The new unit will operate as a part of the company’s USA Building business unit, per the release. Executive Vice President and General Manager Katie Coulson, a 25-year veteran with the company, will lead the division. She previously served as senior vice president and account manager, a role in which she managed a longstanding relationship with Skanska’s largest high-tech manufacturing customer.
“Establishing SAT is an important strategic move for our business, and Katie is the ideal leader for our SAT team,” said Clay Haden, president & CEO of Skanska USA Building, in the release. “Under her leadership, we are well positioned to better serve our key customers and seize emerging opportunities in the high-tech/chips manufacturing sector.”
The contractor isn’t alone in its assessment. Even as construction firms continue to break ground and make progress on multibillion-dollar manufacturing projects, experts across the industry predict high demand for data center and semiconductor projects going into 2025.
Edmonton, Alberta-based PCL, which has U.S. headquarters in Denver, recently announced a new group within its business to focus on advanced manufacturing builds, including jobs in the semiconductor, battery and electronics and life science sectors. PCL also projected confidence in the future of manufacturing construction, on the heels of initiatives such as Stargate, a new plan that will see tech giants pump up to $500 billion into AI infrastructure.
“[Data center construction] has emerged as one of the fastest-growing construction markets,” Brian Kassalen, principal and construction industry leader at Chicago-based Baker Tilly, an advisory, tax and assurance firm, told Construction Dive recently. “Even before the announcement of Project Stargate, data center construction was a top construction market with significant growth forecasted in 2025 and beyond.”
