CFC History

At only 17, CFC Founder and CEO EJ Olbright moved to Summit County the day after he graduated high school, building a lodgepole teepee that he lived in for two years as he established himself in construction. After starting out in drywall, painting, and general construction, he quickly moved on to building spec houses and duplexes, managing entire projects himself. Thereafter he began working as both a developer and general contractor, starting to build his CFC team and identifying design-build opportunities throughout Summit County, including:

• Single family homes
• Rental duplexes
• Small apartment complexes
• Large apartment complexes

• Primarily operated in Summit County as a developer and builder
• Formalized company culture of customer service
• Focused on winning work through relationships rather than public, hard bid
• Developed systems and processes to offer large-project care and skills to smaller, local projects
• Maintained high-priority focus on building subcontractor relationships
• Expanded into the commercial market, building projects such as:
  • Retail
  • Office
  • Hotels
  • Ski resort facilities
• Sustained wood frame construction:
  • Workforce housing
  • Market rate apartments
• Spread footprint of the company to resort towns throughout Colorado

• Established branch offices in Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, and Denver
• Partnered with ski lift manufacturer Doppelmayr to build the Strip people mover tram in Las Vegas, NV, and Toronto Airport
• Expanded target market to schools, higher education, and public works facilities throughout Colorado
• Created builder teams and processes to excel at building wood frame construction
• Created a larger presence in Metro Denver

• Strategically survived the construction market contraction of the Great Recession
• Focused on wood framed apartment construction as the first market in Metro Denver to emerge from the Great Recession
• Built a team of estimators and builders to expand delivery of excellence
• Attracted national/institutional clients targeting multifamily development in Metro Denver
• Created a senior management structure to deliver excellent customer service

• Created a Warranty Service function to offer clients “cradle to grave” care
• Developed a profoundly accurate and precise preconstruction team
• Joined the AGC/OSHA CHASE Partnership safety excellence program, with Blue level (the highest) certification
• Joined the Big-D Family of Companies, in order to expedite CFC’s growth (See McAlvain’s write up here)
• Returning to our roots with upcoming projects in Colorado’s Mountain Communities