Tricorp Hearn Stays Active in Tough Economy
Despite a difficult economy, Sacramento-based general contractor Tricorp Hearn Construction is seeing success in the hospitality sector with four large hotel projects under construction around the state.
“The economy has been great for us and we are extremely busy,” says Steve Hunter, president of Tricorp. “We found a couple of markets that are moving forward, hospitality and multi-family, and that’s what we are capitalizing on.”
Hunter, who founded the company 10 years ago with Ken Cohen and Tony Moayed, says the trio’s decades of experience in the hospitality market has paid dividends in these slow times.
“We have made a lot of good contacts with owners, clients and brands such as the Hyatt’s, the Hiltons and the Marriott’s; they all know us pretty well and so whenever a new developer comes in and looks at one of those brands, they will typically ask ‘what contractor would you suggest’ and we are one of three or four that the brands recommend,” says Hunter.
The four hotel projects Tricorp is now working on have total contract values of more than $40 million and are located in the cities of Anaheim, Salinas, Union City, and San Diego.
The Anaheim hotel, developed by DKN Hotels, is a 120-room Springhill Suites by Marriott, which sits on a 2.5-acre site next to Disneyland. Covering 80,000 sq-ft, the four-story project was designed by Tempe, AZ-based PK Architects and includes demolition of an existing restaurant and site, and is on a tight, 330-day schedule.
“Tricorp Hearn brings a number of benefits to this client,” says Project Manager Dan Scales. “We are using a structural metal stud system in place of the typical shear load transfer system, which provides a better built structure and a safer construction environment. This system is being manufactured in a plant approximately 20 minutes away and will be delivered and lifted into place, reducing the construction and assembly time by an estimated 5 weeks.”
In Salinas, about 320 miles north of Anaheim, Tricorp is building a 105-room, 80,880 sq-ft Hampton Inn & Suites, with four wood framed stories over concrete podium and subterranean parking. Amenities include meeting rooms, breakfast area, business center, fitness center, pantry and food preparation area.
Designed by San Francisco-based RYS Architects, the project also has an indoor pool with green roof, providing an eco-friendly view to guest rooms overlooking this side of the hotel. Cadius Partners Limited is the owner.
Located near Cannery Row in Monterey, the Salinas project is being built over an old California Water Reclamation yard and aqueduct, with lots of buried garbage and other materials that must be removed. Because of this, Project Executive Mike Thomas says the foundation requires deep over- excavation and soil amendments.
