Gilbane Building Co. names Richmond office head

Construction industry veteran Colin Robinson — who’s had a hand in some of Richmond’s most prominent redevelopment projects, including the Virginia State Capitol, the Altria Theater and Carpenter Theatre — will head Gilbane Building Co.’s Richmond office. Robinson succeeds Matt Sarver, who will become the vice president and business unit leader at the company’s Washington, D.C. office.

“I’ve been extremely fortunate in my career here in Richmond to be a part of some really cool projects, and some things that a lot of people don’t have the opportunity to do in their careers,” Robinson says. 

In his new role, he will continue to lead the General Assembly Building renovation as well as Altria Group Inc.’s corporate headquarters expansion. Renovations on the 400,000-square-foot General Assembly Building in downtown Richmond began in 2016, and are expected to be complete by 2022. Altria’s headquarters will be expanded by 170,000 square feet and undergo renovations.

Robinson got his start in the construction industry while working as a temp on a construction site while he was attending James Madison University. After graduation, he moved to Florida to start his 24-year career in construction development. Less than a year later, he moved back to his hometown of Richmond and was hired by Gilbane. He’s been with the company ever since.

“Richmond is … home, so I’m biased, but Richmond is great,” Robinson says. “We were the fastest growing city for millennials two years in a row. The vibrancy of the city is really starting to grow.”

Taking on a new leadership role during a pandemic has been challenging, but Robinson says the General Assembly and Altria projects are on track to be completed on time and on budget.  “Part of the reason I did it was to push myself and challenge myself with something new,” Robinson says. “You can’t grow unless you get out of your comfort zone. There’s nothing like jumping into the deep end of the pool.”

But despite national projections that the construction industry will face challenges in the coming year, Robinson is confident Richmond’s construction business will prevail.

“Not only does Gilbane in Virginia do capital projects, but we also have a special project group that does all sorts of smaller commercial projects for a wide variety of clients,” Robinson says. “So that diversity is part of what gives us our stability here.”

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