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RK Mechanical in Stapleton
Barbara Jacobs and Jim Shaw with RK Mechanical
RK Mechanical's construction warehouse
RK Mechanical's on-site tool facility
RK Mechanical is used to doing things in-house.
From a robust training program to its own transportation fleet and tool facility, this internal model has attracted recognition.
Last year, the Stapleton business was named Colorado’s Specialty Contractor of the Year by ENR Mountain States, a leading news source for the commercial industry. After beginning as a plumbing and heating company almost 50 years ago, RK Mechanical now credits much of this recognition to its in-house construction.
“We use pre-fabrication. If we can build it here, we can eliminate all of the complications of assembly in the field,” said company Marketing Manager Barbara Jacobs. RK Mechanical can completely construct an element such as a restroom and install it as a finished product somewhere else.
“It’s a forward-thinking way of doing construction,” Jacobs said.
The company now generates sales of up to $200 million a year from its 75,000-square-foot facility in Stapleton. RK Mechanical also plans to grow operations through a new 110,000-square-foot facility in Henderson.
Jacobs said the company is focused on working with Rocky Mountain Region contractors but is also expanding business in the broader national and international markets. RK Mechanical’s new growth, which is partially driven by government contracts and projects such as the VA Hospital at Fitzsimons, could raise the company’s employee level above 900 this year, said Corporate Recruiter Jim Shaw.
Shaw helped develop an in-house training program that has been recognized by more than ENR Mountain State: the Denver Business Journal named RK Mechanical one of the healthiest employers in the Denver area as well as one of the best places to work last year.
The company has an in-house trainer, many employees are recruited from area universities, and there are multiple outlets for career development. “This system makes employees better, more productive and keeps them here,” Shaw said.
He said the local talent around Stapleton also drew RK Mechanical to its Denver location, in addition to the area’s development partnerships, close transportation and other amenities.
“The community just fosters business,” Shaw said.
