We are pleased to announce that we are the contractor of choice to build the Sunflower Hill at Irby Ranch affordable housing community in Pleasanton, CA. Sunflower Hill at Irby Ranch will be home to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
The Sunflower Hill at Irby Ranch project will consist of 31 units as well as a large community center with a bocce ball court, sports court, and an expansive courtyard that is designed to accommodate additional residents from the neighboring subdivision. Sunflower Hill at Irby Ranch will be Pleasanton’s first residential community for citizens with special needs and it will also be one of the first in Northern California.
Sunflower Hill at Irby Ranch came to life from a partnership between non-profit Sunflower Hill and developer Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA). Huff Construction has partnered with SAHA in the past and built Tower Park, a 49-unit affordable housing community for senior citizens in Modesto, CA. Construction for Sunflower Hill at Irby Ranch is slated to start later this month and we are excited to hit the ground running. Stay up to date with construction updates on this project by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
We are pleased to announce that we have been selected as the general contractor to build The Campus Clubhouse in Manteca, CA for developer Trumark Companies.
The Campus will be built within The Collective community. The Collective is Trumark’s first age-qualified master-planned community that will include a health-forward 13,000 square foot clubhouse registered to achieve WELL Certification™. This designation will allow the community to incorporate the seven concepts of the WELL Building Standard, which include air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. The Campus community clubhouse is complete with ample gathering spaces, pool and spa, walking trails, fitness center, and bocce ball and pickle ball courts. The Collective’s community will also enjoy a coffee and wine bar, demonstration kitchen, dog park, outdoor patio, and an outdoor amphitheater for concerts and other live events.
The Collective community is located only ten minutes away from grocery and other retail stores. The Collective is just under 20 miles from downtown Modesto and about an hour and a half away from San Francisco. Homebuyers 55 and over looking for a resort-style community near Modesto, California should consider The Collective.
We have partnered with Trumark in the past when we built the Wallis Ranch Kindred House in Dublin, CA. We are excited to get construction going and we are looking forward to building excellence for Trumark again.
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Name: Larry Nelson
Title: Project Manager
Hire Date: March 1997
Where are you from?
I grew up in Salinas, CA and moved to the San Jose area right after graduating from high school. I have since moved to the Turlock area and have been living here with my family since 1987.
How did you get into the construction industry?
Well, right out of high school, I got a position as a carpenter at one of my friend’s construction companies. One of the most memorable projects working as a carpenter was a remodel for one of Alfred Hitchcock’s homes. I also worked on schools, banks, stadiums, and medical facilities.
What makes you excited to go to work in the morning?
I am always excited to come to work but what makes me most excited is working with our clients and fixing any issues or changes that come up on a project.
What’s your favorite part about working at Huff?
One of my favorite things about my position is having the ability to problem solve. I like to work on large and complex projects because of the amount of problem-solving that is involved. I enjoy accomplishing goals as a team and working with our repeat clients.
What is your favorite project that you have built?
It’s difficult to choose one project but I really enjoyed building Samaritan Village in Hughson, CA. I have always wanted to build a mall and Samaritan Village is in a sense, a mall. It has a post office, movie theater, chapel, stores, barber shop, salon, assisted living space, and more. I also enjoyed working on the Mercy UC Davis Cancer Center in Merced, CA because it involved building a room for a linear accelerator. Some of the walls were 7 feet thick of solid concrete!
What has been your proudest moment at Huff?
I have had a few moments when I felt really proud. One proud moment is when I earned a promotion from a superintendent to a project manager back in 2005. Another proud moment working here is when my son, Kyle, started working for Huff in 2014. Anytime a project that I am working on comes to completion I like to take a step back and appreciate all of the hard work done by the Huff Team and the great subcontractors that work with us. It’s truly a team effort when it comes to building.
What sets Huff employees apart from people working at other companies? Are there certain personality traits or skills that do well at Huff?
What really sets us apart is that the owners of Huff Construction, Gary Huff and Brad Ardis, are deeply involved in every aspect of the company and they truly care about their employees and clients. They shape our company culture by setting high standards and leading by example. Their leadership translates to employees with an incredible work ethic and attitude. We truly work as a team and nobody is trying to climb over somebody else to get to the top which is prevalent in larger corporate settings.
What are your favorite things to do outside of work?
I like to work on things around my house, fishing for bass, and I also love traveling with my wife. We really enjoyed traveling to Thailand for one of our son’s wedding and also traveling to Italy which we visited last year. I look forward to going on many more trips.
The Aloft Hotel in Dublin, California officially opened its doors to their guests on Monday, August 13th. We broke ground for this project last April and we are excited to see it through completion. We built this hotel for one of our great clients, Zenique Hotels, whom we have been construction hotels for since 1992.
Zenique Hotels is a world-class hotel ownership and management company headquartered in Burlingame, California. Their mission is to create a rewarding experience for their guests, their associates, and their investors through developing, operating, and repositioning hotels nationwide. They operate under 6 core values: People, Transparency, Quality, Accountability, Profitability, and Community.
This project was led by our Project Manager Larry Nelson and Superintendent Leroy Kinser. Both Larry and Leroy have many years of experience in hospitality construction. This hotel marks the sixth hotel that we have built for Zenique Hotels and we are proud to have been their contractor of choice for this project.
This new contemporary hotel features 63,298 square feet, four stories, and 127 rooms. The Aloft Hotel provides cleverly named amenities aimed to serve today’s tech-savvy business traveler, including flexible Tactic conference rooms, Recharge fitness room, WXYZ bar, Refuel snack bar, Re-Mix social lounge, workspaces, and pool. The Aloft Hotel is focused on style and furnishings that will attract younger travelers who appreciate refined design. The exterior of the building utilizes high-end finishes including Alpolic Aluminum Panels, Prodema Wood Panels, glass panels, and integrated LED lighting. The furniture for the Aloft Hotel brand was developed in collaboration with Design Within Reach to create a high-quality, and cohesive overall design aesthetic. The building is also crowned with the Aloft Hotel brand’s signature ‘Swoof’ roof feature that is clad in multi-colored metal and includes architectural lighting.
Owner: Zenique Hotels
Architect: WHA Architects
As a leading general contractor, we understand the importance of having a solid team who instill our core values and qualities in their everyday lives. For this employee spotlight, we sat down with Bruce Carrade who is a Project Manager based at our office in Truckee, CA.
How did your career start at Huff Construction?
Bruce was introduced to Huff Construction during his sophomore year of high school. He continued to work at Huff during his summer vacations while he attended college at the University of Colorado Boulder. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Bruce was a corporate sales intern for the Oakland A’s. Bruce later came back to Huff Construction in 2013 to work full time as a Project Engineer. After working as a Project Engineer for four years, Bruce was promoted to Project Manager.
What is your role as a Project Manager?
As Project Manager, Bruce is responsible for bidding on projects, creating budgets, facilitating the field crew, superintendents, and the interactions between the architect, design team, and building department.
How has Huff Construction helped you in your career development and what have you gained?
Huff Construction has provided Bruce with the opportunity for growth and taking on new roles within the company. Bruce has gained confidence in his ability to manage large projects and develop his project estimating skills, communication skills, and management skills.
What types of training have you done for your position?
The company encourages optimal performance and growth opportunities by providing Project Managers with innovative project management software training which allows them to manage projects efficiently.
How would you describe Huff in three words?
“Collaborative, Accountable, and Excellence.” As a leading general contractor, it is important that our employees possess the qualities and skills that contribute to our mission and vision of providing clients with personalized construction services built on quality and integrity.
What do you like most about Huff Construction and how do you help make Huff Construction a great place to work and play?
Bruce enjoys the company culture and his coworkers. Bruce makes Huff a great place to work by bringing a positive attitude and outlook every day. Bruce also has a great sense of humor and is fun to pass by in the hall.
What are some upcoming trends or challenges that you see in your field?
Some upcoming trends or challenges Bruce sees in the construction industry is the increase in material prices, a shortage of skilled labor, and increasing interest rates.
What do you feel is the most important aspect and challenging aspect of your job as a Project Manager?
The most important and challenging aspect of Bruce’s job as a Project Manager is holding and maintaining budgets and schedules for projects.
What piece of advice would you give to a new employee?
If Bruce could give advice to a new employee, it would be to document everything and keep your paperwork in order.
What do you like to do for fun outside of the office?
When Bruce isn’t in the office he enjoys skiing, mountain biking, sailing, golfing and traveling.
We are pleased to announce that Ridgemont Hospitality has selected Huff Construction to build the new Home2 Suites by Hilton in Alameda, CA. Ridgemont Hospitality is a family owned development group ran by Peter, Sima, and Dhruv Patel. This 4-story, 53,485 square foot extended stay hotel is being built over a 1-acre site near the San Francisco Bay and Oakland International Airport. Fun fact: this hotel is being constructed next door to the Hampton Inn & Suites that we built for Ridgemont Hospitality back in 2008.
This project marks the second Home2 Suites built by Huff Construction. The first Home2 Suites that we built was finished last May in Livermore, CA. The Superintendent at this project is Jeff Smith who recently completed the new Lucky California grocery store in Dublin, CA. Stay tuned for more updates on this project as the Huff Team continues building excellence.
Employee Spotlight: Fernando Arteaga
At Huff Construction we thrive on quality, commitment and having a solid team of people who instill these qualities in their everyday lives. For those of you who do not know the man behind the camera, let me introduce you to our Marketing Coordinator, Fernando Arteaga.
Fernando was born and raised in Modesto, CA where he attended Modesto High School as an IB Student. After graduating Modesto High, he attended MJC for two and a half years and transferred to Stanislaus State to finish his college degree. Originally, Fernando started college with the mindset of becoming an engineer, however, after taking an economics class, and further discussions with his professor he decided to become a business major. In 2016, he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Stanislaus State and graduated Summa Cum Laude.
Where did you work before joining Huff Construction?
Prior to joining the Huff team, Fernando worked as a Service Specialist and Concierge at Save Mart Supermarkets. There, he had the pleasure of meeting his girlfriend and gaining two and a half years of customer service experience. While working at Save Mart, Fernando was also attending Stanislaus State University full time.
What is your role as a Marketing Coordinator?
The role of the Marketing Coordinator is everything marketing – all marketing material is created in-house. Fernando oversees internal & external website management, brochures, proposals, e-blasts, newsletters, social media, vehicle & job site signage, photography, videography, and more. He is also in charge of creating and organizing fun events for Huff employees to enjoy in and outside of the office.
How did you first hear about Huff?
The Stanislaus State Business School webpage displayed a list of local companies looking to hire students to fill a position. Once Fernando filled out the application, Naomi Layland (Director of Marketing & Business Development) reached out to schedule an interview which led to his career at Huff Construction.
How has Huff Helped you grow within your career?
Huff has helped Fernando start his career as a Marketing professional, gaining marketing experience in the architecture, engineering and construction industry, working with different age groups, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds.
How would you describe Huff in three words?
“Building Excellence & Quality! The most important aspect of his job is keeping the company brand consistent. When you think of Huff, you think of a quality general contractor that is a regional leader in construction.”
What types of training have you done for your position?
Fernando has learned to use software such as Adobe Photoshop, In-Design, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Mail Chimp, Hootsuite and more. To create the highest quality of marketing content, Fernando stays up to date on new software, applications and has completed courses needed to become a certified drone pilot. He has also acquired HTML editing and coding skills while working on our company intranet, Huffnet.
What has been your favorite Marketing project at Huff Construction?
Fernando has worked on several Marketing projects but his favorite project he’s has worked on would be Huffnet. Huffnet was designed and built to support our team today and as we continue to grow and expand in the future. Fernando worked with the Developers at Tiv Branding and the managers at Huff Construction to ensure that the platform made processes more efficient while reducing labor time. Fernando was the idea behind the manpower scheduling and the weekly safety meetings, implementing these resources on Huffnet was a way to create accessibility for employees at any given time.
What is the coolest thing you have posted on Huff Constructions social media?
Fernando has created several cool social media posts, but he would say the coolest one he has done is the time lapse of Huff’s Jelly Belly project in Fairfield, CA. It was one of the first time-lapses Fernando did for the company and the time lapse showcased the concrete pour process. The post has gone viral, with over 98,000 views!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajM8cU9RJ6E
What do you like to do for fun outside of the office?
Outside of the office, Fernando enjoys camping, mountain biking, hanging out with his dog, playing Xbox, working on cars and drinking a citrus IPA.
Construction for Lucky California in Dublin, CA is complete. The Save Mart Companies held its grand opening for their first ground-up Lucky California grocery store on Wednesday, March 14th. The store is a 51,365 square foot concrete tilt building which began construction last summer. We’d like to thank Superintendent Jeff Smith, the Huff Team, and all subcontractors who worked hard to get this store ready for the grand opening.
This Lucky California store features a coffee bar, a grab-and-go meal section, and a Golden Gate market area which features groceries from the San Francisco Bay Area. “I’m excited to open our doors and offer our customers the all new shopping experience Lucky California brings,” said store manager Ann Bradford. “With this new location, Dublin shoppers will have a one-stop shop for all their meal solutions.”
Lucky California is inspired by the Bay Area’s unique food culture and aims to bring people together around that shared love of food. Here, Lucky California will introduce customers to an entirely new grocery shopping experience that makes each trip an opportunity for discovery. From the fresh salad and hot soup stations to the ready-to-eat meals and fresh juice bar, Lucky California is infused with unique flavors, organic and better-for-you items.
If you are around Dublin, CA, we encourage you to visit Lucky California as it transforms the grocery shopping experience by embracing California’s spirit, identity, and flavors.
View more photos of Lucky California by visiting its project page here: http://www.huffcon.com/projects/lucky-california-dublin/
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