Meridian Construction Inc., the Spokane Valley-based general contractor and construction management concern, has begun to expand its operations by getting into property development, says owner Mark D’Agostino. 

“I see us as a contractor and developer,” D’Agostino says. 

As part of its venture into development, Meridian purchased a 5,000-square-foot building at 26 E. Fifth last year and has begun remodeling the space and searching for tenants, he says. 

“It’s the perfect building for medical,” D’Agostino says. “We’re looking at other developments (as well).”

Meridian currently leases about 3,500 square feet of office space in the Pinecroft Business Park, at 12730 E. Mirabeau Parkway in Spokane Valley, in addition to some off-site storage. However, D’Agostino says the company is looking into developing a new headquarters building closer to Spokane, although it hasn’t identified an exact location yet.  

D’Agostino founded Meridian after moving to Spokane Washington, D.C.  in the fall of 1999 and remains the sole owner of the company. Meridian started out as a construction management business, representing clients in commercial construction projects. 

“I’m not from Spokane; I’m from back east,” D’Agostino says. “I saw a need here for better client representation in the commercial construction industry. And I thought, what better way to get involved?”

Meridian has grown from one employee to 15 since its launch, not including its subcontractors, he says. Its current workforce is a mix of field workers, site inspectors, carpenters, and office staff. The company is licensed in Washington and Idaho, but also has done work in New York, Texas, and California, D’Agostino says. 

The company is on target to have project volume of $20 million this year, D’Agostino says, up from $12 million in 2013. Its anticipated goal for 2015 is $25 million, he says. 

After launching Meridian as a construction management concern, clients quickly began asking for contracting services as well, he says. 

“My goal was to start a business as a client advocate,” he says. “After a few projects as an owner representative, clients said, ‘Why don’t you starting building for us?’”

D’Agostino decided to name the business Meridian Construction after reading a book titled “The Discovery of Longitude.” The book tells the story of how the modern compass was invented so sailors could navigate by longitude. The term meridian is synonymous with longitude, and D’Agostino equates it with representing a client in a project.

“We help our client navigate the challenging waters of a construction project,” he says.   

Since becoming a general contractor, Meridian has worked on projects across a variety of commercial industries, such as retail, medical, ed-ucation, and hospitality buildings, specifically casinos, D’Agostino says. Meridian also has constructed a few high-end homes, he says. 

One of its recent projects was a $5 million renovation of a building at 6815 E. Trent in Spokane Valley for Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS).

“That was exciting because we were dealing with an existing building, and all the different animal rooms,” D’Agostino says. “Bringing the crematorium in was a challenge.”

Meridian currently is working on an Early Learning Center building at Spokane Falls Community College, which is a $4 million project, he says. Meanwhile, at Spokane Community College, Meridian is constructing a 26,000-square-foot $6 million building addition that will house a financial aid center, continuing  education classrooms computer labs, and offices. 

The company also is about two months into a renovation at Salk Middle School, on Spokane’s North Side, another $6 million project, D’Agostino says. 

Although it’s now a general contractor, Meridian hasn’t lost sight of its roots. D’Agostino says the company was awarded a contract to be the owner representative for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indians on a casino project in Omak, Wash. The project is to include construction of a 50,000-square-foot casino and 80-room hotel, valued at a total of about $50 million. Construction began in May, D’Agostino says, and should complete in a year. 

D’Agostino sees the company as a specialist in building client relationships, a throwback to its original days as a construction management company, D’Agostino says. 

“We set a clear vision at the beginning with clients, ask them questions, and listen and communicate,” D’Agostino says. “We really try to understand client expectations.”

D’Agostino was raised in Washington, D.C., and graduated from George Washington University there with a degree in civil engineering. He went on to complete a master’s in business administration at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. Upon graduation, he worked at international contracting company Clark Construction Group, of Bethesda, Md. 

“That’s where I got the bulk of my experience,” he says. “Prior to that, I was always into construction. My dad would buy these townhomes in D.C., and we’d go in as kids and help renovate.”

D’Agostino says the biggest challenge in launching Meridian was building relationships with vendors and companies here. 

“I’ve been in the business here for close to 15 years, and it was a challenge starting a business in Spokane,” he says. “It’s very relationship-based, and being from the outside, I found it hard. Not that I wasn’t welcome, I just didn’t have those relationships already built … (but) the relationships we’ve made here have been great. There are some great contractors in this town. It’s challenging and rewarding at the same time.”