The 90s: A decade of transition and growth

During the 1990s, industrial and retail construction was booming. Benefiting from mild inflation, low interest rates, and the launch of the internet, the United States was experiencing one of the longest economic expansions in its history from March 1991 to March 2001. Productivity improved as new and cheaper computer technology was applied in all sectors of the economy.

As the demand for consumer goods and technology increased, the Portland Metro Area became an economically attractive alternative to Los Angeles or Seattle for the warehouse and tech manufacturing industry. Development along Airport Way and the Rivergate District in North Portland and the surrounding area around Intel in Hillsboro took off, along with VLMK’s workload. Projects like Integrated Device Technology, a large semiconductor manufacturing campus; industrial and suburban business parks with multiple buildings and phases, including Airport Way Business Center, Beavercreek Business Center, Wubben Industrial Park, Hayden Island Business Center, Wilsonville Business Center, and Columbia Business Center; build to suit projects like Columbia Sportwear, Nike Distribution Center, and PGE Crew Centers; as well as several seismic upgrades and evaluations on existing buildings were designed during this decade by VLMK staff.

The staff grew to 40 people and the iconic mid-century modern office building in the John’s Landing / Lair Hill neighborhood underwent its own expansion.

The carport was renovated to make more room for employee desks, conference rooms, storage space, and a reception area and lobby.

It was during the 1990s that the second generation of leaders at VLMK arrived on to the scene: Greg Blefgen, Chris Palmateer, Havlin Kemp, Kevin Kaplan, Jason Sahlin, John Brooks, and Trent Nagele.

In 1997, Fred and the other owners of VLMK, began their internal ownership transition with the new partners before fully retiring in the early 2000s.

In this blog post, we asked a few of the second-generation leaders what it was like when they joined the firm. Check out their answers below!

If you ask several of the senior principals at VLMK about their first interview at the firm, almost all of them will recount a Saturday afternoon with Fred Van Domelen. Tell us about your interview at VLMK? What made you join the firm?

Greg Blefgen, now a senior principal, joined VLMK in May of 1989 after working with the Army Corp of Engineers: “Actually, I had an interview scheduled with Fred VanDomelen on a Thursday or Friday afternoon. I arrived at four o’clock for the interview and Fred was not at the office, so I ended up meeting with Dirk. As we made our way up to the kitchen, he opened the fridge and asked me, “Would you like a drink?”  I grabbed a seven up and watched him open the freezer and pour himself a tumbler of Jack Daniels over ice. I came back on Saturday morning dressed up and ready for the interview in a suit and tie. Fred was wearing ripped jeans and a well warn T-shirt and was busily working on a set of drawings. He talked to me for a short moment, looked through my portfolio, and walked through the office as he continued to make prints and go on about his business. I guess I was impressed with the work ethic at the firm and with Dirk and his relaxed, carefree attitude. It seemed like a much more inviting space than working within a government bureaucracy.”

Kevin Kaplan, now a senior principal, joined VLMK in 1998 after working for Coffman Engineers in Downtown Seattle for clients like Nordstrom: “I interviewed on a Saturday. I remember wearing a tie, which now seems inappropriate for a Saturday at VLMK, but I was working with Nordstrom at Coffman where suits and ties were common on most days. So that was a big change when I came to VLMK. Fred was the only one here that day. I remember he was wearing a pair of blue jeans with ripped up knees and patches.”

Jason Sahlin, now a senior principal, joined VLMK in 1997: “I interviewed with Havlin Kemp and Jim Knauf on a Saturday morning. Havlin was in board shorts and a t-shirt and Jim was wandering around the office in his socks. It was a relaxed environment for an engineering office – very supportive, if you had a question, you could ask anyone and learn from experienced engineers.”

Do you think the firm still embodies the same values it had when it was founded?

Greg Blefgen: “Working for the Corps, I had multiple levels of supervision, so all my designs were critiqued. At VLMK, within the first month, I was tasked with my own projects and had to learn how to handle clients and manage projects on my own. I developed confidence in myself and my abilities. While working with Fred, Dirk, and Jim, I realized the importance of befriending and responsively communicating with clients and contractors. So right off the bat, I’m dealing with clients, writing proposals, responding to contractors/architects’ questions and making decisions. Our hope is that as we bring on new staff members and that they will develop that same confidence and competence so that they can expand their potential and take on a more meaningful role in the management and leadership of the firm.”

Havlin Kemp, now a senior principal, joined VLMK in 1994: “When I started here, I quickly found out that the firms I worked for in Seattle were very different from VLMK; you would go to work, work on your projects, and then you would go home. At VLMK in the 90s, three o’clock on Friday afternoon a poker game would start, and people would have a drink, a Jack Daniels or a beer and hang around to play poker. I enjoyed that. I really appreciated that casual atmosphere, which maybe I had an inkling of from my interviews, but it’s not something that you really get a good idea of until you work here. We still do poker nights here.”

What services expanded during the 90s? Did any additional services set the stage for what the company does now?

Havlin Kemp: “The role of our permitting department expanded during the 1990s. Our staff took additional responsibilities in terms of understanding each of the jurisdictions we worked in and managing the due diligence and the entire permit process of a project. The prime projects continued to expand as more of the second-generation leaders moved into that role. I was brought in at VLMK as a structural engineer and gradually moved over into working on the prime projects as a structural engineer who would then follow the project through construction. We learned on the job and learned by doing the work.”

Greg Blefgen: “The 90s solidified our focus in providing prime consulting services for light industrial developments and specifically with the overall planning, engineering and design of concrete tilt-up buildings. We expanded our industrial land use and entitlement services, we vastly improved our overall design capabilities for both custom build to suits and the master planning of speculative developments and we provided a more intense level of project management throughout the entirety of the projects.”

Looking back, what are you proud of during your time at VLMK?

Jason Sahlin: “I think one thing to point out is that over the past 50 years, VLMK has designed and built so much in the Portland Metro community and that has continued to bring us additional work. Whether those new projects are expansions, renovations for new tenants, or new developments with clients we’ve worked with for decades. We have been part of developing and growing Oregon’s business legacy working with clients like Columbia Sportswear, Nike, Harsch Investment Properties, and so many others.”

Havlin Kemp: “The average years of experience on our team. We have a dozen or so people who have worked here for 20+ years. We hire the right people and most of them stay with us because of the company’s culture.”

Kevin Kaplan: ”I am proud of our employee retention, which has been amazing since the founding of the company. We have many examples of employees who have spent their entire career at VLMK. That speaks to the culture we have created here and the leadership’s dedication to making VLMK a great place to work. I am also proud of the quality of work that we do and what we stand for as a company.  In the 1990s, our tag line was ‘Committed to Service | Practical Solutions | Lasting Relationships’, which still applies today.”

Stay tuned for next month when we share how VLMK Engineering + Design weathered one of the most difficult recessions in history during the 2000s.