President: Roger Anderson
Specialty: Full service general contractor, specializing in office, medical and retail construction
Year founded: 1967
1999 revenues: $143 million
Projected 2000 revenues: $160 million
Largest current project: Overlake Medical Center expansion

GLY Construction president Roger Anderson said his company has found its niche: customizing business to clients’ needs.

"Our principal focus is on clients, and we build the basis of our business around a group of very desirable clients," he said. "We’re client-centered - that will not change."

One such client, Overlake Medical Center, presented GLY with the challenge of a 212,000-square-foot office tower project including an 800-car parking garage.

"The most unique and challenging aspect of Overlake is that the location of the project has required consistent relocation of hospital emergency vehicle access," he said.

Anderson said an accelerated schedule for design and construction of the $53 million project was another major challenge. Overlake, he said, made a "commitment to its doctors to have this space online by this year."

GLY expects to have it finished in August.

While growth has been good for the company, Anderson said GLY is limited in its growth rate by a lack of what he calls "toolboxes."

"I don’t see any relief in the shortage of human resources at all levels," he said. "The cost of living makes it difficult to attract relocations to this area. Less and less of our industry professionals are willing to move. Nationally, almost every area of our country is experiencing significant growth in new construction, so there’s no reason for a California tradesperson to move here."

With the cost of housing high, Anderson said workers will not be willing to live in Marysville, for example, and commute to a job site in downtown.

Looking ahead, he sees the company continuing its focus on office buildings, medical facilities and retail.

"We’re not anticipating any new product diversity efforts in the near term because the demand for what we build is absorbing all our capacity. We’re not going to move into public works, highway bridge projects or marine or transportation-based projects. Building office space, high tech, medical and retail is clearly where we are focused."