The number of general contracting companies operating in the Utah, Idaho and Montana Intermountain area for more than 100 years can be counted with one hand, without using all fingers.
Okland Construction, based in Salt Lake City, was founded in 1918 when Norwegian immigrant John Okland, carpenter and ship builder, launched his own general hiring business. He was later joined by his son Jack in 1945. After a short football tune for the New York Giants and winning a civil engineering degree at Utah University, Jack helped the contractor to adopt larger and complex projects.
Today, Okland Construction has expanded its reach throughout the country. In the Interountain States, he has built milestones such as the Adobe Corporate Campus in Lehi, Utah, the Orrin Hatch Us court and 111 Tower Office South Main in Salt Lake City and the LDS temple in Idaho Falls.
Current projects include new semiconductor manufacturing plants for Texas in Lehi and Micron instruments in Boise. The company also works on an important renovation and expansion of the Delta Center sand in Salt Lake City to host the new professional hockey franchise in the city.
In addition to its South Salt Lake City headquarters, Okland maintains offices in Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Hawaii and Idaho. The contractor recorded income of $ 1.76 billion by 2024, disembarking it in fourth place on the list of most important contractors this year for the Seven States region.
The current president, Brett Okland, is the fourth generation of the family that fits the company. He sat down to share how the family property business approaches growth. The following is a edited and condensed transcription of the Q&A.
Okland projects with a glance
Utah Eccles University Health Campus and Eccles Hospital West Valley City
The first hospital outside the Utah University’s healthcare system campus, this installation of $ 855 million, 800,000 square meters is scheduled for completion by 2028.
Student Home of Utah University
As part of a public-private association between the communities of the US Campus and the University of Utah, Okland is constructing a student development of $ 155 million students of $ 155 million on the Utah University campus.
Building William Stewart and LS Skaggs Applied Science Building
This recent has completed the renewal and expansion project of $ 275 million, 275,000 square meters on the Utah University campus, completing the Crocker Sciences Complex for Research and Education.
Canyon County Xerif office
An installation of $ 27.6 million, 82,866 square meters in Caldwell, Idaho, will consolidate the operations of the Xerife department in the quick growth county. It is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2026.
Many of your competitors have made the acquisition or mergers part of their growth strategy. What is Okland’s plan?
We decided a few years ago that our focus would be to build our basic markets and basic competencies and to refine -really. These basic markets have been higher education, health care, advanced manufacturing and sports and entertainment. These are things that require a certain level of expertise and we want to be seen as someone who brings experience to a project.
We are also investing in some things like Mission Critical that are hot right now, but these basic markets have been strong for us for some time. We have continued to grow by keeping -focused on what we are well. We invest a lot in forming our people, so anyone who has an interface with us, we want them to have a remarkable experience.
Okland has recently completed the Baltic Point Office building, the first mass wood building in Utah. Are there any other types or emerging construction technologies with what do you work with?
“We decided a few years ago that our approach would be to build our basic markets and basic competences and perfect them.”
—Brett Okland, President, Okland Construction
We hope to make more massive wood. Mass wood has been good and we learned a lot with this project. There are many different structural innovations. Right now we are doing some things with the infinity system. It is a prefabricated and loaded steel study panel that can be used instead of wood frame. The wood is approaching the economy, but the quality and the quality control is much higher. You climb them and have a concrete nucleus, and you can fly to the covers just above. We see it as a good application for multifamily health and health, hotels, things like that. We now use it in projects in Utah, Arizona and Idaho. We are pleased to contribute some alternatives to the table that are profitable and that can move the calendar. We are always pressing innovation. We have begun to use some robots that will mark the disposition in a flat. It transmits all your data and will go around and will mark where the metal shoulders go, where all the openings must be. It is really high and accurate.
What trends do you see in terms of delivery methods?
We are still seeing mainly CM/GC with a certain growth of design creation. The Utah University Hospital project that we have just started is design and we have been looking for more IPD work (delivery of integrated projects). It is more common in Arizona, but it begins to make raids in Utah and Idaho. The owner, architect, contractor and important trades meet to work through pre -construction and even sign the same agreements. We are all working with a certain amount of risk and reward. It is a very consolidated effort and you all work hard together. It is not so formalized in Utah yet and we try to take many components and use them to provide better value to our customers.
In your opinion, which market sectors will be strong in this short -term region?
Right now we are quite bullies on the market. We think that technology and advanced technologies and manufacture will continue to grow [although those sectors] At some point it will slow down.
Higher education slowed down a bit during Covid, but it picks up again and seems to grow again. In the states we work in, health care will be great in the next five years. We see it in Boise. Health care seems to have impetus and many things ready for the shovel.
With data centers, the challenge is power. There is no proper power in our region, so data centers are looking for alternative feeding solutions such as renewables and natural gas. I think it will drive some innovation.
