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Bridging Employees to Benefit Our Customers

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Bridging Employees Benefit CustomersBeginning last Fall, we set out to build a Huff communication tool with the goal of centralizing our company’s information.

Simply put, we wanted to build a tool that would connect all of our employees no matter how geographically spread out we might be and a tool that would make doing our jobs easier and more effective.

The tool, Huffnet, was built for the direct benefit of our employees and organization but it will also benefit our customers as well. At Huff, we always have our client’s interest as our number one priority and work to keep them informed with ongoing communication. Huffnet will provide our employees with a communication tool that is available 24/7. When our employees are connected and communication is enabled, everyone benefits, especially our customers.

Huffnet provides our employees with a great deal of assets and information that are easily accessible from their cell phones and PCs. Below are just a few assets that our team members can access anytime.

  • RESOURCES: which includes how-to guides, experts to call when an employee needs help and Huff YouTube which are training videos on internal processes
  • IT SUPPORT: a place where employees can find help through FAQ’s any time or submit a support request to get help resolving any technological issues
  • SCHEDULE IT: a spot where employees can schedule everything from a conference room to equipment or even submit a request for manpower

Throughout our forty-plus years in business, we have learned the value of embracing new technology.  Over the years, our Huff team has worked hard to seek out and implement tools and processes that facilitate efficient communication which allows us to better serve our customers. Our design-build project delivery method is an example of a process that we implemented. We incorporate weekly team meetings for clients who take advantage of our design-build process. Constant communication throughout a project is not only critical to a project’s success but it also reaps benefits such as shorter construction time frames, design cost savings, and maximum cost control. We also make use of Skype, WebEx, and Facetime on project sites when projects are geographically distant from our main office. This technology allows us to still maintain a connection throughout construction. Using these platforms also allows us to visually review projects if we cannot physically walk through a project each week.

With the launch of Huffnet, we are proud to add another tool to our employee’s tool box as we serve our growing customer base. We designed and built Huffnet to support our team today and as we continue to grow and expand in the future.  We look forward to Huffnet becoming a part of our team’s daily routine and we know that the benefits it brings to our employees will also benefit our customers.

By Naomi Layland
Marketing/Business Development Director

 

The Huff Difference

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The Huff Difference

This April, I will have been a part of Huff Construction for 18 years.

During my time here I have noticed certain things that really do make our company stand out from our competitors. I believe these points of difference are why we have been successful over the past 45+ years, and they are also what will drive our success going forward.

A Team Approach

In a typical construction ‘process’ a client will bring a project to the commercial contractor on paper, and the information will be used to develop pricing and assemble the team to construct it. At Huff, many of our projects are for repeat clients, and our team is trusted from the beginning to negotiate and develop the projects.  Whether we are using a traditional delivery or a design-build delivery method, the team approach that we lead on behalf of our clients ensures efficiency, time savings, and cost controls. The team approach is definitely a core value to success here at Huff.  Additionally, our Huff team itself is key to our success as we work together to deliver our projects.

Consistency Across All We Do

At Huff, we execute a variety of projects using a wide range of building materials. The ways in which we deliver our projects are customizable to meet the needs of our diverse customer base.  Whether a project is large or small there are often many similarities. Many projects require the same scope of work: concrete foundations, frames, electrical wiring, plumbing and more.  While the budget, time of construction and the building materials may differ, a solid, systematic approach is always essential. At our core, we are a general contractor committed to building projects of outstanding quality and value no matter their size or value.

Commitment to “The Huff Way”

Every employee that works at Huff is trained to take ownership for their work and their role here at the company.  This could include everything from their participation during the design phase of a project, to their input towards our processes, and to their performance at a job site.  Our team approaches every project as if they were building it for themselves. This level of commitment towards a project translates into success.  Many of our employees have been a part of the Huff Team for many years which shows how committing to “The Huff Way” benefits our work environment. Our clients also recognize our commitment which is why they return to us to build their next project for them.

Building Excellence from Start to Finish

At the end of the day, we want our clients to recognize that Huff Construction builds excellent projects in a way that can’t be offered by other contractors. Our goal is to have a high-quality finished building but we also strive for more. We want the entire process, from initial budgeting to turnover of keys, to be excellent. We do our best to make sure that our project’s entire process is an experience unique to Huff Construction.

I am proud to have been part of the Huff team for the past 18 years and I look forward to seeing what the next 18 years have in store.

By Bob Ott
VP of Construction Services

 

High Quality Affordable Housing Projects

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Many local communities are looking to build affordable housing complexes to offer their residents reasonably priced living options.  Huff Construction is proud to be part of building such complexes because while they are affordable they are just as well-crafted as any other Huff project.  Our dedication to constructing affordable housing is visible in our hometown of Modesto, California where we’ve constructed two housing communities: Tower Park Affordable Housing for senior citizens and the Archway Commons low-income housing complex. In both cases, these apartments are high quality and attractive yet remain affordable and accessible to the people who need them.

Both the Tower Park Affordable Housing and Archway Commons projects include many unique features.  In the case of Tower Park, the complex includes 50 living units plus a community room, lounge, fitness center and raised vegetable planters. Designed for its senior residents in mind the complex features waist-high molding for residents to use as hand-rails and floors with unique colors to help potentially forgetful residents find their way back to their home.  It also includes numerous green building features such as solar water heating, environmentally sensitive interior finishes, low-flow faucets and shower heads, green label carpet, and Energy Star-rate appliances. The 76-unit Archway Commons also has a unique green feature – solar panels over the car parking lot. Complete with a community center that offers a large outdoor area with a pool and picnic area plus an indoor common room, all the bottom floor units are ADA compliant.

At Huff, we take pride in our work and are committed to constructing the highest quality projects possible. While we build a wide variety of projects we believe building excellence must be the foundation of every project we construct – from hotels to grocery stores, from schools to affordable housing complexes – the same level of quality applies to every project that bears the Huff name. This unwavering commitment to quality has resulted in our ongoing success and is the reason customers return to work with us year after year

If you’re considering constructing affordable housing units in your area, we invite you to look over our portfolio and consider Huff Construction.  We would love to partner with you on your next project. For more information about us, please review our website or give us a call.

High-Quality-Affordable-Housing-Projects

Dust Bowl Brewing Company & Huff Construction

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At Huff Construction, we love watching as our client’s projects come to completion.  This is especially exciting for our design-build projects since we have truly seen the entire project come together working with the owner from the very beginning.  This summer we were thrilled to watch as the Dust Bowl Brewing Company expansion opened to the public.

The new taproom includes expansive windows that wrap around the bar and views into the brewing and packaging area.  The new taproom seats 120 people inside and 160 people can be accommodated on the patio, with another 120 in the beer garden. The outdoor patio and beer garden area offers visitors a place to relax and enjoy a bite to eat, a beer or two and a number of outdoor games. Guests can play corn hole, a giant-sized Jenga, life-size Connect Four and bocce.

The Dust Bowl Brewery is a 30,000 square foot metal building.  At Huff Construction, we pride ourselves on working with our customers to identify the perfect building for each job.  Our metal building systems provide the ultimate solution for a wide variety of industries and project types. For Dust Bowl, it was the perfect fit to expand their facility which will allow them to go from producing 4,800 barrels of beer a year to up to 20,000 barrels a year. Plus, it was the right solution to create the ambiance they were looking for in their new brewery’s taproom.

To really understand the scope and scale of this project take a moment and check out this video of the project.

Dust Bowl’s new brewery and taproom are located at 3000 Fulkerth Rd., Turlock. We hope you will visit them yourself and enjoy this great local business!

Huff Construction – In Our Employee’s Words

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When he founded Huff Construction in 1971, Duane Huff was determined to build a great commercial construction company. His dedication to quality and commitment to hard work quickly built Huff’s reputation for “Building Excellence.”  In fact, Duane’s endless focus on quality and hard work became so ingrained in our company culture that our employees now refer to it as, “The Huff Way.” After a quick conversation with employees at every level of our company, it is clear that they all take pride in carrying on Duane’s vision for Huff Construction even 46 years later.

Tim Bughi, a member of the Huff team for more than 20 years, stated that “At Huff, we maintain quality every step of the way on our projects. Our jobs are built day-to-day with quality from start to finish. As a General Superintendent I know my job is not just about production, my job is about keeping my eye on quality because that is the ‘Huff Way’ and that is what keeps our customers coming back.”

“Quality is what gets us business which is why we are trained to take the extra step,” according to Will Huff, a member of the Huff team since 1998. “Most of us learned this business from the ground up doing every job.  The importance of quality was instilled into us by Duane himself.”

“In my experience, Huff sets the bar higher than the average contractor to make sure our customers are completely happy with what we are doing,” commented Kevin Ferguson, a Huff team member since 2005.  Shane Sayers, a Project Manager, agreed with this comment adding, “At Huff, we always have the owner’s interest as our number one priority and work to keep them informed with ongoing communication.”

“At Huff, we are proud of what we do,” said Miguel Lopes who joined Huff about 5 years ago.  “We are proud of the quality that we put into every project.  We show our pride through our finished projects and in our owner’s satisfaction. I say ‘we’ not ‘I’ because at Huff we truly are a team.”

Leroy Kinser, a member of the Huff team for more than a decade summed it up best when asked to comment about Huff and quality. “Our goal is to build the best, longest lasting, and highest quality project possible. A project that will stand the test of time – this is the definition of ‘Building Excellence.’ At Huff, we set very high standards as far as quality goes because that is our reputation, and our reputation is what gets us jobs whether they come through referrals or returning clients. We will never compromise on quality – that has been instilled in me throughout my years at Huff.”

The President and CEO of Huff Construction were overjoyed after seeing what their employees had to say about the legacy left by their founder. Brad Ardis, the President of Huff Construction, commented, “It is wonderful to see that 45 years later, we remain true to Duane’s original commitment to quality and hard work.” Gary Huff, the CEO of Huff Construction, added, “We are honored to be leading this great company that Duane built.  As we look to the future of Huff Construction we look forward to seeing what the next 45 years have for us in our ongoing pursuit of ‘Building Excellence’.”

Huff Construction

5 Ways to Prep for Your Corporate Office Remodel

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At Huff Construction we work hard to be more than just the best commercial contractor. We also strive to be the best partner.  We believe that part of being a great partner is making sure that our clients’ projects go smoothly.  Whether we are building a large retail space, constructing a complex medical facility or leading a corporate office remodel, our decades of experience have provided us with the tools to ensure that our projects start, stay and finish on track.

Corporate office remodels might initially seem like the type of job that would not require as much forethought as other larger projects.  However, when it comes to corporate office remodels there is a great deal of pre-planning and thinking that should be done in order to ensure a successful project.  We have identified 5 key Huff ways that we help our clients prep for a corporate office remodel.  As we kick-off the project we walk through these questions together and make sure that they have been considered before design or any other phase begins.

First, the big picture – where is your company headed?  Why are you remodeling? Are you adding employees? Are you changing your image? What is driving this change? Where will you be 5 years from now and are we preparing for that today?

Second, how do you make money? How do we think about that in your remodel? Are we accommodating that? Protecting that?

Third, what is the workflow in your office? What are the interdepartmental relationships? Who needs to work with who? Who are the money makers and where are they going to sit? Where do your customers come in? Who do you want them to walk by? Where do you want your conference room to be?

Fourth, what is important to your employees? Have you asked them? Will they tell you? Do you want us to ask them?

Lastly, what is your image or the image you want to convey? How do we want to communicate that in your building in terms of the flooring, the fixtures, the finishes? Think back on the workflow and where your customers are coming through, do you want to spend more dollars on those areas?

Our years of experience in corporate remodels have taught us that one of the keys to success is taking the time to thoughtfully prepare by asking the right questions.  When you work with us, you can count on Huff to know which questions to ask.  At the end of the day with Huff Construction you get a great commercial contractor and a true partner.

Corporate Office Remodel

Wallis Ranch Kindred House Design Build Project

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Located in Dublin, California Wallis Ranch is a gated residential home community that offers 8 distinctive neighborhoods.  Part of the community is a unique area referred to as the Kindred House.  Designed to bring residents together and foster community, the Wallis Ranch Kindred House includes indoor and outdoor spaces for relaxation.  Huff Construction partnered with Wallis Ranch to bring the Kindred House to life. Along with the Kindred House, we built additional infrastructure pieces which tied areas of the community together.

The Wallis Ranch Kindred House project was part of Huff Construction’s design-build process, a process that starts at the very beginning of a project and involves close teamwork between Huff and our clients. Utilizing constant communication from the very beginning of the project creates effective teamwork which delivers tangible benefits to our clients.  Owners who participate in our design-build projects can expect:

  • Shorter design time frames: our rigorous design schedules include weekly team meetings, which hold each team member accountable for progress every week.
  • Shorter permitting time frames: our experience with the permitting process allows us to effectively navigate the red tape.
  • Reduced stress on the owner: we act as a single point of contact in overseeing the design, permitting and construction phases of the project.
  • Design cost savings: owners save money on design by utilizing design-build subcontractors.
  • Construction cost savings: our weekly team meetings allow the design team to coordinate resulting in cleaner plans and eliminating unnecessary change orders.
  • Maximum cost control: we establish a budget up front with the owner and design toward the budget which eliminates “surprises” on bid day as well as delays and costs associated with re-designing plans.

At Wallis Ranch’s Kindred House, we were able to execute our design-build process and do all of the up-front work in order to ensure that the end result delivered everything our client had in mind. This included determining the correct building solution which in this case turned out to be a metal building.  Our metal buildings provide the ultimate solution for a wide variety of industries and project types offering a high performance building with low maintenance ownership, at an affordable price.

Here at Huff Construction we love watching as our client’s projects come to life.  This is especially exciting for our design-build projects since we have truly seen the entire project come together from concept to completion.  The 6,000 square foot Kindred House at Wallis Ranch is a place where people find relaxation both indoors and outdoors. It offers residents a beautiful terrace area, a large pool, an indoor family room, a playground plus a fitness center. To learn more about this beautiful community visit www.wallisranch.com.

Support Local: Central Valley Business Summit

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At Huff Construction we believe in giving back to our local community. We do this in a variety of ways such as supporting meaningful events like the upcoming Central Valley Business Summit. Now in its second year, this unique event strives to provide attendees with a clear understanding of our local business climate along with the opportunity to fine tune their leadership skills, and walk away with clear take-aways that they can implement immediately into their overall business strategy.

This year in addition to sponsoring the event our own President, Brad Ardis, has agreed to be part of the opening Management and Leadership Panel. This will be a truly unique session as Brad will join other successful, second-generation business leaders including Evan Porges of Primeshine and Ian Grimbleby of Grimbleby-Coleman. They will each share their own personal leadership philosophy, answer a series of questions from a moderator and also field questions from the audience. The opportunity to hear from local leaders who have been part of building successful family businesses, will offer attendees a chance for unique learning. We have no doubt that it will be a lively and entertaining session with this panel on stage.

In addition to Brad’s involvement this year, our own Marketing/Business Development Director, Naomi Layland played an integral role in creating and running the first Central Valley Business Summit event and is involved with this year’s upcoming event. We are grateful to have employees who are so dedicated to the community around us. This is a true reflection of “The Huff Way.”

At Huff we recognize the value in going beyond just writing a check, and actually participating in the events that we are supporting. Our CEO, Gary Huff, and President, Brad Ardis, encourage all of our employees to get involved, give back and support the communities in which we live and operate. As part of our local community for more than 45 years, we are proud to come alongside our employees and support a variety of nonprofits, charitable foundations, community events, and much more. At Huff we see great value in investing in the future of the communities in which we live and work. ‪‬‬

The Central Valley Business Summit is taking place Thursday, October 25, 2016, at the Double Tree/Modesto Centre Plaza from 8:00am to 2:30pm, with lunch and key note speaker at 11:30, if you haven’t booked your spot yet we hope you will do so soon! To learn more visit http://www.modchamber.org/central-valley-business-summit or contact the Modesto Chamber of Commerce at (209) 577-5757.central_valley_business_summit_logo_blog

Huff Construction’s Metal Buildings

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At Huff Construction we are committed to offering a variety of building delivery methods such as our metal building solutions. Metal buildings provide our customers with an innovative, energy efficient and cost effective solution for their building needs. 

tom-cosentino

Huff’s reputation in the building industry and our commitment to excellence and quality extends to Huff Metal Buildings, Inc. our metal building company led by Tom Cosentino. Tom, a longtime Huff partner, has 39 years of experience in metal building construction. Tom’s experience, tenacity, and leadership partnered with our Huff team make us your perfect partner when it comes to a metal building solution.

Thanks to new state energy criteria, metal buildings are becoming a great solution for building owners to embrace. These energy efficient buildings go up quickly and are now available in a variety of high-tech finishes.

Offering the quality building you expect at a competitive price, our metal building systems provide the ultimate solution for a wide variety of industries and project types. The benefits of metal building solutions include:

• Quick construction
• Energy efficient solutions
• Affordable and attractive finishes
• A high-performance building
• Low maintenance ownership

Using only the best materials and innovative procedures, we are able to provide our customers with metal buildings that will look as great as they perform for years and years to come.

Follow the link to view our Metal Building Projects 

http://www.huffcon.com/projects-experience/?building_material=metal-building

Your Building’s Project Budget Under Control

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A building project is a big investment. At times it may seem impossible for a large project to stay on budget. However, with solid planning, effort, and determination, you can stay committed to your initial budget, no matter how difficult it may seem. One of our priorities at Huff Construction is keeping your building’s project budget under control. Below are a few simple, yet effective tips we’ve found at Huff Construction. These tips can pave the way for a smooth project, and help avoid a headache and costly turmoil of an over-budget project.

A Project that Makes Sense from the Start

The old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” might be a cliché, but it’s certainly one to follow, especially with large building projects. A thorough, complete, and above all, honest upfront assessment of your project, location, and costs, is a critical first step.  Time spent in planning is paramount for reducing and eliminating financial risks, and for identifying and addressing potential issues before they become real problems. Take time to really sit down and consider every aspect of your project before it even begins. Careful and realistic planning can prevent “scope creep,” where more and more things are added in response to dealing with a setback, instead of the problem being worked out in the planning stages. At Huff, we use our design-build delivery method, a very thorough upfront planning process to drive shorter time frames and cost savings.

Knowledge is Power

Remaining on budget requires expert knowledge of yourself, your capabilities, and your construction partner. Know your revenue streams and workflows like the back of your hand. Read and review all construction loan documentation provided by your financial institution. Ask questions from the appropriate party if you’re ever unsure about something, or don’t understand why something is in place. Create new mandates and new processes to meet any needs of the project if you find something lacking. Constant communication with your construction partner is critical so that you can keep up to date about the status of your project. This is an area in which Huff Construction truly shines.  Over the years we have recognized the value of communication and have built processes to facilitate better communication like weekly meetings between our team and our clients.  After all, consistent, up to date information about the progress of a project is vital to knowing whether a project is going ahead smoothly and on budget.

Monthly Project Budget Reviews

You can’t know if your project is staying on budget if you don’t know how much it’s costing you per week. Set aside some time every week for an overview of the project and review its current budget thoroughly. Keep an eye out for any large changes, or any issues that have put an extra drain on your resources. If you see anything out of the ordinary, be sure to note it and discuss it with your construction partner. This is why your choice of construction partner A trustworthy construction partner that cares about customer service is one that’s going to deal with any problems head on to ensure your satisfaction.  An experienced builder has likely encountered a similar issue and will be able to suggest and implement a tested, cost effective solution.

Keep Change Orders in Check

Unexpected things happen despite your best efforts and plans: it’s part of life. It’s important to factor in a little leeway in your budget to make some allowances for the unknown and unexpected, but be sure to keep any change orders monitored to avoid scope creep.  Scope creep is slow and insidious, but can easily run over your budget if it cPay close attention to change orders, and ask yourself and your building partner why they’re happening to see a change. Was it a change in reaction to something you missed during the planning phase, like a noise permit or a materials issue? A great construction partner with experience and expertise will usually be able to provide you with suggestions and potential solutions that can stop scope creep in its tracks. But you need to be able to identify it first and figure out why it is happening.

Stay Determined

The ultimate deciding factor in staying on budget is you. It’s your initial planning, your commitment to staying informed, and your decision to make any changes during construction that ultimately make or break your ability to stay on budget. Prepare as much as you can for what you can, communicate frequently with your construction partner, and stay focused and determined to stay on budget. With effort, knowledge, and willpower – and an experienced, trusted construction partner like Huff Construction – staying on budget is completely possible, even for large building projects.

Design Build

One way that helps for our clients to stay within their building’s project budget is to take advantage of Huff Construction’s Design Build Process.
For those clients who choose to take advantage of Huff Construction’s design-build delivery method, our thorough process, which includes weekly team meetings, leads to numerous benefits such as:

  • Shorter design time frames
  • Design cost savings
  • Minimal stress on the owner as we act as a single point of contact
  • Maximum cost control as we establish a budget up front with the owner and design towards the budget

To find out more about our Design Build Projects follow the link.