As an owner, you’re putting a lot on the line to bring your vision to life. But the success of your vision is defined long before shovels hit the ground. When given the opportunity to partner on a project, we take seriously our responsibility to minimize risk, increase cost certainty and ensure a superior project outcome.

From the get-go, you need the right people in place to execute your dream. With an average of 22 years of experience, Sundt’s Southwest Building preconstruction team offers deep industry expertise. They treat each project as completely unique because their experience has taught them each project is unique. 

“Any firm can take a set of drawings and estimate what’s shown. The difference is that Sundt offers a customized service,” said Project Executive Shawn Blubaum. “A preconstruction process should be flexible. For example, a current project in Phoenix calls for us to walk side-by-side with the owner and designer, estimating cost and providing constructability options in real-time.”

“We offer boutique preconstruction services that are backed by Sundt’s 135 years as a large general contractor in a variety of markets—data centers, aviation, advanced manufacturing, higher education, and other commercial verticals—to name a few.”

—Shawn Blubaum, Project Executive

We lead the preconstruction process with an integrated approach that’s transparent and data-driven, tapping into over a century of project experience, allowing our teams to propose informed, customized solutions to our clients.

135 Years of Data

Partnering with a 135-year-old firm has its perks: we were founded in the Southwest and understand the market and our clients. On average, each member of the Southwest Building team has spent 10 years in preconstruction with Sundt. This longevity paired with diverse project experience leads to a preconstruction team with a solutions-oriented mindset backed by a deep well of data. We leverage predictive data, packaged into accessible client-facing dashboards to ensure transparency every step of the way.

“We want our clients to understand that our preconstruction services go beyond just an estimate,” said Shawn. “Investing time and resources during the preconstruction phase aligns expectations, leading to better project outcomes and minimized risk.”

Sundt’s preconstruction team looks for the best route to a high-quality finished product. Our design evolution log keeps track of changes over time, making value engineering easier by finding the right balance among cost, design and feasibility. By staying flexible and thinking ahead, we help our clients navigate complexities with confidence, ensuring a smoother path from preconstruction to execution.

Customized Options

At our core, we’re builders. We prioritize delivering a high-quality product within budget that stays true to your original vision. To achieve those goals, we leverage our network of prequalified and trusted subcontractors and Sundt’s in-house self-perform teams. Project partners are integrated early in the preconstruction process, allowing us to tap into their expertise, align expectations, ensure constructability and minimize potential challenges down the road.

In 2024, Sundt completed renovations of the Biltmore Golf Club, which called for specific concrete finishing known as board form. “This new building had to be as iconic as Frank Llyod Wright’s original design,” Concrete Group Structures Manager Mike Damme relayed. “We needed to blend the modern concrete finishes with a historic property that’s nearly 100 years old.”

From the get-go, Sundt Concrete was committed to exceeding expectations, a value that’s deeply embedded in our culture, and transcends every project. Because of his team’s depth of experience, Mike recognized that the vision for the final product and the specs on paper weren’t aligned.

Mike and his team began experimenting with different board form walls—even constructing one in his living room to put the design to the test. He packaged multiple options, allowing the client and architect to select the one that was not only functional, but achieved the exact look and finish envisioned.

Sundt Concrete built multiple sample wall sections on site, and with the client and architect, solidified the concrete finish. “We wanted the whole team to be able to see and touch the wall in person before we executed what was on paper,” said Mike.

“We don’t just identify challenges, we solve them before they come to light, anticipating a project’s needs far in advance, no matter the size and scope,” said Preconstruction Project Manager Jonathan Randall. “In the case of the Biltmore, it was essential that Mike’s team was at the table, and we had ongoing discussions around design and constructability to refine and deliver the best possible project.”

We set projects up for success from day one, leveraging over a century of experience and collaboration with the right people at the right times. The result? Tailored solutions for our clients and a more efficient and predictable construction process.

Learn more about what we’re building in Phoenix.