Bolton Pratt Co.
Bolton Pratt Co.
Almost a century
This long-term experience has earned Bolton Pratt a place as an industry
leader
Just on the verge of its 100th anniversary, the Bolton Pratt Co. is one
of the region's oldest general contractors/construction managers. It was
founded in 1907 by Karl Pratt and Tom Bolton, with Walter Sutliff Sr. joining
the firm soon afterward. In Bolton Pratt's files is a photocopy of an old
Builders Exchange of Cleveland magazine from 1919, Building Industry. The
elder Mr. Sutliff is mentioned throughout, as Bolton Pratt takes its place
in the construction establishment early on. He was a graduate of MIT and
was one of the early developers of steel reinforced concrete.
Ownership transferred to Walter Sutliff Jr. in 1952. He served as president,
with other partners involved, until 1982, when control and ownership transferred
to the next generation, Walter Sutliff III and David S. Smik. Sutliff had,
like so many sons in construction, been involved with the family business
starting in high school and coming on board full time, after getting his
degree in metallurgical engineering from Lafayette College. David Smik was
hired by Bolton Pratt in 1973 after graduating from Arizona State University
with a degree in construction engineering and management.
Sutliff III and Smik currently serve as president and vice president,
representing over 70 years of experience together, while Sutliff Jr., at
age 88, serves as chairman of the board. This longevity and stability has
given the firm proven experience in several market niches, as the region
developed, from retail, office and financial office buildouts to schools
and hospitals, to today's high-tech environments. It mirrors Northeast Ohio's
economy. "
Each decade, it seems to change," says Walter Sutliff III. Nowadays,
the emphasis is on sophisticated building processes, such as the environmental
needs and detailed MEP of healthcare delivery and research. Hallmarks of
Bolton Pratt's continued growth are careful attention to detail, the kind
that Bolton Pratt brings to a project, and a willingness to learn new markets
and approaches. "The more you do, the more you learn," says Sutliff.
Bolton Pratt is stillafter all this timea member of the Builders
Exchange, Associated General Contractors and Construction Employers Assn.,
earning Elite status from the latter for its close attention to safety issues.
Its superintendents attend OSHA's safety classes, workers attend Toolbox
Safety meetings, all are drug tested. All of this contributes to Bolton
Pratt's exemplary record for safe building practices.
With a breadth of experience, a unique management style and close ties
to the building industry in Northeast Ohio, Bolton Pratt has positioned
itself as a stable, reliable company that can meet the challenges of tomorrow
and prosper while meeting its construction needs. bxm
Attention to detail
Bolton Pratt wins by keeping complete control over projects and earning
the respect of the industry
Bolton Pratt has never wanted to become the biggest construction company
in town, just the best. It does that by limiting itself to specific projects
for outstanding clients, with one of the company's owners always closely
involved, on a day-to-day basis. Management is closely honed and efficiency
is paramount. "It is all hands on," says Dave Smik, "not
shuffled into departments where it can get lost in the shuffle. We are a
medium-sized company geared to a high-end clientele, with personal attention
given to every job. That's why we are committed to this area; our services
cannot be done over the Internet. We need top flight superintendents and
subcontractors that we know and trust, and the subs are the best here in
Northern Ohio. We stay with proven quality."
This degree of attention gives Bolton Pratt tight control over projects,
especially when Bolton Pratt self-performs the carpentry. Negotiated success
Because of this, "We do a lot of repeat business, a lot of negotiated
work," says Walter Sutliff III, pointing to a client list that includes
L.J Minor Corp., a division of Nestle USA, as well as Kaiser Permanente
and Parkview Federal Savings & Loan. "We prefer the negotiated
work, so we can come on board early in the process to help the client and
the architect develop sound schedules and budgets. There are a lot of pre-construction
services and preliminary estimating we can offer. It saves on waste."
It saves on time, too, as working with known qualities in subs keeps projects
on track.
Subs are respected further, adds Smik, because "they get paid as
soon as we do, and not a week later," building in additional loyalty.
Suppliers are also paid in a timely way. "It's a feather in our cap
in a bid environment," adds Smik. "Subs hope we end up with the
jobs."
More than price
Sutliff notes that the middle-sized firms are in a tough position now,
in an industry far too often price-driven, as they rely on customers seeking
a quality product, at a fair price, delivered on schedule. The Bolton Pratt
office staff numbers six, field workers swell to 30 or so in the season.
Smik adds that customers can be taken advantage of if they go for the
lowest bid, and then get nickel and dimed to death by "a nightmare
of change orders" resulting from poor leadership and poor direction
up front. "They never know the actual price until the job is done,"
he says. "It's better to go with a reputable contractor." It takes
experience, know how and attention to detail, the kind that Bolton Pratt
offers, to bring in projects that meet client needs and exceed their expectations,
on budget and on time. BXM
Meeting the needs
Based on a long history of success, Bolton Pratt can deliver whatever
its clients demand
Healthcare
- Kaiser Permanente Corporate Headquarters North Pointe Office Tower
- Kaiser Permanente Regional Service Center/Computer Center/Pharmacy
and Warehouse
- Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices, Willoughby
- Cleveland Clinic Foundation ICU/CCU facility and Heart Catheterization
Lab
- Cleveland Clinic Foundation Pain Management, Biostatistics, and Fb19
Angiostar facilities
- Deaconess Hospital, Obstetrics, Psychiatric Unit, Skilled Nursing Unit,
Medical Offices Bldg, Ambulatory Care Center, ICU/CCU, Hemodialysis Suite,
etc.
- Health Hill Hospital additions and alterations
- Ashtabula Medical Arts Center
Education and industrial
- Case Western Reserve's School of Medicine
- Tomlinson Hall
- Case Western Reserve's Millis Science Center Biophysical Chemistry
Lab
- Case Western Reserve's Fuel Cell
- Case Western Reserve School of Law's Moot Courtroom AV system
- Case Western Reserve's Wickenden Building Biomedical Engineering
- Crooked River Brewery
- Nestlé USA L J. Minor Corp. new packaging building and processing
plant additions
Class A and financial offices
- Parkview Federal Savings & Loan Corporate Headquarters, Streetsboro
branch remodel, Aurora branch remodel, Macedonia branch remodel
- Third Federal Savings & Loan computer center
- Federal Reserve Protection Dept. renovations
- IMG Building Corporate Headquarters renovations
- Arter & Hadden law office renovations
- Squire Sanders and Dempsey LLP law offices
- Calfee Halter and Griswold LP
- Deloitte & Touche Consulting LLP corporate offices
- Booz Allen & Hamilton corporate offices
- Prudential Equities remodel
- Eaton Corp. Headquarters/North American Financial Center remodel
- Watt Fleishman Hilliard remodel
- Lamalie Amrop International offices
- Prudential Equities offices
- Northern Trust Corp. offices
- U.S. Circuit Court offices for Judge Krupansky
- United Church of Christ National Headquarters
- McDonald Investments Corporate and Akron Offices
- Pioneer Standard Electronics Corporate Headquarters/Agilysis
- Parker Hannifin Corp.
- James B. Oswald Co.
- Key Corp. renovations
Historic preservation
- St. Stanislaus Church renovations
- The Lorain-Clement Building storefront renovation
- The Hanna Perkins School
- (the above three were winners of the Cleveland Restoration Society
Award)
- Cleveland Athletic Club Grille
- Market Street Exchange bxm
Project profiles
The Hanna Perkins School
The Hanna Perkins School, a makeover for the old Malvern School in Shaker
Heights, won a Cleveland Restoration Society Award in recognition of the
work done there, but it also includes many green features as well as a new
geothermal heating system. All areas were updated with modern systems, including
wiring for telecommunications needs and video-teleconferencing. Many spaces
were restored to maintain their use as classrooms, dropped ceilings removed,
skylights in the gymnasium re-installed and woodwork carefully restored.
The school is for children from 15 months to seven years of age and focuses
on creating individual educational programs for kids with special emotional
needs. bxm
The International Mgmt. Group
The International Management Group remodeled 5 floors in its building,
a 90,000-sf project, with new construction and installation taking 12 weeks
per floor. One floor included a new computer center serving IMG's 30 offices
around the world. Bolton Pratt served as construction manager, competing
with a national firm which eventually concurred with Bolton Pratt's assessment
of the asbestos abatement needs; future phases of the project were awarded
to Bolton Pratt based on its lower price and substantially shortened schedule.
bxm
The Reminger & Reminger Co.
The Reminger & Reminger Co, LLP law offices occupy 70,000-sf of building
space on the 14th and 15th floors of the Midland Building and the 14th Floor
of the Guildhall Building, remodeled sequentially in only 5 1/2 months,
a month ahead of schedule, including cutting through a slab for a stairway.
The project, designed by Vocon Design, included a new reception room, Hall
of Justice and conference rooms, as well as a new fire alarm and video conferencing
system in this historically important space. bxm
Health Hill Hospital
Health Hill Hospital additions and alterations, including a Special Care
Center fitout in an existing shell and new construction designed to accommodate
future vertical and horizontal expansion. During medical projects, special
attention is given to letting the hospital continue with normal activity
without disturbance, and lab and medical areas take exceptional skill with
mechanical and electrical systems, as well as life safety systems. bxm
St. Stanislaus Church
St. Stanislaus Church interior restoration took this Slavic Village landmark
and refurbished it according to a plan by Westlake Reed Leskosky. The church
serves as a national model for its role in urban reinvestment and neighborhood
revitalization. bxm
