EL PASO, TX - On June 6, the nation’s 4th largest general construction contractor celebrated a milestone achievement at Ft. Bliss Army Installation. Since the late 1990’s, Balfour Beatty Construction has established one of the largest inventories of completed privatized military housing in the country and is paying tribute to their 10,000th unit which has been turned over at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, TX. The unit also represents one of 1,861 homes built for military service men and women and their families by Balfour Beatty Construction at Ft. Bliss.
The company’s accomplishments in the military housing market have been made possible with the 1996 execution of the Military Privatized Housing Initiative (MHPI) bill that Congress authorized to provide adequate and quality housing for service members and their families. In 2002, Balfour Beatty Communities and Balfour Beatty Construction formed a partnership to respond to the privatized housing needs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force across the United States.
“I have a hard time wrapping my arms around 10,000 units. It’s a miracle,” said Don Spigelmyer, retired Executive Director of the Residential Communities Initiative (RCI), who was one of the guest speakers at Thursday’s celebratory event. “This is not just about the celebration of 10,000 homes. This is about 10,000 military families who have a place to call home.”
Balfour Beatty entered the military housing market in 2000 upon being selected for the first MHPI pilot project at Ft. Carson located near Colorado Springs, CO. The success of that project set the stage for future awards across the country. The company’s milestones to date include 19 privatized projects on 40 installations in 23 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.). Within the past decade, Balfour Beatty has been awarded more than 13,500 newly constructed units.
“This accomplishment could only happen with the help of many dedicated people. Thousands of individuals have contributed to providing quality housing for the men and women who protect our way of life,” said Jim Taylor, President of Balfour Beatty Construction’s Military Housing division. Taylor made public his plans to retire at the end of 2013 during the ceremonial presentation. He has served as President of the company’s Military Housing division since 2008.
The company’s Military Housing team is proud to serve the U.S. government in helping to renovate, rebuild, and improve living conditions for soldiers and their families across the country. In 2012, Building Design + Construction ranked Balfour Beatty Construction as the nation’s third largest multifamily contractor.