The Harris Construction Legacy

Local general contractor evolved into a regional icon
by focusing on Fresno-area projects exclusively

By Greg Aragon

There is a good reason why Fresno-based Harris Construction has been around for more than 90 years.

“The secret to our longevity is in the way we transition from one generation to the next,” says Tim Marsh, Harris president. He adds that throughout the years when the company reigns were passed down to new leadership, one concept always remained the same: “We focus on our market, which is the Fresno area, and we put all of our energy there.

“Our Fresno office is not just one office; it’s the only office. By keeping it in Fresno, we have better understanding of the business and the culture of the area.”

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Marsh adds that this focus has kept Harris competitive in Central California since 1914. And judging by current numbers, the company of 150 employees seems to be doing fine.  

The privately-held company’s revenue for 2007 is projected to be more than $110 million, slightly surpassing last year’s figure.

Currently, the company has about 20 projects, totaling around 1 million sq ft, underway within a 60-mi radius of Fresno. These jobs are worth more than $150 million combined, says Marsh.

He says recent slowing in residential housing construction has put more energy into markets that his company specializes in, such as schools, food processing plants and other factories.

Current projects highlighting Harris’s work in the Fresno/Modesto region include a new $125 million school, $64.5 million hospital expansion, $50 million ethanol plant, and a $30 million renovation to a historic building.

Totaling 530,000 sq ft, the new Third Education Center project in Clovis, 10 mi northeast of Fresno, consists of an intermediate school, high school, special education facilities and other services on 101 acres. 

The project, designed by Fresno-based Darden Architects Inc., broke ground in 2005 and is officially opening for classes this month.

“To my knowledge, this is one of the largest school projects of its kind to be done on a multi-prime,” says Marsh, whose company served as construction manager. “It actually had 65 prime contractors and was finished on time and within budget.”

He says coordinating all the primes required a large staff and a lot of pre-planning. “We probably worked with the school district nearly a year before the first hole was dug,” Marsh adds.

Another interesting project is the Porterville Developmental Centers Secure Treatment Program expansion in Porterville, 60 mi southeast of Fresno. Sacramento based-Vanir Construction Management Inc. is construction manager, Harris is the general contractor and Carter & Burgess Inc. is serving as the architect

Work includes the construction of six single-story residences, a single-story Protective Services building, and a recreation complex. The work also calls for a new swimming pool, fencing, landscaping, generators, security systems and water well.

“We are going to be working into the winter on this one, so our goal is to get as much of the roofs up as possible,” Marsh says. “We are working up in the foothills, so if we get a lot of rain, it could be problematic.”

Construction broke ground in November and is scheduled for completion in June.
On the environmental side of things, Harris is building the Cilion Ethanol Plant in the city of Keyes, 10 mi north of Modesto. Modesto-based RB Welty and Associates is the designer.

The work entails the construction of 20,000-sq-ft of buildings on a 13-acre site. Construction began in February and is scheduled to be complete in January.

Harris will begin construction on another $50 million ethanol plant at the end of the year, with construction lasting about one year, Marsh says. It will be located in the unincorporated town of Famoso, about 50 mi south of Fresno.

“Not only will these plants greatly help our energy crisis, but they are also being built by local labor, so it will be a good shot in the arm for the local economy,” Marsh adds.

To add a little history to its portfolio, Harris will serve as construction manager on a massive renovation to the Old Administration Building on the campus of Fresno City College. Designed by E.L.S. Architecture of Berkeley, the 100,000-sq-ft project should break ground in early fall.

Built in 1916, the two-story, unreinforced brick masonry structure was the first permanent structure at the college. It has sat vacant since 1975. 

“We’re taking an 91-year-old historic building that was abandoned and redoing it and making it a first-class modern building, while keeping the historic significance intact,” Marsh says.

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