Story by Chris Beaudin / December 9, 2025
The construction industry operates on a comfortable assumption: larger firms mean more resources, more capacity, and ultimately, better outcomes. But after 35 years of delivering complex commercial and industrial projects, we’ve learned something different. What clients actually need is seamless integration—where architecture meets construction through collaboration that solves problems before they become costly delays.
The construction cranes dotting Charleston’s skyline tell a story of unprecedented regional growth. But behind every successful project is a critical truth: coordination between architects, engineers, suppliers, and builders who work in harmony to turn vision into reality. That coordination doesn’t come from scale—it comes from integrating expertise directly into every phase of the process.
The conventional approach to commercial and industrial construction treats design and construction as separate phases—architects hand off to engineers, engineers hand off to builders, and problems emerge at every transition. The result? Projects suffer from minimal upfront planning. Problem-solving becomes reactive rather than proactive. The disconnect between design intent and construction reality turns straightforward builds into budget-busting ordeals.
Modern commercial and industrial projects demand something better. Advanced manufacturing facilities require specialized knowledge of production workflows integrated into structural design. Buildings with specialized structural systems or dense technical requirements succeed only when architectural intent and engineering considerations are aligned from the outset. Complex site conditions need innovative solutions where logistics and design work together seamlessly.
These challenges don’t need more handoffs—they need integration where architecture, engineering, and construction work as one unified process.
BEHKO represents a fundamental shift: architecture meets construction through seamless collaboration. Our in-house team integrates architectural design and engineering expertise directly into every construction project, creating spaces that are both beautiful and buildable. This unified approach means structural solutions, site logistics, and design intent work in harmony from day one.
Rather than competing on volume, we’ve chosen to specialize in complexity. We pursue projects that demand deeper technical understanding and precise execution—sophisticated manufacturing facilities, complex logistics hubs, projects with challenging geography or difficult site conditions. Each benefits from our integrated design-build approach where engineering isn’t consulted after the fact—it’s embedded in the process from concept to completion.
We don’t wait for a contract to start solving problems. While others are estimating costs, we’re engineering solutions. Our Build-Ready Process means early involvement—refining the design, finding efficiencies, and planning the smartest path forward. By the time clients are ready to choose a builder, we’ve already proven we understand the vision and engineered it to be buildable, efficient, and outcome-focused.
This approach delivers precision and innovation, ensuring efficient, functional spaces for commercial, healthcare, and industrial clients without the disconnect of traditional handoffs. Comprehensive drawings and renderings happen upfront, not as costly change orders later. Clients work directly with engineers and project leaders—Jordan Behringer, P.E., and Razvan “Raz” Cojocaru, P.E.—receiving proactive communication that keeps them informed, confident, and unsurprised.
It’s construction without guesswork or surprises, built on preparation.
Consider the scope of projects that define modern commercial construction in the Lowcountry. Our portfolio includes specialized hospitality projects for Bulls Bay Golf Club and Kiawah Island Resort, healthcare environments for MUSC where there’s no margin for error, and infrastructure work for SC Ports and Hyundai. We’ve designed and built sophisticated manufacturing facilities for Symrise, where production workflows determine every structural decision.
These aren’t one-off transactions won through low bids. They’re trusted partnerships earned through consistent performance and strengthened over years of delivering on complex, high-value projects with clients including Coastal Marinas, Capital Development Partners, Bushy Park Industrial Complex, and RealtyLink.
Take the Vine Works Trade Park on Johns Island as an example. Many would have chosen demolition of the historic tomato packaging facility—faster, cleaner, and more predictable. Instead, as general contractor and strategic partner working alongside Obelisk Real Estate Partners, we collaborated early to refine construction details that would preserve key structural elements while meeting modern building codes. The result is more than a renovation; it’s a reimagining that celebrates the Lowcountry’s agricultural roots while positioning Johns Island for its next chapter of growth.
Or consider our role as general contractor on RealtyLink’s parking garage at Uptown at Centre Pointe in North Charleston—applying these same principles of early collaboration, creative problem-solving, and construction that respects both client goals and community character.
What distinguishes BEHKO is our deliberate integration of architecture, engineering, and construction into a unified process. When a project opportunity comes in, we don’t treat it as just another bid to fill the pipeline. We evaluate whether the scope and complexity align with our expertise before committing resources.
This selectivity has built client relationships that span years and repeat engagements. When we commit to a bid, we commit completely—with early collaboration already underway, value engineering opportunities already identified, and construction solutions already mapped to design intent.
Raz Cojocaru’s background underscores this integration philosophy. A West Point graduate with a master’s in structural engineering from Virginia Tech, he brings extensive experience in complex, high-precision infrastructure projects where design and execution must work as one unified system. That integration-first mindset now defines our operational approach across every engagement.
We call this Bold Excellence—not a marketing promise, but a process proven project after project. Our in-house team works from concept to completion, ensuring structural solutions, site logistics, and architectural vision align seamlessly without the gaps that cost time and money on traditional construction projects.
The Greater Charleston region is experiencing unprecedented growth—and that growth increasingly includes complex projects that demand integrated expertise from day one.
Our approach delivers spaces that are both beautiful and buildable because architecture, engineering, and construction work together from concept to completion. While others compete on how many projects they can handle simultaneously, we focus on how seamlessly we can integrate expertise on each one. Our unified team ensures every client receives not just a completed project, but a strategic advantage born from preparation, collaboration, and technical precision.
We’re not building our reputation on project volume. We’re building it on integrated excellence—where design intent and construction reality align without handoffs, surprises, or disconnects. We measure success not just by completed projects, but by clients saying, “I’m so glad we partnered with you.” That’s only possible when architecture, engineering, and construction work as one unified system invested in client success.
The BEHKO brand formalizes what our team has been delivering for 35 years: seamless integration where architecture meets construction without traditional handoffs. Our ambition is straightforward—to be the recognized standard for design-build excellence across the Lowcountry, the firm that developers call first when they need architecture, engineering, and construction working together as one unified system.
For a region experiencing rapid growth, that distinction matters. Complex projects need partners who integrate expertise from concept to completion—where structural solutions, site logistics, and design intent work in harmony from day one. In the Lowcountry, with everything being built right now, that integrated approach is what really matters.
BEHKO. Built Different. Built on Bold Excellence.
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