Burke’s Frequently Asked Questions

For more than 40 years, Burke Construction Group has served owners, developers, institutions and public agencies. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Burke is licensed in 26 states and continues to expand its reach. Answer the questions architects, facility directors, brokers and project owners ask most, from delivery methods and preconstruction to technology, safety, sustainability and how to start a project with Burke.

Burke Construction Group is a full-service commercial general contractor founded in 1984 and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. Burke provides general contracting, construction management, preconstruction services and development services across a broad range of market sectors, including ground-up commercial developments, healthcare facilities and data centers as well as multifamily residential and government facilities. Burke’s in-house Virtual Design & Construction (VD&C) team deploys BIM, Revizto, Autodesk Build and CMiC on every project. Recognized as an ENR Top 400 General Contractor and named the 2022 General Contractor of the Year by the Nevada Contractors Association (featured in Vegas Inc), Burke operates with a single operating principle: Innovate. Evolve. Build.

Burke Construction Group is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. We are licensed in 26 states, allowing us to pursue projects across the country. An interactive map of our licensed states, including license information by jurisdiction and trade category, is available on our Who We Are page. For project-specific licensing questions, please contact our preconstruction team.

Address: 385 Pilot Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119

Phone Number: (702) 367-1040

Email: info@burkecgi.com

Burke has delivered projects across 12 commercial and institutional market sectors: Cultural & Religious, Data & Call Center, Education, Financial, Government, Healthcare, Hospitality & Entertainment, Industrial, Multifamily, Office, Restaurants & Food Service and Retail. Browse the full project portfolio to see completed work across these sectors in Las Vegas and throughout the Southwest. Each market sector comes with its own codes, regulations and construction challenges. Burke’s experience across these sectors allows our teams to adapt to the unique requirements of every project, whether it’s healthcare infection control, data and call center infrastructure or occupied hospitality renovations.

Burke offers four primary project delivery methods: General Contracting (Design-Bid-Build), Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), Design-Build and Design-Assist.

  • General Contracting is the traditional delivery model: the owner contracts separately with a designer, then competitively bids to a General Contractor who builds to completed drawings.
  • CMAR (Construction Manager at Risk) brings the General Contractor on early—before design is complete—to provide constructability reviews, cost modeling and ultimately a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). The General Contractor shares project risk alongside the owner.
  • Design-Build places design and construction under a single contract with the General Contractor, compressing schedule and aligning accountability. According to the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), design-build is projected to approach half of U.S. non-residential construction spending—up to 47% in assessed segments—per DBIA/FMI research.
  • Design-Assist is a hybrid approach where specialty trade contractors engage during design to provide early pricing, coordination input and systems optimization before the construction contract is executed.

The right delivery method depends on project complexity, schedule urgency, owner risk tolerance and design-completion status at the time the General Contractor is engaged.

Preconstruction is the phase of a construction project that occurs before a shovel goes in the ground, and it is where the most significant cost and schedule decisions are made. Burke’s preconstruction services include conceptual and schematic cost estimating, constructability reviews, phasing analysis, value engineering, site logistics planning, subcontractor market outreach, permit pathway analysis and GMP development. When engaged early under a CMAR or Design-Build contract, Burke’s preconstruction team works alongside the architect to reduce costly design changes and identify long-lead material procurement windows before they become schedule problems. Owners who engage a General Contractor at preconstruction typically achieve tighter budget certainty and fewer change orders during construction—a meaningful return on a relatively modest early investment. Contact Burke to discuss a preconstruction consultation.

Virtual Design and Construction (VD&C) is the practice of building a project in a detailed, three-dimensional digital environment before physical construction begins. BIM (Building Information Modeling) is the foundational technology: a data-rich 3D model that integrates architectural, structural and MEP systems. Burke is an industry-leading pioneer of VD&C and BIM in the commercial construction industry. Burke’s dedicated VD&C team uses Autodesk products (Revit, AutoCAD, Navisworks, Autodesk Build), Revizto for real-time clash detection, StructionSite for 360° reality capture, an FAA-certified internal drone program and CMiC as the enterprise project management backbone. On every project, VD&C produces clash-free coordination models before trade crews mobilize, reducing RFIs, rework and schedule delays. Owners gain access to real-time project data through connected field platforms, creating full documentation transparency from preconstruction through closeout. This isn’t a feature Burke adds on request—it is standard practice on every project.

Safety at Burke is governed by a Zero Harm philosophy where the goal is that every person who begins a work shift returns home without injury. The EMR (Experience Modification Rate) is the construction industry’s primary safety benchmark: a score below 1.0 indicates better-than-average safety performance compared to industry peers, and many large owners and public agencies set EMR thresholds as a prequalification condition for bidding. Burke’s Safety Leadership program embeds safety planning into preconstruction; project-specific safety plans into every subcontract; and OSHA-compliant protocols into daily field operations. All project team members are required to obtain an OSHA 30-Hour certification, and Burke’s safety team is led by OSHA 500-certified professionals. Daily Job Hazard Analyses, site-specific safety orientations and drone-based pre-construction safety planning are standard on every project. Burke’s commitment to safety has been recognized by the industry, including the Nevada Contractors Association Safest Contractor of the Year Award and the World Wide Safety General Contractor of the Year Safety Award, both received in 2018. Burke’s safety culture is reinforced at every level of project delivery—from the executive team to the field superintendent. OSHA construction standards set the regulatory baseline; Burke’s program is designed to exceed it. For current EMR figures, contact Burke directly.

Burke Construction Group holds credentials that span national rankings, local recognition, and industry association standing:

  • ENR Top 400 General Contractors – Burke has been ranked among the Engineering News-Record’s Top 400 General Contractors, the construction industry’s most authoritative annual ranking, placing #379 (2024) and #378 (2023). ENR Top 400 status signals financial stability, project volume, and industry standing.
  • Nevada Contractors Association (NCA) General Contractor of the Year (2022) – Awarded by the Nevada Contractors Association and featured in Vegas Inc, the leading Las Vegas business publication.
  • NAIOP Southern Nevada General Contracting Firm of the Year (2025) – Awarded by NAIOP—the Commercial Real Estate Development Association—which represents the owner and developer community Burke serves.
  • Nevada Contractors Association member – Ryan Plutchak, Director of Construction, serves on the NCA Board of Direc Gitana Cafasso, Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, was named NCA Member of the Year (2023). Kevin Burke, Chief Executive Officer, has previously served on the NCA Board of Directors.
  • CREDA Southern Nevada – Formerly NAIOP Southern Nevada. Gitana Cafasso earned the 2024 NAIOP Southern Nevada Developing Leader of the Year Award and the 2025 Associate Member of the Year Award; she also serves on the CREDA Southern Nevada Board of Directors.
  • Kevin Burke, CEO, was inducted into the Kansas State University Carl R. Ice Engineering Hall of Fame in 2025.
  • Association memberships include the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and Nevada Chapter NCA/AGC.

These credentials are documented on Burke’s Who We Are and Newsroom pages.

Founded in 1984, Burke Construction Group has operated continuously in the Las Vegas market for more than 40 years, making it one of Nevada’s most established commercial general contractors. The leadership team brings deep institutional knowledge across project delivery, finance and operations:

  • Kevin Burke – Chief Executive Officer
  • Thad Lawrence – Chief Operating Officer / Principal
  • Dimitri Mihaloliakos – Senior Vice President – Estimating / Principal
  • Jim Colegrove – Managing Partner, Burke Special Projects
  • Jason Goudie – Chief Financial Officer
  • Debbie Schmitt – Vice President – Finance / Accounting
  • John Travassos – Corporate Vice President – Project Executive
  • Carol Cleveland-Thompson– Vice President – Corporate Services
  • Gitana Cafasso – Vice President – Marketing & Strategy
  • Ryan Plutchak and Cameron Dean – Directors of Construction / Principal
  • Scott Council – Vice President of Preconstruction

With over 200 years of collective expertise, Burke’s leadership team benefits project owners through consistent processes, long-term subcontractor relationships, and institutional knowledge of the Las Vegas construction market. Learn more at burkecgi.com/who-we-are/.

Burke supports owners pursuing sustainable building goals, including LEED certification (Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum), WELL Building Standard and Green Globes certifications. Through its Corporate Sustainability Program, Burke also advances Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives across project delivery. On LEED-targeted projects, Burke coordinates the documentation, waste diversion tracking, material sourcing requirements and commissioning activities that contribute to certification points under the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) rating system, with which Burke is affiliated. Many public-sector and institutional owners (government agencies, healthcare systems, university clients) require LEED Silver or higher as a project specification. Burke’s preconstruction team can model the cost and schedule implications of different LEED target levels early in the design process, allowing owners to make informed decisions before construction documents are complete. For sustainability requirements on a specific project, raise them during the preconstruction consultation.

Change order and budget management are among the most frequent concerns owners raise before selecting a general contractor, and with good reason—these are the primary levers of project risk. Burke addresses this through preconstruction rigor and delivery method selection. Under a CMAR contract with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), the owner receives a defined cost ceiling before construction begins; savings below the GMP are typically shared between owner and contractor per the contract terms. Constructability reviews during design identify scope gaps that would otherwise surface as change orders. When changes are unavoidable (owner-directed scope additions, unforeseen conditions, material substitutions) Burke processes them through a documented change management protocol that requires owner authorization before work proceeds. Schedule management uses the same discipline: baseline schedules are established at preconstruction, updated regularly through CMiC and shared with owners in real time. For questions about contract structure on a specific project, contact the preconstruction team.

Burke operates primarily as a construction manager and general contractor, meaning the majority of trade work (concrete, steel, MEP, finishes) is performed by licensed subcontractors. Burke’s subcontractor prequalification process evaluates license standing (verified through the Nevada State Contractors Board for Nevada work, and the applicable state licensing authority elsewhere), insurance limits, EMR, financial capacity and relevant project experience before a sub is awarded work. On federally influenced or public agency projects, subcontractor selection also satisfies industry-standard practices and applicable prevailing wage requirements. Burke maintains long-term relationships with vetted trade partners across the Las Vegas subcontractor market—a 40-year advantage that provides reliable pricing, proven performance history and scheduling flexibility unavailable to out-of-market contractors. Subcontractor management runs through Burke’s VD&C coordination model, ensuring trade crews work from clash-free, coordinated drawings.

Burke Construction Group focuses primarily on ground-up commercial construction, large-scale renovations and full GC delivery across its 12 market sectors. For tenant improvements, interior build-outs and special projects typically ranging from smaller commercial suites to multi-floor office renovations, Burke’s dedicated tenant improvement division, Burke Special Projects (BSP) (burke-sp.com)—led by Managing Partner Jim Colegrove—provides a dedicated team structured specifically for TI-scale work. BSP operates from the same Las Vegas headquarters, shares Burke’s quality standards and safety culture and brings the same 40-year track record to smaller-footprint engagements. BSP’s capabilities span commercial interior remodels, design-build and design-assist delivery, additions to commercial structures and select ground-up projects. If you are unsure which entity best fits your project scope, contact Burke and the team will route your inquiry appropriately.

The first step is a preconstruction consultation where Burke’s team will learn the project scope, delivery timeline, site conditions and owner objectives before any cost or schedule commitments are made. Burke does not provide instant online pricing; commercial construction budgets depend on too many project-specific variables for a formulaic estimate to be meaningful. To initiate contact, visit the Contact Us page, call (702) 367-1040 or email info@burkecgi.com. Burke’s preconstruction team responds to new project inquiries promptly. For public sector solicitations, bid opportunities and RFP responses, the same contact page applies. Burke also maintains a Newsroom featuring recent project announcements and company news.

Burke’s technology stack spans preconstruction through closeout:

  • CMiC – enterprise resource planning and project management platform used for financials, subcontractor management, document control and owner reporting
  • Autodesk platform (Revit, AutoCAD, Navisworks, Autodesk Build) – modeling, design coordination, clash detection and field document management
  • StructionSite – 360° site imaging and reality capture; laser scanning for as-built verification
  • Revizto – real-time 3D issue tracking and clash detection, with access extended to owners and design teams
  • VD&C / BIM – Burke’s dedicated Virtual Design & Construction team builds coordinated 3D models for every project, reducing field conflicts before construction begins, supported by an FAA-certified internal drone program (DroneDeploy, DJI) and Trimble reality capture

Owners working with Burke gain access to project dashboards, real-time document management and coordination records through these platforms. Burke’s technology infrastructure is designed to support large, complex, multi-phase projects where transparency and data continuity are non-negotiable requirements. For information about owner-facing project portals, ask during the preconstruction consultation.