CMA 2021 Preview: Building/Construction Manufacturer of the Year

Prefabrication is the common thread connecting the finalists for the Building/Construction Manufacturer of the Year at the 2021 Colorado Manufacturing Awards. ROXBOX outfits storage containers for restaurants, bars, and homes; Colorado Timberframe produces its timber frame packages in Lafayette and ships them all over North America; and Encore Electric makes its electrical systems at a central facility before installing them at construction sites.

Colorado Timberframe | Lafayette

Colorado Timberframe stands behind its motto: "Build it once. Build it to last." The company's goal is to provide quality-built homes that have a low impact on the environment.

Timber frame is a wood-building style that uses heavy timber with interlocking wood-to-wood mortise and tenon joinery and fasteners instead of nails, screws or metalwork. The homes leave timber posts and beam supports exposed, creating an architectural element that blends with the natural environment.

"We'd like to continue to lead the green building movement and revolution of off-site construction by not only providing a product that's environmentally friendly and quick to install but also aesthetically beautiful to look at," says Seth Gilmore, the company's national sales manager. "The construction industry is striving to respond to the need to increase the speed of construction and also address serious environmental concerns by seeking out ways to build greener structures. Because of this, we're seeing a higher demand for timber in the construction industry as its renewable and sustainable qualities are becoming widely recognized amongst green architects and builders."

Encore Electric | Lakewood

Prefabrication of electrical systems sets Encore Electric apart from its competition. The company uses virtual design and building information modeling to discover efficiencies that lower costs for its clients. Encore strives to get as much done as possible before its first crew of electricians sets foot on a job site. The company has locations in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Basalt and Eagle, Colorado, as well as Bit Sky Montana and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Andy Gordon, Encore's chief operating officer, says the health and safety of its employees and trade partners is a priority. "Success also means continued partnerships with our general contractors and end-user clients on the most complex projects in the region, allowing Encore Electric to support their employees and their families by providing career growth opportunities," Gordon says. "Success for the industry is the ability to grow the industry with entry of new talent."

CompanyWeek profile (November 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/encore-electric

ROXBOX Containers | Denver

Using shipping containers as office or residential space has become more prevalent in recent years, but Denver-based ROXBOX is taking it to a new level. The company has been retrofitting storage containers for restaurants, bars and ICU-level hospital rooms that need more flexibility to serve customers and patients.

ROXBOX is launching an eight-unit residential project in the foothills this year. Each unit will be 3,000 square feet. The company works with outside architects, engineers and subcontractors but handles all fabrication and some in-house finishes.

CEO Anthony Halsch says the company will be striving to work with more Fortune 500 companies and land larger purchase orders in 2021. "The construction industry is adopting modular container structures as a go-to building material," Halsch says. "The container industry is becoming more mainstream in general."

CompanyWeek profile (March 2021): https://companyweek.com/article/roxbox

VIEW ALL THE 2021 CMA FINALISTS>>

The winners of the 2021 Colorado Manufacturing Awards will be revealed at a virtual event on April 29, 2021. REGISTER HERE>>