“I’ve never heard anyone give such great praises for a construction crew as my team has for Layton Construction.”
Having a general contractor set up shop next door for a years-long project is never the best news for a business, but Garland Smith, the manager of the Nashville City Winery branch that sits next to Layton’s Ray Nashville project, used three words not often associated with helmets and neon vests moving in: “It’s been incredible.”
Nashville is experiencing a renaissance with 66 people moving to Music City every day and “$8.6 billion in public-private investments over the last 10 years and another $16 billion under construction or in-progress development projects” according to the Nashville Downtown Partnership.
Layton is supporting that growth with projects like Ray Nashville. The project sits in the heart of the historic Pie Town neighborhood, named after its pie-shaped geography.
“I’ve been in Nashville for 15 years, and this isn’t the first time I’ve experienced the city growing around me,” said Smith, but this was the first time he’s felt so supported by a general contractor.
“We’ve gone in and fixed damaged ceilings, helped them upgrade their bars,” said Senior Superintendent Jonathan Byrd, “Layton will always prioritize being good neighbors; it’s part of who we are and what we do.”
Throughout the entire process, the team has prioritized the businesses around them.
“We’re between a 150-year-old church and rescue mission, with a tattoo shop across the street and the winery behind us,” said Sr. Project Manager Josh Pryor, not to mention “the party buses making their way up and down the street Thursday through Saturday.”
It’s a community filled with personality and neighborly affection, but it wasn’t without its challenges.
“Nashville predominantly sits on solid rock,” explained Pryor, “So we had to blast down 60 feet to start building the garage. Keep in mind, we have a century-old church across the street, so we had to put extensive monitoring in place.”
But all the monitoring in the world couldn’t predict everything.
Gold Rush Innovation
“We uncovered a waterfall,” said Assistant Project Manager Logan Bozeman, while describing the discovery they made while digging out the parking garage.
The water was going to flood the garage, “And it had to go somewhere,” said Bozeman.
With buy-in from the team and coordination from plumbers, engineers, and designers, they came up with a quick and slightly unorthodox solution.
“We built a gold-rush-style wooden trough system to redirect the water” said Pryor, “Through collaboration, we were able to redirect it and then pump it out.”
One wouldn’t have to look far to witness teamwork like that on site, “We have a large team, one of our largest teams we’ve ever put together in the Southeast, especially in Nashville,” said Byrd, “And everyone works together really well.”
What makes these strong relationships even more impressive is the unique collaboration between specialties, with Layton’s Healthcare Group providing new insights into the process of building a mixed-used development like Ray Nashville.
Applying Healthcare Finesse to Multifamily Developments
“This is a team of people with healthcare backgrounds,” said Pryor, “This project is a testament to how our team’s expertise can have incredible benefits across industries.”
Layton is one of the top five healthcare contractors in the nation and has built a reputation across the country based on invaluable insights, vision, and capacity for innovation. And those skills translate across the board.
“This is the biggest project I’ve ever been on,” said Bozeman, “Typically, a development like this is more of the wild west, while hospitals have a lot of small details. Having our specialized background has helped our team, and the development, in more ways than one.”
Layton is growing right along with their communities, providing support where it’s needed most.
If you find yourself walking by the project, odds are you’ll hear laughter and words of encouragement through the completion of Ray Nashville in spring of 2027.
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About Layton Construction
Layton Construction is a privately held national general contractor, delivering predictable outcomes in commercial construction since 1953. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Layton operates from 16 strategic offices across the United States, employing more than 1,700 construction professionals who serve diverse markets including healthcare, education, commercial office, industrial, hospitality, and multi-unit residential. Founded on the core values of honesty, unity, safety, and quality, Layton has built a reputation for excellence in complex project delivery while maintaining strong partnerships with clients, architects, and trade partners nationwide.
Considering the complexities of cold storage facilities, their construction demands a specialized approach and expertise. And with such a rapidly growing market, key players like Layton are primed and poised to step up.
Layton depends heavily on the expertise and capabilities of our trade partners. Led by Cherelle Cortez, our Trade Partner Engagement and Development team is focused on increasing economic impact and the growth of our trade partners.