Mortenson and McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Complete Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center

M.A. Mortenson (Mortenson) and McCarthy Building Companies, Inc (McCarthy) are proud to announce that they, as a joint venture, have completed the nearly 2 million square-foot Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center project located at the Chula Vista Bayfront in Chula Vista, CA. The 22-story Marriott resort will have 1,600 rooms, serving as a hospitality landmark for the Southern California region. 

The project was a joint venture between Mortenson | McCarthy, along with partners, RIDA Development, the City of Chula Vista, Port of San Diego, Marriott International and HKS Architecture, and broke ground in August 2022. The property is located at 1000 H St in Chula Vista. 

A project of this scale required Mortenson I McCarthy to construct a variety of unique and dynamic features to appeal to all visitors. Located seven miles from Downtown San Diego, the resort provides expansive oceanfront and city views alongside a standout 4.25-acre water paradise, featuring multiple pools, an action-packed waterslide, a lazy river, wave pool, poolside bars, private cabanas and lounging options. Additionally, visitors also have access to a state-of-the art 800,000 square-foot convention center that boasts an enormous open-floor exhibit hall with meeting rooms, elevated ballrooms and areas to host large-scale events. The property also features multiple restaurants, an unforgettable sports bar with a 75’ TV screen, a major atrium and a 9-story parking garage with 1,600 stalls.  

The development of Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center required Mortenson I McCarthy to leverage several construction techniques. While creating this project, Mortenson | McCarthy implemented an Auger Cast Pile foundation system, using 1,744 piles alongside over 2.5 miles of glass handrail and privacy screens and 110,500 cubic yards of concrete. Additional early site activities included but were not limited to the rerouting of utilities, demolition and rough grading of the entire site.  

“As a joint venture, Mortenson I McCarthy is proud to have completed the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center in record time in only 34 months,” said Andrew Corson, Project Executive for Mortenson I McCarthy. “This project will be a beacon for tourism in Chula Vista for decades to come.” 

To ensure an on-time delivery, Mortenson | McCarthy developed a proactive project scheduling approach that brought all trade partners together more than six months before work began. This provided ample time to identify time schedules for each of the tasks and for seamless coordination in all parts of the project. 

Mortenson | McCarthy remained committed to providing opportunities for a broad and diverse membership of the community to participate in and benefit from. The development of the project created approximately 3,000 jobs annually during the construction phase and will create an estimated 3,900 permanent jobs both at the resort and in the surrounding city. The resort has already been an ideal job opportunity for many in Chula Vista, with over 35,000 job applications received to date. 

With an unwavering dedication to safety, Mortenson | McCarthy earned the Liberty Mutual Workers Compensation Gold Award for exceptional safety measures implemented on the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center. The award honors teams with a DART rate (days away, restricted, or transferred) 80 percent better than the industry benchmark and at least 200,000 work hours performed on a project. With nearly 4 million hours logged and over 7,000 craft workers involved, this achievement highlights Mortenson | McCarthy’s commitment to avoiding workplace danger on a large-scale resort. 

"Receiving the Liberty Mutual Workers Compensation Gold Award is not just a milestone — it’s a testament to the unwavering commitment, discipline, and culture of safety that define the Mortenson I McCarthy team,” said Andrew Haase, Senior Safety Engineer II, Mortenson | McCarthy. “It’s not just a policy we follow; it’s a standard we set.” 

About Mortenson 

Mortenson is a U.S.-based, top-25 builder, developer, and engineering services provider serving the commercial, institutional, and energy sectors. Mortenson’s expanding portfolio of integrated services helps its customers move their strategies forward, ensuring their investments result in high-performing assets. The result is a turnkey partner, fully invested in the business success of its customers. Mortenson has operations across the U.S. with offices in Chicago, Denver, Fargo, Iowa City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and Seattle. For additional information, visit www.mortenson.com. 

About McCarthy Building Companies 

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc (McCarthy) is the oldest privately held national construction company in America. With more than 160 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients, McCarthy is committed to delivering superior results and creating great experiences for everyone. With an unrelenting focus on safety and a comprehensive quality program in all phases of the project, McCarthy utilizes industry-leading design phase and construction techniques combined with value-add technology to maximize outcomes. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 17th largest domestic builder (Engineering News- Record, May 2024). With over 8,000 salaried employees and craft professionals, the firm has offices in St. Louis; Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Denver; Austin, Channelview, Dallas, and Houston, Texas; and San Diego, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.  

About RIDA Development Corporation 

RIDA Development Corporation has achieved an international reputation for creating innovative, high quality, and successful real estate ventures. Headquartered in Houston, Texas and founded in 1975 by David Mitzner, RIDA operates major divisions in California, Texas, Florida, and Europe. RIDA is currently managing and developing retail, office, distribution, residential, hotel and mixed-use land developments with a value in excess of $7 billion. As one of the nation’s most active conference hotel developers, RIDA’s projects have earned it a reputation as one of the industry’s leading development organizations. For more information, please visit our website at www.ridadev.com.