A San Francisco Construction Company That Innovates Like A Silicon Valley Startup
Truebeck Construction, formerly known as BNBT Builders, is the brainchild of Sean Truesdale and David Becker. The company, started in 2007, has grown to become a major general contractor for the Bay Area, with expertise in preconstruction and technical building across life science, healthcare, corporate campus, higher education, hospitality, mixed-use and data center developments. Embracing the challenge of handling technically complex projects, Truebeck Construction collaborates with some of the top tech giants in the area, and models its culture on the same commitment to excellence and inventiveness that makes those Silicon Valley leaders stand out. Truesdale sat down with Bisnow to talk about the company.
Bisnow: What is the origin of Truebeck Construction?
Truesdale: David Becker and I worked together in another construction firm in the ‘90s. Our skill sets complemented each other well; I focused most of my role on the preconstruction execution of work, while David focused on operational execution. We both decided to take a shot at running our own business, and by 2007, we had formed BNBT Builders. For the past 10 years, we have been growing the construction business.
Bisnow: What types of construction projects excite you?
Truesdale: I love building technical facilities. The projects that I take the most pride in building are biotech and healthcare facilities. These are facilities that are going to make a difference in the community, or they are buildings where scientific progress will improve lives.
Bisnow: What makes Truebeck different from other construction companies in the area?
Truesdale: While we have a very experienced staff, we refuse to let that experience get in the way of doing what has never been done before. We use that experience to focus on how we improve the way we construct our buildings. I think it is common in the industry to lean back on the way you have done things in the past, so we support a culture that is focused on consistently improving the process, empowering our employees to make those changes, and giving them the resources they need to implement them.
Bisnow: What services does Truebeck offer clients?
Truesdale: We have a tremendous depth of in-house resources. We have a preconstruction department with experts in cost estimating. We have MEP experts that both know how to design and price the technical MEP aspects of our facilities — as well as other experts that focus on the commissioning aspects and building quality mechanical systems. We have a virtual design and construction group that not only utilizes cutting-edge technologies but also focuses on developing them.
Bisnow: Has Truebeck’s proximity to Silicon Valley influenced your corporate culture?
Truesdale: It absolutely has impacted it. The clients in Silicon Valley have an expectation of extremely high quality. They want to achieve things that have never been done before. We have a very entrepreneurially spirited culture; we empower people to make changes in the way that they do business and what we find is that spirit aligns well with a lot of these tech companies in Silicon Valley. It is always fun to build something unique and to construct things that have never been built before. It is also great to work with technology companies that value innovation and our approach to utilize innovation in the design and construction process.
Bisnow: Is Truebeck working on any exciting projects?
Truesdale: All of our projects have [nondisclosure agreements], so we can’t share any details, but we are working on a campus project in Silicon Valley. We are constructing a number of buildings there, and are working with a visionary architect, a visionary client and almost every aspect of the whole project involves building systems that have never been constructed before. It is truly an exciting project, extremely complex and definitely the most challenging project that we have been involved with.
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