Testimonials

Judy Longworth

Administrator, Community Orthopedic Medical Group

It has been our pleasure to work with Jim Stephens and Stephens Construction on a variety of building projects. One of the first projects they did for us was in 1995 which involved the complete build out of a two story, 12,000 square foot, medical building. This included coordination of all the electrical and plumbing, elevator, radiology department, examination rooms, physician’s offices, and conference room. We have occupied this building for twenty years and the construction has held up extremely well. We still get many compliments on the appearance of our office.

The last major project Jim did for us was completed in 2012. This included the complete gutting of a two story, 8,000 square foot building for repurposing into medical space containing an MRI department, physician offices, physical therapy department, and elevator.

Throughout these projects, Jim Stephens and his crew have been professional and on budget. Jim has a lot of experience with many types of building projects, city planning departments, and code requirements. We have found him to be honest and conscientious in his efforts. It would be out pleasure to recommend Stephens Construction to any prospective client. We are very sorry the company relocated to Texas but are sure new clients will be pleased to work with them!

Bart M. Smith

Architect, DZN Partners

Stephens Construction and my firm, DZN Partners, worked together on the Galloway Medical Building in Encinitas, California. It is a two story medical office and surgery center building with parking on the first floor and the medical offices and surgery center on the second floor. It includes an elevator and two stairways. It was a fairly complicated building to construct with the medical gas and air vac system, related monitoring equipment, and specialized hvac and air filtration systems. Stephens Construction performed the construction services professionally and expeditiously. The project owner and I were both extremely satisfied with the completed product. I would strongly recommend Stephens Construction to anyone with plans to construct a commercial medical project.

Frank J. Porcelli

Owner, Harbor Packaging

My relationship with Jim Stephens started in 1991. Harbor Packaging was five years old at the time and business was good enough to consider building our own facility. We were very new to the process and had to learn a lot along the way. We purchased a lot and hired an architect. When the plans were completed we out to bid with three construction companies. Stephens Construction was one of the bidders and was recommended by one of the partners. The bids came in and Stephens Construction was right in the middle, price wise.

The three bids looked totally different. I then met with all three contractors to explain to me how they arrived at the final number. While going through this process I found both competitors left some gray area items out of the contract. One example was the fire hydrant at the curb. Jim’s quote was the only one that was complete. By the time the bids were apples to apples, Stephens Construction turned in the lowest bid.

My decision to hire Jim was not solely based on price, but I saw that they were the most efficient and had integrity in the way they went about doing business. The 35,000 square foot office and production building was built on time and on budget. Jim was great to work with and three years later we called him again.

This time we were building a 30,000 square foot warehouse next door, with the same result. The concrete tilt up was on time and on budget.

Our business continued to do well and again, we ran out of room. In 1997, we decided to build a 132,000 square foot building with 30,000 square feet of office, 12,000 square feet of mezzanine, and 90,000 square feet of production and warehouse. We purchased a lot, secured our working drawings, received our building permits, and Stephens Construction built the building. The entire process was completed in one year. This was quite a feat considering the changes I was making along the way. We are still operating out of this facility.

Along the way they put on an addition on my personal residence and more than once did concrete work in the building to accommodate new equipment purchases, one large machine in 2003, and an additional machine in 2013.

I would highly recommend Stephens Construction for any building project I was considering. If you have any questions, I can be reached on my cell at 619.980.9099.

Larry Sillman

Principal, Sillman Wright Architects

It has been a pleasure both professionally and personally working with Jim Stephens and Stephens Construction over the past six years.

Our first project together was the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (CUIAB) tenant improvements. This was a difficult project from a standpoint of having to do an ADA Assessment of the existing building and applying that to the improvements for the State of California. The assessment triggered installation of a new elevator from street level and bridging the second floor. The challenge for the project was allowing continuous use of the space while phasing the work on the tenant improvements. The project was completed on time and on budget, much to the satisfaction of the owner.

Our latest project with Jim was a design-build delivery of tenant improvements for the Community Orthopedic Medical Group (COMG). This was a very complicated project involving the installation of a new MRI machine within an existing tenant area. The tenant had an existing MRI in an adjacent building, which, once the new machine was installed, had to be removed. I was personally very impressed with Jim’s ability to understand all of the scientific and medical criteria and safety provisions necessary to install an MRI. The shielding along with the technical support areas had to be done right the first time. No second chances. His attention to all of the details made this project come together with minimal impact on the medical and physical therapy practices. Added to this was the fact that we had to add an exterior elevator to the building for ADA access. This presented several structural issues which were complicated due to the fact that the as-built drawings were not clear as to the existing conditions. Jim was able to do some preliminary destructive testing and provide the necessary conditions for us to structurally marry the elevator to the existing structure.

In all, this was a very complicated and technical project that would have frustrated many contractors, but Jim’s unflagging efforts kept everything moving smoothly to completion.

I would be more than happy to work with Jim on any future projects.

Stephen G. Brown

Owner, Planning + Design

Among the many services I provide are office space planning and design for building owners and property management companies. I am pleased to recommend Stephens Construction for any of your tenant improvement or office remodel work. I have been acquainted with Jim Stephens and Stephens Construction for more than 12 years. We have worked on projects as simple as cutting a wall to add a window or door to ones more involved requiring complete demo and office build out. Designs may include new wall and ceiling finishes along with plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems; some only one hundred square feet, others several thousands of square feet.

In all our dealings, I have found Jim Stephens to be professional and knowledgeable in all aspects of construction. He has a good understanding of the building code and related ADA requirements. He maintains a healthy work environment and interacts well with property owners, tenants, as well as the various building inspectors associated with each. Projects are completed on time, within budget, and with the highest level of quality control.

I am confident you will find Stephens Construction as reliable as I have.

If you have any questions or need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.