." "Our outlook has been wise," said Pexton. "We've taken into consideration diversification into other sectors—that's a key element. Adam has experience in the natural gas industry, and we want to further our diversification and get into the power side of the industry." Major clients include the federal government (USDA), utility companies, and municipalities, with a focus on rural communities. "We love Sanpete County," said Del Toro. "We value helping the communities we live and work in and providing services that help build up the community and hopefully help the residents." "We depend on repeat work from 18 major clients, and continuously getting work from them," said Pexton. "The minute we stop doing a good job, they can go someplace else. As long as we do a good job, we'll keep getting work." The pair expect Reliance to maintain its explosive growth, perhaps even doubling its employee total in another 12 months. "Next year's [revenue] goal is $4.8 million," said Pexton. "We have confidence in what our workload will be like. We are scaling quite dramatically and want to grow at a healthy pace, where we're not stringing ourselves out too thin. We're in a good position right now."