“Over the past four years, we have seen an increased influx of people coming here from the coast, from Seattle, from Portland, from California, from pretty much everywhere,” he says. “People want to live here and work here and play here.”

The company has seen steady work in several markets over the last several years including health care, entertainment and hospitality. The new division will look to target other promising areas.

“We are seeking to be market leaders in vertical construction,” he explains. 

One promising area is mass timber. “We’ve been on the road show, bringing mass timber options to developers and owners,” Shakespeare says. It’s a natural fit for the firm given Swinerton’s close ties to mass timber company Timberlab as well as the growing acceptance of the material throughout the region, he says.