Construction Today, Volume 19, Issue 9

Experts in remediation

Sustainability

Hello and welcome to the September issue of Construction Today. In this issue, we take a look at a range of topics, including Sustainability, which I am finding increasingly appearing near or at the top of the agenda across the industry. Whether it’s Net Zero operations, the use of greener materials or technology –consideration for the environment across the entire process is no longer a fleeting thought but a policy point and strategic objective. Reflecting this, software company AspenTech’s solutions suite is now seeing a growing emphasis on Sustainability. Ron Beck and Judith Ponniah from the business share their insights with CT and its fascinating to see how technology can be used “to innovate and deliver projects safely, on-schedule, and on-budget, even as margins are getting tighter, and constraints are increasing.” For the full story, turn to page 6.

Libbie Hammond EDITOR Cowles, Jeff Goldenberg, Melanie Joyce, James Page, Wendy Richard Saunders, Mike Berger, Jessica Eglington, James Fuller, Will Gwyther, Alex Hartley, Reid Lingle, Shaun Peacock, Sam

Our cover story this month highlights Thrive Companies, and its dedicated team that continues to work hard to bring its active, large mixed-use projects to fruition. Since its initial inception, Thrive – including its time as Wagenbrenner Development prior to the Thrive Companies rebrand – has completed more brownfield projects than any other developer in Ohio. Kevin Zeppernick, CEO reveals more of the details behind the business and its success – read the story on page 38.

6 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

AspenTech discusses its cutting-edge, end-to-end digitalization solutions that enable EPCs to consolidate technology portfolios, connect data and workflows, and expand business with new sources of revenue from operations and

22 ARCHITECTURE

Tackling the architectural skills shortage is a priority. From investing in technology to aligning with the sustainable values of future generations, there is potential to retain practitioners while simultaneously attracting new talent

24 TECHNOLOGY

The traditional linear take-make-dispose construction model is no longer relevant, and the industry is changing how global buildings are planned, designed, and even dismantled. This requires digitization

26 NET–ZERO

As companies and governments look to achieve Net-Zero, a major focus has fallen on the logistics sector to deliver green warehouses that consider the environment throughout the construction process

in construction, and used Kebony wood cladding on its new sustainable processing facility SUSTAINABILITY

Machine learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), provide the levels of visibility needed to make construction much more time-efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable INFRASTURCTURE

With on budget, secure, a the world of North American construction contracts, projects, products and

Heat poses a dangerous risk to employees and symptoms are hard to measure. An individualized safety program makes sense for employees positioning employers as proactive and committed to safety

TEEL Construction, Inc.

New Leaf Homes

Charles Perry Partners, Inc. Marous Builders

T&T Construction of Central Structural Grove

Ludvik Electric Distributors

Optimize the process

An essential partner to the world’s largest EPCs, AspenTech discusses its innovative solutions and emphasis on sustainability

Orchestrated by Professor Larry Evans and housed in the MIT Building 20, it was in the mid1970s that the Advanced System for Process Engineering Project (ASPEN) was launched. A total of 31 visiting engineers, faculty, and professional staff were involved in the project, as well as seven post-docs and 135 graduate and undergraduate students. Its goal was to develop the ‘next generation’ process simulator, capable of simulating large, complex processes involving highly non-ideal mixtures, solids, and electrolytes, thereby extending the benefits of process simulation to complex chemicals, coal conversions, and synthetic fuels processes.

In 1981, Evans and seven members of ASPEN had a vision to commercialize the project software and so they founded AspenTech, a provider of cutting-edge computer-based process engineering tools and technology, capable of designing new processes, and improving the efficiency and productivity of existing plants. Ever since, AspenTech has steadily expanded its solutions portfolio, which now encompasses a number of asset optimization tools for a broad set of industry clients, including bulk chemicals, specialty chemicals, upstream oil and gas, downstream oil and gas, petrochemicals, and engineering, procurement, and construction companies (EPCs).

“To this day, AspenTech remains a softwareonly company,” says Ron Beck, Senior Director Industry Marketing at AspenTech. “Our process simulator Aspen HYSYS® is used in nearly every oil field in the world, and a second process simulator, Aspen Plus®, is used in most major chemical sites globally. Aspen Hybrid Models™ combines these process simulators with AI-based analytics, while Aspen Capital Cost EstimatorTM helps to bridge the gap between technology design and the cost of execution, enabling accurate estimates early in the development process.” These are just a few solutions from AspenTech’s suite, but its status as an industry leader needs no introduction. The company employs close to 3900 people,

Digital transformation

Director for EPCs at AspenTech, it makes for a sector that is ripe for disruption. “We see that large projects typically take 20 percent longer to finish than scheduled and can be over budget even up to 80 percent,” adds Judith. “EPCs are by nature risk averse due to constant economic instability, and are placing more and more value on accurate estimates, risk mitigation, and budget reduction strategies. By using digitalization tools, those EPCs see a six-to-thirty percent reduction in schedule and EPC clients can expect a three-to-tendollar payback for every dollar spent on front-end engineering design, according to the Construction Industry Institute.”

The figures don’t lie, and AspenTech’s success is a key factor driving the continued adoption of digitalization tools among industry leaders. One such tool is Aspen Fidelis™, a digital solution that provides EPCs and their owner clients the ability to explore options and identify the highest probability approach for achieving the desired throughput at the lowest“Fideliscost.helps

users employ the same model from conceptual design all the way to commissioning, operations and maintenance,” Judith explains. “After enabling the identification of an optimal design, Fidelis performs risk analysis, supplier selection, flow optimization, redundancy identification, and start-up and maintenance strategy.”

supporting and servicing nearly 2400 sectorleading customers worldwide.

Nevertheless, the market hasn’t always been so favorable to digitalization. Throughout the construction sector, resistance to technology remains strong. For Ron, it’s a phenomenon that, in the past, has proven to be a significant obstacle to innovation. “Within the infrastructure construction business, we’ve seen how Building Information Modeling (BIM) has really taken on as a given,” he adds. “In the process industry, the digital handover from design to operations has been much more difficult for the industry to fit to its traditional way of working. Our systems can deliver the analogue of BIM. Now, with the

evolution in the workforce, the timing seems perfect.”

As businesses face the current energy security and net zero carbon initiatives, the integrated technologies from AspenTech are ideal to enable the rapid change the industry requires. “By bringing industry partners to the table and showing them how to utilize digital tools across the lifecycle,” Ron continues, “we are starting to be able to cut through organizational barriers to bring owners, constructors, and licensors together to make the investment to achieve sustainable assets.”

Thankfully, with an increasingly digitalnative workforce, those barriers are fading. According to Judith Ponniah, Industry Marketing

Each solution is the result of AspenTech’s innovation and expertise, as well as the expertise of the company’s key partners. “A lot of this technology is complicated,” Ron points out. “We’re collaborating with a company called Strategic Estimating Systems (SES), for example, to teach best practices and continually improve our cost-estimating system, now one of the most powerful in the world. As global experts in their field, the team at SES is instrumental in helping us to improve our software to work more effectively on larger projects, and in turn, educate our clients to develop better estimates. This collaboration enables them to be proficient and self-sufficient in areas that are so crucial to the profitability of a construction or engineering project.”

It’s a process of product development that also places a heavy emphasis on customer involvement, with a dedicated advisory board for each of the company’s product groups.

Digital transformation

“We have one for our engineering solutions, another for our estimating solutions and one for our advanced process control solutions,” Ron explains. “We go through a structured process, developing what we call ‘innovation clubs’ – groups of clients within our main product areas, who we embrace and involve in testing and Academicfeedback.”partnerships offer another avenue for input. MIT, The University of Delaware, and Carnegie Mellon are just a few of AspenTech’s major collaborators.

The company’s so-called ‘Aspen Academy’ regularly brings together 12 leading chemical engineering researchers to define and advance specific R&D projects, a concept that’s forging a new model of collaboration between academia and industry.

“Many academic researchers who come up with great ideas can be frustrated by the obstacles that prevent them from getting those ideas adopted for commercial use,” Ron adds. “The Aspen Academy offers an exciting way for those individuals to take some of their best work and embed it in an industry-leading platform. It provides research students with

an excellent opportunity to come and work in theAspenTechfield.” employees can also find themselves with many opportunities to voice new ideas. “We run a global technology summit within our company, including a competition that gives groups of people in the company time and opportunity to come up with new solution proposals,” Ron remarks. “They literally present their ideas, and executives vote on the most promising. Some of these are now nearing release as new capabilities. Backed by 40 years of innovation and expertise, we continue to be the leader of innovation. We want things to stay that way.”

In May 2022, AspenTech completed a significant transaction with Emerson that resulted in two software businesses coming to AspenTech, one in subsurface engineering and the other in electrical grid optimization. It’s a combination that is delivering exciting synergies across a number of applications –not least, the rapidly evolving area of carbon capture and storage.

“Carbon capture and storage is partially an above ground problem, and partially a

subsurface problem,” Ron mentions. “By putting these two groups together, we can help companies look end-to-end at the planning and execution of large-scale carbon captureAspenTechprojects.”isincreasingly well positioned to help customers solve the complexity of the dual challenge: meeting the increasing demand for resources from a rapidly growing population in a profitable and sustainable manner. “We’re seeing that especially in Europe,” adds Ron. “And we’re beginning to witness it in the US, with the pace of execution of projects across green energy, hydrogen, or energy efficiency. To realize that in the time frames we have in mind, you need repeatable, reusable and modular designs across the process industry. At AspenTech, we provide that capability.”

As Judith is keen to emphasize, AspenTech’s solutions also deliver tangible benefits for EPCs, by improving workplace organization and empowering achievement. “Especially in the current climate, a lot of projects are being reevaluated and rescoped,” she reflects. “Our solutions create value by empowering EPCs to innovate and deliver projects safely, onschedule, and on-budget, even as margins are getting tighter, and constraints are increasing.”

AI plays a critical role in all of AspenTech’s solutions. “Since we introduced AI-driven Aspen Mtell® a few years ago, it has been implemented by refining companies around the world to predict and prevent downtime months in advance,” adds Ron. AI will continue playing a predominant role in AspenTech’s future

“Lookingportfolio.forward, we’re partnering very seriously with a number of leading companies in each of our key areas, with a focus on creating a deep level of innovation and sustainability across our solutions. A lot of energy companies are really trying, and in many cases succeeding, to become significantly more sustainable, but they have a tough time telling the story. We want to work with them to design and implement the right systems to make that information more transparent.”

www.aspentech.comAspenTech

Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) defined in OptiPlant 3D conceptual model

A material improvement

Situated in rural Quincy, Washington, the site is home to Woodinville

Whiskey’s small-batch bottling, barreling and ageing facilities. The location witnesses the age-old process of distilling whiskey being married together with the use of green materials, in the form of Kebony, a global leader in the production of sustainable wood.

Designed by Seattle-based Graham Baba Architects, the completed warehouses are part of what will eventually be six, 25,000 square-foot structures, spread across a generous ten-acre complex, with the third build completed in July 2022.

Maintaining the simple, rectilinear gabled

form and dark brown hue of the Woodinville distillery, the new complex’s structures are clad in Kebony and dark metal siding. Kebony wood was selected for its eco-friendly credentials and durable nature, which will stand strong against the extremes of the WashingtonCommentingclimate.onthe use of materials, Susan Tillack, Associate Principal at Graham Baba Architects said: “Kebony was a natural choice for the front facades as the clients wanted the warmth of wood, but the material had to be durable enough to withstand the extreme heat and cold of eastern Washington’s weather, without requiring continuous maintenance. For us, it was a perfect fit due

to the beauty of the product, its sustainability and the ease of installation with the use of Kebony’s rainscreen system.”

A Norwegian company, Kebony uses a patented technique to transform sustainably sourced softwoods with hardwood-like properties such as dimensional stability, without compromising on appearance.

The transition between office and process areas is demarcated with a long vertical window that folds from wall to ceiling, transforming into a skylight. Horizontal windows on the north wall of the processing area frame the adjacent agricultural landscape and farmstead. A row of skylights provides natural daylight into the processing

technologyTime-honoredtraditionsmetnewgreenwhen

Graham Baba Architects created a forprocessingsustainablefacilityWoodinvilleWhiskey

space, while south-facing photovoltaic rooftop panels provide a renewable source of Selectiveelectricity.elements

demolished at the Woodinville distillery (steel and old growth Douglas fir stairs and steel railings) were salvaged and repurposed for the new complex, keeping them out of landfill while creating a spiritual and physical link between the two sites.

Nina Landbø, International Sales Manager at Kebony, noted the significance of using environmentally-friendly materials in a project such as this: “It is pleasing to see that Woodinville Whiskey’s newest addition recognizes the importance of using

sustainable materials in construction,” she said. “By pairing recycled materials with Kebony, the warehouses work to minimize their environmental impact, maintaining this with the generation of green energy. The visually impressive structures pay homage to rural America, displaying the Woodinville brand for all to see.”

Founded by friends Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile, Woodinville Whiskey reflects

Sustainability

their passion for a product that blends craft methods with the historic tradition of bourbon whiskey production. The Quincy campus is a study in cutting edge design, utilizing high-quality materials to reflect the innovative creation of the whiskey.

For a list of the sources used in this article, please contact the editor.

Kebony is a Norwegian company which aims to be the leading wood brand and technology company. Underpinned by proven wood modification technologies, it produces an enhanced wood of a superior quality that is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Kebony® technology permanently transforms sustainable wood species such as pine into Kebony wood with features that are comparable, and in some cases superior, to those of precious tropical hardwoods. This unique environmentally friendly process is also a superior alternative to traditional wood treatment based on impregnation with biocides (wood preservatives). The company’s patent-protected production processes yield products that deliver major improvements in durability and dimensional stability, at the same time as being highly attractive

https://kebony.com

Reality check

How AI and Machine Learning will create the sustainable construction industry of the future. By Fabio Ponzio

There are often many moving parts on the construction jobsite. Understanding construction progress, verifying schedules, assessing quality, identifying delays and ensuring safety compliance are essential to keeping a project running smoothly, on time and within budget. Recently, and for good reason, sustainability has been added to the list of demands to which construction projects must adhere. Additionally, stakeholders expect to have complete visibility of what is happening on-site to be able to address issues, optimize performance and ultimately meet or exceed expectations. Recent advancements in technology, particularly gaining insights from machine learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), provide this high level of visibility to make construction much more time-efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable.

Enhancing project management

For real-time documentation of everything that happens on a project site, both on the exterior and interior, owners and contractors can now deploy high-definition time-lapse photography and live video streaming systems. This will provide a comprehensive overview of the progress being made on the construction site, thanks to AI-powered camera technology and ML algorithms.

By combining the latest AI-powered camera technology and ML algorithms, stakeholders can connect to the site from anywhere, at any time and get instant access to up-to-date information about the progress and critical milestones of a project. This could include quality assessments, overall performance and even risk detection and management.

Sustainability

Sustainability

This combination of technology and algorithms not only provides insights into construction work progress, but also possible safety issues. AI can identify which employees on site are not wearing the required protective equipment. Using that data to benchmark safety incidents compared with other construction sites will help make construction sites safer overall.

Maximizing efficiency with AI and ML

AI can track and analyze on-site project activities like machine and equipment movements, as well as digging or concrete pouring. AI analysis detects incidents like pouring concrete during cold weather, missing site activities correlated to adverse weather conditions, safety-related issues and much more, providing insights that can help to optimize a construction project. Organizations should utilize AI and ML to create a framework for optimizing the number of people, products, and resources required for a job. For instance, data provided by AI will inform whether it would be more efficient to refurbish a structure, or simply rebuild it. This will ensure precious resources are not wasted but it will also save time and money.

Monitor progress

Throughout the entire life cycle of a build, documentation is critical for maintaining visibility of the construction progress. Visual construction progress documentation including still images, video, reality capture, UAV and webcam can be used to provide progressive digital records of ground-up development, shared via a cloud-based platform such as the one Multivista provides.

For example, project teams can update schedules and demonstrate progress to stakeholders. Advanced camera technology can capture both the exterior and interior views of the entire site and make them available to the project team via interactive floor plans. Integration with data captured of real-world objects and environments is used to create accurate point clouds and measurements.Thiscombination can create a complete record of a site at significant milestones or current conditions and progress to document

underground and in-slab utilities, exterior weather-proofing, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems during the critical period between inspection and completion. In addition, the use of AI analysis provides insights into construction work progress and possible safety issues.

Eyes in the skies

It is increasingly common for building projects to be planned and monitored from the sky. UAVs are now frequently used for site planning and progress tracking, aerial site surveys, tracking equipment and measuring volumes, QA/QC inspection, and site mapping. Adding aerial data into a single collaborative online platform means it can be accessed alongside terrestrial data so the entire project can be viewed, measured and managed instantly, without having to step on site.

Better construction for a smarter future

To build better construction projects around the world, collaboration is required across remote global departments and dispersed team members, which means barriers to accessing information must be removed. By capturing and sharing measurable data with stakeholders wherever they are, all parties can virtually visit the site and stay connected to the build.

AI and ML technologies enable all project stakeholders and teams to avoid delays and respond to real-time changes with minimal delay, which creates efficiency, cost-effectiveness, improved safety, and sustainability for the entire industry. By developing and deploying reality capture and sharing digital realities, the industry can bring greater focus on building better for smarter, more sustainable, construction jobsites.

Fabio Ponzio is EVP Geosystems, Business Development at Hexagon. Hexagon is a global leader in digital reality solutions, combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies. It is putting data to work to boost efficiency, productivity, quality and safety across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, public sector, and mobility applications. Its technologies are shaping production and people-related ecosystems to become increasingly connected and autonomous –ensuring a scalable, sustainable future.

Hexagon’s Geosystems division provides a comprehensive portfolio of digital solutions that capture, measure, and visualize the physical world and enable datadriven transformation across industry ecosystems.

https://hexagon.com/divisions/geosystems

The Shift of Capital Projects to Decarbonization Is On. Are You Ready?

The sustainability imperative demands a digital approach to capital project execution as the conventional way no longer works. AspenTech® Performance Engineering optimizes asset design and constructibility to achieve critical net zero, safety and profitability goals.

Read our sustainability survey report to see how the shift is changing the game. Go to www.aspentech.com/epcsustainability

Getting ahead

This year is set to become the first time in many years that infrastructure overtakes residential construction as the primary source of income for construction contractors. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law last November, has provided a monumental $1.2 trillion of funds to supercharge US infrastructure that is badly in need of reform. This provides a rich opportunity for construction & engineering (C&E) contractors to win big, but only those who can guarantee strong and timely project delivery. Will your project performance live up to the scrutiny of contracting for outcomes?

Kenny Ingram, VP of C&E at IFS, explains

how the adoption of innovative construction technologies combined with value-added construction techniques will produce a construction model that can’t fail.

Despite the integral role infrastructure plays in modern society, it is often neglected with a severe lack of funding.

This is no exception for the US, where the infrastructure investment gap has now reached a $2.59 trillion deficit. This lack of funding has real costs for real people. By the year 2039, continued underinvestment could end up costing the average US household up to $3300 per year. The once-in-a-generation investment set out under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) aims to overhaul

US infrastructure systems to promote productivity, equity, and sustainability within the US economy. But who is going to build it?

Contracting for outcomes: datadriven processes are the hallmark of reliable construction projects

C&E contractors that can guarantee on-time, on budget, and high-quality project delivery will be in the most favorable position to be awarded the highly sort after Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contracts to rebuild US infrastructure. Contractors must improve their efficiency and project delivery to ensure taxpayers’ dollars are optimized and government objectives are met. Here,

U.S. infrastructure investment opportunity is a wakeup call for construction contractors: Are you contracting ready?

construction technology is the ideal medium to address both contractor and government objectives for a win-win scenario.

Modular eliminatesmanufacturingrisk–fromdesign to build

Within five years, half of all construction projects will use modular manufacturing and/or 3D printing, with prefabricated modules accounting for up to a quarter of the construction. Infrastructure constructions are high-risk and complex projects, with a wide scope for unexpected disruption to project outcomes. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) can improve construction efficiency from design to build, by limiting risk factors and promoting standardization. Modular, offsite and prefabrication construction entail pre-manufacturing modules in a controlled environment to simplify on-site assembly. This reduces the level of on-site risk and ensures all components are ready before construction begins.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is already part of the selection criteria for UK contractors, as it is recognized for its powerful capabilities for improving efficiency. By seamlessly integrating data sets into a 3D model, layers of data from existing construction assets can be added or overlaid, to allow repeated design processes and standardization of construction modules. This has yet to be popularized in the US, however the use of BIM and modular construction could prove to be deciding factors in the selection process for competitive infrastructure contracts.

Never miss a thing with automated monitoring systems

To avoid project delays and budget overruns, project managers need constant visibility over all project activity in real-time, which can be especially challenging in large-scale infrastructure projects. However, digital technology can automate the monitoring process and centralize data to enhance project visibility.Internet of Things (IoT) sensors monitor and feed real-time data from multiple locations into a digital system creating a virtual overview of project activity. Sensors

in construction equipment can help project managers organize efficient use of equipment and resources for optimal operation. They can also monitor on-site conditions, such as temperature and humidity, that cause delays and even damage to construction. Augmented Reality (AR) devices can also perform automatic measurement scans at the exact same location without the need for human calculation, providing precise updates of project progress. Access to this level of accurate, real-time data heightens project managers’ responsiveness to crises so that the right action can be taken at the right time to avoid incurring unexpected costs and delays.

Servitization is the new deciding factor in construction contracting

The IIJA is not a short-term fix but is intended to facilitate long-term economic development. This means that contractors who also have a long-term approach to project management will be in a unique position to win contract stakeholder approval. Servitization is the way to go. Contractors that provide service throughout the entire lifecycle of the construction asset will not only provide higher ROI by prolonging infrastructure longevity but will also unlock more value from infrastructureConstructioncontracts.organizations should use on-site data to foresee where repairs, retrofits, and servicing will need to take place and schedule these ahead of time before it is urgently needed, reducing infrastructure downtime, and keeping businesses running. A service approach to construction and engineering provides an extra revenue stream for contractors lasting the entire lifespan of the construction asset, and this often spans decades for infrastructure. A construction-

specific ERP is necessary to manage all the processes that are executed across the whole asset lifecycle. This allows businesses to transition to a true digital asset lifecycle model, operate with one version of the truth, and provide greater value for tax funds.

Data-driven construction offerings will win future contracts

MMC and data-driven processes have become a universal signal of a contractor’s ability to deliver quality projects efficiently and reliably. The IIJA presents an unprecedented opportunity for C&E contractors to win big with high-stake PPPs but to also make a considerable contribution to the future of US society. But to capitalize, contractors must improve project delivery and productivity. Here, integration of key technologies and construction techniques will ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to a high quality and place forward-thinking C&E contractors ahead of the competition.

For a list of the sources used in this article, please contact the editor.

Kenny Ingram is, VP of C&E at IFS. IFS develops and delivers cloud enterprise software for companies around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations.

IFS’s industry specific products are innately connected to a single data model and use embedded digital innovation so that customers can be their best.

www.ifs.com

Total trust

The term Golden Thread at first conjures up the image of the Golden Fleece from Greek mythology, which was immortalized in the 1963 movie Jason and the Argonauts. The fleece is a symbol of authority and kingship, which is probably why it was used to define the term used in construction to describe digital information management processes used to support building safety.

Data in this context is being used as the single source of truth for an industry that is marred with versions of events. Versions of events are often unreliable… they are left open to interpretation as time

progresses. Time is the enemy of the truth, and therefore an accurate recording as a project takes shape is fundamental to the Golden Thread authority.

Recording of the relevant events that led to and encapsulated the construction activity prior to the demise of Grenfell Tower, could have led to a very different outcome. Would we have had a different outcome, if we knew the make-up of the tower and its fireresistant capabilities? Undoubtedly, yes.

The challenge is not just the recording of data, from each supplier and member of the client appointed design team - to include details of materials and the prescribed manufacturing process - as related to the

construction process, but also who owns this data and can it be trusted. Enter Blockchain.

A blockchain is simply a database that keeps track of things, but unlike a centralized database it has two USPs: (a) it exists between the parties to the database, keeping / creating a log of all interactions, while also keeping each party honest because no single party can make a universal change; and (b) each record of data is encrypted using a cryptographic algorithm that makes it virtually impossible for anyone to change and that same cryptography makes it such that the information is only visible to users with the right cryptographic key.

Imagine how this technology can then

Nish Kotecha discusses the benefits that blockchain technology can bring to construction

recreate the typically sequential supply chain. Instead of relying on each stakeholder to pass data onto the next participant along the chain, everyone can see what the status of the project is, and at each stage, create project transparency and ownership by all participants/actors. This removes the risk of a scenario where the data is never the same at the end as it is [or was] at the beginning. To arrest any misplaced fear(s) around the third-party disclosure of commercial sensitivity, transparency can be limited to non-commercial data, although such parameters must be well defined and taxonomy suitably established via the information management framework.

Paperwork including warranty information needs to be readily accessible should they be required to support a claim. All this data can be loaded into a digital folder which, when stored on a blockchain creates a digital twin or digital asset. This asset can then be passed along the chain of custody for the component and to the build of the full project, even to regulators and owners as the building is occupied. Enter the digital twin.

The digital asset can also underpin insurance.Bystoring data on the blockchain, insurance companies can reduce the risk of human error when completing tasks like processing claims or updating records.

Consider a world where each individual asset has its digital twin, otherwise known as its digital passport. The passport provides the information required to assess the condition of the asset, its provenance and therefore its insurance value more accurately. The passport can incorporate its use, implementation and date, warranty and any live updates and exist in an ecosystem separate to the owner(s).

When the construction process is complete, post-inspected and appropriately commissioned and signed off, the digital passport effectively comes alive. This passport can move between owners of a building while the details of the asset such as its history including claims, values, etc. stay intact, secure and immutable. The digital passport can then be accessed by underwriters to support their assessments.

This leads us to a world of interconnected networks where data can be shared to those

with the right permissions in a compliant, safe and secure manner. In essence, a network of networks where each party can finally trust what they are being told because the history is stored and is immutable.

Blockchain is reengineering business processes and systems to enable a secure, trusted environment of data management and sharing between parties in a trusted way. This will allow organizations to exist beyond their current boundaries.

These changes are no longer a nice to have, but a must-do, following the new Building Safety Bill, which received Royal Ascent in April 2022. One of the key obligations under the new act is to create and maintain a golden thread of building information throughout the lifecycle of the building, which includes up-to-date vital safety information about the building design. Build and management must be captured and maintained digitally for the entire lifecycle of theGoingbuilding.further, the Golden Thread report from the UK Government talks about the need for a ‘single source of truth’ by bringing all information together in a single place and recording changes in full. The only technology that can address this need is Blockchain.

When regulation meets technology, adoption is accelerated. Fortunately, the technology required by the industry exists today - Blockchain. Who would have thought that the construction industry could actually become technology pioneers?

For a list of the sources used in this article, please contact the editor

Nish Kotecha is Chair and Co-founder of Finboot, a technology company that gives its world-class customers a competitive edge through accelerating their digital transformation, realizing value and building trust through blockchain.

Finboot has developed MARCO, a ‘low-code’ platform that simplifies digital transformation by enabling companies to develop and deploy digital solutions with minimum efforts and resources. This ‘low-code’ platform accelerates the ‘time to value’ - the time it takes to a deliver an application to market.

Finboot is headquartered in the UK with a base in Spain

www.finboot.com

News In Brief

Partner projects

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board has awarded Flatiron Joint Venture teams two significant collaborative delivery projects valued at $800 million.

Flatiron and its partner Myers & Sons Construction have been selected to deliver the I-105 ExpressLanes Project. Proposed improvements will provide multi-modal travel options to users of the corridor. Metro transit, vanpool and highoccupancy vehicle users will be able to use lanes without a toll. Revenues from ExpressLanes will be used to support transit programs, municipal agencies and localValleycities.Transit Partners, a joint venture between Flatiron, Stacy and Witbeck, and Modern Railway Systems, will deliver the G-Line Bus Rapid Transit Improvements Project. This project seeks to improve operating speeds, capacity and safety of the popular G-Line busway, while enhancing service to passengers and minimizing disruption to the San Fernando Valley residents.

Software solutions

Hexagon AB, a global leader in digital reality solutions combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies, has acquired iConstruct Pty Ltd, a provider of award-winning Building Information Modelling (BIM) software used in commercial, infrastructure and industrial construction.

Its flagship solution, iConstruct Pro, is a proven construction automation tool. “Hexagon has long been focused on creating smart digital realities that put data to work in new ways,” says Hexagon President and CEO, Ola Rollén. “Not only does iConstruct combine different design models into a single source but it also enables communication efficiencies.

“With iConstruct, our Asset Lifecycle Intelligence and Geosystems divisions can deliver greater data management and project planning to more customers, segments and disciplines involved in the construction process,” continues Rollén.

Real-time twinning

Akular has released Akular Twin, a lightweight app that is built on the Bentley iTwin platform. The app enables users to upload a BIM model during construction or have a BIM model created from the layout of an existing building. It means that everyone from construction workers to facility managers can compare updated versions of the same model, detect clashes, or create and track issues.

All this can be done in a real-world overlay through augmented reality and all changes are immediately synced back to the platform in real time.

“Achieving Bentley’s ‘Powered by iTwin’ designation is a massive step forward for Akular,” says CEO, Martin Rapos. “Digital twin applications could immediately start saving investors huge amounts of time, money and materials and make their ESG commitments more achievable. They also provide instant transparency to all stakeholders.”“AsaniTwinPartner, Akular contributes to the growing ecosystem of developers building digital twin solutions on the iTwin platform,” reinforces Sheena Gaynes, Director, Business Development, iTwin Platform, at Bentley Systems.

A true trophy asset

Ofer ChairmanYardeni,and CEO of Stonehenge NYC, has divulged that it has closed on the purchase of 780 Greenwich Street, New York.

The six-story, 70,000 square-foot building, which contains 88 residential units, commands a full 148foot blockfront in Manhattan’s West Village.

780 Greenwich is in the heart of the West Village; one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods. This pet-friendly, doorman building is close to many of the city’s most vibrant restaurants, shops, and nightlife offerings and is only steps away from the Meatpacking District, the Highline, as well as the Hudson River Esplanade. The property also offers duplex units, a rarity in the West Village.

“780 Greenwich Street represents a true trophy asset as it is one of the few rental buildings in the Village with more than 75 large apartments. I am pleased to say that with this off-market acquisition, Stonehenge NYC now manages two of these rare assets, the other being 10 Downing Street, located just blocks away,” says Ofer. The company will manage the property and plans to upgrade the building’s apartments and amenities to the high standard found throughout its portfolio.

Building bridges

Superior Construction, an American familyowned $39-millionAngeline,County,extensionthecontractor,infrastructureisbuildingSunlakeBoulevardinPascoFlorida,forLen-LLC.The17-month,projectbegan

in June and will traverse 3.2 miles of greenfield wetlands to create an undivided urban interchange with eight“Thebridges.Sunlake

Boulevard extension is the first step in creating the necessary infrastructure and critical utilities for business entities in the surrounding area, including the forthcoming Moffitt Cancer Center’s Pasco Life Sciences Campus,” says Matt Stuart, Tampa Area Manager at Superior Construction.

The eight bridges will allow Superior Construction to avoid mitigating the wetlands through which the extension will flow. While the bridges are only five to eight feet off the ground, the geology upon which they are founded is highly variable.

In addition to the main Sunlake Boulevard extension, Superior Construction is maintaining a network of unpaved access roads around the site for use by contractors on surrounding area projects.

Topping off

To a resounding cheer, the final steel beam for Muckleshoot Casino’s highly anticipated resort tower was hoisted into place.

The 1,000-pound, 25-foot-long beam, adorned with the signatures of Muckleshoot Indian tribal members as well as the men and women who built the 18-story structure, glided into place accompanied by a splash ofMuckleshootfireworks.

Casino’s resort tower is already reshaping the economic and visual landscape of the South Sound before its anticipated debut in the fall of 2023. Powered by 500 local workers under the management of general contractor, Swinerton, the project stands proud as the tallest structure between Seattle and Tacoma.

The glass tower - which will boast approximately 400 guestrooms, expanded gaming and a rooftop steakhouse among its amenitieswill be the pinnacle of an exciting multi-phase evolution for Muckleshoot Casino.

Image: Muckleshoot Casino COO Tyrone Simmons watches as the final beam for structureatoptowerCasino’sMuckleshootresortisplacedthe18-storyonAugust

Constructing science

PMB, a leading healthcare real estate developer, in partnership with Montgomery Street Partners, has received Superior Town Board approval on its final development plan for Coal Creek Innovation Park at Downtown Superior. PMB has hired CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, to market it for

Thelease.park

will be the first speculative purposebuilt life sciences project in Boulder County, an area with historically low vacancy and high demand for lab space. The $280m project will break ground in early 2023 and the first phase will include an owner-furnished, 27,000 square-foot suite space to enable quick occupancy for growing companies in need of highquality lab space.

Initial plans call for three office/lab buildings ranging in size from 85,000 to 150,000 square-foot and a fourth building with ground-floor retail and structured parking. It is thoughtfully designed to drive productivity and foster innovation. Shared lab services will be available to all tenants; including RODI water, dedicated laboratory water, compressed air, glass wash and a lab waste system.

“Life sciences companies have extremely specific and technical needs for their space. Coal Creek Innovation Park is purposefully designed with these in mind. A biotech company that locates here can focus exclusively on its science as its real estate needs are already met,” says Nelson Udstuen, Senior Vice President with CBRE.

Coal Creek Innovation Park will build on a wave of development occurring in Downtown Superior, located along the US-36 corridor between Denver and Boulder. “Life sciences companies are looking to the Boulder/Denver region as a place where they can plant their flag or grow their operations. They are attracted to Colorado’s highly educated and skilled workforce and ecosystem of educational and research institutions,” adds Erik Abrahamson, Senior Vice President, CBRE.

Investing infuture skills

Tackling the skills shortage is a priority for the architectural profession but it’s also a tough one to crack. Craig Kipling considers what might be done to deal with the problem

While the UK continues to be preoccupied with recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, architects are busier than ever designing new projects. From new residential schemes through to retail and leisure to large scale commercial investments, there is a lot planned for 2022 and beyond. But is there sufficient labor to fulfil these projects? The answer is unfortunately no, as demand for new building and infrastructure projects continues to drive the need for resources, while the skills

shortage continues to make it difficult to balance supply and demand.

Indeed, this is borne out by a RIBA survey (Future Trends), which reveals the Covid pandemic along with Brexit has created what might be described as a perfect storm - the architecture profession is battling ‘huge’ staff shortages, with one-in-five practices struggling to recruit skilled people and 40 per cent of large and medium practices finding themselves short-staffed.

What then can effectively be done to tackle the skills shortage? Continued investment in

technology might be one answer, serving our industry in two ways: first, by helping today’s practitioners do their jobs easier, better, faster and second, by helping to attract new workers to jobs in architecture.

Changing ways

There is a now a generation of people coming through who don’t find technology scary or hard to use. It’s simply a way of life, that’s very familiar to them. And focusing on developing technology that can dramatically increase skills levels and therefore performance helps

to overcome the challenge of fewer and fewer experienced people in the workforce. It also has the added benefit of making people feel proud and confident in what they can accomplish with advanced technology.

Perhaps by challenging ourselves and thinking differently about hiring creative young workers who might not possess the traditional requisites for a career in architecture, but who nevertheless are excited and engaged by the built environment along with automated design, augmented reality, and other advanced technologies, we can grow the range and skills of our teams so that they can take on more and new types of projects.Theimplementation of flexible working practices can also help to attract more people to careers in architecture and work for your firm. While issues of trust and work/life balance will always remain, studios unwilling to offer at least a portion of the week working from home might find themselves losing out in the battle to recruit talent as many architects and designers embrace it as the new norm. People have seen how effective home working can be in today’s cultural and economic times, developing daily work routines that allow them to set their own pace and concentrate better, therefore raising productivity levels.

Aligning your practice with the sustainable values of future generations and fostering an inclusive culture could also be worth considering as another way to attract fresh blood and new talent. As many other professions are discovering, bridging the skills gap is about attracting and engaging Gen Z (the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials), who are extremely savvy, aware and engaged with the climate emergency and see a focus on sustainability to create greenbased work experiences and enrichment as a central plank in their future career development.

Public image

Architecture can do more about its image to attract people while a reassessment of the current training and qualification landscape would prove beneficial. For example, it takes several years to become an architect and the cost to do so can add up to tens of thousands of pounds. And once the costs of university

accommodation, study materials, travel, and other costs are taken into consideration, the debt pile can be even higher, undoubtedly deterring many people, especially those from poorer backgrounds, entering the profession. The current regime can also be expensive for practices. For smaller firms, sourcing real-life projects to facilitate the completion of RIBA Part 3 for instance, can consume significant effort and Reconsideringresource.the value of technical, professional and manual training through apprenticeships as a gateway to successful and well-paid jobs in architecture should also be high on the national skills agenda. Apprentices sitting alongside RIBA-certified architects can play an influential part and should be viewed afresh as another step to transforming the relationship between employers and academia and leveraging access to the sector for the brightest and the best young talent.

Current apprenticeships deliver direct paths

to employment for students who can earn while they learn while allowing employers to have more direct input and control over study areas and learning development. Practices such as Studio Anyo have a wealth of knowledge and experience to pass onto trainees, equipping them with ‘real world’ skills and a nurturing environment that can be hard to beat.

Of course, there is no quick fix solution to the skills shortage, but fresh ideas and new impetus can deliver demonstrable benefits. After all, architecture shapes the world around us and influences the environments in which we live. As practitioners, we work to improve the quality of life but in doing so we also have a duty to create a world fit for generations to come. It’s therefore incumbent upon our industry to ensure that we are ready and equipped to meet the challenges ahead and equipping ourselves with the requisite skills to provide a world in which we can all live in and enjoy.

Craig Kipling is director of architects and interior designers, Studio Anyo. Studio Anyo merged with Create Architecture in 2021 to form a multi discipline practice encompassing interior design, modular construction and bespoke building products.

It currently employs 18 people across both studios and is expanding as it continues to recruit skilled people for various roles to support new business wins and growth.

www.studioanyo.com

Time to twin

John Kitchingman asks:

Why does the construction industry need to digitize?

As we race to net zero, businesses and people alike are reengineering their traditional processes for a sustainable future. Due to growing populations, increased housing demand and pressure to be sustainable, traditional building processes are no longer a fit for our post-pandemic needs and it is essential for the industry to take a digital-first approach to meet these increasingCurrently,demands.30percent of global worldwide waste is created by the construction and demolition of buildings. If this wasn’t scary enough, 40 percent of global CO2 emissions are created by buildings alone. These stark statistics show that we must act now.

Changing the operations of the construction industry is no small task.

The sector must maintain a high level of efficiency, whilst being safe and complying with ever-changing regulations. Adopting the right technologies will be crucial in navigating the industry’s path, providing better collaboration and avenues to explore more sustainable methods of working.

Where does the industry begin?

Construction has been years behind in digital transformation and productivity growth as building projects not only have bespoke requirements but also need to comply with many regulations to ensure safety. Currently, it’s in a state of disarray with spending and cash flow issues skyrocketing and the rising costs of land, goods, and services.

Furthermore, The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in the

UK announced major Building Regulations changes which came into effect in June, one of which states that new homes in England will have to produce around 30 percent fewer carbon emissions, and new buildings such as offices and shops will have to cut emissions by 27 percent.

With this, the UK government hopes it will go some way towards tackling climate change and act as a roadmap for the industry and homeowners to reach its net zero targets for 2050. However, the industry needs more than just changes to regulations.

The traditional linear take-make-dispose construction model is no longer relevant, and the industry is preparing for a new model of how global buildings are planned, designed, and even dismantled. The start of a building no longer begins pen to

paper. Instead, its inception starts in a fully collaborative, virtual environment: a process called a virtual twin.

Embracing virtual twins

A virtual twin is, as the name would suggest, a virtual version of a process, product or service, which creates a two-way link between the physical and virtual world. This works by replicating a process or product’s behaviors or assets in a virtual environment, all before it’s made in real life. This can be a particularly powerful tool as it allows you to test construction sequencing and logistics scenarios, providing a greater pool of data to analyze the likes of building operational performance, and even test new materials that could be more sustainable. From the resulting data, you can make data-driven

decisions that can drive down costs and boostHostedproductivity.onavirtual platform, all participants in a project, can see everything taking place and collaborate on decisions made to improve future buildings constructed. For example, you can simulate how a building might consume energy and create a new framework to reduce this.

So far, the virtual twin opportunity is largely untapped primarily due to the fragmented and complex nature of the industry — with only ten percent adoption globally. However, there is a real opportunity to address some major challenges in the industry including the breaking down of siloes and fostering new levels of quality and efficiency in products and operations.

First movers and bold decision-makers will gain market share and competitiveness for sustainable business success.

Putting virtual twins to the test Bouygues Construction, an international leader in construction and services is a great example of a first mover. Working across construction, infrastructures and industry, its aim is to become an international name present in every area of the construction value chain. To do this, it is optimizing its wider digital transformation strategy with the use of virtual twin technology.

Its current ways of working have been unchanged for several years and can’t just be changed overnight. Instead, it started small, transforming a local Art Deco Leclerc swimming pool in Pantin, Paris to see how effective this approach would be in improving the way it traditionally works using paper,

wall displays, and highlighting, while structuring more efficiently our processes through digitalization.

The result showcased this practice could be introduced at scale and help to build the next generation of solutions that will address the construction industry’s key challenges and support customization at scale.

This will bring a wealth of benefits to future workers in the industry including health and safety for our workers, right through to transforming the customer experience for the better by meeting specific needs in a very productive way, while shortening design and construction times and following up with accurate progress

reports.Bouygues

Construction is proof that for the industry to make significant strides, it needs to adopt technology to support its venture. Construction plays a significant role in a new era of technological breakthroughs, digitization, and virtualization. What was technologically inconceivable even a few years ago is now feasible. Virtual twins offer the construction ecosystem a unique opportunity to reset and reshape its future by leveraging real-time planning simulation tools that drive data driven decisions. Virtual twins are today’s levers of sustainable competitiveness for construction companies to connect societal and regulatory demands with internal efficiency gains and growth opportunities, paving the way for a more sustainable and human-centric future.

For a list of the sources used in this article, please contact the editor.

John Kitchingman is MD, EuroNorth, at Dassault Systemes. John Kitchingman is MD, EuroNorth, at Dassault Systemes. Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE company, are a catalyst for human progress. We provide business and people with collaborative 3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. By creating virtual twin experiences of the real world with our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications, our customers push the boundaries of innovation, learning and production to achieve a more sustainable world for patients, citizens, and consumers. Dassault Systèmes bring value to more than 300,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries www.3ds.com

Place and space

Achieving Net-Zero logistics requires the construction of green warehouses in the right locations. By Mark Russo

More than 16 billion square feet of industrial property blankets the United States, with another 750 million square feet (msf) on the way. Within these facilities, nearly everything we consume is produced, stored and distributed. The sheer quantity of warehouses makes the greening of the sector an essential component of achieving both community and corporate sustainability goals. Occupying buildings that are designed to be environmentally friendly is one action firms can take to transition to net-zero, which means cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible. Choosing sites in optimal locations that lower transportation costs can reduce the carbon footprint of supply chains by an even greater amount. According to a report from the World Economic Forum, buildings drive 13 percent of the logistics sector’s carbon emissions, while transportation encompasses the remaining 87 percent.

environmentally-friendly construction materials, lighting and landscaping all impact sustainability. Certain materials are lesspolluting, including specialized paints, wood products and sealants. Proper insulation of

be appropriate for the climate and paired with high-efficiency mechanical systems and appliances. Reflective roof services or planting a green roof work to reduce heat island effect, while minimizing hardscape and incorporating

U.S. LEED-Certified Industrial Property Statistics

Net-Zero

native plants to the site help with stormwater management. Green amenities, such as EV charging stations, can also be added.

While these factors can reduce environmental impact, the activities occurring within facilities will further drive energy consumption to a large degree, with manufacturing having much higher utility demand than distribution. Additionally, with their enormous flat roofs, which can exceed 1.0 msf, warehouses are prime for installing solar arrays. In fact, Amazon and Prologis are among the top ten corporate users of solar. Amazon occupies nearly 400 msf of industrial space, and Prologis owns 609 msf in the United States. Beyond energy usage, water consumption can be reduced both inside and outside the warehouse with efficient plumbing fixtures and droughtresistant landscaping.

LEED certification offers a method of quantifying green warehouse space. Only a relatively small percentage of industrial inventory is currently certified, equating to one out of 28 buildings constructed since 2000. One challenge to implementation has been the LEED standards, which historically

were not tailored for industrial properties. It was not until LEED v4 went into effect in December 2013 that industrial buildings had their own standards. Prior to that, warehouses had to adapt LEED models for other property types. It is notable that LEED industrial buildings outperform the broader market by a significant degree, with a 38 percent rent premium and a vacancy rate of 1.9 percent (versus 4.2 percent for the USTransportationoverall). is the biggest polluter of the supply chain. Vehicles comprise 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, with trucks making up nearly 25 percent of those transportation-based emissions, according to the EPA. Electrifying truck fleets will help, but electric vehicles currently comprise less than one percent of vehicles on the road in the United States. Location determines the miles that the goods stored inside the warehouse will travel, and choosing sites in proximity to ports and population centers aids in reducing fuel consumption. Additionally, locating near where the labor force resides and where public transportation options exist can minimize the carbon footprint of warehouse worker commutes. Looking at the more than 800 LEED-certified industrial buildings over 100,000 square feet across the US, nearly 30 percent are located within a 30-minute drive of the central business district in the 30 largest metro areas. These properties, which represent green buildings located close to city centers with dense populations of consumers and workers, offer the greatest potential to reduce carbon emissions for logistics operations.

With transportation costs tending to make up 50 percent of total supply chain

costs in distribution, reducing transport distance in site selection aligns financial and environmental goals favorably, particularly in light of the recent increases in freight rates and fuel prices. The challenge is the limited supply and premium cost of green buildings in close and commutable locations. Also, new construction is made difficult by the land constraints and community opposition to warehouse development near residential areas. The United States is currently playing catch-up with the rest of the developed world in terms of net-zero warehousing due to fewer regulations and incentives. A 2020 survey by GRESB, an investor-led global ESG benchmarking organization, showed that 25 percent of logistics facilities in Asia are green building certified compared to only seven percent in the US. Meanwhile, developers in the European Union are now faced with sustainability requirements associated with the Energy Efficiency Directive and Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which aim to halve carbon emissions in Europe by 2030 and achieve netzero by 2050. To this end, Prologis announced in June its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2040.

As corporations and governments look to achieve net-zero, a major focus on the logistics sector warrants careful consideration of environmentally-friendly building design, as well as public and municipal education regarding the benefits of expanded public transportation and infrastructure and locating facilities proximate to population centers.

Sources: ESRI, EPA, World Economic Forum, MWPVL, Prologis, Solar Energy Industry Association, Accenture, GRESB

Mark Russo is Head of Industrial Research at Savills. Savills helps organizations find the right solutions that ensure employee success. Sharply skilled and fiercely dedicated, the firm’s integrated teams of consultants and brokers are experts in better real estate. With services in tenant representation, workforce and incentives strategy, workplace strategy and occupant experience, project management, and capital markets, Savills has elevated the potential of workplaces around the corner, and around the world, for 160 years and counting.

www.savills.us

Shiftingattitudes

UK vs US building methods: the pros and cons. By Ian King

The UK and US are closely connected and notoriously share a number of similarities and differences across the board.

When it comes to housing, both have fast growing populations, meaning housing is in high demand and short supply. According to research from Realtor.com, the US is short 5.24 million homes, representing an increase of 1.4 million from the 2019 gap of 3.84 million. In the UK, the new housing supply is currently lower than the government’s ambition of 300,000 new homes per year, and its busy urban cities are where the majority of the shortages lie. The government has recorded that 216,000 new homes were supplied in 2020/21, leaving us with an 84,000 home shortfall.

The past two years have been hugely trying for the construction industry worldwide. The impact of the pandemic has seen a spike in shipping delays and huge materials shortages

too. Now, building on both sides of the pond is on the rise, as respective construction industries work hard to close the gaps widened by the pandemic.

Timber triumphs

As we hone in on the differences in construction methods between the UK and US, it’s clear the choice of material is a key variant. Time magazine reports the US is ‘stubbornly attached to timber’ and it’s one of the few places in the world where wood is the dominant material used in new-home construction. Around 90 percent of homes built in 2019 were wood-framed, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

The science supports this building method, thanks to wood’s sustainable benefits and the need for reduced carbon emissions, with studies finding wooden homes to emit 69 percent less than concrete ones.

At Zeroignition, we’re huge advocates for

timber construction. However, reports, such as UK Housing: Fit for the future, highlight there are barriers preventing our construction industry incorporating wood into our building projects. Why? Well, primarily a lack of education surrounding the use of timber materials in construction. The sheer amount of forward-planning required to create a robust supply chain to facilitate the needs of the UK’s construction industry is also an issue. For me, however, the psychological barrier that “wood burns so it must be dangerous” is the real blocker.

This thinking isn’t commonly applied to the key materials, like steel and concrete, commonly favored by the UK. While there’s no denying fire is a devastating force, and unprotected timber does burn, steel does melt, and concrete does degrade in a fire.

Ultimately, these long-standing misconceptions around fire performance have held timber back from being used as a realistic

alternative to concrete or steel in the UK. It’s time these were addressed head-on.

Pros and cons

As a trans-Atlantic business, we work closely with both UK and USA businesses, and many of our experts have insights into the key differences in their building techniques. So with their help, I will explore the pros and cons of building processes in the US, in relation to theFirst,UK.

it’s worth noting that you rarely hear complaints about the quality of the construction in the US, this is because of a very detailed building code and tight enforcement at the municipal level. Construction costs are relatively low compared to the historic cost of land. There have been some issues, one example was a leaky condominium problem in the Pacific Northwest in the 80s and 90s, but for the most part this has been fixed, or new technologies have been developed to combat theFarissue.more

common are complaints regarding the time it takes for permits and variances to be approved by municipalities, which in some cases add to the overall cost of the project. This then puts a limit on the ultimate affordability of the finished housing. Taking this one step further, although there is a perceived lack of affordability in the US, when those prices are represented in the UK, our North American colleagues were astounded by how much we pay for such little space. Our building methods cause this, as well as the fact that we’re an island state with very limited availability of land.

Looking at the positives, the dominant construction materials (wood, cement, composites) commonly used in US are readily available at competitive prices. US building styles change often and the products used adapt easily to changing consumer tastes. Municipalities respond to existential threats like forest fires by developing new building codes that feature rules for hardened homes.

Then there’s the inarguable factor of geography. Our experts stress that while building with brick like we do in the UK is nice, availability and building knowledge is a real challenge. The US is earthquake aware and there is a strong belief that brick is not

seismic-friendly, whereas wood has flex and stands a much better chance of withstanding tremors.

Certification is king

With the continuing innovation in building materials and approaches, it’s time to look at certification once more. All construction materials need to be have been fully tested for thermal, acoustic, fire, airtightness and environmental certifications.

This process needs to be properly certified through a third party regulator, rather than being self-certified. Marking your own homework, which is completely legal in the current climate, could lead to potential disaster.

The fast pace of innovation means statutory accreditation of materials, and an enhanced inspection regime need to be top of the industry’s agenda. With proper engineering design, correct material choice and effective installation, and a robust inspection regime, timber construction can be as fire-safe as concrete and steel options. Furthermore, while it is a combustible material, mass timber can provide the necessary two-hour window required for fire protection due to its slow rate of charring.

So, what’s the outcome?

Ultimately, both countries have their own methods which have evolved over centuries, and new ideas take time to infiltrate. As it

stands, the UK thinks building with wood is a risk because it burns and it doesn’t last, yet the US avoid building with brick because it’s expensive and doesn’t flex at all, so doesn’t suit their Makingtopography.significantchanges to this deeply ingrained thinking may take generations to adopt. Yet from our perspective, the faster we can work to change the UK’s negative perceptions of wood the better. As it stands, it’s the environment that’s paying, and in turn the generations that will come after us. Ironically, I believe that over time, the benefits of building with wood will be made known, and the ingrained idea that we have to build a certain way could potentially be forgotten.

It is a continuing innovation in building materials and approaches, as well as a firm focus on robust certification, which will help shift attitudes. All construction materials need to have been fully tested for thermal, acoustic, fire, airtightness and environmental certifications.Thefastpace of innovation to help rectify harm to the planet needs statutory accreditation of all materials and an enhanced inspection regime. This will ensure the UK is confident to follow the US-lead and build using sustainable materials, with peace of mind that they’re truly certified and fit for purpose.

For a list of the sources used in this article, please contact the editor.

Ian King is COO at Zeroignition (Zi), the only fire-focused chemical technology company solely dedicated to tailoring chemistry to enable the production of non-toxic, highly effective fire-retardant products. It supplies manufacturers of construction products worldwide who are committed to meeting and beating fire safety requirements, and rapidly innovating their product ranges to satisfy new markets.

In an era where the risks and devastation caused by fire are front page news, Zi offers technical solutions that are bespoke and integrated into manufacturing to provide a unique response to the challenge.

Founded in 2009, Zeroignition Group is a privately held group of companies with a Head Office in Canada, and R&D and production facilities across Europe and in North America. Build safe. Save lives.

www.zeroignition.com

Hot stuff

The problem is serious and the outcome is shockingly true: Heat now kills more Americans than any other weather-related event. When heat illness occurs in a worker, it can’t be cured. Once an individual gets too hot, the only thing that can be done is to try to help the body lose heat. However, the damage can be long-term. Depending on individual physiology and the level of exposure, healing from heat-related illness can take days, months, or even years.

Fortunately, the solution is simple when you think about the fact that heat-related illnesses and deaths are 100 percent preventable. But how can a company create a heat safety program for preventing theseSoon,issues?OSHA will provide guidance, with new heat-injury prevention standards. However, companies shouldn’t wait to see OSHA’s standards before they take action to protect workers, and their company, from heat risks.

Intensify the focus on protecting workers in the heat.

By Cheryl Palmer

Good safety programs attract and retain employees

Commitment to safety, including in extreme weather conditions, is good for recruitment and retention. Attracting and retaining employees has been an increasing challenge across the construction industry, exacerbated by the pandemic. Construction jobs pose unique challenges because they require skilled individuals willing and able to work in challenging environments. The construction industry is weather independent and even indoor work sites can be affected by outdoor conditions, such as intensely high temperatures. Workers are exposed to warm temperatures that are becoming more extreme every year. Maintaining a culture focused on safety that addresses increasing risks in extreme environmental changes, such as rising temperatures, will position your company as an in-touch, proactive employer who is attuned to conditions for the workers.

Heat safety programs should focus on protecting every individual on the job

Build an effective heat safety program that is customized to every worker, designed to recognize that core body temperature is a personal physiological response to heat. Body temperature can be directly measured by inserting an esophageal or rectal probe into the body, which is not very realistic on construction sites, so consider less new, less intrusive means of monitoring. Upgrade and enhance your group monitoring policy and work/rest schedules that are likely now based on wet bulb globe temperature (WGBT). Supervisors and foremen are often taught to observe workers and ask them questions, looking for subjective signs of over-heating.

Yet new personal protective technology fine-tunes this approach by monitoring individual employees and detecting the onset of heat illness, alerting both employees and supervisors that it’s time for a break, to cool

Human resources

down and physically prepare the body to safely resume work.

Heat safety should happen on site, not from a central location

Some companies implement safety programs from an off-site location, in an attempt to take the administrative burden off the supervisors by making work decisions at a centralized location. However, these programs don’t take into account that locations as little as 30 miles away may have temperature variations of up to ten degrees, which can make a huge difference in individual worker safety.

New monitoring methods enhance prevention

Traditional methods of monitoring worker safety aren’t as effective as modern approaches. When heat safety programs are qualitative in nature, such as when a supervisor is simply visually monitoring workers for signs of stress, there is room for human error. But that gap can be closed if a company stays current on advancements in safety – the greatest gains in effectiveness have come in the heat safety area. When supervisors simply observe workers, symptoms of heat-related illness (HRI) can be subtle and undetectable, or mistaken for something else. Self-reporting approaches can lose effectiveness if workers fear retaliation and therefore do not report their own HRI symptoms. Subjective observations and self-monitoring leave room for impressions that may look or feel discriminatory, which may lead observers to act more cautiously than they should.

Since HRI is hard to quantify and often goes unreported, it is likely more prevalent than statistics suggest. Its symptoms vary, and could include dizziness, disorientation, loss of coordination, confusion, poor decision-making, aggressiveness, and altered consciousness. HRI contributes to a variety of common construction site injuries attributed to slips, trips, falls, dropped objects, and misuse of machinery.

Kenzen designed a heat monitoring system that addresses the complexity of heat safety and is focused on prevention. The Kenzen patch is a wearable device worn on an employee’s upper arm, where it does

not interfere with work tasks or equipment and can effectively measure the body’s health in the heat. The system is easy to use. It takes three-to-five minutes to set up an account, and 30-45 seconds each day to don

and connect the device to a comprehensive heat monitoring technology system. The Kenzen algorithm provides quantitative metrics to workers and supervisors, which allows them to make educated decisions for managing an individual’s body in the heat. The algorithm is tailored to each employee, stored on the device, and designed to be a preventative approach; alerting workers and their supervisors to stop work before they experience a heat-related illness.

Workers want to work for your company when they feel (and are) safe and valued. They want safety programs they can trust -- those that make sense in the worker’s context, can be easily implemented, with results that are clearly evident. Heat is one of the most dangerous risks to your employees because it can’t be seen, symptoms are hard to measure, and reactions are highly individualized. A thorough heat safety program that addresses the individual and uses the best available methods makes sense for employees and their employers.

For a list of the sources used in this article, please contact the editor.

Cheryl Lynn Palmer is customer success manager with Kenzen. She works with companies globally that use wearable technology to predict and prevent worker injuries and fatalities caused by heat. Founded in 2016, Kenzen is workforce safety technology at the intersection of unparalleled Heat Science and Climate Tech. Its physiological monitoring platform protects workforces from heat on the job while providing data-driven insights for improving productivity.

www.kenzen.com

CompaniesBuildingMcCarthyCredit

Automationisthe answer

They were used by just about everybody, crowding the streets of New York City.

Foul odors and accidents were commonplace. Pollution was at an all-time high. Cars then arrived. Pollution was documented to be a lot less than the popular horse. Cars were faster. Multiple people could use the same car.

“If I buy something, I first have to go see it and touch it,” was the mantra of most people who purchased consumer products. Then on July 5, 1994 the juggernaut of retailers was born. You, a relative or a friend buys from them on a regular basis.

Change is inevitable.

Some cars steer without touching the wheel and park themselves.

Computers fit in our pocket.

Mid-American Conference schools beat Big 10 schools in basketball and football.Formost people, change is... difficult. VeryChangedifficult.usually comes with perceived risk. Avoiding of pain. Adapting to the unknown. Uneasiness. Fear of lost time and money.

The upside of change is improvement. Huge

will contain one or more errors, when audits rely on human review.

A proven web based certified payroll system by eMars has had “0” errors for all users since its inception 15 years ago.

The system was designed with considerable input from the Department of Labor, agencies and contractors. Compliant Client’s 77,000+ clients have not had any random Department of Labor audits for the past three years. The Department of Labor’s Chief of Compliance stated that “…your system already has completed the first level of an audit…”

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has mandated that electronic certified payrolls are a ‘must’ for most districts.Why?Theydon’t want construction companies or their sub-contractors having errors in their payroll.

Errors lead to...

Are you still doing your payroll manually? Errorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs happen.

Based on a study of 100,000 payrolls, at least 20% of construction company payrolls

Angry employees.

Large fines.

Jail Goingtime.out of business.

Woody Chamberlain, President

Compliance difficulties don’t go away with ‘I’mThesorry’.Davis Bacon Act, passed by congress in 1931, requires private contractors to pay ‘prevailing wages’ to employees on all federally funded construction projects over $2,000. Stiff fines, debarment and jail time can result if payroll checks are not in compliance. There are 30+ compliance regulations that must be adhered to for every check. eMars and Compliant Client take care of all the compliance issues, guidelines and mandates of the Davis Bacon and Related Acts and many state variations.TheCompliant Client system by eMars is your answer for worry free –time saving compliant payroll. The system is easy to install and use. It provides immediate, concurrent, real time visibility of all payroll records of the sub, prime, plus - the owner agency. All screens are printable. Every submitted payroll is audited, on line and in real time, against the wage determination and all 30 causes that are in support of Davis - Bacon and Related Acts. The results of these comparisons to the provisions set forth in the act are immediately reported, allowing corrections to be made promptly.

Compliant Client requires a PC and less than 60 minutes of training. Complete implementation takes less than one day after loading the wage determination. Compared to

paper and pencil preparation, the eMars system represents an 80% productivity improvement, plus instant recognition of payroll errors that prompt the user how to solve the problems and guarantee compliance. The system interacts with other computer based interfaces.

The system was designed with considerable input from the Department of Labor, agencies and contractors. Compliant Client’s 77,000+ clients have not had any random Department of Labor audits for the past three years. The Department of Labor’s Chief of Compliance stated that “…your system already has completed the first level of an audit..”

Compliant Client also encrypts at rest data, giving another layer of security for this sensitive data, disallowing use of the information.

What happens to typical at rest data in most computers?Formany

organizations, private at rest data is only protected by the user name and code to get into the computer.

The primary purpose of encryption is to protect the confidentiality of digital data stored on computer systems or transmitted via the internet or other computer networks. Modern encryption algorithms play a vital role in the security assurance of IT systems and communications. They can provide not only confidentiality, but also the following key elements of security:

1. Authentication: the origin of a message can be verified.

2. Integrity: proof that the contents of a message have not been changed since it was sent.

3. Non-repudiation: the sender of a message cannot deny sending the message.

“Security and peace of mind for our clients is our major concern,” says Woody Chamberlain, President of eMars Incorporated, the company that offers Compliant Client. From routine payroll reviews to the complicated tracking of certified apprentices and calculation of restitution, Compliant Client ensures that at rest payroll data is encrypted, remains error free and follows Davis Bacon and Other Related“eMarsActs.encrypts sensitive at rest data”, continued Mr. Chamberlain.

“We handle, save and encrypt hundreds of thousands of bits of information for our clients. Their workers privacy and sanctity cannot be compromised,” says Mr. Chamberlain.

Changing to a web based worry free certified payroll is now an option.

Contact eMars at 480-595-0466 for a no obligation discovery phone call, or by email: PleaseWoody.Chamberlain@Emarsinc.comvisitEmarsinc.com

Experts in remediation

Below: Jeffrey Park, less than one mile from Downtown Columbus, OH

Thrive Companies

F or three generations, the Wagenbrenner name has been a cornerstone of real-estate development in Columbus, Ohio.

The family began building schools and churches in the 1940s, before the launch of Wagenbrenner Brothers in 1960.

In the early 2000s, Mark and Eric Wagenbrenner sought to pursue their own path, and launched Wagenbrenner Development. Together, the brothers

decided to strategically tackle large, complex brownfield projects, and they quickly amassed a sizeable land position in the Columbus market. Joined by Kevin Zeppernick in 2018, the company took its most recent step, evolving into a fully, vertically integrated, mixed-use developer, under a new brand: Thrive Companies (Thrive).

Located primarily in urban or suburbanurban locations, the majority of brownfield

Thrive Companies has an extensive history of residential development and construction within the central Ohio region.

Now, the state’s premier brownfield site developer discusses its latest community project: Quarry Trails

Below: Jeffrey Park, located in the historic Italian Village neighborhood

Thrive Companies

sites consist of former industrial or manufacturing sites. As a result, Thrive’s projects are typically large, with significant economies of scale. Developing its sites as so-called ‘urban resorts’, Thrive’s focus is on amenities, including central greens, a Thrive-owned and operated wellness center, coffee shops and bars, and programming/events.“Whenwerebranded as Thrive, it was to better reflect our cultural priority of helping people to thrive every day of their lives,” says Kevin, CEO of Thrive. “By people, we mean our internal employees, our business partners, and the residents in our communities. We work hard to develop communities where people can happily live, work, and play.”

Since its initial inception, Thrive –including its time as Wagenbrenner

Development – has completed more brownfield projects than any other developer in Ohio. It’s a success that’s built, in part, on a unique approach to development. As Kevin puts it, Thrive is a “financial company” as much as it is a real estate

“Thedeveloper.typeofprojects we take on are extremely complex,” he elaborates. “Brownfield remediations are costly, time-consuming, risky, and as a result they typically come with significant up-front costs. To fund the expensive remediation process, we seek both local and state ‘brownfield’ grants as well as negotiate complex incentive packages from municipalities - most often in the form of real estate tax abatements and tax increment financing (TIFs). We utilize the abatements and TIFs by carefully

determining the types of assets we plan to develop and over what time period, and then calculate the tax benefits from the abatement/TIFs usually over a 25-to-30year period. We then bond the present day ‘horsepower’ of the abatements/TIFs, allowing us to capture millions of dollars up front to get the project off the ground.”

To further support its execution in the field, Thrive has been investing heavily in back-end technology. “We’ve spent a lot of time going out and finding the right technology partners to help drive our company forward,” Kevin indicates. “I always want to stay as lean as possible with regards to our internal head count by intelligently utilizing technology to drive efficiencies and on-demand transparency to our activity.

“Through that, we have found a couple of different platforms that actually work

VIEWRAIL

Viewrail are proud to partner with Thrive as they build imaginative, collaborative communities. Thrive’s integrity, passion, and commitment have been an encouragement to us, and their success is an indication of their character. At Viewrail, we pride ourselves on our ability to design, produce, and install stunning stair and railing products with the highest quality materials and the most efficient process. But at the end of the day, we know things are only temporary – people are eternal. That’s why we’re honored to work closely with organizations like Thrive who value people over products, and who see the way they do business as a reflection of who they are as people. We hope they continue to experience success in every endeavor as they move forward with their mission to create intentional, prospering communities in Columbus.

Left: Kevin Zeppernick, CEO and right: Mark Wagenbrenner, Principal, Chairman, & President

Thrive Companies

in tandem with each other, and we’ve been able to streamline our business,” he develops. “Most companies our size will have an accounts payable team of around ten people, for example. At Thrive, we only need three. At the same time, the software ensures that if I want a report on a construction project, I don’t have to wait a week for somebody to pull out a report. I have direct access to the system, and I can go in and check whether it’s on schedule and within budget 24/7, 365 days a year. Our technology platform has also allowed us to go paperless, giving us the ability to pay all of our vendors and contractors every two weeks, with no ‘paper’ exchanging hands.”

One of the key drivers behind the company’s vision, Mark Wagenbrenner is an expert in brownfield sites, equipped with the financial background required

to formulate Thrive’s complex deal structures. Kevin, meanwhile, is an expert in land acquisitions, construction, general operations, and culture. They’re supported by an accomplished team of three additional Principals – Eric Wagenbrenner, Joel Lilly, and Steve Bollinger -and 10 Senior Vice Presidents/Department Leads.

“Our entire leadership team has deep experience in our industry and is also well traveled,” Kevin reflects. “We pull inspiration from strong land planning, architecture, and amenities from all over the world. We often travel together to other markets with the sole intent of exploring and learning. At the beginning of every project, a significant amount of time is spent shaping the ‘vision’ for the new community.”

One such community is Quarry Trails. Thrive’s largest project to-date, the 660-

“Over the next five years, I’d like to see Thrive become one of the top developers in the country: tackling unique projects, best-in-class land planning, prosperous”Regionourwemore.deliveryarchitecture,best-in-classbest-in-classofexperience,andMostimportantly,trulywanttomakeentireCentralOhiostrongerandmore

Kevin Zeppernick - CEO

Below: The Harris Flats at Quarry Trails

Thrive Companies

acre site was purchased in 2018, with the unique goal of creating an urban resort inside an adventure park. To create the park, a strategic partnership was formed with the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks (Metro Parks), an independent, non-profit organization in Central Ohio with the mission of preserving meaningful land as “Theparks.necessary coordination between Thrive and Metro Parks has been substantial,” Kevin insists. In phase one of Quarry Trails, more than 1000 rental units, more than 500 units for sale, more than 40,000-square-feet of office space, and more than 18,000 square-feet of retail and amenities will be built, including the park, kayak runs, rock climbing, and mountain biking

“Thetracks.northern part of the quarry is still being actively mined for rock aggregate,” Kevin adds. “Thrive is in the process of helping the mining company relocate to a new location, which will free up hundreds of additional acres for phase two of the project. As a former unregulated landfill, we utilized a process called dynamic compaction over the entire site. That process involves dropping a 20-tonne weight on every inch of the site multiple times over and over again, in order to create rigid soils known as a ‘cap’. The cap both

serves as a barrier to any contaminants that may still remain below and supports the foundations of the new structures being

Theconstructed.”workonQuarry

Trails follows another recent brownfield site project, Grandview Crossing – a 55-acre mixed-use development located on the former Dublin Road Landfill, within the cities of Columbus and Grandview Heights. Thrive’s work on the project will see the development of premium office space, apartment units, retail, parking garages, and a hotel, with phase one of the project already complete.

“We purchased Grandview Crossing about ten years ago and went through a number of variations of what we were going to construct,” Kevin reflects. “The remediation process took a couple of years because of the amount of dirt from other projects required to help level the site, using the same dynamic compaction process deployed at Quarry Trails.

“We’re also in the process of completing another sizeable heavy mixed-use project, including approximately 250,000 square

Steward Construction Services LLC

Steward Construction Services LLC (SCS) opened its doors in November 2014 to provide labor and material on drywall-related projects. Providing exceptional and reliable service, SCS has become an industry leader and a reliable provider of quality drywall material and labor to new-build single-family, multi-family and mixed-use projects throughout central Ohio and the surrounding areas. In addition to adding new scopes such as paint, metal frame and general trades in order to meet the needs of its customers, SCS has also expanded into Dayton, Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. From its communication, reliability, quality and speed, SCS has grown substantially over the years, and has been on the Business First Fast 50 list for the past five years and the Inc5000 for the past four years. The company has also made the list for the Largest Central Ohio Privately Held Companies for the past two years. SCS is looking forward to continue its success in the coming years on a local and regional level.

Left below: Contemporary and at Quarry

foot of office space, along with 1400 apartments, and retail space,” Kevin notes. “Perhaps the most unique component of that project will be a three-acre central park, which is set to be heavily programmed with concerts and outdoor events. We’ll also be using that site to launch a new food market concept, featuring 11 unique restaurant vendors serving up different cuisines alongside a central bar serving alcohol to diners and park-goers.”

Across all its projects, the company is working hard to deliver the optimum residential experience. “One of our new concepts is called ThriveCard,” Kevin notes. “ThriveCard is given to all of our residents and office users for free and provides special discounts and offers cultivated by the Thrive team in collaboration with local retail partners. Additionally, we’re also curating volunteer opportunities for all of our residents and office users via another technology: PointApp. The events side of our business is also taking off. In our Jeffrey Park community, we’re now holding regular events like a farmers’ market open to all residents and neighbors.”

Although Thrive continues to push the envelope in terms of brownfield site developments, it does so amid a challenging time for the construction industry, as material shortages and delays, labor

Left and below: Quarry Trails, a community among a natural, unmanicured Metro Park

shortages, and rising prices threaten to place projects on hold. Responding to this difficult climate, Kevin emphasizes the company’s commitment to remaining focused on the areas it can control.

“We’re always looking for opportunities where we can increase our operational efficiency by one percent. A thousand one percent improvements quickly add up over time,” he states. “Our priority every day is to ensure tight alignment and communication within our entire team. Likewise, with our vendor and trade partners, we maintain a constant focus on operational improvement and discipline, and we’ll often meet with them to assess the health of their business, and whether there’s anything we can do to

“Thehelp. biggest challenge facing our industry is the labor pool,” he goes on. “We need to work together to create a new image for being in the trades – one of pride, a strong pipeline of work, strong salaries, and strong upward mobility. But not only is a career in construction extremely lucrative, its rewarding. You get to build meaningful assets for your community that will impact the generations to come. We need to do a better job in this country of selling those types of positions. Additionally, many of our strongest trades are immigrant workers. We need a more progressive immigration policy

Left and below: The Homes on Pullman Way in the new Grandview Yard development in the City of Grandview Heights, OH

help bring more talent into the industry.”

Before we conclude, Kevin is keen to reiterate the importance of company culture. “We always ask ourselves how the action or decision we’re weighing up will impact our people,” he confirms. “We first and foremost take this approach

because it is simply the right thing to do, but it is also amazing how making your people your priority results in a healthier business and stronger profits. The arrival of Covid-19 only reinforced this core principle. Throughout the pandemic, we were proud of the fact that not only did we not lay off

a single person, or cut a single dollar in compensation or bonus, but we actually grew“Similarly,significantly.having each and every person within your company – regardless of title or rank – fully aligned with the company’s vision and endeavors is invaluable,” he continues. “We hold an ‘All-Hands’ Meeting at the completion of every single quarter to review all of our successes over the past three months and to discuss what’s next. We also regularly hold quarterly preferred vendor meetings where, again, we discuss our recent successes and what’s next for Thrive. Keeping everyone completely informed provides people a greater sense of ownership and pride in the company, and truly makes them feel a part of something greater than the role they perform.”

For the remainder of 2022, the team at Thrive intends to continue working hard to bring its active, large mixed-use projects to fruition. Work remains afoot at a number of communities, including Jeffrey Park, Grant Park, 4th & 5th, Founders Park, Grandview Crossing, Trace Quarters, and

Quarry Trails. The company also continues to work on its next round of substantial developments.“Overthenext five years, I’d like to see Thrive become one of the top developers in the country: tackling unique projects, best-in-class land planning, best-in-class architecture, best-in-class delivery of experience, and more,” Kevin reveals. “Most importantly, we truly want to make our entire Central Ohio Region stronger and more prosperous. We spend a lot of time investing ourselves in causes often outside our business endeavors. For example, we are heavily engaged in a new non-profit called RAPID5 (www.rapid5.org) , which strives to create the greatest, interconnected city park system in the country.

“We are committing a lot of time and money to RAPID5 because, quite simply, it will make Columbus a better place to live for all,” Kevin insists. “That ultimately is our end-goal – for the first thing people say when they hear the Thrive name, to be: ‘that’s a company that truly cares about its people and its community.’”

Left and below: Homes at Grant Park, Columbus, OH

Community builders

ConstructionServices: management and general contracting

Named after its founder, Albert M. Higley’s rich legacy in construction is growing by the day, thanks to the company’s support for non-profit organizations throughout Ohio and beyond

Construction management and general contracting firm The Albert M. Higley Co. (AMHigley) was founded in 1925. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company has grown into five different offices throughout its 97-year history, retaining its office in Cleveland, while adding those in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, along

with a satellite office in Akron, Ohio. Working across all those states, plus West Virginia, AMHigley is truly regional in scope, and has successfully completed over 11,000 projects to date, to a value in excess of $9 billion.

The bulk of AMHigley’s work falls within the commercial construction market, including healthcare, higher and private education, corporate offices, hospitality and

entertainment, multi-family, and senior living. But it’s work for the cultural and non-profit sector of which AMHigley is particularly proud.

Accounting for 15-to-20-percent of the company’s output across the last three years, it’s a business segment centered around the concept of ‘mission-drive construction’.

“We strive to understand what non-profits are trying to do as a big picture, and we adapt

that as our own mission,” explains Emily Lord, Director of Business Development at AMHigley. “Then, our work becomes more than just a construction project. It’s about helping them to achieve all sorts of goals, whether it’s tackling fundraising challenges, or engaging stakeholders.”It’snocoincidence that AMHigley places such a heavy emphasis on non-profit work, or as Emily puts it, “building community.”

Although the company only formalized its nonprofit work as a distinct business unit in 2014, philanthropy has long been a core value for

the Higley family, which had three generations represented within the business until just a few years ago. As David Meehan, Project Executive at AMHigley notes, each member of the company’s leadership team sits on the boards of various non-profits, including the Red Cross, and MetroHealth Foundation. Further relationships exist with Providence House, Akron’s Grace House, and the Achievement Center for Children, based in Cleveland.

With oversight from concept through to completion, David has a particularly unique insight into the process of AMHigley’s non-

profit work. “Often, organizations will come to us with a vision, and we’ll get involved really early with budgeting,” he reveals. “In order to effectively support them throughout the process of bringing their project to life, we prepare conceptual design estimates, and provide them with options. They’ll then enter a fundraising phase, to raise either all of the money or a portion of it. In the case of the latter, we’ll look at turning the project into a multi-phase development, so we can prioritize the work, create a master plan, and construct in stages as more donations are made.”

Main image left: Edgewater Beach House, Cleveland, Ohio, above top: Cleveland Public Library, and below: Great Lakes Cheese, campus headquarters, Hiram, Ohio

we’re now ready to start a large new addition between that and the adjacent Great Lake Science Center,” David says. “The Rock Hall is a good example of a non-profits whose needs have evolved since its opening in 1995. Exhibits that at the time were predominately static, are today interactive, satisfying people’s desire for an experience. To meet that desire, we completely renovated about 75 percent of the museum over the last 12 years, and the new addition is set to complete that process.

“We’ve also recently renovated the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, as part of a $24 million job,” he continues. “As with museums, we’re seeing the function of libraries change – they’re no longer just places to read a book, and we’ve installed maker spaces where people can make podcasts and videos, as well as 3D printers. A project on our list is Heights Library, where we’re set to conduct a $1.2 million renovation to improve their staff area and provide HVAC system upgrades.”Aswithall projects, the key to the success of AMHigley’s non-profit work is the company’s ability to forge long-term relationships with its clients. One such client is the Cleveland Metroparks. “Several years ago, Metroparks took over management of large portions of beach property from the city of Cleveland, at which point we completed the Edgewater Beach House situated along the city’s lakefront,” recalls Andrew Hudak, Regional Vice President, Ohio at AMHigley. “We’ve continued that relationship to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where we recently completed the Asian Highlands Exhibit for Snow Leopards and Red “We’rePandas.currently in the planning phases for a further expansion of their rainforest, which is really one of the signature pieces at the zoo,” he adds. “Cleveland Zoo is recognized internationally for its gorilla research, and this new facility expansion is intended to provide a world-class habitat and research environment for gorilla care, with construction likely to begin in a year’s time.”

After successfully navigating the challenges of the last few years, including a Covid-19 imposed halt on a number of projects, the future is looking bright for AMHigley. In March 2022, the company opened a new office in New Jersey, a move that capitalizes on a growing portfolio within the state.

“It’s an expansion that’s very much happened organically,” Emily confirms. “We first went to New Jersey with a previous client who had since moved to a new organization. After completing our first project there, and having established a footing for ourselves,

David’s comments underline AMHigley’s unique expertise within the field of nonprofit construction, and a familiarity with the obstacles that such organizations face. It’s

further evidenced by an impressive portfolio of non-profit projects.

“We’ve been working with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum since 2010, and

it became clear that it was a place with lots of opportunity, where we already had strong relationships with subcontractors, and where there was close alignment with our key markets.“Wewere lucky enough to bring Connor Evans on board as our Regional Vice President, New Jersey,” she goes on. “From the area, he’s charged with growing our business in that region. It’s a similar story to our previous expansions into Pittsburg and Detroit. In each case, we felt that we could take what we were doing in Northeast Ohio, and effectively translate that into those other cities.”

Despite spreading its wings, the company remains firm in its commitment to building communities. “We aren’t going to Chicago or New York City,” Emily points out. “We’re expanding into cities where we believe we can contribute and make a difference. One of the first things we did in New Jersey was to talk to different non-profits, and to donate to a non-profit in the community as a signal of our long-termAMHigley’scommitment.”commitment to its communities is echoed in the respect with which it treats its employees, whom Andrew describes as the company’s “most important asset.” He acknowledges that the pandemic has redefined people’s attitudes towards their jobs, with many opting for increased flexibility, and a better work-life “Constructionbalance.neverstops,” he admits.

“Our work starts early in the morning, and can include long days and weekends. Within that, it’s important to recognize that people are giving us a lot of their free time, and we need to be able to repay that. Equally, we’re true believers in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. To that end, our employee-led internal Diversity and Inclusion Group (DIG) makes regular policy recommendations to ensure that we’re taking the right steps. On our projects, we set goals – whether owners require them or not – for the proportion of our work that’s contracted to minority-owned, and female-owned businesses.”

After a record sales year in 2021, AMHigley is facing a significant backlog of work for the months ahead, with expectations of completing construction projects to a value of approximately $300 million. “All our market segments are extremely busy,” Andrew notes.

“Our healthcare segment has projects with Western Reserve Hospital, MetroHealth, and Southwest General Health Center lined up, as well as another at the Cleveland Clinic’s Fairview campus. Likewise, we have a number of education projects in the pipeline, for private and higher-ed institutions. We’ll also be

announcing more projects through our Design-Build services group, which we launched in 2022.”

“Our plan is to continue to grow,” Emily concludes. “We aim to put more construction in place every year, increase sales every year,

and increase the number of our employees. Today, we have 156 full-time staff – a growth of 70 from where we were around ten years ago. With regional expansion, new states, and new offices, we can expect something similar in another five years’ time.”

Full service, fullaheadsteam

Full-serviceServices: mechanical contractor

McKamish, Inc. (McKamish) is what we might call an amalgam. Originally founded as McKamish Metals in 1975 by the company’s namesake, Harold McKamish, the business was primarily a sheet metal contracting unit at the time.

By 1980, however, the company had changed its name to McKamish Chesapeake, reflecting its service across the Chesapeake, Virginia area, and had set itself a new mission:

to fulfill HVAC and piping needs for a variety of new customers. Three years later, Harold’s son, David McKamish, took the helm.

Today, David still proudly serves as CEO of the company his father built and acts as a mentor for current leadership. Under his guidance, McKamish has grown year-onyear and become a leader in the Western Pennsylvania Region for mechanical contracting.Amalgam was the word – a combination or

mixture, particularly if conjoined to service a greater need. In 1986, McKamish Chesapeake added plumbing services to its expanding host of capabilities, evolving – or amalgamating – as a business to become a full-service mechanical contractor. In 2001, McKamish Chesapeake became McKamish, Inc.: the company we recognize today.

Over the years, McKamish recognized the benefits of investing in new technology such as Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Speaking with Construction Today, Naley McKamish is keen to offer readers an insight into the inner workings of McKamish, Inc. – and hint toward the exciting future that the family-owned business holds Inc.

BIM is a collaborative process for architects, engineers, developers, contractors, and other construction professionals, enabling them to plan, design, and construct buildings and interiors within one three-dimensional model.

“We have made a number of technological advances across our planning, accounting, estimating, and project management divisions throughout the years,” begins Naley McKamish, Director of Marketing & Business Development at McKamish. “As a company, we

are a full-service mechanical contractor. That means we serve customers’ needs – whether that is sheet metal, HVAC piping, plumbing, preconstruction, or fabrication. In-house engineers enable us to offer excellent designassist and design-build contracting, and we have a 24/7 service and maintenance group that serves any emergency or preventative needs. Moreover, our in-house planning and BIM department covers all coordination tasks. We have extensive prefabrication experience too, and always work to eliminate waste and mitigate risk on job sites at every possible

opportunity.“Attention to detail and a customeroriented mindset sets us apart from the competition,” she notes. “Our Vision and Values, which were established almost three

decades ago, guide all our actions; therefore, we always remain customer-focused and never sacrifice integrity. Customers know that we take care of business. As a family-owned entity, culture has been an integral part of our company since its founding. Each day, we strive to give our employees that family-feel, while still providing top-quality service to our clients. While our culture is always shifting –much like the company itself – and continues to go through changes, our goal is to always put employees first. But we do not stop there. Looking outwards, we also maintain very good relationships with our suppliers; we communicate with them on a daily basis – even as the industry struggles to contend with current supply chain issues.”

Then the conversation turns to concrete

that demonstrate how McKamish excels across a diverse range of projects. The commonalities between them are clear: all are challenging and complex in some regard – whether that means an accelerated schedule was required, convoluted logistics had to be sorted, or challenging systems had to be “Weovercome.areexcellent problem solvers and

always find solutions to our clients’ needs,”

Naley comments. “Instead of focusing on a single market, we serve a multitude of them: healthcare, research and pharmaceutical, commercial, education, industrial, and government.”

Indeed, McKamish has been involved in a number of transformational projects in the last year alone. In Pittsburgh and its surrounding

areas, the company has carried out work on The Assembly at 5051 Centre Avenue, WVU Medicine Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), as well as various sites across the Allegheny Health Network.

As Naley points out, a number of factors come together to make these projects successful. “The first is an accurate and complete bid at the time of proposal submission,” she asserts. “We pride ourselves on pricing a complete scope so that change orders are minimized (unless they are ownerdriven). Second, communication across the project team is fundamental and essential for completing any construction project successfully on-time.

“Our skilled labor force also plays a crucial role in the success of these construction projects,” she adds. “For instance, our planning department is closely involved with field coordination, including other major contractors on the project, which in turn leads to a more successful overall project team. We understand our customers’ needs – and that is critical for ensuring on-time and on-budget delivery at all stages of a construction project.”

McKamish is proud to work on projects such as these. “From project management all the way to our field labor, we ensure that our employees recognize the value and cultural context of the work they complete,” reflects Naley. “Notable projects that we have completed over the years include the Tower at PNC Plaza, the PPG Paints Arena, and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI) Hot Rolling Facility, as well as many other projects at local universities and hospitals in the region.

“Healthcare and research projects are particularly rewarding due to the nature of the clients they serve,” she continues. “Our company was founded on giving back to the community, so projects that do that are especially meaningful to us.”

With over 300 employees and a culture that is committed to giving back, there is always something going on at McKamish when it comes to practicing good corporate social responsibility. Most recently, for example, the Pittsburgh-based company held its 34th Annual Golf Outing at Quicksilver Golf Club, an event, Naley highlights, that employees look forward to each year. The team raised over $1000 for Caring Hearts Ministry, an organization founded by Harold McKamish to help serve the underprivileged in San Luis, Mexico, and a good time was had by all.

Despite the pandemic, McKamish still got to

work. “When the pandemic first hit, our service department was deemed to be essential by the Government of Pennsylvania, so we could continue to serve the hospitals as they navigated the unprecedented challenge that had been thrust onto the world,” recalls Naley. “In addition, during that time, we carried out several major projects that were in the healthcare and research markets. These were given special grants to continue work while the construction industry in Pittsburgh was, as a whole, deemed non-essential.

“Due to these projects, we were able to survive 2020 and get through 2021 with good numbers,” she adds. “We continued to land key projects and kept our workload and backlog up. We are now facing new challenges in 2022; material prices, long lead times for equipment, and a lack of backlog.”

The pandemic has had a delayed effect on all, and the construction industry will continue to face challenges in other areas, including talent acquisition and retention – from field construction workers to office employees. “The pandemic enacted a shift

in the average worker, so attracting and keeping an employee base will continue to be a challenge amid the labor shortage we are currently seeing,” details Naley. “We will overcome this challenge by focusing on four main areas: continuing to build on our diversity and inclusion program throughout all areas of the company, building on our culture to be one that is sought out by others, promoting unions so there is skilled labor, and actively searching for qualified candidates.

Above all else, though, is safety. We pride ourselves on our safety culture and we continue to work towards our ‘Zero Accidents Today’ ambition.

“Our goal for the remainder of this year is to find projects that can start right away to get our crews more work as we look to build our backlog,” she concludes.

“In five years, we envision McKamish as a company that continues to serve clients’ needs with an excellent reputation as good stewards of the community. We will carry out a significant amount of service work in the area, while landing projects in our usual markets of healthcare, research, and higher education. Going forward, we are excited to be involved in the transformational projects that the Pittsburgh area is currently planning.”

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Achievingultimate performance

Boasting over 200 $10 million in and more than Caton Construction Group is proud of its immense success but vows to never lose sight of its most valuable

Headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, The Caton Companies is a parent group comprised of five individual entities, all of which remain family-owned and have been in operation since 1972. In total, the group employs more than 600 people across Virginia and North Carolina.

Founded by Douglas E. Caton, a retired

US Army Reserve Major General, The Caton Companies has been imbued with a unique spirit of collective resilience and determination; and operates under the mantra: ‘No matter the product or service, it takes good people and well-thought-out direction to achieve ultimate performance.’

David Thornton, Vice President of Estimating at Caton Construction Group, the

construction wing of the parent company, recently sat down with us to offer an insight into the multi-layered operation.

“From the planning stages of development and investment strategies to initial excavation and construction management, The Caton Companies is poised to embrace the unique challenges and opportunities of any project,” he begins. “Caton Construction

Group (CCG) began under the name of Fielder’s Choice Enterprises as a small construction company; however, in the early 2000s, the firm was totally reconceptualized. The decision was made to grow the company, and, over the years, an extensive backlog of work was filled with numerous external clients.

“Then followed a series of acquisitions to

that growth,” he goes on. “Wagner Construction joined the team in 2014, which enabled us to expand our private site development portfolio, and DLB followed in 2017. Fielder’s Choice Enterprises was upscaling quickly, and, in 2020, we changed our name to Caton Construction Group,

reflecting the future we envisioned for theAscompany.”partofthat rebrand, CCG implemented diverse and novel processes and procedures across the board, effectively consolidating all operating construction companies under one banner. As David points out, this offers

numerous benefits to each individual entity. For instance, all have access to a plethora of shared services within the organization that provides cost benefits, including IT, Safety, and Human Resources.

In 2021, CCG opened an additional office in Cary, North Carolina to expand its footprint into the developing Raleigh, North Carolina area. As a Heavy Highway Civil Contractor that has been certified as Class A by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), most of the company’s work is carried out in partnership with the Departments of Transportation for Virginia and North Carolina, respectively.

Projects include roadway, utility, and bridge construction; however, CCG also has a specialized jack and bore pipe division that specializes in pipe rehab work. The list does not end there. CCG also performs sitework for various private developers as well as other services that aid its core mission: to provide quality projects safely, on time, and under

Onebudget.achievement that David is particularly keen to talk about is the Belmont Bridge Project, which CCG was awarded by the City of Charlottesville and is the largest project the team had ever undertaken. “It is a massive project for both us and the City

itself,” he explains. “The bridge acts as a gateway to the city’s downtown area, which houses attractions such as the Pavilion Amphitheater; it is also in the hometown of our corporate office, so we are eager to be a part of the team to deliver this incredible feat of engineering to the city.

“The landmark project includes many unique features,” adds David. “For instance, we will complete a custom-design MSE wall panel, a new tunnel for pedestrians under the road on the south side of the tunnel, an extension of an existing tunnel on the north side of the bridge, and cast in place stairwells that increase pedestrian access to the Pavilion and Water Street below.”

Accent lighting will showcase the bridge to the public. The project aims to increase footfall and bicycle access with new corridors specifically targeting non-vehicular traffic, therefore hinting at a greener future for public mobility.

On top of that, CCG has also completed several other impressive projects for a host of clients. These include the White House Bridge Project, which took over twoand-a-half years to complete and cost over $12 million, but was nevertheless delivered on-time to a satisfied Virginia Department of Transportation.ForDavid,however, the success behind these projects always comes down to one thing: the team behind them. “Employees are our greatest asset,” he declares. “A robust safety program combined with a strong management team lets employees know they are valued. As part of the rebrand, our Health and Safety Program was completely rewritten by Stephen Spagina, Vice President of Safety at The Caton Companies, to include a comprehensive onboarding program for all new“Forhires.”us,our safety protocol is not just about promoting a culture of safety, it is about redefining our overall culture,” adds Stephen, who joined the company in 2020 – a key transitional period, it turns out. “I became part of The Caton Companies when CCG was busy reestablishing our core values and principles, and safety is, of course, paramount in that. Indeed, safety is part of our ethics; which is part of everything we do, and we seek to embody that culture in our quality and production standards every day.”

“It also has to do with integrity; that is, what you do when nobody is looking,” he continues. “Safe by Choice, Not by Chance: that is just an extension of our organization’s ethos. We want to be first-class; we want

to protect our employees and create an environment where people want to be and stay for many years to come. Therefore, we began with a comprehensive Health and Safety Program – a broad view on how we operate, the training our employees require, and what expectations we have for our leadership teams. We redeveloped the entire program – every page of it – and essentially came up with a new way to do business.”

The new program, which is led by Stephen, has already achieved impressive results; for instance, CCG has decreased its Experience Modifier Rate (EMR) value by 11 percent and their OSHA Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) by 65 percent since 2019, demonstrating how sites have become much safer and the company has worked to mitigate avoidable risks.

“One way we have achieved those figures is through our Short Service Employee program, which all our new hires go through,” explains Stephen. “At the beginning of the program, employees participate in a comprehensive onboarding

process, including a full day of training and additional support on-site, and then they are given an orange hard hat. The color is helpful for numerous reasons; first, it reminds management and longer-standing employees that this individual is new and will therefore need a helping hand and additional support; second, it also reminds others to lead by example and maintain company standards, thereby enacting our culture of safety. Ninety days later, after more training and CCG leadership evaluations, employees again sign off on our policies, procedures, and expectations, and graduate from the program to a white hard hat. It is a time for celebration across the whole team.”

“Leading by example, we actively seek to promote a positive culture throughout the organization,” concludes David. “In doing so, we can protect our most valuable asset; our people. Looking ahead, we intend to continue to build our team and grow our market share in North Carolina, developing new relationships with partners and diversifying our workload in tandem.”

The kings of crane rental

T he year 2022 marks two decades of Empire Crane. Based in Syracuse, New York, with two satellite offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, the company is jointly owned by brothers Paul and Luke Lonergan. Together, the pair have led Empire Crane on its journey to becoming a gold-service crane dealership, providing equipment and repair services to customers around the globe, along with a team of 26 employees.Oneofthe major draws for customers of Empire Crane is the company’s extensive rental fleet. Speaking to Construction Today, Paul Lonergan runs us through his flagship product lines. “We represent the Tadano line of cranes, the Kobelco crawler cranes, the Magni rotator tele handlers, the Manitex road trucks, and the Broderson industrial cranes, to name a few,” he says. “We offer customers the choice of straight rentals, or rentalpurchase options.”

Family-owned Empire Crane has proved its resilience over the last two years, and is now looking to expand its already impressive rental fleet yet further

It’s been an interesting couple of years for Empire Crane. After navigating the initial storm of Covid-19, the company found itself well-stocked to continue to serve customer demand, seemingly defying an industry-wide trend of delays and unavailability. According to Paul, it’s down to the company’s forwardthinking.“We’ve managed to keep our rental fleet busy throughout the pandemic,” he reflects. “We had gear in the order book, and that continually became available from our manufacturers. We have had a couple of manufacturers who extended lead times on their new equipment, due to complications within the supply chain. However, as costs increase, influenced in part by global geopolitical uncertainty, we’ve definitely seen people pushed towards renting as opposed to buying. It means they can expense the piece, instead of taking a longer-term approach.”

For Empire Crane, the unusual trading environment has encouraged closer collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). “It’s been vital to maintain close dialogue and communication with our suppliers, be it parts for reselling spares, or parts that enable us to carry out our service work,” Paul reflects. “Likewise, we’ve sought to feed information back to our customers. We’re very visible in our attendance at trade fairs, such as the Tree

Care Industry Association (TCIA), which accounts for a large part of our business. We want to make sure we’re visible and engaged on a local, national, and international level.”

Beyond its rental offering, Empire Crane’s status as a full-service dealership depends on the skill and expertise of its trained mechanics. “When a piece of equipment goes down under warranty, our qualified, knowledgeable technicians are able to repair the equipment and get it back up and running,” Paul states. “Similarly, when a customer is renting from us, we need to get the machine working as quickly as possible.”

In an ever-evolving industry, new software and technologies enter the market every day that help to drive innovation in crane repair and service. For Paul, the company’s ability to keep on top of these trends is key.

“With onboard computers and technical diagnostics, it’s becoming very difficult for average mom and pop shops to understand what’s going on with their machine,” he explains. “As equipment advances, that draws people back to us, because we have the training, the software, and the tooling to do the

“Thework.biggest challenge we’re facing is the availability of labor,” he continues. “At the moment, there isn’t the willingness and desire for younger generations to come through and make a career as heavy equipment technicians.”

Looking to the future, Paul hopes to see the company continue to build its reputation.

“It’s about maintaining our old-school work ethic, keeping in touch with manufacturers, and providing our staff with training, whether that’s in-house, or at manufacturers’ facilities,” he comments. “Over the next few years, our aim will be to continue to grow the scale and diversity of our rental fleet, and to increase our sales force, following a couple of recent additions we’ve made to the New England

Unsurprisingly,market.” Paul is keen to reiterate the importance of the company’s family ownership. “With Luke and I as owners and brothers, it helps to give our clients the personal touch of having technicians who are hands-on, there every day, and in tune with the whole process from service to sales,” he suggests. “We have multiple employees with spouses and siblings, or sons and daughters who work for the company, including my own son, who works in the parts department.

“With our 20th year behind us, now we can set our sights on our 25th anniversary to come, and beyond that, our 30th,” he concludes. “Otherwise, I don’t expect to see

anything different. We’re just going to stay on course, while always keeping an eye out

for the latest and greatest product offerings from our trusted manufacturers.”

ALLforINthe end user

How company culture is propelling Companies to the top

Headquartered outside St. Louis, Missouri, ADB Companies (ADB) is a full-service provider of turnkey, end-to-end technology infrastructure solutions including engineering, wireline, wireless, and technology services.

Since being founded in the 1990s, the company has undergone significant growth. Today, ADB has completed projects in nearly every state. The company boasts more than 1500 team members, and offices across

the US, serving a customer base that includes leading telecommunications service providers, cable TV operators, power companies, regional internet service and telephone providers, government agencies, and datacenter operators.

Four primary lines of business make up ADB’s services. As Chad Johnson, President and CEO of ADB explains, these lines integrate seamlessly in order to fulfil customer need.

“We can plan, design, and install a full

communications network from the source right to the point where the end user interacts with it,” Chad says. “Our engineering group can design a range of solutions from basic concept to dig-ready, including permitting and project management. Our wireline group is capable of installing nearly any type of hard infrastructure, both underground and aerially, servicing a variety of end customers in the telecom and power space.

“Furthermore, our wireless group is highly

experienced in all wireless communications infrastructure development and maintenance, from the base of the tower to the top,” he continues. “Finally, our technology group specializes in inside-plant networking and commercial audio-visual implementation.”

It’s a busy time at ADB. Recent years have seen the company continue on its upwards trajectory, with strong organic growth bolstered by a number of strategic acquisitions. For Chad, it’s testament to an ability to stay

into a variety of new market segments where we believe we can leverage our expertise and resources to deliver exceptional value to our customers,” Chad outlines. “Some of this has been organic, such as our recent successes in private LTE networks, while some has been through acquisition. We’ve pushed ourselves to become more balanced as a company and have greatly increased our wireless portfolio.”

But growth doesn’t come easily. It’s a situation that wouldn’t be possible without a high-quality team of individuals; one that Chad believes is the best in the industry.

“We’ve built our leadership team with a fantastic combination of long-time industry and company veterans along with strong leaders from other industries that bring unique experience and perspective,” he indicates.

“We truly live by our mission statement: ‘We are a customer-centric partner, providing innovative solutions. The safety, well-being and career growth of our team members are the benchmarks of our success.’ ADB team members are ‘ALL IN’ on this mission.

“This is evident in all that we do and has resulted in ADB having an industry-leading safety record, even with exponential growth over the last several years,” he reflects. “All of our team members are committed to doing the right thing for our customers. We don’t take shortcuts. Rather, we provide full turnkey solutions in a way that ensures our customers, and their customers, are satisfied – not just today, but well into the future. We also have a very robust strategic planning and operational management model, which aligns all of our teams and keeps focus on our key objectives, limiting a lot of the noise and distractions.”

The culture that ADB fosters internally is one that it extends to the wider community, where the company has established itself as a key supporter of local charities and nonprofit organizations. “Social responsibility is embodied through our cultural pillar – ADB Community,” Chad confirms. “It is extremely important to us, and every team member is encouraged to actively pursue opportunities to help their local communities. ADB has logged tens of thousands of community service hours and we support more than 65 charities around theAtcountry.”thetime of our interview with Chad, ADB is celebrating the recent award of its

Below: Chad Johnson, President CEO of ADB

ever single project. The company’s strong reputation for quality, excellent project management capabilities, and a stellar safety record were all very significant considerations in the awarding of the work.

“Having the in-house capabilities needed to support a project of this size, along with an excellent network of partners, we are wellpositioned to excel in delivering this project,” Chad notes. “The same is true of our recent work to create a private LTE network for one of our great customers and longtime partners, for whom we have been doing an extensive amount of utility installation work over many years. Given our ability to deliver exceptional customer service through the duration of our relationship, they began working with us early in this new endeavor, relying on our expertise in the design and delivery of wireless

Reflectingnetworks.”onthe past two years, Chad is frank about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the lessons that ADB has been able to take on board as it continues to grapple with long lead times, labor shortages, and supply chain disruptions.

“Most importantly, we’ve learned resilience and the need for strong interdependency,” he reflects. “The pandemic taught us that we can’t take anything for granted, but we can get through some really tough waters if we keep an open mind and rely on each other.

“While there was probably no way to be completely prepared for the last couple of years, our ALL IN culture absolutely gave us an advantage in dealing with everything that came at us,” he goes on. “Jumping in to help others be successful, without regard for titles or politics, led to our ability to continue to grow every year.

“We are definitely still dealing with the hangover effects with regards to executing, and it’s a challenge we deal with every day,” Chad

adds. “Material lead times are still a significant issue, and they’ve resulted in slowing a lot of projects down. The fact that our market remains strong despite macroeconomic headwinds forces our Project Managers to constantly juggle projects to ensure we’re being as effective as possible while waiting on materials. Labor is probably the most significant factor and has limited our ability to take on even more projects. We have a

great team that we supplement with partner providers to access geographies where we have more opportunity than current capacity. There is intense competition for all these resources as a result of the limited laborLookingpool.”forward to the remainder of the year, ADB is preparing for an exciting pipeline of activity. “We have a lot going on,” Chad admits. “We still have our foot on the gas with regards to acquisition activity and expect to add even more to our family in the coming months. We believe there are a lot of great opportunities to expand our services and bring in more

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expertise while offering acquired companies access to the resources they need to grow. In addition, we’ll certainly continue to be active players in our local communities, working with a variety of organizations to help strengthen the fabric of those communities in which we live and

“Beyondwork.that, we have extremely aggressive goals for the coming years,” he reveals. “We have plans in place to grow our revenue by more than 25 percent in 2023, with a plan to double our business between now and 2025. Through increased geographical density and expanded service offerings, we’ll be able to

offer more of our customers the full-service solutions they need.

“With such a fast growth trajectory, we recognize that it would be easy to lose focus on our culture and our people, so we’re keeping those at the center of our strategic plan,” Chad concludes. “We are dedicating more resources to training, development and our cultural pillars to ensure we don’t lose sight of the most important aspects of our business. Acquisition is certainly a part of our growth strategy, but our organic growth is just as critical. We’re working closely with all of our customers to build these opportunities out.”

Putting people first

ConstructionServices: Manager

Windover Construction believes that teamwork truly does build results, and the company is committed to making its people feel valued, well-equipped, and engaged in what they do in order to create projects that both clients and the team can be proud of

through its innovative use of virtual design and construction (VDC) technology, not only in the pre-construction phase but throughout its project processes. The business, which is a full service, 100

W constructionbecame(Windover)Constructionquicklyaleaderintheindustrypercent employee-owned construction management firm, focuses on providing exceptional experiences, creating industry-shifting solutions to construction applications, and cultivating meaningful relationships with its clients. We hear from three of its leaders – Stuart Meurer, Kevin Hansen, and Jennifer Robitaille, who serve as the President and CEO, Vice President

of Preconstruction and Project Executive respectively – about how the business has maintained its impressive success since we last spoke with them in 2018.

“Taking intelligent risks has remained one of our core values,” Stuart begins, “We have really stepped outside the norm, and broken predictable and typical molds wherever possible. I think its inherent to

our business that we find solutions, but we have really refined our organization to achieve this innovatively.”

He then expands on this further to highlight that the business’s VDC component has become instrumental in assisting with the completion of projects. “This is used in almost every aspect of our business, and it has been excellent for all

our partners and clients to witness in real-time the process of bringing our workKevintogether.”echoes this sentiment by stating that “technology has been advantageous beyond Windover’s work. It has also been able to create an environment in which the team feels supported. From the accounting department and administrative support

to the folks out in the field, the company empowers its team to make problemsolving decisions. This in turn develops a culture in which everyone is valued and strengthened to work to their very best,”

Kevin says.

It is also encouraging to know that, despite the difficulties imposed by the pandemic over the last two years, the company has maintained a strong momentum to keep its operation going. “We felt we were nimble enough, and we also found we could move our resources a lot easier, compared to our competitors who relied heavily on their trade partners.

“This has also forced us to look at how we develop the future of our staff. I believe that the pandemic has changed the way people want to work, and we have seen our team think differently about their careers. As a result, we have been strategic with our local technical schools to raise awareness about a career in construction, and we started a co-op program with secondary school level students. This has involved bringing in students, not only in the summer break, but also during the school year, to learn from our team.

“We see this as a fantastic benefit

All photos: Endicott College by Anton Grassl

helps support these young people in their aspirations of getting into the trades, while also allowing us to make the work here that much more rewarding. Additionally, our teams love being able to coach and mentor younger generations

while being able to do their work, and we want to expand on that in the future,” saysWeStuart.thengo on to discuss work that highlights the company’s leading specialisms. One such contract is the

academic quad project at Endicott College which Jen shares more about. “This is a multi-phase design-build project, and what is interesting about it is that it has seen the entirety of the pandemic. The first phase of the garage and the academic building broke ground pre-pandemic and then when Covid-19 hit, we were in the middle-to-end stage of the second phase of the building. Now, we are working on the last of the academic buildings, the nursing and health sciences building.

“During this process, we have been fortunate to have built a great deal of trust with the client. For me, I have been on this project for several years at this point, I have worked on each one of these buildings that finish out this beautiful academic quad, but what has really made the work worth it, is working with such a fantastic client,” JenFromexplains.what these three leaders have shared, it is not difficult to see that people play an integral role in the company’s operation, which is why it comes as no surprise that the company takes pride in its team, and works to take care of them accordingly. “I delivered over 300 packages of ice cream to five different projects a few weeks ago just as a small ‘thank you’ to our team and trade partners. I love making gestures like that because everyone works so hard. It speaks to the mutual respect we have for the entire project team,” Stuart highlights, adding that the business does not endorse a hierarchical structure, but rather supports a system in which it is about working as a team across the board. “We all have our roles to build a successful project, and we respect everybody’s purpose in that work, and I think that you can see that in the quality we produce,” says Stuart.

In mentioning the company’s quality of work, we ask about what the three leaders would consider to be Windover’s trade secrets, and how they have contributed to its long-standing success. “About eight years ago, we did some exercises to really understand what our core purpose was, and it became clear that we just wanted to build great things with great people. It’s about building relationships, trust, and your skills with each other. We take each of these aspects very seriously as we strongly believe that they are going to advance and enhance the company overall. This then stems into the communities we serve, the schools we work with, and the

people that our work impacts, and that is one component of our core purpose,” shares

KevinStuart.thenexpands on Stuart’s thoughts by sharing more insight into the company’s core values. “Another one is to earn and preserve trust. We must meet expectations along the way to maintain strong relationships with our clients. Complementing that is our core value of ‘stand in their shoes’. As we mentioned earlier, our team is so important to getting our work done well, and so having compassion for others and understanding that they are people with their own life challenges is crucial. It doesn’t matter if you are doing general clean up on a project or sitting at an executive level making decisions, it is about understanding who you are working with and what their perspectives are,” Kevin emphasizes.

With each of these factors in mind, Stuart, Kevin, and Jen are excited about what lies ahead for Windover, and all three agree that as long as the company continues to work alongside great people to build quality projects, it will be a prosperous future as well. “During the pandemic, we did a lot of self-reflecting. We changed the way we were doing things, and I believe that we’re coming out of that period feeling stronger than ever. There might be some uncertainty surrounding the economy, but we know we have a very solid base within our culture and core values. Tied with that, we also have an excellent team that is continuing to grow exponentially,” Kevin expresses. “Our clients come to us because they see how we collaborate with others, and we are in a fortunate spot right now where we can be selective about the projects we take on. We want to work with people who are aligned with our values, and we are going to stay true to that, which will help us grow accordingly,” he says.

The business is also investigating geographical expansions as a possible avenue of future growth. “We have two project managers, one in Chicago and one in Philadelphia for instance, who are working with us to expand our reach outside of New England. With that, we are also utilizing technology to help make our expansions possible. The world is a lot smaller right now, we are looking for those opportunities to increase our footprint,” shares Stuart.

Jen takes a moment to acknowledge that the future of Windover would not

be possible without the help of the company’s trade partners and people. She expresses that the company would not be what it is today without the dedicated effort everyone invests into its operation.

“We must keep building trust with those

that we work with, because that is the only way that we will continue to grow. With each new partnership and project that they help us through, I have no doubt that we will continue to remain as successful as we have been before,” Jen concludes.

Building on history

CommercialServices: builder

Three values are important to H. J. Russell & Company (Russell): people, family and accountability.

The business was brought to life in 1952 by the late Herman J. Russell, Sr., a dynamic and well-renowned entrepreneur, builder and father of the current owners of the business –Michael B. Russell, Sr., H. Jerome Russell, Jr., and Donata Russell Ross. Mr. Russell was known for building affordable housing and iconic buildings that create much of Atlanta’s skyline today, but he was lesser known for his involvement in the

Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta. He held close ties with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a confidant, supporting the journey towards equality in a quieter way. “Herman Russell financed a majority of those efforts with a personal agreement with Dr. King that he would continue growing his business to be able to help the Movement financially,” says the company’s Vice President Michael Swick. “He helped by providing office space for organizing meetings and financed bailing protestors out of jail along with providing his home as a sanctuary and private retreat

for Civil Rights leaders to go to and escape the scrutiny of society; we’re very proud of that part of our history.”

In our discussion with Michael, we learn that Russell is comprised of two components: construction and program management. As one of the largest developers of affordable housing, the construction division has extensive experience in building and renovating projects in diverse market segments, including highprofile office, retail, multi-family residential, student housing, institutional, educational,

How the Civil Rights Movement served as the cornerstone of H. J. Russell & Company’s success Company

aviation, mission critical and sports facilities. On the program management side, the company has a proven, successful track record in the management of over $40 billion of large capital improvement programs, primarily in the transportation, government, education and sports

Thissectors.year,the business celebrates 70 years in the construction industry, and when asked about the secrets it has picked up along the way to sustain its longevity, Michael says that two attributes come to mind: an entrepreneurial

spirit, and a passion for the company’s heritage. To the former, he shares that Herman Russell was the MichaelispowerfulWheninbecomeasforeverythingofandcommunitieseramaintainedRightslatterculturewhichsmartentrepreneur,consummateandaverybusinessman,uponthecompany’shasbeenbuilt.ThestemsfromtheCivilMovement.“Wehavetheethosofthatverycloselytokeeptheweoperatein,thefamily-orientedwayoperating,atthecenterofwedo.Westandwhatissociallyright,andaresult,responsibilityhasdeeplyentrenchedthefabricofthecompany.youcombinethosetwopieces,theresultasuccessfulbusiness,”shares.Safetyisanotherimportant

aspect that has maintained Russell’s operational success. It is interwoven into training programs and development initiatives to ensure every member of the team is equipped to deal with all possibilities. “Everyone has to take accountability for the role they play on-site, and that has become key to our culture as well. The perception is that construction is a hazardous occupation, but that’s not true. If we ensure that everyone is responsible, informed and accountable for safety, then we can change that perception.”

The topic of safety then leads us to discuss a handful of projects that the business has completed over the years. A few come to mind for Michael that range from the completion of the City of Atlanta Water Supply Program in Atlanta, Georgia to renovations on the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport Terminal. “I will start with the Water Supply Program. At the time we began working, Atlanta only had a five-day supply of water from the Chattahoochee River. So, what really drove the project forward was the idea of repurposing the Bellwood Quarry and using the reservoir’s supply of water. To do that, we needed to dig a tunnel five miles long from the bottom of the quarry to the river. Now, the reservoir is completely full with 2.4 billion gallons of water and gives Atlanta residents a water supply of up to 60 days. It has become a beautiful lake with a park around it, so it was a really lovely project to be a part of with a lasting impact on our city in several ways.”

Another excellent project was the DFW International Airport Terminal renovation. As partner of a joint venture with Archer Western and Phillips May, Russell provided construction management and at-risk services to DFW for the new Terminal C High Gates. For the first time at a US airport, six modules, constructed offsite, moved a mile across the airfield to their home at the terminal. Each prefabricated module weighed 450 tons and was moved on self-propelled modular transporters while being carefully maneuvered under the DFW Skylink train and set into place at Terminal C. The completed terminal will accommodate five gates for narrow-body aircraft. “We started building modules while we were demolishing the old terminal, significantly accelerating the project schedule. There were a

lot of eyes on that project, and I think it will set the standard for how terminals are built going forward,” Michael explains.

Big projects are not all Russell is committed to. From what we have heard from Michael, it is clear that people also form the foundation of the company, and as a result, the business is also committed to fulfilling its social responsibilities. “We believe that getting the job done well is not only about building structures. For us, it’s also about building communities. After all, our purpose is people. Therefore, through Russell CARES, which is the firm’s corporate social responsibility arm, we provide sponsorships and donations, as well as participate in community service projects, walks, and runs that raise funds to benefit the communities we serve. Since the company’s beginning, we have given back to the various communities in which we operate. It’s just a part of our DNA,” Michael explains.

He then goes on to share that, for instance, the Russell CARES flagship of events is the annual community block party, Russell Rocks the Block, which the company sponsors with its sister company, Concessions International LLC. In 2020, Russell received the goBeyondProfit Champion Award, a peer-nominated honor given by Georgia-based business leaders in recognition of its contribution.

Furthermore, the firm’s owners established the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs in Atlanta to honor the legacy of their father

and company founder, Herman J. Russell, Sr. The innovation center is an incubator for Black-owned businesses offering educational, financial, and other resources to its members.

The thought of the business’s involvement in its community then leads Michael to discussing the company culture in more depth. For him, being able to create a business in which each member is prioritized is crucial. “We were reminded of that during the pandemic, and the biggest change has really been the way we work. Prior to COVID-19, we spent a lot of time in the office, but we have since developed a flexible, hybrid working approach, so our team can focus on their families as well. From my perspective, I have three young kids, and I wasn’t always able make it home for dinner. Since the pandemic, I have been home to sit at the table with my kids every night. This has been a huge transformation in my life, and we have worked hard to offer that to everyone.”

While Michael continues to reflect on the past, and how the business has pivoted to be even more people-centric, he is not naïve to the challenges the construction industry continues to face. “The last couple of years have been unprecedented as I’m sure we’re all aware. As a result, we have learned how crucial and significant our supply chain is to bringing our projects to fruition, and how important it is to plan. Procuring material early is vital, and I think the challenges we face now have only reinforced the fundamentals of construction. The earlier you procure and the more thought and planning you put into that process, the more successful your project will be,” he

Overhighlights.thenextsix months, Michael is certain about the kind of projects he will be taking on.

He is also excited about the direction in which the company is heading regarding its plans for growth. “Russell is looking at those strategic areas where we can expand, and one of them is the type of projects we choose to complete.

Data centers, for example, is a market niche, and we are seeing an increase in corporate clients looking for diverse participation to complete those contracts, so we are getting heavily involved in that sector.

“Then, geographically, we are looking at certain areas of the country where there is opportunity to expand, and right now, it’s Boston, which is where we are opening an office. We have won two projects there as well, and we have partnered with Suffolk Construction to get that going, which is exciting. I think through each of these avenues, it’s great to know that we will continue to grow,” he says.

Extending his vision further, Michael highlights that during the next five years, he is eager to see the company extend its footprint even further beyond Atlanta, Dallas and Boston. Considering the journey the business has been on so far, it comes as no surprise that he is committed to ensuring Russell holds true to its core values. For Michael, it is important that, regardless of the company’s future, he and his team never lose sight of the passion for people and equality that Mr. Russell introduced to the business all those years ago.

Above: From left: Michael B. Russell, Donata Russell Ross and H. Jerome Russell

Let the wood times roll

DistributorServices: and manufacturer of softwood and hard lumber

Weston Forest was first established in 1953 by four immigrants as a small lumber yard on the Old Weston Road in Toronto, Canada. The company, which began in response to the construction boom following the Second World War and took its name from the street upon which it was based, has since witnessed several evolutions in both size and scope.

The first change came in 1970 when one of

the founders purchased a controlling share in the business and subsequently moved Weston Forest to Mississauga, where the company’s headquarters remain today. The next phase saw the business expand as a wholesaler, focusing more intently on larger volume transactions, with the ambition of developing the company into a global leader in the lumber Betweenindustry.1980and 2005, the company achieved just that. By the latter, Weston Forest

was successfully operating across six divisions and distributing softwood and hard lumber to 42 different countries.

Since then, however, the company has refined its ambitions and has become a leading distributor and remanufacturer of general and specialty wood products by serving the industrial and construction sectors across North America, where it is currently seeking to expand and diversify its operations. Though the global scope of the company has evolved

Weston Forest

For nearly 70 years, Weston Forest has provided unrivalled just-in-time services to the crating and industrial packaging industry, construction and infrastructure sector, and lumber and building materials merchants – and it does not intend on stopping any time soon

into a more localized vision, Weston Forest still holds a broad outlook – one that is bolstered by facilities in Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New York, and Michigan.

“We are typically the first customer for the sawmill,” begins Steve Rhone, President and CEO at Weston Forest, who sat down with Construction Today to offer an insight into the company he so proudly leads. “We do not cut down trees and transform them into solid wood; instead, we are the customer who

buys from the sawmill, brings the product into the marketplace, and then distributes it to consumers operating in other industries. Put simply, we sell business-to-business. Though we sell to retailers and big contractors, we do not work directly with retail customers. However, we do often distribute lumber to companies that utilize wood as part of their manufacturing or shipping processes.”

The last two years have not been easy at Weston Forest. Like many companies, especially those operating in the lumber trade, the pandemic has proved incredibly challenging.Numerous hurdles were thrown up and set down: sawmills and distributors, including Weston Forest, were plagued with labor shortages, transportation issues, and Covid-19 restrictions. Collectively, businesses could not increase supply at a rate that would satisfy the demands of the market.

However, Weston Forest made it through and out the other side – not every business can say the same. As Steve notes, a key factor in that recovery was the people that make up the firm we know today.

But that is not entirely surprising. Weston Forest has been ranked by Waterstone as having one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures for six years running and has been recognized with the Canadian Business Excellence Award, which it has held for five consecutive years.

Undoubtedly, as another certification attests, it is a great place to work. Indeed, with nearly 200 team members, people certainly play a central role at Weston Forest; they enable the company to tap into markets throughout Canada and the US.

“We have created a truly special place here,” observes Steve. “Throughout the pandemic, we have had to pay even closer attention to

Top left: Linh Tran – Sales Coordinator, top right: Marik Bower – Sales Manager

Bottom left: Mitchell Moultrie – Sales Rep and bottom right: De Nae Edwards – Sales coordinator

relationships with the people that make us who we are. Our relationships are a key part of our business but they are not just exclusively with sawmills and other companies dotted along the supply chain; our relationships begin with our employees.

“We believe that ensuring our team feels appreciated and has the resources it needs to perform is the best way to establish a good relationship with our customers,” he goes on. “If we look after our people, they will look after the customer; and if the customer is looked after, then we can be a good customer

to suppliers. We want to create opportunities for the personal and professional growth of our people. For the past two decades, we have been a rapidly upscaling organization with a compound growth rate in the double digits – but we do not grow just for the sake of it. Rather, we want to expand to create more opportunities for the team. In turn, that gives individuals the chance to craft long and meaningful relationships with their peers, and because of that we have fashioned a very stable environment that all appreciate.”

Another core principle underpinning Weston

Forest is sustainability. Indeed, the company is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, promotes remanufacturing, and was also one of the first lumber businesses to be certified in Canada under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Canadian Heat Treated Wood Products Certification Program and the Canadian Wood Packaging Certification Program, both of which ensure that companies are actively safeguarding against invasive plant

Thespecies.company

is also proud to add ACRE wood alternatives to its range of lumber products. The cutting-edge material is produced in the US by Modern Mill and represents a massive breakthrough in the building trade, effectively combining green manufacturing with long-lasting durability by taking advantage of water-resistant rice hulls.

Yet, as Steve is keen to point out, the harvest of forest products in Canada is roughly 0.4 percent of the available standing timber on an annual basis. Factoring in nature – floods, wildfires, pests – adds another 1.4 percent. The latter harvests about three times as much as the industry does, which is itself dwarfed by the rate that trees are growing: between four-and-five percent a year in volume, argues Steve, depending on the climate. Ironically, then, when it comes to the lumber trade, many cannot see the wood for the trees.

“Companies must be more conscious about the implications their operations have on the world,” admits Steve. “Thankfully, our base product is an environmentally friendly one, despite wood not always being considered as such, particularly over the last 25 years. Recently, however, attitudes are starting to change. Nothing has changed in terms of the raw material and its procurement – but the dialogue around it has. People are starting to realize that lumber is not a bad thing; in fact, it might even be a good thing. For decades, the public has been sold the idea that the lumber trade is ruining habitats and causing irreparable damage to forests. Pictures of logging areas that have just been cleared are not pretty, and they are often used by the media. So, it was easy for people to be drawn into what was a cleverly crafted story.

“However, cutting down trees is only unsustainable when it is not done properly,” he adds. “What has become clear from the science is that wood is the most environmentally friendly building material on the planet – and that is not surprising when you consider the fact that it has been the primary building material on the planet for tens of thousands of years. These facts are starting to resonate, and people are looking for an answer in wood.

Fortunately, we understand the implications of our business, and thus we seek to maximize the utilization of products, carry out processes efficiently, and repurpose waste materials to minimize our environmental impact.

“In general, there will continue to be an adjustment in terms of the understanding of sustainability and construction with regards to wood. Cross laminated timber (or CLT), for instance, is being used at scale to construct large commercial buildings and high rises, which is surely a sign that wood will be part of a long-term solution to green building and to our future as a species.”

As it looks towards that future, Weston Forest sees consistency and continuity as the key factors behind sustained success. “Moving forward, the next five years will look very similar to the last 50,” says Steve. “In that case, we can expect consistent growth – not just for the sake of it but to create new opportunities for our team – because there are still many great ones to be had across North America. We want to become a significant player from coastto-coast; though, admittedly, the industry is very large and crowded, there is still plenty of room left for us to carve out a specialism that sets us apart from competitors.

“In doing so, we will further establish an operational footprint that extends our geographical reach,” he concludes. “That will enable us to become a better customer to our suppliers and a better supplier to our customers throughout North America.”

Passionatelyshaping tomorrow, today

ConstructionServices: management, and property development

Serving the Mid-Atlantic region of the US, Hourigan is a fully integrated construction and development company with offices in Central Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Western Virginia. The firm has become the go-to partner of choice for managing complex projects and delivering them to a highHouriganstandard.places a special emphasis on continual investment in its people, tools, and

technology – everything that is required to spearhead smart and innovative projects. Indeed, thanks to this ethos surrounding sustained progress, the company has established strong commercial partnerships and has been recognized as a trusted advisor by leading developers and investors in the Withregion.afocus on its core values of serving with integrity and leading forward, Hourigan has built an impressive portfolio over the

How Hourigan is enhancing communities in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US – and blazing new trails in the process

years. Chief Administrative Officer, Bryan Jones, offers us insight into the company’s diverse operations. “Over the years there are many projects that stand out, but we remain most proud of the relationships we have built and continue to cultivate,” he asserts. “In terms of services, we focus on ‘moving to the owner’s side of the table,’ and being an advocate and resource for their project goals.

“As solution providers, we support the

built environment through a variety of preconstruction, construction management, design-build, and development projects,” Bryan details. “We tailor services to fit the needs of our clients and provide them with the answers they need to deliver certainty and intelligence in their decision-making. Furthermore, we always look ahead to new and innovative solutions and strategies to deliver more sustainable buildings that have a reduced impact on the environment.”

“As we look towards the future, developing lifelong, uniquely ourwillrelationshipsremarkableandbuildingsalwaysbeattheforeofagenda”

Hourigan’s internal mantra is about passionately shaping tomorrow, today and there is no better example of that than the firm’s work on Apex Plaza: Virginia’s first, and the East Coast’s tallest, large-scale mass timber building.

The 265,000-square-foot cross-laminated timber (CLT) project includes 151,000 square feet of office space, 102,000 square feet of podium concrete parking, and 6,800 square feet of retail units. Needless to say, it was a mammoth project – and right at the center of it all was one primary consideration: sustainability.Offeringan overview of Apex Plaza is Joseph Marshall, Project Manager at Hourigan.

“The building is based on a cradle-to-cradle certified design and uses mass timber for the upper six stories of the nine-story building. As a renewable resource, mass timber not only sequesters carbon but also minimizes the use of carbon that would otherwise be used to produce traditional building materials like steel and concrete. So, it really is a win-win.

“This cradle-to-cradle philosophy limits or eliminates the use of harmful materials and ensures that materials are fully recyclable and have life after their initial intended use,” he notes. “In fact, just one dumpster of recyclable timber waste was needed for the entire construction project. Structural wood from fast-growth timber is one of the many sustainable features of Apex Plaza; much like a healthy tree stores carbon dioxide, one square meter of cross-laminated timber can remove around one ton of greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. Additionally, the building’s 875 solar panels are designed to produce over 50 percent of the energy the lead tenant, Apex Clean Energy, consumes in any given year.”

Acting as both development partner and construction manager on the project, Hourigan was aided by Apex Clean Energy in the search for land to construct the latter’s new headquarters but also provided guidance throughout site selection, design services procurement, representation, and through the transition into construction operations for the

“Executingfacility.

Apex Plaza in just 20 months was an exercise in creative problem solving on the planning and coordination front,” details Joseph. “With a plan to expose mass timber in many interior spaces, maintaining the beauty of the material was clearly on our mind; thus, protection from the elements during active construction was a key success factor across the

“Withproject.the goal of ‘drying in’ the structure

through the most efficient method possible, our team established a plan to construct the project,” he continues. “The building was divided into three sequences which proved to be the most feasible and efficient way to limit the exposure of the wood to the elements and avoid potential water damage. It was an all-hands-on-deck approach, requiring heavy collaboration across the trades to reach a common goal for the benefit of the overall structure.”

As Joseph explains, the primary ambition of constructing Apex Plaza was to deliver a new benchmark in sustainability while, ultimately, delivering a faster turnaround time and lower costs. The end result is a net positive for all – the environment, the occupants, and the wider Charlottesville community.

Apex Plaza foresees a more sustainable future by delivering strength, resilience, and innovative construction processes, representing a discernible effort in the transition from energy consumption to energy optimization. Going forward, Hourigan intends to facilitate that transition further.

“As we look towards the future, developing lifelong, uniquely remarkable relationships and buildings will always be at the fore of our agenda,” concludes Bryan. “And we will also remain true to our mission — to passionately shape tomorrow, today, by delivering integrated building solutions that enhance communities and advance our living world.”

Mastering the trade

Considered to be one of the most preeminent electrical contractors in the US, Ludvik Electric Co. (Ludvik) has completed an array of projects all over the world – from Germany to South Africa. On those projects, a diverse range of services is carried out – electrical preconstruction and design, electrical design and build, electrical construction, baggage handling systems, and electrical special projects – in various sectors, including commercial, transportation, industrial, healthcare, education, and hospitality.

Succinctly put, Ludvik is vast. On average, the company has between two-and-three large projects going on at any one time, while also running up to 50 smaller endeavors simultaneously. Founded in

Denver, Colorado in 1980, Ludvik began with a handful of small contracts. Soon, though, many more hands were needed – both literally and figuratively.

Early work on Denver International Airport put the company’s name on the map, and it was well on its way to cementing itself as one of the foremost electrical contractors in the US. The ball was rolling, and Ludvik took on more and more large-scale commercial construction and transportation projects.

Year-on-year it grew; and year-on-year the stakes got higher. The company went on to blaze new trails, carrying out work on data centers, wastewater networks, convention centers, and even on government facilities such as the American Embassy in both Germany and South Africa.

Robert Watkins, President at Ludvik

Ludvik Electric contractor

How one US electrical contractor went from making $700,000 to $200 million

Below: Courtesy of Salt Lake City Airport

Recognizing the diversity of its operations, in 1995 Ludvik opened its own Arizona branch to focus further on industrial and wastewater work in and around Phoenix. When data centers demanded more power, it was down to Ludvik to make it happen. Clients like Intel requested the company’s renowned services; it became an integral part of Ludvik’s operational output, and the contractor established itself as an industry leader in the Utah area, where many data centers are located.

To put that incredible story in tangible, quantitative terms: in its first year, Ludvik brought in just over $700,000 in revenue; however, by 2020, that figure had skyrocketed to $200 million. In conversation with Construction Today, Robert Watkins,

President at Ludvik, offers us an insight into how it was all achieved.

First, he is quick to highlight the importance of commercial variety. “In terms of our key sectors, we really believe that you must go where the work is,” states Robert.

“Therefore, we keep ourselves diverse; we refuse to limit ourselves to just one sector. Rather, we work via a customer-centric model; we find clients that do the kind of work we like, and we lay ourselves in the path of progress to ensure growth.

“That being said, the kind of jobs we take on are often large in scale,” he continues. “There is a lot that goes into projects of this scale, but the biggest and most specific challenges we have on vast, complex electrical jobs is the engineering. It might

seem obvious, but engineers can only do so much with what they are given – and, sometimes, all the information is not there. Consequently, we make a huge effort in cases like that to coordinate equipment effectively and make sure everything is engineered correctly.”

As Robert goes on to explain, the second biggest challenge for the national electrical contractor is change management.

“Something is always changing, and you have to learn how to manage that,” he says.

“That goes for small jobs, but on large jobs we are talking about something like 2500 different changes in just 18 months. We work in an ever-changing environment. You have change when an owner rethinks their requirements, when delays affect

All other photographs, courtesy of Ludvik Electric Co.

proposed schedule, or when materials become increasingly difficult to procure.

“In these cases, you have to get the work done regardless of who is at fault,” Robert declares. “It does not matter what change has occurred; all that matters is that you have a contract to fulfill and a deal to follow through to the end. Construction is change. As I have said, you need to be able to adapt

to it – but, above all, you need to do so safely to avoid endangering the lives of yourEvidently,workers.”Ludvik has firmly cemented itself as the go-to electrical contractor of choice. But we want to know a bit more about what makes the company stand out from all its“Icompetitors.thinkitcomes down to the fact that we

just get it,” Robert answers. “We know the trade and we have in-house engineers and professionals to design and deliver powerful solutions – it is our tag line, and we mean it. We are a solution-oriented contractor, and so when a customer is facing, say, budgetary issues, then we are there to come up with an answer to their problem and help them move

“But,forward.saying that, Ludvik is also a peopledriven firm,” he goes on. “First and foremost, we require them to install parts! So, until we have robots that do that, we will always have a core focus on our people. Our culture is driven by the way we treat everybody: with dignity and respect. It is a different kind of culture, particularly for a construction company. This industry is different to others, so we just try and keep our communication open by talking to each other.”

When Robert visits job sites, for instance, he always makes a habit of stopping and talking to others, to put a face and a voice to the name and the title. As he notes: “I tell them, ‘I appreciate you being here and doing the work, and if there are any issues that come up, then you know where I am and my door is always open.’ I could have an apprentice come and tell me they are concerned about something, and I will always return their call and talk to them.

“Our Human Resources department works in the same way,” he elaborates. “We just try to keep an open mind and listen.

In doing so, we seek to encourage diverse viewpoints and reaffirm the element of safety and its importance for all staff. For us, safety is a big deal. A lot of people that have worked here and then left have since come back and said they did not realize how great our safety program was. Once we know our employees are safe, then we want to keep them motivated. To that end, we often hosted company picnics and Christmas parties prior to the pandemic, and invite our colleagues to attend health and wellness programs. Though on the one hand, these are quite simple gestures, they also let people know that, to us, they are more than just a Thenumber.”conversation then turns to current projects. One is a particular source of pride for Ludvik: The Salt Lake City Terminal Redevelopment. What started as a $70 million electrical package quickly transformed into a $203 million project by the

Asend.Robert put it previously, change management and adaptability is key in the construction game. “The project, which saw the completion of a new terminal and concourse for the Salt Lake City Airport, grew almost three times in size in terms of costs, but still managed to open on time,” he reflects. “It has a gateway, South Concourse A West, and a connecting bridge from the gateway to the terminal, all added to the existing operational airport. The challenge here was not impacting air traffic and working behind a secured area to build a brand new facility that they could use.”

Another project Ludvik is currently working on is at Denver International Airport. As the prime contractor, the company hired all the mechanization for a baggage handling upgrade on behalf of DEN and the TSA.

“When you check your bag in at the counter it goes down and gets screened,” explains Robert. “If the TSA think you have something in it, then it gets kicked over and they carry out a bag check and leave you a nice white ticket saying, ‘We looked in your bag.’ The conveyance time – from scanning to where that TSA agent checks it – is all brand new. It is being commissioned right now and will be launched in the next couple of weeks. On this job, our work included the layout, system engineering, programming, testing, and acceptance of the system, which made the contract worth roughly $165 million.”

As with everything else Robert has discussed that figure certainly impresses. Going forward, the company intends to

continue pulling in large-scale projects and industry pioneers while furthering its growth trajectory and exploring more sustainable power options.

“In the next five years, I see us moving further into the renewables space,” he concludes. “Right now, we are working on

mostly infrastructure jobs, so in the future we will be looking into how distribution and renewables can be paired together. It will be the biggest single change in our industry, and we intend to be at the forefront of it through continuous learning, and being the master of our trade.”

Relationship-based business

Plumbing Distributors

The story of Plumbing Distributors Inc. (PDI) stretches back to 1973. It’s then that Glad Mealor and Ronald Pratt, along with Glad’s son Sid Mealor as their first employee, founded the company and set about distributing plumbing products from a 3000-square-foot warehouse in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Together, they developed a service model capable of competing with the very best, and it wasn’t long before the company began attracting the attention of major brands.

From those humble beginnings, PDI has grown into a large wholesale distributor and retailer, operating branches, and showrooms in three states. The company offers a wide range of products, from plastic and

cast-iron pipes and fittings to toilets, sinks, bathtubs, faucets, and lights. But the secret to PDI’s success is more than scale, nor does it depend on a unique product offering. According to Coley Herrin, President CEO of PDI, it’s all about the experience.

“We understand that customers can buy the products we sell in various places,” Coley says. “So, we don’t make it about the product. Instead, we focus on providing our customers, whether they’re a plumbing contractor, a builder, a designer, or a homeowner, with the absolute best experience in dealing with us. If we do that, they’re more likely to come back and continue supporting us.”

But customer service isn’t a given. It takes hard work and determination from

Customer experience is king at Plumbing Distributors Inc., and after its recent acquisition of W.A. Bragg & Co, the company has its eyes on yet further growth

the excellent PDI team. “Our competitive advantage is our people,” agrees Fielding Alderman, Executive Vice President & General Manager at PDI. “We’ve tried to make all aspects of working with PDI as smooth, easy, and frictionless as possible for our employees, vendors, and customers.

“For our employees, it means they have a good experience coming to work every day with an opportunity to build their career,” he elaborates. “For our customers and vendors, we hope to establish and grow lifelong partnerships and be a trusted solution in ourSpeakingindustry.”of growth, it’s an exciting time for PDI. In June 2022, the company announced its acquisition of W.A. Bragg & Co., a leading distributor of residential and commercial plumbing, and electrical, and irrigation supplies, along with major appliances. It’s the latest in a series of acquisitions, which also saw West Georgia Plumbing Supply join the PDI family in 2021.

“We’re always focused on expanding our product offering,” Fielding tells us. “Our

acquisition of W.A. Bragg has furthered our opportunities in irrigation, electrical, and appliances, as well as allowed us to reach customers in new markets. And even with this amount of growth, we are still able to stay true to our overall company mission.”

“We have a grow or die mentality,” Coley suggests. “If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward. So, every day, our goal is to progress a little bit further than we did the day before. Throughout our long history, that’s what PDI’s always done. As

a collective group, we will find a way to accomplish whatever it is that we’ve set our minds

W.A.to.”Bragg boasted six showrooms and nine branches at the time of its purchase, including locations in cities throughout Georgia and South Carolina previously unserved by PDI. “It’s the largest acquisition we’ve ever made,” Coley says.

“Not only has it taken us to a total of 20 branches and 13 showrooms, but it’s also proved a great fit in terms of new markets, which we’ve then been able to integrate into the PDI model. For our employees, it was a source of great excitement, and everyone rallied behind it to help the initiative succeed.”

As comments from both Fielding and Coley suggest, culture is important to PDI, and has proved a decisive factor in the company’s pursuit of investment opportunities. “With the acquisition of both West Georgia Plumbing Supply and W.A. Bragg, both were excellent family businesses with a record of taking care of their people, customers, and vendors,” Fielding reflects. “Their company culture meshed really well with what we strive to do, and we are seeing the positive impacts of these business opportunities.”MuchofPDI’s recent success has come amid a backdrop of disruption, as the arrival

of the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on businesses across the globe. “The pandemic brought challenges to our industry, and to the cities and states in which we operate,” Fielding comments. “But right from the beginning, as soon as we realized the impact that it was going to have, our number one objective was to put our people first. We wanted to weather the storm, doing everything we needed to do to retain all of our employees so that they could continue to provide for their families.

“Although we were fortunate to be deemed an essential business, and despite seeing growth through 2020, it did impact heavily on our supply chain,” he develops. “There were many things we had to do differently as a distributor to ensure that we were able to keep the right amount of product, and the right mix of product in inventory.”

It’s been a period that’s underlined the vital importance of a relationship-based approach to business. “As a distributor in a

relationship-focused industry, we strive to create true partnerships, not only with our customers but with our vendors as well,” Fielding continues. “During the pandemic, it was strategic, transparent conversations with our vendors that allowed us to pivot our business strategies that ultimately

allowed us to better take care of our“Wecustomers.havesome very strong vendor partnerships within our industry. Some that are going on more than three decades,” he goes on. “At this point in our partnership, we truly understand each other and are

Below: Left, Glad Mealor and right, Sid Mealor

Plumbing Distributors

committed to aligning our long-term objectives. This type of relationship allows us to focus on the growth of our mutual customer base.”

“We never leave a meeting with one of our vendors without first asking the question: ‘What can we do for them?’,” Coley concurs.

“If we’re going to ask them for something, we believe it’s only right that we give them something in return. That’s how we approach all our business relationships. It’s a two-way street: if it’s not just as good for you as it is for me, then it’s not going to prosper, and it’s not going to hold for the long term. That’s the only way to achieve generational growth.”

Two years on, supply chains are still reeling from the impact of the pandemic. “I don’t know that we’ll ever see business go back to how it was back in 2019,” Fielding reflects.

“But since the end of 2020, there have been more certainties in place.” Now into the latter part of 2022, the company is determined to see out the year positively.

“We already have plans to open two new

showrooms, under the brand of PDI Lighting & Home,” Fielding reveals. “Lighting is a natural complement to our plumbing business and these new showrooms will allow us to continue giving our customers great products and exceptional service. Each PDI Lighting & Home showroom will sit alongside a Kohler Signature Store by PDI, which will continue to strengthen our partnership with The Kohler Company.

“Beyond that, we continue to focus on our growth and expansion and on improving our internal processes to take better care of our customers,” he adds. “We’re investing a lot of time and resources into training and technology to make our employees’ jobs easier and therefore deliver a better level of

“There’sservice.”

still so much more we can do, and more products we can offer to our customers,” Coley insists. “In the next five years, we’ll continue to explore those opportunities, growing both organically and through further acquisitions. The next is

always easier than the last; we’re looking forward to taking some of the learning from our W.A. Bragg acquisition and applying it in our future dealings.

“I’m very proud of the business, and what

we’ve achieved,” he concludes. “We’re carrying on the legacy of what Glad started almost 50 years ago. We think about that every day, and use it to guide us in staying true to our core values. That’s extremely important.”

The lesson of big words

Products and services: Building materials and construction expertise

Supplying a variety of aggregates, concrete, steel, insulation, masonry, outdoor living materials, tools, and construction accessories, Ernest Maier has become a leading manufacturer and supplier of building materials in the Greater Washington DC area

With 12 locations servicing projects from Richmond to Pennsylvania and Shenandoah Valley to Delaware, Ernest Maier is one of the most respected merchants in the Mid-Atlantic region and the only concrete masonry manufacturer inside of the Washington Beltway. Established in 1926, the company started from the bottom with just a single Sears Block Machine in its arsenal. ‘Capacity: 100-to-125 blocks per day for two men, who mix the concrete, operate the machine, and take care of the product,’ reads an early twentieth century advertisement for Sears.

Though things have come a long way since then, the road has not been simple.

As Brendan Quinn, who purchased Ernest Maier in 2001 and currently serves as CEO, remembers, the business only began to upscale in the early 1960s, transforming from a small outfit with a single block machine to one with a semi-automated model.

About a decade later, the Bladensburg-based company expanded into building materials. By 1991, Ernest Maier had moved across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Kent Island. But that is when trouble started.

The recession at the time led to declining revenue, poor cash flow, and a perturbing future. A fresh face and even fresher ideas were needed to turn the business around.

Enter Brendan.

By empowering staff and building from the

Ernest Maier

balance sheet, he sought to change the very nature of the business, and thereby offer an array of concrete and building solutions to Mid-Atlantic contractors, architects, engineers, designers, and homeowners. “I joined Ernest Maier with my father in 1995, working with him to turn the company around,” Brendan recalls. “Though my father had seen mismanagement in business before, he had never seen a vacuum of management like that at Ernest Maier.

“At just 23 years old, I became interim CEO, and I have been here ever since: nearly three decades at the same rickety old desk!” he laughs. “In that time, however, the company has truly gone through a vast amount of change. When I joined, we were achieving about $1 million in revenue. Yet, following

organic and inorganic growth, that swelled to about $44 million by 2008. The financial crisis saw revenue drop by around 15 percent. Nevertheless, we remained driven, and executed our buy-and-build strategy over the following decade. That has put us in the position we are now in: on track to make over $110 million in 2022.”

Those acquisitions – the building blocks of the Ernest Maier we know today – include the following: Bay Ready Mix, which delivers more sustainable ready mix concrete across the Baltimore/Washington area; Concrete Building Systems, a producer of PCI-certified precast structural and prestressed concrete; Gomoljak, an Annapolis institution offering brick, block, hardscapes, aggregates, and

accessories for masonry contractors; Parker Block, a manufacturer of high-quality block, ready mix concrete, pre-cast lintels, and hardscaping that has been in operation since 1929; and Skyline Brick, which provides block masonry hardscaping that, as the company puts it, keeps Thomas Jefferson’s original brick aesthetic alive for Charlottesville.

Naturally, however, acquisitions alone could not turn the tide. Indeed, as Brendan recalls, several key lessons had to be learned to truly transform the business.

“Lesson one was to eliminate parochialism,” he details. “When I first joined, one part of the business would talk about another as if they were foreigners working in a different company. Evidently, a shift in perspective

needed. The second was the lesson of big words: trust, hope, and faith. Trust is essential in the selling game; with hope, you have a fundamental strategy: look towards the horizon; and faith both bolsters these tenets and offers an indispensable kind of commercial resilience.“Toexpand, we initially focused on organic growth, and that began with the customer,” he goes on. “We had to understand what they wanted. By paying close attention, we began to rapidly grow; in fact, the process changed our entire outlook. Originally, we would simply make block. After finding out what other materials customers were buying alongside that merchandise, however, we adjusted our portfolio accordingly. While many large companies were busy with a single product, we chose to focus on the whole system. If a customer was building a driveway, for instance, then we would sell them filter fabric, rock, concrete, pavers, tools, and so on – everything except the asphalt. That became our strategy: focus on holistic service that always stands to benefit the customer.”

Another facet of that success is down to the individual products that Ernest Maier stocks,

many of which provide innovative solutions to persistent problems. For example, the company has recently begun offering fiberglass rebar: a lighter, stronger, anti-corrosive alternative that is both cheaper and easier to cut. It has also begun selling the maintenance-free StoneDeks System — an alternative to traditional woodsurfaced decks since the pandemic caused lumber prices to skyrocket.

Ernest Maier is also proud to manufacture and distribute PaveDrain, an innovative permeable pavement system that, unlike conventional substitutes, is heavy-duty, lowmaintenance, and rated for HS-25 weights (buses, ambulances, trash trucks, and so on). By providing best-in-class stormwater management and allowing for natural soil infiltration, moreover, the landmark system helps to replenish aquifers and prevent flooding at the Sincesource.2010,

PaveDrain has installed more than five million square feet across the US. For Dr. Aaron Fisher, Vice President of Business Development at Ernest Maier, however, that figure does not quite reflect the true potential of the product. “Why is it not everywhere? Stormwater is everywhere.” he ponders. “People

tend to stick with what they know; the way we do things is passed down through the generations. Consequently, we are always working to change cultural perceptions of new products, and that is where having a large and trusted sales team comes into play. Many of our staff used to work in the field; therefore, they talk to contractors from a place of experience, which is essential when it comes to changing attitudes surrounding nascent technology.

“When we adopt these new systems, we will often work with the manufacturer,” he reveals.

“With PaveDrain, technological refinements had to be made to ensure the product was ready; for instance, we had to work with the block and mold manufacturers to create molds that were more consistent and multiuse. Initially, PaveDrain was installed with an ancillary cabling system that ran through the blocks; however, after working alongside those installing the fledgling technology, we soon realized that this method was costing a lot of money. Needless to say, we went back to the drawing board. We came up with an alternative and have not installed a cable system in over eight years. Scrapping old ideas for the benefit of the end product is essential;

recognizing flaws only enables you to fix them andTheimprove.”sameway

Ernest Maier is able to work with a manufacturer, it is also able to work with contractors to better refine the installation and maintenance process. PaveDrain is the only modular permeable pavement that can be installed without cutting, can be field-sealed against salt and oil, and can be monitored remotely. These are all things that a contractor, and ultimately a property owner, values.

Many of the products championed by Ernest Maier also have embedded sustainability benefits. For example, in partnership with CarbonCure, who manufactures low carbon concrete by locking CO2 in the initial mixture, Ernest Maier has managed to capture over four million pounds of carbon dioxide – the equivalent to 2500-plus acres of forestland absorbing CO2 for an entire year. Ernest Maier also recycles crushed concrete and distributes EcoCem (Portland Limestone Cement), which stands to reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by ten percent when compared to ordinary cement without compromising on performance. Small

changes of this kind, adopted at scale, point towards a better future.

As he looks towards that future, Brendan admits that he thinks 2023 will be much harder – but not in the way one might first expect. “Demand and increasing interest rates will ultimately prove more problematic than any supply chain issue,” he says. “Behavioral economics is real; cultural and market anxiety are co-morbid and will lead to cuts in spending. Yet, as I always say, the best plan is no plan. I do not set revenue goals. The key thing is getting the balance sheet in a position where

PaveDrain LLC

we can look for opportunities and then take“Organically,them. the company has a ceiling of about $125 million in revenue,” Brendan concludes. “Once that cap is reached, we will look for novel investment opportunities that make sense. Far too many poor acquisitions were made over the last few years, and many companies have found themselves overleveraged as a result. Instead, we want to be a good company that operates like a family. When the time comes to broaden that family, we will welcome new members with open arms.”

Infiltrating stormwater back into the ground can help reduce localized flooding and stress on sewers, by infiltrating valuable water back into aquifers.

Since 2009, the PaveDrain® system has proven to be a tested permeable paving surface that provides installation ease and design flexibility for owners, engineers and contractors. The joints between the blocks are left open for an unprecedented infiltration rate (ie no pre-clogging with rock) and easy maintenance, with conventional street vacuuming equipment. PaveDrain is ADA-compliant, HS-25 load rated, manufactured throughout the US, and is available in a variety of colors. It can also be efficiently heated through our cable ducts. What does your pavement do for you? info@pavedrain.com www.pavedrain.com

Bigger and bolder

MJ Dean Construction Inc (MJ Dean) hit the ground running when it kick-started its operation in the late 80s. Since then, the business has continually combined best practices with an expert team to complete exemplary projects in the State of Nevada

Mike Dean brought MJ Dean to life in 1989, and pushed the business from bidding for structural concrete work to taking on greater general contractor projects. “We started out small in 1990, but we expanded very quickly to take on a few sizable projects outside of Las Vegas,” the company’s President shares. From Mike’s recollection, the first significant project was the Monte-Carlo Hotel and Casino in 1995.

Its scope of work included the structural concrete work, framing, drywall, taping, painting, fireproofing, doors and hardware and decorative concrete. He shares that the work was performed for Circus Circus Development, which was headed by BillTheRichardson.business has since completed many significant projects with Circus Circus Development and WA Richardson Builders, including the Circus Circus Tower, Luxor

Tower additions and remodel, Mandalay Bay and most recently, Resorts World. We learn from Mike and Loay Hanthel, the Senior Project Manager, how MJ Dean incorporates exceptional practices to ensure that contracts of this scale are fulfilled successfully. “We are currently performing the structural concrete work for WA Richardson on the Fontainebleau, as well as Durango Station. We have also worked on several significant projects as the general

contractor - the complete list can be found on our website for those who are interested,” MikeMostsays.of MJ Dean’s work can be seen along the Las Vegas Boulevard, within the mid-to-high rise construction off-strip, where structural concrete work completion faces strict time constraints. For Mike, the business’s ability to perform that work within set timelines is what separates the company apart from its competition. “Having said that,

the reduced timeline results in significant cost effectiveness for our clients, and offers them the opportunity to generate revenue earlier. Performing the concrete work timely, efficiently and to the highest quality, sets the tone for the balance of work on the project. We also assist our general contract partners with labor, and we will help them navigate any issues they face within the confines of OSHA requirements by providing safety management support.”

Another recent project that comes to mind is the MSG Sphere. “We recently completed the structural concrete work on the exceptionally large and complicated structure. We are also taking an active role in supporting the general contractors with key project management and field supervision. I would also like to speak about the new Kirk Kerkorian Medical Education Building for the UNLV School of Medicine. We are the general contractor on this project as well, and our client is Nevada Health & Bioscience Corporation (NHBC), which is developing this project for the benefit of UNLV. Our very experienced project team has done a tremendous job of ensuring the work is scheduled for completion in the fall. In addition to performing all the building structural concrete and site construction work, MJ Dean is responsible for procuring and installing all the building furnishings, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E), including the medical systems and equipment, as well as all low voltage systems and computer solutions,” Mike highlights.

To echo Mike’s sentiments, Loay goes into greater detail on MJ Dean’s talent on the NHBC project, which he believes is a classic example of the company’s skills and dedication. “That project demonstrates our willingness to navigate the challenges that we faced during the pandemic, especially when we had to consider supply chain issues, maintaining social distancing, and ensuring that the work was completed successfully. The project maintained its budget and stayed on schedule. For me, what it also highlighted was the admirable skills of our team. Everyone proved that they were innovative, and ready to take on a project that was brought to us in extremely challenging circumstances,” says Loay.

He then continues to share his perspective on the projects that he feels demonstrate MJ Dean’s full range of capabilities, particularly when it comes to working with the client and taking care of the business’s team.

“We worked on the Madison Square Garden project. Not only was it a complicated project, but we were also faced with major time constraints. There were no square corners, and our plans had to be laid out by GPS or survey. All our form work was completed on-site with our skilled labor, and our management team had to foresee every step because we were essentially figuring them out as the project progressed.

“We started work when we had 50 percent of the design documents, where typically projects do not take off until all those are in.

So, we were three stages behind in paperwork when we first began, and I thoroughly believe that it really demonstrated our ability to pivot and adapt to the requirements of the project,” Loay

Fromsays.Loay’s experience working with MJ Dean, he is so proud of the level of talent and expertise that the team brings to the table. This can be seen in many of its operational relationships, especially its supply network. “One aspect that I know we do well is we work alongside our trade partners. We team up with a project group, we work meticulously through the product requirements, and order those materials months ahead of when we need them. This team possesses a remarkable ability to predict what the project needs and is very experienced in building multi-million-dollar projects, so we have a wealth of knowledge behind us to understand the next steps, and planLoayaccordingly.”thencontinues to share more insight into the sorts of challenges that MJ Dean is currently facing, and how the team is working to mitigate those issues. “We are fortunate to be a small company that does big work, which again, comes back to our fantastic team. I think our biggest obstacle at the moment is the shortage of qualified personnel, and sourcing materials, which we often have to import,” Loay explains.

It is an impressive fact that MJ Dean has been able to bring together the massive projects that the two gentlemen have highlighted, despite the challenges currently unfolding across the construction industry. However, for Mike, this is a result of the pride the business holds for the location in which it works. “We are fortunate in that I was born and raised right here, and I have lifelong relationships with the people of this community. I think that contributes to why we care so deeply about the work we do. Also, we have been in business for over 32 years, and have excellent connections with the labor unions and their members. I believe this ties in well with why we have such a great reputation, and why everyone who works with us is excellent at what they do.”

The conversation then draws to a close on the topic of the future. It is clear, given how highly Mike and Loay speak of the MJ Dean team, that the years ahead are set to be prosperous for the Nevada-based construction company. “We treat everyone here like friends and family. We look out for one another, and everyone here knows that there are so many opportunities for them to progress in their careers. I feel that this is what will stand us in

looking to bring more people on board. I can confidently say that there are several avenues for others to join the MJ Dean team moving forward,” Mike concludes.

Generations of excellence

ConstructionServices:

TEEL’s roots can be traced back to the mid-1970s when Parker Teel, the company’s Founder and CEO, made his name in the construction industry by co-founding T&G Enterprises, a residential and light commercial contractor.

Although the business grew successfully, Parker wanted to focus on the commercial side, and later formed Parker Teel Construction Company, which led to the incorporation of TEEL in 1987. “A few decades later, we are

now fortunate to be celebrating our 35th anniversary this December. I’m proud to say that we can credit our success to the smart and controlled growth instilled by our Founder,” begins Spencer Teel, the company’s President, and Parker’s son.

TEEL has an extensive history, marked by milestones that have helped improve its capabilities. “Our defining moments have been driven by our team and our clients. In 2002, we started working for Kaplan, the educational

firm owned by The Washington Post. For nearly a decade, Kaplan was our largest client and we completed over 250 projects for it across the country. Our relationships with Morgan Stanley, Smashburger, HSBC and KinderCare also led to significant repeat business throughout the nation,” Spencer shares.

In 2013, TEEL completed a $13,000 façade painting project for ALDI. Since then, the business has built and renovated over 150 ALDI grocery stores. “Once we find a client who

The family-owned business, TEEL Construction, Inc. (TEEL), is committed to the highest level of service. With a dedication to integrity, dependability, and excellence in service, the company is proud of the foundation on which its long-term partner relationships are built Inc.

treats us fairly, we do everything possible to maintain our relationship with them for as long as possible. So much so that, as of May 2022, I can share that we have a 93 percent repeat customerSpencerrate.”adds that TEEL has also been working with Procore since 2017, and recently added the Procore Analytics/Power BI module to its suite. With Procore’s help, Spencer expects the business’s added data insights to provide more informed decisions with regards

to its preconstruction methods and overall operation. “We see modular construction paving the way for the future, and we are currently building several projects with integrated modular components.”

This partnership has opened TEEL up to new possibilities when it comes to utilizing technology to its advantage. For instance, the leadership team adopted the entrepreneurial operating system (EOS) in 2019, which, according to him, has helped the team greatly in its short- and long-term strategic planning. “Furthermore, virtual and augmented reality, robotics and automation in the field are playing an increasingly important role. As a result, we have a new Director of Virtual Construction

position in the works. We are investing in technologies that add value to our projects by helping make our team more productive and“We’veefficient.been partnering with Building Connected since 2018, and have just finalized our CRM. Like Procore Analytics, each software has enabled our team to use our data to help make real-time decisions. We can now identify trends well before we would have otherwise realized them,” he highlights.

Spencer then shares more details about the type of projects that the company specializes in. In his opinion, much like a diversified portfolio, a diversified set of clients within the commercial industry is key. “We excel

Main image left: Washington Golf & Country Club and above: Westwood Country Club

construction projects valued under $20 million in the airport, country club, financial, grocery, hospitality, religious, restaurant, retail and warehouse sectors. We follow a strict ‘go and no-go’ prospective customer approach, which works well with our bid opportunity analysis. This helps our business development team focus on which types of clients to work with, while aligning with our Core Principles and strategic plan,” saysWeSpencer.thenask

Spencer about the types of projects that he is particularly proud of; those that demonstrate TEEL’s key uniqueness. He notes one that jumps to mind: the Westwood Country Club project, which came about in March 2020. “While the pandemic added a layer of general uncertainty for all of us, our ability to communicate effectively translated into our team’s collective success.

“The 21,000-square-foot project included a 12,000 square-foot building addition and 9,000 square-feet interior renovation. The addition consisted of a new state-of-the-art fitness center, allowing the club to increase its fitness offerings with updated training equipment and dedicated group and multi-use fitness studios featuring high ceilings and natural light. The roof terrace over the fitness area of the addition provides unencumbered

views of the golf course, and is adjacent to the existing ballroom to support functions such as member events and weddings.

“The golf cart storage expansion in the addition provides improved operational efficiency and facilities for maintenance and storage. This allows the existing interior cart storage area to be renovated for new member amenities, which includes a high-end wine room for private events and meetings, a three-bay golf simulator lounge to provide opportunities for all-season training, a custom bar, and an improved fitness lobby experience.

“This is a first-class project, and the end result is nothing short of amazing. It has also translated into Westwood’s Phase Two project. We are currently constructing a world-class indoor tennis facility that features three traditional tennis courts, a bar, viewing rooms and the newest court tennis facility,” Spencer elaborates.Hethengoes on to share more details on recent projects that TEEL Construction was called upon to complete. “We started working with LIDL in 2020, and have since completed 16 projects for the retailer in the Greater Washington DC area. Our 17th project currently underway is its Skyland Town Center location, the grocery store’s first location in Washington DC, and a highly-celebrated location within the

community. Despite significant supply chain delays with roof insulation, roof top equipment and electrical gear, the project has remained on track for a fast-track delivery,” Spencer shares.

To make projects like this happen, Spencer recognizes that this level of work would not be possible without a team of dedicated and motivated individuals, each of whom have contributed to the sustained success of the company. “People are everything at TEEL.

We wouldn’t be here, or have our loyal clients and strong subcontractor and supplier-base without our remarkable team. Our people make us who we are, and we are focused on ensuring our people are successful as well. The same applies to relationships with our subcontractors and suppliers, who are just as critical to our success – without them, our company wouldn’t function.

“Our industry is in dire need of tradespeople. However, we largely avoid manpower shortages on our projects because we treat –and pay – our trade partners better and faster than our competitors. We host an annual Trade Partner Appreciation Day in the fall to recognize and thank our trade partners for all their hard work. This is a fantastic complement to our quarterly team building events, happy hours, Friday lunch and learns, a summer family picnic and an epic holiday party.”

Above that, the TEEL team is highly focused on giving back to the communities it builds. “We have two programs in place to help bolster this mission: Volunteer Time Off, where each employee receives three days of additional paid time off to volunteer at a charity of their choosing during normal working hours, and Donating Our First Change Order Fee to Charity, where TEEL’s first change order fee on a project is donated to a charity of our clients’ choosing,” saysConstructionSpencer.

can be viewed as an inherently challenging industry. When you add a pandemic, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and inflation to the mix, that environment can be off-putting to many people looking to kick-start careers within the sector. This is why Spencer believes that it is up to construction business owners and leaders to make their businesses places that people want to be part of for a higher purpose. “The pandemic and its lingering effects made this mission clear to us. Subsequently, we updated our Purpose last year with service at the forefront: we exist to serve our customers,

provide opportunities for our people and support for the communities we build. In other words, we’re Built to Serve, and we work hard to live by this motto every day.”

In addition to this, Spencer released his ‘Vivid Vision’ for the company in March after reading Cameron Herold’s book with the same title. For him, it was the ‘best business exercise’

he has undergone in his career, and has allowed him to focus on what he wants the business to look like in three years’ time. “It’s helping our team visualize where the company is going and the roadmap to get us there. God has some exciting things in store for TEEL, and I believe our people are excited to make the vision a reality,” he concludes.

Left: BlueDot furniture store and below: Delta Sky Club, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Living life to the fullest

In the short time that New Leaf Homes has been in existence, the company has made impressive moves in the homebuilding industry to become a trusted name for age-targeted communities and assisted living development projects

New Leaf Homes (New Leaf) is only two years old, but since its inception, the business has worked exceptionally hard to fulfill its building projects to the highest standard. “New Leaf is a division of our real estate development arm,” begins Owner Mike Wojno. Mike and New Leaf President Katie Wojno Lancianese (Mike’s daughter) discuss with Construction Today the work they have invested to ensure the company remains a trusted business in the homebuilding industry, as well as its successful partnership with Epcon Communities (Epcon). “We noticed, as we were moving forward with our usual real estate developments, there was a need for customers to have consistency and control over the entire design-build process, which wasn’t always the case. This is what has motivated us to refine our work during this time,” says Katie.

New Leaf is passionate about developing strong, safe and connected communities. It has done so by discovering a niche in the market, which subsequently propelled the company’s partnership with Epcon forward.

Epcon, a franchise network of builders that specialize in lifestyle development projects, has maintained an excellent relationship with New Leaf, which has resulted in the development of stunning homes.

With New Leaf’s expertise in assisted living facilities and senior homes, the partnership pushed both businesses to new heights. “We have worked with Epcon in the senior arm of the residential developments for a long time. During our work, we had found that people wanted to remain situated in their homes as long as they could. It was with that in mind that we began our relationship with Epcon. Their exceptional plans allowed us to pursue building beautiful living spaces for this sector of the market. We have no steps in our buildings whatsoever, which makes them all friendly for aging in place. They are exquisitely designed to live well so that our clients don’t miss out on anything they have come to expect in their luxury home,” shares Mike.

As a result, New Leaf understands that in the instance of downsizing, their customers still want to prioritize the luxury details with

“Overall, I see New Leaf as being a big player in the northeast Ohio luxury home market, meeting the needs of our clients, and continuing to focus on providing the best in home designs that are popular with our senior generation”

which their previous home was styled. This is why the business offers an in-house designer to help clients during their selection process. However, while the interior designer walks customers through the upgrades by offering a range of options for a custom home, Katie and Mike know that it truly comes down to how each square foot is utilized within the home. “Building a home is not an easy process – it’s incredibly emotional. Our customers spend huge amounts of money and make a lot of decisions, which often become tough moments. We do our absolute best to be there for them. Often, we become advisors to our customers. If they ask us what we would do if this were our home and our money, we are honest with them. This is not just another project for us. Our experience has taught us that treating our customers as we would want to be treated will have long lasting impact not just for our business, but the communities that we will build within.

It’s about enriching lives in addition to building happy, connected communities,” Katie shares.

This then leads us onto discussing the unique traits that make New Leaf a dependable homebuilder. “We are here to meet customer needs, to listen to them and understand what they’re looking for, and I think our experience within the senior housing business provides us with a deeper insight into what really matters in a home,” explains Mike. He adds that this is further buttressed by the stage of life at which he is. “With myself being in that chapter, my

physical abilities and personal interests have changed. I no longer want to mow the grass, or shovel the side walk and the driveway, but I do want to travel, especially during the northeast Ohio winters, so the ability to understand that our work has to create a second home for our clients is key.”

In line with Mike’s insight, when building homes, New Leaf takes into consideration the different life stages a family experiences. “These families have grandchildren who

Sundance

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the home security and technology options out there. But rest assured, Sundance is the very best team to guide you in protecting the home and life you’ve worked so hard to build.

There are many reasons people don’t seek help when it comes to home security and technology updates. Number one on that list: it’s too expensive. They think they’ll save money by installing it themselves. We are here to tell you that we can actually save you money. By ensuring your home security and network is properly installed from the get-go, you’ll avoid the headache of having to redo the project, or, even worse, start over. With every installation, our Sundance team helps homeowners like yourself understand exactly how things work and how to utilize them to your benefit. You may think you need to choose a bigger company, but in this case, smaller is better. We give you a more personalized experience and service than you’ll find with any other home security provider. Choose Sundance and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with getting the very best quality products, customer service, and experienced professionals in the home security and smart home solutions industry.

come to visit them in the summer, and their own children want to come and spend time with them, and these are scenarios that our work has to keep in mind. In my opinion, this is another area in which Epcon absolutely excels. They have certainly done a great job with additional rooms and personalization options. I think its team and the overall organization have a wealth of knowledge that makes it an expert in completing projects successfully, and that is blending with our experience as we move through the various stages of development.”

This then takes the conversation towards the topic of recent projects, and one both Mike and Katie are very proud of is the development of The Retreat at Rosemont, which is located in Fairlawn, Ohio. “It’s in the heart of the city on the former location of a high-end golf course and country club. It was the last large piece of developable land within the city limits so it was a highly sought-after property.

“As we worked through the project with a master developer and talked about what would be required to complete it, we noticed the need in the community really came

down to what I call the ‘lifestyle product’ for people to age in place. There was a high demand for this type of product. What we loved about it was the location it is in the midst of the city, where clients are literally steps away from coffee shops and grocery stores, major expressways that allow them to travel anywhere, and they are surrounded by community park land with walking trails that go through approximately 64 acres of

preserved nature. All of that has been a huge selling point for us.

“We had a tremendous amount of support from the city in this project and the assistance from all of the agencies that have been part of making this process work has been huge. We have worked extensively with them on our entry ways, we have James Hardie siding on the exteriors instead of vinyl, so it is a very luxurious product. The

look of the clubhouse has gone through an approval process with the city, and we are working hand-in-hand with them. In doing so, everything has just moved along the way that I think it was supposed to. It has been a beautiful process,” Katie elaborates.

“What really makes the work so worthwhile is that the residents absolutely love where they are living now. Living in homes they were in for about 30 to 50 years just wasn’t working for them anymore. They want to travel without having to worry about the lawn, and their homes had too many empty rooms once the kids had left. This really emphasizes why it has been so successful – these homes can keep the cycle going of families that are growing and looking for a design that works for them without having to renovate or throw money at their old home. They would much rather buy something that is ready for them to turn the key and move in,” Mike adds.

It is projects like this that make both Mike and Katie excited about the future. Looking ahead, the duo has big plans for the company to continue growing across the Ohio region and beyond. “We’d like to maintain the momentum we currently have. At the moment, we’re working on two to three projects at any given time, and I believe that that is the perfect pace for us,” Mike

“Overall,expresses.Isee

New Leaf as being a big player in the northeast Ohio luxury home market, meeting the needs of our clients, and continuing to focus on providing the best in home designs that are popular with our senior generation,” shares Katie.

Mike echoes these sentiments by emphasizing that diversification is going to be crucial in strengthening the company’s name. “We have community centers that we are expanding on to bring in a concierge, physical therapist and added spa facilities. My mother- and father-in-law live in one of the communities we built and they are having the time of their lives, and it is so wonderful to see them loving their lives in an area where they can be part of a group that shares their interests. I think it’s important to remember that although age comes with its own struggles, it doesn’t mean that the same has to be true for our mind and soul. This is why New Leaf is passionate about creating homes and spaces that encourage the active adults to live life to the fullest, regardless of their age,” Mike says.

To conclude, Katie highlights that the business will continue to work on improving

community developments. “In addition to that, we donate a portion of the proceeds to local safety forces and school systems. It’s part of our mission to ensure that the

community grows closer and remains strong even after we have left, and that is something of which we are very proud,” she adds.

Leading the industry Franchising

Epcon Communities is on a mission to build homes, neighborhoods, and lifestyles that provide a remarkable buyer experience. Throughout its 35+ years in operation, the business been determined to fulfill its integrating smart, innovative the modern amenities.

HomebuildingServices: developer

Epcon Communities (Epcon) also has a franchise network of local builders and developers that build ranch-style homes and lifestyle-rich communities. When we last spoke with Epcon a decade ago, the company was primarily building attached homes in unique four-unit configurations. Due to strong curb appeal, functional design and popularity, these projects quickly put Epcon on the map as an

innovative builder. “As we built those homes across the US, we began to notice a shift in our target buyers’ preferences. They were moving away from multi-family builds, and towards detached homes. So, we invested heavily in research and development to introduce an entirely new design portfolio,” says Paul Hanson, the President of Epcon Franchising. What sets Epcon apart is its strategic focus on development and construction, with a

unique franchise approach. “Our builders have the advantage of controlling home site inventory and building in an efficient production-style manner. They also have the benefit of a team of consultants and trainers who have an exceptional wealth of expertise to teach them the business model,” Paul shares.

“I like to say that we build home builders. We have several success stories of custom builders, land developers, or general contractors that

have come to us and, within a few years, emerge as much larger regional builders who dominate in their market. It’s very exciting to work with such great entrepreneurs on a daily basis, and I know the team takes great pride in every new community that they start, and every milestone they reach.

“However, with growth comes the need to maintain consistency and quality across a diverse geographic footprint, which can be

challenging at times. For us, that necessitates a thorough vetting process before we sign a franchise agreement. We have a strong business development team. Only a small percentage of prospective franchisees make it to the application stage. This helps to reinforce the exclusive experience expected by the individuals who purchase our homes,” he explains.

Although the business boasts over 80 local franchise builders in its network, each

one is unique and has its own strengths and opportunities. Paul pays particular attention to New Leaf Homes, which was recently awarded the prestigious title of Epcon’s ‘Emerging Builder of the Year’ at the 2022 Epcon National Conference. “As we’ve added new team members and services, we’ve been able to meet regularly with our builders to offer support as they embark on a new chapter in their businesses. New Leaf Homes, for

Epcon

example, has become a great story within our network, and we are very proud of them. As land developers who transitioned into home builders, they have been diligent and methodical in their approach to this new aspect of their business. They are currently studying one of our most successful projects in Columbus, to emulate it as closely as possible in Northeast Ohio. As someone who is originally from their area, I have been particularly impressed by how well they are serving my hometown and improving the lives of their home buyers,” Paul expresses.

He continues to add that the group at New Leaf Homes is a great example of what a motivated team can accomplish with Epcon. “They were already successful developers in other market segments, and are now finding swift success in our target market, with our team’s support and consultation

Although Paul highlights that his company’s portfolio is at the core of its franchise model, the franchising component of the business is only the start of what Epcon provides, and the company’s evolving design portfolio serves as a huge advantage for its builders. “In the last few years, we have placed a special emphasis

on expanding the support services available to our franchise builders, and we now have a well-rounded team that works directly with our builders on site selection, development, purchasing, marketing, sales and construction issues. This makes their integration and continued growth within our network as seamless as possible,” Paul says.

This strategy of combining quality and efficiency has helped build Epcon’s exceptional lines of courtyard homes, which are very popular with today’s 55+ demographic across the US. “Our home designs emphasize livability and private outdoor space, which has allowed us to stand out from the competition. Since we work with many franchise builders across the country who look to us to be on the edge of design, technology and marketing, it is crucial that we continually pivot towards the market’s direction, and I believe that our approach has helped us achieve that.”

One project in particular that Paul discusses is the Retreat at Rosemont, which was developed by New Leaf Homes and has been a great hit. “The location is incredible, the design is very unique for Northeast Ohio, and New Leaf’s execution on the project has been exceptional. The community is surrounded by an array of activities, restaurants and shopping, and complements the area very well. It’s been the first time that our detached homes have been introduced in the West Akron area, and the reception has been phenomenal. Buyers have been seeking this type of lifestyle option for many years without a compelling offer prior to New Leaf’s introduction to the community.”Wethenturn the conversation towards the people of Epcon. It is clear that Paul is very proud of his team, and shares how everyone

who works with the company does so with an inspiring amount of dedication and diligence.

“Our people build our long-term vision, quite literally. In Ohio, where the Buckeyes dominate Saturdays in the fall, our football coaches are legendary and one of them, Woody Hayes, put it best when he said, ‘You win with people.’ It’s such a simple concept, but a difficult one to execute well. We take small steps each day. Whether it be planned lunch outings or the check-in platform that we use to communicate weekly, those small steps develop an incredible team culture. We all genuinely know and care for each other, and that level of comfort yields great trust.

“I believe that the key to team motivation and unity is to provide clarity in terms of both company mission and expectations within a role, and taking time to communicate the impact and relevance each person has on the results of the organization. People perform at a very high level when they believe in the mission of the company, understand what is expected of them in living out that mission on a daily basis and can look back and see the way they directly impacted the projects we’ve brought to life,” he Takingemphasizes.itspassion for people one step further, the company is also proud of its involvement in the community, and collectively chooses a local charity to support in Central Ohio as a way of deepening the team’s camaraderie. Paul shares that, recently, Epcon made the decision to support three in particular. “Life Town is an organization that teaches social and life skills to special needs children through direct interaction and experience, and we were fortunate enough to spend time with the children there.

“Last year, we worked with an organization

families. This year, we are supporting a group that teaches leadership skills to young women, and several of the extraordinary ladies on our team had the opportunity to speak on a panel, discussing the need for more strong females in the construction industry. All of this has been a great way to step back from our daily grind and invest in our communities.”

We then bring the discussion to a close on the plans for the future. For Paul, there are several opportunities for the business to adopt that will allow it to refine its capabilities and expand its portfolio. “Although the laser-like focus we have on our current buyers will not change, we do see a need to shift to a broader market to serve additional price points. As mentioned earlier, our current design portfolio is extremely popular across the country, but it is priced at the higher end. In the coming months, we will be introducing new home designs that incorporate the livability and private outdoor space of our current collection but stand on a smaller footprint to yield more attainable sales prices for a wider pool of buyers who need home designs that work for their stages of life.”

The investments that Epcon has provided to improve its team and support systems have resulted in unprecedented growth across its network of builders. Five years from now, Paul believes that Epcon will be considered one of the largest builders in its niche space. In doing so, he believes the company will have the majority of its builders completing at least 50 homes per year, which will elevate the shared brand into the Top 20 list of builders in the country.

Below: Paul Hanson, President of Epcon Franchising

A new paradigm

For more than three decades, Paradigm Companies has carved out a strong reputation for its work on multi-family residential

Founded in 1991 as a developer, contractor, and property manager, Paradigm Companies (Paradigm) provides comprehensive building services for multi-family residential construction projects in Washington, DC and the surrounding area. By volume, Paradigm’s in-house development makes up about 20

percent of its total construction, with the other 80 percent going towards building projects for third party Owners/Developers.

Establishing and maintaining relationships with these various owner/developers has enabled the firm to continually create bestin-class apartments, condominiums, and townhouses. Across Paradigm’s impressive

31-year history, the team has built more than 100 projects, ranging from wood frame residential units, concrete podium/wood frame, to high-rise apartment towers. In addition to these product types, Paradigm has expanded its services to include officeto-apartment conversions which offer owners lower cost and shorter construction

schedules. In doing so, Paradigm has grown into a position of leadership within the MidAtlantic construction community.

There are three distinct operating companies under the Paradigm banner: Paradigm Development, Paradigm Construction, and Paradigm Management. The development company has been very

successful at creating partnerships with institutional investors, landowners, nonprofit organizations, and local governments.

Paradigm Construction historically has been one of the areas low-cost producers of high-end luxury apartments. Projects like the Maren, Dock 79, The Sur, and The Parks at Walter Reed are award winning projects priced

“In the next three-to-five years, we will continue to work with our customers on exciting new residential opportunities as they arise. We’re committed to grow our company’s reputation in the upgradeexistingconversionoffice-to-apartmentmarket,andunitandamenitymarket”

Left and below: Dock 79, Washington, D.C.

Paradigm Companies

and built to achieve their third-party Owner’s financial goals and quality expectations. The management company manages over 10,000 apartments for Paradigm’s account as well as for third party Owners. Managing and holding residential projects for the long term provides a natural feedback loop on what building systems work best over time, such as HVAC, windows, waterproofing, roofing, etc. Being able to apply this expertise and experience from all three companies to a conceptual new project is a service unique in the marketplace and has served clients well over time.

Clarke Ewart, President of Paradigm Construction explains: “The synergy in the way our people approach problem solving and creating solutions is based on our business model of controlling our risks, controlling our costs, and managing our schedules.”

This synergy helped Paradigm successfully navigate the pandemic and continue to operate various sites throughout the ensuing crisis. “As an essential business, we were able to keep working,” Clarke reveals. “To do so, however, we had to modify working conditions, spaces, and schedules to minimize exposure to Covid-19. We provided staff with all available PPE and incorporated additional measures to keep workplaces clean. Managing jobsites via remote and/or outdoor meetings also meant we could safely converse with subcontractors, owners, and design partners, and find new ways to accomplish necessary tasks together.

“By accelerating submittals and getting approvals sooner, we found that we could offset issues relating to manufacturer shutdowns, material shortages, and higher costs during the construction process,” he continues. “We ordered and stored critical components ahead of time to avoid delays and worked with owners and architects to find substitutions for products that were no longer available, allowing us to maintain our project schedules. Even though shutdowns and price hikes continue, we’re still pursuing early procurement of materials to avoid any unforeseen delays and financial escalations.”Anotherpersistent effect of the pandemic is its enduring shock to the labor landscape; however, realizing this ahead of time, Paradigm worked diligently to maintain and strengthen its workforce. “As with any successful company, people make us who we are,” states Clarke. “Engaging with our employees and understanding their individual needs and wants enables us to quickly deal with issues and keep our staff motivated. Furthermore,

Left and below: the Maren, Washington, D.C.

BARR Concrete

Everyone at BARR Concrete would like to thank Paradigm for the 22-year relationship that we have shared with them, and we wish them success in all their future endeavours.

Paradigm

to maintain our network of subcontractors, we’ve modified work schedules to prioritize the most critical activities, found available workers through our extensive subcontractor list, and have authorized overtime for critical activities when necessary.

“Like most problems, the best way of solving labor shortages is to maintain an open dialogue,” he continues. “By working together in times of crises, we can get through even the most challenging of times. As a testament to that, we employ a significant number of people that have been with Paradigm for over 20 years. It’s not uncommon to have a group of employees in a room and the newest employee having 15 years of experience at the company. That longevity gives our customers the confidence that they’re dealing with people who believe in Paradigm’s principles of hard work, integrity, and commitment. By providing our people with a healthy work environment, the proper training and tools, and an open-door policy at all levels, we all work to accomplish each other’s success. As a result, people want to

stay and grow with us as we continue to grow theAsbusiness.”Paradigm and its employees continue to grow, more and more exciting projects are being undertaken and completed. One such project is the award-winning, 13-story Maren development, which effectively combines efficient design, green building technology, and high-quality materials, and has since been recognized with the following: Best Washington/Baltimore Apartment Community at the 2020 Delta Associates Multi-family Awards; Best Multifamily Project, Award of Merit at the 2021 NAIOP DC/MC Awards of Excellence; and Best High-Rise Apartment Community, Ten-Plus Stories at the 2021 NAHB Pillars of the Industry

“LocatedAwards.onthe

Anacostia River, just south of the Washington Nationals’ baseball stadium, the Maren and its sister property, Dock 79, offer unparalleled views of the city’s skyline and the Frederick Douglass Bridge,” details Clarke. “Both were built for MRP Realty and are not only award-winning projects, but also fundamentally great places to live. The residential towers of these buildings sit above first-class restaurants, and the neighborhood continues to embrace new eateries and bars. The projects also make up part of the revitalized Anacostia River area, where people can enjoy the sights and sounds of the buzzing local activity.

“While the location is great for all these reasons, it also presented major challenges for the design and construction of each building’s foundations,” he reveals. “Being located on the bank of a river, the waterproofing had to work in conjunction with the mat foundation and tie-downs that were required to counteract the immense hydrostatic pressure. Coordinating these three independent systems together was essential to the success of the project.

“In the end, we value quality above all else,” Clarke concludes. “As a result, our goal has always been to be the best – not necessarily the biggest. In the next three-to-five years, we will continue to work with our customers on exciting new residential opportunities as they arise. We’re committed to grow our company’s reputation in the office-toapartment conversion market, and existing unit and amenity upgrade market. As more and more apartment buildings age, we look to help owners maintain their competitiveness in the marketplace. In doing so, we will ensure the success of our business for many more years to come.”

Left and below: the Maren, Washington, D.C.

Trusted to perform

Chuck Perry started his General Contracting business in 1968, quickly building a reputation throughout the Gainesville area for self-performed construction services, including concrete, carpentry, masonry, and roofing. The company won its first healthcare contract in 1992 for a project in the state of Florida – a sector that, 30 years later, now accounts for more than half of itsAscontracts.itseeks to build upon Chuck’s legacy, CPPI’s projects now stretch across Florida,

Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. Amid that portfolio, one particular type of healthcare project stands out: the freestanding emergency department (FSED), a licensed facility, structurally separate and distinct from a hospital that provides emergency care. Staffed by qualified emergency physicians, medical and nursing personnel, a typical FSED is available to the public 24 hours per day, seven days a week, and 365 days per year. Expected to provide a level of stabilizing treatment, each FSED will have mechanisms in place for the efficient

With more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare sector, Charles Perry Partners, Inc. has established itself as an industry leader in the construction of free-standing emergency departments throughout the state of Florida and beyond

transfer of patients to definitive care at a mainstream hospital facility.

The FSED market in the US is one that’s undergone significant growth in recent years, driven principally by overcrowding in hospital emergency departments, and an increasing number of patients opting for immediate treatment options. A rising number of injuries due to accidents, and of symptoms requiring immediate attention, including chest pain, epilepsy, and stroke, have further contributed to the growth in demand. It’s a market that was predicted, back in 2019, to

see compound annual growth of five percent between 2020 and 2027, when it’s expected to reach revenues of $5 billion in value.

At the forefront of the sector, CPPI has established itself as an industry leader in the construction of FSEDs, working with some of the most widely recognized providers of hospital and healthcare services in the US.

“The industry realized that it made sense to be able to service patients without requiring them to travel to a main, central hospital,” he says. “We now have over 20 FSEDs in place and seven currently under contract

in the design and preconstruction phase. We understand what it takes to build these projects, particularly within the state of Florida,” Brian K. Leslie, CPPI’s President/ Principal noted.

It’s a development driven largely by need. “Communities demand quick access to care,” agrees CPPI’s Executive Vice President/ Principal Vinnie Moreschi, who leads the firm’s healthcare endeavours. “In the outreach opportunity that they provide, FSED’s represent a critical component of the healthcare system. On top of that, they

Charles

also serve as a useful portal for hospital admissions: statistics show that FSED’s deliver more than ten percent of the ambulatory visits, and over a quarter of the acute care visits. As such, they help to prevent emergency departments from becoming a pinch-point.”Rangingfrom roughly 10,000-squarefeet to 25,000-square-feet in size, the construction of FSED’s is a process that takes CPPI anywhere from seven months to a year. “They started out as small, feeder opportunities to major hospitals,” explains David Rush, Project Director at CPPI, who is currently overseeing the construction of two hybrid emergency room and urgent care centers for UF Health Jacksonville. “Typically, we’ll construct them in outlying areas close to major traffic zones, so that primary trauma cases can be readily dealt with much quicker.”

Another driving factor behind the spread of FSED’s is economic. “Reimbursements from the government come much quicker for a non-inpatient facility,” David continues. “They

also allow hospital chains to create a captive market, which is why we’re now seeing a lot of facilities starting to daisy-chain their“TypicallyFSED’s.”the FSED’s include a single trauma room and multiple exam rooms,” adds Rosa Dalbow, Project Manager at CPPI. “One example is an FSED that we recently constructed to serve the City of Davenport. That facility includes a bariatric room, resuscitation room and five isolation rooms. It also includes de-contamination showers, making it a prime example of how FSED’s are equipped to handle many different healthcare emergencies.”Giventheadvantages of FSED’s, it’s of little surprise that CPPI isn’t the only general contractor championing their construction. It raises the question: what sets CPPI apart?

“With FSED’s, the ability to achieve a very high-paced speed to market is key,” answers Jason Morgan, Executive Vice President/ Principal at CPPI. “At CPPI, we empower our employees to make decisions at a project

level, while simultaneously building a culture of good “We’redecision-making.”atourverybestwhen we’re involved in the project almost from day one,” Jason continues. “Beginning with the concept, we have the expertise to help with planning, scheduling, cost control, and everything else that it takes to deliver the whole project.”

Jason’s comments are echoed by Trip Hereford, Principal at Hereford-Dooley Architects, and a longstanding partner of CPPI. “We’ve worked on over 150 FSED’s nationwide,” Trip reflects. “The typical blueprint consists of a racetrack layout, with exam rooms around the perimeter. The core hosts the nurse stations and main primary support spaces. At the extremities, you’ll find the entrance, and the mechanical-electrical systems on the reverse side.”

“We’ve worked on dozens of projects with CPPI over the years,” Trip goes on. “For me, CPPI is the best. The primary goals for our clients are always to find the right site and build it as quickly as possible. CPPI has been

great at implementing a lot of pre-fabrication off-site, modularizing large components like the toilets, and the headwalls for each room, and even going to the point of using mechanical ductwork routing. It’s the fastest speed-to-market campaign that we’ve seen.”

With more than 75 percent of the company’s work consisting of repeat business, it’s clear that CPPI is trusted by its clients to deliver. “One of our mottos has always been: ‘trust built on performance’,” Vinnie reflects. “That’s the springboard. Whether it’s with our clients, trade partners, or our employees, you have to prove yourself. By sticking to our word, and doing our job right, people have the faith to call upon us when we’re needed, and for us to work through any issues thatDespitearise.”its success within the sector, there’s more to CPPI than FSED’s. “We recently completed a number of expansion projects at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida,” notes Cody McCoy, Project Manager at CPPI. “That began with a two-room EP lab, along with several recovery bays. We then moved onto replacing the hospital kitchen, which was a very interesting project. We also replaced the central energy plant for the hospital, as part of which we had to place the entire facility on temporary chillers, while we carried out the major infrastructural improvements.”

“That took place alongside a series of other projects, including the rollout of a vertical tower expansion on top of an existing ED department,” he adds. “We’ve also just had our final life safety inspection for a 20-bed rehab facility in Tallahassee, Florida, and we’ve recently seen the completion of work on a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit renovation within the same hospital.”

Such projects aren’t without their complications. As David emphasizes, continued delays throughout the supply chain have seen planning and scheduling become an increasing challenge. “In this hangover from the Covid-19 pandemic, lead times on major equipment pieces can take up to a whole year. In that situation, how do you plan for projects that need to start in two months, with a 12-month build?”

“Add workforce constraints into the mix, and we have to be extremely proactive, communicating with our suppliers to identify pinch points,” he outlines. “We have to factor those into our building plans, and to discuss with our clients to find the best solution. Once again, it underlines the importance of robust relationships.”

For CPPI, 2022 is set to be another year of expansion. “Our focus now is to enhance our regions, improving everything across the owner and client experience in order to be able to deliver the best product, with the best service possible. Simultaneously, we’re investing heavily in our culture. As a management team, we’re engaging closely with our regional officers to ensure that our employees enjoy a best-in-class experience.

“Into 2023 and beyond, we’ll continue with those same goals,” he concludes. “When you have seven offices, it’s vital to keep growing and maturing. We want to remain competitive in the marketplace. To do that, you’ve got to innovate in your delivery, method, and approach wherever possible. That’s what motivates us to get up each morning, come to work each day, and strive to deliver something better for our clients.”

Built with passion

CommercialServices: builder

For over 40 years, the Marous family has carved out an impressive reputation for establishing special communities and realizing commercial and residential building dreams, taking carefully designed plans from the early drafting stage through to final delivery. In 2019, Marous Builders was founded, breaking out the construction aspect for their development company, Marous Development Group, creating one vertically integrated building company.

While the burgeoning business builds and owns its own properties, the wider Marous

Development Group remains the acting developer and, another subsidiary, Marous Management Services, takes the reins as property manager.

As Del Marous, President at Marous Builders, has it: “In simple terms, our main focus is to build for the Marous Development Group. However, we also build for third party, especially in the multifamily housing and for-sale townhouse market niche. We offer a variety of services, including but not limited to the following: pre-construction, construction management, design assist, general contracting, project management, and lump sum

contracting. One factor that sets us apart from the competition is that we always do the right thing in our work and by our people – or we don’t do it at all. This motto was passed down from my father, Adelbert ‘Chip’ Marous Jr., and we continue to live by it, professionally and personally, in everything we do.”

Indeed, the rigorous sense of purpose and duty that flows throughout the company has enabled it to plan and deliver countless construction projects, many of which are extensive in scale, at the highest of quality as well as being on-time and within budget.

Marous Builders has integral values which have been purposefully and carefully passed down from previous Marous generations, reaffirming best practices within the firm and the wider construction industry.

For Del, the family-centered values of the business remain paramount and help to foster a company culture that is both robust and highly motivational. “The people side is everything,” he observes. “Of course, business is conducted through and is reliant on strong and long-lasting relationships; without these, we have nothing. We wouldn’t be where we are now without tight-

knit partnerships spanning numerous years and“Todecades.thatend, we’ve worked hard to create a company that continually inspires its employees,” adds Del. “We lead from the front and by example, always letting our team know that, if things get hard, then we’ll be right by their side and eager to help. That extends to our suppliers and subcontractors, too; we encourage the taking place of business and community events where we can connect with the wider Marous Builders family on a more personal level.”

When the Covid-19 crisis hit, those deeply

ingrained values became even more important.

“One of the hardest challenges during the pandemic was when someone would fall ill,” says Del. “Naturally, we followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines; if you were in contact with the ill person, then those individuals would have to work from home, too. Although necessary, that was certainly a challenge. Construction is a very collaborative industry, and that makes a work-from-home model much harder to apply. It was something that none of us were used to; but we had no choice except to adapt and get creative, finding

Since 1980, the Marous name has been synonymous with construction in Cleveland, Ohio. Now Marous Builders is redefining modern living through a wide-spanning, multi-layered project along the beautiful Lake Erie

new ways to efficiently communicate. We don’t wish to return to that experience – workingfrom-home in mass quantities – but if we must, then we will utilize our newly discovered knowledge.”Asweslowly ease away from Covid-19 into this post-pandemic period, the hangover effects of that unprecedented global emergency are still affecting the building industry at large.

“Although we’ve begun to move on from the crisis, the construction landscape is still proving to be very challenging,” explains Del. “Supply chain problems persist. What we are doing now,

is buying everything we can – as soon as we can – and storing it until we need to use it. If we don’t, we can’t guarantee that we will get the material on time (or even at all). One benefit of carrying

out a lot of multi-family unit developments is that, because you can use the same materials and products across various projects, we can somewhat pivot around these issues.

“The labor shortage is also an ongoing challenge we’re having to contend with, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better,” he explains. “Meeting tight schedules and delivering projects on-time has never been more difficult. However, to circumnavigate the labor shortage and ensure we keep to deadlines, we are leveraging our strong, communicative relationships with our excellent team of subcontractors. This has, in turn, enabled us to progress with and complete some incredible projects despite the overall adversity we

Oneface.”such project is Battery Park in Cleveland. Since 2006, 168 townhouses and 82 apartments have been built as part of that development. Marous Builders is currently building the final two lots: one called Park Place that consists of 25 townhouses; the other, dubbed Station 73, is being built in collaboration with Avenue Partners, a multi-family development company, based in Columbus. Station 73 will see the construction of 258 new apartments, the first of which will be available for leasing later this year.

Located along the shores of Lake Erie, just minutes away from downtown Cleveland, Battery Park’s contemporary townhouses, apartments, and retail spaces are bringing new people and businesses to the historic west Cleveland neighborhood. The townhouses at Park Place offer an attractive range of amenities, including rooftop terraces with stunning views of the lake, modern architecture, custom cabinetry, high-efficiency furnaces and air conditioning, as well as direct access to Cleveland’s 147-acre Edgewater Park, which makes up part of the Lakefront Reservation and consists of more than 9000 feet of shoreline.

Station 73, moreover, uniquely capitalizes on this nature-rich location with an abundant offering: panoramic views can be soaked in at the community pool, pets are treated to a dog-friendly spa, a fitness and yoga center encourages residents to keep active and boost their mental health, and the on-site clubhouse and coworking space motivates people to come together – for work and play. In addition, Marous Builders is creating inspiring interiors with quartz countertops, walk-in closets, high-quality stainless-steel appliances, and Ten-foot ceilings.

As Del neatly puts it: “Both developments offer incredible views of downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie, and a pedestrian tunnel nearby takes you to the beautiful Edgewater Park, inviting people to really explore the great outdoors. We hold this community very close to our hearts and developing it has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Finishing off these two projects will mark the closing of a chapter that none of us will

many years to come.”

“At Marous Builders, we’re looking to close out 2022 with a record year,” concludes Del. “Put simply, that means we will have built and sold the highest number of townhouses, apartments, and units in one year. As we’re on course to meet that target, we’re very proud of the company, especially with the conditions that the entire industry is still working through,

As Marous Builders moves forward, we see ourselves continuing to grow, expanding our geographical reach and our network of subcontractors and individuals within the building industry. My own goal is to create an environment that attracts hardworking, driven individuals who look forward coming to work each day. That way, we can continue to do what we do best: build with passion.”

Ironclad service

RoofingServices:contracting

As one of the most preeminent roofing contractors in the US, Aspen Contracting (Aspen) is widely recognized for its comprehensive provision of roofing, siding, and guttering services. With more than 10,000 projects completed each year, the Lees Summit-headquartered company is certainly living up to its name: Aspen trees are hardy, resilient, and inclined to lay deep roots. Such roots help them survive natural disasters, whether that be a landside, tornado, or – in

Aspen’s case – a global health emergency.

“Aspen was founded with the intention of creating a national business that could take care of customers throughout the US – all under one name,” begins Pat Nussbeck, President at Aspen. “In our first seven years, we experienced tremendous growth, but then found ourselves slowly putting on the brakes. We needed to redefine our processes to keep steady and on target following our early expansion. Then the pandemic hit. Fortunately, we had already put good

processes and procedures in place; our roots were deep enough to keep us going. In the end, Covid-19 had little impact on our work, which meant we could instead channel our concerns into customer care and safety.

“Indeed, as a technology-driven company, moving to the digital sphere and carrying out contactless appointments was extremely simple,” he continues. “Our suppliers and partners were also essential in helping us navigate the challenges of Covid-19, especially the supply chain constraints that have

Putting people first, Aspen Contracting is laying deep roots across the US and plans on adding even more in the coming years, all the while offering its customers an unrivalled guarantee of excellence Contracting

recently cropped up. Together, we focused on strategies like pre-purchasing and bulk ordering to ensure supplies were always available. To this day, our customers have not felt the effect of those shortages; they’re simply blown away by our adaptability and the fact that we are not leaving them behind, which is happening in many other industries. That stands as a firm testament to all our hard work, which continues to fortify the business.”

The proof is in the numbers. Since the middle of last year, Aspen has found itself in

a period of tremendous growth once more. In fact, in the next six months, the company expects to exceed $100 million in sales for the second time in its history. Going forward, it intends to increase that figure by ten-to-15 percent year-over-year.

As Pat goes on to make clear, Aspen’s roots are plural and multifarious, representing each person involved in the company. Together, they help the company weather coming“Aspenstorms.isindebted to its people,” he states.

“They continue to work tirelessly to make things happen, put processes in place, and be part of the overall team. Throughout the years, we have always made a concerted effort to thank our employees for all their hard work and dedication because, without them, we couldn’t keep on doing what we are doing. One of our core values is people, and when we say that, we mean both our employees and our“Onecustomers.keyfactor behind our growth is that we take care of those who make the company

Aspen Contracting

it is,” he goes on. “For instance, we have many different programs in place for those who go above and beyond to help customers and fellow employees. Another point worth making is that we conduct weekly meetings, allowing us to talk about different strategies, industry updates, and just look out for each other in general. Though it seems simple, open communication of this kind works wonders in the long run; it cultivates a team mindset, which in turn offers us an edge over

the competition when it comes to ourOnservices.”thattopic, Aspen carries out a range of dedicated services in residential and commercial settings, shifting towards the latter in more recent years to access bigger projects and utilize some of the industry’s latest and greatest technology, such as aerial measurements and cutting-edge synthetic materials, on a larger scale. Churches, schools, retail parks, restaurant chains,

shopping centers – all of these and more fall under Aspen’s remit.

Trusted to build, repair, or replace any damaged roof, siding, or gutters, Aspen’s nationwide crews participate in continuous education and rigorous safety training on a weekly basis, ensuring that high standards are always maintained. “We don’t act like we are experts in everything, we simply stick to three core skills and master them: roofing, siding, and gutters – every type you can imagine,” explains Pat. “Whether the project is large or small, we have the capacity to do it. Since we carry out work on so many different types of roofs, we naturally have a varied clientele, and we tailor our services accordingly. We also take on maintenance contracts and work on new construction and retail projects. Every niche requires a unique approach: timelines need to be established and consistent communication must be “Thankssustained.totheunrivalled skills of our trained laborers, we can produce a vast amount of work with very little backlog,” he notes. “While a lot of companies are currently struggling to find labor in the aftermath of the pandemic, we are actually pushing sales and intend on bringing in more jobs, thus allowing us to keep our ever-growing team of laborers busy and in Anotherwork.”reason

behind Aspen’s continued success is the Ironclad Lifetime Warranty it offers, which covers everything from labor to materials – no questions asked. The warranty team are on-hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. “In this industry, people get really frustrated when a company passes the blame onto someone else,” reveals Pat. “Therefore, we set out to come up with a warranty that customers can trust, firmly knowing that if anything goes wrong, then it’ll be swiftly taken care of. In the end, property owners pay for a service. Part of that payment represents their expectation that they needn’t worry about that service for a long time. In that sense, we offer them a vital peace of mind.”

Aspen also offers an alternative peace of mind – one that is directed at those who deserve it most. Since 2015, the company has given back to local communities through its Covers 4 Others initiative. “It’s our signature program, and we remain incredibly proud of it,” reflects Pat. “Typically, we install at least eight roofs nationwide for those who deserve it, such as teachers, veterans, first responders, community leaders, and non-profit organizations.“Theprogram has turned into a celebration

for the homeowner, the crew, the company, and all the people involved,” he adds. “We sit down and enjoy a meal with everyone at the end of the process; it’s a brilliant way to connect with new communities and give back. To date, we have completed in excess of 60 projects with the help of our suppliers, who kindly sponsor the program, as well as all the members of the public who nominate and vote for the recipients. Participation from the community is so important in helping us identify those in need, in order to give them a helpingAspen’shand.”roots

are deep and, as this interview has made abundantly clear, they seek to integrate with others. That’s essential to its long-term plan. “Our future will be determined by how we work as a team,” Pat concludes. “In the next three-to-five years, we intend on expanding the Aspen crew in all departments to handle and facilitate projected company growth. That way, we will be able to enter more markets and serve more communities, ensuring property owners across the US are appropriately taken care of whenever they have a roofing, siding, or guttering need.”

SRS Distribution

SRS Distribution is the largest network of independent building product distributor brands in the United States, committed to serving the professional roofing contractor’s business. Each independent brand operates regional branches that are bound by a culture that focuses on customer relationships and service; efficiency through innovation; as well as a passion to enrich every customer and their business. The foundation of our success is based on a culture and a commitment to building long-lasting relationships, much like the partnership we share with Aspen Contracting. At SRS, we deliver more than just building products, SRS Delivers Customer Success.

LearnmoreatSRSDistribution.com

Stellar results Builders

MultifamilyServices: housing builder

For more than three decades, Galaxy Builders has been garnering a strong reputation across Texas and the southwest in its pursuit of excellence across the commercial and multifamily construction markets. As that reputation has grown, so has the company. Since we last featured Galaxy Builders in 2018, the firm has more than doubled in size. Last time, revenue was $135 million, which is certainly impressive in and of itself. Now,

however, that figure has skyrocketed to approximately $240 million and growing. With that comes an increase in personnel, leaping from about 55 employees to more than 110.

Neilesh Verma, President at Galaxy Builders, sat down with Construction Today to offer us an insight into the company’s meteoric growth.

“One of our greatest strengths, and the core reason behind our success, is that we have consistently promoted from within,” he begins.

“From a leadership perspective, we’ve not had

to tap into the marketplace to procure more managers. Instead, we have our own internal training program: Galaxy University. Created in 2020, the program trains all our team members on leadership and processes for leading their role, enabling them to become future stars and rise up the corporate ladder.

“Historically, our Operations has been run with five project management teams,” Neilesh continues. “Today, however, we have grown to 12, demonstrating the concerted effort

Texas is known as the Lone Star State. Yet, as its name suggests, San Antoniointends on creating a vast network of properties across the southwest that it rightly sees as a sky full of shining stars

we have made to develop our in-house team. In turn, this has generated a robust support system that facilitates organic company growth. Moreover, we might have previously had ten projects underway at any given time. Thanks to our rigorous training and internal infrastructure, that number has quickly risen to 25. Naturally, an increase of this kind will require greater oversight. Our emphasis on training, though, which can take between two-and-three years to complete, means

we’re confident that we can both maintain our rigorous standards as we continue to take on newEvenprojects.”moreimpressive than this commercial growth is the landscape in which it has been achieved. The pandemic was unrelenting, and many businesses that saw its brusque arrival haven’t lasted to see it slowly fade. For Galaxy Builders, however, the firm has gone from strength-to-strength.“Whilewe’vecertainly shown strong gains

in terms of revenue, Covid-19 has still been challenging, and it’s not over,” says Neilesh. “We’re still dealing with it and its many repercussions today. What we’re working on now is getting everyone back into the office. As I’ve said, training is fundamental to the business, and it’s one of the core reasons behind its success. During the pandemic, this newly launched initiative came with many challenges on how to conduct virtually. Microsoft Teams and Zoom were essential

to ensure that we didn’t lose that focus. So, right now, we’re trying to reinstate those key training programs. Candidly, we need additional team members working at the leadership level. With the pipeline remaining strong for new work, 12 project management teams simply won’t cut it in the long run, and therefore we’re looking to increase that number to 20 teams. But we want to do that from within.

“All this formalizes with our mission statement: delivering unmatched service by making sure that the client is number one,” he explains. “We always want them to feel like they’re the only one we have. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on supply chains, increasing costs across multiple scopes of work in the process. We want to be the customer’s shield, which might mean a smaller profit margin for us, but that’s not everything – we’re focused on the bigger picture. In the long run, if we operate with the right core values, then things will take care of themselves. There’s always going to be some sort of challenge or obstacle in the way, whether it is Covid-19 or issues with supply chains, but it ultimately comes down to perseverance. That’s when true character is shown.”

The leading general contracting firm specializes in multifamily builds that maximize resources and produce high-quality, longlasting structures that residents can be proud to call home. By working with owners, developers, project managers, architects, and others, the company’s award-winning management team has spearheaded the construction of more than 20,000 family units across the US.

From planning and bidding to construction and finishing, Galaxy Builders has worked on a plethora of projects: training facilities and barracks for the US armed forces, affordable housing, and large-scale living apartments for senior citizens, to name a few. “We are close to completing a really special development this August,” says Neilesh. “The Dalton is a unique, garden-style project in Pflugerville, Texas. It’s been a huge challenge to build in this market: we’ve not only lost manpower, but supply chain issues brought on by the pandemic have also had a massive impact on the project; lead times of two weeks have swiftly turned into two months. Nevertheless, the project has become a shining star among many other completed developments. The project is first class and is getting leased out as fast as we can get it built.

“Another challenge we’ve faced is the transactional culture that has cropped up since the beginning of the pandemic,” he observes.

“During that time, nothing was done faceto-face; everything was via text and email. People haven’t had to look someone else in the eye for the last two years. The pandemic has created a culture of keyboard warriors. I’m trying to counter that culture in a safe way by humanizing processes once again. Therefore, if an issue does arise, we should feel more comfortable to sit in a room, look across the table and seek to find a solution. For all of our projects, we strive to pinpoint the best subcontractors to work with, and that means finding team players. We found ourselves asking firms whether they wanted to work with us in the future, or if they were looking at each project as an isolated venture, meaning they could just pass their problems off onto us. First and foremost, we’re a team; that means we must work as one. However, that concept of teamwork extends to our local communities, and we fulfil that aspect of it through building housing for those in need. The end result of building relationships is what gives us a strong sense of purpose.”

As Neilesh has made evident, things are firmly in motion at Galaxy Builders. The first six months of this year have proved busier than any previous 12-month period of work. “Statistics like that show how much we’re continuing to grow,” he notes. “As a company, we’re confident that progress will be sustained over the next six months and beyond. Moving forward, our focus will be on fostering the right talent, training and developing the next set of leaders within the company. To that end, we’re also implementing an internship program to strengthen of our employee base, enabling us to take on more future projects. Another essential part of our growth will be technology, which has been lagging in the construction industry for far too long. In the next few years, we’re going to be investigating what technology can be brought into our practice, and the ways in which it can make our processes more efficient and cost-effective.

“Since the pandemic started, we’ve had to put our head down and get jobs done in the most straightforward way possible,” Neilesh concludes. “These last few years didn’t allow much leniency for advancement, and many companies consider themselves lucky to have simply made it through the chaos. But now we want to focus on the value that technology and data offers, and the ways in which they can pull the construction industry forward into the future. The tools of our trade are changing, and many are becoming digital. In the next few years, we will look at carrying out beta tests to discover the right tools for our projects.

With that, however, comes more training. People need to know how to use these tools. Fortunately, that’s our strong suit. By training our team and preparing them in advance,

we will be able to comprehend data and understand how exactly it can drive business. Thus, in that sense, we look forward to the future and all the excitement it holds.”

Superior site development

“Implementing GPS grade technology as a standard is a big commitment to make, but it has all been completely worth it. Similarly, we have also invested heavily into survey drones. These devices help track production, cost and are even used in simple record keeping. Their overall effect has been really positive for the business”

With a variety of specialized services, ranging from site development to demolition and recycling, JR Vinagro (JRV) continues to thrive in the New England construction market. Driven by efficient and effective teamwork, the company has built strong, long-lasting partnerships with a range of clientele in the public and private sectors.

“Based in Johnston, RI, JR Vinagro is amongst the largest independently owned and operated demolition, site development and crushing companies in New England,” begins JRV’s Vice President of Operations, Steven Lombardi. “We currently operate 100 trucks daily, and maintain an extensive inventory of heavy construction equipment, which we use on some of the region’s most high-profile and demanding projects.

“We are proud to be a family-owned business. The company’s owner and President, Joseph Vinagro, is committed

to his customers as well as his employees. Safety and quality of work are extremely important values for the company, and we take them very seriously.

“Joe has a total hands-on approach when it comes to business. This ethos is shared amongst the employees and motivates all of us to strive for continuous growth.

“JRV also own and operate a C&D processing facility, which maintains an incredibly high recycling rate. With this addition, JRV has been able to build its own ecosystem, which allows us to be very successful, even on the toughest projects and schedules,” he continues.

Offering a diverse portfolio of specialized services, and cutting-edge equipment, has helped JR Vinagro differentiate itself from the competition. As Steven discusses: “We offer a range of expert in-house services, designed to provide our customers with the most comprehensive support possible.

“We offer services in three main

categories, the first being site development, which includes mass excavation, building excavation, underground utilities, and finish work. Secondly, we have expertise in demolition work, specifically with heavy civil bridge, highway and building demolition, which comes with full-service abatement.“Ourother services involve crushing, including portable rock and recycled product crushing, full-service quarry work, land clearing and recycling. Our land clearing services are diverse; we can support customers with logging as well as wood product processing. We also offer access to our state-of-the art recycling facilities in conjunction with any of our other services. Our recycling machinery is capable of processing tough material, including asphalt, and concrete making it ideal for reducing waste on large construction sites.

“We are excellent at what we do; our teams can perform large jobs faster and more efficiently than the industry standard by being in control of almost all scope items related to our work. Each division within JR Vinagro complements and supports the

MD&B

Recognized as an industry leader, MD&B provides drilling and blasting services to both the construction and quarry markets, along with a variety of specialty services, including engineering, foundation services, public relations, pre-blast surveys, and packaged and bulk distribution.

What started as a family business in 1966 is now one of the most respected drilling and blasting operations in the country, with an employee-ownership majority, and a safety record unparalleled in the industry. It has earned its reputation as one of the safest and most experienced drilling and blasting companies from Maine to Alabama, by consistently exceeding industry safety standards, and by delivering on challenging high-pace, high-tech projects.

The Company has grown with multiple operating divisions throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions, servicing each local market with local experienced employees, equipment and resources.

MD&B’s team of 500 strong is comprised of the industry’s best craftspeople, working with the determination and accountability of business owners. The company’s employee ownership has resulted in a renewed and improved level of service to its customers. Fifty-six years later, MD&B is still delivering on its founding principles of hard work, honesty and quality service, whether the project is a house foundation or a natural gas pipeline.

Efficiency is central to JRV’s mission, as Steven affirms: “Getting the job done ontime is an important part of what we do as Vinagro

others, in a way that makes us exponentially more effective and successful.”

With years of experience and an unparalleled reputation, it comes as no surprise that JRV is a trusted partner to many leading commercial and residential builders across the New England area. “Each division within JR Vinagro has a unique customer base,” explains Steve.

“Our site development teams primarily work with private property owners, including landlords and developers. We have seen great success as of late in the public-school market, but due to the way these projects operate, they are also similar to our private customer base in terms of interaction and

“Inprocess.termsof demolition, we enjoy a mixture of public and private work, in a range of sectors. Similarly, our crushing department works with both kinds of clients. A considerable portion of our crushing customers are businesses, ranging from locally-owned facilities to internationallyowned corporations. We also get hired regularly as a subcontractor to other site development companies through this branch of the

“Finally,business.onthe land clearing side of things, we also work with a range of public and private customers. This division works in collaboration with other site development companies most frequently. One of the reasons we have been so successful in this area is our ability to work effectively with, and integrate smoothly into, external projects,” he elaborates.

In order to ensure it provides the highest quality service to customers throughout the business, JRV has made investments into leading GPS and data technologies. JRV uses a lot of cutting-edge software within the business, with the aim of optimizing our processes and supporting our clientele. Recently, we have made particularly effective use of our all-in-one GPS grade control system, which is used on much of the in-house

“Implementingequipment.GPS grade technology as a standard is a big commitment to make, but it has all been completely worth it. Similarly, we have also invested heavily into survey drones. These devices help track production, cost and are even used in simple record keeping. Their overall effect has been really positive for the business.”

a site developer. We increase efficiency in a number of ways, including having a strong and positive company culture. We also make good use of the GPS software which is used to turn our drone work into simple and usable data. This keeps the company transparent and helps make important information legible to all parties.

“In a similar vein, we use Foundation Field Log for all of our timekeeping needs. This helps us manage our teams and ensure everyone is accounted for. We also use Bluebeam, which is a project management software. The program has become standard for most of our project management staff, as it helps streamline processes and promotes synergy between different teams within theThebusiness.”strategic use of these systems, as well as its diverse range of capabilities, helped JRV successfully complete on two major projects this year. The company was contracted to work on the construction of a public school and a large-scale warehouse simultaneously, as Steven reveals: “Both of these projects required extensive time and resources, much more than we ever thought we’d need for a single site. We had to put the right people on these projects, without distracting from the various jobs we also had active at the time.

“An added challenge was the fact that both of these projects broke ground during the height of the supply chain crisis, which meant we had to be very creative, and think outside of the box, when procuring resources and labor for the jobs. It is one of our proudest accomplishments that we were able to get that massive amount of equipment secured in such a short amount of time, especially under such unique circumstances.”

This ability to work under extreme conditions and problem-solve in the moment also helped JRV succeed during 2020’s Covid-19 lockdowns, as Steven details: “Our biggest challenge during the pandemic came as a big surprise to everyone. When the government put the country into lockdown, the ownership agencies took advantage of the decreased traffic and pushed us to do double, or even triple, our usual production amount on high-exposure projects.

“As the world was shutting down, we were ramping up. It was definitely a surreal experience, but it taught us a lot about adaptability, and showed us what JR Vinagro is really capable of. Since then we have completed some of our biggest projects to date, and we are looking forward to more in the near future,” he concludes.

Big business with a family touch

Leading tilt-up construction expert, T&T Construction, is enjoying success throughout the East Coast and beyond

the commercial and industrial construction markets. Operating on a solid foundation of integrity, ethics and commitment, the company continually innovates at the leading edge of tilt-up wall construction.

Founded in 1995, T&T soon grew into one of the largest concrete building solution experts in Central Florida. As company President, Jason Thomas, begins: “The company started out as a small concrete masonry operation, and very

quickly moved into commercial concrete. In 1996, we hit one of our first major milestones, which was the construction of our first tilting wall“Weproject.sawa lot of success throughout our

early years, in part due to the property boom in central Florida. With the ever-increasing popularity of Disneyworld, there was high demand for more infrastructure in Central Florida, and that, combined with our specialist

knowledge of tilt wall construction, really put a lot of jet fuel behind the company.

“We continued to see positive advancement throughout the Disney corridor of Central Florida. We started working on lots of different

“We have a solid backlog of work on the books through to mid-2023, including several high-profile projects with customers like DHL, FedEx and Amazon. Recent inflationary conditions have created new financial risks in the market, so we must keep our hand to the plough, servicing our clients, and continuing to provide high quality production”

projects, including schools, hospitals, and shopping centers, and continued to see impressive growth.”

The enduring success of T&T has been hard earned for Jason and his team, as the 2008 recession meant the company had to pivot into new areas. “The economy really slowed down after 2008, and it impacted us right up until around 2014. We went from doing 50 jobs at one time to only having two or three active projects. We knew that it was time to make a change, and so T&T started looking into defense work, particularly on military bases.”

On a trip to visit family in Eastern Pennsylvania in 2013, Jason found a robust warehouse market quickly emerging from the ‘Great Recession’. He contacted developers he had relationships with in the South and found they were building in the region. “A deal was soon in hand and so we decided to open a new office in Souderton, Pennsylvania. Eric Publicover, who is now our Senior Business Development Manager, was one of the first people we hired there. He’s indigenous to the region and has been a very solid anchoring force since we started.

“The move proved to be one of the best decisions we ever made. We have formed great partnerships with the developers, contractors, and key suppliers, and thanks to those relationships, we have been able to work on an assortment of projects,” Jason asserts.

This change in territories opened a whole new chapter for T&T, as Eric Publicover, Senior Business Development Manager, enthuses:

“The timing was ideal for us; there was a new wave of distribution development in the area, and tilt-up construction was also rapidly growing in use. We found a niche in the market that played to our existing strengths, and there was very strong demand for it, so that was a milestone moment for the company.”

Today, T&T continues to thrive, as specialist experts in concrete solutions and tilt-up construction. This unique building method continues to prove a major asset for the company, as Jason details: “Tilt-up is a distinctive method for a couple of reasons. Not only does it come in at a very competitive price point compared to other walling systems, but it’s very versatile. You can enhance the finish with wood, steel, or even stucco, and thanks to the nature of the design, it’s also very efficient.

With a strong history and the experience of the Central Florida headquarters we are pursuing a variety of project opportunities from Florida to New“Tilt-upEngland.can be constructed to an incredibly high standard in much less time than more traditional wall construction. This means that

architects have a lot more freedom and leeway when it comes to last minute revisions to designs. You can pivot design elements on a tilt wall right up until the last minute. With pre-cast, you require the design finalized weeks in advance, if not longer, prior to construction. It is more challenging to adjust to late changes requested from the warehouse tenants,“Beingthough.”atilt-up

contractor also requires us to have many more specialized skills than our competitors. Because of its fast-paced nature, tilt wall construction requires a lot of coordination, which falls under our remit. We must be organized, detail-oriented, and most of all, adaptable, to maintain the high level of quality and scheduling requirements our customers expect.

“In addition, tilt wall panels are incredibly durable. Because the panels are made on-site and not transported, they can be built much larger while still allowing for natural expansion and contraction. For the same price point, other wall systems are far less reliable, so it’s a very strong investment all round.”

“Incorporating less joints also reduces the need for long-term maintenance. On many of our projects, we are constructing leased properties for long-term tenants. Owners often want to make changes to a warehouse once they’ve leased the building and the flexibility of tilt-up enables us to pivot quickly with tenant requested changes during construction at a

T&T of Central

much lower cost than, for example, masonry or pre-cast wall systems. This serves the client in the long run, because offering that flexibility is a beneficial selling point to their prospective tenants,” Eric adds.

A few notable projects recently completed by T&T Construction include the following:

• Eli Lilly’s 600,000 sf insulin manufacturing facility in Durham, NC. The structure included deep foundation walls, Ducilcrete-expanded joint slabs, slabs on metal deck and compositeinsulated tilt walls.

• A Preferred Freezer Warehouse in Jacksonville, FL requiring super-flat slab finishes to facilitate high-shelf racking.

• A Rockefeller Group cold storage warehouse in Edison, NJ that incorporated composite insulated tilt walls with 2” deep architectural form liner.

• Trammell- Crowe’s Innovation Park in East Windsor, NJ - two warehouses with architectural tilt wall panels.

As the tilt wall construction method grows into new markets, T&T is well-positioned to lead the way. “Tilt-up has evolved considerably over the years, and now it’s in just about every construction sector there is. The traditional tilt-up was historically heavily associated with warehouse design, but it’s

since grown in its utilization. One can now find tilt walls in housing, hospitals, office buildings, and schools, especially in the South. We also see great opportunities with the growing demand for cold/frozen storage facilities with ever increasing wall height requirements.“Wehavebeen blessed with the opportunity to work with some very talented architects and panel engineers, who are infusing innovation at the cutting-edge of tilt wall construction. There are increasingly creative uses in courthouses, blast-proof buildings, data centers and cultural spaces. It’s everywhere now, which is exciting,” JasonT&Tconfirms.alsoensures its services are delivered reliably and on-time, through a strong focus on preconstruction services, safety and company culture. “We have a network of safety specialists across all our regions, and overseeing that entire operation is our Safety Director, Tracy McIntosh. We’ve made investments in protecting our people consistently over the years, and we’ve found that having local specialists and management level staff dedicated to risk assessment education has helped weave that value into the fabric of our company culture.

“I think, at the end of the day, safety is relationship-based. It’s about looking out for the people around you, whilst also valuing your own personal wellbeing. We try to foster helpful-minded team members, because we know how important it is that people have empathy for one another while remaining solutions-oriented. Solve the problem, help the people. That’s what’s important,” affirms

“We’reJason.trying to create a worker experience that is team-oriented and personal at the same time. We want people to watch out for themselves and their buddies. What it comes down to is cherishing one another, and protecting the sense of family that’s so important to us,” elaborates Cat Markel, Marketing Assistant at T&T.

Today, T&T enjoys ongoing success, and strong partnerships with leading warehousing and logistics general contractors and developers. “We have a solid backlog of work on the books through to mid-2023, including several high-profile projects with customers like DHL, FedEx and Amazon. Recent inflationary conditions have created new financial risks in the market, so we must keep our hand to the plough, servicing our clients, and continuing to provide high quality production,” Jason reveals.

With key upcoming projects and plans for further expansion in the Carolinas and Georgia,

it’s clear that T&T Construction has a bright future. As Eric concludes: “In the long-term, T&T will be looking for more projects in the South and mid-Atlantic regions. We will build stronger relationships with existing

clients while serving new customers in those markets as we have done from our Florida and Pennsylvania operations, enabling the company to better serve our clients along the East Coast.”

Concretizing a reputation

StructuralServices: concrete solutions

From traditional form work to elaborate hybrid parking deck systems, American Structural Concrete has become the partner of choice for industrial concrete solutions

The recent history of American Structural Concrete (ASC) begins in 2014. After years of providing form work for high-rise buildings, the company instigated a new era, pivoting towards the provision of complete concrete frames as a means to better serve contractors,

many of whom were grappling with difficult trading conditions in the wake of the 2008 financial crash.

Since then, the company has continued to diversify. As Brack Maggard, Principal of ASC explains: “We decided to expand into industrial construction, and tilt warehouses,

and brought onboard our proprietary hybrid parking deck system. In the breadth of that offering, we’re unique.”

It’s a USP that is already bearing fruit. Since 2015, ASC has been reporting an impressive set of figures, including the doubling of its tilt business between 2021 and 2022, and

the steady growth of its parking deck system offering – a fact that is all the more impressive in light of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, an event that has given shape to much of the last few years.

“Covid-19 was a significant challenge,” Brack tells us. “In early 2020, it wasn’t clear what was going to happen from day-to-day. The sections of our business that were determined to be essential continued with their work. Despite the inevitable impact on productivity,

our primary concern was that we wanted our people to be safe, and we did everything necessary to make sure that was the case. Throughout the entire pandemic, we had very few infected people that got sick.”

Listening to the impressive way in which ASC dealt with the pandemic and protected its employees, it’s difficult not to draw a comparison with the company’s impeccable safety record – something confirmed by its recent receipt of the prestigious Diamond

Award, presented by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) trade association. This is reflective of an approach to business that places safety as its biggest emphasis.

“Our receipt of Diamond Award status is a credit to our culture, led by our excellent safety department,” Brack confirms. “Through the effective provision of training, they’ve made sure that mindset has filtered through each level of the company, and to every one of our people in the field.”

Above: JW Marriott

Above: Skyhouse Frisco

As a trusted partner and industry leader, ASC boasts an impressive portfolio, encompassing some of the largest and most ambitious structural concrete construction projects in the sout east of the US. One such project is the award-winning Faena Art Center in Miami. Featuring a distinctive cantilevered arch, the Rem Koolhaas/OMA-designed building also includes hundreds of different window shapes and sizes implemented into the structural concrete facade. ASC provided traditional form and turnkey frame works for the project, described by Brack as a “one-of-akind building,” the likes of which will not be built

“Anotheragain. significant project for us was the six-level hybrid parking deck that we built for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma,” Brack tells us. “With 50 days of construction delays and a change in the scope of the project, we had to be efficient to meet the start date for precast fabrication and erection. Nevertheless, we built our client a one-million-square-foot parking garage, including 3000 car spaces, on time. The project has gone on to win ‘Best of Precast Structure’ and ‘Best Parking: 3000 Spaces’ from the Precast Concrete Manufacturers Association.”

ASC’s work on the Chattanooga Airport in Chattanooga, Tennessee has brought yet more awards. The challenge for the project was to start the short-term parking, and keep it open throughout the construction of a new four-level garage. It’s a feat that was possible only with a hybrid design, which required a crane during precast erection, but not during the horizontal slab construction – a big advantage for the project’s airport setting.

“We heard that the Chattanooga Airport Authority was looking for a garage almost a year and a half prior to bid,” Brack reveals. “We went straight up there to sell them on our hybrid parking system, and after winning the contract, we completed it ahead of Underpinningschedule.”

ASC’s approach to each of these projects is an emphasis on value engineering, a process that the company utilizes to drive customer satisfaction and generate repeat business. “When we receive a set of drawings from our general contractor, we’ll go through them to identify ways in which we can redesign sections of the job to lower their costs,” Brack explains. “That might mean looking at what we can cut out or rebar, or exploring innovative approaches to the project logistics even prior to winning the bid itself.”

It’s a commitment to going the extra mile that speaks once again to ASC’s emphasis on culture. “Our people are our company,” Brack confirms. “We have incentives in place to ensure that where departments collectively meet their goals, our employees are appropriately rewarded. As a result, everybody here feels as though they’re working together – from the bid phase, right through to the completion of a job. Fostering that collaborative environment is what makes our company so successful.”

As we move firmly through summer, prospects for ASC are looking bright. The company has a full order book for the remainder of 2022, and has already secured a sizable backload for 2023. It’s a strong backlog, which is giving the company plenty of confidence for the years to come.

“Our parking garages are going to be a highlight of our growth, simply because of the returns they deliver,” Brack concludes. “Within that segment, our intention is to transition from a design and build contractor into a general contractor for hybrid garages. We want to be able to approach a site owner with the offer to deliver a complete parking garage design and build, right down to the smallest details. At the same time, we intend to continue growing our tilt business. If we can achieve that, at the right pace, then we should be able to at least double our value within the next two-to-three years.”

Left: Atlanta Centennial Resort and below: Choctaw Durant Casino parking garage

Cementingstrong foundations

Innovation and sustainability are the driving forces of Ash Grove’s success. With a dedication to quality cement and exceptional practices both on-site and off, the company continues to be a leader for the building materials sector

Ash Grove is proud of the roots it has within the cement industry, and the company is building on its heritage to become more innovative and sustainable for the everchanging world of construction. For over 140 years, Ash Grove has provided cementitious materials to construct highways, bridges,

commercial and industrial complexes, homes, and other structures fundamental to the man-made environment.

The company was established in Missouri, in the city of the same name, as the Ash Grove White Lime Association in 1882. In 1908, its first plant opened in Chanute, Kansas, and throughout the last century,

the company has experienced impressive annualFromgrowth.

Construction Today’s research, we found that Ash Grove was the largest USowned cement company until it was acquired in 2018, by CRH, which is a global building materials company with headquarters in Ireland. Since the acquisition, the company

Ash Grove

has become well-known as one of the big players in North America’s cement production sector, with the addition of operations in Florida, the US Great Lakes and Canada. In 2021, Ash Grove shipped 14.3 million tons of cement from its 12 plants and its network of terminals located throughout the Midwest, Texas, and western US.

At the heart of the company’s infrastructure is its Overland Park headquarters, which was built during the 60s, and is home to a world-class laboratory that is used to carry out research, and advanced testing of cement, pozzolans, concrete, aggregates, and lime. As one of the best-equipped, privately-owned laboratories in the country, this technical center is CCRL and AASHTO-accredited for cement and concrete materials testing. It is also used to conduct a variety of environmental-related analyses by closely following guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

For Ash Grove’s cement manufacturing plants, the tech center serves a threefold purpose. Firstly, it assists the production facilities in meeting full product specification compliance. Secondly, it improves the competitiveness and consistency of products through testing and development, and finally, it performs environmental sample analyses that align with government and state regulations.

Tying in with the strengths of its manufacturing capabilities, another key aspect to the company’s long-standing success is owed to its team, which consists of a group of experts who are well-acquainted with the demands of the construction industry. Every day, Ash Grove’s technical service managers are in the field helping customers solve the common – and uncommon – challenges that may arise in their construction projects. Each individual is equipped with in-depth knowledge and experience with cement and concrete properties and construction practices, which guarantees their capability in expedited problem identification.

The Ash Grove group is also made of pioneering consultants. While some are LEED-certified, all the business’s technical service managers are LEED-educated, and work with customers to achieve their project’s environmental goals. These experts are equipped to advise on a wide variety of building solutions, including soil stabilization, roller compacted concrete, paving and

parking lot solutions, pervious concrete, and building materials life-cycle cost analysis. Taking these skills one step further, Ash Grove’s technical service managers are actively involved in local and national cement, and concrete technical associations, including the American Concrete Institute and ASTM

International.Ittherefore comes as no surprise that Ash Grove is also dedicated to the health and

safety of its team, which exceeds industry standards. Beyond the ongoing safety training, Ash Grove has initiated several programs to bring best practice processes into its facilities, and customize them to each location. Each facility develops and implements a health and safety plan tailored to its unique needs to guide efforts that prevent injuries, illnesses and property damage. Included in the programs is a

Cadence Environmental Energy

In 1986, as the American industry surged forward, it left behind a wide variety of energy-bearing wastes that were being ineffectively managed and unable to recover their valuable energy. Cadence Environmental Energy (Cadence) saw an opportunity, and presented Ash Grove Cement Company (Ash Grove) with a new and revolutionary idea: using industrial wastes as fuel.

Ash Grove immediately saw the vast potential this idea could mean for its business, the industry, and for the environment. A substantial portion of its huge energy demands could be satisfied with a non-fossil energy source. Energy-bearing wastes could be more effectively treated with higher degrees of material destruction, due to the intense heat of the cement kilns, and a new and better environmental option was available to waste generators.

A partnership of supply and demand was formed that has continued to grow stronger over the last 37 years. Together, both Cadence and Ash Grove have become leaders in the alternative fuel industry. Cadence is proud to be entering its fifth decade of working exclusively with Ash Grove as its exclusive supplier of hazardous waste-derived fuels. We are proud of our partnership and history with Ash Grove, and look forward to more opportunities in the future.

Ash Grove

focus on behavior-based safety, where front-line supervisors, employees, contractors, vendors and visitors give feedback to reinforce safe measures and reduce the chance of injury.

In each facility, a full-time health and safety manager coordinates and facilitates company health and safety programs and processes, and each year, Ash Grove is proud to recognize plant-level safety performance through a company-wide awards program.

While quality and commitment are dependable traits of Ash Grove’s work, sustainability is also a characteristic that is woven into the business’s DNA. The company leads the cement industry in the discovery, development acquisition, testing and implementation of new equipment and technologies that continuously meet high standards for emission reductions to maintain its leadership in the use of alternative fuels.

From our findings, the company believes it is a privilege to produce a product essential to the US nation’s economic health in a way that protects natural resources, ensures workplace safety and serves the communities in which it operates.

As a result, Ash Grove has implemented numerous methods that advocate for greener construction practices, which take shape in various forms across the company’s operation.

For example, in December 2011, Ash Grove became the first domestic cement manufacturer to have its entire fleet of clinker manufacturing facilities earn the prestigious ISO 14001:2004 certification. Ash Grove continued investing in this certification and later conformed to the latest ISO 14001:2015 standard.

This internationally recognized regulation sets recommended requirements for an Environmental Management System (EMS). Endorsed by both the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Portland Cement Association, the standard is intended to improve a company’s ability to manage environmental compliance.

Interestingly, Ash Grove also has one of the highest fuel substitution rates of any cement company in the world. Since 1987, Ash Grove has safely burned alternative fuels in a way that has saved 3.5 million tons of coal. To make this data more concrete, that is the equivalent to filling more than 44,100 rail cars, which would stretch end-to-end from

Kansas City, Missouri, to Denver in Colorado.Oneofthe

ways in which it achieves this is through its HOTDISC reactor at the Midlothian plant in Texas - the only one of its kind in the US. Made by FLSmidth, the hot disc combustion device is a large hearth furnace that integrates with the plant’s preheater and calciner systems. It burns whole truck tires to prevent over 10,000 tons of non-hazardous waste from reaching landfills

Uniquely,annually.AshGrove is a member of the Wildlife Habitat Council. Its property in Foreman, Arkansas, is certified as a wildlife habitat, and the business subsequently introduced a program that involves initiatives to enhance aquatic ecosystems and nesting areas for native birds, promoting indigenous plant and pollinator diversity, and hosting environmental education.

However, possibly the most exciting of Ash Grove’s green strategies, is its roadmap to carbon neutrality. The cement and

Ash

concrete industry has developed a plan outlining the opportunities and actions to reach carbon neutrality, which encompasses a five-link chain that starts at the cement plant and extends to the life cycle of the built environment to incorporate the circular economy. This approach to leverage relationships at each step of the value chain demonstrates that the construction industry is capable of tackling climate change head-on.Thefive links in the value chain include the production of clinker, the manufacture and shipment of cement, the production of concrete, the construction of the built environment, and the capture of carbon dioxide using concrete as a carbon sink. Although cement and concrete manufacturers do not control every link in the value chain, the roadmap provides direction

and incentives that spur achievable and promisingKeepingaction.instep with the industry’s plan to carbon neutrality, Ash Grove’s products and manufacturing practices support the development of buildings that have earned widely recognized standards for sustainable structures. For example, when blended, the company’s Durabase and Class C fly ash products are effective soil stabilizers that help extend the life of roads and parking surfaces. When the two materials are combined, they reduce the amount of energy used and carbon emissions dispersed, and improve the durability of concrete.

Ash Grove also takes great pride in its commitment to serving its communities, and in 1997, the business established the Ash Grove Charitable Foundation. With an extensive manufacturing footprint,

being a good neighbor in the communities in which Ash Grove serves is its number one priority. Through this platform, the company makes annual grants to support the work of public charities, and in 2021, the foundation donated over 750,000 dollars to approximately 100 qualifying organizations.Asoneofthe largest cement companies in the United States, and one of the oldest still in operation, Ash Grove plays an important part in the foundation and infrastructure of the US. From what Construction Today has learnt, sustainability will remain at the forefront of the company’s operation, while the strength of its people continues to be integral in its overall success. We look forward to seeing the ways in which Ash Grove maintains its leadership in the building materials industry in the years to come.