Few contractors were better positioned to weather the disruptions and uncertainties of 2020 than Richmond, Va.-based Hourigan. Thanks to a deep, diverse project backlog, the company—ENR MidAtlantic’s Contractor of the Year—powered through the pandemic to see its revenue climb 39%, to $466 million. That result continues a 146% increase in revenue since 2015. The revenue boost catapulted the firm to No. 17 from No. 29 on the ENR MidAtlantic Top Contractor rankings.

But Mark Hourigan, the company’s founder and chief executive, insists that numbers tell only part of the story. It is true that the 250-person company entered the year with strong activity around its three offices—Richmond, Charlottesville and Hampton Roads. But 2020 might have turned out quite differently had Virginia not deemed construction an essential business, or if clients had elected to put a pause on new or ongoing work.

“Every one of our clients made the commitment to continue with their projects,” Hourigan says. “That kept the doors open and things happening on jobsites.”
Hourigan补充说，认真对待Covid-19协议有助于确保活动安全发生。这导致没有站点关闭，只有少数积极的测试。

伊丽莎白·埃什巴赫（Elizabeth Eshbach）指出：“我们让每个人都参与了这项工作，”助理项目经理伊丽莎白·埃什巴赫（Elizabeth Eshbach）于2016年加入Hourigan。除了例行措施外，项目团队还举行了每月安全的Safety Slogan Slogan竞赛，以鼓励戴面膜。

Eshbach’s favorite contest entry: “Mask It or Casket.”

“Super relationship-oriented”

凯悦酒店是一个150,000平方英尺的，后张贴后的现场结构，位于弗吉尼亚海滩海滨，位于相邻建筑物之间的紧密地点。
照片由hourigan提供

Building trust and fulfilling commitments to clients, partners and employees have been fundamental to the firm’s culture since Hourigan formed the company in 1994, following stints with Westinghouse and another Virginia construction company. The result is a wide-ranging portfolio of clients and projects, ranging from the commonwealth’s leading corporations and universities to nonprofits and developers of residential and commercial properties.

“Hourigan is super relationship-oriented, and it all starts with Mark,” observes Bill Chilton, a partner with New Haven, Conn., architecture firm Pickard Chilton. The firm teamed with Hourigan on 600 Canal Place, Dominion Energy’s new 20-story downtown Richmond headquarters, completed in 2019. Chilton adds, “He knows the complexities of the business and how to work effectively with everyone of every background, from a new tradesperson to a corporate CEO.”

奇尔顿还赞扬该公司通过不同的建筑相关镜头观看项目的能力，包括价值工程的机会，以降低成本并与所有18luck官网者和合作伙伴有效沟通。18luck.cub这些是他发现对设计建造的细微差别特别有用的属性，这是他几乎没有个人经验的项目交付方法。

“The big thing in design-build is trust, and we were fortunate to have their experience,” he says.

Hourigan说，他的公司分享其专业知识的意愿来自其从事新项目的长期传统。18luck官网Hourigan说：“它越复杂，具有挑战性或快速轨道，越好。”“我们深入研究这些项目，因为我们有喜欢挑18luck官网战的聪明，勤奋的人。”

这些品质对于该公司在里士满的弗吉尼亚联邦大学的工作很重要。该大学的当前项目18luck官网包括100万平方英尺的VCU健康成人门诊亭，该馆将不同的医疗保健服务合并到更容易获得的位置，以及一个五层楼的100,000平方英尺的FT STEM设施，旨在帮助促进协作协作在各种科学和技术学科中。

“These are very large projects that have a lot of complex user-specific considerations,” says VCU President Michael Rao. He adds that Hourigan “is very committed to making sure these facilities fulfill the intended needs. We’re grateful that they’re good listeners and willing to help achieve our goals.”

Hourigan合作与Clayco Demolit控制ion Inc. to implode the 1970s-era 21-story tower that had previously served as Dominion Resources’ headquarters.
照片由hourigan提供

Trend-tracking

Long attuned to helping clients meet LEED requirements, Hourigan says the firm was “fast-forwarded” into the cutting-edge aspects of sustainable construction in 2015 by building the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s 10,000-sq-ft Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach, which has since earned Living Building Challenge certification.

Hourigan’s next sustainability frontier is mass timber construction, specifically Apex Clean Energy’s new 300,000-sq-ft headquarters in Charlottesville. The building incorporates structural wood harvested from fast-growth timber and powered by self-generated solar energy. It will be Virginia’s first and tallest large-scale, cross-laminated timber structure when completed later this year.

Hourigan sees a promising future for cross-laminated timber construction, judging from the number of questions he has fielded about potential applications involving a variety of project types. “Project owners believe the sustainability initiative will resonate with end users, whoever they may be,” he says.

与大多数其他承包商一样，人才招募和保留永远不会远离Hourigan的想法。他说，他公司未来的关键取决于维持吸引行业退伍军人和新移民的文化和工作环境。该公司在2020年期间雇用65名新员工的员工退休率已经达到94％。

In addition, Hourigan serves as board chair for the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech. He also chairs the advisory board for the school’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies. Hourigan is pleased that Virginia Tech and other universities have sought industry input to help shape their curricula and identify needs to be stressed in the classroom.

他说：“学生们拥有出色的职业道德，在我们使用的相同软件系统中的经验，最新的最佳教育工作者可以为他们提供如何看待事物和做不同的事情。”“这个年龄段的能量水平如此明显。”

该公司还确保其新员工有机会探索行业的所有方面，因为他们在职业生涯中迅速发展。埃什巴赫（Eshbach）是利哈伊大学（Lehigh University）的工业和系统工程毕业生，不确定在招募Hourigan之前的建筑事业。

“They emphasize professional development, not just getting the job done,” she says, adding that having a dedicated mentor played a critical part in easing her transition from student to construction professional.

Eshbach说，与“美元和美分计算”的学术强调不同，Hourigan强调“网络和其他“柔和技能”，这些技能在建立关系中非常重要。”

Hourigan说，学习双向进行。他解释说：“我们从学生那里学到的知识以及他们从我们那里学到了什么。”“这就是您保持一个充满活力的组织的方式 - 对客户最有价值的事物的连续学习，同时也可以帮助员工继续发展职业。”

Hourigan预计,会有许多这样的穆图al learning opportunities in coming years based on Virginia’s favorable business environment, proximity to federal government agencies and expanding road, rail and port infrastructure networks. The company is poised for growth thanks to its presence in health care, office and other key sectors, he says, while also recognizing the value of diversity.

“We’ll stay nimble in geographic expansion, new market sectors, how we utilize talent and answering the bell for the clients and the needs that they have,” Hourigan says. “It has to be at the forefront of our minds in everything we do.”