Contractor of the Year: FCI Constructors Inc.

Diverse capabilities, sustainable practices power Grand Junction-based firm

FCI Constructors Inc., headquartered in Grand Junction, has earned Colorado Contractor of the Year honors for its ongoing innovation, emphasis on sustainability and sound business practices in the face of a tough recession.

By Dan DeCristoforo

Versatile contractor/construction manager FCI Constructors Inc. has amassed an impressive portfolio of churches, multifamily housing, schools, libraries and health care, municipal and recreational facilities in Colorado, Arizona and Wyoming.

Founded in 1978 by Bud Francis and Ron Choate, as family-owned Francis Constructors, FCI Constructors has grown into a nationally recognized award winner with revenues of $380 million for the fiscal year ending in March, a 30% increase over the previous year.

Diverse capabilities with an emphasis on the public sector have enabled FCI to remain strong during the current recession, and the company expects to maintain a steady level of work in 2009.

“FCI provides great leadership, follow-through, energy, passion and the drive to achieve high-quality work,” says Dennis Humphries, principal at Denver’s Humphries Poli Architects, and a frequent FCI partner.

Strategic Autonomy During the height of the Grand Valley’s oil boom in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, Francis Constructors quickly made its mark building offices and plants for the oil-and-gas operators fanning out across the Western Slope. But when boom went bust and energy companies fled the region, recovery from what came to be known as “Black Sunday” was slow and painful for many companies.

The Three Springs Buildings C & D in Durango are LEED-certified, mixed-use office and retail spaces in two buildings totaling 51,466 sq ft. (Photo courtesy of FCI)

Nimble and resilient, Francis quickly moved to open new offices in Durango and Phoenix, where economic conditions were not nearly so dependent upon oil and gas. In Durango, the company contracted with the Southern Ute Reservation and local governments to build schools, municipal facilities and private office buildings. Phoenix projects included municipal buildings, elementary schools, colleges and fire stations.

“From the outset, Bud and Ron sought a better way of doing business, an alternative to large, impersonal organizations where employees are frequently forced to uproot home and family to accept long-distance transfers,” says Bryan Hemeyer, vice president of estimating and marketing in FCI’s Longmont office.

“The solution became five autonomous offices in strategic locations—Grand Junction, Durango, Phoenix, Longmont and Cheyenne—covering a sizable area that many would manage from a single regional headquarters.

“When we switched from family ownership to employee ownership in the late ’90s, we took the name FCI Constructors. Although Ron and Bud have since retired, employee quality of life continues to merit as much attention as the bottom line,” Hemeyer says. “Today, we have 300 employees on staff, 22 of whom are LEED accredited, with several more attending LEED training.

“Employees live in cities conducive to community involvement and raising a family. As company representatives within their community, they are highly motivated to do a good job. Our clients work directly with owners who are empowered to make key decisions and have a tangible stake in successful outcomes.”

Sustainability Initiatives Most of the projects in FCI’s portfolio achieve LEED certification, including the $37-million Joint Forces Readiness Complex at Cheyenne’s Warren Air Force Base and the $4.3-million Kelly Hall renovation in Gunnison, which was designated LEED Gold.

Mead High School, a $30-million school in Longmont, is scheduled to open in August. It is FCI’s second high school project for the St. Vrain Valley School District. (Photo courtesy of FCI)

An impressive recycling effort that safely disposed of 66% of the construction waste helped Three Springs Building C & D—51,466 sq ft of office and retail space in Durango— achieve LEED certification.

Electrical costs will be offset by photovoltaic panels that double as sun shades on the $20.5-million Eagle County Justice Center project, a 30,000-sq-ft addition for new courtrooms and a 5,000-sq-ft renovation.

Completed in late 2007, the $16.5-million, 104,000-sq-ft Laramie County Library in Cheyenne remains Wyoming’s only LEED Gold structure. “FCI is highly qualified, knowledgeable, protective of client’s interests and has a proven ability to perform in a team situation,” says Lucie Osborn, county librarian for Laramie County.

Also in Laramie, the company is finishing work on the University of Wyoming library and media center in Laramie, a 100,000-sq-ft addition and 200,000-sq-ft renovation costing $38 million. “FCI has been instrumental in keeping our project running smoothly, staying on schedule, meeting deadlines and minimizing the impact to occupants,” says Keith Seebart, the school’s associate director of facilities planning.

FCI recently completed the $30-million Mead High School in Longmont, its second high school for the St. Vrain Valley School District, while LEED Silver certification is being sought for Aurora’s new $15.6-million P–8 school, currently under construction.

A nationally recognized award winner, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s $13.4-million, 37,000-sq-ft Operations and Laboratory Building erected by FCI in Grand Junction, houses an investigative unit, forensics lab and firing range protected by advanced security systems, bullet-resistant construction and advanced exhaust systems.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s $13.4-million, 37,000-sq-ft Operations and Laboratory Building in Grand Junction houses an investigative unit, forensics lab and firing range, all protected by advanced security systems. (Photo by Maylone Photography)

Plenty of Kudos Since 1998, FCI has been listed in Engineering News-Record’s Top 400 Contractors and named Outstanding General Contractor of the Year for the last four years by the American Subcontractors Association of Colorado.

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The company received the Associated Builders and Contractors Certificate of Commendation for Excellence in Construction (2008) for its Three Springs project and earned Building of America awards from Real Estate Construction and Review magazine for Riverside Middle School, Borick Hall of Business at Western State College and the $42-million Mod 4 West Parking Structure at DIA. One of FCI’s higher-profile projects, Mod 4, completed in January 2008, boasts five parking levels covering 600,000 sq ft, with slots for 3,000 cars.

Colorado Construction magazine named FCI the No. 2 contractor in Colorado and honored FCI’s Renaissance Riverfront Lofts with its Gold Hard Hat Award in 2008. Built in the North River neighborhood for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless with support from Greenprint Denver, the 100,000-sq-ft structure features 100 transitional housing units, a clubhouse, administrative space and fully enclosed at-grade parking garage.

In-house Innovation FCI’s project management Website facilitates distribution of documents and information to project team members, ensuring near instantaneous communications and minimal paper consumption.

To reduce reworks, eliminate rough-in conflicts, assist end-users with system operations and maintenance and expedite building delivery, FCI employs a proprietary set of commissioning reports, procedures and checklists for mechanical, electrical and fire-safety systems.

Sheet-metal templates devised by FCI and framed within the walls of Family West Hospital in Fruita, Colo., pinpointed the locations of medical-gas taps, outlets, switches, intercom and call boxes, greatly accelerating installation and providing room-to-room uniformity.

FCI built a $47.5-million parking garage on the southwest corner of Jeppesen Terminal at Denver International Airport in 2008. (Photo courtesy of FCI)

Meanwhile, confronted with gale-force winds and freezing cold, FCI was able to deliver Saddle Ridge Elementary in Cheyenne on schedule by improvising temporary exterior walls to protect workers.

James Burack, town administrator and chief of police has high praise for FCI’s efforts to get Milliken, Colo.’s new Police Station and Town Hall launched, “despite the challenging economy. We have successfully initiated work largely due to FCI’s persistence, intelligence and creativity,” Burack says. “They were key in getting the project to a price point where we could break ground. Even the project design has been improved due to FCI’s efforts.”

FCI recently completed the Academic Classroom Building for Mesa State College in Grand Junction. It received LEED Gold certification. (Photo courtesy of FCI)

A proactive safety program, including full-time safety managers and a corporate safety director who provide employees with the latest training and information, has contributed to FCI’s impressive 0.81 EMR rating. Project supervisors are required to complete OSHA and First Aid/CPR certification and participate in continuing safety education.

ASA Colorado presented FCI the Most Improved Safety Program award in 2008 in recognition of the company’s stable accident rate in the face of dramatically increased labor hours.

FCI generously donates time and money to numerous professional associations, philanthropic organizations and other causes. Many of the company’s employees, including several who were residents, helped rebuild the town of Windsor after a devastating 2008 tornado.