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Even as the general contracting company has grown in scope and expertise in the 75 years since first opening its doors, they have stayed true to the 鈥渇amily first鈥� philosophy Paul Emerick established as the company鈥檚 founding culture.
鈥淓merick has always been about family 鈥� it extends all the way through home and beyond,鈥� Corey Lohman, the company鈥檚 current president, said. 鈥淲e work as a team; we share with each other.鈥�

Emerick Construction started in 1943 as a small subcontracting company focused on concrete work. By the 1950s, the business had not only gained a foothold, but had expanded into general contracting work of commercial projects. From its first $1 million contract 鈥� a project for the Dairy Cooperative Association in 1958 鈥� the company has become a major player in the Pacific Northwest building scene, with an emphasis on public projects for clients such as Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and area school districts. The company also has emerged as a headliner by taking on high profile projects such as the replacement of the iconic carpet at Portland International Airport and building out the set for MTV鈥檚 Real World Portland.

As for any successful company that鈥檚 been around for decades, the road to Emerick Construction鈥檚 current success hasn鈥檛 always been easy. A few years after Larry Sitz joined Emerick in 1975, for example, the company hit a rough patch.
鈥淲e were growing too big, too fast,鈥� Sitz said. 鈥淣ot long after that, we semi-imploded.鈥�

The company was forced to shed employees, leaving just a small core group of engineers and project managers that included Sitz. Still intact, though, was the company mindset of working together as a team. With few hands to handle work, Sitz stepped up and took over processing change orders for the whole company and eventually became the company鈥檚 lead estimator. He eventually stepped into the role of president, taking the company鈥檚 reins from Paul Emerick鈥檚 successor, Kevin Spellman, in 2002.

Identified by his colleagues as a natural teacher, Sitz helped shape the company鈥檚 next generation of leaders by sharing his expertise both in estimating and business. One of those he mentored was Lohman, who serves as a shining example of another cornerstone of Emerick Construction鈥檚 culture 颅鈥� that of giving people a chance to direct their own work and pursue ideas and projects for which they have a passion. For Lohman, that meant establishing a division that focused on small projects, a section that has since grown to be a major contributor to the company鈥檚 annual revenue.

鈥淎t other companies, you learn by watching or training, but there are lots of opportunities here to learn by doing,鈥� Lohman said.

The company family-first focus also encourages employees to tailor their schedules in ways that best fit their strengths and support a healthy life/work balance.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no punching a time clock,鈥� Sitz said. 鈥淓verything is result-based.鈥�

鈥淭he culture allows people to operate the way they operate best,鈥� Lohman added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a cookie-cutter routine.鈥�
Since Lohman became president in 2013, the company also has strengthened its commitment to giving back, seeing the community as an extension of the family concept.

While Emerick Construction supports organizations through sponsorships and donations, the company also encourages employees to become involved in a personal capacity. For some that means serving on nonprofit boards and committees. For others, it means rolling up their sleeves to assist with hands-on efforts. Through it all, the company offers support that ranges from providing conference room space for meetings to enlisting employees to help with fundraisers and phone drives.

鈥淭he family piece is huge to us,鈥� Lohman said. 鈥淏ut it goes beyond that, into the communities where our employees live. Emerick is 75 years strong and still growing!鈥�