Clarkson Construction continues to deliver outstanding highway and development projects across the Midwest, while expanding into vertical construction
As a sixth generation, family-owned construction company, Clarkson Construction (Clarkson) has been shaping communities in Kansas City for 145 years – a legacy that looks set to continue. Since forming in 1880 as a grading contractor digging basements in the Riverside area, the business has steadily evolved, adding bridges, paving, and underground utilities to its repertoire.
President, Billy Clarkson, tells Construction Today about its design-build delivery and explains how self-performing has been integral to the company’s expansion:
“We’ve grown organically from our roots as a basement and grading contractor; today, our specialty area is constructing highways and bridges. Large site development is another area we’ve had a lot of success in, including the Kansas City, Kansas, entertainment district known as Village West. We’re heavily invested in the data center market, which is rapidly expanding all over the Midwest, with Project Velvet marking our first entry into the sector several years ago. We enjoy working for technology companies and there are huge opportunities over the next ten to 15 years between Kansas, Missouri and some of the adjacent states building multiple data centers. That’s our primary focus outside of the standard heavy highways, roads and bridges.
“The main benefit of self-performing the majority of our work is the amount of control it gives us,” he continues. “We have historical knowledge of project costs and time frames for building a project, in-house expertise, and the ability to understand our crews, their availability and their production capabilities. If we’re successful on a bid, it gives us control over the schedule, safety and cost. The subsequent quality, value and consistency of work is also beneficial for the owner.”
Enhancing efficiencies
Clarkson was contracted for the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT’s) first ever design-build project in 2014 – the Johnson County Gateway project, involving the reconstruction of a congested three-highway intersection. “We absolutely love design-build, and this was a great introduction to that process,” Billy highlights. “There’s a real chance to be creative, plus the schedule is accelerated because we’re starting construction before it’s fully designed. Not only is this positive for the DOT, but also for taxpayers and citizens of the state.”
Although design-build delivery has been rewarding for the company, it also presented one significant hurdle, as Billy reveals: “It does take up a huge amount of resources,” he notes. “Aside from the build itself, the pursuit of the project can take several months and it can require the sole focus of a number of extremely talented and qualified people.”
Overcoming challenges when they arise has been part of Clarkson’s growth. Its investment in innovative GPS technology has paid dividends in helping the business become more efficient and environmentally conscious. “We use GPS across the company, from drone flights to pre-bid, as it enables us to understand the granular aspects of a site we’re bidding on. We then use it to verify quantities, fuel usage, downtime, maintenance, repairs and manage equipment fleet utilization – I can map exactly where any piece of equipment is, how many hours it ran or was idle and how much fuel was used, which also boosts sustainability.
“Our workforce has always been a monumental part of who we are as a company. We have employees who retire after 40 to 50 years, and I strongly believe this longevity stems from the organization staying true to the family culture and values we hold. The culture aspect plays a big part in our hiring process because we want people who fit with our five core values – integrity, commitment, teamwork, community and innovation.”
Community commitment
Dedication to its values means that corporate responsibility is also crucial to Clarkson. “We always strive to give back to the communities we’re a part of, not just financially, but by being present, involved, and invested,” says Billy. “We schedule volunteer sessions where our employees can contribute their time and expertise, donating our time to building projects with organizations like the Veterans Community Project and Rebuilding Together KC. We also participate in the Big Brothers Big Sisters KC holiday program that involves adopting families over the Christmas period, where our team can purchase gifts requested by the adoptive family, such as food items, toys and new winter clothing. As we’ve expanded into the St. Louis market, our team there has made it a priority to engage with community organizations, industry groups, and non-profits in that area, assuring our impact extends across the state. It makes a huge difference to people and it’s extremely important to us.”
For Clarkson, giving back to the community also means creating opportunities for student outreach and workforce development. The company is currently working on the Missouri Department of Transportation’s statewide Improve I-70 Project, including a segment in the St. Louis region, as well as the Kansas City portion, delivered as a design-build project. One component of the Kansas City project ties into STEM and construction career outreach, where the business attends student-focused career events, provides classroom presentations and hands-on STEM activities. Last semester, it coordinated and conducted a dozen hard-hat site visit tours with students, ranging from middle schools all the way through to college internships.
“The I-70 KC development is ongoing, and we’ll continue with these learning initiatives throughout the project,” discloses Billy.
“Our big Improve I-70 Project segment in the St. Louis area has allowed us to open an office on that side of the state. We’ve been planning this for the last few years, but we wanted an anchor job before making that commitment, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to expand our footprint within the state of Missouri.
“We’re also carrying out another high-profile project with our joint venture partner, JE Dunn, about half a mile away from our corporate headquarters office, the Roy Blunt Luminary Park. When complete, Kansas City will have a sustainable urban park over an existing highway, with a sizeable green space and numerous amenities. This legacy project is the first of its kind in Kansas City, so we’re incredibly excited for that one to take off. Looking further ahead, we have a joint venture project lined up called 800 Grand, located at 8th and Grand in downtown Kansas City, comprising our first vertical construction build in the Kansas City area. In addition, we’re remodeling a vacant, historic building called the Scarritt into a state-of-the-art hotel, while retaining some of its historic features. This is right beside 8th and Grand, which will be our first bite of the apple in the vertical world, we have a strong, experienced team onboard, and it represents an exceptional new venture for Clarkson.”