Elevated interest rates and rising construction costs have prompted some private developers to pause or reposition projects, but long-term community needs—particularly affordable and workforce housing—remain catalysts for regional construction activity. 

“We’re staying flexible and focused on fundamentals,” says Clutts, president, CEO and managing partner of Metcalf Builders, a 30-year-old Reno-based commercial contractor. The growth of electric-vehicle component manufacturing and data center investment around the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center—where the MIT Technology Review reports 13 million sq ft of data center space is under construction—is shaping future electric infrastructure planning.

There is also robust public investment in water and transportation projects that is lifting the AEC industry’s prospects.