On Friday, Hourigan was featured in a Richmond Times-Dispatch article regarding the state of commercial construction sites during the spread of COVID-19. In addition to interviewing Mark Hourigan for the piece, Ryan Nebel, a superintendent at the Kinsale Headquarter site, discussed in a video interview the measures being taken by project teams to curb the virus.
The full article, as well as Ryan’s interview, can be found here.
An excerpt from Still building: Commercial construction projects continue despite pandemic’s grip on other industries.
The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered many businesses throughout Virginia, yet work at commercial construction sites continues.
Officials at some commercial construction companies said they’ve been able to keep their job sites going with social distancing guidelines, hand sanitizer, and guidelines to prevent employees from gathering at the job site.
Drywall continues to be put up. Electrical work is being done. Construction equipment is moving along. Permits are being issued.
Still, some companies specializing in commercial construction work said they’ve seen some disruptions as clients hold off on some projects amid the pandemic.
“It is a vital part of our economy, and we should keep that going,” said Mark Hourigan, founder and chief executive officer of Hourigan, a Richmond-based construction and development company.
“The industry, I will tell you, is taking the responsibility very seriously to keep workers on site and doing what we can to keep the economy rolling a bit,” he said. “It is an important part of the economy that can work and therefore is working.”
A broad shutdown at construction sites would only add to economic woes by putting more workers into unemployment, he said.
Hourigan’s business is operating at full staff at its 35 active construction sites from Hampton Roads to Charlottesville.
“We have met and talked with each of the owners of all the projects we are doing; 100% of them have said ‘keep going,’” he said.
In the Richmond area, its projects include the new five-story corporate headquarters building for specialty insurer Kinsale Capital Group Inc. at Maywill and Thalbro streets in Henrico County; a 114-bed rehabilitation facility for Sheltering Arms Institute in The Notch at West Creek off West Broad Street Road in Goochland County; and a 16-story outpatient facility at North 10th and East Leigh streets for VCU Health System.
Hourigan estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 people are working at the company’s various construction projects daily. That includes employees of numerous subcontractors.
The company itself has about 240 employees, half of whom are working from home, remotely. Others need to be at the construction sites, Hourigan said.
His company has taken steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at its construction sites, including adding additional handwashing stations and eliminating group lunch gatherings.
“We are trying to eliminate those places where people can congregate in large groups,” he said.
Hourigan said the company is also encouraging employees to wear face masks, and it has ordered them, but “those are in short supply these days,” he said.
Previous Post Next Post