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SALT LAKE CITY — Thanks to new landmark projects, a record-breaking future work pipeline, and steady revenue growth across several key markets, Jacobsen Construction is set up for success in the coming years.
That was the message executives shared with Jacobsen’s more than 880 employee-owners at the company’s 2026 Get-Together celebration at the Grand America Hotel on March 20.
“Think about the incredible impact you’re having in your communities,” CEO Gary Ellis said to employees and their plus-one guests, who had traveled from all across the country for the special biennial occasion. “Thank you for your hard work and for everything you do for Jacobsen.”
The Get-Together included a buffet dinner and dessert, live music and drawings for big prizes. All employees went home with an Amazon gift card and, in keeping with the event’s “Level Up” theme, a level tool.
“It’s going to take every one of the people in this room, and a few more, to help us ‘Level Up’ and prepare for what’s to come,” Ellis said, in a nod to Jacobsen’s company-record $4.3 billion future work backlog.
That impressive backlog of future projects was the focus of remarks from Chief Development Officer Dennis Cigana, who said it was the result of focused strategic business planning across the company. Cigana also credited Jacobsen’s ability to win repeat business from project owners who have built with the company before, which represented 94% of the company’s completed work in 2025 — a strong indicator of high client trust.
“It’s a great position for us to be in, with about $1 billion per year planned for the next three years alone,” Cigana said. “This will stretch us, demand our best and provide growth opportunities for our people. Jacobsen has put plans in place to execute this large amount of work successfully, and our future looks bright.”
As a 100% employee-owned company, Jacobsen’s steady revenue growth represents good news for team members’ Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) accounts, Chief Financial Officer Tommy Auger told attendees. He added that the stability made possible by the company’s “multi-faceted and diverse” construction markets is another reason why there has never been a better time to be a part of Jacobsen.
“When our company succeeds, we all succeed. Over the last several years, we have consistently grown our ESOP funding. Your efforts are leading, and will continue to lead, to tangible value in retirement,” Auger said to cheers from the audience.
Looking out for every employee’s future also requires a relentless focus on jobsite safety, Chief Operating Officer Matt Radke said in his remarks.
“Safety isn’t about simply avoiding injuries,” Radke said. “It’s about protecting your future — your future birthdays, your anniversaries and vacations, your nights at home.”
Much of Radke’s presentation focused on GRIT, Jacobsen’s recently launched safety initiative that is centered on rigorous risk assessment, preventive task planning, situational awareness and continual communication.
“Have the GRIT to speak up. If something isn’t right, stop the work. If you’re rushed, slow down. If you need help, call for it,” Radke said. “Be the person who refuses to cut corners.”
Radke added that safety policies and procedures, by themselves, are not sufficient without individual buy-in from every team member on the jobsite to keep everyone protected.
“Let us make a shared commitment to never tolerate unsafe conditions, unsafe behaviors or unsafe decisions — not for the sake of production, not for convenience and not for anyone,” he said.
Radke also thanked employees’ plus-one guests in attendance for supporting Jacobsen’s team members in their work and motivating them to build safely.
“You are the quiet heroes of this industry,” he said. “Your voice matters, your influence matters and you are part of our safety team, even if you never set foot on a jobsite.”
Ellis said Jacobsen’s people are leading the company to earn clients’ trust, win high-stakes work and grow its influence with impactful projects across the United States. He said that, in addition to Jacobsen’s permanent presence in Utah, Hawaii and Arizona, the company has also recently performed work in Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
“We’re Built for Life because we build the places where life happens,” Ellis said. “Every project Jacobsen completes adds to the legacy of all of you and your hard work. Together, we make such a difference, and what we do is truly meaningful.”
As examples, Ellis highlighted Jacobsen’s ongoing work at the University of Utah Spencer Fox School of Medicine, the BYU–Hawaii Temple View Apartments and Deer Valley East Village. He also showcased the company’s recent completion of Astra Tower, the new Primary Children’s Hospital Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Campus, the One Burton Apartments, a large-scale manufacturing campus expansion for Cytiva and more. Get-Together attendees likewise enjoyed Jake’s Take video presentations showing Jacobsen’s progress on the Intermountain Health Home Services Oxygen Warehouse, the University of Utah’s West Village Family & Graduate Student Housing, and the Salt Lake Temple and Temple Square renovation.
Each of the evening’s spotlighted projects and many more, Ellis said, offer unique reasons to be “proud of the work we do together.”
“And remember, we all own this company,” Ellis said emphatically. “It’s up to us, as a group, to create a successful future. I’m ready to succeed together with all of you.”
