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Being named president of Andersen Construction, the company his grandfather started in 1950, doesn’t fill Joel Andersen with pride as much as it makes him feel humble.

Last week Andersen was named president of the company his grandfather Andy Andersen started. He follows in the footsteps of his father David Andersen, who headed the company for the last 28 years. He said he is humbled by the honor, but gives credit for his company’s success to great employees.

鈥淢y best skill is in trusting people and empowering them,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e hired amazing people and they run the company.鈥�

With more than 700 employees, Andersen Construction has offices in Portland, Eugene, Boise, and Seattle. Current projects include nine large-scale mixed use developments and three hospital towers in Portland, a 41-story apartment tower in downtown Seattle, four mixed-use developments in downtown Boise and a new headquarters for Northwest Community Credit Union in Eugene.

Andersen started working in the family business in the warehouse when he was about 10, he said, and continued being involved through high school and college. In 2008 he opened the company’s Seattle office. He moved back to Portland three years ago, when he was named vice president of business development, overseeing new markets and recent growth.

The company was hit hard during the recent recession, Andersen said, but built itself back up with the decision to focus on four markets: health care, higher education, high-tech and housing.

鈥淲e narrowed our palette, and that enabled us to refine our skill sets in actively pursuing those markets,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he markets have changed pretty dramatically, and housing is super-hot.鈥�

In Portland, Andersen’s current projects include new operating and patient rooms at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and a major renovation on the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. The company also will serve as general contractors for Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Research Building.

鈥淗ealth is a sector that is finally starting to move and we were able to be at the forefront of that,鈥� Andersen said. But the company is also doing high-tech work for several universities, including the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Southern Oregon University, Western Oregon University, Boise State and the University of Washington.

鈥淲e try to stay in balance between different market sectors,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’ve also got a lot of housing work in assisted living, market rate apartments, affordable housing and condominiums.鈥�

The company is doing so well that 鈥渟ometimes I want to pinch myself,鈥� Andersen said.

鈥淚t’s amazing we are so blessed and so fortunate that it’s hard to comprehend,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we put our heads down and work hard, and hire amazing people. We trust them to be great 鈥� and they are 鈥� and we are the beneficiary of that.鈥�

Andersen said that although his dad wanted to be a rock-and roll-star, he always wanted to be a builder. But whether any of his three children follow in his footsteps is up to them.

鈥淓veryone in this town is quick to remind me that the third generation is the one that torpedoes it. So who knows, there may be nothing left by the time my kids are old enough,鈥� he said with a chuckle.

Andersen said he’s always tried to behave like an employee and that his main goal is to hire the best people possible to keep the company vibrant.

鈥淚 so would love nothing better than to have my kids participate in the business, but I’m really excited about what we have going on with our employees,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s an unbelievable community and family that exist within our company culture. That will be our future, in spite of what happens with the Andersens.鈥�

Andersen, 34, still plays with Lego blocks, he said, and loves how the pieces come together in the development process where imagination is the only limitation.

鈥淚t’s such a thrill and I want my kids to be as much a part of it as they want to be,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut my dad and granddad never said, 鈥榊ou’re going to do this,’ so if my kids don’t want to, no problem. I’ve got a family of people (in the company) and they’re amazing.鈥�

He emphasized again that the secret to a successful company is to always hire the very best people for the job, he said.

鈥淓verybody that works for us either currently has or has the capacity to be better than me,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen that is the case, you become a different kind of organization, not relying on a single individual. I’m a nobody. But when you have an army of people who are better than you in general, that makes your company a pretty incredible place.鈥�