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POWER LIST: GENERAL CONTRACTORS

What separates Colas Construction from other firms, CEO and President Andrew Colas says, is that it believes in creating a diverse work environment that allows people of all genders and backgrounds 鈥� whether at the executive level or another one 鈥� to have the same opportunity. That same sentiment is reflected in the firm鈥檚 portfolio.

Last year, Colas Construction served as the general contractor for a renovation of the 112-year-old Henry Building in Portland. The project, which saved 153 affordable apartments from deterioration and added 20 new ones, was honored by Restore Oregon with a DeMuro Award for excellence in historic preservation.

Recently, the general contractor broke ground on 3000 Powell, a new affordable housing project for Home Forward in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood.

The $68 million project will create 206 homes. However, before crews can lay the foundation, the soil on the site needs to be reinforced so that it can hold the new structure鈥檚 weight. In non-pandemic times, this type of specialized work would be complex, but now it also poses a risk to the project鈥檚 timeline. Only a few individuals do this work. If any were to be exposed to the coronavirus, construction would have to halt. Accordingly, the firm is taking the strictest precautions, Colas said.

In Southeast Portland, the contractor is taking on another affordable housing development. Centennial Place, developed by Cascadia Behavioral Health, will hold 71 apartments. The 62,700-square-foot building鈥檚 units will be available to individuals earning 30 percent of the area median income or less and households making 60 percent or less.

鈥淐omplexity on all the projects is dealing with the various impacts of COVID-19,鈥� Colas said. 鈥淔rom being on-site to the challenges with everything facing 鈥� commodities 鈥� it takes a lot of planning and a lot of coordination.鈥�