2020 CMA Preview: Builder/Construction Company
By Margaret Jackson | Mar 05, 2020
Colorado's job growth and increasing population have kept the state's building industry humming.
Job growth is expected to continue at 1.9 percent this year, compared with 2.4 percent in 2019, which continues to draw people to the Centennial State. Colorado added 77,744 residents for 1.4 percent growth in 2018 -- twice the national rate. Economists predict the state will add another 72,100 residents this year.
All that growth means more people are looking for places to live, but housing is expensive and there's not enough of it. That's keeping businesses like the 2020 Colorado Manufacturing Award nominees for Builder/Construction Company of the Year manufacturer plenty busy.
Here's a look at the companies.
CeDUR
Aurora
Founded: 1996
Privately owned
Employees: 25
Industry: Built Environment
Products: Synthetic composite cedar shake roofing
CeDUR makes polyurethane roofing shakes with deep grain patterns that resemble wood and don't absorb water or support mold or mildew growth.
The company, which is so confident in its product that it offers a 50-year warranty, uses a reaction injection molding (RIM) manufacturing process. Its main production line has 60 molds that each have three cavities molding from real wood cedar shakes. Employees blend three chemicals and pour the mixture into the molds, which move through the production line, are pulled apart and shipped out.
"Aesthetically, nothing in the world looks quite like CeDUR roofing shakes," the company says. "Just like wood cedar shakes, our RIM process allows us to replicate the most authentic wood appearance."
CompanyWeek profile: www.companyweek.com/company-profile/cedur
RK Mission Critical
Denver (with facilities in Henderson)
Founded: 1963
Employees: 1,500
Privately owned
Industry: Built environment
Products: Buildings for data center clients
RK Mission Critical manufactures entire buildings offsite in its Aurora facility then delivers each segment for assembly on its clients' premises. The company helps with any or all of the process, including design, construction, manufacturing integration and support during delivery.
The company has a straightforward value proposition: reduce construction costs, increase speed to market, and reduce supply-chain risk. "As the demand for data center availability increased, the construction industry felt the pressure of unrealistically compressed schedules," the company states. "It simply could not accommodate the market using traditional construction practices. Today, the construction industry deems RK Mission Critical's offsite manufacturing necessary for survival in a market where speed wins."
CompanyWeek profile: www.companyweek.com/company-profile/rk-mechanical
Tharp Custom Cabinetry
Loveland
Founded: 1971
Privately owned
Employees: 140
Industry: Built environment
Products: Custom cabinetry
Tharp Custom Cabinetry offers cabinets in 11 standard hardwoods with 28 door styles, as well as specialty cabinets and custom finishes for every room in the house. The company partners with builders to enable the quick and easy installation of its products into their projects.
"Tharp is fully vertically integrated, providing a customer experience that starts with design concept all the way through our one-off manufacturing system and installation to make a customer's dreams come true," the company notes. "By doing everything locally, it creates a higher quality product than anything imported into our volatile Colorado climate, which impacts the stability of wood products."
CompanyWeek profile: www.companyweek.com/company-profile/tharp-cabinet-company
The Colorado Manufacturing Awards will take place virtually from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2020.
