In late April 2021, Conco Companies poured a mat foundation for the 1000 Virginia project, a 45-story mixed use tower. This tower was developed by NASH – Holland Boren & Virginia Investors and is using Conco’s concrete services for pumping, formwork, reinforcement, among others.
This project’s challenges include its location in a tight, downtown area adjacent to a school. Conco is no stranger to navigating difficult construction sites, and has often been selected for our experience in getting our teams inside to do the job. We won this project after making a competitive bid and project schedule that is proven possible by our past projects across the Western U.S.
When completed, 1000 Virginia will include 454 residential units and 1,000 sf of retail space. It will also include 6 levels of underground and 3 levels of aboveground parking to accommodate 242 vehicles and 397 bicycles. Conco is on track to complete our portion of the job in October 2022, making this our 4th 40+ story tower with Holland Construction, Inc. and 6th 40+ story tower to grace Seattle’s skyline.
Conco is one of the foremost suppliers of concrete services for the Western U.S. We started in 1959 in the San Francisco Bay Area by offering clients the best value on a broad range of concrete services and products. Conco is now the leading commercial concrete contractor in the region. We have regional offices serving California, Oregon, and Washington.
Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has required us to mask up, stay 6’ apart from others, limit in-person interactions, and make adjustments to our daily lives and schedules to limit the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, the virus has gone on to claim more American lives than U.S. soldiers killed in World War II. Many of us personally know of someone who either died from COVID or at the very least, became ill from exposure.
The pandemic has taken lives, livelihoods, and upended our communities.
Many people working in the service economy (restaurants, travel, hotels, etc.) have lost their jobs and watched their savings evaporate, putting them in great financial hardship. Though construction is deemed an essential business, Conco was not immune to the effects of COVID. Projects were delayed, put on hold, or canceled, causing us to lay off good people until business returns to normal. We’ve had colleagues contract the virus, and we mourn with those who have lost loved ones.
After a year of struggles and heartache, a national vaccination program is underway.
Mass vaccination sites are popping up throughout the country, driving up the immunization rate. As of early April, just over 22% of the American population has been fully vaccinated. However, skepticism about the three available vaccines is among the highest in the construction industry. A recent poll finds that only 54% of construction workers plan to get the vaccination.
From all accounts, the vaccination program is working well.
The United States is currently vaccinating more than 3 million people a day. This has resulted in a significant drop in positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths associated with COVID. We’re not out of the woods, but from all indications we’re headed in the right direction. To protect those around us, including family, friends, co-workers and the general public, we need to remain vigilant and do our part. We can empower our fellow colleagues and workers to get vaccinated with the resources provided by the Roll Up Your Sleeves initiative.
The majority of Conco’s senior management has already rolled up their sleeves to take the vaccine.
The sooner COVID is put behind us, the sooner we can return to our normal life. We each have the right to make our own choices, and Conco understands that choosing to get vaccinated can be a deeply personal choice. We encourage our employees, suppliers, and clients to get the facts and make an informed decision.
We can all agree that 2020 was a year like no other. Our personal lives bled into our professional lives, with little distinction between the two. Even though construction was classified as an essential business, that didn’t mean Conco could continue “business as usual”. Far from it.
All businesses have a social responsibility to their workers, contractors, and the general public to operate as safely as possible.
For Conco, responsible operation means making work practices safer for our employees and contractors. Though 6’ social distancing sounds like a simple concept, it runs counter to an industry that is most successful when people work closely to accomplish a common goal. Conco isn’t one to back away from a challenge, and we quickly adapted with minimal disruption to construction schedules.
The pandemic wasn’t the only extreme circumstance Conco overcame in 2020.
The flurry of West Coast wildfires necessitated that work couldn’t be performed when the air quality reached unhealthy levels. Civil protests brought on by national events also required work to cease at times.
For Conco’s work to continue, we needed a plan—or in this case, several plans. We quickly adopted a COVID-19 Hazard Analysis plan along with Risk & PPE Assessments specific to placing concrete.
Part of Conco’s COVID-19 plan included:
Stepping up pre-task planning when maintaining 6’ social distancing becomes necessary.
Daily health screening with medical questionnaires and temperature checks.
Increased supervision to assist crews with work plans and monitor compliance.
Staggering work hours and breaking out crews into smaller groups.
On projects where feasible, implement access restrictions on the jobsite to control movement around a project.
Daily toolbox talks that stress the importance of staying home when not feeling well.
Tools sanitized at the end of each shift, and shared equipment sanitized before and after tasks.
Bathrooms serviced 2-3 times more frequently than in the past.
Daily housekeeping and cleanup.
In addition to our COVID-19 plan, we developed another action plan for when air quality is a concern.
When wildfires ravaged the West Coast, Conco made a significant investment in respiratory equipment and training for proper utilization. Even with new equipment and training, there were times when Conco decided it was best to suspend work duties for the time being.
In spite of the unanticipated challenges, we are proud of our dedicated employees and their ability to find ways to get the job done. As the pandemic continues to impact every aspect of our lives, we’ve adapted to deliver our concrete services on time.
Amidst the pandemic, Conco has topped out the following structures:
Esterra Park Block 3 – Redmond, WA. Contractor: JTM
8-story office building part of a 30-acre master planned community.
Topped out October, 2020
400 University – Seattle, WA. General Contractor: BN Builders
10-story office building in the heart of downtown Seattle.
Topped out November, 2020
24th & Harrison – Oakland, CA. Contractor: Holland Partner Group
20-story residential tower with retail/restaurant space.
Topped out November, 2020
2016 Telegraph – Oakland, CA. Contractor: Holland Partner Group
24-story residential tower.
Topped out January, 2021
The Grand – Los Angeles, CA. Developer: Related Companies
Twin tower (29-story and 46-story) development with a hotel tower, residential tower, and retail on a city block.
Topped out North tower: November, 2020 | South tower: February, 2021
8-story office building designed for research and development.
Topping out: March, 2021
Topping out a structure is the culmination of months of hard work by many different people.
The obstacles overcome during the pandemic have been challenging, but the resilience and dedication of the Conco family brought many projects to their successful conclusion.
Conco is one of the foremost suppliers of concrete services for the Western U.S. We started in 1959 in the Bay Area by offering clients the best value on a broad range of concrete services and products. Since then, we have taken a leading role as top concrete contractors in the region. We have regional offices serving Northern California, Southern California, Oregon, and Washington.
Every year, approximately 200,000 military men and women transition back to everyday life. For many of those who have sacrificed and served their country, returning to civilian life and finding employment can be challenging.
Military Veterans Have the Skills to Thrive
Although former military members might lack workplace experience, their service instilled them with the necessary skills for lifelong success: teamwork, discipline, and commitment. These skills are vital to the concrete industry workforce, which is powered by dedicated and cooperative people. Through practical hands-on experience and in-depth industry training, military veterans can build a rewarding career path in the concrete industry.
The Concrete Preservation Institute Offers Career Training & Job Placement
The U.S. Departments of Defense and Interior and industry companies across the country have partnered with the Concrete Preservation Institute (CPI) Foundation. CPI is a proven public/private partnership program that benefits the United States by combining the strengths and needs of three national concerns: our military veterans, our infrastructure, and our national parks. CPI offers career training and job placement to active-duty service members of all ranks and military branches who are nearing their military-to-civilian transition. The training is hands-on and with the assistance of CPI industry sponsors, showing military members what their post-service career could look like.
Conco Provides Military Members with Training and Knowledge
In one of CPI’s recent projects, active military members replaced the degrading and rutted pedestrian paths in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area with over 5,000 square feet of an exposed aggregate pathway. The Conco Companies assisted by providing experienced concrete finishers and a concrete pump and operator. Conco’s finishers worked alongside the service members, and supplemented their training with field know-how and product knowledge.
The Future of the CPI-Conco Partnership
The Conco Companies is proud of their ongoing contributions to support CPI and the military members relying on their services. This public/private partnership will continue to generate gainful employment to veterans, while also providing employees with the skillset necessary for workplace success.
The Conco Companies has reached the first milestone in the Lamp Lodge project, an 82-unit affordable housing community in downtown Los Angeles that will replace an existing Single-Room Occupancy building. Conco is providing concrete services including concrete pumping, formwork, shotcrete, place and finish, rebar, and excavation.
Lamp Lodge will be a 7-story building with a community room, laundry facility, second-floor courtyard, garden, and 16 parking spaces. Of the 82 units, one will be a manager’s apartment, and the rest will house homeless, special needs, and low-income residents. The 81 residential units will be priced for residents making only 30-35% of the area’s median income.
Lamp Lodge is designed by KFA Architecture and developed by Meta Housing Corporation, which specializes in affordable, mixed-income apartments and complexes, and public-funded projects that promote job opportunities to residents.
Conco was selected as the concrete services provider because the Lamp Lodge project requires fast-paced construction, and has a small footprint jobsite that requires precise logistics. The project utilizes over 2,500 cubic-yards of poured concrete for 22,000 square-feet of structural decks. Construction is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2022, and is one of several affordable housing projects Conco is proud to help build.
Conco is one of the foremost suppliers of concrete services for the Western U.S. We started in 1959 in the Bay Area by offering clients the best value on a broad range of concrete services and products. Since then, we have taken a leading role as top concrete contractors in the region. We have regional offices serving California, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, and Washington.
