Wright-Ryan Construction is busy this summer settling into its new digs at a recently completed 20,000-square-foot facility in its hometown of Portland, Maine.
The fabrication facility, which the contractor dubs its operations center, houses several of the company’s diversified lines of business and specialty services, and provides a controlled environment for millwork, prefabricated materials and employee training.
“Our operations center is a testament to Wright-Ryan’s steadfast commitment to innovation,” said Marc Bourgeois, vice president of commercial select projects for Wright-Ryan. “The space was thoughtfully built by our team to allow for evolving technologies and the expansion of services.”
Here, Bourgeois talks with Construction Dive about the benefits of the factory on prefabrication, sustainability and workforce development.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
CONSTRUCTION DIVE: What have been the impacts of the new prefab capabilities at the operations center?
MARC BOURGEOIS: This was a major driving factor and inspired the development of this facility. Our advanced framing techniques allow us to seamlessly integrate prefabricated wall, floor, and roof systems.
On one of the projects we completed most recently — a new staff housing community for Witham Family Hotels in Bar Harbor, Maine — our team used prefabrication strategies to reduce the initial building framing time from 38 working days to 19, a 50% reduction. As a result, Wright-Ryan completed the project eight weeks ahead of schedule and under budget.
How does the new operations center support Wright-Ryan’s sustainability goals?
Sustainability is a core value at Wright-Ryan. Prefabrication minimizes material waste through precise cutting and efficient use of resources.
The operations center itself is designed with energy-efficient systems and materials, including advanced insulation, energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems that reduce energy consumption.
The operations center provides space for employee training. What types of training does Wright-Ryan offer?
Our training programs cover a wide range of topics, from technical skills in construction and prefabrication to safety protocols and project management. We see each program as an active investment in our employee-owners because each program emphasizes new tools and sustainable building practices while also emphasizing the reality that we each have a responsibility in sharing earned knowledge.
As an employee-owned company, we have a culture of openness where anyone can learn from anyone, no matter the title. This philosophy is at the core of our company’s robust mentorship program, which seeks to actively engage, educate, and foster the next generation of leaders in the construction industry. We find that this approach is highly motivating and makes people want to engage in training and professional development, knowing that their growth directly impacts the success of the company.
How does the new facility enhance service to your clients?
We installed a five-ton overhead gantry crane inside the building. What this means is that we can drive any vehicle into the building and use the crane to load or unload materials needed. It is an incredible asset in a facility that also includes bays for each of our business lines — a full-blown custom millwork shop, operational support and production space for our various commercial and residential business lines.
