CHICAGO—Everyone who has been involved in a construction project knows how difficult it can be to get developers, subcontractors, suppliers and designers on the same page. But Skender, a construction firm with offices in Chicago and San Francisco, has decided to break with the past and transform itself into a vertically integrated company including construction, design and building component manufacturing functions.
The expansion includes the launch of a new Chicago-based advanced manufacturing subsidiary and the acquisition of the boutique design firm Ingenious Architecture. The company also recruited two industry leaders: architect Tim Swanson, and construction technologist Kevin Bredeson.
“This is a fragmented industry with a complex supply chain,” Mark Skender, the company's chief executive officer, tells GlobeSt.com. “As much as everyone tries to collaborate, what we have found is that in the construction business there is a lot of pain in the process.”
But by keeping the activities under one umbrella, Skender hopes his company can show that designers, builders and manufacturers don't have to operate in silos. “We've done a lot of research, and from the US perspective, this is on the cutting edge.”
“There is not a single person in construction who says we do it perfectly,” Swanson adds. “This conversation and dialogue has been going on for generations. The entire industry lags behind others when it comes to collaboration.”
Skender officials are currently looking for an existing building on Chicago's Southwest Side between 80,000 and 100,000 square feet where union labor will build modular building components. They are also searching for a chief executive officer to run the manufacturing subsidiary. Relocating some or most of the onsite construction process to the manufacturing facility will created a standardized assembly line process for higher-quality building components and eliminate weather-related delays during much of the construction process.
Skender and Ingenious Architecture have already collaborated on projects. What will make this new partnership work, Mark Skender says, is that Ingenious' 10 architects and designers “push the envelope when it comes to technology.”
The new team will work under Swanson's leadership to offer integrated services such as design-build, design-assist and design-for-manufacturing to new and existing healthcare, hospitality and multifamily clients.
Swanson says all too often the design process is “a disjointed and broken approach.” Furthermore, many people involved don't fully utilize all the recent technological advances. For example, 3D technology has become prevalent in many industries, but when it comes to construction, “our output has been stacks of paper.”
Bredeson will fill the new role of chief technology officer. His past technology experience includes tenures at Suffolk Construction, Pepper Construction and Gilbane Building Co. Swanson joins Skender from CannonDesign, where he led the Chicago office and the firm's national city design practice. He will lead Skender's new integrated design team.
“Fragmentation has crippled our industry far too long,” Mark Skender says. “We can now fully realize the potential of vertical integration to significantly reduce risk, delays and waste while maximizing value, quality and positive experiences for our clients. That's what other industries have done, and it's what we plan to do.”
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
