With extensive technology improvements and a dedicated work force, North Branch Construction Inc. strives to please clients throughout northern New England.

Having received the 2000 Associated Builders and Contractors Excellence in Construction award for its work on the McCulloch Hall dorm at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., North Branch Construction Inc. was invited back to the school to work on a variety of other projects. Currently, one of its most challenging and exciting projects, explains Ken Holmes, vice president and general manager, is the general contracting and construction management firm's work on Dartmouth's Alumni Gymnasium.

This project involves the renovation and modernization of the gym with the installation of a pool dehumidification system, relocation of offices, construction of a new fitness center, improvements to the mechanical and electrical systems, installation of a fire sprinkler system throughout the 140,000-square-foot facility and installation of an elevator.

Two large areas of the building are undergoing major improvements. During the energy crisis of the 1970s, Holmes explains, the school installed drop ceilings in the pool area and fitness center. Part of North Branch's job, he says, is to restore these areas to their original design.

“In the '70s, the school eliminated the 85-feet-plus-high open truss cathedral ceiling in the pool area, and now we are opening that up,” he says. “In the fitness center, we are peeling out the dropped, acoustical ceilings and revealing the original décor. Now, there will be significantly more natural daylight in these areas and we have been able to bring them back to their original grandeur.”

Based in Henniker, N.H., and serving New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts, North Branch relies heavily on its work force to deliver quality on projects such as the Alumni Gym. With a history that spans close to 50 years, the firm has found the key to quality is to hire the best people. North Branch's in-house work force includes experienced project managers, supervisors, foremen, carpenters and laborers; the average tenure for its entire staff is nine years. Holmes notes the company is extremely proud of its employees and the quality work they deliver.

“We know we will provide quality projects with our staff of quality people,” he says. “We always strive to recruit, hire and retain the best people in the business in our area - they are the reason we are a success.”

Teamwork and communication are also important in making its projects successful, the company believes. These are maintained, Holmes says, through the firm's extensive technology.

“The construction industry is typically not at the forefront of technology - it is still a lot of nuts and bolts,” he says. “But we have found that technology can be a tremendous help during construction.”

To increase the speed of communication, North Branch equips all of its jobsites with Internet access capabilities, most of them high speed. Holmes explains this allows any questions, problems, drawings or solutions to be shared between everyone on the project team, and issues are resolved in an efficient manner. This is all part of its quality focus, he says.

“During construction, communication is very important,” he says. “We have a detailed written quality control program that all superintendents are required to follow, and our communication system supports this. It has helped us tremendously to be very operations-oriented and stick with our policies and procedures.”

Technology also has helped North Branch lower costs on its projects. Holmes notes the firm is “very aggressive on fighting cost,” so it adopted a real-time accounting system to monitor costs on each project.

Traditionally, he explains, the firm would monitor its costs after they occurred to see where it made or lost money, but this didn't allow it to monitor expected costs. It now has forecasting and monitoring systems to see what it has spent to date, what it is committed to spend and what it expects to spend that is not yet committed.

“Clients find all this information very helpful,” Holmes says. “The budgets always need to be maintained and monitored, and this technology allows clients to make decisions during design and construction that will ensure they get all the value they can out of a project. It allows us to deliver on their needs and wish lists while having an accurate handle on total costs.”

Additionally, North Branch works closely with its clients to show how the firm's capabilities allow it to deliver the highest possible value.

“Clients are reacting to the marketplace and mind the costs,” Holmes says. “They are extremely value motivated and want to get all they can out of their money. They recognize, however, that the cheapest cost solution may not be the best.”

North Branch plans to maintain its focus on value, quality and teamwork to further its success, Holmes says. He explains the company has always been “service driven, not volume driven.” Even so, North Branch has grown significantly in the last five years. Three years ago, he says, the firm was doing $37 million in new construction annually, but will achieve more than $60 million in new construction projects this year. This growth will continue, he believes, if the firm maintains its values.

“Our vision,” he says, “is to continue to strive to develop a reputation for providing construction services that are unrivaled by our peers.”