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

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