LOS ANGELES—Allen Construction has launched a new commercial division to take advantage of the growing commercial market. The construction company is a seasoned residential builder, and has executed several commercial projects, especially those that are green or LEED certified, although it hadn't had a dedicated commercial division.

“Over the years, Allen Construction has built commercial projects as a part of our portfolio, however it was rare and typically projects with a strong green  component,” Karen Feeney, community relations manager, tells GlobeSt.com. “With the launch of our new division, Allen is making a significant commitment to the commercial building market. A couple of key factors have contributed to this action. First, a couple of big players in the Santa Barbara market closed their doors. This allowed us to pick up some people with strong track records and significant experience in commercial construction. Second, our move is also strategic. It allows us to diversify what we have to offer clients and will make our company stronger over the long term.”

Allen Construction's current commercial portfolio includes Toad & Co.'s historic office space in Downtown Santa Barbara, the University of California at Santa Barbara's Tipton Meeting House in the Santa Ynez Valley, which is LEED-Platinum certified, and Alma Rosa's wine tasting room in the Santa Ynez Valley. The new commercial division will handle all of these types of projects and more—everything from office conversions to retail, hospitality, medical, mixed-use, multifamily and LEED projects, which Feeney says the company has a successful track record of completing.

It isn't surprising that Allen Construction is putting a stake in commercial space. Commercial development throughout Southern California is booming, with a broad range of development projects popping up every day. Downtown Los Angeles, for example, has 100 development projects in the pipeline.