Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Front & Center: Max Kuney and the business of heavy construction

Max Kuney, photographed May 18, 2016, oversees Kuney Construction, which handles large construction contracts in the region including bridges, pipelines and dams. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
By Michael Guilfoil correspondent

When Max Kuney travels to Seattle via Interstate 90, he notices things others miss.

“My wife, Mary, used to kid me, because every time we drove across Mercer Island, I’d point out all the bridges our company built,” Kuney recalled. “She was, like, ‘I know. You’ve told me five times.’ ”

But apparently Kuney’s enthusiasm for infrastructure is contagious.

“When we were on vacation in Europe, it was actually her idea to take a two-day excursion to southern France to see the Millau Viaduct (one of the world’s tallest bridges). We spent a day just driving around it, looking up.

“It’s pretty amazing what people can build.”

Kuney Construction’s legacy is pretty amazing, too.

Started in 1930 by Kuney’s great-grandfather, the Spokane company has left its mark in what’s called “heavy civil construction” throughout the Northwest.

Recent projects have included widening two and a half miles of I-90 just east of Snoqualmie Pass, replacing Portland’s 1,600-foot MLK Viaduct and the bridge to Sauvie Island, and the rehabilitation of Spokane River dams at Post Falls and Nine Mile.

Before shifting almost exclusively to transportation and marine projects, the company built Spokane’s Opera House, Convention Center and Ag Trade Center.

On June 3, Kuney Construction will sponsor the Spokane River Forum’s third annual Water to Wine Auction at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars.

During a recent interview, Max Kuney discussed how the company has evolved, the future of heavy civil construction, and why naming his son Max J. Kuney V has made air travel together inconvenient.

S-R: What were your interests growing up?

Kuney: I played all kinds of sports. For someone with dubious athletic ability, going to St. George’s was fun, because it was easy to make the basketball and soccer teams.

S-R: When did you start working for the family business?

Kuney: In the summer of ’86, while earning a business degree at Cornell. I was the gofer on a job down in Portland, running errands for everyone.

S-R: Did you always assume this would be your career?

Kuney: Pretty much. I took a little time off to explore other things after college, but realized this was where I really wanted to be. So I came back.

S-R: What was your first full-time job with the company?

Kuney: I started on the dumb end of a survey crew, holding the rod up.

S-R: Then what?

Kuney: I progressed to running some jobs, then moved into the office and did estimating. When design/build came along, I headed that up. Getting to do different jobs was good training, because it’s important to know what everybody does. You don’t have to be the best estimator – presumably the chief estimator is the best – but you should understand what everyone needs to do their job right.

S-R: Was there a moment or event that changed the direction of your career?

Kuney: When my dad passed away from cancer in 2005. If that hadn’t happened, he’d be retiring about now and I won’t have been running the company the past 11 years.

S-R: How has the business changed since then?

Kuney: Dad would definitely still recognize it, even though we’ve continued improving systems and procedures – how we build things.

S-R: Is heavy civil construction cyclical?

Kuney: Very. While other builders may have smaller contracts but lots of them, we tend to get one big job, and then we might not get another for six months. When my brother, Daniel, was getting his MBA, one professor described our business model as “too lumpy.”

S-R: As you become more specialized, does that mean fewer bidders for contracts?

Kuney: There are definitely fewer guys in the heavy civil world than, for instance, major building construction. On one early north-south freeway job, we were the only bidder. The state doesn’t like that, so they rebid it.

S-R: Your great-grandfather – the original Max J. Kuney – started the company during the Depression. Any idea what that was like?

Kuney: Back then, crews moved with the job. My grandfather told stories about growing up in tent camps.

S-R: Did you lay anyone off during the recent recession?

Kuney: No, we actually had a lot of work because of long-term projects. And we try to keep our team together, because we have enough of a corporate history to know that if you get rid of your core people when things are slow, you’re not going to have them when it picks back up.

S-R: How many family members work for the company?

Kuney: My mom, Shelly, is still chairman of the board, myself, my sister Valerie and my brother. Another sister, Lori, doesn’t work for us.

S-R: Is there a Max J. Kuney V?

Kuney: There is – my son. He’s 17, and goes by “Jeff,” like my dad did. I’ve advised him not to name any future son Max J. Kuney VI, because, since 9/11, the TSA won’t allow two people with the same name on the same (flight) itinerary. When we fly together, we have to have two separate itineraries, which is a pain.

S-R: Speaking of advice, what’s a good business tip you keep in mind?

Kuney: (Reading a quote on his office wall:) “It doesn’t matter how good or how smart you are. Something is going to happen, and then it’s a question of whether you can absorb the loss and move on.”

S-R: How has Kuney Construction evolved since you took over?

Kuney: In 2005, we realized we needed to diversify beyond highways and bridges. So we looked at what else we could do that fit with our area of expertise, and saw opportunities in dams. We’ve also modernized our back-end systems – software. My brother is very good at that.

S-R: What’s a big project for you?

Kuney: We used to think of a $30 million interchange as a big job. Now, with inflation, it’s a $60 million job. Our current I-5 project in Tacoma is $100 million, the biggest we’ve ever done.

S-R: Heavy civil construction used to be notoriously dangerous. More than 80 people died building Grand Coulee Dam. How much safer is it today?

Kuney: Tremendously safer – even much better than when I started 30 years ago. We emphasize safety before every shift.

S-R: Is there a busiest time of year?

Kuney: Typically when the weather is good – summer months. But on the coast you can work year-round. And with hydro, the winter months are when they can drop flows so we can work on dams, because the fish aren’t running. So hydro projects complement the highway work.

S-R: What do you like most about your job?

Kuney: I like building things – the fact that I can drive down the road and say, “Yep. We built this one and that one.” Anybody in this business has to love that. Otherwise, they wouldn’t do it.

S-R: What do you like least?

Kuney: Right now we’re in union negotiations. (laugh) I could probably give that up.

S-R: Any changes on the horizon?

Kuney: Construction usually lags behind technological innovations. For instance, it’s hard to figure out how to make sure every carpenter can access building plans on his iPhone. But things are moving in that direction.

S-R: What’s your business philosophy?

Kuney: We want to get jobs for a fair price, do quality work for the owners and have everyone come home safe at night. Our goal is for owners and subcontractors to want to work with us again.

S-R: Are there common misconceptions about your business?

Kuney: The main one is how long it takes to build a project. We were on the Snoqualmie Pass job four years, but we could only work six months out of the year. People asked, “How come it’s taking so long?” And I’d say, “If you let us close I-90, we could be done in two years. But we can’t close I-90.”

S-R: What’s the outlook for heavy civil construction?

Kuney: This state invests a lot in infrastructure. The Legislature just passed a $16 billion transportation package, and Sound Transit hopes to spend another $50 billion on light rail over the next two decades. So if you’re a civil engineer or in construction management, or are coming out of high school and like working outdoors with your hands, this career offers a lot of opportunities.

This interview has been condensed. If you’d like to suggest a business or community leader to be profiled, contact Michael Guilfoil at mguilfoil@comcast.net.