R & O Construction is a nationally-known general contractor and construction manager specializing in commercial, industrial and institutional building construction with a regional office located in Las Vegas.
An award-winning company, R & O operates in 16 of the western United States and offers more than 27 years of solid expertise. It is ranked 229th in Engineering News Recordās Top 400 Contractors for 2005 and is the17th Top Retail Contractor in the nation. R & O has received many noteworthy awards, including the National Commercial Builders Council 2005 Grand Award for the Hofbrauhaus Restaurant in Las Vegas. The company has also been recognized for maintaining one of the highest safety records in the industry.
Orluff Opheikens, CEO, founded R & O Construction in Ogden, Utah in 1978 as a residential construction company, but in 1980 it became a commercial construction company. Throughout the ā80s, R & O became recognized as a prominent player in Utah and neighboring western states. By the ā90s, its client base included retail, institutional and commercial businesses.
R & O Construction specializes in design-assist or design-build and construction management projects for retail centers, office complexes, public buildings, churches, healthcare centers, recreation projects, warehouses and production facilities. It has completed some mid-rise condos (five stories), but has not entered the high-rise condo market.
Erik Skogstad, vice president in charge of the Las Vegas office, said, āWe started out doing retail projects and have built up a good reputation with a number of national retail firms, including Wal-Mart, Lowes and Home Depot. In addition to building for these companies, we have completed projects for Smithās, Albertsonās and local developers Territory Inc. and Montecito.ā
He added, āWe do retail, office, industrial and multi-family for private developers.ā Local R & O Construction projects include Silverado Ranch Station, Mountain View Professional Park, Mountain Dream Center, Solera at Anthem Recreation Center, Wright Engineering Building, Vonās, Sunset Retail Center, Hofbrauhaus Restaurant, Sav-on Drugs, Opportunity Village and Sun City Anthem Recreation Center. The company has worked for developers such as Christopher Commercial, Thomas & Mack Development Group, AmSource and Del Webb. Because of a busy market, R & O has had the luxury of turning down public works jobs, which are very competitive and require extra paperwork, according to Skogstad.
R & O has grown substantially from a company of two to a workforce of over 200 employees. Skogstad said, āWe are having the same challenges other local builders face in finding enough qualified employees. Itās important to know what the competition is doing in terms of wages, benefits and incentives, so we can match them. To retain employees, we try to provide a great working environment and keep the lines of communication open.ā
The companyās corporate office is located in Ogden, Utah. Nevada operations are managed from the Las Vegas regional office, with 10 employees in the office and 15 employees in the field.
R & O Construction is affiliated with organizations such as the American Institute of Architects, the International Council of Shopping Centers, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, local chambers of commerce, Associated Contractors and Builders and many others at both national and local levels.
Giving back to the community includes supporting local communities with construction management scholarships and internships and supporting many non-profit organizations with sponsorships, donations and volunteers. In addition, R & Oās annual golf tournament raises proceeds for several organizations, including the American Cancer Society, Opportunity Village, Child Advocacy Centers and Juvenile Diabetes Research.