Q&D Construction has been building Nevada since 1964, taking jobs big and small, primarily within 65 miles of Reno. “We do everything,” said owner Norm Dianda. And he has chosen to do most of it in Reno. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in Northern Nevada. It’s a great place to live, work and play, and that’s why we love this place,” said Dianda. “That’s a slogan we’ve believed in for quite a few years now – ever since we worked with Rose Glenn [Advertising] to develop it.”
Dianda got his start in a cabinet shop at age 15, while still in high school. In 1979 he opened Artefice by Dianda, a premier millwork and cabinet manufacturer. Artefice builds furniture, architectural beams and moldings, cabinets, and complete interior finishes for homes and offices.
Q&D does just about everything related to the building industry. Its general engineering department builds roads and performs dirt work, installs underground utilities from gas to water, sewer, fiber, telephone, electric and anything else that goes in the ground. It builds curbs, gutters and sidewalks and does paving work. It builds infrastructure for major subdivision developers, in some 1,500 subdivision lots a year.
The building division constucts everything from hospitals to hotel/casinos, warehouses, retail centers and office buildings. “If it pertains to buildings, we’ll build it,” said Dianda. Q & D’s Special Projects division handles small jobs, from repairs in existing homes to remodels. Another division works in high-end luxury estate homes at Lake Tahoe. Three homes currently under construction are valued at roughly $19 million.
Q&D employs some 400 people year-round and its staff peaks at around 700 in the summer. Built and positioned to be client-oriented, the company negotiates on projects and does some hard bidding, but Dianda said relationships are the key to winning contracts. “We don’t look at doing one job for a client – we look at building a relationship so we will do their work in the future,” he explained.
Diana claims Q&D has hardly felt the most recent economic downturn, but he takes nothing for granted. “You always need to be looking over your shoulder with a little bit of fear,” he said. “Even in a good market, something can happen that will affect business in a big way. You can never get complacent.”
Being the client’s partner has been company practice since day one, and recently Q&D’s very first client – a small kitchen remodel in 1964 – called to have a parking lot paved. “That’s a 30-year relationship. That’s what it’s all about,” said Dianda.
The philosophy pays off. In 2000 Q&D ranked 377 on the Engineering News Record’s Top 400 Contractors list (based on volume of work completed). In 2003 the company ranked 295.
Q&D is a Partner in Education with the Washoe County School District, exposing kids to the construction trade. In line with its interest in education, it is building the new Bishop Manogue Catholic High School, expected to be completed in July 2004, and the Eagle Valley Children’s Home in Carson City.
The new Saint Mary’s Hospital project is still in the planning stages, but Q&D is building the new campus and parking garage, professional office building, central plaza and emergency room expansion.
In northwest Reno, Q&D is building the master-planned community of Somersett, bringing in 2,000 new homes, apartments and townhouses, two golf courses and over two miles of new roads. Like a city within a city, Somersett branches off the main roads so none of the houses are located on busy streets.
Among its many awards, Q&D has won three Pinnacle Awards from Associated General Contractors and two Gold Nugget Awards from Pacific Coast Builders Conference.
