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Seattle-based mechanical contractor is looking to expand its Tri-City customer
base by opening a shop where customers can fulfill commercial needs for
heating, ventilation and air conditioning as well as other mechanical services.
MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions has plans to open its
primary Eastern Washington headquarters in Kennewick after relocating its small
office from Moses Lake. The company declined to disclose the Kennewick location
until it opens.
MacDonald-Miller
has 10 offices in the Pacific Northwest and has completed a number of
high-profile projects in the Seattle area, including work at Seattle Children’s
Hospital, Boeing’s headquarters and Seattle Aquarium.
“We
basically do anything that’s not a barn,” joked Nicole Martin, the company’s
marketing manager.
The
company has been in business for more than 50 years and tackles commercial
buildings of all types, not just large projects. These could include small
businesses, as well as data centers, health care facilities and factories.
Martin said the company is “ready to put down roots” in
the Tri-Cities and expects to have a team of about seven to 10 employees when
it opens the doors on the new facility by early fall. This includes current
technicians who represent the company in the market and are part of its overall
employee base of 800 staffers, with 1,000 employees expected to be on the job
for MacDonald-Miller this summer.
While the Tri-Cities already has several locally-based commercial HVAC contractors, Martin said the company is excited to expand its reach.
“There’s
always room for more business. We are already there exceeding expectations.
We’re excited to join the community, provide local jobs and make buildings work
better wherever we go,” she said.
MacDonald-Miller’s
focus is on preventative maintenance by using smart technology. Martin said the
company can establish a dashboard within the building’s controls that will
provide data on its systems to allow for real time visibility, providing the
ability to be preventative rather than reactionary. This service can be
provided to any commercial client, not just during new construction.
As a union shop, MacDonald-Miller also recognizes the need for a qualified workforce and offers a pre-apprenticeship program to high school graduates. It has worked with the West Sound STEM Network in the Seattle area to promote science, technology, engineering and math careers and the skilled trades so students know there are opportunities for hands-on paid learning while building their skills.
Martin said the company looks
forward to jumping in with Tri-City area STEM and career-connected learning.