What Saunders Construction does

Saunders Construction, founded in 1972 in Englewood, Colorado, is a privately held, 100% employee-owned construction management and general contracting firm delivering integrated CM/GC, design-build, and commercial real estate development services across the Rocky Mountain region. The firm serves public and private clients across 18 market sectors — healthcare, higher education, K-12, municipal, residential and senior living, office, hospitality, data centers, science and technology, sports and recreation, retail, industrial, civil infrastructure, cultural, aviation, energy, mixed-use, and parking structures — with individual project values ranging from approximately $100,000 to over $200 million, and over $9 billion in cumulative completed project value across Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico, Montana, and Texas.

Operations are organized across multiple wholly-owned subsidiaries and one joint venture: Saunders Commercial handles projects above $15 million; Saunders Express focuses on healthcare and tenant improvements averaging $10 million; Saunders North (formed via the 2014 acquisition of Heath Construction) serves Northern Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska; Saunders Norwood Construction (a 2021 joint venture with Norwood Development Group) operates in the Pikes Peak region; Saunders Concrete Structures (formed 2023) provides self-performed cast-in-place, tilt-up, and architectural concrete services; and Saunders Commercial Development Company handles partner-focused real estate development. The in-house Integrated Technologies Group delivers Building Information Modeling, Virtual Design and Construction, laser scanning/LIDAR, drone/UAV survey, AR/VR visualization, MEP coordination, 4D scheduling, and electronic tablet-based field data, with a stated 99.25% pre-signoff clash resolution rate.

The firm pursues work through competitive bidding, RFQ/RFP processes, design-build competitions, and long-cycle relationship-based business development, supplemented by membership in the Citadel National Construction Group since 1999 — a consortium providing reach to national clients with multi-market needs. Revenue is generated on a project-by-project professional services basis, with Saunders self-performing critical trade work — concrete, selective demolition, rough carpentry, surveying, and prefabrication — alongside 17,000+ prequalified trade partners. The firm operates a dedicated safety program (TRIR 1.77, DART 0.89, LWD 0.22) and achieved Platinum Level H.O.P.E. mental-health certification in November 2024. In July 2026, Justin Cooper was appointed President & CEO, succeeding Greg Schmidt, who transitioned to Chairman of the Board.

Name

Saunders Construction

Legal name

Saunders Construction, Inc.

Website

https://saundersinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Saunders Construction is a 100% employee-owned, Colorado-based commercial construction firm providing integrated construction management, general contracting, design-build, and real estate development services across 18 sectors in the Rocky Mountain region for public and private clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Industrial Building Construction (23621), Land Subdivision (23721)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), Operative Builders (1531)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management (Agency/Owner’s Rep) (IMAFAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Self-Performing General Contractors (IMAFAAAI), Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD), Real Estate Development Asset Management (Project/Construction-to-Stabilization) (BPAJAMAL)

Keywords

• Commercial construction services
• Construction management general contracting
• Design-build construction
• Commercial real estate development
• Preconstruction planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Englewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Construction Management & General Contracting: Core revenue stream from providing construction management and general contracting (CM/GC) services across all sectors. Projects range from $100,000 to over $200 million. Saunders self-performs critical portions of work including concrete, selective demolition, rough carpentry, door/frame/hardware installation, fixturing, surveying, infection control, prefabrication, and environmental management.
2. Design-Build Services: Integrated design-build project delivery across all subsidiary companies, providing a single-source responsibility approach for clients.
3. Commercial Real Estate Development: Saunders Commercial Development Company (SCDC) provides partner-focused commercial real estate development services including market analysis, due diligence, financial underwriting, project entitlements, planning & design coordination, debt & equity procurement, construction oversight, asset management, and third-party fee development. Over $300 million in developed assets and 1,400,000+ square feet of completed and in-progress projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Saunders Construction provides integrated construction management, general contracting (CM/GC), design-build, and commercial real estate development services across the Rocky Mountain region. Projects range from $100,000 to over $200 million and span 18 sectors including healthcare, higher education, K-12, municipal, residential, office, hospitality, data centers, industrial, and science & technology. The company self-performs critical trade work (concrete, demolition, carpentry, surveying) through subsidiary Saunders Concrete Structures and delivers in-house BIM/VDC, laser scanning, drone, AR/VR, and 4D scheduling through its Integrated Technologies Group.

Product overview

Saunders Construction is a construction and commercial development company offering integrated services through multiple divisions: Saunders Commercial handles projects over $15 million; Saunders Express focuses on healthcare and tenant improvements under $10 million; Saunders North serves northern markets; Saunders Norwood Construction operates in the Pikes Peak region; Saunders Concrete provides self-performing concrete services; and Saunders Commercial Development Company handles real estate development. The Integrated Technologies Group (ITG) provides in-house BIM, laser scanning, drone surveying, AR/VR, MEP coordination, and quality control services. The company also offers planning & preconstruction services, construction management, safety programs, and CSR initiatives. Saunders operates across 18 portfolio sectors including aviation, healthcare, higher education, hospitality, industrial, municipal, office, residential, retail, and sports & recreation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Building Confidence in Kids (BCiK): Employee-led philanthropic initiative focused on the support, well-being and development of children, creating an outlet for volunteerism and community impact.
• Safety, It's on Me

Products and services

• Saunders Commercial Construction management and general contracting services for projects over $15 million in value across all sectors, from iconic community assets to complex urban renewal developments.
• Saunders Express Healthcare facilities, tenant improvements, renovations, and new construction projects averaging $10 million in size, focused on quick and hard-hitting critical projects.
• Saunders North Construction and facilities maintenance services for northern Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska markets, formed through acquisition of Heath Construction in 2014.
• Saunders Norwood Construction Construction management, general contracting and alternative project delivery services for the Pikes Peak region, formed in partnership with Norwood Development Group in 2021.
• Saunders Concrete Structures Self-performing concrete contractor delivering cast-in-place, place and finish, architectural, and tilt-up concrete projects throughout the Rocky Mountain region.
• Saunders Commercial Development Company (SCDC) Partner-focused commercial real estate development services including market analysis, due diligence, financial underwriting, project entitlements, planning & design coordination, debt & equity procurement, construction oversight, asset management, and third-party fee development. Over $300 million in developed assets and 1,400,000+ square feet of completed and in-progress projects.
• Integrated Technologies Group (ITG) In-house technology services including Building Information Modeling (BIM), virtual design and construction (VDC), laser scanning/LIDAR, drone surveying, augmented reality/virtual reality, MEP systems coordination, quality control, scheduling, and surveying. Operated for over 15 years with over 20 professionals.
• Planning & Preconstruction Services Preconstruction services including project cost development, value optimization and analysis, constructability reviews, and trade partner relationship management with over 17,000 prequalified trade partners.
• Construction Management Services Construction management and general contracting services with self-performed work including selective demolition, concrete, rough carpentry, surveying, prefabrication, and environmental management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.25% of clashes resolved through BIM coordination before signoff
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments15 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HopeKids ColoradominorOthers · 1 January 2026HopeKids Colorado has been chosen as the next partner for Saunders' Building Confidence in Kids® (BCiK) philanthropic program. The two-year partnership kicks off in 2026, further deepening Saunders' commitment to community impact. HopeKids provides ongoing events and activities for families who have a child with a life-threatening medical condition.
• Norwood Development GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021In 2021, Saunders Construction and Norwood Development Group joined forces to create Saunders Norwood Construction, LLC — a construction company focused solely on the Pikes Peak Region. The partnership combines Saunders' diverse, high-quality construction expertise with Norwood's high-caliber, community-forward focus and developments. Both partners are strategically aligned with long-term commitment to the region.
• Heath Construction (Heath Construction, LLC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014In 2014, Saunders acquired Fort Collins-based Heath Construction, LLC. This merger created Saunders North, a new construction and facilities maintenance provider serving Northern Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska markets. The partnership combines Heath's regional history and knowledge with Saunders' depth of resources to meet growing demands for comprehensive construction services in the region.
• Citadel National Construction GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Saunders joined the Citadel Group in 1999. The consortium comprises best-in-class construction firms throughout the United States, designed to serve individual clients with national needs. All member firms share a unified approach to business and client service, enabling knowledge transfer and consistent results across regions. Saunders leverages this membership to pursue national clients with multi-market requirements.
• Brent's PlaceminorOthersBCiK partner providing Safe-Clean housing and improving quality of life for children and families living with cancer and other immunocompromising conditions.
• Mount Saint VincentminorOthersBCiK partner that has transformed the lives of thousands of abused, neglected, and traumatized children through safe haven, individualized treatment, and education programs.
• Colorado Dream FoundationminorOthersBCiK partner working to ensure all children have the opportunity to pursue higher education through skills development, knowledge, and scholarship support.
• Kenzi's CausesminorOthersBCiK partner founded by Jessica Bachus, providing dolls to children during the holiday season and supporting struggling families in the Colorado area.
• Rogers-O'Brien (Citadel Group Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Citadel Group partner Rogers-O'Brien to complete a multi-facility data center construction project with a total capacity of 36.8 MW. Demonstrates cross-regional collaboration within the Citadel consortium for mission-critical data center projects.

Scale indicators25 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hensel Phelps: Colorado-headquartered (Greeley) construction manager/general contractor delivering projects across commercial, healthcare, education, aviation and federal sectors nationally. Highly comparable in regional depth, CM/GC delivery model and vertical diversification to Saunders.
• Mortenson Construction: Employee-owned national builder with strong Colorado presence, particularly in healthcare, higher education, sports and data centers. Closely comparable as a private, employee-owned GC/CM competing for similar complex institutional and mission-critical work in the Rocky Mountain region.
• Adolfson & Peterson Construction: Mid-size CM/GC headquartered in Minnesota with a major Rocky Mountain region office serving commercial, healthcare, education, multifamily and senior living — directly competing with Saunders in Colorado and adjacent markets.
• Haselden Construction: Denver-based 100% employee-owned general contractor focusing on commercial, healthcare, higher education and hospitality across Colorado. Direct regional peer with a similar private employee-owned structure and vertical mix overlapping Saunders' core sectors.
• GE Johnson Construction Company: Long-standing Colorado-based general contractor delivering commercial, healthcare, hospitality and higher-ed projects in the Rocky Mountain region. Direct peer competing for similar institutional and private clients in the Front Range.

Broad incumbents

• Turner Construction Company: Largest domestic general contractor with national reach and a strong Denver office pursuing healthcare, education, data center and commercial work. Broad incumbent that competes with Saunders on larger institutional and mission-critical jobs in Colorado.
• PCL Construction: North American employee-owned general contractor with significant Denver operations covering commercial, civil, healthcare and industrial. Comparable self-perform depth and broad portfolio overlapping many of Saunders' sectors.
• Swinerton: 100% employee-owned national general contractor with a Colorado presence serving commercial, healthcare, energy and mission-critical clients. Comparable employee-owned model and CM/GC delivery across verticals.
• JE Dunn Construction: Top-10 national employee-owned GC/CM with significant healthcare, higher education and mission-critical expertise. Competes with Saunders regionally on larger institutional pursuits and nationally via its scale and self-perform capabilities.
• DPR Construction: Employee-owned national technical builder with strong data center, healthcare, life sciences and higher-ed practices. Competes with Saunders on complex mission-critical and technology-led jobs in the region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/saunders-construction-inc-193597420690293
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saundersconstruction
• Instagraminstagram.com/saundersconstructioninc
• Xx.com/saundersinc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saunders Construction