Synergy Construction

Specialty: Multifamily, retirement and special-needs housing

Management: Larry Stewart, president; Pamela Stewart, CEO

Founded: 1990

Headquarters: Woodinville

2008 revenues: $50 million

Projected 2009 revenues: $50 million

Current projects: Springwood Apartments in Kent; Greenbridge CV1CV4 Housing in Seattle; Memorial Plaza in Bremerton; Grandview Townhomes in Tacoma; Tall Firs Cottages in Kent; Cascade Senior Housing in Seattle

Photo courtesy of Synergy Construction Synergy Construction is about 80 percent finished with the 50-unit Cascade Senior Housing project near South Lake Union in Seattle. The owner is the Low Income Housing Institute.

Synergy Construction is just entering its 20th year of operation. In all that time, Pamela Stewart, Synergy's CEO, said she's seen ups and downs but has never seen anything like the current economy.

Stewart said the economy has benefited her company by providing "a very good quality workforce."

"When we go to hire somebody, the brightest and best come walking through the door," she said. "Where before, we were so busy there were not very many quality employees available to hire. Now there are."

Green senior housing

One of Synergy's specialties is retirement and special-needs housing. Stewart is especially excited about the Cascade Senior Housing project for the Low Income Housing Institute near South Lake Union. The 50-unit building is about 80 percent complete.

What's great about it, Stewart says, is how its location near public transit and many Seattle amenities will allow seniors to continue leading an active lifestyle. "This is very expensive property," she said. "LIHI was lucky to get this location before all of the good building sites got taken up by the condo boom."

Stewart says she is hopeful that the new federal administration is going to be more supportive of the affordable housing industry. She says there is going to be a greater need for it in the future.

"As the baby boomers age, we're going to need more and more of this type of housing and what makes this one so good is it's for the active senior because you're still close to all the amenities Seattle has to offer."

The Cascade building also has a green roof. Stewart says her company made a commitment to green three years ago and is working to get all of its project managers LEED AP certified. Synergy routinely recycles between 80 and 100 percent of construction waste, and worked on one of the first LEED gold multifamily projects in the state.

Stewart said the green focus has required a lot of education, both for her staff and clients. For staff, they need to understand different and new ways of doing things. For clients, she has to explain that green building can be done without added cost.

"It is kind of tough to change some of the owners' minds but then when you explain the cost ramifications -- that there isn't the negative aspect -- then they say 'Oh well, why not?'" Even with the state of the economy, Stewart thinks green building is here to stay for good.

"Construction should not be viewed as a negative on our environment," she said.