Haselden Construction broke ground in December on a $280 million renovation and addition to UCHealth’s Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado. Designed by S/L/A/M Collaborative, it includes a five-story tower, a cancer center, an expanded emergency department, and additional cardiac and imaging spaces. When complete, the project will increase hospital bed capacity to 287 from 191 with room to grow to 323 beds. UCHealth says it plans to hire more than 250 employees before the expansion opens in 2026.
Photo courtesy AGC of Utah
Members of the Utah chapter of the Associated General Contractors gathered in Salt Lake City for the group’s 102nd annual convention. Scott Parson, CEO of Staker Parson Materials and Construction and president of the 2023 chapter (pictured), was succeeded by Slade Opheikens, president of R&O Construction, as president for 2024.
Joey Gilbert, chapter president and CEO, said Utah AGC recently centralized its workforce development efforts under Annee Farmer, its newly hired specialist. “We will have an information center for members and continue our outreach to schools,” he said. “We want to make sure we find students who have an interest or aptitude for construction and provide them with a pathway into the industry.”
Gilbert added that members are optimistic about the near future of Utah’s construction industry, especially along the Wasatch Front. Major projects recently announced include the development of a minor league baseball park and surrounding entertainment district in South Jordan; the $11 billion expansion of a Texas Instruments manufacturing facility in Lehi; expansions and remodeling of major tourist centers around Park City; and the redevelopment of the former state prison at Point of the Mountain in Draper into a new multi-phase community known as The Point.
