CCI Mechanical
Salt Lake City

Mullholand Leading Firm into 21st Century

By Brad Fullmer

Having worked for more than decade in sunny San Diego for a major mechanical contracting firm before moving to Salt Lake City, Davis Mullholand sees some similarities between the two markets, particularly the need to run a reputable, first-class business.

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“Salt Lake has that community feel where relationships and reputation are critical – you can’t just be a number in the crowd in this business,” says Mullholand, president of CCI Mechanical, Inc. of Salt Lake City. “Your company name is what makes or breaks you. It was true in San Diego, and it’s most certainly true here.”

A native of upstate New York, Mullholand graduated from Penn State University with a B.A. in Architectural Engineering – a degree he says focuses on engineering as it relates to vertical construction.

After working a few summers for a mechanical engineer, he decided that working for an engineering consultant was not a good fit for his personality or skill set.

“I started thinking construction was more the direction I wanted to go in because I’m more of an outgoing, social person,” says Mullholand. “Southland (Industries) came in the door and interviewed me and it was a perfect fit to work for a design-build mechanical firm.”

From 1990 to 2001, Mullholand worked for Southland Industries in San Diego and gained a great understanding of design-build and how mechanical firms can add value to projects. He joined CCI in 2001, taking over as president of the firm for John Dillon, and continues CCI’s specialization in design-build.

“We like being able to look at our clients and tell them that we’ve got total responsibility for mechanical systems on their project,” says Mullholand, who also chairs the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). “From a cost perspective, from a design perspective, from a long-term maintenance and service perspective, we want to be involved in all aspects so we can look at the client 20 years from now and feel comfortable with our service.”

Design-build, he adds, seems to work best on projects with aggressive schedules.
“Design-build is not necessarily right for every single project, but I don’t think there is a type of project it isn’t right for,” he says. “The more complex project typically requires iterations of design and cost scenarios, so design-build works well. If schedule is not an issue, a more traditional (delivery) method can sometimes work very well.
Nowadays, schedules are always an issue.”

CCI specializes in heating, air conditioning, plumbing, pipe fabrication, process piping, and complete service and maintenance packages. Founded in 1961, the firm employs in-house engineers, plumbers, pipe fitters, sheet metal workers, control electricians and service technicians. In addition, CCI has 10 mechanical engineers on its staff, including five licensed professional engineers, to help with design-build projects.

Another growing area of expertise for CCI is with green building trends, including the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) certification program.

Mullholand earned his LEED Accreditation more than three years ago when the firm was working on Big-D Construction’s Corporate Headquarters – a LEED Gold Certified project. He says CCI has always been cognizant of the benefits of energy efficiency – understanding the nuances of LEED is simply the next logical step.
“Having come from Southern California where energy costs are so astronomical,” he says, “I’ve always been involved in energy performance projects – where you do a life cycle cost analysis and determine that it’s worth the investment. When I came to Utah, it was a natural direction I wanted to go in.

Mullholand continues: “LEED came across our radar probably four years ago and I began to see it through relationships I had on the west coast. LEED was a natural transition. We already understood the energy benefits. LEED has this all-encompassing approach to sustainable design, and it just makes sense.”

He also is optimistic that the region’s robust construction market will continue to remain vibrant for at least two or three more years, before tailing off a bit.

“Given that the downtown (City Creek) development is beginning to break, I’m optimistic that we’ll have a couple of more years in this cycle,” he says. “Where the natural cycle would start to slow, the downtown development will extend it out several years.

“Our growth is driven by our need to continually offer our clients the services they demand,” he continues. “In this economic time, it’s created growth opportunities.”

Company: CCI Mechanical, Inc.

Location: Salt Lake City

Year Founded: 1961

Markets Served: Plumbing and HVAC for Commercial and Industrial  

No. of Employees: 275

Recent Projects: Miller MotorSports Park, Merit Medical Systems, Fairchild

Semiconductor, Malt-O-Meal, Watson Pharmaceuticals, Sportsman’s Warehouse.

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