Building Foundations for Team Safety Featuring The Lindley in San Diego Controlling Unseen Hazards as a Certified Industrial Hygienist
Silent Struggles: Shining a Light on Mental Health in Construction
Projects Stories on Boulder, CO, Monmouth, OR, and San Diego
PLUS: New Project Wins, Community Events, and Leadership Updates
People are at the core of everything we do at Swinerton, and the reason we invest heavily into safety. As a national builder, we recognize the importance of shaping cultures where our people feel safe, confident, and empowered to experience a mentally and physically healthy lifestyle and deliver the highest quality work. We take our commitment to safety very seriously with a straightforward, clear approach that empowers all our people to stop anything unsafe in our journey to become the safest builder in the country.
Ensuring everyone is on the same page about expectations and processes is the first step to building a great safety culture. Earlier this year, we rolled out a new Health and Safety Program aimed at streamlining and refining our policies and safety standards. Our continuous emphasis on safety remains unchanged, but our processes and expectations are now clearer and more accessible. Our refreshed Safety Program
is based on five core principles, supported by key processes to help us ensure success:
- Focus on the fundamentals like pre-planning, no matter the complexity of the work.
- Provide expert support with our network of credentialed safety professionals.
- Work together in true partnership with clients and trade partners for maximum benefit.
- Continuously improve by choosing consistency over complacency.
- Remain committed to safety for all, including workers, partners, and neighbors.
However, our Health and Safety Program is about more than just rules and regulations. Throughout, we emphasize the why behind these rules. Our primary goal will always be to send everyone home safe at the end of every day.
Investing in the training and success of our people aids in our efforts to create a true safety mindset for our workers and trade partners. When everyone knows at their core that safety is a priority on Swinerton jobsites—and they see the results of our high standards—everyone is motivated to work safely and efficiently.
This spring edition of the SQ covers remarkable stories of those safety efforts, focusing in on some of the people and projects that exemplify how we build a core safety culture and drive value for clients. Our enterprising project teams deliver exceptional results, from constructing complex projects in Downtown San Diego, to swiftly addressing unseen risks in Colorado, to saving the City of Monmouth, OR, hundreds of thousands of dollars through our mass timber expertise and focus. Our Atlanta office's
growth also showcases how our teams are achieving excellence in a range of markets across the country. While physical hazards are often the focus of Safety programs, there are also intangible hazards we must address. David Bolt’s guest column on mental health sheds light on the often-unseen struggles prevalent within construction. We also understand that the well-being of the people on our jobsites is just one part of the conversation about safety. Our projects impact local neighborhoods, businesses, and communities. We share a responsibility for ensuring those impacts are positive, both in and around our jobsites. Guest columnist Jason Stoberl shares his journey to becoming one of Swinerton’s in-house certified Industrial Hygienists—a position that supports project safety against hazardous materials from the earliest stages of planning to hazards caused by unforeseen elements, such as mold or wildfire smoke.
In sum, this issue of the SQ—like our Safety Program— focuses on the fundamentals. In order to protect the safety, health, and wellbeing of our workers and the public, we focus on foundational, industryrecognized processes. Informing and empowering our people with clear expectations is how we consistently build safe, healthy, and respectful cultures at the national and project level. We train and maintain high-performing, expert teams because we believe that safety is everyone’s responsibility.
When each person on our jobsites feels safe and empowered, there is truly no limit to what Swinerton can achieve.
I sincerely hope you enjoy this issue of the SQ.
Ray Haj Ray Haj Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer
As the mass timber industry matures, more public and civic clients are embracing the future of natural wood. Read our Q1 Swinerton Market Analysis to learn more about what is trending in the overall construction environment, informed by our nationwide experts and industry sources.
One hundred years ago, Swinerton Builders (under the previous name of Lindgren & Swinerton, Inc.) completed construction on the 16-story Matson Building in San Francisco. Engineering News-Record noted our outstanding safety record on the project. Part of the reason for this success was our investment in precautionary measures, including planking unfinished floors and building guards for openings, stairways, and elevator cages.1
1 “Cost of Safeguarding Workers on a 16-Story Building.” Engineering News-Record, February 14, 1924, 292.
6 New Projects
Wins in education, healthcare, and office spaces this quarter demonstrate Swinerton’s market versatility.
8 Building Foundations for Team Safety
Establishing a culture of communication and collaboration is the key to success on The Lindley in San Diego.
12 Controlling Unseen Hazards as a Certified Industrial Hygienist
Swinerton's in-house CIH Jason Stoberl shares how the science of safety impacts our projects.
14 Silent Struggles: Shining a Light on Mental Health in Construction
David Bolt explores how staying attentive and offering support in tough times can make a difference.
16 Our National Presence
Atlanta’s growing team is prepared to meet a diverse range of client needs in the Southeast.
18 Project Stories
Read about our project teams’ grit and dedication on projects in Boulder, CO, Monmouth, OR, and San Diego.
24 Building Our Community
Our employee-owners embrace opportunities to connect with our local communities.
26 Earning Our Stripes
New leadership appointments showcase Swinerton’s commitment to fostering internal talent.
STRETCH AND FLEX
The team at Denver Public Schools, Ceylon Campus participates in morning stretches before the workday to reduce risk of injury and promote overall health.
These significant project wins reflect our commitment to reinforcing our relationships with repeat clients across a diverse range of geographies and markets—including the education, healthcare, office, and civic sectors.
Compton High School Athletic Fields
Compton, CA | Compton Unified School District
Fountain Valley School Campus Improvements, Phase 1
Colorado Springs, CO | Fountain Valley School
Las Positas College STEAM Building
Dublin, CA | Chabot-Las Positas Community College District
Salem-Keizer District Four Kitchen Renovation
Salem, OR | Salem-Keizer School District
Tipsy Pickle Camp North End
Charlotte, NC | Protagonist Beer
Hospital Addition HVAC Upgrades
Vallejo, CA | Healthcare Client
Medical Office Building
Modesto, CA | Healthcare Client
Multi-Bed Exam Room
Newport, WA | Newport Hospital and Health Services
PeaceHealth Bellingham CT Replacement
Bellingham, WA | PeaceHealth
Hotel Del Coronado Sheerwater and Nobu Restaurant Renovation
Coronado, CA | Reynolds Project Management
Ohana Waikiki East Lobby Renovation
Honolulu, HI | Outrigger Hotels & Resorts
Firehouse 30
Charlotte, NC | City of Charlotte
Maui Airport Industrial Warehouse
Kahului, HI | RD Olson Development
Pegasus Park Speculative Laboratories
Dallas, TX | Montgomery Street Partners
BMS Group Interior Fitout
New York City | BentallGreenOak
Firehouse 30 will replace an aging station and set a new standard for public and civic spaces across North Carolina. Swinerton is providing general contracting services for the construction of the all-electric building. Imagined as a two-story, three-bay facility, this groundbreaking project serves as a testament to Charlotte's commitment to its Strategic Energy Action Plan, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality across all city-owned buildings.
Corporate Office Remodel
Los Angeles, CA | Real Estate Client
Kaalo Design Studio
Austin, TX | Kaalo
Office Tenant Improvement
Atlanta, GA | Financial Services Client
Rooftop Replacement
Santa Clara, CA | Technology Client
Terra Boulder
Boulder, CO | Schnitzer West
Three-Level Tenant Improvement
Santa Monica, CA | Technology Client PARKING
San Diego State University Innovation District
Parking
Establishing a culture of communication and collaboration is the key to success on The Lindley in San Diego.
The Lindley in Downtown San Diego is the latest of three Swinerton projects that have reshaped the city skyline. The project stands as a testament to how our people are our greatest asset when it comes to maintaining safe, productive, and efficient jobsites. The 37-story highrise project is characterized by strong teamwork, a shared sense of responsibility over jobsite safety, and a positive trajectory of growth and professional development for Swinerton’s self-perform teams. These qualities have taken time to build up over the course of the project, and rest on a foundation of lessons from similar projects that came before.
The Lindley is the third in a sequence of high-rise projects in Downtown San Diego, following closely behind Radian, a 22-story mixed-used residential building, and Simone Little Italy, a 36-story luxury residential high-rise located just a few blocks away.
Almost all of the team at The Lindley— including Safety Engineer Bryan Gray, Concrete Superintendent Junior Arteaga, and Swinerton’s self-perform Concrete, Drywall, and Cleanup groups—are fresh off of the success of Simone Little Italy. Several members—including Bryan, Senior Superintendent Shawn Shafer, and the Drywall team—also played integral roles in the construction of Radian. With these past experiences in projects of similar size and complexity in Downtown San Diego, the team at The Lindley understands the importance of fostering open and honest communication, particularly when it comes to maintaining a clean and safe jobsite.
Jobsite housekeeping may sound like an incidental task, but it is critical to worker safety. Slipping and tripping hazards comprise a large part of fallrelated injuries on construction jobsites and are often caused by poorly maintained paths of travel.
However, with a number of different trades often working in the same area, keeping a jobsite free of debris is no small feat. It requires everyone working in the vicinity to share in the responsibility for removing construction waste from walkways and stairways, calling out potential hazards and unsafe conditions, and keeping work areas organized and uncluttered.
“Maintaining a clean work area is essential to morale,” says Bryan, Safety Engineer. “At The Lindley, everyone takes pride in making our jobsite a nice place to work.”
Jobsite housekeeping is a frequent topic in The Lindley’s Monday morning Weekly Safety
All-hands meeting, which the team leverages to reinforce, emphasize, and encourage behaviors that supplement the safety culture they have built. It is a time for open communication between trade partners and Swinerton’s general contracting and self-perform teams to not only talk about who is doing what on the jobsite, but to reinforce how everyone plans to work together to create a safe and healthy environment.
Each week, the team covers the schedule, weather forecast, and key activities that can impact the work environment. Equally important are discussions on worker morale, mental health, hydration, diet, rest, and making sure one’s body and mind are fit for the workday ahead.
In the team’s commitment to fostering safety—both physical and psychological— these meetings are also an open forum for trade partners to bring up any issues or concerns, for the awareness of other trade partners or to be swiftly addressed by the Swinerton team. Ensuring everyone feels secure in their safety and invested in their place of work is a largely intangible component of safety, but it is nonetheless critical to reinforcing worker confidence, thereby boosting productivity and efficiency.
Productivity flourishes when selfperform teams and tradespeople can show up to the jobsite feeling secure in its safety measures, knowing that their peers are looking out for them. Swinerton’s focus on the fundamentals is what builds the foundation for teams to effectively pre-plan and implement mitigation strategies for high-hazard activities, or seek safer and more effective strategies for how to perform work.
Bryan Gray explains, “Safety and productivity don’t have to be at odds. When you leverage both properly, one can really empower the other.”
out hazards and unsafe conditions has also emboldened other trade partners on the jobsite to speak up.
Safety and productivity don’t have to be at odds.
When you leverage both properly, one can really empower the other.”
– Bryan Gray, Safety Engineer “
The Safety Carpenter role is one such efficiency identified during the Lindley project, held by Jorge Sierra, a Journeyman Carpenter. Hand-picked by Swinerton’s self-perform Concrete leadership—including Concrete Superintendent Junior Arteaga and now-Assistant Concrete Superintendent Travis Kazemier—Jorge is primarily responsible for establishing and maintaining The Lindley’s protective systems, which include a guard wire cable system deployed on all floors above ground, toe-board protection chipboards that line the entire perimeter and prevent rolling materials from dropping off the sides of the building, stairway handrails, deck penetration covers, and ladder access where stairs have not yet been poured. When a new deck pour is in progress, he is already preparing the safety systems that will go on it. If a protective system breaks, he is there to quickly remedy it.
Since he began in the role, Jorge has undergone extensive training, obtaining several certifications and competencies that have made him an invaluable asset to the project team and his peers. His commitment to calling
Whereas having many different trades can naturally result in lapses in communication due to timidness or unfamiliarity, Jorge’s example paired with the project team’s active efforts to solicit trade partner feedback during the Weekly Safety All-hands meetings have created a culture where the entire team shares in the responsibility for general jobsite housekeeping and feels empowered to speak their thoughts. When everyone shares in the responsibility of maintaining overall jobsite safety, they allow specialists like Jorge to focus on efficiencies that create greater synergy between the project’s overall safety and productivity.
“Camaraderie and communication are the ‘special sauce’ that makes a project come together,” adds Senior Superintendent Shawn Shafer.
Consistency also creates a positive momentum on the jobsite that propels growth and professional development. When safety standards are continually met and exceeded—as at The Lindley—Swinerton has seen its self-perform teams thrive and embrace opportunities to grow their careers.
Jorge Sierra’s development as Safety Carpenter represents a powerful joint effort between Swinerton’s general contracting team, Safety department, and self-perform Concrete group to identify, train, and empower a new safety leader. Additionally, through their experience on past high rises, other members of Swinerton’s self-perform teams have built up their confidence and accelerated personal and professional development—from their time on the Radian and Simone Little Italy, and now continuing through The Lindley.
The Lindley is a microcosm of Swinerton’s nationwide efforts to build firm safety foundations based in industryrecognized strategies, and exemplifies our continued focus on developing a strong network of highly trained safety professionals. When we consistently meet the fundamentals on every project, we cultivate great jobsite cultures where our trade partners are empowered to perform high-quality work and our people exceed industry expectations as well as achieve greater safety performances, training and development, and continuous improvement at the project and company level.
The efforts of The Lindley project team, as well as all of our teams across the nation, are steeped in our core values of ownership and leadership. Rather than just complying with safety regulations, our teams embrace and hold themselves accountable for reason behind them: sending everyone home safely, every day.
By taking personal responsibility for the safety and productivity of our jobsites, and everyone who works in them, we create environments where our people feel empowered to perform their best work, grow professionally—and deliver seamless, quality buildings.
Given its proximity to other buildings, The Lindley requires special attention to prevent construction debris from affecting neighbors and pedestrians below. To create an efficiency for the entire 37-story project, the team custom-designed an outrigger safety netting system along The Lindley’s eastern façade. Comprised of six separate nets stretching out from the building, this system mitigates the potential for damage to the hotel directly flanking the jobsite.
Outrigger netting systems are common among high-rise projects, particularly in dense cities such as San Francisco and New York. Safety netting systems are most effective when they are deployed within a few floors of the top deck. Moving them up as the building is constructed often entails manually pulling them in, breaking them apart, wiring them, bringing them up the building’s interior stairwell, and reinstalling them—a process that can take several days of manpower. Such a system would be highly inefficient at The Lindley, where a new concrete floor was poured every week.
After deliberating on the effectiveness of nets currently available on the market, The Lindley project team opted to custom-design their own system. Their design includes loose- and fine-mesh nets strung between two posts that stick out horizontally from the deck (see photo below). These are supported by 45-degree angle bars connected to the deck below, and four points of connection at the upper and top decks.
As the building grew taller, the Swinerton team identified the next “jump points” for the netting system and preinstalled extra sets of mounting clamps on the slab edge. Rather than being pulled inside the building and manually dismantled, the entirety of each net was lifted by crane to the next jump point a few floors up. There, another team would be waiting to receive and refasten the net system. This method required eight people working on four different levels simultaneously. As opposed to days of manpower, each jump took just 90 minutes.
Using the science of safety, Industrial Hygienists help keep workplaces safe and healthy from invisible threats.By Jason Stoberl, Corporate Environmental and Industrial Hygiene Manager
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) defines industrial hygiene as “a science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of those environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace, which may cause sickness, impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort among workers or among the citizens of the community.” Simply put, industrial hygiene puts the “E” and “H” in Environmental, Health, and Safety Programs.
Industrial hygienists use various tools to quantify worker exposure to hazards from solvents, airborne particulates such as dust, noise, extreme heat or cold, ergonomics, and others. Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIHs) are a rarer breed. As of March 2024, there are only 6,659 CIHs globally, and about 40% of those professionals practice in the United States in industries and sectors ranging from manufacturing to research laboratories, hospitals, mining operations, government, and academia.
The CIH credential serves as a benchmark standard for measuring the skills and knowledge of industrial hygienists. For me, the CIH credential not only proves my commitment to the profession, but also provides evidence of upholding industry standards. It also lends credibility to Swinerton’s commitment to be the premier builder in every market we serve.
Swinerton doesn’t keep me on staff for bragging rights, though. My efforts and expertise directly contribute to worker safety and driving project quality and cost savings. In 2023 alone, direct cost savings using in-house CIH services surpassed seven figures.
For example, on a high-rise project in Downtown San Francisco, the freak combination of a trade partner’s schedule delay with historic rainstorms in January 2023 led to large-scale water intrusion and damage to interior drywall. While some damage was visible, water also seeped into the wall cavities, breeding mold. There was a significant possibility our self-perform Drywall group would have to tear out and replace all the drywall, causing a cascade of further schedule delays to the project.
I worked with the project team to do indoor air quality sampling to test for mold spores, as well as cutting out sections of drywall for moisture testing, ultimately determining which areas remained sound, and which areas needed replacing. Due to these efforts, we were able to remove and replace damaged drywall, but also retain that which was undamaged— all while keeping to the schedule.
In addition to testing for hazards on projects and training Swinerton teams in best practices for industrial hygiene, I review Environmental Reports and Building Inspection Reports to ensure projects are in compliance
before they begin. These documents are crucial for ensuring projects meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s requirements for assessing environmental risks such as asbestos and determining whether remediation may be required. My review can save clients schedule delays and avoid unexpected fines by reading and understanding the fine print.
Looking to the future, I’m currently training teams across the Swinerton nation in our industrial hygiene services— I’ve already conducted six trainings so far this year—including focused discussions on Hazardous Materials and Environmental Site Assessment reports. As regulations and requirements evolve and change, it is crucial that teams
stay informed to bid, plan, and perform all their work safely and effectively.
Like most children, I did not dream of being a Safety Professional, much less an Industrial Hygienist. While I knew that safety is very important, the fact it could be a rewarding technical career track wasn’t on my radar growing up in rural Iowa.
Initially, I thought I would go to college to be an architect, but I quickly realized it wasn’t for me. However, one of the required courses for architecture students at Iowa State University was in occupational safety, and that class changed the course of my career. Studying occupational safety meant defining and measuring optimum safety effectiveness for people, materials, equipment, methods, and environments. Basically, it was the science of safe workplaces, and I was hooked.
Since then, my career has shifted between consulting for a small industrial hygiene firm, adapting to the fast and furious pace as a Division Safety Manager for an electrical contractor in San Diego, and then to Swinerton, where my scope and responsibilities increased as Safety Manager on a joint venture high rise in Downtown Los Angeles, and then as the Division Safety Manager for Orange County.
Throughout these roles, staying up-todate on industrial hygiene practices related to jobsite safety has been one of my passions, and it’s made a big difference at Swinerton. In 2017,
I received my professional Certified Industrial Hygienist designation, and I began developing Swinerton’s silica mitigation program to reduce the hazards and lung damage related to airborne particles and debris.
In 2019, Swinerton recognized my role as Industrial Hygienist with a dedicated position, meaning I can work with our
business units nationwide to train them and provide specialized project support. Around the same time in 2019, I am proud to say I earned my master’s degree with high honors in industrial hygiene from Montana Technological University. These achievements help bring together my passion for construction workplace safety with the latest research and techniques to ensure that safety.
E jstoberl@swinerton.com
M 949.526.6035
Swinerton’s holistic view of safety recognizes how staying attentive and offering support can make a difference with the less tangible risks in the construction industry.
By David Bolt, Strategic Talent PartnerThree simple words—“I need help”—can be some of the most challenging to say when we’re struggling, whether it’s on the job, with our families, or our own health. When we add in the stigma and shame surrounding mental health, things can feel even tougher. The silent nature of this struggle means we often can’t access our usual support system or coping methods. In most cases, when dealing with mental health related issues, the first time we truly pay attention is when something goes terribly wrong.
In the United States, approximately one out of five people deals with a mental health issue daily. This can range from people who have are having acute issues to others who experience ongoing challenges. If this 20% statistic holds true for Swinerton as a company, that would mean roughly 800 people are struggling with some aspect of their mental health on any given day.
The unfortunate reality is that the construction industry has some of the highest mental health issues for employees and the second highest suicide rate—the ultimate expression of someone struggling in silence. There are many reasons for this, some being that our industry traditionally has valued toughness and strength, and where seeking help may be seen as a weakness. We have high stress and hard deadlines, and we work long hours, often away from our families and friends.
These conditions can make us especially vulnerable to mental health challenges and increase our need to be vigilant about how we and our coworkers are coping on and off the job.
Prior to my career in Talent in the construction industry, I was a social worker. I worked with people in a variety of settings from child protective services to clinical services at therapeutic sites. While the places I worked were different, the needs of the people were always the same: we need to feel cared for, connected, and safe.
Even though I don’t practice as a social worker anymore, I still find the people I work with in construction settings have the same issues and needs. We often hide our struggles, yet struggles still find ways to show up. In the working world, these signs of struggling might range from extreme irritability and anger to withdrawing and isolating ourselves. Problems with alcohol and substances are also frequently used to hide the pain we’re feeling inside. Other common signs are frequently forgetting information, being obsessed with the same thoughts, or nonstop worrying.
It’s key to know that when we need help, there are ways to seek support. At Swinerton, we encourage our people to be on the lookout for signs of struggle in coworkers. This doesn’t require anyone to have a background in mental health or psychology; it also doesn’t mean diagnosing someone with a problem or asking about their mental health.
Instead, we encourage our people on the jobsite and in the office to listen and remain attentive to how fellow employees are doing. Have there been changes in behavior, or has something concerning happened? Has someone admitted that they are struggling with something? If so, reach out and offer your support.
Offering support as a friend or someone who cares is the first step in breaking the stigma of mental health issues— particularly in the construction industry—and increases the chances of someone getting help. At Swinerton, all employees have access to free, confidential services through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) called CONCERN.
Finding methods for better self care such as exercise, getting more sleep, and eating better can also improve well-being. In trying times, it’s important that we be there for each other and offer support. You never know when you might need the same help someday.
Everyone needs help sometimes. Changes to your thoughts, moods, or body that make it hard to manage work, school, home, or relationships for more than two weeks may indicate a need for help. Everyone’s situation is different, but here are some common signs to look out for. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you’ve experienced the following for more than two weeks:
- Very worried, afraid, sad, or down
- Much more angry or irritated than normal
- Big mood changes, including highs and lows
- Tired or low energy - Like you can’t manage everything you need to do in a day
- About suicide (call or text 988 to talk with a trained counselor any time day or night)
- That feel all mixed up or that things aren’t real
- Trouble focusing or remembering things
- All about one thing (like how you look, drinking, that something bad will happen to you, or any other idea you can’t get out of your head)
- Focusing only on getting and using alcohol or drugs
- Times you felt sick and didn’t know why (for example, headaches, stomachaches, and aches and pains that keep coming back)
- Changes in how you sleep
To speak with a trained crisis counselor any time of day or night, call or text the free crisis hotline at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org
If you are feeling thoughts of immediate self-harm or suicide, please call emergency services at 911
- Changes in your eating (for example, you’ve been very hungry—or not hungry at all)
- Needing to use drugs or alcohol more and more often to keep from getting sick
- Not taking care of yourself, like not showering or cleaning your living space, or skipping doctor’s visits
- Having consequences from your behavior because of changes to your mental health or using drugs or alcohol (like having issues at work, losing friendships, or forgetting your commitments)
- Becoming involved with the legal system because of changes to your mental health or using drugs or alcohol
- Having trouble understanding or relating to the people in your life
- Avoiding friends, family, and social activities
- Changing friends often in a short time
As a Strategic Talent Partner, David Bolt supports the growth and development of Swinerton’s leadership, teams, and individuals on the East Coast in alignment with Swinerton’s national goals. He brings a strong background in mental health research and advocacy to his work, and is passionate about cultivating a positive employee experience.
E david.bolt@swinerton.com
Derek Mosiman, Vice President and Division Manager of Swinerton’s Atlanta office, shares how developing a talented, diverse team is expanding Swinerton’s market footprint and community impact in the Southeast.
Q How has the Atlanta office grown in the past year?
A We've added 22 new people to the team in 2023, including several talented transfers from other regions and areas of our company. Our expanding Atlanta group has increased our capacity to win and execute work and allowed us to double our revenue last year to $120 million.
We continue to build our reputation in the aviation, residential, and special projects markets and recently expanded into the healthcare market. With the national support of Jim Watson, Vice President and Division Manager of our National Self-Perform services, and the new local leadership of Ryan Shields, we have changed the landscape of our local self-perform capabilities.
Lastly, we have a new office that is centrally located in the heart of Atlanta, giving team members easier access to jobsites in all directions. We fully customized this adaptive reuse space, from self-performing our drywall elements to utilizing European spruce timber elements fabricated locally in Greenville, SC, home of the East Coast facility of our mass timber partner, Timberlab. Our new space now reflects the quality and excellence we deliver to our clients.
Diamond College Park
79,090 SF | 60 Units
Type V Construction
Q Can you share what unique approaches the team takes to delivering an exceptional client experience in the Southeast?
A Our level of service and hunger to execute has garnered attention and earned us repeat business with a number of clients. In addition to our drive to succeed in the local market, Swinerton carries a robust national reputation and firm core values which have enticed clients who prioritize quality, safety, and efficiency.
Q What key projects are you most excited about?
A We recently completed Hearthside Lawrenceville and Diamond College Park. Both are affordable housing developments and demonstrate our commitment to the good of the Atlanta community. With an overwhelmingly positive reference letter from one of those clients, we look to continue delivering exceptional multifamily spaces at our East Cobb Walk and Millery developments.
Recent wins include adding additional work to the City of Atlanta's Managing General Contractor On-Call program at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, and a tenant improvement for a financial services client that comprises our largest special project and self-perform contract to date. Finally, preconstruction is underway on the $30 million Chambray Hotel, as well as East Point Commons, for which the first phase alone is $51 million.
Q What initiatives or efforts in the Atlanta office are you particularly proud of?
A After meeting with our project engineers and recent new hires, we learned that culture is a significant reason why people join us. This is a big differentiator, especially as a division heavily focused on acquiring talent and growing a reliable, highperforming team. We implemented a “Best-in-Class” initiative last year, which sets the standard for all aspects of deliverables to ensure our jobs complete on schedule, on budget, with significant profit, and seamless execution. This allows us to develop a reputation of reliability that we are proud of and contributes to us winning future work.
Q Are there any local community efforts team is involved in?
A The Atlanta team loves to support Swinerton’s commitment to community involvement and serving those around us. Through our Fall Giving Campaign, the Atlanta office raised over $10,000 in goods and donations and volunteered over 85 hours for the Community Assistance Center and Families First.
This year, we are looking forward to partnering with the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research—to find better treatments with fewer long-term side effects and, ultimately, cures. We are looking at potentially hosting these children and their families at our office for an ice cream social and game night.
Additionally, I am a Vice President of the Board of Directors for Rebuilding Together Atlanta, where we transform high-risk homes into safe and healthy places to live, allowing lower-income senior and veteran homeowners to age safely in place.
Q What sets Swinerton’s Atlanta office apart?
A What sets us apart can be summed up in one word: diversity. Not only is our team itself diverse— from personal backgrounds, experience, and departments—but our commitment to equity and inclusion paired with an expansive collective resume make us distinct from other general contractors in town.
Our team is constantly juggling the diverse demands of many markets, too. The needs for aviation projects are very different from healthcare builds, and as we look to expand our portfolio further with the education market in the coming year, we continue to diversify our experience and expertise.
With campuswide improvements including the modernization of 11 buildings, reconfiguration of athletic fields, addition of a new twostory storefront window system at the existing administration hub, and major upgrades to the student courtyard, Swinerton’s whole-site modernization project at one of California's historic high schools can be compared to a jigsaw puzzle. Each phase requires careful attention and unique coordination to complete on an occupied campus.
Located adjacent to historic Balboa Park, the San Diego High School campus was originally built in 1882. Though few of the original buildings remain today, the school holds the title of the oldest in San Diego Unified School District, and the oldest school in California that still remains on its original site.
While the modernization is under a single contract, work is broken out into batches of four smaller, tightly coordinated projects through a complex phasing plan that Swinerton redeveloped after discovering inconsistencies with the original. The new phasing plan allows the team to focus their attention on specific work areas at a time, maximizing productivity and minimizing impacts to the students and faculty. The plan also allowed Swinerton to set up temporary portable classrooms on the school’s basketball courts, moving school staff and students
out of their current classrooms and spaces into temporary structures on a revolving basis as phases of buildings are modernized and turned over.
However, phased projects often require different trade partners or subcontractors for the same scope of work, or the same trade partners across multiple phases to perform a variety of scopes. The San Diego High School Modernization is also a California Prevailing Wage Law project. Depending on the size of the scope, the project schedule, and workforce availability, laborers may vary from week to week.
With the workforce comprising both core workers and union hall workers, ensuring everyone is aware of Swinerton’s high safety standards becomes a much tougher task, especially bringing workers up to speed regarding the specific site safety concerns of nearby buildings, faculty, and students.
To reduce the risk of any safety oversights, Swinerton hosts mandatory jobsite orientations and preconstruction coordination meetings each time a new trade arrives onsite at San Diego High School. Trade partners and laborers are informed on the sequencing of each scope, how their work affects other trades, and of any site concerns associated with the occupied campus. Towards the beginning of a new phase, this could mean Swinerton is hosting five to ten safety orientations per week.
However, this communication is critical to building a sense of community and shared responsibility over the safety of the project, as well as ensuring every laborer remains informed of what is happening around them—from other trades working in the area to the movement of students and faculty nearby. Reducing confusion and tension among trade partners is also critical to ensuring each phase is turned over
safely, on time, within budget, and to San Diego Unified School District’s standards.
Building 100, considered the project's crown jewel and the future campus gateway, is one area in which the team’s proactive approach to sequencing and coordination has shown great success. Located at the main entrance of the campus, the two-story building is undergoing an extensive transformation that comprises over half of the total contract of the project. After six months of demolition on the entirety of Building 100’s interior down to the core and shell, a dramatic transformation to the exterior of the building is currently underway.
The existing façade features concrete masonry unit (CMU) blocks with a concrete fluted exterior, a design feature typical of buildings built in the 1970s. To modernize the facility, a new plaster façade will be overlaid directly on the outdated exterior, supported by steel studs bolted into steel channels.
To ensure trades weren’t working on top of each other, Swinerton staggered each scope and directed each trade to work clockwise around the building. The concrete team would properly torque the bolts, followed closely by the installation of the steel studs. Finally, the framers would fill in the gaps behind the studs caused by the original façade’s fluted design. This sequencing not only increased productivity, but reduced the risk of “pile-ups” in the alreadyconstrained site. It also mitigated the possibility of schedule slippage from one trade not being able to perform work where a dependency had not been met.
In addition to coordinating workforce trades, the Swinerton team and trade partners must continuously maintain safe paths of travel between each building, including ADA pathways and emergency access. In high-risk spaces, particularly the modernization of a large courtyard area adjacent to Building 100 known as the “quad,” the teams ensure heavy
machinery is parked on the opposite side of the fenced work area, far away from where students and faculty travel during the school day. Other scopes must be carefully coordinated after school hours, on holiday breaks, or during summer to avoid negative impacts to the school’s operations.
Over the last two-and-a-half years, the San Diego High School Whole Site Modernization Project boasts zero lost-time incidents, an impressive feat considering the complex patchwork of projects, phases, and trade partners at the campus. Furthermore, the team has received praise from the district for their attention to the safety and comfort of the school’s occupants, and particularly Swinerton’s ability to accommodate class schedules, special hours, and important school events.
Effective planning and creative thinking allowed Swinerton to overcome unforeseen conditions and site constraints during the construction of Boulder’s newest life science space.
The transformation of HATCHlabs at Wilderness Place included retrofitting the existing one-story brewery building into a two-story speculative lab facility to accommodate a range of potential tenants. The new building is nearly identical in appearance to its predecessor, apart from an extra 12 feet of height that was added to accommodate a brand-new second level with seven speculative lab suites. The first level features a lobby and three core and shell spaces. In one of these, Swinerton performed a cost-effective fit-out for a life sciences tenant under a separate contract. An elevator, main MEP room, tenant storage, conference room, and freezer farm were added to the basement.
The base building was originally constructed in the 1980s and was occupied for decades by Boulder Beer Company, Colorado’s first microbrewery and the 43rd licensed brewery in the United States. Due to the structure’s age and years of operation as a brewery, nearly the entire basement required mold remediation.
To maintain the safety of everyone onsite, no one was allowed access to the area during sandblasting. The team shifted the schedule weekly to enable other project scopes to move forward during this time, thus effectively counteracting negative impacts to the schedule due to the remediation.
Once the basement was safe to work in, Swinerton encountered another challenge: the new elevator required excavation of a seven-foot-deep pit in the basement. However, after just two feet of digging, the team hit water and boulders. A wastewater and water remediation company was able to install
a dewatering well and continue digging the pit with hydrovac equipment that pulverized the rocks. However, the original design called for sheet waterproofing, which was no longer viable due to the lack of flat substrate and the substantial presence of boulders. Instead, the team sought out and integrated an admixture into concrete that could prevent the penetration of water and other liquids, and would be easier to apply given the presence of boulders and rocks.
While the team’s creative thinking helped offset the worst of the schedule impacts in the basement, their effective planning was critical to performing one of the most complex and unique aspects of the retrofit: adding 12 feet to the outer CMU walls, while reusing the existing roof.
Typically, adding height to the building would involve removing the roof, bracing and shoring the existing CMU walls, building them up, and replacing the roof. However, the team did not want to incur any costly damages to the finished landscaping with exterior shoring, so they opted to keep the roof on as long as possible. This not only kept the CMU walls stable, but also weather-tight while the team erected the first-floor steel. After structurally attaching the steel to the second floor, the team removed the roof, built scaffolding, added height to the exterior CMU, and carefully replaced the roof using the existing steel and joists.
The retrofit and refresh of the brewery for its new life as a state-ofthe-art laboratory space demonstrates Swinerton’s commitment to finding innovative solutions without compromising the schedule or budget. Our Colorado team is proud to deliver another transformative space to serve the region’s booming life sciences market.
Materials like mass timber open up opportunities for cities and counties looking to add flexibility to their community spaces. For Monmouth City Hall in Oregon, Swinerton provided over one million dollars in total savings by proposing a new mass timber structure, enabling the city to meet their budget and design goals.
Completed earlier this year, Monmouth's new City Hall is a combination of two key spaces: a two-story modern office complex for staff, and one-story city council chambers. Both parts were designed for flexibility as the city grows. The city council chambers notably make use of a ballistic-rated die wall that addresses security concerns for councilmembers but also allows for the space to be used as a courtroom and public meeting room.
Swinerton was brought aboard the Monmouth City Hall project in a Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) capacity during the latter part of the design phase. Though the project was struggling to meet the budget, nearly half of the construction documents were already complete—a less-thanideal time to make recommendations. Nonetheless, Swinerton adopted a designassist role in the value engineering process, honing in on the timber structure, lateral system, brick veneer façade, and mechanical system to bring them closer to the target budget.
Tapping Swinerton's in-house mass timber experts and our mass timber affiliate, Timberlab, the team worked closely with the Engineer-of-Record to reimagine the mass timber superstructure. The original design had leveraged a twoway beam system. However, Swinerton recommended shifting to a single line of floor and roof girders and changing the connections between the columns and beams to a mortise-and-tenon design, which utilizes a notched detail and eliminates the need for steel hardware.
On Level 2, the team also recommended increasing the thickness of the crosslaminated timber (CLT) elements to 5-ply, which can span up to 20 feet and would be better suited to the two-story office area. This shift also allowed the CLT to become the building’s diaphragm for handling lateral loads, effectively eliminating about half of the glued laminated timber beams that had been specified in the original design.
With CLT comprising the diaphragm, the team could then adjust to a gypcrete
topping slab with an acoustic-mat underlayment on Level 2. This shift provided significant schedule benefits, as it took the original concrete topping slab off of the project’s critical path. Additionally, the team cut out the concrete shear walls that comprised the lateral system in the original design, since it did not pair well with the speed of mass timber construction. The new design incorporated CLT shear walls, which were erected at the same time as the rest of the structure and further reduced the schedule duration.
Lastly, the original designs for the building’s interior feature stair and backof-house egress stair were complex and expensive. By creating allowances in the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), Swinerton was able to work with a trusted steel supplier and Timberlab to maintain the design intent, but leverage wood treads and landings rather than precast. This saved a significant amount of money—both with the cost of material and the ease of assembly. Rather than an expensive design-build steel stair at the back of house, the team also opted for more of a residential-style stair built out of wood stringers and treads.
Swinerton’s recommendations prior to and directly after being awarded the project exemplify our commitment to delivering exceptional spaces that meet our clients’ goals, but with the greatest possible efficiencies in cost and schedule. Our ability to also leverage our network of key relationships is a critical component of how we deliver high-quality spaces at competitive prices. In addition to tapping Timberlab for the mass timber, the team was able to bring a prequalified mechanical trade partner onboard during the design phase for further value engineering of the building’s mechanical systems.
The overall efforts resulted in about $1 million in savings for the City of Monmouth, with close to to $200,000 in the mass timber structure alone. The Swinerton and Timberlab teams look forward to seeing how the growing community uses and enjoys these new spaces.
Swinerton remains deeply committed to the local communities it serves. This quarter saw our offices from coast to coast participating in a variety of networking and community outreach events, many of which commemorated Swinerton’s annual companywide MLK Day of Service or celebrated Women in Construction Week.
Honolulu, HI | For 40 years, Hawai‘i Foodbank has been helping put food in the hands of those in need. Swinerton’s Honolulu team is proud to support the organization’s goal to broaden their reach in the community by building capacity, strengthening support to partner networks, pursuing advocacy and outreach opportunities, purchasing more food, and, most importantly, building connections.
New York, NY | Swinerton and Timberlab hosted a Timber Talks event at the Haworth event space in Manhattan. A panel of experts answered questions and offered insights into mass timber’s sustainability benefits and New York City’s building codes.
Dallas, TX | Swinerton participated in its second year of the Form Follows Fitness 5k, which benefits the Architecture and Design Exchange. The route through Downtown Dallas acts as a tour of architecture, culture, and award-winning buildings. After the 5k, runners and participants enjoy live music, food trucks, and local craft beers during industry networking.
Oakland, CA | Swinerton’s team in Northern California celebrated their second year volunteering at Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt as part of our company’s annual MLK Day of Service event.
Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA | Swinerton’s teams in the Pacific Northwest celebrated National Women in Construction Week. The Portland office volunteered at Rose Haven, a day shelter and community shelter serving women, children, and gender-diverse people. The Seattle office celebrated the week with several networking events in-office, and a fun night of axe-throwing.
Atlanta, GA, and Charlotte, NC | In honor of MLK Day of Service, the Atlanta office helped clean up a local park that has been dedicated to Black community history. The Charlotte team hosted a book drive for a local nonprofit, also assisting with cleaning and sorting books at the organization’s warehouse.
Swinerton’s ability to identify and develop its next leaders is essential to its enduring legacy. It is how we have provided reliable construction services for over 135 years— and how we plan to be a committed partner for 135 more. At the start of the new year, Swinerton celebrated five key leadership promotions: Dave Callis, Ray Haj, Lauren Nunnally, Lia Tatevosian, and Daniel Camin. As we plan for the future, we also continue to recognize and highlight the craftspeople who are earning their Swinerton stripes through their dedication on the jobsite.
Dave celebrating Swinerton Builders’ 125th anniversary at the California Science Center, October 2013.
Following the retirement of Eric Foster, former Swinerton Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Swinerton Incorporated Board of Directors elected Dave Callis as the next CEO of Swinerton Incorporated and its subsidiaries. Dave is backed by 30 years of respected construction industry experience, first joining Swinerton Builders in 2001 as a Senior Project Manager, where he contributed his knowledge of estimating, scheduling, budgeting, and other construction practices to many notable projects in Southern California.
Among his most memorable achievements are a series of projects at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA. While executing work in the fully operational airport provided complex logistical and scheduling challenges, Dave especially enjoyed the relationships he cultivated with the airport’s leadership and his fellow Swinerton team members.
In addition to his expertise in construction management, Dave brings an innovative perspective to business processes and the development of strong, adaptable teams. In his prior role as Chief Operations Officer, he helped Swinerton Builders successfully develop and expand its Public-Private Partnership capabilities. Over the course of several years, the firm has amassed a portfolio of projects now exceeding $1 billion. Notable milestones include the Salinas Police Station, County of Orange Civic Center, and McKinney Airport Hangar.
Under his direction, Swinerton Builders will continue to expand its market footprint, enhance operational efficiency, and increase its proficiency in a number of project delivery methods, both traditional and alternative, to meet a diverse range of client needs. Additionally, he will provide strategic direction for the growth of Swinerton Incorporated and its subsidiaries.
Read more about Dave Callis’ appointment to CEO on swinerton.com.
Swinerton continues to experience tremendous growth. The following leadership promotions show how we pave the way for future success through our dedication to effective succession planning.
Ray Haj
Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer
Succeeding Dave Callis as Chief Operations Officer, Ray’s vision focuses on employee development, succession planning, creating an inclusive company culture, and continuing to diversity Swinerton’s market portfolio in line with long-term business goals. Ray also joins Swinerton’s Executive Committee as Executive Vice President.
Lauren Nunnally
Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer
Lauren joins Swinerton’s Executive Committee as Executive Vice President. She provides leadership support to the Talent First, Human Resources, Corporate Responsibility, and Business Technology departments, tapping her passion for leveraging Swinerton’s talent to drive strategic objectives and foster a positive employee experience.
Lia Tatevosian
Senior Vice President and Region Manager, Southern California and Hawaii
Throughout her career, Lia has demonstrated a passion for fostering equity and inclusion within the construction industry. She will continue to leave a positive impact on her local communities and drive an exceptional client experience as she succeeds Ray Haj in overseeing all of Swinerton’s operations in Southern California and Hawaii.
Daniel Camin
Vice President and Division Manager, OCLA Special Projects
Daniel brings a strong understanding of the local market and a client-centric mindset as he succeeds Lia Tatevosian, taking the helm of special projects in Swinerton’s Orange County and Los Angeles offices. The dynamic division tackles a range of projects, from commercial interiors and tenant improvements to hospitality renovations and life sciences.
Our ongoing Faces in the Field feature focuses on the exemplary craftspeople who strengthen our business.
Alex Castro
Foreman Carpenter, Los Angeles, CA
Current Project: LAX BOP 2
Alex embodies Swinerton’s core value of ownership by taking accountability for the success of his tasks and his project. He is flexible in the face of scheduling challenges associated with working in an occupied airport, and he actively looks for opportunities to help his teammates.
Mauro Ortega
General Foreman, Drywall, Dallas, TX
Current Project: Pegasus Park
In the five months he has been with Swinerton, Mauro has demonstrated exceptional leadership and attention to detail on one of Dallas’ most prominent and challenging projects. His dedicated coaching and training have demonstrably improved jobsite quality and productivity.
Chris Pearson
Foreman Carpenter, NorCal Region
Current Project: Various
Chris brings his strong team commitment and outstanding productivity to a variety of projects throughout Northern California. He is known for his talent in the field and his ability to quickly overcome challenges with impactful solutions.
Swinerton Incorporated
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