Safety - We Own It In The Colorado Commercial Construction World
At Brinkman Construction, We Own Safety. For us, safety is personal. It’s about our workers and their families and making sure everyone that steps foot on our jobsites can return home safely at the end of the day. As a 100% employee owned company, every member of our organization is empowered to own safety and make it their ultimate priority.
At Brinkman Construction, we have an award-winning zero-incident safety culture. In addition to project-specific awards such as the Eating Recovery Center Merit Award for Safety, we’ve also achieved the OSHA/AGC CHASE Blue designation, demonstrating the strength of our safety program and history.
Our safety program is extensive and reaches every area of our company through quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily touch points. Our quarterly Safest Project recognition program awards the jobsite with the highest scoring safety assessments from the previous quarter.
We are committed to training our employees through monthly safety trainings, OSHA 10-HR and 30-HR courses, First Aid/CPR Training, and a variety of task-specific training. We also train our subcontractors through our mandatory jobsite Safety Orientation Program and weekly Safety Meetings during which site and project-specific hazards are always a topic of discussion.
In addition to an ongoing focus on training, we’ve also implemented the practice of completing Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs) for every task performed on our jobsites. These JHAs trigger employees and subcontractors to put precautions in place to prevent safety incidents. Beyond our proactive tactics, we also inspect our jobsites regularly throughout each day and take disciplinary action for unsafe practices.
The high quality of our safety program has led to Brinkman Construction’s low EMR, DART and RIR and elicits confidence with our trade partners and clients, but beyond the procedures that are in place, our people truly care about the well-being of the men and women on our jobsites. They’re passionate about making sure they have a safe working environment. They’re driven to build safely.
Brinkman Construction Breaks Ground on Colorado Springs Townhome-Style Apartment Community
Brinkman Construction celebrated the start of construction on their latest Colorado Springs project last week, a 12-building townhome-style apartment community. Springs at Foothill Farms, owned, developed and operated by Continental Properties, will include 264 two-story loft-style units. The 354,000 SF luxury community offers amenities such as a resort-style swimming pool, community clubhouse and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
Located at 1203 Affirmed View, Springs at Foothill Farms is the second apartment community developed by Continental Properties in this market and sixth in Colorado. The first community, Springs at Allison Valley, is within a mile of the new complex and was developed in 2016.
The project was designed by Phillips Partnership and is in line with Continental Properties’ Springs brand of communities. The Wisconsin-based developer specializes in apartment homes, retail and hospitality products across the United States from Arizona to South Carolina and has been in business for more than 40 years. This will be their fifth property in Colorado and second in the Colorado Springs market.
“We continue to see Colorado as a great market for our Springs brand and our growth trajectory,” said Ryan Folger, Vice President of Design & Construction for Continental Properties at the groundbreaking ceremony. “We are excited to see the Springs at Foothill Farms off to a great start and look forward to pre-leasing the units as soon as next summer.”
The construction of Springs at Foothills Farms began in September 2019 and will complete in the summer of 2021. For pre-leasing information, visit https://www.springsapartments.com/apartments/co/colorado-springs/springs-at-foothill-farms/.
Brinkman Construction also completed a four-story, 166,000 SF affordable senior community, Traditions, in Colorado Springs last December. The complex includes 180 units consisting of studio, one- and two-bedrooms. Community amenities onsite include a community garden, dog park, fire pit, theater, craft room and library. The apartments serve seniors age 55 and older who earn less than 60 percent of the area median income adjusted for household size.
Award-Winning Healthcare Project: Eating Recovery Center
The construction of Eating Recovery Center’s newest behavioral health hospital in Denver proved to be as challenging and unique as the treatment happening inside the walls of the 62,000 SF facility. From the dewatering of the site to the extensive anti-ligature modifications to every fixture in the building, this project required creativity and strict attention to detail from the Brinkman Construction team to ensure a safe and healing place for eating disorder patients.
The project was recently awarded Regional Best Project by ENR Mountain States in the healthcare category, as well as the merit award winner for safety. Additionally, the project won the Silver ACE Award for Best Building Project in the $10-$40M category by the Association of General Contractors.
Eating Recovery Center is a three-story behavioral health hospital developed by Westside Investment Partners that provides inpatient treatment for people of all ages suffering from eating disorders. The facility offers 70 overnight beds, commercial kitchens, offices, a spa and 55,000 SF of underground parking for patients and visitors.
The construction of the facility required special considerations for trauma-informed and anti-ligature constructability. No appliances or fixtures throughout the building were “off-the-shelf,” meaning each had to be specially ordered to ensure patient safety, requiring early procurement of materials.
The patient-informed design of the building includes a focus on bringing the outdoors in. The interior elements provide sound abatement and a connection to light and nature to reduce stress and support healing. Another notable feature of the new hospital is the in-house pharmacy which is dedicated solely to patients who are part of the inpatient and residential treatment programs at all Eating Recovery Center facilities in the Denver area.
Brinkman Construction successfully utilized a design-assist delivery approach to engage specialty expertise early on this unique healthcare construction project. This ultimately optimized cost, quality, and constructability for the client. In addition to serving as the general contractor for the core/shell and interior build out, Brinkman provided preconstruction services to the client.
Overcoming Challenges and Teamwork
The construction team encountered and overcame several challenges during the course of constructing this unique facility. The first major challenge arose with the dewatering of the site. The design required excavation below the static groundwater level in order to build the sub-surface parking structure. Due to the contamination of the groundwater and the mineral make-up of the discharged waters, an onsite water treatment plant was set up to treat the water for total suspended solids, iron, manganese, and lead before disposal into the storm drain.
Due to early groundwater investigation a year before groundbreak, the preconstruction and construction teams were able to build a plan early that incorporated these considerations into the budget and timeline, ultimately saving the client costly mitigation strategies.
While early planning can prevent many challenges, every construction project comes with unique surprises that arise during the construction process. The Eating Recovery Center proved especially distinct due to their accreditation with the Joint Commission. The Commission has rigorous standards for quality and safety that must be met to obtain and maintain accreditation. During construction, accreditation standards were updated resulting in the mandate to reorder and reinstall materials and fixtures including: light fixtures, door hardware, ceilings, plumbing, air diffusers, and three miles of pick-proof caulking, to name a few.
The construction team worked closely with subcontractors, suppliers, and the design team to install temporary solutions and execute out-of-sequence work to minimize negative impacts on the schedule. Upon completion, the Eating Recovery Center received the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission.
SAFETY
The Eating Recovery Center jobsite clocked in more than 300,000 total worker hours with no recordable safety incidents due to the stringent safety program in place.
The entire project team – from upper management to trade workers – were dedicated to enforcing Brinkman Construction’s Zero Incident Safety Culture. The jobsite-specific safety program included First Day Safety Orientation for every worker on the site, daily job-specific safety assessments with documented Job Hazard Analysis, weekly mandatory safety meetings, and rehearsals of the emergency response plan. This detailed focus on safety in real-time proved beneficial to the team who experienced no significant safety concerns through the duration of construction resulting in the project winning the Merit Award for Safety from ENR Mountain States.
CONSTRUCTION QUALITY & CRAFTSMANSHIP
The construction team provided an exceedingly high level of attention to detail to meet the needs of the unique occupant of this space. They toured other Eating Recovery Center facilities to fully understand the end user’s needs and bring creative strategies to the construction process.
Understanding that the pharmacy inside the Eating Recovery Center was going to take several additional months to obtain the licensing to operate, the team completed and turned over the pharmacy four months early. Due to their proactive approach and efficient processes, the Eating Recovery Center pharmacy was operational on day one of opening.
The construction of this facility was fully coordinated with Building Information Modeling (BIM) so the client and project team could explore the physical and functional characteristics of the hospital as changes were being made. Using the model enables the ability to keep the design in sync with the budget and schedule. This was especially crucial after obtaining the updated Joint Commission accreditation requirements.
AESTHETIC QUALITY OF DESIGN
Boulder Associates worked closely with the owner to develop a patient-informed design with a focus on bringing the outdoors in. The interior elements give patients a soothing environment with natural light and the simulation of being in nature. These techniques have been proven to reduce stress and support healing. Brinkman Construction collaborated closely with the design team to ensure we were executing on this vision.
Special installations to fulfill this function can be found throughout the building. The main entrance includes a 15-foot-tall art mobile in the shape of falling leaves that hangs from a ceiling two floors high. This aesthetic was intended to provide a welcoming and calming first impression.
The elevator lobbies include a digital fish tank, soft lighting, and beetle kill pine accents continue the focus on nature throughout the building. The bathroom design was especially unique due to the fact that bathrooms are often a triggering space for eating disorder patients. In the Eating Recovery Center, the bathrooms were referred to as “patient spas” and included specialty made ant-ligature fixtures and appliances and artificial skylights that emulate looking into the sky.
From preconstruction through closeout, Brinkman Construction partnered with the design team to fully understand the intention behind the functional and aesthetic design. The result of this collaboration is a truly unique, state-of-the-art behavioral health hospital that will be one of the best in the world for eating disorder patients.
Greg Kushner: Northern Colorado 40 Under Forty Honoree
Brinkman Construction's Director of Operations Greg Kushner has been named one of Northern Colorado's Top 40 Under Forty by BizWest. This group of 40 professionals are the emerging leaders who are shaping the future of Northern Colorado.
Greg began at Brinkman Construction as a Project Manager and quickly moved into a leadership role overseeing multiple projects and teams. He has served as the Director of Operations since 2017. In this role, Greg is responsible for the overall success of all projects with regards to safety, quality, schedule, and budget, and takes an active role in the recruitment and training of staff to support the company's continued growth. Greg's focus on mentorship, training and establishing operational procedures has been crucial to Brinkman Construction's continued success.
Greg utilizes the employee ownership model to empower employees and achieve long-term buy-in. He's helped steward a company-wide commitment to training and development that focuses on how each employee can “think like an owner” and positively impact the company from their position. This has directly impacted operational success and provided leadership opportunities to staff at every level of the organization.
Denver Developer Receives Financing for Two Projects in Capitol Hill
Denver-based development and property management company LCP Development, has secured $25 million in financing for 777 and 757 Grant Street in Denver. 777 Grant Street is a vintage office building that will be renovated and repositioned while 757 Grant Street is a Class A, ground-up multifamily development.
JLL worked on behalf of LCP Development, to secure the three-year construction and bridge loan through a national bank. Brinkman Construction is the GC for both projects. Open Studio is the architect for the office project and Humphries Poli is the architect for the multifamily development.
Located on the hard corner of 8th Avenue and Grant Street within Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, 777 and 757 Grant Street possess phenomenal access throughout the Denver metro via automobile, public transit or the Cherry Creek Bike Path. Capitol Hill is highly amenitized with numerous bars and restaurants, entertainment destinations and retail options all within a walkable live-work-play environment that boasts one of the highest resident concentrations in Denver.
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Jane Everhart Named Finalist in Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business Awards
Jane Everhart has been named a finalist in the Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business Awards in the real estate category. From nearly 300 nominations, thirty-six finalists and one Lifetime Achievement Award winner were selected in 12 industry categories. Winners in each category will be announced at the awards ceremony on August 21 at Hilton Denver City Center.
For nearly three decades, Jane has served as a top tier leader for entrepreneurial, fast-growing companies. Whether it be as CFO for a luxury winter sports retailer, the owner of a furniture and interior design franchise business or as the Global Director of Finance for OtterBox, Jane has combined her financial expertise with her entrepreneurial spirit to succeed in her career.
As the current CFO for two entrepreneurial companies, Brinkman and Brinkman Construction, Jane works in a full-time real estate finance capacity. She pairs her progressive approach to finance and strategic growth with an analytical and information-driven awareness of the real estate landscape and factors affecting it. In addition to her primary finance-driven role, Jane is also a Partner and Chief Operations Officer of Brinkman and a member of the Board of Directors for Brinkman Construction
Since joining Brinkman and Brinkman Construction, she has been instrumental in restructuring the company’s business model to incorporate progressive finance processes, minimize industry risk, strengthen the organizational environment, and enrich their position as an employer of choice in Colorado. During her tenure, the companies have celebrated significant increases in both revenue and headcount.
Beyond her impact on company performance, Jane has also been instrumental in developing a robust community impact program. She led efforts to launch a paid Volunteer Time Off initiative for all employees, helped lead the vision for Brinkman to become a Certified B Corporation and is the executive sponsor of BrinkmanGives, the joint community impact program of Brinkman and Brinkman Construction.
Jane holds a bachelor’s degree in Business with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of Colorado. She is a Certified Public Accountant, a graduate of the Women’s Vision Leadership Institute, and is a strategic operating plan facilitator from the Paterson Center. She has served as an officer on the OtterCares Board of Directors since 2013 and has served on the Bridges to Prosperity Finance Committee since 2018.
Jane was named a 2017 Women to Watch Leader by the Colorado Society and the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts. This award highlights women in the accounting profession who have advanced to the highest levels and have shown significant effort in mentoring others.
Brinkman Construction Completes New Timnath Community Center
Photos by Bruen Media Group.
According to a recent BizWest article, the Town of Timnath is the fastest-growing community in Northern Colorado. It has grown 538.72% since the 2010 census. Town officials are making tangible progress toward their adopted strategic growth plan with the second phase of the Town’s civic complex opening to the public. Community members gathered last month to celebrate the grand opening of the Timnath Town Center.
The new Town Center Building is located in the Riverbend Subdivision, directly north of Poudre Fire Authority Station 8, the first phase in the Town’s civic complex. Additional phases include plans for a new police station.
The 16,000 SF Town Center Building was built to accommodate the growing needs of the community and Town staff. The previous facility had only one conference room that served multiple purposes: Town council chambers, municipal court room, conference room and training facility. With the goal of providing a shared space for the community to utilize, the new building includes a community room and ample public parking to accommodate families, nonprofits and other groups needing space to convene. The community meeting room opens to a patio space and includes a small kitchen for food service helping to meet a vital need for residents seeking space for education, training and public and private events.
“This is more than a building. It’s a true community center,” said Town of Timnath Mayor Jill Grossman-Belisle. “We’re proud of this investment in improving our community for our residents and know this new town center will serve us for generations.”
The new Town Center Building also includes a lobby with direct access to reception and council chambers, offices for administrative personnel, community development and planning offices and conference rooms. Residents who work from home and need meeting space can reserve a conference room to meet with customers or clients. Plans for the space also include a partnership with the library district to add the Town Center Building as a book drop-off location.
“It’s due to the Town of Timnath’s vision that this community has become desirable for so many,” said Brinkman Construction President and CEO, Jim Ciesla. “This is our community and we’re excited to see it grow and thrive.”
Jensen LaPlante served as the owner’s representative for the Town Center Building, Brinkman Construction was the general contractor and alm2s designed the project. This is the fifth project Brinkman Construction has built in Timnath; previous projects include healthcare facility Pediatric Urgent Care, multi-family community Timnath Trails at Riverbend and Timnath’s first brewery, Timnath Beerwerks.
By relocating Town staff out of the building they previously shared with the Timnath Police Department, the Town is able to expand police services for public safety.
Using Employee Ownership to Attract and Retain Top Talent
From the President & CEO of Brinkman Construction, Jim Ciesla
Brinkman Construction rebranded last year and a large part of that process was identifying our company DNA. What makes us us. We interviewed our clients to see how we’re perceived externally, and the feedback was interesting, but not all that surprising. We heard over and over what we already knew - that our people are what differentiate us from our competitors in the construction industry.
We’re not unique in knowing that people are our greatest asset, but the qualities that make them our most valued resource are telling. Our clients said that we bring a higher level of ownership to projects. That we are proactive and accountable, and we are customer-centric communicators. They said this ownership mentality leads to “tenacious problem-solving” and ultimately, earning their trust. Owners see that we take extreme pride in our work and connect the dots between a quality building and the success of their business.
So, how do we recruit and retain these high-caliber team members that set us apart? One factor I believe is responsible for our success is our employee ownership model. This innovative ownership structure, technically called an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), provides employees with a retirement plan that is invested in Brinkman Construction stock. Currently, there are 7,000 ESOPs nationwide and Brinkman Construction is one of only 115 in Colorado.
We adopted this structure in 2016 and beyond simply becoming 100% employee owned, we made tangible shifts toward creating an ownership culture in which all employees see the importance of their individual roles and the service they deliver to clients. Every employee owner believes in personal accountability and has a long-term vision for projects. They unfailingly do what’s right for our clients because they know successful projects translate to repeat business and positive referrals. When you’re an employee owner, there’s even more of an incentive to go above and beyond and stay at your company for the long-term. This allows us to employ highly experienced staff who consistently provide an exceptional quality of work. We as a company, and we as employee owners, all benefit under this model.
With our new brand came a new tagline: “Driven to Build.” To us, this sums up why the employee ownership model was the right choice for Brinkman Construction. It describes the characteristics that differentiate our employees in the construction industry – grit, tenacity, and most importantly, ownership.
AGC of Colorado Honors Members’ Commitments to Workplace Safety
The Associated General Contractors of Colorado (AGC/C) honored its members’ commitments to workplace safety and environmental excellence at the 32nd annual Safety & Environmental Awards last month at The Westin Westminster. In correlation with the national construction Safety Week that takes place each May, this event attracted more than 330 construction industry professionals and guests to recognize winners in three different categories of awards that were presented to local general contractors and specialty contractors.
“Our members understand the importance of a strong commitment to safety culture and environmental awareness in construction, where job-sites are constantly evolving, and new hazards emerge almost daily,” commented Michael Gifford, president and CEO of AGC/C. “Although we formally recognize their efforts only once a year, we honor their daily dedication to send each employee home safe every day.”
Brad Gassman, AGC/C’s Safety and Environmental director, presented the awards and introduced representatives from the various programs to provide the latest safety and environmental updates to attendees. The first award category recognized firms in the Colorado Stormwater Excellence Program (CSEP), which is the first regulatory agency-recognized, self-policing stormwater compliance management program in the nation. Companies are ranked as either Participating or Qualified, based on performance data. AGC/C’s latest Participating companies moved to Qualified status in February 2019. Adolfson & Peterson Construction, The Beck Group, Brinkman Construction, Fiore and Sons, Inc., Fransen Pittman General Contractors, GH Phipps Construction Companies, Golden Triangle Construction, Inc., Haselden Construction, LLC, Hyder Construction, Inc, Milender White Construction Co.., PCL Construction, Swinerton Builders, and Waner Construction Co, Inc. were all honored as Qualified Companies. Maura McGovern, Unit Manager of the Clean Water Compliance Unit of the Water Quality Control Division, was present to provide CSEP updates.
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McWHINNEY Announces First Multifamily Project in Longmont
Colorado‐based developer McWHINNEY has broken ground on Clovis Point, a highly-amenitized and strategically located multifamily project in Longmont.
The new Clovis Point lifestyle community will provide 208 modern apartment homes ranging in size from 560-square-foot studios to 1,252-square-foot three-bedroom residences. The 220,000-square-foot, three-story apartment development will also include a selection of 1,400-square-foot townhomes.
The first units are anticipated to be available Summer 2020. Clovis Point will bring the total number of apartments delivered by McWHINNEY in Colorado to more than 3,800 homes, with plans to bring an additional 2,000 units to the market in the near future.
The Clovis Point project site sits on just over eight acres, one acre of which will be devoted to open green space with planned outdoor amenities to include grills, fire pits, entertainment space, a pool and spa, central green/park space, an alpine pond, a family play area and a dog park. The community’s indoor amenities will be concentrated in an alpine-inspired, 2-story clubhouse building to include mail pickup with parcel lockers, a community kitchen, multiple lounge spaces that include a 360-degree vapor fireplace, a library, coworking spaces, Fitness on DemandTM and yoga.
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State-of-the-Art Sleep Disorder Center Opens in Longmont
The Colorado Sleep Institute recently opened its flagship center in Longmont. The 22,000-square-foot, two-story medical facility within the busy Longmont Business Center at 1630 Dry Creek Drive, was built by Brinkman Construction. It includes six exam rooms, four sleep rooms, three testing rooms, a staff lounge, a large conference room and several administration offices.
The center is designed to treat individuals with sleep disorders utilizing an integrated team approach. In addition to evaluation, testing and treatments, the Colorado Sleep Institute also conducts academic and clinical research to increase knowledge about patients with sleep problems and guide healthcare decisions, as well as provide patients access to new therapeutic approaches.
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Boulevard One at Lowry Breaks Ground
The Boulevard at Lowry, a 140,000-square-foot commercial mixed-use redevelopment project in the heart of Denver’s revitalized Lowry neighborhood, officially broke ground today. The infill development will serve as the centerpiece and the only commercial development at Boulevard One, the 70-acre parcel that represents the last new neighborhood to be developed at Lowry. The groundbreaking of the milestone project coincides with the 25th anniversary of the beginning of Lowry’s transformation from the former Air Force base.
Confluent Development, a Denver-based real estate investment/development firm, and Kelmore Development, a Centennial-based commercial real estate development, management and investment firm, serve as the project co-owners and co-developers. Brinkman Construction is the general contractor and Open Studio Architecture designed the project.
The 1.5-block infill project situated on more than five acres at the northwest corner of E. Lowry Boulevard and Pontiac Street, will feature restaurant, retail and office space, including a restaurant sitting on the community park across Lowry Boulevard.
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