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2021 ENR Top Contractors List

We are proud to be recognized as one of ENR’s Top 400 National Contractors. This year, we placed #190, a significant rise over the previous year’s rank of #225. This award is especially meaningful after a year like no other in history. This not only shows the strength of our organization but also the resilience of our team. We are thankful for our local and national clients, and are incredibly proud of our employee owners based in California, Illinois, Texas and Washington.

March 4, 2021

The Registry Interview: Why we Expanded into Southern California

Skyline has been involved in commercial construction in the Bay Area since 1996. Now, Skyline has made the decision to expand to Southern California.

What is it about the market that made Southern California an ideal place for Skyline to expand?

Sean Holliday: As part of our national expansion plan, we have had our eye on Southern California for quite some time based on our existing client’s needs up and down the West Coast, the thriving life science, biotech and multi-family markets, and the close proximity to our Northern California headquarters. We strongly believe that the key to entering new markets is hiring well engrained, local talent. They bring deep client relationships, local subcontractor knowledge, and an understanding of their unique market nuances. Last year, Rene Olivo, joined Skyline’s executive team. Rene is a San Diego native who spent his entire career building Rudolph & Sletten’s Southern California presence. More recently, a group of 12 San Diego based construction professionals approached us looking for an opportunity to leverage their existing relationships to build larger, more complex commercial projects throughout San Diego, Orange County and Inland Empire. The addition of these local industry professionals, coupled with my own experience working throughout Southern California during my 14 year career at Balfour Beatty, made for a logical decision to enter the market.

What fundamentals does Southern California share with other markets where Skyline has grown?

Rene Olivo: The Southern California construction market has a great pipeline of life science and multi family residential work, which complements our recently expanded service offerings throughout Northern California. It gives us a chance to further grow into these markets in both geographies, and allows us to continue to service our valued clients and development partners throughout California.

On the flip side, how do you believe the Southern California market is different?

Sean Holliday: While many of our existing clients have already asked us to build for them in San Diego or Orange County, there are a few noticeable intricacies in SoCal. One, the subcontractor market is vastly different which makes hiring local talent with deep subcontractor relationships critical to success. Also project jobsites are spread over a 100 mile radius, creating unique challenges when discussing manpower and proximity. Finally, the SoCal construction market, which has a heavier concentration in life science and multi family projects, did not experience the same COVID-19 impact as Northern California. This allowed construction activity to remain robust throughout the Pandemic.

What are some of the challenges involved in jumping into a new market and how is Skyline navigating those hurdles?

Rene Olivo: There are many great obstacles to overcome when entering a new region. First, developing a market presence and becoming a well known name in the industry takes time and resources, which starts with the local “boots on the ground” team located in Southern California. Also properly investing in training and integration to ensure that the new location is a seamless extension of the company. This takes many shapes – exceptional customer service on projects and internal cultural alignment being the most critical. Fortunately, we have a highly proficient corporate team with executive level leadership in cyber security, human resources, safety, finance, branding, legal and more. This group is responsible for guiding the new office locations through their expansion needs and ensuring continuity between all regions.

With decades of experience in the construction industry and in the Bay Area markets, how have your previous professional experiences prepared you for Skyline’s expansion to Southern California?

Rene Olivo: I spent 12 years as Sr. Vice President of Rudolph and Sletten, establishing and growing their Southern California presence into a $500 million organization with three major offices. The idea of bringing the Skyline name into SoCal where I have a deep understanding of the marketplace and many connections, is one of the many reasons I joined the company last year. I also spent a bulk of my career building life science and biotech projects in San Diego. This is a market sector Skyline is actively entering in both regions, so my connections and experience lend nicely to growth in these sectors for Skyline.

Are there any future projects that Skyline is working on currently/in the future in the Southern California region? If so, which ones are you most excited about?

Sean Holliday: We are preparing to break ground on two exciting projects, and we are seeing quite a bit of market activity despite the pandemic. In two weeks, we will break ground on a multi family project in the Hillcrest area of San Diego and shortly thereafter we will begin a high end retail complex in Orange County. We are also in early discussions on a significant ground up, multi family tower in the East Village of downtown San Diego.

Looking ahead, what are Skyline’s plans for further national expansion? What markets will the firm be targeting next and why?

Sean Holliday: Our plans for national expansion are lofty. We are actively pursuing geographical and service line expansion opportunities, which are mostly driven by our clients’ needs and our desire to say “yes” to service them throughout the country. Texas and Arizona are at the top of our target list at the moment, given the continual nature of clients asking us to build there, coupled with their individual economic booms and micro economies. The key of course, is seeking the right local leadership in each location to ensure cultural alignment and operational excellence. We are actively seeking local leaders or brands to acquire in those states.

March 1, 2021

New Southern California Office Opens

The Skyline family of companies is excited to announce the opening of a new office in San Diego, CA, a major step in the company’s nationwide expansion plan. With this new location, we will service clients throughout Southern California including Orange County, the Inland Empire and San Diego, complementing the company’s existing locations in Seattle, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Southern California expansion will be led by two seasoned industry veterans, Rene Olivo and Sean Holliday. Under their leadership, we will provide construction services in the areas of commercial interiors and capital improvements which includes ground-up office buildings, multi-family residential, hospitality, building repositioning, mission critical and life science projects.

Rene, a San Diego native, joined the Skyline family of companies last year after a long career leading Rudolph & Sletten’s Southern California region. He currently oversees the firm’s commercial interiors division throughout California, with a desire to grow into the life science market. Sean is a former executive of Balfour Beatty, and joined Skyline in 2016 before successfully launching Skyline Capital Builders in 2019, growing the firm’s ground-up division into a thriving business. The two have established an office in Sorrento Valley and have hired a growing workforce to begin servicing existing clients in the region.

“I am excited to bring the Skyline name to the Southern California region,” said David Hayes, CEO of Skyline Enterprises. “I have had my eye on San Diego for years, given the steady growth of the market and the easy parallel between Northern and Southern California clients. Now, with this powerhouse leadership team in place, I know that Southern California clients will experience the same unparalleled, people-focused approach to construction.”

In addition to the leadership of Rene and Sean, a Project Executive, a Director of Preconstruction and a team of 10 local professionals with San Diego market experience were brought on board to run the day to day construction operations. This team brings over 20 years of Southern California construction experience in the areas of ground up commercial office, retail, hospitality and multi-family residential construction.

As with all Skyline companies and locations, the Southern California region will remain 100% employee-owned and will draw on the expertise of the firm’s SkyService Team, a group of subject matter experts in HR, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Legal, Safety, IT, and Security. This team allows the construction experts to focus on customers and outstanding project delivery without being distracted by the administrative work associated with running a business.

July 25, 2020

ENR Names Skyline As Top California Contractor

We are proud to be included in Engineering News-Record’s rankings once again. Skyline was ranked #225 for ENR’s 2020 Top Contractors Nationally and #34 for California. These achievements and our steady growth would not be possible without our amazing project teams, clients and project partners!

Congratulations to all included on the list.

View THE FULL LIST

July 7, 2020

Protect your employees from COVID-19 with simple office modifications

The thought of going back to the office comes with many new challenges as employers grapple with ways to effectively keep employees safe and healthy. Corporate real estate and facilities directors are similarly being challenged with the responsibility of developing tangible strategies to ease tenant concerns, keep everyone safe and find cost effective solutions to allow business to continue.

Office modifications that comply with CDC and social distancing are a critical component of that strategy and can be a simple process with the right contractor. Our family of companies offers office modification services in the Bay Area, Seattle and Chicago. Everything ranging from touchless devices, automatic doors, acrylic dividers between workstations, additional AV needs in conference room spaces and directional signage. Check out a few of our latest resources including a list of COVID construction services and 13 ways to modify your office during COVID-19.

Our teams at ACCEND, Skyline Construction, Skyline Capital Builders and Unimark are available to walk your space, discuss potential options and provide cost and timing information to help make the process of returning to work seamless and safe for your employees.

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July 1, 2020

PODCAST: Rene Olivo, Skyline Construction President & Chris Henderson, Unimark Construction President Discuss Profound Changes Anticipated For The CRE Industry

When COVID rattled the world with public health and economic ramifications, it created great uncertainty around the current and future needs of office space. Now, a few months later, the commercial construction industry is starting to recognize the future outlook and impacts of the pandemic on the greater real estate industry.

In a recent podcast hosted by The Registry, Skyline President, Rene Olivo and Unimark President Chris Henderson, share their thoughts and insight into the changing priorities of the construction industry. While they both agree that construction trades will remain consistent, the nature of the industry is anticipated to experience profound change.

Tune into this 20 minute interview to learn:

Strategies to keep the construction business strong
Forecasts and predictions for future construction opportunities
Insights from the field and office on how to navigate the new landscape
Parallels between this pandemic, the 2008 recession and September 11th.

Click below to listen.

LISTEN NOW

May 26, 2020

ENR Awards Skyline Construction Top Contractor

We’re proud to announce that Skyline Construction has been named a Top Contractor of 2020 by Engineering News-Record. Skyline was ranked based on revenue among 400 national general contractors. This achievement represents the dedication and passion of their people. As an employee-owned organization, we are deeply rooted in our projects, the safety of those on our jobsites and the success of our clients and project partners.

Congratulations to all included in the list!

The list

April 21, 2020

16 Questions with COO Jessica Carps – Bisnow Interview

Jessica Carps, Chief Operating Officer of Skyline Enterprises, goes in-depth with Bisnow answering questions that go “Beyond The Bio”. Click the link below to read more about Jessica’s answers and see what Jessica has to say with questions like, “What is the worst job you’ve ever had?” Here’s a hint: It has nothing to do with construction.

Read Now

February 28, 2020

Jessica Carps Named COO of Skyline Enterprises

Skyline Enterprises has appointed Jessica Carps as its Chief Operating Officer. Carps previously served as Chief Financial Officer and remains on the firm’s Board of Directors.

As COO, Carps will oversee the organization’s corporate infrastructure. She will facilitate the integration of acquisitions, manage the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and lead the corporate SkyService Team, a group of subject matter experts in the fields of HR, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Legal, Safety, IT, and Security.

In her previous role as CFO, Carps was responsible for implementing systems to facilitate growth, drive profitability and create redundancy, which allowed Skyline to expand nationally into the robust Chicago and Seattle markets.

“Promoting Jessica to Chief Operating Officer demonstrates the company’s complete confidence in her leadership,” said Skyline Enterprises CEO David Hayes. “Jessica is largely responsible for Skyline’s growth from a local company into a national powerhouse, and is uniquely qualified to lead the organization’s development well into the future. She will ensure the organization continues to act in the best interest of ESOP shareholders.”

Since Carps joined the firm in 2015, Skyline’s revenue has increased from $175M to $670M in anticipated revenue in 2020. Her background in management consulting and manufacturing allows her to bring an innovative perspective to the commercial construction and real estate industry. Jessica is an ESOP expert with a committed focus on corporate governance, controls, and shareholder appreciation.

“I am honored to lead such a passionate and innovative organization,” said Jessica Carps. “Skyline’s mission of creating the largest, nationwide, people-centric family of companies within the commercial real estate and construction industry is something I believe in strongly. I am committed to doing the absolute best for our employees, clients, stakeholders, partners and the communities in which we serve, and I look forward to expanding this model throughout the United States over the next number of years.”

Skyline has been a leader in commercial construction in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1996. As part of its geographic and service line expansion, Skyline opened ACCEND Construction LLC and Skyline Capital Builders LLC in 2019, and recently acquired Seattle based Unimark and its sister company Servicemark in 2020. These companies serve as models for the firm’s organizational structure, operating under their own brand names as part of the Skyline Enterprises family, but sharing operating processes, technology solutions and an innovation roadmap. All companies remain 100% employee-owned through Skyline’s ESOP model.

February 3, 2020

Skyline Enterprises Acquires Seattle-Based Unimark Construction

Skyline Construction Enterprises, Inc. announced today the acquisition of Seattle-based UNIMARK Construction Group LLC and its sister company Servicemark LLC, a major step in the commercial real estate and construction holding company’s nationwide expansion plan. With this acquisition, the Skyline family of companies is able to offer growth and expansion opportunities throughout Seattle, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Skyline Enterprises holds a variety of commercial real estate and construction companies across the country that share similarities in their people-first business model including Bay Area based Skyline Construction Inc. and Skyline Capital Builders LLC, and Chicago based ACCEND Construction LLC. All companies operate as experts in their respective markets utilizing their own brand name and identity while sharing the collective resources of the firm’s SkyService Team, a group of subject matter experts in the fields of human resources, legal, finance, safety, branding, sales, IT & security.

“We are honored to welcome the UNIMARK and Servicemark teams into our growing family of companies,” said Jessica Carps, COO of Skyline Enterprises. “Our firms have been partners for many years sharing clients and supporting each other in our individual markets. This acquisition marks the formalization of our partnership, and will allow us to enhance the services and geographic footprint offered to our clients, while leveraging talent and opportunities across our combined companies.”

Skyline, UNIMARK and Servicemark share a natural alignment in core values and workplace culture. They believe strongly in a people-first mindset and position clients, partners and employees at the heart of the business. These clear similarities translate into the way the firms serve clients, conduct business operations, and value employees.

“The Skyline structure offers UNIMARK and Servicemark many wonderful opportunities including scalable growth, succession planning and organizational support,” said Chris Henderson, President of UNIMARK Construction. “Most importantly, I am drawn to their Employee Stock Ownership Plan which rewards the hard work of the entire team through employee-ownership.”

All day-to-day business operations and teams at UNIMARK and Servicemark will remain the same. Clients will continue to receive the same consistent, best in class experience they have always appreciated from the commercial interiors general contractor with revenues of $70 million annually. The acquisition affords UNIMARK and Servicemark the opportunity to capitalize on Seattle’s booming construction market and grow their business sustainably.

The Skyline family of companies’ model is unique to the commercial real estate and construction industry – giving the ability to provide a national vs. local offering but with a more personal feel then large, national construction companies because of its focus on people and local market brands. All companies remain 100% employee-owned through Skyline’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan and share operating processes, technology solutions and an innovation roadmap to create a seamless client experience. Skyline is poised for further expansion in the coming years as they look to grow into additional markets nationwide.