Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Representatives from Turner Construction and Turner Interiors were on hand to discuss the commercial real estate market and their company on today’s All About Real Estate edition of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. Mark Dent, vice president and general manager for Georgia and the Carolinas at Turner Construction, and John Lichtenwalter, general manager for Turner Interiors, represented the company, which is the largest commercial construction general contractor in the country.
With about 40 offices located throughout the country, Turner Construction typically does around $400 million in business in the Atlanta market alone in one year in areas including healthcare, higher education and more. With an office in Atlanta dating back to 1976, Turner Construction has a strong history in the city and was able to weather the economic storm that hit the Southeast especially hard. During this time, the company hunkered down, never stopped hiring and waited out the storm.
Now, as the market strengthens and grows, prices are escalating, competition is heating up and Turner Construction is continuing to work on some of Atlanta’s most impressive projects. Some of the projects that Turner is most well-known for include multiple projects at UGA, such as the new School of Veterinary Medicine, the Forsyth County Courthouse, Grady Hospital and the BMW facility in Greenville, South Carolina. Turner Construction is also behind the new Three Alliance office tower coming out of the ground in Buckhead.
With such a wide variety of project types, Turner Construction features a dedicated staff that specializes in each market. Projects have full-time executives committed to the client, the subcontractors, vendors and everyone involved. In addition, these executives specialize in one specific project type.
As Turner Construction continued to grow, the company realized the need for a specialized group that understood the work involved in completing the interior of a structure. The vendors, subcontractors, clients and scope of work for these types of projects is somewhat different than that of a general contractor. People involved in these projects think differently, and the need to work cohesively with these people resulted in the creation of Turner Interiors.
Specializing in corporate commercial interiors, Turner Interiors works on complicated interior projects and renovations ranging from $5 million to $15 million. One recent well-known project in the Atlanta market is the Three Ravinia lobby, which it recently transformed from a humid rainforest to a beautiful, contemporary lobby. Turner Interiors was also responsible for helping Pulte Homes relocate its corporate headquarters to Atlanta.
Organized like a small general contractor, Turner Interiors has a unique structure that is backed by the resources of Turner Construction. In each project, a consistent staff sees it through from start to finish, which results in the development of relationships that also generate repeat business.
For both Turner Construction and Turner Interiors, the focus is on the communities in which it operates. Connecting with community is important because Turner Construction doesn’t want to be recognized as the largest builder in the country; instead, they want to be identified as part of the community.
One of the ways Turner facilitates its community partnership is through its national youth mentorship program that aims to get children excited about engineering and construction. The company also participates in a Paint the Town Blue two-day event each year that essentially closes the company down, allowing all employees to participate in community service projects. This commitment to the community is just one of the things that differentiates Turner Construction from its competitors.
To learn more about Turner Construction and Turner Interiors, listen to the full podcast above and then visit www.TurnerConstruction.com. To contact John at Turner Interiors, call 404-295-1825 or email jlictenwal@tcco.com. To contact Mike and Turner Construction, call 404-504-3700 or email mdent@tcco.com.
________________________________________________________
Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio’s “All About Real Estate” segment airs on Fridays and highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact 770-383-3360 or via the contact form on this site.
Please download and subscribe to all of the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcasts on iTunes. If you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it.