We’ve dubbed the photo on this month’s cover “flying trusses,” because that’s how it can appear when you’re delivering an outstanding product in a limited space. But space concerns have never stopped our team at Lowder. [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]
Founded by Dean Lowder in 1994, Lowder Construction is one of the leading commercial wood framing service providers in the Southeast US. In 2014, Lowder began focusing exclusively on multifamily projects and offering turn-key services (including all material and labor) as a total package. We added field management and organized our inside operations to enable us to successfully flow these large projects from estimating to field production.
Based in Archdale, NC, Lowder currently manages more than 400 experienced framers. We framed more than 4,500,000 gross square feet of multifamily units in 2019. We are proud of the 20+ years of experience that we share with many of our crews, and we are now working with the second generation of labor and management on several teams.
With a highly technical pre-construction team and knowledgeable project managers and superintendents, Lowder Construction specializes in the more difficult projects. These include urban infill projects with very limited access, podium construction, and Type III-A jobs.
With many sites having limited staging areas, we work closely with our suppliers for just-in-time deliveries. We also use self-erecting Potain tower cranes on many sites due to access. These cranes provide versatility and reliability on highly-congested sites. Potain offers units with variable height cabs that provides better visibility as well as remote control keypads that enable operations closer to our crews.
We have completed projects throughout the Southeast US and currently are working in NC, SC, GA, TN, and VA. With many of our projects, we discovered that our critical paths were affected by other trades. Many times, these trades would have delays that resulted in us having to reallocate manpower – which resulted in lost production and lost revenue for us. In order to better control our framing schedules, we founded Lowder Steel in 2015. Lowder Steel, also based in Archdale, NC, is an AISC-certified structural and miscellaneous steel fabricator and erector. Our construction and steel teams work hand-in-hand to minimize any possible delays. And in 2018, Lowder Construction added a masonry division to further assist our clients in stream-lining their schedules. Our masonry crews provide labor and materials for critical path areas such as CMU elevator shafts and stairway towers.
So, if you think your next project may need some flying trusses, Lowder Construction will have you covered.