A New Skyscraper in Tukwila May be Just the Start!

The city of Tukwila hopes a new skyscraper currently under construction will be the catalyst to new growth in South King County, so reports the local King 5 News.  The skyscraper is another high-rise The Conco Companies are providing concrete services for, and another “tallest” building project between Seattle and Tacoma.   The 19-story tower is also the first Class A high-rise to be built in South King County.   

Once complete, the mixed-use Washington Place tower will offer a 185-room hotel, 370 residential units and a four-story parking garage to accommodate 300 vehicles.  The expected cost of the project is $120 million.  The developer, Omar Lee explains how he put together the financing for the new skyscraper.  He explains that, "Instead of a conventional bank loan, we decided to finance 50% by EB-5, the rest on our own funding, and small loans, so that's something unique about this project.”  

The city of Tukwila is currently building a new bike and pedestrian bridge over the nearby Green River that will connect the new high-rise to the commuter rail station to make it a short 10-walk.  City planners also have a long-term goal of connecting the nearby mall to the commuter rail and encouraging other redevelopment near the new tower.  They hope that the Washington Place project is the start of something big for the city. 

Along with the business-class hotel and apartment units, the tower will include a rooftop garden and a 90-seat restaurant.  The hotel will occupy the first 11th floors of the building and the residential apartments will occupy floors 12-18.  Amenities for the residents and hotel guests include a lounge, club, and exercise room on the top floor, and a pool at ground-level. The new pedestrian/bike bridge is expected to open in 2017 and the Washington Place high-rise by late 2017 or early 2018.   

Conco is one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products.  While we tackle projects both big and small, our experience includes providing the entire cast-in-place concrete for the Wilshire Grand, the tallest building west of the Mississippi, along with other notable projects.  We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

Source:king5.com/news/local/tukwila-hopes-new-skyscraper-will-be-catalyst-for growth/375558472

Conco’s Generous and Caring Employees

The Conco Companies are proud to announce that once again our generous and kind-hearted employees have reached out this holiday season to help other area families in need.   One of the charitable events was a toy drive for the Toys for Tots organization.  Both our San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle region employees participated in the drive.  Toys for Tots is an exceptional program run each year by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, who personally distribute the toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy gifts for Christmas. It was founded in 1947 by reservist Major Bill Hendricks. 

Another of Conco’s charitable events was organized by employees from our Southern California Region.  Their event was a very successful food drive that was done in partnership with the Salvation Army.  Over the course of the event, the SC region collected enough food to help serve meals for more than 700 needy families. 

This is just an example of the type of employees Conco is fortunate to have as part of our team.  We also are proud to report they bring that same level of commitment to the workplace for every project we are involved in, which is what has helped us to become one of the leading commercial concrete contractors in the Western United States. 

We recognize the trust our customers place in us once they choose our services, which is why we approach each project as a partnership from concept right through to a successful completion. Our goal is to meet or exceed expectations, minimalize problems, and stay on budget.  We provide expert services and products that include concrete building design, rebar fabrication, concrete pumping, formwork, place and finishing, and shotcrete applications as well as construction trucking.    

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services throughout the Western U.S.  We got our start in the Bay Area in 1959 by offering clients the best value on a wide range of concrete services and products and are now one of the foremost concrete contractors in the region. Our concrete services include commercial, educational, industrial and public works projects as well as parking structures.

New Skyscrapers Move in the Direction of a “Mixed-use” Model

In a recent article from David Nicholson-Cole and published by CNN Style, he discusses the iconic “International Style" of skyscraper from the 20^th century as “a prismatic glass surface wrapped around a central service core.”  Nicholson-Cole explains that this type of skyscraper was first envisioned by a group of German architects, including Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe, who fled to America during the 1920s and 30s.  Some examples of early, dark glass-walled skyscrapers include the United Nation’s Building in 1952, the Lever House in 1954 and the Seagram Tower in 1958.   

Now however, last century’s model of high-rise urban centers surrounded by suburban areas that people live and shop in is not considered “compatible with the land resources, population, energy, and transport requirements of 21st-century cities.”  Today there is a demand for more energy-efficient skyscrapers and a move away from 20^th century glass towers as well as a trend toward constructing more mixed-use tall buildings. 

In addition things like the Internet have changed the need for traditional office space as many more employees now work from home and communicate through video conferencing and virtual networks.  Skyscrapers are being designed with large trading floors or multi-screen workstations as well as large, open spaces to meet and gather.  Many new buildings offer landscaped “naturalized” interiors, sky gardens, and an array of energy-efficient features and have returned to large glazed windows set in insulated concrete walls. 

Another 21^st century trend is toward mixed-use skyscrapers that not only contain office space but also have hotels, residential apartments, restaurants and entertainment venues, and even retail at ground level.  Frequently underground parking is available.  The trend toward mixed-use buildings is seen as a way to obtain income rentals from a variety of sources, and thus make the skyscraper less susceptible to inevitable economic swings. 

Many of The Conco Companies projects have been mixed-use high-rises including the soon to open Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles. The skyscraper is the tallest building west of the Mississippi and will offer a 900-room InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel, cutting-edge restaurants, businesses, and attractive nightlife offerings and will add to the rich cultural and economic revival of Downtown.

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of concrete services throughout the Western U.S.  We got our start in the Bay Area in 1959 by offering clients the best value on a wide range of concrete services and products and are now one of the foremost concrete contractors in the region. Our concrete services include commercial, educational, industrial and public works projects as well as parking structures.

Source: cnn.com/2016/12/08/architecture/rise-of-glass-skyscrapers/index.html

Conco Proudly Supports Innovative CSU-Chico Concrete Program

The Conco Companies are a proud supporter of the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program at California State University, Chico. As one of the only programs of its kind in the Western half of the United States, CIM uniquely combines the academic curriculum of concrete sciences with practical business management skills and networking opportunities. CIM Graduates are prepared to become future leaders within the large and thriving concrete industry. In fact, in the last two years, 100% of program graduates have landed jobs in the concrete industry.  

CIM is truly unique not only in its ability to teach fundamental concrete industry skills to young, excited students. It also leverages the expertise of leaders from across the concrete industry, including Conco, who have contributed over $2 million in direct support for the programs efforts. CEOs and executive leaders at Fortune 500 companies in the concrete industry are frequent program lecturers, mentors, and speakers. Giving students the ability to rub elbows with the industry’s most respected leaders inspires and educates them on how to become the leaders of tomorrow.  

The CIM program is also hands on. Jerry Hight, Assistant Dean and Development Director at CSU Chico raves about student involvement in real construction projects in their area. “The Alcatraz project, the I-80 Cal-Trans project, are all opportunities for students to take the technology that they have learned in the classroom and apply it in a hands on fashion,” says Hight. Conco encourages anyone seeking a strong foundation in both the business and science of the concrete industry to check out CSU’s program. Donors and supporters of the program are constantly recruiting these amazing students and career opportunities for hardworking graduates are plentiful. 

Conco is one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products.  While we tackle projects both big and small, our experience includes providing the entire cast-in-place concrete for the Wilshire Grand, the tallest building west of the Mississippi, along with other notable projects.  We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

 

About the Exciting Career Opportunities for Shotcrete Professionals

Shotcrete professionals are highly valued members of the team at The Conco Companies. Shotcrete is the term used to define the entire act of spraying concrete or mortar instead of pouring by hand.

What is a Shotcrete Nozzleman?

A nozzleman is a person who understands the process of making and placing wet-mix shotcrete via a nozzle. Different kinds of shotcrete methods require different kinds of skills. For example, a nozzleman working with wet-mix shotcrete will be spraying a pre-mixed solution onto the surface. Gunite, on the other hand, is a dry-mix process in which the dry mix and the water are mixed on-demand from the nozzle. This process requires a highly skilled shotcrete professional with experience with this process.

The Conco Companies Are Always Hiring Shotcrete Professionals

Conco is one of leading commercial concrete contractors in the Western US. As Conco expands in the region, we need qualified, hardworking professionals to join our growing team. We are seeking qualified shotcrete professionals at all of our locations in Northern California, Southern California, Washington, and Colorado. A qualified candidate must have requisite shotcrete experience. In addition to shotcrete work, Conco has job openings for qualified cement masons, ironworkers, laborers, engineers, and more.  With the exception of Colorado, these are all union positions offering competitive wages, medical, and retirement benefits. Please visit our website for further details on open positions and appropriate contact information.

Conco is one of the foremost suppliers of concrete services for the Western U.S. We got our start in 1959 in the Bay Area by offering clients the best value on a broad range of concrete services and products.  Since that time, we have taken a leading role as top concrete contractors in the region. We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado and Washington.

Can Concrete Be More Environmentally Friendly?

Concrete is one of the most used substances in the world. As the world becomes more and more conscious about how our daily actions impact the environment around us, questions about concrete’s environmental sustainability undoubtedly come up. While concrete may not have the lightest carbon footprint, it does have several other characteristics which still make it a fantastic building material choice.  

Concrete is green (is degradable in its early natural state), durable (lasts over 50 years), energy efficient (has a high thermal mass), and is recyclable (old concrete can be broken down and reused for other projects). Those characteristics are part of why green LEED certified buildings use concrete as their material of choice. The only downside to concrete is that its production facilitates the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Portland cement, an ingredient in concrete and the most widely used cement in the world, is created by heating limestone and other materials until they reach temperatures of 1450 degrees Celsius. This is process requires an immense amount of energy. 

For those looking to reduce their carbon footprint, there are a few novel forms of concrete which claim to be more environmentally friendly. Environmentally friendly cement is either created by using alternative ingredients or by designing an innovative production methodology that uses significantly less energy than traditional cement. These are a few of the most notable: 

• Fly-ash concrete: a by-product of coal-burning power plants.
• Ashcrete: used from recycled fly-ash.
• Blast furnace slag: another product of fly-ash production that can be used in concrete.
• Carbon concrete: a plastic material that is shaped by heat.  

The Conco Companies are one of the leading concrete contractors in the Western U.S. and offer a wide range of quality services and products.  While we tackle projects both big and small, our experience includes providing the entire cast-in-place concrete for the Wilshire Grand, the tallest building west of the Mississippi, along with other notable projects.  We serve California, Oregon, Washington State, Colorado and Nevada.

Training and Career Opportunities for Cement Masons

Did you know that ancient cement masons built concrete structures in Egypt 3,600 years ago that are still standing today?  Needless to say, cement masons are some of the oldest tradesmen who continue to this day to pass their skills on to the next generation via the apprenticeship model.  

What does a Cement Mason do?

Cement masons work on construction jobs and are responsible for pouring, smoothing, and perfecting concrete. Concrete construction work is physically challenging and cement masons are encouraged to stay in great physical shape. 

Becoming a Cement Mason

Although there are some formal cement mason training programs, most learn their skills via a formal apprenticeship. Those who are interested in becoming a cement mason are encouraged to seek a mentor and become an apprentice. In most cases, finding an apprenticeship requires contacting a local cement mason union or association and inquiring about their programs. 

Cement Mason Opportunities at The Conco Companies

At The Conco Companies, we are seeking qualified cement masons at all of our locations in Northern California, Southern California, Washington, and Colorado. With the exception of Colorado, these are all union positions with competitive wages, medical, and retirement benefits.  Conco is one the nation’s largest cement contractor and our employees work on incredibly exciting projects every day. As a Conco cement mason, you will be working on a wide variety of projects including buildings, highway construction, bridges, tunnels, airports, drainage systems, and sanitation projects.  See the Conco website for more details and contact information regarding our posting for cement masons.  

Conco’s mission is to be the best supplier of concrete services in the Western United States and to bring expertise, experience and quality to each project.  We continue to upgrade and expand facilities to better serve the growing market for public works projects, commercial, parking structures, educational, and other construction development. We serve California, Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Nevada.

Source: bigfuture.collegeboard.org/careers/construction-cement-masons-concrete-finishers