Jeff Longacre

Relentless Ally

Setting the Bar for Seattle Special Projects 

Jeff Longacre knows a thing or two about consistency. Throughout his 32-year career, he’s worked for one company, in one market sector and remained committed to one overarching goal: delivering successful special projects – nearly 500 to be exact.

Behind that consistency is a man who wears many hats as the company’s vice president and special projects business unit leader in Seattle, Washington. From business development to estimating, scheduling, recruiting top talent and more, Jeff still enjoys every facet of special projects as much as his first day on the job. In fact, Jeff believes success in this fast-paced sector hinges squarely on a team’s adaptability and versatility.

They are qualities Jeff has in spades. Having worked his way through college as a residential carpenter, Jeff learned the industry from the inside out. He credits his time in the field with providing a practical perspective on project execution as well as a direct lens into clients’ deeply personal connection to the work.

“Swinging a hammer taught me how to be a better estimator and scheduler,” affirms Jeff. “Emotions can have a direct impact on the decisions clients make, whether it’s a home or office building. I learned how to build relationships based on trust and communicate effectively with my clients to understand their goals.”

Trust: The Secret Sauce to Special Projects

Upon graduation from the University of Washington with dual majors in architecture and construction management, Jeff began an internship with Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company (HSW). As Jeff explored HSW’s diverse markets, he quickly discerned the alignment between his unique background and the skillsets required for special projects. At the time, however, special projects weren’t exactly a young builder’s coveted career path.

“When I started out, you could say special projects was the red-headed stepchild of the industry. Most people who get into construction want to work on projects that change skylines. That’s not special projects.”

But Jeff intuitively sensed just how special—that special projects could truly be. From the opportunity to collaborate with project partners at a much earlier stage in one’s career to the increased ownership of project decisions and their impact on budget and schedule, special projects don’t just require our teammates to wear many hats. To deliver highly custom projects that move forward at lightning speed, they must wear those many hats exceedingly well.  

“In special projects, you’re not separated from the client by an RFI,” says Jeff. “Superintendents are proposing value engineering solutions to clients face-to-face in the field, and project engineers can begin cultivating what we call ‘living room relationships’ with our clients at a very early age.”

It’s one of the primary messages which enables Jeff to successfully recruit new talent to join their thriving and full-service special projects team which also performs maintenance and warranty work.

Jeff believes it’s this highly collaborative and solutions-oriented approach that helps HSW build such trusted relationships with our special projects clients and partners across a vast array of market sectors and delivery methods. An added layer of trust is needed for projects within occupied facilities, when special projects teams must provide real-time and enhanced communication and coordination efforts to ensure Zero Harm.

The Door to More

Over the decades, clients have come to depend on Jeff’s guidance and that of his teammates, and the entire business has reaped the results. From a Confidential Online Global Retailer to leading banking institutions and even educational institutions including his alma mater, our Northwest operations enjoy a nearly 90% repeat client rate.

“A client is often willing to go out on a limb on a $50,000 job more than a $50 million job,” maintains Jeff. “Once a client starts understanding that they can rely on our guidance and that the guidance adds real value, you start to build trust which can often lead to repeat work or even major capital projects.”

To help attract the workers back to the office post-pandemic, commercial clients are increasingly seeking Jeff’s expertise on design and construction choices that embody their culture, values and identity. Under Jeff’s leadership, the team has built mock-ups and conducted pilot programs to help meet their clients’ goals for the modern workplace.   

The Staying Power of Special Projects

Although Jeff has more than three decades of special projects experience under his toolbelt, he doesn’t plan on exploring other market sectors anytime soon. He loves the people, frenetic pace and even the unpredictability special projects can bring.

“I never know what I’ll be doing three or even six months from now,” says Jeff. “We’re always assembling new teams, we’re always estimating, we’re always scheduling. I’m not going anywhere. I’m having too much fun.”