Published July 2002

Kirtley-Cole grows biotech, school, medical markets

By John Wolcott
Herald Business Journal Editor

Even in a soft economy, Kirtley-Cole Associates in Snohomish has found ways to stay busy, expanding its successful medical facility work and growing its special-projects division.

In a way, the shift in the economy has helped the firm do even better. President Ray Kirtley said being able to attract several key people from the mega-contractor McCarthy Construction when it closed its Northwest offices in King County has boosted Kirtley-Cole’s expertise in several areas, particularly in building biotech facilities.

“Our core business in recent years has been in the medical and hospital fields. Now, with one of McCarthy’s experts in biotech, we’re leveraging our relationships and looking for more work there as the Snohomish County Economic Development Council and other government agencies work to attract more biotech firms,” he said.

Another growth market for the firm has been pre-construction service, providing small to medium-size businesses with the firm’s expertise in dealing with zoning, permitting and the regulatory maze, as well as budgeting and planning projects.

“It often takes a couple years to pre-plan and get projects designed and approved and only a few months to build them, so we’re marketing our design/build and pre-planning experience we’ve gained over the years to a new sector of the business community,” Kirtley said.

School construction is another major market looming on the horizon for the firm, he said, noting the firm has landed the first state-negotiated contract for construction of a school, rather than using the common bid practice.

“The education and public-works sector has no control over much of the process, price or people they associate with on a construction project, and often the price rises beyond what their budget can afford. We’re building Mann Elementary in Redmond for the Lake Washington School District, acting as the general contractor and the construction manager. If this works as well as we think it will, this could become the way schools are built in the future,” he said.

Shane Tapert, General Manager of the firm’s Special Project Division, said schools and medical and private projects tend to be impacted less by any recession, plus the escalating demand for medical services has become a growing market to service.

“In the medical field, we’re also acting as the construction manager for projects such as the medical offices at the Stevens Hospital campus and Valley General’s planned expansion in Monroe,” Tapert said.

When it’s finished next May, the $15.5 million, four-story medical office facility at Stevens Hospital will include a women’s center with three ultrasound and mammography suites and a state-of-the-art stereotactic diagnostic tool for breast biopsies.

Other tenants will include the Stevens Hospital Sleep Laboratory, Swedish Cardiology, Hadfield’s Pharmacy, Stevens Center for Internal Medicine, Stevens Orthopedic Group, Stevens Pulmonary, Surgical Associates of Edmonds, a radiology facility and a testing lab. Owned by Teutsch Partners LLC of Seattle, it was designed by Taylor Gregory Architects of Edmonds.

Kirtley-Cole Associates is also working on remodeling projects for Providence Health Systems’ three Everett campuses on Pacific Avenue, Colby Avenue and north Broadway.

In the private sector, the firm’s Special Project Division is involved in the building of the Buffalo Square shopping center on 132nd Street SE, east of Murphy’s Corner, featuring a Chevron station with a restaurant, car wash and espresso stand, a Minute Lube, fitness center and Kindercare facility, Tapert said.

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