2022 Year in Review – Week 3

12/13/2022

It’s week 3 of our 2022 Year in Review Series and we’re taking a look at some of the projects we constructed right in our ‘backyard’, so to speak. With a new owner-user manufacturing plant, high-tech product picking equipment, a local district administrative office remodel, an industrial warehouse and a new self-storage building, the projects we tackled in 2022 were both varied and unique!

To begin, let’s take a look at a local owner-user, a well-known and reputable brand.


Leupold + Stevens

Perlo developed this new distribution center adjacent to the Leupold & Stevens active manufacturing plant and constructed the building utilizing concrete tilt-up panels, metal decking, and built-up roofing. In addition to the main warehouse area, this project features a thickened slab for heavy material storage, two separate office spaces with custom finishes, a stormwater detention system, and public right of way improvements to accommodate a widened driveway.

The project team collaborated closely with the Architect, CIDA and Developer, Stratus Real Estate Developers throughout the preconstruction, design, and permitting process. The permitting process was complicated by the location of the building, since multiple jurisdictions weighed in on the project including the city of Beaverton and Washington County. Clean Water Services also required extensive permits and inspections. Building constraints also included maintaining access to the existing Leupold & Stevens manufacturing facility.

Perlo’s crews self-performed the following scopes:

  • Structural concrete foundations, slabs and tilt-up walls
  • Miscellaneous rough carpentry
  • Miscellaneous accessories installation
  • Doors, frames and hardware installation

Early planning and coordination paid off for the team in terms of a successful delivery of this new facility. Perlo Senior Project Manager, Jordan Peterson, reflected that “we were able to build the project on an active campus with Leupold and they were very happy with our team, our communication and ultimately, they love their new building.”

Perlo Team

Jordan Peterson | Senior Project Manager

Jakob Eisenbeiss | Project Engineer

Darrell Budge | Superintendent

Isaac Hobb | Foreman

Kathy Ohannessian | APM

Dennis Bonin | Director of Safety

Reilly West – GXO

Constructed in Hillsboro, Oregon, this fully insulated, 27,000 SF concrete tilt-up building with steel decking is complete with racking, offices, break rooms, restrooms, and conference rooms, as well as both a walk-in cooler and freezer, and electric forklift chargers. In addition, the site includes twenty-seven dock doors, vehicular parking, electric vehicle charging stations and a large bio-swale and landscaping.

This unique project presented a myriad of obstacles that offered Perlo an opportunity to rise to the occasion to deliver successful results for the end-user. These obstacles were met with quick and creative thinking, extensive planning and coordination with all parties, and confidence in the capabilities and experience of the team. These obstacles included:

  • Extensive rainfall (99 days with at least 1/10th of an inch from August to June)
  • Supply chain issues and delays in the delivery of the electrical gear and emergency backup generator
  • Challenges in acquiring permits

The Perlo work crews self-performed the following scopes:

  • Structural concrete including footings, aprons, dock pits, slabs, and panels
  • Door, frames, and hardware Installation
  • Toilet accessories installation
  • Roof accessories installation
  • Smoking shelter installation

Most unique about this project was the preparation of the robotic package picking system by AutoStore in a section of the warehouse. To function properly, the floor was designed to have a special rating for both floor flatness and floor levelness. To learn more about this unique process, read our featured blog post GXO: A Warehouse to Admire. Perlo Project Manager Taylor Regier reflected that, “we were able to find solutions over the course of months of detailed coordination efforts to still deliver the project on time.”

Perlo Team

Chris McInroe | Project Director

Taylor Regier | Project Manager

Gary Lundervold | Superintendent

Kyle Kowalski | Foreman

Brooke Carswell | APM

Mike Souder | Field Safety Coordinator

Sandy Industrial Lot II

This sprawling industrial building was built on 8-acres in Portland, Oregon and features twenty-five dock doors, dock levelers, and 3,500 SF of office space. The projected required extensive sitework to remove and reuse what seemed like a never-ending supply of boulders and the integration of an eyebrow canopy to conceal required sprinkler heads.

During preconstruction, an extensive amount of planning was done to work with the site conditions and grades. Unlike most tilt buildings, the new tilt panels were installed about 11’ under the exterior finished grade, which dramatically complicated the tilt-up process. A specialty material was used for the backfill to ensure the panels will withhold the loading.

Perlo’s team self-performed the following scopes:

  • Structural concrete including footings, aprons, dock pits, slabs, and panels
  • Miscellaneous carpentry
  • Doors, frames & hardware installation

When asked about the challenge of the site in terms of size and conditions, Senior Project Manager, Jordan Peterson, explained that the picking of the panels was an extraordinary challenge. He remarked that, “we had it planned down to literally inches of space that we had available for our crane.”

Taking all these factors into consideration and being able to rise to the occasion and not only manage, but successfully overcome all of the site challenges was a great triumph for the team.

Perlo Team

Jordan Peterson | Senior Project Manager

Whitney Peterson | Project Manager

Jack Johnson | Superintendent

Jean Rwandika | Project Engineer

McKayla Marshall | APM

West Coast Self-Storage

Located in Happy Valley, Oregon, this project consisted of the ground-up construction of a 57,000 SF, three-story self-storage building and the remodel of an existing 41,000 SF tilt building. With a combined 98,000 square feet, Perlo completed both buildings in a compressed 11-month timeline. Each building’s design features high-end exterior finishes and architectural towers to meet the requirements of the local jurisdiction..

When asked about what made the project unique, Superintendent Mike Lutz had one word: “location.” The jobsite was in close proximity to a major roadway which required that the project team maintain strict traffic control measures to ensure all scheduled deliveries could access the site with ease. In addition, because of its dense, urban location, the site was small and difficult to manage.

Perlo’s team self-performed the following scopes:

  • Seismic upgrades
  • Doors, frames & hardware installation
  • Structural concrete, footings & slabs

Another critical factor that required special planning was the existing power lines surrounding the jobsite. Every one of these challenges were considered and addressed with meticulous care by the project team, allowing us to complete the project in a compressed timeframe.

Perlo Team

Jeremy Maynard | Project Director

Erich Schmidt | Senior Project Manager

Mike Lutz | Superintendent

Devon Panosh | Foreman

Dennis Bonin | Director of Safety

Final Thoughts

Perlo Construction is never one to shy away from a challenge. We understand that in construction, every detail counts. Perlo Practice # 9 is to “Finish Strong: even if you get 99% right, they’ll only remember the 1% you get wrong”. We know that if we dig deep and ensure no stone is left unturned, we can meticulously execute our planning to deliver high-quality projects each and every time.