At this year’s REJournals Detroit Suburban State of the Market, industry leaders came together for the Design, Construction, and Property Innovation panel to discuss the future of suburban redevelopment. Representing ARCO National Construction’s Detroit division, Mitch Hudepohl shared insights from the construction side, offering real examples of how design-build innovation, data, and workforce development are redefining what is possible in today’s market.
Here are three key takeaways from the conversation.
Creative Design Solutions Drive Cost Efficiency
In today’s environment, cost is top of mind for every project. One recent example from ARCO’s project for Weeks Food Corp. in Richmond, Michigan shows how early collaboration between design and construction teams can yield major savings.
The project involved an expansion on a facility that lacked fire suppression, an upgrade that would have cost roughly $1 million to install. By partnering closely with GMA Architects, we reimagined the design to separate portions of the building and integrate fire-rated assemblies instead of a full suppression system. The result saved the client more than $500,000 and allowed the project to move forward without delay.
Cost efficiency can be achieved by leveraging creative design solutions to achieve the same outcomes more strategically. When owners bring design and construction teams to the table early, innovation can thrive.
Data and Technology are Reshaping Construction Delivery
Technology continues to redefine how projects are designed, built, and managed. ARCO is leveraging enterprise-wide data, AI integration, and digital platforms like Procore to streamline communication, improve cost accuracy, and react faster to changes in the field.
Across the country, our teams are using the data we collect from hundreds of projects to forecast costs and make smarter design decisions early in the process. That same connectivity ensures our project managers and subcontractors are aligned in real time, helping us maintain efficiency and quality even as end-user technologies evolve mid-project.
As Mitch Hudepohl noted during the panel, the goal is not just to digitize construction. It is to create a feedback loop that benefits clients, developers, and partners alike. Data-driven insight helps us anticipate challenges and deliver projects that are more adaptable to future needs.
Strengthening the Skilled Workforce Through Strategic Partnerships
A key factor in ARCO’s success is our ability to build strong partnerships with subcontractors and skilled trades across every market. ARCO maintains a comprehensive network of rated subcontractors, allowing us to match each project with trade partners best suited for its scope, complexity, and location.
Using data collected from hundreds of projects nationwide, we evaluate subcontractor performance, market capacity, and reliability to guide selections during the buyout phase. This data-driven approach ensures each team is built on proven performance, delivering quality, safety, and consistency from project to project.
At the same time, ARCO remains focused on the future of the skilled workforce. Through relationships with trade schools and workforce programs, we support efforts to train and attract the next generation of builders. As Mitch Hudepohl shared during the panel, trades remain irreplaceable in an industry increasingly shaped by technology, making it essential to invest in both people and partnerships.
Looking Ahead
From design innovation to data integration and workforce development, it is clear that the future of redevelopment depends on adaptability.
Projects move fast, tenant demands evolve quickly, and technology changes overnight. The builders, developers, and owners who succeed will be those who embrace collaboration early, use data to make smarter decisions, and invest in people as much as projects.
At ARCO, that is the mindset we bring to every build, finding better ways to deliver lasting value in a changing world.
The ARCO Advantage
As a design-builder and leading industrial contractor, ARCO National Construction helps clients navigate early-stage decisions to develop the best overall solution for their facilities. ARCO’s design-build approach allows clients to make decisions in a project’s earliest stages with full knowledge of their impact. Because ARCO works directly with the architect, designs can be developed with both functionality and budget in mind. Throughout the design process, the ARCO team simultaneously estimates construction costs and can accurately conceptualize the completed project before significant dollars are spent. ARCO’s industry knowledge and expertise result in solutions that save valuable development dollars while still making a space suitable for future tenants across a range of industries.
ABOUT ARCO NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION | DETROIT
ARCO National Construction | Detroit is a premier, full-service design-build general contractor with more than 30 years of experience providing clients with complete project delivery throughout the United States. Our professional, qualified team of engineers, project managers, superintendents, and architects is capable of designing and building the most demanding construction projects anywhere in the country. We pride ourselves in offering the best, most cost-effective, single-source, turnkey solutions and adding value to every project.
