< PreviousNOVEMBER 201820Written by Margaret Patricia EatonThe Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed in 1971 to resolve issues surrounding Alaska Native land rights. The act created over 230 village and 13 regional corporations, (Alaska Native Corporations or ANCs) including the Calista Corporation, serving the Calista Region for the purpose of receiving monies and managing lands on behalf of their shareholders, Native Alaskans. Two mighty rivers, the Yukon and the Kuskokwim, flow out to the Bering Sea through the Calista Region, which is approximately the size of New York State and encompasses nearly 10 percent of Alaska’s land area. Because there are no roads connecting the region to the rest of the state, every-thing must be flown in or barged to each community, making the cost of food, fuel, transportation and energy extremely high. The Calista Region is the traditional home of more than 20,000 Yup’ik, Cup’ik and Athabaskan people, the majority of whom still practice a traditional lifestyle and speak their own language. As shareholders in the Calista Corporation, it’s only fitting then that ‘tunista’, a Yup’ik word, should be chosen as the name for one of the corporation’s subsidiaries that operates under the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (DBE), making it possible for Native Alaskans to continue with their cherished way of life while enjoying new economic opportunities. In the Yup’ik language the word ‘tunista’ can mean “one who sells or gives or trades,” according to Andrew Guy, President of the Calista Corporation. With headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska, the Calista Corporation is the parent company of Tunista Construction, LLC, formed in 2010 as a general contractor working on building and civil projects in Alaska and throughout the lower 48.Tunista Sewer Stephanie Dyane Photography21CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS The accounting, human resources and other office support functions of Tunista Construction are carried out at Calista’s cor-porate headquarters in Anchorage; however, Tunista’s General Manager J. B. Seeling oversees the work on the ground from an office in Alexandria, Louisiana. Most of this work is done in the lower 48, although some projects have been completed in Alaska as well. The company has two divisions: the building division, which Seeling also manages along with a team of project managers; and the civil division, managed by Chris Parshall out of an office in Seattle, WA. Tunista’s building divisionAs Seeling explained, Tunista specializes in capital improve-ments and infrastructure-related construction, providing turnkey solutions for a range of federal and government building projects, from estimating to close-out. Although Tunista will go anywhere, he says most of the building division’s work is done in “Region 6 — that’s the Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri area, and in that region we are fairly competitive. We have an established workforce and man-agement force and we’re certainly not opposed to going where the work is, but we found we can be more competitive here and therefore more successful where we have an established presence rather than trying to break into a new market area.” There were a few growing pains when the company was formed in 2010, “but we had a fairly large management shift in 2016,” he continues, speaking to the company’s direction since then which focuses on listening to customer needs. “Our value that we offer is that we deliver, and we are willing to do whatever it takes to deliver what customers want within the constraints they have. Sometimes it’s budget constraints and other times it’s a function of getting the facility customized the way they want it. But we listen, and we try to deliver on those needs and adapt to those as they change,” he explains. “What we bring to the table is that we have the resources and capacity of a large company, yet we’re small enough to have a small company approach. We’re not so big that you can’t just pick up the phone and call me. Our goal is to grow and remain com-petitive and viable, but we’re not trying to take over the world because at the end of the day, we want satisfied clients and there is a certain volume where it becomes difficult to manage that.” In 2019, Tunista will graduate from the 8 (a) Business Development Program, a U.S. program that offers support in two phases over nine years to companies that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individ-uals. “We will continue to work in the Federal prime contracting role for vertical and civil construction, but I see us branching more into commercial work and I see us less focused as govern-ment contractors,” says Seeling.“I see us working as a subcontractor or a prime contractor for any type of commercial or industrial building, utility substation, or any type of plant. It could be a manufacturing or production plant that wants to expand or do renovations, because we’re not focusing exclusively on new buildings. We’d love those projects, but sometimes for the client it could be more cost-effective to renovate an older structure,” he explains. “But if it’s design-build work or design-bid-build, we can do it and provide a turnkey solution, while other clients want to manage the design themselves and then put it out for bids; we are happy either way.”“We’re not going to spare any cost for safety and safety is always first and foremost.”Seeling JBTunista’s General ManagerChris ParshallCivil Construction Manager at Tunista ConstructionTunista Truck Stephanie Dyane PhotographyNOVEMBER 201822The renovations and repairs at The Brooke Army Medical Centre in San Antonio, TX represent an outstanding example of the types of projects Tunista can take on. Led by Project Manager Julie Parker Tyler, the work was completed in two phases, with repairs to roof drains, curtain walls and skylights completed in 2015, and roofing, medical mall and clinic repairs completed in 2018, for a total project value of $7.3M. According to Tyler, it was an honor to have been awarded these projects as this center is one of the nation’s premier medical facilities and all work had to be carried out while the hospital was in full operation without impacting patient access or making excessive noise – primary considerations while planning the project. Another outstanding project, completed in 2017 with con-struction costs of $7,250,148, for which Tunista was the prime contractor, involved extensive repairs and upgrades to the Fort Leonard Wood, MO dining facility. The scope of work here included renovation of an existing 12,000 square foot building and site work, including selective demolition, replace-ment and reuse of existing facilities. Tunista self-performed the demolition of the facility’s interior, while the adjoining facility remained operational; extensive civil work also brought new utilities to the site, removing and restoring several roadways. Seeling is especially proud that while this was supposed to be a LEED Silver Project, “we were able to bump it up and get a Gold.” In addition, Tunista was named USACE Kansas City District Fiscal Year (2016) “Safety Saves” Award Winner for Large Contracts. Seeling enjoys talking about the work he does, “but,” he says, “I feel strongly you should talk to Chris Parshall, Civil Division Manager, because his division is growing rapidly and doing very well.”Tunista’s civil divisionWe reached Parshall at his office in Seattle, and he was happy to explain the scope of his division. “We do earth work and utilities in government contract areas. We do roads, highways and utility work — storm water, sewer, piping — for federal, state and municipal governments and we do earth work for building preparation for new construction.” He’s also recently opened a trucking division to transport aggregate, “so I guess you could say we move a lot of dirt around and try to sell it when we can,” he jokes. Unlike the building division which is looking to move into the commercial area, Parshall says his division will continue to perform Washington Department of Transportation and Sound Transit (Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority) work, “so we’ll stay mostly on the government side. We’re one of the larger DBE companies in the state, operating with a great safety record and amount of bonding, and that’s why we’re chasing the DOT projects,” he explains. “Recently we completed a pretty challenging sewer installa-tion project (on the King County Sewer Conveyance Project for King County, working under KIEWIT Infrastructure West) that involved 13,000 feet of sewer pipe with diameters up to 36 inches at challenging locations, and had to excavate 12 to 22 feet deep. We paralleled existing pipes next to the ones to be abandoned.” This, he says, is of great benefit to the environ-ment, as the old dilapidated system had leaks going into the water table and the new system, going through an urban area, is 100 percent watertight. This was an 11-month project, com-pleted with a crew of eight, and won Tunista’s Civil Division a Build Washington Award for Safety in 2017. “We have a strong safety culture,” Parshall says. “We try to reward the positive and that helps us avoid having to discipline on the negative. We let everyone know upfront that we’re not going to spare any cost for safety and safety is always first and foremost, over profit or anything else. To me, it’s knowing that everyone is going to go home at the end of the day; they’re not going to be hurt, and we’ll never put anyone in a position where they could likely be hurt. We also invest a lot of money in training and if there’s a class an individual wants to take, we pay for them. With the labor shortage you need to invest in your employees and keep working to retain them.”Something that attracts young employees to Tunista is the leading edge technology the company uses. “Kids are now looking at construction as almost a technology job,” he says. “We run a lot of GPS equipment and do GPS surveying and bring in drones for documentation and checks, and young people like that. So when we explain to high school students that we have a lot of robotic assistance for survey equipment and software programs for managing work, they get interest-ed.” With the skilled labor shortage continuing industry- and continent-wide, this shift is crucial.Parshall says what he most enjoys about working for Tunista, “is growing this company. It’s made up of young people who have a similar vision. Plus, our parent company (Calista) gives us free rein to grow it to how we know it can become, so we have full support from them. We go to Alaska four times a year and they (Calista representatives) visit us and we report monthly what’s going on operationally and financially and if there are problems they give us the tools to fix them. They are very supportive.”23CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS However, for those looking for an unconventional set of turnkey services where thinking outside the box is the standard, along with a technical builder that is a disruptor in their industry, Connor & Gaskins Unlimited (CGU) is the right builder for the job.Their Vision is to be one of the most admired builders in the construction industry.Their Mission is to prove every day that they are the only endpoint builder their customers will ever need.The world of General Contracting is filled with a sea of construction companies, so trying to find that “one” contractor that is an expert in a specialized field can sometimes be a real challenge.Their Values are…• Being honest, authentic and committed – integrity stands for something • Boldness – thinking big, challenging yourself everyday• Speed• Active listening, building shared context, collaborate and disagree in real time – openness• Being responsible by taking the initiative and owning the outcomes• Believing that their employees and subcontractors are their most valuable assetNOVEMBER 201824 NOVEMBER 201824The first thing that struck me is the authentic sincerity that everyone in the company exudes, starting with founders Barry Connor, CEO and Craig Gaskins, COO and all of their employ-ees. During all of our conversations there was always an air of honesty and integrity – active listeners with a passion to tell me their stories of their superb customer care and their pride in their organization and their work. CGU is all about developing and maintaining partnerships, and it shows.The entire team is filled with bullet smart, T-shaped people, capable of taking a client’s project from a conceptual napkin sketch to a completed, five star, 25 story hotel. Billions of dollars are spent every year on construction projects in the country, yet most General Contractors still face the same issues at an alarming rate: over budget, behind schedule, and poor quality. CGU exists to transform that paradigm and not accept mediocrity and complacency as a status quo.To solve these challenges, CGU can’t apply the same people, processes and technology and expect the same results. They bring to bear the best across designers, engineers, consultants, subcontractors, data science, user experience, and academia to challenge industry-standard of what makes a great general contractor. That’s what they’re doing every day at Connor & Gaskins Unlimited. From the day they opened for business with just three employ-ees, their strategic growth plan has allowed them to grow to an industry leader with $145m in revenue in just eight years. 25CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS 25CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS “Having said that, we truly don’t want to grow too fast because that can lead to underperformance. Our growth is modeled around our client needs, and we intend to keep growing with our clients,” says Craig. From offices in Naples, Florida; Aspen Colorado; and San Francisco, California, the company’s sixty-seven permanent employees work in sixteen states across the U.S., together with a host of carefully vetted and hand selected subcontractors. The company goes to great lengths to select the best subcon-tractors that have a strong financial history, clean safety records, and depth of bench. This also applies to the design profession-als they select to work with.Today’s construction industry is full of less qualified subcon-tractors that know how to circumvent the building codes and laws that are construction industry standards. Rather than building a taller wall, CGU partners with subcontractors that play by the rules.“Before they can do any work for us, we make sure that our Subs meet or exceed our prequalification criteria, and the ones that can meet them are signed up and become an extension of our team,” says Barry. “We continually assess our Subcontractors’ performance and provide instant feedback loops that helps them perform optimally.”Barry and Craig understand the importance of having partner-ships with their subcontractors. With a lot of hard work and perseverance, CGU has forged strong and long-lasting relation-ships with their subcontractors and in turn their partners deliver a “Best-in-Class” product while still providing their clients with the best deal.In their wheelhouse of projects types, CGU constructs custom homes, commercial buildings, hospitality establishments like restaurants, recreational facilities and resorts, assisted living facilities, medical and office buildings, as well as schools and education centers. Their turnkey services include Cost Intelligence and Analytics used for benchmarking project metrics, Conceptual Estimating, using BIM (Building Information Modeling) for clash detection, using drones to assess land feasibility, and even building their own “in-house” 3D models of their projects. It’s these types of services which just blows away the minds of their clients and wins their trust; knowing that they’re in good hands, their clients approach CGU for assistance with all of their construc-tion and design needs.Their boutique style to preconstruction starts with a range of services at a land developer’s level, including feasibility studies on the land, cost proformas, and land selection. Their clients’ project details are laid out and proposed budgets are dis-cussed. During this phase, the company also ensures that the project is feasible. Once all these details are ironed out, CGU moves ahead and strategically selects the design team which will generate the final drawings for permit submission. This is not only an ingenious approach to streamlining the overall planning process but saves untold amounts of time, money and frustration. Their services also include site sourcing, selection, pre-plan-ning, new builds, renovations, and improvements. In addition, they offer aerial photography and video, architectural design review, consulting, site selection, entitlements. For hospitality and hotel projects, they also offer design, selection, purchas-ing, delivery, storage and installation of furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FFE) for a full decorating and equipping experience. “With such huge responsibility on their shoulders, CGU hires only the best people in the industry and then does everything in their power to retain their employees.”NOVEMBER 201826To top it all off, they provide a great service warranty after the construction project is completed. Barry Connor graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering and obtained his Master of Architecture through the University of South Florida. Barry’s behind-the-scenes architectural sketches and three-dimensional mock-ups help their clients visual-ize the end-product as well as identify problems early in the design process. Barry is certified with the National Council of Architecture Review Board (NCARB) while also being certified as a general contractor in Florida and other states. Craig Gaskins holds a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction from the University of Florida and a Master’s Degree in Building Science from Auburn University. He is also a certified general contractor in Florida. Everyone at Connor & Gaskins Unlimited is encouraged to be an active member of local charities and foundations. CGU is currently in the process of setting up a Connor & Gaskins Unlimited Foundation to develop lasting relationships with the organizations it will serve, including Young Life, The Optimist Soccer Club of Naples, Greater Naples Baseball, and Gulf Coast High School. Their Big Hairy Audacious Goal for 2019 is for each Connor & Gaskins Unlimited employee to volunteer at least 40 hours a year to one of their organizations, thereby impacting the young people who use the club’s after school programs.With such huge responsibility on their shoulders, CGU hires only the best people in the industry and then does everything in their power to retain their employees. “It is very important to us that our employees have a work-life balance. We make sure that they use all their vacation time, and we also try to provide a lot of opportunities to engage in activities outside of work. Their quality of life component is very important to us because a happy life beyond the office means happy employees who easily focus on the day-to-day tasks,” says Craig. “If a project is delivered under budget and on time, but we don’t have a raving fan in our client at the end of the project, there is a problem. It is our objective to avoid this and do everything in our power to convert clients into raving fans,” says Craig. Thanks to all its raving fans, Connor & Gaskins Unlimited has had many proud moments over the years, one of which is the complete renovation of the 266-suite Ritz Carlton in Sarasota, Florida which included a club lounge, ballrooms, and common areas. The company was also responsible for the construction of resi-dential complex Artecity in South Beach, Florida. The beauti-ful project included building residential towers, villas, homes, and retail spaces. CGU also installed hardscape areas and water features. The north and south towers combined have around 113 units, while the areas known as Park Villas East and Park Villas West have eighteen townhomes. In addition, the Park Plaza Corner has shop spaces and ten junior suites. Of course, when working across this broad spectrum of fields, correct certification is essential. Apart from holding all general contracting certifications in multiple states, the company is also a certified member of the Modular Home Builders Association and the Modular Building Institute.Business is booming and Connor & Gaskins Unlimited foresees a continued successful run. One thing is very certain: this is a company that is ready to earn clients’ trust through rock solid, visionary partnerships and superb work. 27CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS The cost of building is skyrocketing. As a result, expanding office, medical or industrial facilities has become as financially challenging as it is erecting state-of-the-art buildings from the ground up. However, thanks to Premier Development Partners, LLC, there is hope. While there are many operators in the design-build and commercial construction sectors who partner with their clients, it is rare to find a general contrac-tor, design-builder and developer who takes that commitment as far as financing and even co-owning facilities with clients. Written by Pauline Müller652,500 SF Arhaus WarehouseNOVEMBER 201828Written by Pauline MüllerIt often happens that outfits need to expand or build new facilities but are unable to lay out the cash for such a project. This is where Premier Development Partners steps in. This game-changer based in Cleveland, Ohio, has many decades of experience in increasing the value of assets, giving its clients the opportunity to invest in themselves and their businesses’ futures through intelligent design and planning ahead. With a reputation for creative thinking, this trusted commercial real estate, development, and construction leader provides 775,000 SF Arhaus Corporate Headquarters and Distribution Center29CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Next >