Kajima Forms KCS West Subsidiary

MONTEREY PARK, CA-Kajima Corp. has formed a new subsidiary called KCS West and has named Elmond K. Wan to serve as president of the new subsidiary, which has projects under way in Downtown L.A., Carson, El Segundo and Stockton. Kajima is one of the world’s largest builders, and KCS West starts life with some of the biggest Los Angeles projects already under way.

The Downtown Los Angeles projects are high-rise residential buildings of 39 stories at 1150 S. Grand Ave. and 35 stories at 717 Ninth St. Among its other projects are the renovation of the ArcLight Theater in Sherman Oaks Galleria and a new 12-story, 272-room Embassy Suites Hotel in Glendale.

Wan, formerly vice president and general manager of Kajima Construction Services and before that a vice president of Turner Construction, will be responsible for overall management of the new firm. The subsidiary’s operations will stretch from California to the Rocky Mountains.

Wan notes that KCS West has capabilities including construction of commercial, entertainment, educational, hospitality, healthcare, mixed-use/residential or institutional developments. Some of the predecessor firm’s western landmark projects include construction of the San Francisco Giants Baseball Stadium, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Long Beach Cruise Terminal and the Long Beach World Trade Center.