Beck Building Company Celebrates 50th Anniversary

When Andy Beck first arrived in Vail in January 1971, he came to ski. Over the next 50 years, he would employ 60 people and Vale said he would start a construction company responsible for building, completing, developing and remodeling hundreds of custom homes in the Valley. almost didn’t know.

His company, Beck Building Company, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022, cementing a legacy he could never have imagined when he first came to the ski city after completing military service.

“I came to Vail to go skiing. I never thought I would be a builder,” Beck said.

Like many who come to Vail, he started two or three jobs at once. Eventually, he got a job as a carpenter’s apprentice and started his career in the construction industry. In 1972, Beck began working for Mitch Hoyt, an early custom home builder.

“Of course, in the beginning I literally had to go read at night and figure out exactly what I had to do the next day because I didn’t have a lot of experience,” he said. Told.

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Soon after, he left on his own and began working “odds and ends” around town. Beck said he didn’t take a “careful path” to launching his own company, he followed a series of opportunities presented along the way.

According to Beck, his big turning point came from architect Gordon Pierce, who tied him with the job of building the Keeler Mansion, one of Booth Creek’s first homes.

This “gets us started and puts us on the map,” Beck said.

And as a testament to the company’s sustained work in the Vail community, the Beck Building is home to nearly five or six conversions for various owners, according to Kevin O’Donnell, the company’s current president. .

“If anyone helped us in the early days, it was Gordon Pierce who gave us the first opportunity to become a home builder, a general contractor. I moved on to opportunities and did different projects over the years,” Beck said.

Another key moment and series of projects, according to Beck, was Houston’s relationship with Travis and Anne Traylor. Beck Building Over the years he has built three local homes. The first is a European-style house in Vail’s Potato His patch. The second was Bieber He was a Bavarian-style house on Creek, known for its in-ground swimming pool. The third is an English Tudor-style hunting lodge in Edwards’ Pilgrim Downs.

“Travis Traylor’s project was very important because it was in an area where such a house was first or second built. Sometimes they can find you, sometimes you have to go find a job,” Beck said.

O’Donnell started his first job after college in 1996 at the age of 23. In 2010, as Beck began his transition into retirement, he appointed O’Donnell as president of the company. According to O’Donnell, this is a “big moment” in the company’s history, continuing Beck’s legacy while allowing the company to grow and move into the future.

“This is my only job, and it is very unique in today’s world. “The impact on my life was huge, and it allowed me to live in this valley. Andy has always been there for me to continue to have challenges and opportunities to grow.” I did.”

Over the years, O’Donnell witnessed many of the company’s other key moments. For him, Beck included a focus on high-end custom homes soon after his building joined.

“We really found our passion and skill set there. It helped narrow down our mission,” he said.

Additionally, over the years, Beck Building has expanded its reach. First we went to Denver where we still have offices, then to the Aspen area where we are working on building custom homes. Both of these instances have brought “resilience and diversity to our work,” according to O’Donnell.

“Having a slightly wider footprint has made us stronger financially and put us in a better position overall,” he added.

Navigating changes and constants

In the early days, Beck noted that many parts of the construction process were self-finished, including carpentry, concrete work, framing, roofing, drywall, and insulation, partly because there were few local subcontractors at the time. I remembered. But gradually the company shifted to its role as a construction general contractor, Beck said, as the number and quality of local subcontractors increased as well.

The company started out building and remodeling custom homes, but over the years has also worked in multifamily, commercial and development work in its portfolio. To date, the company estimates he has completed well over 350 new builds and renovations, and touches on many more customer care services after the homes are completed.

Over the past 50 years, Beck Building has played a unique role in Vail’s start and evolution over the years.

“You have this constant remake of Bale,” Beck said. I have a fair amount of wax.”

From the early days, Beck recalled, the community has grown and evolved in many ways, not just in terms of its size.

In particular, this is growth that Beck Building has also contributed to. Beck recalled that key projects in the company’s history included the expansion of the Red Lion and Plaza Lodges along Bridge Street and the Bell Tower Building.

In the early days it was all about skiing and “enjoying the mountain environment of Vail”.

This growth has continued to grow exponentially in recent years. With the advent of the pandemic and the ensuing rise in individuals working from home, allowing them to live where they please, Beck recently said year-round residents are on the rise. O’Donnell added that this influx of residents has also changed the way homes are built.

“Ski resorts and holiday homes have certain needs in terms of planning, layout and functionality. It really changes how it works,” O’Donnell said.

Aside from changing towns and valleys, Beck recalled the advent of technology and how it changed the way businesses were run.

“What has changed is the opportunity to communicate information, to make decisions, etc., because technology has made a huge leap during this time,” says Beck.

Beck says that as technology has evolved, the process of building and running a business has sped up, and with it expectations and quality.

“There’s a sense of urgency these days,” added Beck. “Quality levels have definitely improved simply because our customer base has traveled more, become more worldly, and has higher expectations of what to do.”

This is an expectation only reinforced by our global clients who build and remodel homes and properties in Vail.

“They expect what’s in their hometown. Whether they’re in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or wherever they’re from, they’re expecting more and more levels of quality and sophistication. Well,” he said. Beck said.

Similarly, O’Donnell recalled that the complexity of what the company has built has increased over the years for a variety of reasons.

“People who build here tend to want to do something really special. He added that it has evolved and become more complex.

“Construction management is also becoming more sophisticated,” says Beck. “Flowcharts, construction schedules, important milestones, it may not have been part of the process for a junior house builder at the time. It became clear.”

In order for the company to evolve, grow and maintain its quality over the years, we have placed great emphasis on education. O’Donnell calls this one of the company’s “rules of thumb.”

“That’s what I noticed when I first started working for Andy. It’s a constant improvement. I’m always looking for the next thing around the corner,” says O’Donnell.

A focus on learning includes external participation in industry associations such as the National Custom Builders Council, as well as an internal “Beck University” that enables employees to “keep up with the latest construction technology.” is.

As Beck Building looks to the future, O’Donnell said he sees several trends in the industry and in the community.

“Vail is a very mature community, doing more renovations than new construction. The concept of what a remodel is has changed,” he said. “These mods don’t just change the finish and make it look nicer, but some do. Adding feet, etc. In some ways, a renovation is more complicated than a new construction job.”

In addition, the industry has seen a growing local interest in ways to make homes more energy efficient, as well as indoor and outdoor spaces in both winter and summer.

But amidst all these changes, one thing remains constant for Beck Building Company.

“The fundamental relationship we try to establish with our clients hasn’t really changed,” says Beck.

“This is a world-class resort community that we are building for the most inspiring people in the world,” said Jill Anderson, Beck Building’s Director of Business Development. “What we have been able to achieve and what Andy started and how Kevin has continued to build this legacy is really impressive in this environment. In a complex environment like Vail, Colorado, where he has spent 50 years. That is really great.”