Sullivan & Cozart is one of the premiere general contractors in the Kentucky and Indiana regions of the United States. Based in Louisville, the company was founded in 1933 as the successor to the L.W. Hancock Co., a general contracting company founded in the early 1900s.
Throughout its history Sullivan & Cozart has constructed many types of projects in the commercial, industrial, educational facilities, health care, multi-housing and sports facilities industries. Sullivan & Cozart is a true general contractor in that the company self-performs portions of the work on a project, such as the concrete and the carpentry trades that could be as much as 35 percent of a job.
Sullivan & Cozart also handles construction management, working with the owner and design professionals from the inception of a project through its completion. The company acts as the project owner’s agent, performing pre-construction services including budgeting, design recommendations and evaluations, final estimating and bidding , scheduling and contract administration.
Heading these efforts up until 1963 was Dan Sullivan Sr., then from 1963 to 2008 his two sons, Ed T. Sullivan and Dan Sullivan Jr., served in that capacity. In 2008, however, a transition of management took place that maintains Sullivan & Cozart’s continuum of experienced leadership. Mike Thorp is now the president of Sullivan & Cozart; Thorp has been with the company since 1970, and he managed company operations as vice president from 1983 till 2008. Dan Polston, vice president since 2008, initially joined the company in 1996 and was previously a senior manager responsible for project management. And Bob Lawrence continues as secretary and treasurer, a position he has held since coming to Sullivan & Cozart in 1970.
The contemporary Sullivan & Cozart team remains committed to the company’s long tradition of satisfying its clients, believing that “the best marketing mechanism for a professional service is repeat clientele.” Over the many years S&C has been in business, it has served diverse, big-name clients such as UPS, Philip Morris, Churchill Downs, the University of Louisville and a host of others. S&C derives its in-house labor from the Carpenters Trade Organization, the Operators Unions, and the laborers union:; the other 65 percent of its labor is open shop (open to competitive bidding). “We can give the client the best of both worlds, as we are able to provide skilled tradesmen and the sheer manpower needed to construct a quality project that meets demanding schedules and remains competitive in cost,” states Polston.
Speaking of manpower, even in an age of constantly changing technology S&C still performs its estimating work by hand; the “old-fashioned” way. “We feel taking the project off by hand helps the estimator understand the project and can help build the project in his mind,” explains Polston. “Sometime technology makes us lazy in that we don’t understand the scope of the tasks we have taken on and the factor of difficulty is not accounted for. In order to put a cost on a project you have to build it on paper first.”
Big Challenges, Big Rewards
As a general contractor with a talented and skilled design crew, S&C has the expertise to tackle nearly any type of construction project. After the 2003 Kentucky Derby, S&C began work on a $120 million renovation for historic Churchill Downs that required S&C to remove a portion of the original structure completely, and reconstruct a new 400,000 square foot structure within the existing facility. The new building is state-of- the-art horse racing facility with, inter-track wagering, banquet halls, corporate suites, and new seating with private boxes.
The challenging aspect of the project was that it needed to be completed between the 2003 and 2005 Kentucky Derbies, without disrupting the training schedule of the horses and the normal horse racing meet schedule. Normally, the project work hours for a typical project would be between 7:30 a.m. until around 3 p.m. In order to accommodate the training schedule and meet the project fast track schedule, however, shift work was required starting after 9 a.m. and continuing until the start of training at 4 a.m. Thanks to good scheduling, management and quality sub contractors the team finished the job a month ahead of schedule and under budget, much to the satisfaction of the client.
Another job that required a great deal of organization was the construction of The Home of the Innocents, a non-profit organization that provides multifaceted services such as healthcare and housing for children in need. The new facility was built on an historic area of downtown Louisville that was used as the bourbon stockyard where cattle were initially brought in for sale at the turn of the century. The building was still in use until 2000.
Home of the Innocents bought the space because its original facility was overflowing. The new building has up–to-date technology and is “one of the most architecturally appealing projects in the downtown area,” according to Polston. Evenflow Fire Protection, LLC, was one of Sullivan & Cozart’s subcontractors for the Home of the Innocents, providing the fire sprinkler systems, and Evenflow President Tony Pinkerton makes a point to congratulate S&C on the time and effort put in to successfully coordinate a project of such magnitude. S&C is excited for the next phase of work expanding the Home of the Innocents facilities, which will include a 90,000 square feet addition.
Building Beneficial Environments
During all these endeavors the company is not only keeping to schedule and budget but also keeping ahead of another wave of technological advancement in its turn to environmentally friendly construction practices. S&C is currently in the process of having several employees earn LEED accreditation. “By the end of the year we hope to have at least three LEED Accredited Professionals in the office,” says Polston.
Even without currently being accredited, S&C just completed work on a library for the City of Louisville that is a LEED Silver Certified Building. Also, the company is using green products and processes, such as geothermal heating, isolated concrete forms and foam insulation, for some of the Home of the Innocents project. S&C is committed to continuing to use environmentally friendly materials and practices as more commercial and government clients demand such services.
Since Sullivan & Cozart is also involved in design-build work, the company works with clients closely during the design process to inform them of costs, which allows the owner to make decisions on how to spend money before the design process gets to far along. Hence, no money, time or effort is wasted in areas the owner may not want due to cost. Being involved in the front end of a project is essential for the good of the owners and architects.
“This allows us to estimate while the project is being designed and make sure all parties are aware of the potential cost impact of the design elements,” Polston reflects. “This is a good way for a team to work together to get a design off table and in to a real project. Generally, we budget a project with schematic drawings and establish a budget for the owner and then work with the design team to assure the design meets the budget.”
Not only is S&C dedicated to the service it gives its clients, but the company is also dedicated to the safety of its workers. S&C has a company safety program and full-time safety engineer who visits job sites several times a week. The engineer leaves a report with an on-site supervisor, and makes sure that everyone is in compliance with safety policies. The rules associated with keeping a safe working environment also apply to subcontractors, who are evaluated regularly regarding their practices.
Undeniably, Sullivan & Cozart knows that staying afloat in a competitive contracting industry is dependent upon its reputation and the caliber of its workers. With loyal and returning customers, as well as a dedicated and experienced workforce, Sullivan & Cozart sets set itself apart from the rest.