The Right Tools for the Job
Construction marketing has changed dramatically and repeatedly in recent years.
Understandably, that has left many company leaders wondering if they should direct resources to email blasts, LinkedIn posts, podcasts, TikTok videos, drone shoots, AI productions or other products. And too often, their efforts produce limited or unknown results.
Some marketing thought leaders offered a little advice on how to tailor marketing efforts.
Be yourself, not a bot
In the era of computer-generated, mass-produced everything, genuine human expression still carries a premium.
AI can aid in marketing efforts. It can serve as a ‘second brain’ to pull together and organize source material for marketing, suggest language, produce graphics and offer other guidance.
“But too often, what Chat GPT produces is the most basic, boilerplate, textbook 101 summaries,” said Jennifer Dodson, Chief Marketing Officer at Adashmore Creative.
That language won’t provide companies with the distinctive, personalized communications to differentiate them from competitors who may be using the same AI tools.
“Outsourced or AI-generated social media doesn’t always pass the sniff test,” said Matt Culloty, Vice President of Growth and Partnerships at Duckpin + 7ten Digital Marketing. “It can come across as lazy or inauthentic.”
Bland social media posts, whether they are AI- or human-generated, don’t attract much reaction so algorithms won’t push future posts from the same source.
Similarly, boilerplate copy in contract bids can leave companies at a disadvantage.
If a contractor asks an AI agent to help assess bidders on a subcontract, “that agent is going to pull your RFP responses and ask, how are these [companies] different?” Dodson said. “If you are not differentiating yourself or telling the story of why you matter,” you may lose in that comparison.
Companies that create social media posts, RFP responses and other materials that have a distinctive voice and provide insights into their capabilities get better responses.
Get into the weeds
“Too many companies post the same surface-level content about their teams and projects,” Culloty said. “What cuts through the noise is getting into the weeds and the nuanced aspects of your projects.”
Marketing pieces that highlight a construction challenge and describe a company’s solution can generate far more interest in that company’s specific expertise than beauty shots of a completed project. They are also more frequently accessed by AI agents.
Culotty cited a subcontractor specializing in rubberized surfaces for playgrounds and parking lots that began offering downloadable safety and product information to architects. The resources created opportunities to connect with architects about upcoming projects and bid timelines.
Embrace traditions
A successful marketing strategy spans far beyond social media sites.
“You need to know your objective and how to connect with your audience rather than always defaulting to digital,” said Cara Bonadio, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Duckpin.
While preparing to host a high-end event, one client decided to create “really nice print invitations and mail them out the old-fashioned way,” Bonadio said. “I get much less paper than email so a physical invitation stands out, sets a tone. It says these people are movers and shakers in the industry so you want to be at this event.”
Attending industry events, participating on panels and doing personalized outreach to clients is still essential in the construction industry.
Plano-Coudon recently began creating client-specific, monthly newsletters that provide individual clients with updates on work completed, milestones reached and progress photos of their projects. That effort has been welcomed by churches, schools and other clients who then share the newsletter with their members, said Cliff Milstead, Vice President of Plano-Coudon.
Click here to read how contractors are turning project experiences into marketing opportunities.
Featured companies: Adashmore Creative, Duckpin + 7ten Digital Marketing, Plano-Coudon Construction
The Storytellers
In an era of slick drone videos, AI-generated graphics and the daily avalanche of online content, effective marketing for construction companies is swinging back to a more traditional activity: storytelling.
Telling the stories and showing the results of exquisite craftsmanship, ingenious engineering, mid-project problem solving, and excellent service to clients and communities is helping more contractors stand out in a oversaturated marketing environment.
To succeed, that storytelling has to thoughtfully leverage both digital technologies and traditional marketing tools, target specific audiences, and squarely align with business goals.
Highlighting Impact
“It’s easy to get bogged down doing the same thing everybody else is doing, like project announcements, groundbreakings, ribbon cuttings,” said Lauren Waters, Marketing Manager at Plano-Coudon Construction. “We’ve become more intentional about telling the stories behind our projects, highlighting our clients, project partners, and our team members, and showing how our projects impact the community.”
Long committed to making improvements in the community, Plano-Coudon has shown how the Harper-Tubman Residence Hall will ease a student housing crisis at Morgan State and how the Maree G. Farring Elementary School project has brought vital education and community resources to an underserved neighborhood.
On many projects, Plano-Coudon looks for ways to make a positive impact beyond the construction site.
“We’re currently building an addition to The Odyssey School, and we’ve found opportunities to engage with students and introduce them to the world of construction,” said Cliff Milstead, Vice President. “It’s a great way to connect our work to the community and give students a glimpse into the industry.”
Marketing at Plano-Coudon is closely connected to business development, the company’s strategic plan, and HR.
“The marketing team stays in constant communication with pre-con, operations, business development and HR, asking how marketing can support each department’s goals,” Waters said.
That coordination has helped build relationships with clients and partners, attract talent and expand Plano-Coudon’s presence in the D.C. market. It has also clarified what marketing efforts are worth the investment. Video, for example, can serve multiple purposes across marketing, HR, proposals and website content, allowing the company to get more mileage from a single resource.
Genuine, Personal Stories
Live Green Landscape Associates prides itself on being game to experiment with different modes of communication and produce marketing that isn’t “perfectly polished.” But increasingly, that approach has produced marketing that is genuine and personal.
“One of the biggest learning curves has been moving from simply creating content when something comes up to recognizing and sharing meaningful stories that are happening within the work,” said Taylor Sinclair, Commercial Administrator at Live Green. “We want to show the scale, craftsmanship, technical expertise and variety of projects that our team is capable of completing.”
The posts use specific project details and measurable data, such as the number of plantings installed, square footage of pavers or decking, and quantities of materials, to help audiences better understand the scope and complexity of the work.
Through photos and written content, “we try to show the people behind the work,” Sinclair added.
That focus makes the marketing personal and helps foster relationships with clients, vendors and partners.
To maintain an authentic voice, Live Green produces its marketing inhouse, often relying on field staff to take photos. It also tailors outreach to match the needs and habits of different client types. LinkedIn posts, for example, focus on commercial construction while Instagram posts highlight residential projects.
Compelling Case Studies
Telling behind-the-scenes stories of projects has also proven to be Cole Roofing’s best marketing effort.
“We’ve focused more on project case studies, customer success stories and sharing the expertise of our team members,” said Billy Cole, President of Cole Roofing and Gordian Energy. “We try to communicate specific expertise, lessons learned, project challenges we solved and insights that help our customers make better decisions.”
Cole points to a favorite marketing item which wasn’t a social media post but a case study of a historic project.
“Historic projects require a unique blend of craftsmanship, technical expertise and respect for preservation,” he said. “These projects tell a powerful story about who we are [and] how we approach problem solving and stewardship.”
Case studies may not get high numbers of likes or comments on social media sites, if they get posted at all.
But “we work hard to connect marketing activity to business outcomes instead of vanity metrics,” Cole said. “We try to market why clients trust us with difficult projects, challenging schedules, occupied facilities and critical infrastructure. The result has been stronger relationships with owners, architects, consultants and industry partners, along with a higher percentage of opportunities coming from referrals and repeat customers.”
Featured companies: Plano-Coudon Construction, Live Green Landscape Associates, Cole Roofing & Gordian Energy
Maryland’s FAMLI Brings New Costs, Challenges for Contractors
Maryland construction companies are facing a new expense that could affect everything from employee paychecks and labor rates to project bids and workforce availability.
For one Baltimore-area contractor, the anticipated cost could reach $100,000 annually. Ted Bowes, president of Excell Concrete, says the additional expense will force his company to raise labor rates and adjust its contract bids.
Beginning in January, the state’s new Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program will require payroll contributions to fund paid, job-protected leave for eligible employees. While the program will provide important financial protection for workers facing serious medical or family needs, it also presents new costs and staffing challenges for employers.
With a November 15 deadline approaching for companies considering private insurance plans, employers need to start making decisions now.
Under FAMLI, eligible employees will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave annually to care for themselves or a family member, receive up to $1,000 a week and return to their jobs when their leave ends. Employees who have worked at least 680 hours in Maryland during the qualifying period will be eligible for benefits.
Although payroll contributions from employers and employees begin in January 2027, benefits will not become available until January 2028. In the meantime, employers must identify eligible employees, evaluate insurance options, register with the state and prepare their payroll and benefits systems.
Choosing Insurance
Maryland employers can participate in the state-run FAMLI program or select an approved private insurance plan.
“The state plan is a simpler compliance path,” said Nicole Fender, Compliance Manager/Employee Benefits with RCM&D. “There is lower administrative burden, meaning the state is going to handle the eligibility, claims, appeals and benefit payments.”
However, employers will still have some compliance obligations, such as filing quarterly wage and hour reports to the state, and handling employee-facing notice requirements.
Before defaulting to the state plan, employers should consider getting quotes for private FAMLI insurance coverage spanning multiple years to evaluate potential cost savings, Fender said.
Some private insurers are containing the cost of FAMLI plans, in part, by building smaller reserves than the state plan.
“By using the same carrier that handles your other employee benefits, namely short-term disability (STD), you will have better integration of benefits and you may be able to negotiate some service guarantees, such as turnaround times on claims,” Fender said.
Bundling FAMLI and disability policies under one carrier could generate savings since some FAMLI claims will not become short-term disability claims, and potentially reduce disability insurance premiums.
Given the “war for talent in the construction industry, the employee experience dealing with this new program will be important,” said Lindsay Walker, Vice President of Alera Group, an insurance and financial services firm.
Walker noted that private insurers experienced with similar programs in other states may offer better service, particularly for shift workers and employees whose first language is not English.
Implementing FAMLI
For employers, integrating FAMLI into their financial and HR systems “is a big lift,” Walker said.
In addition to identifying eligible employees and adjusting payroll systems, employers will also need to assess how the new program impacts employee benefits and take-home pay, and make necessary adjustments.
Walker recommends beginning employee education in the fourth quarter of 2026. With construction workers spread across multiple jobsites, she suggests using a combination of manager briefings, multilingual information sheets, short videos and text messages to ensure employees understand the program.
Anticipating Costs
Bowes estimates the state FAMLI program would have cost the company and its employees $47,859 each, based on January 2026 payroll figures. A private insurance plan would cost slightly less.
“But our workforce has doubled since January,” Bowes said. “That means next year, I will have to pay an additional $100,000 in taxes for that plan.”
That company expense and the added deductions from workers’ pay would force Excell to raise its labor rates and its contract bids accordingly, he said.
While Bowes acknowledges the need to support workers dealing with serious medical issues, he said the program also presents employers with the challenge of how they will backfill for employees out on 12-weeks leave.
“This could be an HR nightmare,” he said.
Featured companies: RCM&D, Alera Group, Excell Concrete Construction
Jura, Inc.
In name alone, the Jura, Inc. project was simply another warehouse. In reality, it was an exacting mission to design and construct a building with modern Swiss aesthetics and classic Swiss precision.
The 10-acre, 93,000-square-foot facility would serve as a sales and service hub for Jura – a Swiss manufacturer of premium coffee and espresso machines. The building would need to include office space, a warehouse, repair facility, training center and a “hospitality center” – a showroom where customers can learn about and sample coffee from each machine, run diagnostics on their own machines and arrange repairs when needed.
It would also have to meet distinctive, Swiss design standards.
“It’s a really beautiful building. It’s definitely probably the nicest warehouse I have ever helped build,” said Joe Dashler, Project Manager at Wohlsen Construction. “It’s the Swiss aesthetic of really clean lines and everything has aligned symmetry.”
That precision is evident in the alignment of architectural details throughout the building, from the exterior panels and window mullions to the saw cuts in the sidewalk.
“A lot of thought went into every small detail,” Dashler said.
To achieve that look, the project used Alucobond panels, which presented challenges due to their long lead times and 21-foot lengths that exceeded the bending capabilities of most local fabricators.
The steel structure includes extensive glass, while Trusscore PVC panels on the interior walls create a clean, bright appearance, Dashler added.
Inside, the showroom, service area and warehouse were designed to blend seamlessly, with clean, straight lines creating visual continuity across the three distinct spaces.
Functionally, the building also had to achieve Swiss building, manufacturing and sustainability standards.
Striving to achieve net neutral energy status, the design included a large solar array and a geothermal system of 60 wells drilled 400 feet deep. The rooftop chiller would supply both hot and chilled water to specialty, radiant, ceiling panels inside.
To better understand the specialized radiant panels, the project team and mechanical contractor visited manufacturer Zehnder’s Buffalo facility. The building incorporates two types of panels: Zip panels and Carboline panels, which have a higher-end look and were used in office areas, Dashler said.
The American design and construction team meticulously studied the Swiss manufacturing and service equipment to determine its energy, heating and other needs, and also to ensure all the connections would work once the equipment was imported.
Differences between Swiss and U.S. equipment standards also presented challenges when designing connections for the imported machinery.
“We began working with the Swiss team early on and we sent prototypes back and forth to create a model of connection points,” Dashler said.
With Jura simultaneously building a similar facility in Germany, the American and German project teams worked closely to ensure both buildings met the company’s design and operational standards.
“There was thought put into every detail to create the nicest looking building possible,” Dashler said.
Featured companies: Wohlsen Construction
Photos courtesy of Nathan Cox Photography
BC&E welcomes four new members
CB Flooring is a commercial flooring contractor, providing floor and tile installation, floor plan design, and subfloor leveling for multi-family, office, retail, healthcare and school properties. https://www.cbflooring.com/
EBA Engineering Inc. is a multi-disciplinary engineering firm providing: structural, geotechnical and site/civil engineering; transportation and water systems engineering; BIM services; construction materials testing; and surveying. https://ebaengineering.com/
Heller Kowitz Insurance Advisors provides tailored commercial insurance, employee benefits, personal insurance, and life coverage solutions. https://www.hellerkowitz.com/
Founded in 1991, Baltimore-based Mahogany Inc. specializes in general contracting, healthcare facilities, architectural woodwork and commissioning services. https://www.mahoganyinc.com/
CAM Construction plans adaptive reuse of historic furniture store
After years of aborted plans to redevelop or raze the Shofer’s Furniture building, CAM Construction is preparing to begin a $20 million adaptive reuse of the Federal Hill property into a mixed-use residential and commercial complex.
Built in 1920 and vacated in 2021, the block-long, irregularly shaped building presented both challenges to and opportunities for a creative reinvention.
The wide-open former showroom and large storage space included few interior walls and created “flexibility to set new walls wherever we want them,” said Angelo Munafo, Vice President, Real Estate Development at CAM Construction. “But it’s not the most traditional shape of building. It has wings and appendages that jut out along one side and into the parking lot so it wasn’t entirely obvious how you would lay out the units. The design took a lot of creativity.”
A 1950s fire, which created a five-story hole in the building, and a 2003 addition produced a mix of construction types within the structure. Those renovations also meant the building’s restoration would have to respect styles of multiple eras.
The plan to create 50 apartments and 13,000 square feet of ground floor retail leverages the building’s unusual shape to create a variety of apartment layouts so that “everyone will feel like they have a custom unit,” Munafo said.
The design will restore many defining features of the building. It will preserve the historic storefront, restore the articulated and corbelled brickwork, re-paint the entire façade, and open up a row of large, arched windows that had been infilled. Many other single hung windows will also be installed within openings that have been bricked over for 60-plus years. The team hopes to re-create an operable bistro-style awning and marquee sign, according to historic photographs.
In the former showroom spaces, the project will reveal and restore tin ceilings, terrazzo and tongue and groove floors, “and these beautiful, fluted, cast iron columns, some of which were concealed behind drywall,” Munafo said.
Renovation of the former inventory storage spaces will expose historic brick walls, wood columns and “beautiful wood joist and deck to serve as the top floor’s ceilings,” he said.
Construction is expected to begin mid-2027 and take about a year to complete.
Images courtesy of UDG
Hard hats and white coats
From fully equipped operating and treatment rooms to research laboratories, high-tech classrooms and therapy suites with climbing walls and hopscotch grids, medical teaching facilities demand highly specialized spaces.
Teams must execute complex building plans, install sensitive medical equipment and meet high aesthetic standards — often while working inside aging, occupied buildings.
Not only do these projects require teams to execute complex building plans, install sensitive medical equipment and deliver high aesthetic standards, but they regularly must complete those tasks while working inside aging and occupied buildings.
Modernizing schools
In downtown Baltimore, Temp Air Company is part of the team transforming the first floor of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry into an Ambulatory Surgery Center and replacing old equipment throughout the 105,000-square-foot, 17-year-old building.
Construction of new operating suites, pre-op and recovery rooms, and support spaces involves installation of extensive medical gas lines and a new vacuum system, said Dan Szczygielski, Project Manager at Temp Air. Crews are also piggybacking a new oxygen system onto existing infrastructure, installing a new air handler plus several variable air volume boxes and a sophisticated controls package to manage heating and cooling in different zones.
Due to the complexity of the project, Temp Air, general contractor Quandel/J. Vinton Schafer and other subcontractors did extensive upfront work to identify and address construction challenges and have continued detailed field coordination throughout the project, Szczygielski said.
But the team still had to contend with a mid-project surprise.
“We thought we had all our ducks in a row for the installation of the [dentistry] booms” – the arms that swing over top of dental procedure tables and deliver medical gases, power and other essentials, Szczygielski said. “But when the steel guy came out, he said no, this has to move and that has to move.”
Those unexpected challenges are a common risk in medical education projects which increasingly are occurring inside existing buildings.
At Loyola University Maryland, crews are nearing completion of an 18,000-square-foot addition to the Donnelly Science Center. The project will create new classrooms and laboratories, including a new simulation lab, exam rooms and debrief rooms for the nursing program. It will also install new mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems throughout the 90,000-square-foot building from the 1970s.
Drawings of existing conditions in the building were limited and likely incomplete. The center has experienced multiple renovations and additions over the last six decades. So, the design engineering team did a complete laser scan of the building.
“The laser takes scans every eight to 10 feet and software integrates that information into a single model,” said Kyle Horst, PE with James Posey Associates. “You can then open up the model, walk around inside of it and see exactly where everything is.”
Early, detailed communication with the architectural team is also vital to creating workable design and engineering plans for such projects, Horst said.
“When you’re working with the architect, you have to go space by space and make sure you coordinate each piece of equipment with all the utilities it requires,” he said. “We actually create a utility matrix where we identify every piece of equipment going into that space and create a tag for each piece that has its power requirements and other utility requirements. That makes things a lot easier when we get to the construction phase.”
Uncommon requirements
Project teams also have to understand and create the highly varied — and sometimes uncommon — features that go into some medical teaching facilities.
At McDaniel College, Wagman Construction completed a 20,000-square-foot renovation of Merritt Hall earlier this year to create new facilities for the college’s speech language, pathology, occupational therapy and early childhood education programs.
The project included standard laboratories and classrooms, along with specialized spaces such as treatment rooms, a mobility classroom, gross motor lab, ADA apartment and “a Peds lab that had brackets for swings that hung from the ceiling, a climbing wall and a hopscotch area,” said Melvin Waites, Superintendent at Wagman. “It was a complex project because very different things went into each different room.”
At the College of Southern Maryland, James Posey Associates provided design engineering services for the new Health Sciences Building. The design and construction teams had to deliver an array of facilities — a medical simulation suite designed to resemble a hospital setting, an ambulance bay where ‘patients’ could be delivered to the college and ambulances cleaned afterwards, occupational and physical therapy suites, medical labs and a simulated pharmacy.
In East Baltimore, Windsor Electric is part of the team currently building the new 240,000-square-foot JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health. Designed for research and teaching across 10 academic departments, the building has complex requirements.
“This is the kind of job where BIM is required to map out almost every pipe,” said Michael Mason, Project Manager at Windsor Electric.
The BIM process alone took over a year to complete and, at its height, involved three meetings a week, Mason said.
In addition to the complex building systems, Windsor Electric is also responsible for an extensive, specialty lighting package for the interior and exterior, installing a substation and 10-foot-tall transformers, and bringing power to the new facility.
“JHU has its own campus power system so we had to bring new feeders to this site,” Mason said. “Obviously, we needed to do some outages that would affect multiple other buildings so we had to coordinate with a lot of existing facilities.”
Featured companies: James Posey Associates, Quandel/J. Vinton Schafer, Temp Air, Wagman, Inc., Windsor Electric
New efforts help contain equipment costs
Amid all the high construction costs, equipment costs likely aren’t the greatest cause of stress among contractors. But in a period of limited construction starts and tighter margins, they also can’t be ignored.
After a stretch of higher (sometimes dramatic) price escalation, the rental costs of excavators, cranes, lifts, skid steers, generators and other equipment have been relatively flat over the past year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, rental rates for industrial equipment rose just two percent in the year ending in June 2026.
Slow construction starts in 2025 prompted some subcontractors to absorb those added costs in order to win work, said Steven Phillips, Senior Vice President of Estimating + Preconstruction at DAVIS Construction. “But with more projects moving forward and some cost increases due to tariffs and the war, we’re seeing subs be a bit more selective this year and increasing their pricing.”
Price volatility, especially connected to fuel costs, is also prompting “more subs to say their proposal is good for 30 days or two weeks,” Phillips said.
In the face of those budget pressures, some construction companies are launching new efforts – and finding new opportunities – to contain equipment costs.
Streamlined sourcing
Early this year, Turner Construction Company established First Equipment Company (FEC) to provide centralized equipment rental and site services on Turner projects.
While large, centralized sourcing can generate price discounts from suppliers, “the opportunity and benefits are much bigger than just the equipment rental rate,” said Adam Siegmann, Northeast Equipment Operations Lead at FEC. “Historically, there has been a lot of waste in this space. A project might have a skid steer sitting onsite two weeks longer than needed, and you end up paying next month’s rent.”
By managing the life cycle of all equipment on projects, FEC can get pieces off rent in a more timely manner, Siegmann said.
The centralized service boosts efficiency by relieving project managers and superintendents from time-consuming responsibilities of sourcing equipment, he said. It can also reduce equipment downtime on sites and improve safety.
Siegmann points to a data center project in Pennsylvania which required more than 60 scissor lifts. Centralized sourcing ensured all lifts were identical and included a safety feature (a laser perimeter system) that Turner prefers.
“In the past, you would have seen a variety of makes and models of scissor lifts on site in different conditions and with different safety features,” he said. “You also would have dealt with the nightmare of different pieces of equipment going down at different times and not knowing who to call for repairs.”
Power plays
After several years of price spikes (up to 36 percent a year), generator costs have also flattened. But the current price point has left contractors with a challenge and an opportunity.
“If you have a large, multi-phase project that is lasting five years or longer, you are looking hard at how do you keep your costs down for temporary power,” said Laura Kelly, Business Development at Kelly Generator and Equipment.
One of Kelly’s clients, Hirsch Electric, recently faced that challenge on the buildout of a senior living community, she said. Kelly Generator was able to compare the cost of renting generators as needed versus buying a generator outright. They determined a purchase was the better financial option. That option was made more attractive by the healthy resale market.
“There are companies whose business model is to buy used, standby generators and resell them,” Kelly said. “When the time comes, we can talk to those resellers and help our clients get the best deal.”
High fuel costs have prompted some contractors to take additional initiatives this year.
“I have seen some larger companies stand up temporary power maintenance divisions,” Kelly said. “They go around to jobsites and do evaluations to make sure generators are properly maintained and are not running when they are not needed.”
At some locations, Turner and FEC have started using hybrid generators which charge battery banks as they run.
“It’s a perfect example of how we are realizing savings on both equipment and fuel costs, while also moving forward on sustainability,” Siegmann said.
Featured companies: DAVIS Construction, Hirsch Electric, Kelly Generator and Equipment, Turner Construction Company
Blackbird Biohub
Some projects deliver big transformations.
On Baltimore Peninsula, DEL Electric was part of a project team that transformed a vehicle maintenance garage into a 31,000-square-foot incubator for emerging biotech companies.
“This used to be a city maintenance building where they fixed dump trucks and trash trucks,” said Richard Plitt, Project Manager at DEL Electric.
Although the site presented crews with a large open space, it also posed industrial challenges.
The first was the concrete floor which was 16 inches thick and covered with a topping slab. DEL and the plumbing contractor would need to cut into the floor in multiple locations.
“It took a very big saw and a lot of time,” Plitt said.
The second was the 19-foot ceilings.
DEL and other members of the project team completed the transformation in a tight, eight-month schedule. Together, they built out multiple wet labs with a total of 90 research benches, over 70 open workstations, multiple collaborative office suites, a vivarium, a CLIA-ready diagnostics facility, a new mezzanine level and an outdoor pavilion.
DEL’s work included installing large quantities of time-consuming, three-section surface wiring raceway, including wiring for electrical, emergency power and data in all labs. The team installed a new fire alarm system and integrated it with the system in the previously renovated and occupied portion of the City Garage building. DEL installed custom lighting through the facility, including extensive, modern lighting controls.
Due to expanded operations in the building, DEL brought an additional 1,200 amp service to the site and crews replaced existing, rooftop air handlers and associated devices.
“The existing mechanical equipment wasn’t sufficient to keep the added space conditioned and to control humidity levels which was a big, important thing,” Plitt said. “They needed a lot of mechanical equipment, including steam generators, for humidity control.”
The project team also had to ensure that labs – which would be outfitted with autoclaves, vacuum pumps and other specialized equipment – had sufficient power plus full backup.
Crews also had to complete the renovation without impacting existing tenants who were also operating research labs. Noisy work was restricted to off hours and outages carefully coordinated with tenants. When crews couldn’t provide backup power during an outage, “we worked as fast as possible,” Plitt said.
The project delivered both a highly sophisticated research facility and a highly attractive one, he said. “It’s a really good looking building with very nice architectural features,” including high open ceilings, meticulously installed electrical and mechanical equipment, pendant lighting and custom millwork.
Featured companies: DEL Electric, Fidelity Mechanical Services
Presenting the 2027 Board Nominees…
Ballots for the 2027 BC&E Board and Executive Committee will be sent out electronically later this month and must be returned by October 19. The new board will be introduced at the Annual Meeting on December 2.
The 2027 Executive Committee remains the same and is comprised of the following members: Jeff Hossfeld of The Whiting-Turner Construction Company as President; Thomas Koch of Plano-Coudon Construction as Vice President; Marianne Crampton of MK Consulting Engineers as Treasurer, John Gregg of GWWO Architects as Secretary, and Jonathan Goetz of Oak Contracting as At Large Member. Ted Bowes of Excell Concrete Construction continues to serve as Immediate Past President.
R. Nelson Oster of HMS Insurance Associates and Mark Rich of Baltimore Fabrication will complete their terms on the Board of Directors at the end of 2026.
Two BC&E members have been nominated to join the Board — Bill Hahner of DPR Construction and Pete Loftus of CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP). To help you get to know them, we asked each nominee a few rapid-fire questions about professional best practices, favorite personal activities, nerdy obsessions and the superpowers they wish they had.
Bill Hahner
Preconstruction Executive
DPR Construction
~ The best piece of advice I have ever received is … “Listen to understand, not to respond.” It really helps to solve problems and discover what the real issues are.
~ My go-to way to recharge is … Getting outside and working on gardening/landscape projects. Being able to sweat while accomplishing something tangible is good for my soul.
~ My inner nerd gets really excited about … Understanding the cost metrics and components of different project types. I’m always looking into unit costs, productivity trends, escalation forecasts, and cost drivers across healthcare, life sciences, higher ed, commercial and advanced technology markets.
~ When it comes to sports, I am best known for … Playing O-line at Lehigh in college. I wasn’t the biggest or strongest but brought tenacity to the team and contributed to a league championship.
~ The last TV show I binge-watched was … Deadwood. It’s a Western set during the gold rush, but it’s also about seeing a community emerge from nothing. It reminds me of a construction project: bringing together different groups of people with sometimes competing interests to solve problems and bring order where it didn’t exist previously.
~ If I could join the cast of a reality TV show, I would join the cast of … “The Amazing Race.” It combines strategy, teamwork, problem-solving, and working under pressure. It combines all of the elements of a construction project but in amazing locations.
Pete Loftus
Principal, Professional Services
CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP)
Chair, BC&E Finance Committee
~ My secret talent, favorite hobby or best party trick is … Coaching my kids’ sports. I’m not sure it’s a talent, but I enjoy it and I’ve learned a lot about patience along the way.
~ The best piece of advice I have ever received is … Don’t take yourself too seriously. Work hard, do the right thing, and enjoy the ride.
~ My go-to way to recharge is … Spending time with my family, preferably outside and away from my phone.
~ My inner nerd gets really excited about … Figuring out how things work and finding a better, more efficient way to do them.
~ When it comes to sports, I am best known for … Driving my kids to tournaments in Pennsylvania/Delaware/Virginia…usually to play a team one town over.
~ If I could acquire one super power, I would choose … The ability to slow down time. There never seems to be enough hours in the day.