Greeley, Colorado, August 22, 2025
News Summary
Hensel Phelps is broadening its digital-construction capabilities across projects while enacting multiple executive leadership changes. The firm has standardized a Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) program on every job, pairing BIM, drone operations, laser scanning, augmented reality, and cloud collaboration to reduce rework, improve safety, and boost field efficiency. A staffed VDC group supports project kickoff through construction with clash detection and constructible models accessible on tablets in the field. The company emphasizes hands-on, in-field training and practical technology use tied to measurable outcomes, including improved risk scores, reduced rework, and recognized safety and innovation performance.
Hensel Phelps widens digital-construction VDC and AR use while enacting executive changes effective Jan. 1, 2025
Summary: A long-running, employee-owned builder has increased the use of virtual design and construction (VDC) and augmented reality (AR) tools across its projects while announcing a set of executive leadership changes that took effect on January 1, 2025. The company continues to push field-focused digital workflows and has tied those changes to measurable safety and project delivery improvements.
What changed and why it matters
The contractor, founded in 1937 in Greeley, Colorado and one of the largest employee-owned general contractors in the country, is formalizing broader adoption of digital tools to prevent rework, reduce risk and speed decision making on jobsites. The company collects Building Information Modeling (BIM) data on every project, uses cloud platforms as a central source of truth, and expands augmented reality for field use — all aimed at improving quality, safety and coordination across aviation, healthcare, transportation and other sectors.
Digital and AR workflows being expanded
The firm’s virtual design and construction group, led by a VDC manager with more than a decade of practical experience building field-friendly workflows, emphasizes that technology must be applied with clear purpose. The approach focuses on avoiding rework, preventing accidents and ensuring projects are built correctly from the start. Core elements of the initiative include:
- Cloud collaboration: The company uses a cloud platform as the single source of truth so stakeholders can view and act on up-to-date field data.
- Field visualization: Powerful tablets display constructible models on site, helping crews spot conflicts, avoid utility strikes and plan next steps.
- Augmented reality: The firm deploys an AR positioning system to map, validate and visualize installed work and upcoming tasks across concrete, MEP, civil utilities and framing.
- Project controls: A project management platform is used to handle cost info, RFIs, daily logs, submittal registers and punchlists, and to host contract documents for easy access on site.
Real-world examples
On a hospital replacement program, AR was used to map floor removal needs precisely, visualize tight spaces in real time and track QA/QC continuously. At a major airport terminal redevelopment, design models were loaded to field tablets and color-coded in the cloud so engineering teams could validate demolition and utility install work as part of safety verification workflows.
Team and training
The VDC group comprises about 95 people across roles such as senior VDC managers, VDC managers, lead VDC engineers, VDC engineers and BIM engineers. Senior VDC staff create BIM execution plans during procurement and kickoff so all stakeholders follow a shared path for deliverables. The company favors training in the field over video-only learning, and regional training sessions are used to scale adoption. The ideal VDC hire often comes from a field or project engineer background who moves into digital roles.
Tools, scale and outcomes
The contractor has increased the number of cloud licenses and acquired hundreds of AR device licenses to support wider use. VDC workflows are now part of operational protocols. Results include fewer change orders, reduced rework, safer jobsites and improved insurance risk scores. The firm has received multiple safety awards, including repeated national-level recognition and a major construction safety award in 2025. It also won a construction innovation award in 2024 for processes that connect data and improve transparency for project stakeholders.
Leadership updates effective Jan. 1, 2025
The board announced a series of promotions and role changes that took effect at the start of 2025:
- New president and chief operating officer: The company named a longtime executive as president and COO after 27 years with the firm; the CEO remains as chairman.
- Executive vice president: A senior leader was promoted to an EVP role overseeing multiple regions and water services.
- Regional and business unit leaders: A new regional vice president was named for the Rocky Mountain region and another executive was named general manager for mission-critical integrated solutions.
- Retirement: A senior regional leader retired after more than three decades with the company.
- New roles: The firm added a chief administrative officer role and a chief health and safety officer position to strengthen enterprise-wide support functions.
Other corporate notes
The firm plans a regional office move in the Rocky Mountain area by next summer and has been selected to provide construction manager at-risk services for a concourse reconstruction project at a major airport. The company continues to work across aviation, healthcare and transportation infrastructure markets and remains employee-owned.
FAQ
What is VDC and why is the company expanding it?
VDC stands for virtual design and construction. The company is expanding VDC to reduce rework, improve coordination, enhance safety and give field teams visual tools they can use to plan and verify work.
Which digital tools are being used?
The company uses cloud collaboration platforms for model sharing, AR systems for on-site visualization, tablets for displaying constructible models, project management software for cost and document control, and laser scanning and drones for site capture.
How does AR help on job sites?
AR helps crews map existing conditions, validate installed elements against models, anticipate conflicts, and perform QA/QC in real time. It also helps nontechnical staff visually understand complex plans.
What leadership changes took effect in 2025?
Several promotions and new roles took effect on January 1, 2025, including a new president and COO, an executive vice president overseeing multiple regions, new regional and business unit leaders, the creation of chief administrative and chief health and safety officer roles, and the retirement of a long-serving regional leader.
Has this affected safety or insurance?
Yes. The company reports improved safety performance and better risk scores tied to digital workflows, and the firm has received multiple safety awards at national and local levels.
Key features at a glance
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Company type | Employee-owned general contractor founded in 1937 |
| VDC team size | Approximately 95 people across multiple VDC roles |
| Core digital tools | Cloud collaboration platform, AR system, field tablets, project controls software, laser scanning, drones |
| Notable project uses | Hospital replacement program AR mapping; airport terminal demolition and utility visualization |
| Operational outcomes | Reduced rework, improved safety, better insurance risk scores, award recognition |
| Leadership changes | Multiple promotions and new executive roles effective Jan. 1, 2025, plus a senior retirement |
| Planned moves | Regional office relocation in the Rocky Mountain area planned by next summer |
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
Additional Resources
- Hensel Phelps announces leadership changes for 2025 – PR Newswire
- Wikipedia: Hensel Phelps
- Hensel Phelps to move regional HQ to Broomfield – BizWest
- Google Search: Hensel Phelps regional HQ Broomfield
- Hensel Phelps names new president and leadership updates – Construction Dive
- Google Scholar: Hensel Phelps virtual design and construction VDC
- Hensel Phelps announces leadership changes (Jan 2024) – BizWest
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Hensel Phelps
- Hensel Phelps Board of Directors announces promotion of key personnel – PR Newswire
- Google News: Hensel Phelps leadership changes 2025
Author: Construction NY News
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