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About Us

Founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1922, Hoffman has grown to be the largest general contractor headquartered in the Pacific Northwest. Today, our reach extends beyond the Northwest to include projects in over a dozen states and overseas.

Building Forward

For 100 years, the Hoffman name has carried with it an expectation of an unrivaled can-do, does-do mentality. To willingly take on the big, the scary, the never-been-done-before. We thrive on challenges. We help people achieve their full potential. That’s just our way.

As builders, we never rest on our laurels, but work every day to be the contractor that owners choose for their most important projects and their toughest challenges. We earn that trust by pushing the entire team to achieve their best, delivering on our promises, and constantly setting new industry standards for safety, quality, cost control, schedule, and sustainability.

Values

Hoffman’s core values define how we live and work. These are the ideals that guide us, and the standards we use to measure our success.

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Hoffman’s safety culture starts with our Get Us There Safe program, honoring the courage it takes to safely execute our work. More than just policies and procedures, our GUTS campaign focuses on the human side of safety, instilling a deep commitment to safety that reaches from management to craftworkers.

We believe construction injuries are preventable through planning, training, and teamwork. By integrating coaching and mentoring efforts to create a culture of learning, we have achieved industry-leading safety performance while improving productivity and lowering costs. We review and learn from incidents, viewing them as opportunities for systemic improvement.

Building long-term relationships with our customers is the foundation of Hoffman’s business. That process begins with creating a just and ethical work environment for our employees, subcontractors, project partners, and stakeholders. From truthful interpersonal communication to transparent stewardship of project budgets, Hoffman people are called to a high standard of conduct. When faced with the choice of acting with integrity, we choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong. That’s how we have achieved nearly a century of success and an 87% repeat customer rate.

Hoffman’s culture links action and learning to drive continuous improvement. We track and grade ourselves and our subcontractors using a number of quality metrics. We measure ourselves against industry benchmarks, and are an active member of the ACIG Quality Peer Group.

Hoffman’s drive to constantly improve every aspect of project delivery has kept us at the leading edge of industry best practices. Whether it’s our GUTS and Tough Enough to Talk safety programs or implementing our “Nothing Hits the Floor” approach to site organization, Hoffman innovations set the standard for safe, efficient delivery of construction services.

Nothing Hits the Floor

Hoffman is an active supporter of programs and organizations that make every community where we work a better place to live.

Backed by the resources of the company, Hoffman employees participate in health and social service organizations, the arts, youth programs, education, and sports. We also work to bring young people into the industry through mentorship programs serving high school students.

As a company, we help community groups achieve their goals by providing hands-on project guidance and specialized construction services such as in-kind contributions from our industry partners. We have completed important projects for theater groups, churches, women’s shelters, affordable housing agencies, art museums, and educational organizations.

Recruiting and training the next generation of builders and creating opportunities for new businesses is critical to Hoffman’s success, and to the long-term health of the construction industry. Simply put, social equity and inclusion make us better builders. To that end, striving to ensure a more diverse workforce is a core part of every Hoffman project, public and private, regardless of contract requirements.

Our goal is to create a strong, broad-based workforce and a diverse pool of subcontractors to ensure that the benefits of construction work are shared among the whole community. We have long-standing relationships with programs and organizations that promote diversity and inclusion in the construction trades. We actively engage the subcontracting community to help optimize the opportunities for minorities, women, and small businesses on all of our projects. Working hand-in-hand with industry groups also helps to achieve high levels of apprenticeship opportunities on our projects.

Hoffman takes a “skill building” approach to increasing diverse participation in our industry. While it’s good to help a firm get work on a project, we think it’s even better to help them gain the skills that will allow them to grow and prosper over the long-term. We have internal outreach specialists who provide technical support and mentorship to small and minority- or women-owned firms. Our project management and procurement procedures make sure everyone has a chance to work on our job sites and that firms grow in scope and capacity from the experience.

We are deeply committed to environmentally responsible construction and have put our words into action. Our warehouse features a rooftop solar array and our fleet and equipment is hybrid and biodiesel-powered. Our corporate headquarters is in a LEED Gold building constructed by Hoffman. The majority of Hoffman staff, from upper management through field supervision, are LEED Accredited. Our LEED education program has helped dozens of small and minority-owned businesses to understand LEED requirements and participate in green projects. To maximize sustainable construction practices, we create and execute a very aggressive recycling program for every project.

Hoffman has been fortunate enough to work with pioneers in green construction, including forward-thinking owners and visionary designers. We have gained extensive experience in applying sustainable building practices to complex projects such as medical, research, and other sophisticated facilities. We support our customers’ sustainability goals with deep knowledge of sustainable materials performance as it pertains to building maintenance and upkeep. Through aggressive job site recycling and helping owners select energy efficient systems, we helped point the way toward our region’s sustainability revolution.

We know there are promises implicit in every project: the right budget, on-time completion, a quality product, a safe jobsite. Performance, to us, means keeping those promises. Our approach is built on a foundation of service, the idea that we succeed only when our customers achieve what they set out to accomplish.

Staying true to this fundamental value has guided Hoffman through 100 years of challenges; we know it will lead us through the next century of success.

Employee Ownership

Our employees lead our company, tackling the challenges of construction together.

A key part of Hoffman’s culture is our employee ownership, which gives our team a deep, personal commitment to the success of the company. Profitability is shared among our 100+ employee owners, many of whom are field staff.

Hoffman’s executive leadership team and Board of Directors are comprised of construction veterans who take a progressive approach to guiding the company hand-in-hand with our employee owners. With an eye to the future, we keep our collective finger on the pulse of industry and workplace trends that allow our people to thrive and grow.

We have a deeply rooted culture centered on people, projects and pride. We respect and take care of each other. We learn from our mistakes. We grow together. We give back to the communities we serve. We impact the lives of millions of people by building some of the most exciting projects in the world. Dave Drinkward President and CEO

Culture

Hoffman’s culture of inclusion and collaboration makes us unique among large general contractors.

We attract and retain expert builders who take pride in their projects and work with heart and dedication. Our people are challenged to do the right thing for our clients and have the autonomy to act when necessary. People are often surprised to find out how many employees have been with the company for 30+ years. Folks often come to work here because of the type of work we do and end up staying their entire career because of the people. There is a strong ethos of camaraderie at Hoffman, the feeling that coworkers have your back and are always there to help when you need it. We go the extra mile not just for ourselves, but also for each other.

Equally important are the many social, family, and leisure activities that bring the Hoffman family together. From books to bikes, from volunteering with community groups to mentoring others interested in construction, there is something for everyone at Hoffman.

There is a sense of honor in everything that we do at Hoffman. Starting with our company leaders and going down to the field staff, people genuinely care. We make sure we’re doing things the right way and for the right reasons. Daniel Johnston Project Manager
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A Century-Spanning Legacy

Much has changed since L.H. Hoffman Company began building houses and schools in Portland in 1922.

If founder Lee Hawley Hoffman were around today, he would find an industry transformed by new technologies, construction methods, project types, and safety practices. We know he’d be proud to see that Hoffman is now one of the largest general contractors in the United States and has completed some of the most challenging projects in the world.

 

Today, we’re proud to carry on the legacy that’s made the Hoffman name synonymous with construction excellence. The spirit that began 100 years ago continues, every day we come to work. It’s a lot to live up to, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.