From an economic standpoint, 2009 was a very tough year, especially for the construction industry. Problems in the financial market limited the amount of money available to fund capital projects; much of the construction work available revolved around renovations of existing facilities and smaller building projects. Still, some companies, such as Suffolk Construction Company, Inc., managed to make the most of this very slow market.
“In 2009, we saw commercial and private work grind to a halt because of what was going on in the commercial and financial markets,” explained Tim Sterling, vice president, Health Care, Southeast Region. “Projects were simply unable to get funded. Health care funding for large projects also took a downturn with the economy; we saw far less capital projects in both the for-profit and nonprofit realm.”
Despite this, the privately held company, which posted $1.5 billion in annual revenue, worked on a number of sizable projects, including two high schools in Miami-Dade County with a combined value of over $140 million and two hotels for the Marriott chain valued at over $60 million. They are currently working on the $300 million Metropolitan 2 project, which includes office space and a hotel.
Suffolk Constructions Education Group posted $122 million in revenues out of Florida, and the company recently completed work on the Office Depot Center for Executive Development at Florida Atlantic University. They are currently working on the School of International and Public Affairs Building at Florida International University.
“We have a number of active health care projects underway, including four ongoing projects at Jupiter Medical Center, an imaging suite for Memorial Health System, and a cath lab for Aventura Hospital and Medical Center,” said Sterling. The company is also working on a surgery suite in Pembroke Pines. Outside Florida, Suffolk has worked on some very sizable health care projects, including work at Boston Medical Center, Brigham & Womens Hospital, and Childrens Hospital in Boston and Yale-New Haven Hospital. “While most of the health care projects out there are renovation projects, some new facilities are being built to house newer technologies, such as cyberknife and surgical robotic suites,” said Sterling, who expects that 2010 will continue to reflect the last two quarters of 2009, resulting in a relatively stable, yet very slow market.
Suffolk Construction, which got its start in 1982 in Boston, has expanded its reach to include three offices in Florida, in West Palm Beach, Miami and Sarasota. The company also has offices in Boston, Washington, D.C. and Irvine, CA. Suffolk specializes in building construction for commercial, private, public, higher education, health care and biomedical clients.
The company has earned a reputation for its expertise in LEED construction, and is in fact the leading contractor in green buildings relative to its number of trained associates. “Of our 200 associates in Florida, 65 are LEED accredited professionals, and many are Green Advantage certified,” said Sterling.
One LEED Silver project, the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, a $40 million life sciences facility that the company built in Port St. Lucie, won Best in Health Care in 2008. An extensive renovation of Suffolks corporate office in West Palm Beach earned LEED Silver status, and the Metropolitan 2 office building is expected to receive LEED Silver status once complete.
“The green building movement is absolutely growing,” said Sterling. “The whole idea of sustainability and of building responsibly is here to stay, and Suffolk is taking the lead in sustainability as an organization in pursuing such projects and in certifying our buildings. We look at everything from the selection of building materials to how they will be utilized.”
Suffolk works with clients to find ways to build sustainable facilities that can reduce long-term operating costs. “We take a partnering approach to every project, across every market,” said Sterling. “We view ourselves as partners in the building process, and feel that we have a stake in the game. Doing things correctly is always in the best interest of the project.
“I believe that our core values set us apart from other companieswe bring passion, integrity, hard work and professionalism to everything we do,” he continued. “These core values are very transparent in our working with clients who benefit because these core values also result in financial gains.”
