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For Colas Construction, landing the $32 million contract in 2017 to serve as construction manager-general contractor for interior renovations at the Oregon Convention Center was a landmark. At the time, it was the largest contract ever for Colas Construction, and the largest one ever to be awarded to a minority-owned firm in Oregon.

It didn’t take long for Colas Construction to top that. The Portland company has been selected as the construction manager-general contractor for an affordable housing project at 3000 S.E. Powell Blvd. for Home Forward and the Portland Housing Bureau that will exceed the value of the Oregon Convention Center project.

Colas Construction has elbowed its way into several large projects, often on behalf of government clients. In some cases, the family-owned firm has won the jobs over larger firms.

The company has striven to make a diverse workforce its calling card.

鈥淲hile providing a quality product at a good value, we also are contributing to our community in a way that’s different from any of our other competitors, and that’s by being extremely inclusive and intentional about that at all levels of our business,鈥� Colas Construction President Andrew Colas said. 鈥淓very level of management, every level of the trades, we want to make sure that our industry is more so reflective of our community.鈥�

The company has grown rapidly since it was founded in 1997 by Hermann Colas Jr., who had emigrated from Haiti in 1969. The next generation now owns and operates the firm, with Hermann’s children Andrew Colas serving as president, Aneshka Colas-Dickson as vice president and chief financial officer, and Alex Colas as project manager.

Colas Construction has come to occupy a unique position in the Portland area as perhaps the largest minority-owned contractor. That makes the firm a natural fit for public agencies looking to fulfill diversity and inclusion goals, and demonstrate they’re making progress on including minority-owned firms in large construction projects. Colas Construction’s status as a contractor certified by the state Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) often is an edge in competitive bidding.

鈥淐olas Construction being a COBID, minority-owned firm was definitely a factor鈥� in it being awarded the Oregon Convention Center contract, said Brent Shelby, senior construction project manager for Metro. 鈥淲e’re awfully proud of the fact that it was at the time of bid the largest award for a minority contract.鈥�

Half of the Oregon Convention Center project funding, or about $16 million, went to disadvantaged, minority-owned or woman-owned businesses, Shelby said. Colas Construction delivered the project on time and on budget, he said.

The firm’s success in procuring public projects has led to private grumbling from some competitors. Yet the contracting policies appear to be working as designed, providing a leg up for a Haitian-American family firm.

鈥淯nfortunately, I don’t think my father would have been able to found a construction company in the ’60s in Portland, Oregon,鈥� Andrew Colas said. 鈥淭hat’s a sad reality and truth to this state and city.鈥�

Colas said his company now competes against seasoned contractors that can lean on many decades of accumulated capital and business relationships.

鈥淚f you look at the majority of the businesses of color that are in the construction industry you won’t find many, if any, that are over 30 years in business,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o there is no advantage there. Most businesses, they’ve had the ability to have retained earnings for 50 years, and build up huge capital, and that’s a real thing in a very capital-intensive industry.鈥�

Other contractors, including Andersen Construction and R&H Construction, have worked with Colas Construction in joint-venture partnerships. Those collaborations allowed a growing firm to gain experience on large projects.

鈥淥ur team enjoyed the opportunity to partner with Andrew Colas and the rest of the Colas family during the early years of their company’s growth as a commercial general contractor,鈥� Norm Dowty, vice president of business development and marketing at R&H Construction, wrote in an email, in response to questions. 鈥淒uring that time, our teams collectively delivered several notable projects for nonprofit entities in the Portland metro area.鈥�

Now, Colas Construction is increasingly getting sizable contracts on its own.

In September, Prosper Portland announced it had selected Colas Construction to build a five-to-seven-story building on a roughly quarter-block parcel at Northwest Fourth Avenue and Burnside Street. The two parties have entered into exclusive negotiations for the project, and Colas Construction is working with Resolve Architecture and SERA Architects on early designs. If the project moves forward, Colas plans to take a floor of the building for its own headquarters. The construction firm’s offices would move from the current location at Northwest Fifth Avenue and Couch Street.

Bow Leung Bing Kong Tong, a local Chinese cultural organization, is also involved in the project with an eye toward taking office space. The project would also include residential units and ground-floor retail space.

鈥淚f we were to move forward with this project 鈥� we’d want to make sure that it represented as best as possible some of the cultural heritage 鈥� Chinese culture, Japanese culture, even African-American culture 鈥� within this neighborhood,鈥� Colas said.

Colas Development Group LLC, a new entity formed in June, would serve as the project’s developer.

鈥淲e’re not looking into development,鈥� Andrew Colas said. 鈥淭his is more of an opportunity to put our construction company’s headquarters in what I think is a very unique neighborhood, and we want to add to the fiber and fabric of this neighborhood.鈥�

Another upcoming project would bring a sizable affordable housing development to 3000 S.E. Powell Blvd. The city purchased the former Safari Club parcel near Cleveland High School for $3.72 million in 2017. The Housing Bureau later announced it would use affordable housing bonds to develop the site.

Colas Construction has been tapped to build the project, which will have approximately 175 apartments on four stories over one story of retail space.

Colas Construction is also working with Beam Development to build the ODOT Blocks project in the Central Eastside Industrial District.

Colas Construction executives are well-connected with public agencies. Aneshka Colas-Dickson served a term on Prosper Portland’s board. Andrew Colas currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the University Oregon, his alma mater. Colas said the firm has avoided projects in Eugene during his time on the board to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest. Colas Construction worked on projects in Eugene prior to Andrew Colas’ time on the board.

鈥淲e’re a business that stands out and is looked at, so I would never want to do anything that would create that perception,鈥� Colas said. 鈥淟ong-term-wise, we’ll look to move into other markets. But for now we’re just focused on being really, really good at what we do on our home turf.鈥�

Civil court records show no major cases involving Colas Construction, but only a lien with a developer that was moved to arbitration and a pair of personal injury matters related to vehicle collisions 鈥� not uncommon for a construction company. The developer did not respond to a request for comment.

Hermann Colas Jr. came from a family that owned the second-largest rum distillery in Haiti. He started Colas Construction after becoming frustrated with an incompetent contractor who was building his house.

Hermann still comes into the office regularly, even though he sold the business to the second generation years ago. He said he was not surprised Colas Construction has grown large enough to tackle major projects on its own.

鈥淭here was never a thought to do something small,鈥� he said.