ATLANTA—Balfour Beatty is making its mark on Georgia. The firm is working on high-profile projects there, and the president of its Georgia division has some keen insights on what is making the market tick.

GlobeSt.com caught up with Al Petrangeli, president of Balfour's Georgia division, to get the latest news from the company and his take on the commercial construction scene in Atlanta in part one of this exclusive interview. Be sure to come back to this afternoon's Southeast edition for part two.

GlobeSt.com: Give us a quick overview of the kinds of projects Balfour Beatty's Georgia Division works on, and give some examples of the high-profile projects your office has been involved with over the past year or so.

Petrangeli: Balfour Beatty's Georgia Division services private- and public-sector clients. We primarily focus on the following market segments: multifamily, office, mixed-use, retail, hospitality, K-12, higher education, and state and local government.

A few noteworthy projects we completed in Georgia in 2014 include Buckhead Atlanta, a 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use development; the renovation of the iconic revolving Sun Dial Restaurant that sits atop the Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel in downtown Atlanta; and 131 Ponce, a 280-unit apartment community in the heart of Midtown Atlanta that incorporates the façade of the office building that was previously on the site. That building was the first office building designed by famed architect I.M. Pei.

GlobeSt.com: How would you compare the pace of commercial construction in Atlanta and the rest of Georgia in 2014 to the preceding years?

Petrangeli: As evidenced by all of the tower cranes erected across town, the pace is picking up in Atlanta, though the market is still smaller as compared to the mid-2000s. Other Georgia markets, such as Columbus and Savannah, are showing signs of recovery as well. 

GlobeSt.com: As far as new construction, what kinds of properties seem to be in favor, and which sectors are still lagging?

Petrangeli: In Georgia, the multifamily market as well as the hospitality and mixed-use markets are the ones currently driving the demand for our services. New office construction is lagging.

Additionally, there is a new wave of activity where public and private entities are teaming together to develop city centers that blend government facilities with mixed-use developments. Also, school districts and local governments that once delayed their project needs during the recession are now ready to address those needs.