Skanska
Specialty: General contracting, construction management and design-build services in the commercial office, health care, science and technology market sectors
Washington Division management: Bob Babitsky, president; Curt Kraft, senior vice president; Scott Lee, vice president; Kyle Roquet, vice president; Tony Stewart, vice president; and Curt Burks, vice president
Year founded: 1946
Local office: Seattle
2003 revenues: Just under $300 million
Projected 2004 revenues: About $325 million
Largest current projects: Amgen’s Helix project in Seattle and Lincoln Square in Bellevue
Photos courtesy of Skanska Skanska finished most of the $425 million Amgen Helix project in December. A few tenant improvements are being wrapped up within the complex.
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Like other Puget Sound contractors, Skanska is “seeing some progressive life come back” into the marketplace, said Tony Stewart, a vice president with the firm.
“Some major projects that take two to three years in the planning and permitting pipeline are showing some activity as developers are anticipating the next business cycle and keying up their projects. We’re encouraged by that. We’ve got a pretty good backlog now,” he said.
Much of the firm’s efforts have been focused on taking care of its relationship with existing clients, he said, and being selective about taking on new ones. “We’re not necessarily chasing projects, we’re chasing clients.”
Hot construction sectors for Skanska’s Washington Division this year include mixed-use commercial and residential projects, as well as health care and biotech.
Photos courtesy of Skanska Skanska is renovating Stadium High School in Tacoma.
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“Fewer contractors are prepared to get into mixed-use ventures because of liability insurance issues today with (condo-type) residential development but that’s an area we work well in,” Stewart said.
First among the firm’s biotech projects is the $425 million Amgen Helix project on Seattle’s waterfront, finished at the end of 2003, except for a few remodeling projects within the complex that are being completed.
That project contributed a big part of Skanska’s $300 million revenue flow in 2003. This year, Stewart expects the firm to grow revenues into the $325 million range.
“We definitely see more growth this year than we had in 2003. We’ve been working really hard the last couple of years on growing our presence in northern California, where we’re now building a hospital in Modesto and another one in Castro Valley,” he said.
Major local projects include helping developer Kemper Freeman Jr. finish the long-stalled Lincoln Square development in downtown Bellevue.
Elsewhere, the firm is involved in a $60 million project to provide seismic upgrades to the King County Courthouse and the construction of a $17 million performing arts center at Skagit Community College in Mount Vernon.
One of the most significant Puget Sound projects for Skanska is construction work on Vulcan’s 50-acre South Lake Union development, a project that involves commercial, residential and retail segments as well as creating a major biotech and biomedical campus for research facilities.
With so many opportunities, however, there are also problems, such as finding enough talented workers. “That’s one of our big challenges,” Stewart said. “As we continue to grow our business, the key ingredient is going to be finding more talent.”
The Washington Division of Skanska has about 185 salaried staff and employs up to 600 hourly craft workers. Stewart said if projects and revenues continue increasing in 2004, the firm will need to add more staff.
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