At this year’s REJournals Detroit Commercial & Industrial Summit, industry leaders came together for the Development & Design panel to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping the region’s development landscape. Representing ARCO National Construction’s Detroit division, Curtis Hoffman shared insights on how developers can position themselves for success by prioritizing flexibility, engaging builders early, and navigating today’s shifting construction market conditions.
Building for Flexibility
One of the most important themes for today’s developers is planning with flexibility in mind. By making small, strategic investments during initial construction, such as increasing clear heights, pre-installing power infrastructure, and adding dock door knockouts, developers can ensure their facilities remain attractive to future tenants. These relatively minor costs upfront can pay dividends years down the line, minimizing downtime when tenants turnover and helping keep businesses in Detroit rather than losing them to competing markets like Columbus or Indianapolis.
The Importance of Early Involvement
Involving a builder early in the site selection process can make a significant difference. Each parcel of land comes with unique factors such as utility availability, grading requirements, and access to transportation infrastructure. By engaging a design-build partner at this stage, developers gain a clearer understanding of potential challenges and can avoid costly surprises later. ARCO works with clients to evaluate multiple sites, identify risks upfront, and determine which locations offer the greatest long-term flexibility and value for future tenants.
Navigating Today's Construction Market
While uncertainty has defined much of the past year, the current subcontractor landscape offers opportunities for competitive pricing. Partnering with a national builder like ARCO provides the advantage of strong, long-standing subcontractor relationships, which can often result in better pricing and reliable performance. Developers who engage early and act strategically are best positioned to take advantage of current conditions while planning ahead for future projects.
Detroit's Industrial Advantage
Detroit continues to stand out as one of the nation’s most dynamic industrial hubs. With its long-standing automotive base, growing electric vehicle supply chain, and proximity to the Canadian border, the region remains a critical link in both domestic and international trade. Redevelopment of legacy brownfield sites and investment in logistics infrastructure are creating opportunities for modern industrial growth. For developers, this means designing facilities that not only meet today’s needs but also anticipate tomorrow’s demands in a competitive, innovation-driven market.
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.
