Construction Today - November 2017 - 88
Institutional | FRASER CONSTRUCTION - UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA BEAUFORT Big Expansion FRASER IS IN CONTROL WITH USCB'S HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT CAMPUS. BY BIANCA HERRON Fraser Construction - University of Sou Carolina Beaufort www.fraser-construction.com * Location: Hi on Head Island, S.C. * Employees on-site at peak: 40+ "The University of Sou Carolina Beaufort is poised for a lot of grow , and is new campus will help pur at." - Jay Fraser, vice president of operations J oe Harden founded Joe Harden Builder Inc. 40 years ago as a general contractor specializing in construction for the hospitality sector. Today, the company is known as Fraser Construction Company LLC. The Bluffton, S.C.-based company over the years expanded its service offerings to include design/build, sustainable buildings and construction management, while retaining a strong portfolio of hospitality and clubhouse projects. 88 CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM NOVEMBER 2017 "We're really good at managing highend commercial projects and provide a high attention to detail," Vice President of Operations Jay Fraser says. "Although some companies are low cost and others are high in production, we like to think we're the commercial version of a highend homebuilder." With each project, Fraser Construction aims to make its customers happy by providing them a superior building and the best service. The company's 35 employees play a critical role in its success. Fraser also notes that the small but mighty team allows the company to be nimble and pivot when necessary. "We're a mid-sized contractor," he says. "We don't have regional satellite offices or huge headquarters. We're the right size for the kind of work that takes place along the coast of South Carolina and Georgia." On Schedule Fraser Construction broke ground on its latest project, the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) Hospitality Management Campus, in April. Located in Hilton Head Island, S.C., the campus will be USCB's third, joining its main Hilton Head Gateway campus in greater Bluffton and its historic Beaufort campus. The planned facility will house USCB's hospitality management program including undergraduate education, a center for the hospitality industry and executive education, a teaching and learning facility for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and a civic gathering place. The Lillio Architecture design for the facility will also feature state-of-the-art classrooms, a demonstration kitchen, beverage laboratory, fabrication laboratory and classrooms for distance education. Fraser Construction anticipates completion in fall 2018. "This is a college of hospitality where a student goes to learn how to be a resort manager, bartender or chef," Fraser says. "The facility will feature a demonstration bar, which will have folding doors that open