Business Intelligence Network - The Vision for BI and Beyond

To prosper as a commercial construction firm in Silicon Valley, $700-million Rudolph and Sletten Inc. has to be as technically savvy as its customers. Among its innovative uses of technology is a database the company has created that records numerous project details. Using this database, Rudolph and Sletten provides preconstruction services, such as detailed cost estimates, site evaluation and scheduling, among other tasks, as well as general construction and management of subcontractors.

The company (which was to be acquired by Framingham, Mass.-based Perini Corp. on Sept. 30, 2005) has a strong reputation for customer service and for delivering high-profile projects. These clients include the Molecular Foundry, a nanotech research center at the University of California, Berkeley; Skywalker Ranch, the production facility for Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas; the Monterey Bay Aquarium; and possibly one of the most technologically advanced hospitals in the country, the soon-to-be-built El Camino Hospital. Projects range in price from $10,000 improvement jobs to medical facilities costing more than $300 million.