Veteran Contractor Rudolph and Sletten Focuses on Trust, Relationships, and Results

Having worked in the Bay Area for more than half a century, commercial construction company Rudolph and Sletten, Inc. (R&S) has left its imprint across a vast swath of the local landscape. It lays claim to some of the region's most technically challenging structures, from the Monterey Bay Aquarium to UCSF's Mission Bay Cardiovascular Research Institute, not to mention buildings for Silicon Valley luminaries like Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel.

The contractor has strong ties to Hacienda as well, having built the environmentally pioneering Shaklee headquarters at 4747 Willow Road and the two-building, 210,000 square foot Hacienda West, at 3825 and 3875 Hopyard Road.

While headquartered on the other side of the bay, on an 11-building campus in Redwood City, also its own construction, R&S put down deeper roots in the business park with the opening of a satellite office in 2001. The office, at 5980 Stoneridge Drive, is home to a variety of staff and utilized by many aspects of the organization, including preconstruction, operations, finance, and virtual design and construction.

"We located there for two reasons: so we can be close - and more responsive - to our local clients, and to provide employees with the opportunity to work closer to home. It improves their quality of life, which is important for us," observes Vice President of Operations Marcus Staniford.

A firm believer that "the strongest aspect of our organization is our people," Staniford notes that the company's carefully cultivated, long-term client relationships, coupled with deep experience and a diverse portfolio, have helped it weather the storm that enveloped the construction industry over the past several years, and from which it has now clearly emerged.

"About 85 percent of our business comes from repeat clients," he says. "They understand the value of working with our organization. We are very ethical, transparent in our process, and innovative in our approach to planning and construction."

The firm maintains a robust sense of collaboration at all stages in the process. "When we are hired along with the architect, we can work collaboratively to make sure that, as the design progresses, budget, scope, and schedule are well aligned with the owner's expectations," Staniford explains. The basis of this practice includes continuous coordination with the design team and the clients "to ensure we meet the project goals at every stage of the process."

An investment in virtual design and construction technology has bolstered the contractor's ability to provide early conceptual support so clients can envision what the final product will look like. In one instance, R&S created a virtual model for more than a half-million-square-foot, multi-building campus from just 10 client drawings. The data included a full detailed cost estimate for the project.

Among notable current work is UCSF's $94 million Global Health and Clinical Sciences Building, in Mission Bay, slated for completion late next summer. The firm is also completing work on Fresenius Medical Care's $20 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Concord for Harvest Properties.

"Rudolph and Sletten has a tremendous depth of resources and the expertise to complete any project - from new buildings to renovations or upgrades to existing facilities," Staniford concludes.

For more information, visit www.rsconstruction.com.

Photo: This rendering shows an exterior perspective of UCSF's Mission Hall courtyard at night. (Photo courtesy of Rudolph and Sletten, Inc.)

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