CNR January-Febrary 2018 by Scott Tripp

2017 KEYSTONE AWARDS

BANKS AND CONSTRUCTION FINANCING

BEYOND THE BULB FOR ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS PAGE 16

THE VOICE FOR THE ST. LOUIS CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY JANUARYâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;FEBRUARY '18

F E AT U R E S COVER STORY PAGE 16 BEYOND THE BULB - COMPLEXITY, COMPETITION KEEPS ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS ADAPTING, TRAINING BY KERRY SMITH

PUBLISHER Michael Chollet mike@stlouiscnr.com 314.956.0753 EDITOR Kerry Smith kerry@stlouiscnr.com 618.225.2253 PRODUCTION Tripp Co. Creative, Inc. www.trippco.net

2017 KEYSTONE AWARD WINNERS

CONTENTS VOLUME 49 | NUMBER 1

FEATURES + COLUMNS

SALES Gene Keeven Advertising gene@stlouiscnr.com 314.368.7357

Everly on the Loop Offers Plethora of Amenities on the Delmar Loop

Kathie Gardner Advertising kathie@stlouiscnr.com 314.821.3003

Law: Loop Trolley Rolls Forward After Boundary-Related Lawsuit by Property Owners

CNR St. Louis Construction News and Review (ISSN: 1045-3792) (USPS:988-340) is published bimonthly for $32.00 per year by Visio, LLC. Back issues are available for $5 per copy. Periodicals-class postage paid at High Ridge, MO and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: 1038 Walnut Terrace - Byrnes Mill, MO 63049 E ditorial material under bylines expresses the opinions of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the policy or opinions of this publication. Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement of the product advertised or listed nor statements concerning them.

By James R. Keller

Sales: The Epic Fails of Sales: Eat Your Sales Strategy Veggies or No Dessert for You

2017 Finishing Touch Awards

Shared Law Enforcement, Court Facilities Completed in Edwardsville and O’Fallon, MO

Open for Business: St. Louis Banks Looking to Finance New Construction, Equipment in 2018

ISSN 1045-3792 CNR St. Louis Construction News and Review, as the Voice for the Construction Industry in the St. Louis Trade Area, has nearly 4,000 subscribers with an average of eight readers per copy. No material in this publication may be reproduced in any fashion without explicit written permission from the Publisher.

By Kerry Smith

By TomWoodcock

By Kerry Smith

Redeveloped Kiener Plaza Offers Visitors and Regulars Access, Interactivity By Kerry Smith

Departments

IT: What 2018 May Bring: Faster, Smarter, Ultra-High-Definition Technology By Joe Balsarotti

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry

January – February ‘18

s e i s Ple t hor t i n a of A me

op Of fer

h nt

l e D

Everl on t y

e h

By Kerry Smith

A 14-story, 209-unit, luxury living tower on the Delmar Loop within walking distance of Washington University in St. Louis and Saint Louis University was developed by CRG and The Koman Group, designed by Forum Studio and built by Clayco.

CNR St. Louis Construction News and Review - www.stlouiscnr.com

24-HR

Everly on the Loop encompasses 10 residential floors, an amenity floor, three levels of parking and 4,500 square feet of ground-level retail. The amenity-filled loft development’s construction was completed in the third quarter of 2017, just in time for university students to move into its studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom options. Although the apartments are not limited to university students, Forum Studio Associate Principal Brice Zickuhr said the high-rise’s amenities were designed specifically with students and young urban professionals in mind. Everly on the Loop is a short drive from Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Central West End. “The fourth floor is exclusively designed to be an amenity deck,” Zickuhr said. “It features a rooftop lounging pool, green space, fire pits and a pergola with an outdoor kitchen and grilling area. Also on the fourth floor we designed a stateof-the-art fitness center with an attached yoga studio, tanning bed and clubhouse equipped with an indoor community kitchen and ample space to lounge around the indoor fireplace.” More notable amenities at Everly on the Loop include a 14-foot by 9-foot monitor. A glass overhead door on the fourth floor opens up into a larger entertainment space, according to Zickuhr, that can accommodate up to 30 guests. “Once you open up that overhead glass door, the whole amenity deck is open to you,” he said. A dedicated space accommodating 110 bicycles is another amenity offering, as is a fix-it station and secure parking. Every one of the living development’s units touts 9-foot ceilings and a generous supply of windows to allow for as much natural light as possible, according to Zickuhr. Each living space interior includes quartz countertops, luxury vinyl flooring, a washer and dryer and individual heating, cooling and air conditioning controls. “We definitely had our share of construction challenges,” said said Clayco Senior Project Manager Erick Todd. “One of the principal challenges was designing and building a development on an extremely tight footprint. Everly on the Loop’s foundations are literally within one foot of the adjacent buildings on both the west and east lot lines. Also, there were a significant number of existing utilities at the site that we needed to relocate before beginning construction.” This included removal of the overhead Ameren UE power lines that feed a large portion of the Loop area, Todd said. It required a tremendous amount of coordination between Clayco and Ameren UE in order to keep the drilled pier work going while not disrupting power to the neighboring businesses, he noted. Workers relocated the overhead power lines to an underground duct bank; duct banks are groups of conduits designed to protect and consolidate cabling to and from buildings. In a duct bank, data and electrical cables are laid out within PVC conduits that are bundled together; these groupings of conduit are protected by concrete and metal casings. As part of the scope of work for Everly on the Loop, Todd said, these duct banks were buried, which allowed

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry January - February ‘18

Clayco to consolidate the wiring for the development into centralized underground paths. Perhaps the biggest construction challenge of the project, according to Zickuhr, was the massive, intricate coordination necessary to build the luxury high-rise using scaffolding. “Several skilled trades needed to access the scaffolding in order to perform their specific role in building Everly on the Loop,” he said. “In addition to the masons utilizing it, the ironworkers needed the scaffolding in order to set the masonry angles at every floor on up

the development. These were large, steel angles that had to be welded in place to hold the brick,” Zickurh added. “One of the steepest challenges involved window installation. Every one of the units has a 6-foot-wide by 7-foot-tall window. Each one of those large windows, close to 600 of them, had to be hoisted and installed using scaffolding. It was a huge physical challenge and required skillful scheduling as to which trade was allowed to utilize the scaffolding and when.” Everly on the Loop’s traditional brick façade is a signature element in

What Is Success?

Before we start any project, we ask ourselves the question, “What does success on this project look like?” Two epiphanies evolve from that question: 1.) We realize that success, whether that’s a satisfied customer or meeting a tough deadline, is a process, not a destination. 2.) We recognize that we need to savor, and applaud the smaller victories of our team along the way, as well as acknowledging shortfalls and acting to improve the process. It’s human nature to believe we’ll be more successful later than we are at any given moment. We should always be growing and trying to be better than we were before. Tony Robbins calls it CANI: Constant And Never-ending Improvement. At Drilling Service, we’ll celebrate all our team’s successes in 2018 – not just the big ones. As always, we’ll own and learn from our mistakes and have the courage to try new things. Our future and that of our customers, depends on it. Number two in “Murphys’ Laws,” the creed under which we operate is: “Plan for success before we ever set foot on the job.”

www.DRILLINGSERVICECO.com | PHONE: (314) 291-1111

CNR St. Louis Construction News and Review - www.stlouiscnr.com

its exterior design and construction, according to Todd. Also specific to the scaffold-related complexity of the project was the feat of setting the scaffolding into place while simultaneously enclosing the structure, he said. “You don’t see too many new buildings of this height utilizing a traditional brick masonry façade,” said Todd. “Due to the tight schedule of only 14 months, it was very important to get the building enclosed as soon as possible after the concrete structure was topped out. We were able to accomplish this task by scaffolding the entire 250-foot-tall building along all the elevations. This allowed those building the exterior stud wall system and punched windows to stay ahead of schedule and work at the same time with the bricklayers, with much of that portion of the job being performed during winter.” Everly on the Loop features a mostly post-tension concrete structure, according to Todd, that Concrete Strategies was able to complete at the rapid pace of 6.5 months. Project partners Forum Studio, structural engineer Uzun+Case and Clayco engineered a flat slab system with cast-in-place column and virtually no beams underneath; the post tensioning technique entailed positioning the steel cables inside plastic sleeves prior to placing the concrete. Once the concrete gained strength but before any loads were applied, the cables were pulled tight – or tensioned – and anchored against the outer edges of the concrete. “Typically you’d see an 8-inch concrete slab,” Todd said. “We were able to narrow it down to 6.5 inches. It’s a more efficient approach that provides more usable floor-to-floor height,” he added. Everly on the Loop’s design and construction brought another surmountable obstacle. Designing, constructing and installing more than 400 bathrooms involved an enormous number of penetrations to the floors and ceilings up the 10 stories of living space. “With the post-tension structure, we couldn’t go back and drill another hole because of the cabling that is woven through the cement slabs on each level,” Zickhur said. “To accomplish this part of the project, we used BIM (building information modeling) to locate the precise spot where each of these holes should be and then transferred it

Clayco Forum Studio LandDesign CRG The Koman Group Collins & Hermann J.W. Bommarito Construction Simms Building Group Geotechnology, Inc. Midwest Testing, Inc. City Design Group, Inc. Drilling Service Co. Deep Foundations, LLC Concrete Strategies Breckenridge Material Co. Bumpy’s Steel Erection, LLC United Iron Works, Inc. Penn Services Lasalle Iron Works, Inc. Hyde Sheet Metal Heitkamp Masonry James G. Staat Tuckpointing & Waterproofing Lindberg Waterproofing, Inc. Titan Contractors Services, Inc. BAM Contracting, LLC TW Constructors BlueBoat International

Crescent Plumbing Supply Bristol Design Group, Inc. Gravois Planing Mill Co. Comarco Complete Door Systems Hager Companies Zumwalt Corporation Wil-Bond Construction, LLC Winco Windows Wilke Window & Door Quaker Windows & Doors Niehaus Building Services Wies Drywall & Construction Corp. Shay Roofing, Inc. St. Charles Acoustics Flooring Systems, Inc. The PaintSmiths of St. Louis, Inc. Westport Pools, LLC KB Install, LLC Otis Elevator Co. FIRE Solutions, Inc. Century Fire Protection Power Up Electrical Contractors Jarrell Mechanical Contractors Plumbing Planning Corp. Uzun+Case, LLC Stock & Associates Consulting Engineers, Inc.

Everly on the Loop Project Partners

from the 3D modeling software to the field. There were thousands of hole penetrations, an average of 300 per floor on 10 floors. The technology really helped us control that process and minimize any errors,” he added. Clayco built the entire building project in a 3D model, said Todd, and tied its construction schedule for Everly on the Loop to that model. “We were able to plug a date into the schedule and the model provided a simulated visual image of precisely what stage the project should be at on that date,” he said. “For example, modeling provided us with specific details such as ‘on this day, we should be on floor eight pouring concrete while the bricklayers should be on floor five, west elevation, the exterior windows on floor six north elevation and the exterior wall system on floor six south elevation.’ BIM helped us tremendously in coordinating with the trades, and it helped us understand the sequencing of different construction activities to give the owner, bank and other project partners a detailed idea of where we were at any given time in terms of the overall construction project.”

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry

January – February ‘18

L AW

BY J A M E S R . K E L L E R

Loop Trolley Rolls Forward After Boundary-Related Lawsuit by Property Owners Missouri’s Eastern District Court of Appeals has ruled that the trolley car rail system along Delmar Boulevard may proceed even though its tracks extend 535 feet beyond the boundaries of the original Loop Trolley Transportation Development District. This decision allows construction to be completed and operation to begin for the Loop Trolley Company. The case is Glickert v. Loop Trolley Transportation Development District, 2017 WL 6459964, decided December 19. The project extends from the Loop in University City to Forest Park in St. Louis, about 2.2 miles. After some financial delays, the trollies are expected to run sometime in the early part of 2018. The project began when the state of Missouri enacted the Missouri Transportation Development District Act, authorizing the creation of transportation development districts to plan, fund and construct transportation and related infrastructure projects. The district is a political subdivision created by this act. The Loop Trolley Company is a nonprofit corporation. It contracted with the district to operate the trollies. In 2007, pursuant to the TDD Act, St. Louis City and University City passed resolutions calling for the joint establishment of the District. Its purpose was to fund, promote, plan, design, construct, improve, maintain and operate the trolley car rail system project. In August 2007, University City filed a petition in St. Louis County Circuit Court to create a transportation development district under the TDD Act. The petition sought to initiate the project and impose a one-percent sales tax within the district. The petition contained a legal description for the proposed district. It was a general description of the approximate location that the project’s improvements would be along Delmar Boulevard between Kingsland Avenue and DeBaliviere Avenue and along DeBaliviere Avenue between Delmar Boulevard and Lindell Boulevard within the boundaries of the district. The project’s description anticipated that the project might need to include one or more turn-around areas and other improvements located within or adjacent to Delmar Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue. The Circuit Court approved a mail-in election for voter approval of the project within the district. The ballot’s results showed overwhelming voter support for the project. Peter Sarandos, the only plaintiff in this lawsuit who filed an appeal, voted against the project. He owned commercial property within the district. With the voters’ approval, the Circuit Court entered a final judgment establishing the district as a political subdivision in accordance with the TDD Act and authorized the sales tax. The judgment contained a general description of the project with its approximate location and allowed the district broad authority to also construct improvements necessary for the proposed trolley car system. Between 2008 and 2016, the district collected about $5 million in sales tax to be used to plan, design, implement and construct the project. A grant from the Federal Transportation Administration helped finance the project with an additional $22.1 million. The court noted that since 2000, plans for the project had been subject to considerable public discussion and media attention as well as community meetings. Since 2008, the district’s plans included project improvements that extended

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beyond the district’s boundaries on both ends of the route. The final plans included an extension of the trolley car route by 300 feet beyond the district’s boundaries on the eastern end and a connection that extended 235 feet beyond the district’s boundaries on the western end. Construction for the overall project began in early 2015. Construction for the extra track began in December 2015. By April 2016, construction was substantially complete with track at 85 percent, maintenance facility at 70 percent, catenary (wiring) system at 85 percent, the first two trolleys at 80 percent and utilities at 95 percent. Construction costs totaled $46.96 million with overall project costs at $50.9 million. The plaintiffs filed their lawsuit in July 2015. They sought a declaratory judgment and a permanent injunction alleging that the district lacked authority to build, maintain and operate the project beyond the boundaries of the district. The dispute was over the additional 535 feet of track. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of the district, finding that the plaintiffs unreasonably delayed bringing their lawsuit. The court determined - applying a remedy frequently raised but seldom granted - that the plaintiffs’ delay created laches. The trial court also found that the project was located within the approximate location described in the prior court’s judgment, and that the work on the extra track length was necessary. The appellate court upheld the trial court’s decision, finding that the plaintiffs knew or easily could have ascertained years ago that the district’s plan extended beyond the original boundaries. Laches can apply where one party delays taking action for such a long period of time that it puts the other party at a disadvantage which could have been avoided if the lawsuit had been filed earlier. The appellate court noted that Joe Edwards, board chairman for the district, had testified by affidavit at the trial court level. He testified that the proposed trolley route had included a portion of the Forest Park line on the east end and the Kingsland Avenue line on the west end since the planning efforts for the project began in 2008. Edwards further testified that the project’s website had provided similar information about the project and its proposed route. The district had expended considerable resources to design and construct the project. The ultimate boundaries were publicly available by about 2010, according to the Eastern District Court of Appeals. Without the additional 535 feet, the district would have had to redesign the entire project at a minimum additional cost of $5 million in non-grant funds. The appellate court concluded that the additional few hundred feet fit within the project’s description as to its approximate location. The court also concluded that the project was consistent with voter approval. The appellate court noted Edwards testified that the extension was necessary to the project. The extension increased ridership and revenue, provided a safe stop for riders to embark and disembark and offered a safe stub for the trolley to be able to stop in Forest Park, switch travel directions and proceed back to the Loop along DeBaliviere Avenue without causing safety issues and minimizing traffic congestion. The Eastern District concluded, based upon these factors, that the trial court correctly determined that the slight extension of a few hundred feet beyond the boundaries on each terminus fell within the broad category of additional items called for in the original judgment. James R. Keller is a partner at Herzog Crebs LLP where he concentrates his practice on construction law, complex business disputes, real estate and ADR. He also is an arbitrator and a mediator. He can be reached at 314-231-6700 or jrk@herzogcrebs.com.

SALES

BY TO M WO O D C O C K

The Epic Fails of Sales: Eat Your Sales Strategy Veggies or No Dessert for You After 30 years of selling, managing sales efforts, creating sales strategies and working in sales consulting, I may have a couple things narrowed down. People love to corner me and ask me their biggest sales question, waiting for a pearl of wisdom. The one thing about pearls is that they take a long time to form. I’ve witnessed virtually every sales technique and gimmick known to man. I often chuckle when a young, newly college-educated star gives me the inside scoop on how sales works in this day and age. I love their zeal, but I saw that back in 1982, my friend. Everyone is looking for a new angle to avoid doing the tough stuff, trying to reduce personal contact and get greater results. Kind of sounds like an oxymoron (or just moronic). Apps, social media and website innovation can all replace genuine sales work, I’m told. Technology makes it so easy for the customer to do business with you. Well then, they just have to, right? Not so fast, Padawan! We are still human, the last time I checked. We are communicators by nature. We still like to talk to people we like…some more than others, but we all do. Companies spend gobs of money on methods they are sure will work, or are told will work, only to remain exactly where they are with regard to revenue and profitability. Why is that? My Facebook page is killer and I have a gazillion likes! I’m number two on Google under my trade! I even Instagram all my projects! Plus, you should see my website. Then thud. Same old, same old. Here are the most common errors I see:

• Saying, Not Doing – Yeah, this is number one. Many people talk a good game but few enact the techniques necessary that develop into action. They don’t see people, make the phone calls, follow up, join associations, create a sales strategy or properly negotiate. They usually revert to selling by price. They’ll often talk a good game but they have no game. Sad but true. The easiest step of doing what you know to do is skipped. • No Plan – Could you imagine building a facility without a plan? Well, how can you build an effective sales effort without one? I mean, where are you going to go? Who are you going to talk to? What are your goals? How will you attain them? Where do you need to improve? These are not easy questions for many to answer. Many owners and reps I meet with have an epiphany when I discuss developing a sales plan. I feel like a genius, when in reality this is 101 to an effective sales effort. So if steps one and two are missed, good luck! Throw that dart into the ocean and hope you hit a fish. Better yet, bid until your little estimator brain falls out on the floor and dies a slow death. Estimating is not sales. Discounting is not selling. Giving away the house is not business development. Having a sales plan can eliminate the pricing game.

• No Competitive Difference – If you’ve ever been to one of my seminars, which I’m sure you have (wink wink), you know this is foundational to everything I teach. If I’ve trained you one on one, you’ve seen me with a blue face because I’ve told you this until that occurs. If you do not give me, the prospect, a reason to choose you over a competitor, why would I spend more to choose you? Even if you were the same price, why choose you? Why would I change from my current supplier I trust and choose you? This is the baseline, folks. You first must know what makes you the better choice, and then know how to communicate that effectively. Low price is not a competitive difference; it’s simply math. Any caveman or cavewoman can lower their price. My five-year-old is at this stage in his mathematical skills. “If I charge $3 but the other guy is charging $2, if I go to $1.50, can I have the job?” Find out what makes you different from the competitor and sell it. Those are only three of the common errors, but they definitely occur the most often. Lord knows, I try to convince thousands of construction industry professionals of these truths. Some have heard it over and over again, but to no avail. I regularly get asked to speak on sales at events and privately to companies. They’ll bring me back multiple times over the years and ask if I have something new. In actuality, they need to hear this stuff again…and again… and again. I still see these same mistakes made everyday, but now with new techniques. Facebook pages that say the same things as their competitor’s page. Social media posts saying exactly the same things. Websites that are merely plug and play templates because the businesses are plug and play. Yikes. New formats, but the same gruel served up only microwaved. As companies come into the new construction season, they’ll scramble to spend marketing dollars to get attention. Not that they shouldn’t, but to what sales effort are these efforts attached? What’s the plan to capitalize on the interest created? Is there a clear separation defined? Will the sales effort and follow-up be done or merely talked about? It’s tough to be the person who has to tell a company that just dropped $20k on a website that it’s meaningless if they don’t have a detailed sales strategy. It doesn’t always get me an invite to the company BBQ. There is no denying that if you eat your sales vegetables, dessert will soon follow. Companies love when revenues and profits increase but struggle to format a way to achieve that end. Regardless of the fact, it’s there for the taking. If you sell properly, it’s all low-hanging fruit! Tom Woodcock, president, seal the deal, is a speaker and trainer for the construction industry nationwide. He can be reached at 314-775-9217 or admin@tomwoodcocksealthedeal.com.

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry January - February ‘18

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Missouri recently announced the winners of its 2017 construction industry awards at its gala event at the Ameristar Casino Resort & Spa.

2017 KEYSTONE AWARD WINNERS 8

CNR St. Louis Construction News and Review - www.stlouiscnr.com

The AGC of Missouri presented eight Construction Keystone Awards, which highlight the creativity and talents of Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s construction industry. This was the 20th annual presentation of the Construction Keystone Awards. Rather than being based upon a projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beauty, these awards are bestowed to contractors for their successes in achieving solutions during construction and for successfully overcoming related project challenges.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER / PRIME CONTRACTOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION — PROJECT UNDER $25 MILLION

GENERAL CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER / PRIME CONTRACTOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION — PROJECT $25 MILLION OR MORE

KEYSTONE AWARDS

The Harlan Company

Alberici Healthcare

Project: The Jan Phillips Learning Center

Project: St. Joseph Hospital, Lake Saint Louis Campus Expansion

Owner: The College School

Owner: SSM Health

Project Location: Pacific, MO

Project Location: Lake Saint Louis, MO

FRANKLIN | MECHANICAL, INC. Plumbing Contractors BIM/3D Modeling Prefabrication

240 Larkin Williams Ind. Fenton, MO 63026 636.492.3200 St. Louis, MO | Belleville, IL

Congratulations to

Alberici Healthcare

2017 AGC-MO Keystone Award Winner for SSM Health St. Joseph HospitalLake Saint Louis Campus Expansion

Tarlton-Simms Joint Venture

2017 AGC-MO Keystone Award Finalist for Barnes-Jewish Hospital Central Production Kitchen

Franklin Mechanical is proud to have been part of these teams! The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry January - February ‘18

GENERAL CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER / PRIME CONTRACTOR TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE — PROJECT UNDER $25 MILLION

GENERAL CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER / PRIME CONTRACTOR TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE — PROJECT $25 MILLION OR MORE

Emery Sapp & Sons, Inc.

Project: Columbia I-70 Bridges Design Build

Project: South Lawrence Trafficway (K10)

Owner: Missouri Department of Transportation

Owner: Kansas Department of Transportation

Project Location: Columbia, MO

Project Location: Lawrence, KS

SPECIALTY / SUBCONTRACTOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION — PROJECT UNDER $5 MILLION

SPECIALTY / SUBCONTRACTOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION — PROJECT $5 MILLION OR MORE

Murphy Company

icon Mechanical Construction and Engineering

Project: Condenser Water System & Building Automation Upgrade

Project: Zurich North America Headquarters

Owner: Scottrade Center – St. Louis Blues

Owner: Zurich North America

Project Location: St. Louis, MO

Project Location: Schaumberg, IL

CNR St. Louis Construction News and Review - www.stlouiscnr.com

SPECIALTY / SUBCONTRACTOR TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE —PROJECT UNDER $5 MILLION

GENERAL CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER / PRIME CONTRACTOR BUILDING / INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION — PROJECT $100 MILLION OR MORE

KEYSTONE AWARDS Power UP Electrical Contractors Project: Kiener Plaza

Alberici Constructors in a Joint Venture with Stanley Consultants, Inc. Project: Edgewater Unit 5 AQCS Project

Owner: City of St. Louis

Owner: Alliant Energy

Project Location: St. Louis, MO

Project Location: Sheboygan, WI

2018 INVESTMENT IN

INFRASTRUCTURE EXPO

TUESDAY– FEBRUARY 27

ST. CHARLES CONVENTION CENTER •

Learn about millions of dollars in upcoming & future infrastructure projects in the area.

•

See the newest innovations in construction equipment.

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Meet with major purchasers of construction, contractors and suppliers.

•

Everyone welcome! $30 general admission.

Presentations by: MoDOT, MSD, MO American Water, Public Works Depts from St. Louis City and surrounding counties, Federal Reserve Bank, Great Rivers Greenway and MORE! Please visit sitestl.org for more information or to purchase tickets. The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry January - February ‘18

AGC 2017 Specialty KEYSTONE Contractor ofAWARDS the Year (SCOTY) Awards ANCILLARY SERVICES: D & S Fencing Co., Inc.

HVAC / PIPING: Murphy Company

CONCRETE / PAVING: Byrne & Jones Construction

MASONRY: John J. Smith Masonry Company

EARTHWORK & UTILITIES: Budrovich Excavating & Contracting

PLUMBING & FIRE PROTECTION Fire Tech, LLC

ELECTRICAL: Guarantee Electrical Company

STRUCTURAL & FINISH CARPENTRY: BAM Contracting, LLC

ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION & DEMOLITION: Midwest Service Group

STRUCTURAL & FINISH METALS: ACME Erectors, Inc.

INT. & EXT. FINISHES, OPENINGS & FIXTURES: Flooring Systems, Inc.

THERMAL & MOISTURE PROTECTION: Kirberg Company

AGCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2017 SPECIALTY CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR Byrne & Jones Construction

CNR St. Louis Construction News and Review - www.stlouiscnr.com

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Industrial & Commercial Generators • Maintenance Plans • 24/7 Service • Dependable Support The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry January - February ‘18

2017

Finishing Touch Awards The Painting & Decorating Foundation and the Wall and Ceiling Industry Advancement Fund recently recognized outstanding achievements by wall, ceiling and painting contractors at an awards gala at the Missouri Athletic Club. An independent panel of industry judges selected honorees based upon the skill, craftsmanship and creativity demonstrated in their work.

Drywall Taping – Commercial 1st Place Wies Drywall and Construction Corp. Tower Café at Wells Fargo Advisors 2nd Place TJ Wies Contracting, Inc. St. Louis College of Pharmacy 3rd Place Sundermeyer, Ltd. MICDS Athletic Complex

Drywall Framing and Installation – Commercial 1st Place Wies Drywall and Construction Corp. Tower Café at Wells Fargo Advisors 2nd Place Sundermeyer, Ltd. MICDS Athletic Complex 3rd Place Niehaus Building Services Monsanto Technology Building

CNR St. Louis Construction News and Review - www.stlouiscnr.com

Drywall Taping – Residential 1st Place John Bender, Inc. Tower Terrace Gardens

Industrial Buildings 1st Place Coatings Unlimited, Inc. Miami Dolphins (Hard Rock) Stadium

Industrial Structures

Commercial Painting – Interior

1st Place Thomas Industrial Coatings Ohio River Bridges

1st Place Jos. Ward Painting Co. Maryland Heights Community Center

2nd Place Thomas Industrial Coatings Brickmine Bridge

Commercial Painting – Exterior

Commercial Wallcovering

Special Effects – Commercial

Honorable Mention Bazan Painting Co. Lemay Streetscape Project

Honorable Mention Jos. Ward Painting Co. Rabo AgriFinance Murals at Delmar Gardens III

Honorable Mention The PaintSmiths of St. Louis, Inc. Sporting Event Display

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry

January – February ‘18

BEYOND THE BULB

Complexity, Competition Keeps Electrical Contractors Adapting, Training BY K ER RY SM I T H 16

CNR St. Louis Construction News and Review - www.stlouiscnr.com

The energy marketplace is complex and competitive, according to electrical contractors in St. Louis, which adds several layers of complexity – and opportunity – to the field of commercial electrical contracting. Bob Kaemmerlen Jr., president of Kaemmerlen Electric, said an abundance of new projects on the market requires contractors to continually learn and adapt to embrace the latest technological advances and related products in the electrical industry. “The big thing for us is within the world of lighting,” Kaemmerlen said. “LED (light-emitting diode) lighting has replaced really all other types of lighting technology within the past 12 months. It has been pretty sweeping in terms of being more economical and an opportunity for a lot of companies. When building a project these days, clients and owners want an all-LED solution.” Sometimes that can be tricky, Kaemmerlen adds, as the choices are vast. “Without question, the lighting has grown with regard to new products on the market, but it has also grown in terms of complexity. And even though there are a lot of applications in which LED is now competitive with fluorescent, in general it has dramatically raised the lighting costs in a project.” That being said, Kaemmerlen said over the life of the building, LED lighting systems are much more energy efficient than their fluorescent forerunners and it shows in the owner’s overall electrical costs. “Energy savings is definitely what’s spurring the LED revolution,” he said. Related to LED, he said, is the sweeping introduction of a slew of sophisticated lighting controls including those devoted to lighting control. “A lot of buildings are being designed with daylight harvesting systems,” said Kaemmerlen. “A daylight harvesting system uses daylight to offset the amount of electric lighting needed to properly light a space in order to reduce energy consumption. This is accomplished using lighting control systems that are able to dim or switch electric lighting in response to changing daylight availability.” Daylight harvesting is becoming a standard design feature in commercial office buildings; World Wide Technology’s new headquarters in Maryland Heights’ Westport Plaza, a job that Kaemmerlen Electric performed, is an example of a building where all the lighting is LED and where daylight harvesting systems are in place.

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January – February ‘18

“There is almost no limit to the facility design opportunities with these advances in commercial electrical,” said Kaemmerlen. Emily Martin is president of Aschinger Electric, a certified Women’s Business Enterprise. In addition to investment in lighting and overall construction-related electrical, Martin said the non-construction side of the industry is gaining a growing number of St. Louis-area building owner clients investing in energized and de-energized maintenance. “Our company comes in and performs infrared and ultrasonic studies of a client’s electrical distribution systems – their switch gear, panel boards, bus ducts, transformers, disconnects, switch gears and branch panels,” Martin said. “Investing in that maintenance helps owners identify potential electrical problems in their equipment before it occurs. It also enables them to do the maintenance that is necessary to keep those systems up and running as well as reliable,” she added, noting that electrical distribution equipment has a typical lifespan of 30 to 50 years if properly maintained. In addition to using infrared thermography to detect heat, Aschinger electricians use ultrasonic testing, which employs sound waves to hear and detect problems in electrical systems, Martin said. “We can hear problems that you might not be able to see, like corroded insulation on wire. Variations in sine waves allow us to identify what specific type of electrical problem is occurring.” Kaiser Electric President Ken Naumann and Director of Design and Engineering Brian Litteken agree that fluorescent or halo lights are becoming a rare find due to the prevalence of LED lighting. “The next step in commercial electrical will be in fixture controllability,” Litteken said. “Missouri has not yet

“ Missouri has not yet adopted an energy code, but LED offers a lot of features from a control aspect that will be the next wave." adopted an energy code, but LED offers a lot of features from a control aspect that will be the next wave, such as a low-wattage, low-voltage system to power those fixtures.” Rather than a 120-volt or 277-volt power source, the nearfuture standard will be to run a Cat (Category) 6 network data cable, according to Litteken. The Cat 6 is a standardized, twistedpair cable for Ethernet and other network physical layers. “The Cat 6 cable enables building owners to run the power through the cable and also their controls through the same cable,” he said. “In the commercial electrical industry, we’re already using Cat 6 for controls, but we have to hit it with a high-voltage cable to also power the lights.” Technology in electrical contracting is also advancing at a swift pace, Naumann said. “We’re among several other St. Louisbased electrical contractors that are investing in the software, hardware and people it takes to do the coordination up front. It’s all being driven by the demand for continuous improvement in project delivery. The percentage of commercial construction projects being done off-site with modeling software and prefabrication continues to increase. Rather than getting requests for 2D designs from construction managers, we’re getting a lot more requests for design and installation involving BIM (building information modeling),” he added, noting that

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BIM also brings contractors and their clients the benefits of quicker preparation of equipment and materials as well as better negotiation and ultimately better pricing. Steve Potts is president of Primary Systems, an integrator of communication and fire systems for business, industry, health care and education. Potts said more than 80 percent of the company’s business comes from acute care and healthcare clientele. “Primary Systems is basically a clinical process systems integrator that began in the mid-1970s as a classic cabling company, digging ditches for Southwestern Bell,” said Potts. “Today we have three RNs and an IT professional on staff.” Electrical is but one of the systems that Potts’ firm integrates. Communications systems that support security, life safety, telephony, audio/video and building automation are also part of Primary’s menu of services. “We’re an IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local 1 contractor,” Potts said. “We handle specific product sets that are exclusive to our clients. The commercial electrical and high-speed data industry is incredibly competitive.” Potts serves as a board member for the Electrical Connection (EC), a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). A nonprofit organization, the EC partnership created the first-ever apprenticeship training program for the electrical industry in 1941; since then, the EC partnership has trained more than 10,000 electricians and is the single-largest source of licensed electrical contractors in the state of Missouri. Jim Curran is the executive vice president of the EC. He works

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closely with Doug Martin, executive vice president of the St. Louis Chapter of NECA and Frank Jacobs, business manager of IBEW Local 1, to build strong community outreach initiatives in traditional and 21st century and beyond technologies. Dennis Gralike is director of the St. Louis Electrical Industry Training Center. All four have spent a lifetime invested in skills and safety training of apprentices and working electricians in all industry applications. All agree that recruiting and training enough workers to adequately meet today and tomorrow’s workforce demands for qualified electricians is a steep challenge. “Some of the specific challenges our training committee is trying to face include providing the exact training that is needed in our industry as a whole,” said Gralike. “Changes in content and in curriculum delivery are coming at a faster pace than we’ve seen in more than 40 years. Electrical apprenticeships are completely web-based. We’re currently offering 35 night school classes and four separate programs to make sure our people are trained in the latest technologies. These classes are offered at no cost to our members,” he added. The very purpose behind launching the EC nearly 25 years ago, according to Martin, was to reach out to the community and develop business for electricians to perform across St. Louis. “Our role today is distinctly different than it was back in 1993,” he said. “Today we’re much more mutually beneficial as we continue building an industry that is very competitive.” St. Louis’ diverse electrical industry includes small local contractors to mid-size electrical companies and up to the big players. “St. Louis is blessed, in part, because of our long-term commitment to capable, large contractors,” said Martin. “Four of the country’s largest electrical contractors are right here in St. Louis.”

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SHARED LAW ENFORCEMENT, COURT FACILITIES COMPLETED IN EDWARDSVILLE AND O’FALLON, MO O’Fallon, MO Justice Center, designed by Police Facility Design Group and built by McCarthy Building Companies, is a 97,800-square-foot, $26.8 million police and municipal courts building with 20,000 square feet of secure underground parking that doubles as a FEMA-rated storm shelter. A seven-stall indoor firing range and 300 degree surround marksmanship/judgment training technology is also a major component of the new structure.

Edwardsville, IL’s new Public Safety Facility houses the city’s police and fire personnel along with emergency dispatch operations. The $12 milion, 51,000-squarefoot facility, designed by FGM Architects and built by IMPACT Strategies, touts a three-story training tower with floor doors and repelling walls.

On the same mild weekend in early December, two prominent public safety projects were dedicated, one in Missouri and one in Illinois. The new Justice Center in O’Fallon, MO – a $26.8 million, 97,800-square-foot facility that includes a municipal courthouse, police department and jail - and the new Public Safety Facility in Edwardsville, IL, a $12 million, 51,000-squarefoot combined police and fire station were celebrated and dedicated. McCarthy Building Companies built the Justice Center; Kansas City-based Police Facility Design Group performed the architectural services. Ryan Freeman, vice president of operations for McCarthy, said construction of the O’Fallon project adhered to an aggressive schedule; ground broke in July 2016 and the project was completed 14 months later in September 2017. The O’Fallon Justice Center is located on Bryan Road south of Veterans Memorial Parkway. “The new facility has a dedicated municipal courthouse,

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which has streamlined and improved the process from the previous location,” said Freeman. A total of 20,000 square feet of secure underground parking doubles as a FEMA-rated storm shelter in the new O’Fallon building. Freeman said the lower level includes an exceptional feature that is already the envy of the law enforcement community. “It’s a seven-stall indoor firing range,” he said. “Most departments do not have their own firing ranges, and if they do, they are typically outdoors. To have this caliber of training area on site and inside required a non-traditional subcontractors’ package, particularly the acoustics surrounding the firing range as well as the projection collection system.” The new Justice Center also boasts a firearms training simulator, an electronic environment with screens to support training for marksmanship as well as judgmental training for the city of O’Fallon’s law enforcement team. “This is one of only a few in the U.S. that is 300 degree surround,” said Freeman. “It features an immersive training environment to ensure that time

in the simulator translates into real world survival skills.” Human officers aren’t the only ones benefitting from the new facility. A canine training space, primarily outdoors, is a component of the project. There are 15 holding cells including separate cells for men and women, along with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)accessible cells and a group holding cell. Also included are passive and active security elements and sophisticated access control systems. “Security includes unique electronic systems around the detention area that are technologically advanced in terms of access control rather than traditional lock and key systems,” he said. Lecture and presentation space featuring a 70-seat training room is enabling officers to hold training for their own department personnel and to host training for other departments, according to Freeman. The facility is equipped with CSI lab space, an evidence storage room and a 911 call center and with mechanical systems and emergency power to function in critical building areas during a disaster. “One of the things the officers were most excited about are the specialized duty lockers,” Freeman said. “The 205 lockers, one for each of the officers, allow them to more effectively organize their equipment, body armor and firearms to save them valuable time.” A ventilation system is also built into each locker, he added. The square footage of the Justice Center project grew after the project began. “The biggest area in which we were able to help the client with respect to this project was in strategic bid packaging that paired well with the subcontractor labor in terms of saving costs,” Freeman said. “As a result, we were able to fit out some additional spaces and the city reaped the benefit of more square footage.” A total of 750,000 pounds of structural steel was put in place during the Justice Center construction project; 180,000 bricks were laid; 175,000 square feet of asphalt and concrete were put in place, 90,000 cubic yards of soil were moved and 2,950 cubic yards of concrete were poured. James Estes is principal of Police Facility Design Group. Estes said the design of the Justice Center’s municipal court gallery can accommodate more than 180 citizens. “The bench area is designed to provide real-world security including ballistic protection and a safe room escape route,” he said, adding that office space supports the court administrator, clerks and city prosecutor. A specific design challenge inherent in the project, according to Estes, was making sure the facility allowed for efficient movement of people and things into, through and out of the building while maintaining security and promoting convenient access. “Most police and court functions are facilitated by placement having grade-level access,” Estes said. “But a building the size of the O’Fallon Justice Center loses operational efficiency when all the spaces become too spread out, so we had to look at what could best be placed on upper-level floors without negatively impacting function. While designing and constructing buildings on sloping sites can have its own set of complicating factors, the designers actually used the sloping site this project is located on to create grade access to two of the three Justice Center floor levels.”

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry January - February ‘18

IMPACT Strategies built the Edwardsville Public Safety Facility; FGM Architects performed the design work. The Edwardsville facility is located less than a half mile south of downtown and is a joint-use police and fire facility, according to Mike Michael, senior project manager at IMPACT Strategies. “We started construction in November of 2016 and completed the project 12 months later,” Michael said. “A lot of intricate planning and coordination went into the design and construction of this building, including the low-voltage

access control, detention systems and fire protection system. It’s unique to have fire and police operations in one shared facility. It says a lot about the city of Edwardsville and the true spirit of cooperation between both agencies,” he added. One of the Edwardsville Fire Department’s early fire wagons from the late 1800s is on display in the apparatus bay of the new building. But apart from that nod to the city’s past, the facility is equipped with the latest technology and communications systems to serve

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O'Fallon Justice Center

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Edwardsville residents well into the future, according to Michael. “There is a three-story training tower with floor doors and repelling walls for firefighters to access and do training exercises,” said Michael. Edwardsville Fire Chief Rick Welle and Edwardsville Police Chief Jay Keeven were actively involved in the entire construction of the new public safety building, according to Michael. “Chief Welle and Chief Keeven were very in tune with the scope of the project,” Michael said, “and both of them attended weekly meetings throughout the life of the project. Other key city staff also spent a great deal of time on site. Their collective vision and wealth of experience added greatly to the personality and functionality of the building.” FGM Architects Principal and Region Director Tim Kwiatkowski said overall project goals, as developed by FGM and the city, included designing a building that expresses the nature of being sited along Main Street, contributes to the fabric of the downtown community and yet seems in place with the neighborhood. The new facility sits adjacent to Leon Corlew Park that opened, complete with a splash pad, in the summer of 2016 and which was also designed by FGM Architects. “This building is very special,” Kwiatkowski said. “In most communities, fire and police are housed in separate facilities. The level of collaboration between the departments in Edwardsville is exceptional, and it’s evident in the design of the Edwardsville Public Safety Facility.” Todd Jones, FGM Architects senior associate, was project manager on the public safety facility in Edwardsville. Jones said interdepartmental collaboration between police and fire can be seen in several areas of the building, including a shared fitness area and training room which doubles as the emergency operations center. “A combined dispatch center in the center of the building is handling all calls for both departments,” he said. “A priority in our design was to enable access throughout the facility and to allow for a smooth flow of traffic within the building while maintaining a high level of security.” Designing door-locking mechanisms and lock-down areas to prevent individuals detained in the police

O’Fallon, MO Justice Center

City of O’Fallon, MO McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Police Facility Design Group (formerly Wilson Estes Police Architects) Bond Architects, Inc. Bob D. Campbell & Company Hoss & Brown Engineers, Inc. Budrovich Excavating Vision Electric & Systems Byrne & Jones Construction LandDesign Demien Construction Waterhout Construction Co. Heitkamp Masonry, Inc. Kupferer Brothers Iron Works, Inc. TJ Wies Contracting, Inc. Shay Roofing, Inc. Vogel Sheet Metal Vogel Heating & Cooling Quality Glass & Mirror, Inc. O’Neill Painting II, Inc. Flooring Systems, Inc. Noah Detention Construction, LLC Master Communications, Inc. KONE Engineered Fire Protection, Inc. Corrigan Co. Mechanical Contractors Integrated Facility Services, Inc.

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Edwardsville, IL Public Safety Facility

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry

January – February ‘18

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area from accessing the fire area of the building was another challenging, distinct task in design and construction. Kwiatkowski said making sure the areas remained secure without compromising open access was critical. Installing state-of-the-art information technology and security systems while concealing the broad network of wiring from public view proved to be a challenge, according to Jones. “A total of 14 miles of communication cable and eight miles of electrical conduit are contained within this joint-use public safety facility,” he said. Some 470,000 pounds of structural steel was used in the design and construction of the building. A total of 127,000 bricks were set into place and 12,000 linear feet of plumbing piping was built. Of the 16,000 square feet of carpet installed, 43 percent was produced from recycled content. “Our sustainability goals for this project included developing a highperformance building envelope, HVAC system and LED lighting system that focuses on energy efficiency and reduction of long-term life cycle costs,” Kwiatkowski said. “Also among our sustainability goals was incorporating local and recycled materials in the design and construction of the facility to reduce pollutants associated with transportation and fabrication. By its design and construction, the Edwardsville Public Safety Facility further demonstrates the city of Edwardsville as a leader in environmental stewardship,” he added. Subtle yet deliberate touches in the building’s aesthetics add to its distinct joint-use character as well as weave it visually into its surroundings. Along the interior walls, the color palette transitions from a rich orange on the fire department side to a light blue on the police department side. The facility is situated across the street from a church and multi-family development, surrounded by singlefamily homes and near Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. To that end, the project incorporated stone and brick colors commonly used around the city as well as at SIUE. On the north side of the site, a plaza commemorating the five Illinois governors with an Edwardsville connection includes a fountain and benches.

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After a healthy year of commercial construction, St. Louis lenders say they are guardedly optimistic that the pace may continue through 2018. “There was so much commercial construction in 2017,” said Jason Ramthun, community bank president at Peoples National Bank. “It was a good year when we began to see tower cranes around town again, really for the first time since the recession. We have cautious optimism because everything is cyclical, but expect to continue seeing growth this year.” With that being said, commercial lenders such as Peoples National Bank will be looking at construction financing applicants to see how each plans to differentiate its project from the others. “For example, with commercial office construction, how is your project unique in terms of the sizes of the office spaces, the amenities and the tenant leasing opportunities overall? The ability to adapt – and to show on paper to lenders how you

are able to transition these buildings – is crucial,” Ramthun said. On larger construction builds that are seeking financing, Ramthun said third-party analysis is a key resource that commercial lenders rely upon when studying the various commercial markets including office, industrial, retail and multi-family. “When an individual or group comes to us with a project, it increases everyone’s comfort level if they’re prepared to provide us with a full story of why they feel their project is going to succeed,” said Ramthun. “The more relevant data they give us, coupled with solid budget numbers based upon detailed conversations with their general contractor and major subcontractors, the better their chances are in obtaining financing for their project.” On big-ticket items needing financing such as HVAC systems, roofing, concrete and electrical, Ramthun said providing a sub-budget of detailed costs for these systems is wise. “We’re also looking for applicants who can present us with evidence of contingency funding, in case the unexpected happens during the life of their project. Presenting the lender with experience of the projects they’ve successfully completed in past years is another good idea,” he added. Equipment financing is another lending category where banks are willing to assist a general contractor or sub. According to Ramthun, during the 2007-2009 financial meltdown, many traditional equipment finance companies disappeared; today, most equipment financing is provided by banks and by the equipment manufacturer. “There used to be more local players in equipment financing,” he said, “but we’re starting to see a lot more of this type of lending done by banks.” Mike Flavin is regional president at Midwest BankCentre. Flavin said although the bank is more of a generalist when it comes to commercial

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry

January – February ‘18

construction lending, it does indeed specialize in financing viable residential development and construction projects, namely subdivisions. “We provide land development loans as well as vertical construction lending (for construction of the houses). Each development typically has a few ‘spec’ or display homes, and hopefully many presold homes,” Flavin said. “When we are approached about any financing (construction or other), we are looking for what are known in the banking world as the ‘Five Cs’ of credit: character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions,” he added. “Construction lending adds risks that have led to higher losses for banks, causing regulators to closely monitor construction lending. Perhaps the most important mitigator to construction risk is the borrower’s experience level, and particularly whether the bank has a long track record with that borrower.” Other protections the bank and borrower like to see, Flavin said, are firm bids from subs, an understanding of the type of contract the borrower has signed, a healthy contingency for cost overruns and/or a strong capital position on the borrower’s balance sheet. “On the more technical side, the bank disburses the loan, often through a third party, to limit the risk of mechanics’ liens,” he added. For larger projects, Flavin said banks often hire an engineer to handle funds disbursement and perform ongoing inspections. Commercial lending institutions prefer that a bank-and-client relationship is already in place when an applicant approaches the bank for a construction loan or equipment financing. Enterprise Bank & Trust Senior Vice President Steven Albart said if the bank already has an in-depth knowledge of the company and its operations, approving lending is more likely. “What we’re looking for is a relationship with the owner, the developer and the business,” said Albart. “We want to gain a deep understanding of their business and for them to understand our business as well. This leads to our understanding of their financial needs, whether they’re specific to construction or equipment lending or something else.” For owner-occupied, office or

investment property, 20 percent of equity down is still the norm, according to Albart. Some level of pre-leasing on the property that is being financed is also required, as are personal guarantees in many cases. “The banking market is very competitive today, and banks are becoming more aggressive on the amount of pre-leasing and personal guarantee requirements,” Albart said. “The buyer’s ability to financially perform on previous projects is also a key factor.” In 2015 and 2016, according to Albart, St. Louis saw heavy, active investment by businesses as a result of pent-up demand from 2008 through 2013. “Then in 2017, St. Louis construction-related businesses ‘digested’ the investments they’d made during 2015 and 2016,” he said, “and waited out the overall uncertainty in the business climate. By the second half of 2017, the construction market gained renewed momentum. The horizon of construction investing and financing opportunities in 2018 are very strong.” St. Louis Bank Chief Credit Officer John Billings said meeting the lending needs and overall financial service needs of growing commercial construction firms across St. Louis is one of the major reasons that St. Louis Bank formed in 2005. “St. Louis Bank provides phased financing from land acquisition through development, construction and occupancy for distribution, retail, industrial and office properties,” Billings said. “We also offer land acquisition and development loans for commercial and residential real estate projects.” According to Billings, the bank also provides construction firms and specialty subcontractors and vendors with five-year to seven-year notes with fixed or floating rates to purchase equipment and other fixed assets. “The quality of the borrower’s financial reporting is something we look at closely,” Billings said, noting that budgets need to be realistic, specific and inclusive of as many aspects of the project as possible. “As lenders, we practice conservative underwriting and we are selective on borrowers and deals,” he added. Travis Liebig is a local banking executive and industry consultant. Liebig said one notable change to the

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regulatory landscape in recent years includes the High Volatile Commercial Real Estate (HVCRE) rules. “This regulation requires the bank to reserve higher levels of its available capital until the project is stabilized and can move to traditional or permanent financing,” he said. “As a function of the rule, as more bank capital is put aside for construction projects, less is available for lenders to invest in other areas or future projects.” Construction lending is one of the more risky segments for a bank, Liebig said; with the increased capital requirement compared to requirements for stabilized projects, banks should continue to offer higher interest rates to compensate for these factors. “Borrowers/developers should be aware of this as they model their new projects,” he added. “That being said, while the cost of financing increases and the appetite for construction financing from banks decreases, borrowers can be confident that they will rarely ever have a problem finding available funding, provided the project is well supported at a lower leverage position during construction,” said Liebig. In addition to traditional funding from financial institutions, developers and commercial builders may also seek financing from public-private sources including the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy initiative. The relatively new initiative provides long-term financing for smart energy building upgrades to commercial, industrial and multi-family property owners. C-PACE has provided more than $50 million in funding to developers and owners of commercial construction projects in the past in St. Louis, according to Anne Murphy Hill, owner of RAHILL Capital. Hill was instrumental in securing the C-PACE portion of the funding needed to finance the renovation of the former Missouri Theater in Grand Center into the planned 145-room Hotel Angad and headquarters for Bull Moose Tube; the city of St. Louis’ Clean Energy Development Board approved the funding. According to Hill, the C-PACE legislation permits property owners to finance costs of installing energy-efficient or renewable energy improvements on their property through an additional special assessment paid as part of their real property taxes.

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry

January – February ‘18

Redeveloped Kiener Plaza Offers Visitors and Regulars Access, Interactivity

by Kerry Smith 28

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A plaza originally built to honor a legendary member of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team has been rebuilt into an expanded green space, an interactive city park and a signature element of downtown St. Louis and the overall Arch grounds redevelopment. Kiener Plaza, dedicated in 1962 to honor St. Louis resident and Olympic athlete Harry J. Kiener, underwent a complete renovation to make it larger, easier to access and inviting to nearby residents, professionals and visitors. Designed by landscape architectural firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and built by BSI Constructors, the project added half an acre to the park. Kiener’s redo is part of an overall $380 million Gateway Arch grounds redevelopment that is expected to be completed this summer. A total of 10 different trade contractor packages were part of the construction package, according to BSI. The city of St. Louis owns Kiener Plaza. Great Rivers Greenway, the public agency connecting the region with greenways, is the steward of local taxpayers’ $8 million investment into the Kiener Plaza project; the amount is a portion of the proceeds from Proposition P, a 3/16-ofone-cent sales tax passed by voters in St. Louis City and St. Louis County in 2013. Gateway Arch Park Foundation (formerly known as the CityArchRiver Foundation) spearheaded a campaign to raise $23.7 million in private funding for the project. BSI Constructors Executive Vice President Joe Kaiser said construction began in February 2016 and reached completion in April 2017, on time and under budget. A major construction challenge, Kaiser said, was removing the Olympic Runner statue, temporarily relocating it off site and bringing it back to the plaza to reinstall it as a focal point of the newly redeveloped space. “The Runner statue is made of bronze and weighs nearly 4,000 pounds,” Kaiser said. “Through the use of a crane and proper rigging, we removed it carefully and lowered it onto a trailer, transporting it to a local storage site to protect it while we demolished the old fountain and built a new one. The granite pedestal upon which the statute sits weighs about 7,500 pounds,” he added. “We reused the pedestal so we had to remove that as well and reset it.” Building an extensive underground network of pumps and piping to supply the new fountains was another integral component of the project, Kaiser said. A new interactive fountain has colored lights at the bottom that can be changed to celebrate specific holidays and events. Pinpointing the locations of nearly 500 spray nozzles that would jet water upward as part of the new splash pad in the children’s play area of Kiener Plaza was another surmountable challenge, according to Kaiser. “In the southwest corner of the plaza, we had to align 480 spray nozzles to shoot up water within three-eighths-inch-wide spacing on walkable grating,” he said. “There are four different chambers from which water shoots up periodically, and it’s programmable so kids are never sure where the water is coming from next as they run through.” Kaiser credited specialty subcontractor Hydro Dramatics for designing the fountains. “They jet water up and down, from a range of 12 inches up to about four feet high,” he added. To create a level space across the entire two-block plaza, BSI demolished the Kiener Plaza amphitheater – which BSI actually built in 1988 – and filled it in along the western half of the project site from Sixth to Seventh Streets at Market Street. In place of the amphitheater that held about 500 people is a new, more accessible concert area on the

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry January - February ‘18

Bright light-emitting diode (LED) lighting bathes the new plaza when darkness falls. Eight LED moonlights positioned on top of the 593-foot One Metropolitan Square building shine down onto the east lawn area and splash onto the nearby plaza. east side of the tract that accommodates at least 2,000 guests. Working through the winter on an outdoor construction project, Kaiser said, added an intrinsic layer of complexity to the project’s scheduling and sequencing. A clear example of this, he said, was the timing involved in planting a vast number of trees, perennials and ground cover. “We had to wait until April 15, the last scheduled occurrence of frost, to plant more than 16,000 perennials and groundcover,” said Kaiser. “Since the city already had a planned public opening set for May 19, this was an ambitious feat.” A drip irrigation system is keeping the plant beds maintained. The most complex obstacles inherent in constructing the new Kiener Plaza, according to Kaiser, existed in the work performed below grade that are unseen to those enjoying the aesthetics of the new city park. Rather than being designed in straight lines, the plaza’s layout is radiused with rounded and curved edges as a means of drawing visitors to all corners of the two-block park. Kaiser said that to achieve this end result, the sub-slab had to be built on those radius points before anything else was constructed. All of the subsurface work was coordinated based upon computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) drawings and precise layouts in the field. The visible rails in the plaza had to fit exactly on all the below-grade radiuses that were already built, Kaiser added, based upon the sub-slab and concrete and granite pavers. “As you look at Kiener Plaza, you will see that architecturally nearly everything is radiused and that there are very few straight lines,” he said. “The plant beds, the fencing, all the 18inch and 24-inch-tall rails undulate back and forth in a wavelike motion. This made the construction much more complex.” Bright light-emitting diode (LED) lighting bathes the new plaza when darkness falls. Eight LED moonlights positioned on top of the 593-foot One Metropolitan Square building shine down onto the east lawn area and splash onto the nearby plaza. Bicycle parking is another addition to the newly rebuilt plaza. MVVA landscape architect and Associate Principal Nate

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Trevethan said planning for the new Kiener Plaza actually began six years before the groundbreaking took place. “We first started working on Kiener Plaza in 2010,” Trevethan said. “Three to four years into the process, at the client’s direction, this area of downtown took on new momentum, motivating us to rethink what Kiener Plaza would be and redesign a good deal of the project in light of three really good things that occurred in the years since we began. First, the east-west pedestrian traffic to and from the Gateway Arch had increased. Second, there was growth in the foot traffic along Washington Avenue from loft developments. And third, the Ballpark Village developments were occurring, further stimulating pedestrian traffic in proximity to Kiener Plaza. All of these factors drove our redesign to create a plaza layout that would function as a small city park. Taking a collection of architectural programs and designing them to fit into two city blocks was a challenge we embraced,” he added. Trevethan’s favorite design element of the Kiener Plaza design project is the surface. “I like the pavement. It’s animated and joyful. Four different 5-foot by 5-foot square modules are rotated and it appears completely random. We designed the larger square modules with marble and granite pavers and small, brick-sized marble pavers to create the pattern which visitors see stretching across the surface of the park. MVVA is also in charge of the overall Arch grounds design. We’re excited to see its completion in summer 2018.” Great Rivers Greenway CEO Susan Trautman said Kiener Plaza’s accessibility is but one of its exceptional characteristics. “Prior to this renovation, people walked around Kiener Plaza rather than through it,” Trautman said. “MVVA and BSI did a beautiful job in creating access and creating a fun and functional space. It’s a synergistic place to be.” Trautman said the project exceeded required goals as to the percentage of disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) contracting firms and workforce participation. “What we’re most proud of with this project is the fact that we were able to

City of St. Louis Gateway Arch Park Foundation Great Rivers Greenway BSI Constructors, Inc. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. Geotechnology, Inc. Plattin Creek Excavating J.W. Bommarito Construction Co. Eagle Plumbing RV Wagner, Inc. Power Up Electrical Contractors ROSCH Company Acme Erectors Merlo Plumbing Co., Inc. A. Waldbart & Sons Nursery Hydro Dramatics Interface Construction

Kiener Plaza Renovation Major Project Partners

issue 32 percent of the work to DBE contractors and employ 25 percent minority workforce participation,” she said. Ryan McClure, director of communications and activation at Gateway Arch Park Foundation, praised the multi-entity collaboration that contributed to the success of the Kiener Plaza renovation. “This was an amazing partnership project from start to finish,” McClure said. “The entire construction and design team created a vibrant, active space in the heart of downtown St. Louis. We are excited about the use and feedback we have received from visitors so far, and this is only the beginning.” Other Kiener Plaza project partners included Geotechnology Inc.; Geotechnical Manager Frank Callahan, vice president of professional services, and Lucas Heuerman, project manager for construction materials testing services, worked on behalf of Geotechnology to develop project specifications for soil compaction. The firm also reviewed submittals for fill material during the construction phase and performed construction observation and materials testing services. Although not technically part of the renovation project, the new Frankie Muse Freeman statue, dedicated in November to late Civil Rights advocate who passed away in January, has a home in the new Kiener Plaza. The bronze statue, sculpted by Brian Owens, was officially given to the city from the NAACP. It depicts Freeman walking away from the Old Courthouse. It’s symbolic of her leaving after the 1954 landmark case, Davis et. al. v. the St. Louis Housing Authority, which resulted in the end of legal racial discrimination in St. Louis public housing. Freeman was the lead attorney for the case. Kiener Plaza project partners assisted the NAACP and Owens to position the sculpture in the rebuilt plaza.

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info@hydrodramatics.com www.hydrodramatics.com The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry January - February ‘18

HIRES Winco Window Company announces Bill Krenn as the company’s new president. Krenn has been with Winco since 1996 and has served in various capacities, including director of human resources, treasurer, vice president and most recently as chief financial officer. Krenn will replace John Campbell, who is retiring. As Winco’s new president, Krenn will be focused on the overall direction of the company’s sales outreach and operations in concert with the vision of family ownership. Winco has been a family-owned and familyoperated manufacturer for more than 100 years since founded by Johann “Otto” Kubatzky. RSS Roofing Services & Solutions, a national commercial design-bid-build roofing contractor, announces the hire of Aaron Hammerstone as project manager. Hammerstone brings six years of management experience to his new position. Prior to joining the RSS St. Louis team, Hammerstone was employed at Kirberg Company as a project manager. Spellman Brady & Company announces that designer Liz Tung has earned her Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC). Tung is the most recent Spellman Brady designer to receive the EDAC. Evidence-Based Design (EBD) is the process of basing healthcare facility planning and design decisions about the built environment on credible research to achieve the best possible patient, staff and operational outcomes. Leading global commercial real estate services firm Colliers International Group Inc. recently named Joseph McGauley, SIOR, CRE as an executive vice president in its St. Louis office. Prior to joining Colliers International, McGauley was president of Gershman Commercial Equities, a private real estate investment group that began in 2015. Haberberger, Inc. announces the newest addition to its growing team. Francis Leisure of Oakville has been hired to serve as service project manager with the Affton-based mechanical contracting company. Gateco Development, a Gatesworth enterprise, announces the recent hiring of Christopher Leonard of Wildwood, MO as Vice President of Development and Construction. In this position, Leonard oversees all new building construction and ongoing maintenance and renovations of l existing properties in The Gatesworth community. Kate Maxson has joined HOK in St. Louis as a staff attorney. Prior to joining HOK, Maxson worked for Competitive Range Solutions, LLC. Brooke Richars has joined HOK in St. Louis as an accounting manager. She will support HOK’s Corporate Accounting department. Richars joins HOK after operating her own accounting company for six years. Alicia Touma has joined HOK in St. Louis as an administrative assistant. She will support the HOK legal department.Touma previously worked for Claytonbased law firm Brinker and Doyen. Randy L. Mitchell has joined AAIC as Director of Architecture. Randy brings 32 years of experience in design and project management in AEC. Franklin D. Shelton, Jr. has joined Midwest BankCentre as vice president and commercial lender. He markets the bank’s credit products to serve both low- to moderate-income customers and emerging market communities. Shelton, Jr. serves as credit administrator for the bank’s Community and Economic Development loan portfolio and partners with local organizations to build marketing and community service alliances. Rabia Bajwa has joined Hastings+Chivetta Architects as a junior architectural designer. As a member of the architectural graphics team, Bajwa develops 3D renderings for Hastings+Chivetta’s clients, as well as 2D drawings and elevations during the design development process. In May 2017, Bajwa

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completed a five-year, master’s-level architecture degree program at The University of Kansas. She is working toward becoming a licensed architect. Nancy Burns has joined Hastings+Chivetta Architects as an accountant. In her new role, Burns will provide project financial analysis, billing and general accounting services. Burns earned her bachelor’s of science degree in accounting from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Kurt R. Kruger has joined Hastings+Chivetta Architects as director of client development. In this role, Kruger will guide and direct client development activities across the firm. He will work with Hastings+Chivetta’s team to build relationships with both current and potential clients. Kroger brings experience as a senior client development executive responsible for hiring, training and developing individuals and teams in the design and construction industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Syracuse University. Arlene Vespa, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, has joined Hastings+Chivetta Architects as a space utilization and planning specialist. In her new role, Vespa will work on master planning and space programming activities for a range of clients. She will guide the research and decision-making process that leads to the development of an architectural program, and will work closely with clients and design teams. Vespa has a bachelor’s degree in architectural studies, a master’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in library and information science, all from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Nida Dogan has joined HOK in St. Louis. Dogan supports HOK’s interior group as an interiors librarian intern. She joins HOK from Lindenwood University, where she is pursuing a degree in welding and furniture design. Keelan Hanks has joined HOK in St. Louis. He supports HOK’s marketing and architecture departments as a senior visualization specialist. Christine Sima has joined HOK in St. Louis. She works in the HOK office as an architecture intern and is pursuing a degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati. Rhian Collins has joined HOK in St. Louis. She supports the HOK office as an interiors intern. Collins attends Kansas State University and is pursuing a degree in interior architecture and product design. Kevin Hartman has joined HOK in St. Louis. He will support the HOK office as a lighting intern. Hartman attends Kansas State University and is earning a degree in interior architecture. Steven F. Damm, P.E. has joined Murphy Company as a senior engineer in the firm’s institutional engineering group. A professional engineer in the state of Missouri, Damm has more than 16 years’ experience designing and supervising the design of HVAC, mechanical and plumbing systems. Zak Company began 2018 with new hire Ashley N. Jenkins. Jenkins has joined the firm as its marketing coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Webster University. Heideman | Associates, a Zak Company, welcomes Alex Gurdian as a mechanical engineer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The UP Companies (UPCO) announces the hiring of Karl Lederman of Wildwood, MO as general manager of service and field operations for Power UP Electrical Contractors.

C O M PA N I E S Brinkmann Constructors’ annual employee charity initiative, BECAUSE (Brinkmann Employees Care About United Service Efforts), has raised $28,000 for Got Your Six Support Dogs, an organization that provides specially trained support dogs to veterans and first responders at no cost to veterans. Members of the BECAUSE committee recently presented a check to Nicole Lanahan, Executive Director and Kelly Felax, Board Secretary of Got Your Six Support Dogs at one of Brinkmann’s job sites. The donation will be used to cover the cost of training and care of additional service dogs. McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has broken ground on a $25 million renovation of Macelwane Hall, a four-story science building on the campus of Saint Louis University. The 82,770-sq.-ft. project includes the complete renovation of all four floors of the facility after a May 2017 fire and subsequent water damage resulted in the temporary closure of the original building. As construction manager, McCarthy will lead a team overseeing the comprehensive renovation of the structure into a state-of-the-art teaching and research environment that includes laboratories, classrooms and office space. The project will follow a fast-track, 13-month schedule to be completed in time for the spring 2019 semester that begins in January 2019. Integrated Facility Services (IFS) installed the energy-efficient HVAC system at the new $26 million O’Fallon Justice Center, which opened in December. The 96,000-square-foot justice center houses the O’Fallon Police Department and Municipal Courts, MO. The construction manager was McCarthy Building Companies and the architect was Police Facility Design Group (formerly known as Wilson Estes Police Architects). Ameren is participating in an industry-wide effort to step up ongoing power restoration and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico due to the catastrophic destruction of electric infrastructure following Hurricanes Irma and Marie. Ameren and other U.S. electric companies that are members of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) are deploying additional restoration workers to Puerto Rico. Ameren is sending nearly 75 line workers and additional support personnel as part of this effort. Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services, recently announced several leadership changes: Jon N. Reed has announced his retirement from Graybar, effective April 1, 2018. Timothy E. Carpenter has been appointed Vice President - Treasurer, effective April 1, 2018. Dale R. Sheff has been named Vice President - Pricing and Profitability, effective Jan. 29, 2018.. Timothy M. Probst has been named Vice, President Controller, effective Jan. 29, 2018. This year marks McClure Engineering's 65th anniversary. The firm was founded in January 1953 by Charles J.R. McClure when he and his wife began working out of their home in Kirkwood, MO. The first project was a small engineering consultation for the Alton Bank and Trust company in Alton, IL. By 1955, the firm had grown to four employees, focusing on HVAC and plumbing. The jobs during the first five years of the company were predominantly schools, churches and generally anything else that would generate revenue for the tiny firm trying to gain a foothold and reputation in the St. Louis engineering marketplace. Today, the firm employs more than 80 people and is located in the historic Cupples 1 building in the heart of downtown St. Louis.

Briner Electric Co. and its IBEW Local 1 workforce will complete electrical improvements to three St. Louis County Library branches in 2018, bringing the total number of library upgrades by Briner and IBEW to 16 branches since 2014. Briner is a member of the Electrical Connection, a partnership of IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). The three projects slated for completion in 2018 include: The Grand Glaize Branch at 1010 Meramec Station Rd in Manchester MO, which is undergoing a full building renovation with an addition, The MidCounty Branch replacement at 7821 Maryland Ave. in Clayton, MO that includes a parking garage under the new library and a replacement library for the Thornhill Branch at 12863 Willowyck Drive near Maryland Heights, MO. Briner and IBEW have completed work on the Grant View, Weber Road, Jamestown Bluffs, Indian Trails, Rock Road, Samuel Sachs, Cliff Cave, Prairie Commons, Natural Bridge, Oak Bend, Bridgeton Trails, Florissant Valley and Daniel Boone branches. The historic Witte Hardware Building – located at 707 N. Second Street on Laclede’s Landing – is undergoing a $2 million renovation by Creve Coeurbased Drury Development Corporation. The improvements aim to meet the evolving needs of the existing tenants and attract additional tenants. The historic building was originally a warehouse distribution facility for Witte Hardware, an exclusive wholesale hardware business that operated on The Landing from 1849 to 1975. The structure served that purpose for 73 years before being converted into office and restaurant space. The office space in the building is serving as home to a variety of tenants in the fields of financial services, engineering, marketing, logistics and technology. IMPACT Strategies recently completed the renovation of Belleville’s 60-year-old City Hall building. With the help of architect The Lawrence Group and civil engineer Kaskaskia Engineering Group, IMPACT Strategies was able to maintain the historical integrity while revitalizing the building to improve public accessibility and function. This major renovation included environmental improvements such as asbestos abatement and the installation of energy-efficient windows in the atrium. Modernizations were also made to the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. For new Helmkamp President Rob Johnes, a lifelong dream of being a business owner has become a reality. Johnes, who is the first non-Helmkamp family member to assume ownership of the 80-year-old construction company, completed the long-term buyout of the company from Brad Farrell, the founder’s grandson. Upon graduating from SIUE with a bachelor’s degree in construction management, Johnes joined Helmkamp Construction through an internship in 1997 and never left. He worked as a project manager and was appointed vice president in 2006. Johnes later accepted the role of president in 2012 with a plan to eventually buy out and assume ownership of the business.

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry

January – February ‘18

A S S O C I AT I O N S The Electrical Connection is raising awareness to reduce hazards of home electrical fires typically associated with colder weather. Improper use of space heaters, extension cords and holiday lighting combined with overtaxed circuits enhance the risk of electrical fire hazards over the winter months. The Electrical Connection is providing safety tips to reduce those hazards in response to a national report earlier this year on electrical fires by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The Electrical Connection is a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractor Association (NECA). The NFPA report issued in March 2017 details an annual average of 45,210 home structure fires reported in the U.S. involving electrical failure or malfunction from 2010 to 2014. The fires resulted in 420 civilian deaths, 1,370 civilian injuries and $1.4 billion in direct property damage each year, according to the report. The Emerging Leaders Committee of the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC), St. Louis, MO, has formed a Mentor Advisory Board to provide advice to ASCC members who don’t need a full-time mentor but could use the experience and wisdom of a seasoned counterpart. Advisory Board members are long-time ASCC members with decades of concrete contracting field and management experience. They will handle questions regarding contracts and other legal matters, business development, business management, safety operations and finance.

Great Rivers Greenway and its partners have finished the first stage in the Chouteau Greenway Design Competition process. The four selected teams will officially begin working on their respective conceptual plans to connect Forest Park and Washington University to Downtown and the Gateway Arch in January after receiving a full briefing on the project’s goals, challenges and opportunities. Great Rivers Greenway and partners received a total of 19 team qualifications submittals for the first stage of the competition. A jury, comprised of nine local and international experts, reviewed all submissions and recommended the four winning teams. A total of 124 firms from seven countries and 13 U.S. states made up the team submissions, with 44 of the firms local to the St. Louis region. Teams represent the disciplines of urban planning, economics, cultural programming, art, sustainability, universal design, landscape architecture, architecture, civil and structural engineering, hydrology, open space programming, acoustics, lighting and traffic engineering.

The Decorative Concrete Council (DCC), a specialty council of the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC), St. Louis, MO, will be 20 years old in 2018. Made up of concrete contractors that install decorative concrete, manufacturers and other interested parties, the mission of the DCC is to “Advance Decorative Concrete Contractors through Education and Networking.” The DCC is the only professional organization dedicated to focusing on the issues, trends and work of the decorative concrete industry, and to meeting the needs of contractors who pursue this specialty market, according to Todd Scharich, decorative concrete specialist for the ASCC.

SIBA Elects President, Officers for 2018 Effective January 1, 2018, Kent Kampwerth, River City Construction, L.L.C., Benton, IL has been elected President of the Southern Illinois Builders Association. Other officers for 2018 are: First Vice President – Hank Rohwedder, Hank’s Excavating Landscaping, Inc., Belleville, IL, Second Vice President – Jeff Limbaugh, Limbaugh Construction Co., Inc., Granite City, IL and Secretary/Treasurer – Kent Richardson, Subsurface Constructors Inc., St. Louis, MO. Three year Directors elected are: Harvey Wolf, L. Wolf Construction, Granite City, IL and Scott Plocher, Plocher Construction Company, Inc., Highland, IL. Three-year Associate Directors elected are: Matt Fricke, Warning Lites of Southern Illinois, East St. Louis, IL and Brian Hayden, Hayden Wrecking Corporation, Washington Park, IL. SIBA Staff Members are: Donna Richter, Chief Executive Officer, Josh Schaufelberger, Director of Industry Relations, Kristin McCaw, Executive Assistant, Shari Schutzenhofer, Administrative Assistant, John Holt, Director of Safety and Education, Galen Parks, Director of Safety and Education, Sarah Kaczmarowski, Administrative Assistant, Logan Ankeny, Administrative Assistant and Cassidy Dowling, Scan Technician.

Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis (HFHSL) has announced that its ReStores reached $1 million in sales (actual figure was $1,004,339.70) for 2017, as of Wednesday, November 22nd in advance of last year’s record- setting date. HFHSL has two ReStores: The ReStore Des Peres at 2117 Sams Drive in Des Peres (63131), just behind Sam’s Club on Manchester Road, and ReStore Forest Park at 3763 Forest Park Avenue (63108), between Vandeventer and Spring. Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis ReStores feature new and gently-used home improvement products and building materials for sale to the public. The ReStores are dedicated to reusing and repurposing donated goods and diverting items from landfills.

Farmington police officer Jeff Kostedt paid it forward through a law enforcement trust building program that turned his life around when he was a child. On Dec. 15, 2017 Kostedt helped brighten the holidays for underprivileged children in the 25th annual St. Francois County “Shop with a Cop” program – a charity that served him 18 years ago when he was just seven years old. Kostedt and countless children from families in need are the reason the Electrical Connection has supported St. Francois County’s “Shop with a Cop” and has helped reenergize a similar program in Ferguson, MO. The St. Francois County “Shop with a Cop” program is among the oldest and largest in the nation. This year, it served more than 500 children.

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The St. Louis Chapter of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) provided some warmth to the region’s needy this winter. Members donated money, clothing and blankets at the organization’s holiday social in December. Representing facility managers and suppliers who maintain the region’s commercial buildings, IFMA St. Louis presented a check for $1,000 to Heat Up St. Louis. The nonprofit organization builds awareness and provides resources to help those in need, especially the elderly and disabled, and needy families with critically ill children, to avoid illnesses and deaths during the area’s bitter winter season. IFMA St. Louis also funds the organization’s Cool Down St. Louis, which provides services and support to keep residents cool during the hot summer months. SWIDA, Bywater Development Group and Bi-State Development broke ground recently on the $10.9 million Metro Landing of Swansea, a development that will introduce senior apartment living immediately adjacent to the Swansea MetroLink Station in Swansea, IL. The transitoriented development (TOD) project will feature a handsome three-story building with 62 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments for older adults seeking an independent lifestyle. With convenient access to MetroLink and the MetroBikeLink trail, residents will be able to easily reach restaurants, retail, entertainment venues, recreational locations, employment centers and medical facilities throughout the bi-state region. The Southern Illinois Builders Association awarded ten scholarships this year. Congratulations to: Blake Branz, O’Fallon, IL; Jacob Dreyer, O’Fallon, IL; Josie Hogue, Maryville, IL; Levi James, Mt. Carmel, IL; Kelsie Jeffries, Collinsville, IL; Jason Koerkenmeier, St. Rose, IL; Lucas Koopmann, Breese, IL; Zackery Korte, Highland, IL; Damian Pohlman, Hardin, IL; and Stephen Schniers, Highland, IL. Thanks to the SIBA Education Committee for its assistance: Gregg Korte; Mike Boucher; Dave Birk; Mike Gould; and Phil Kingdon. The St. Louis chapter of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) announced its executive officers and board directors for 2018. CREW-St. Louis officers for 2018, including their respective companies, are: President, Lynn Goessling, Herzog Crebs LLP, President-Elect and National Delegate, Michelle Yates, Lawrence Group, Immediate Past President, Angie Earlywine, Forum Studio, Secretary, Stacey Hudson, Professional Office Environments, Treasurer, Carol Hanson, Great Southern Bank and National Delegate, Tracy Howren, UMB Bank.

PROMOTIONS Tarlton Corp. has promoted Sondra Rotty, LEED AP BD+C, to project director. Previously serving as senior project manager, Rotty joined Tarlton as a project engineer in 2005. William Edwards, Jr. has been promoted to executive vice president and chief information officer at Midwest BankCentre. He also joins the bank’s executive management committee. Brinkmann Constructors has promoted Andy McDonell to vice president and appointed him to lead its regional office in Kansas City. S. M. Wilson & Co. has promoted Mark Cochran to Chief Operating Officer (COO). Cochran serves as the firm’s first COO. He is responsible for the leadership of all construction operations and related functions. Cochran began as an intern with S. M. Wilson in 1999. Over his 17-year tenure, Cochran has managed more than $500 million in projects. Schmersahl. Treloar & Co announces the continued growth of its firm with the promotion of Kevin P. Hogan, CPA, CVA to partner. Erin Erhart has been promoted to executive vice president of retail and fee services at Midwest BankCentre. Erhart was previously vice president of consumer banking and corporate services at Midwest BankCentre and has 12 years of banking experience.

S. M. Wilson & Co. has promoted Brian Bea, Jack Kinamore and Mike Hanner to project directors. All three previously held the position of senior project manager. As project directors, they are responsible for the supervision and overall performance and profitability of multiple project teams, largescale building programs and the development and continuation of client relationships. William (Bill) Wagner, vice president for S.M. Wilson & Co., has been elected the chairman of the board of the Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGC) for 2018. Wagner has more than 35 years of experience in the construction industry. In addition to serving on the AGC Executive Board of Directors, most recently as chair-elect, Wagner serves on the board of directors of the Enterprise Bank and Trust Advisory Board and on the Southeast Missouri State University Polytechnic Studies Advisory Committee Meeting Advisory Board. Kevin P. Hogan has been promoted to tax partner at Schmersahl Treloar & Co. Hogan joined Schmersahl Treloar & Company in 2014 with more than 15 years of experience specializing in tax and business consulting services. In addition, Hogan leads the firm’s valuation services team. Hogan holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration (finance and economics) from Rockhurst University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Schmersahl Treloar & Co. specializes in accounting for the construction industry.

HONORS StructSure Scaffold & Insulation, a specialty scaffolding and insulation contractor, has been honored by The National Maintenance Agreement Policy Committee (NMAPC) with two Zero Injury Safety Awards (ZISA) for work performed at both the John Amos Power Plant and Big Sandy Plant in 2016. The ZISA award is the union construction and maintenance industry’s premier safety recognition program and recognizes an alliance between owner-clients, signatory contractors and local and international unions who worked together to achieve zero injuries on their industrial construction and maintenance projects. Sondra Rotty, LEED AP BD+C of Tarlton Corp., has been named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2018. Rotty joins an elite group of the area’s young business leaders selected for outstanding contributions to their companies and local business community. According to the St. Louis Business Journal, more than 500 nominations were received for the 2018 award. Rotty also is a past recipient of the St. Louis Business Journal’s 30 Under 30 Award. IWR North America and RSS Roofing Services & Solutions have received awards for St. Louis projects. Both building enclosure specialty contractor IWR North America and commercial roofing contractor RSS Roofing Services & Services were presented with multiple 2017 Project Awards for outstanding building enclosure projects in the St. Louis area. IWR accepted the Exterior Cladding Award for its work on SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital West and the Overall Project of the Year Award for its work on a confidential corporate technology building. RSS accepted the Roofing Award for its work on the BJC North Tower.

The newest building on the west campus of St. Luke’s Hospital, the Mr. and Mrs. Theodore P. Desloge, Jr. Outpatient Center, Building B, has received LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification program focused on new projects; certification is based upon a points system. Achieving LEED certification resulted in a 13 percent savings in energy usage for St. Luke’s. Matthew Mabie, president of Knoebel Construction, has been named a Rising Retail Leader Under 40 by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Each year, ICSC recognizes young leaders involved in the design and construction of shopping centers, retail stores and retail-focused developments. The SITE Improvement Association Board of Directors has elected Jennifer Bouquet as its 2018 president, making her the first woman to lead SITE’s board in the organization’s 52-year history. President of J & J Boring, Inc., Bouquet succeeds Mike Kappal of Byrne & Jones Construction as president. In addition, Todd Wall, vice-president of estimating for J.M. Marschuetz, has been elected as vice president of the board and Michael Steiniger, president of Kuesel Excavating Company, was elected SITE secretary/treasurer. New members elected to the SITE Board of Directors for 2018 include Pat Moriarity, president of Concrete Strategies, LLC, representing the Concrete Division; Jaime Chier of Premier Demolition, Inc., representing Specialty Division; Chris Gottman, senior VP of construction operations for Millstone Weber, LLC, and Steve Roden, president of Roden’s Landscaping, Inc., representing the Landscaping Division.

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry

January – February '18

BY J O E B A L S A R OT T I

What 2018 May Bring: Faster, Smarter, Ultra-High-Definition Technology It has long been said that the only constant is change. Nowhere is that more true than in technology. In the spirit of a new year, let’s gaze into the crystal ball and see what may be in store: Faster Networks – I still get a surprise every once in a while and find a new client whose internal network is still running on old 10/100 megabitsper-second (Mbps) switches, the tech equivalent of an old twolane road. Gigabit (1000Mbps) has been the standard for at least five years now and the price point of 10G products have come into the mainstream. Faster Internet – The pros or cons of the repeal of Net Neutrality will have to play out, but one thing is sure: Fiberto-the-home and gigabit infrastructure really took a hit over the last couple of years. This is possibly because the payoff was unclear under those rules, or possibly due to rising build and maintenance costs. However, the technology exists for multi-gigabit Internet. Will 2018 see the likes of Google Fiber, Comcast’s Xfinity or Charter Spectrum ramp up their roll-outs? Faster Wireless – Remember 3G, then 4G? Yes, 5G is almost upon us. This one might take until 2019 or 2020 but once 5G is implemented, your smartphone data speeds will rival that of your wired connection. That dynamic should make for very interesting times as the “cord cutting” of cable TV could become cord cutting completely if wireless is priced comparatively with wired. The undeniable upside of this is that people will truly have choices in their communications options, rather than just phone company or cable provider as the on-ramp to the Internet for their business and personal use. Artificial Intelligence – You’ve already heard about this one. From experts warning that The Terminator is a real possibility and imploring the military across the globe not to put machines in charge of weapons – to the far more benign, such as Amazon’s “you may be interested in” –nothing will stop this surge of processing power being used to replace human interaction, for good or for ill. I remember reading an article maybe a decade ago that claimed computers had already replaced human engineers at designing the very processors that would become the next generation of computers. Maybe we’re already past the point of Skynet? 4K Video – This one, also known as Ultra HD (although it isn’t exactly the same thing), is already here and readily available. Simply put, the picture resolution is four times better than HD. Netflix, Amazon and Apple are already on the bandwagon and are producing most of their new offerings in 4K. All that needs to happen now is for the infrastructure to be upgraded to take advantage of it. As with the digital transition of TV, everything from cameras to cable boxes have to be upgraded to reap the full benefit of what the 4K standard can show. The Internet of Things or IoT – Personally I think this is one of the stupidest acronyms the tech industry has ever come up with. In my opinion, APL – “A Programming Language” – is the

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best, but I digress. If the consumer electronics companies (and even more so, marketing and advertising firms) have their way, every light bulb, thermostat, door lock and dog collar will be Internet enabled. The upside: We can control almost everything from our phones and know where Fido is at all times. The downside: There will always be a smarter programmer to hack into it. Instead of just losing data on a hard drive or network, if that isn’t bad enough, now a hacker can cause physical damage by burning out an air conditioning compressor, spy on you from your own surveillance system or heat a building until the equipment fails. With IHS Technology predicting 75 billion connected devices by 2020, there will be whole new classifications of havoc to deal with. The Gig Economy – This name is given to the rise of temporary independent contractors, freelancers and “when convenient” workers. This drastic change in basic business continues to send shockwaves through industry after industry. Lyft and Uber did it to the taxi business, Airbnb did it to timeshares and hotels, and Fiverr, LogoMojo and a dozen more have done it to the art/marketing/design business. The ability for any business – even a one-person shop – to post a need, be it designing a logo, needing a website redo or simply needing to be picked up at the airport and having prospective vendors climb over themselves to win the business is a game-changer for both customers and vendors. The playing field has not just been leveled; technology has taken an earthmover to it and changed the landscape completely. Established businesses, stuck in their ways and unwilling to change, will have increasing difficulty as even individuals compete on even terms with them. Look for these trends to impact not only your business but your personal life as well. Carve out some time and make your business plans accordingly. You will also have to revisit and revise those plans regularly, because as Yoda said, “Always in motion is the future.” Don’t let today’s technology trends leave you in the past. Joe Balsarotti is president of Software To Go and is a 38-year veteran of the computer industry, reaching back to the days of the Apple II. He served three terms as chairman of the National Federation of Independent Business’ Missouri Leadership Council, as chairman of the Clayton, Missouri Merchant Association for a dozen years, chaired Region VII of the Federal Small Business Regulatory Fairness Board and currently serves on the Dealer Advisory Panel of the ASCII Group, an organization of nearly 1,200 independent computer and technology solution providers in North America. He can be reached at joe.balsarotti@software-to-go.com.

ADVERTISER INDEX Company

Page

Website

Phone Number

ASA Midwest Council

asamidwest.com

314 845-0855

Building Enclosure Council of St. Louis

IFC

bec-stl.org

None

CK Power

ckpower.com

314-868-8620

Clifford Power

cliffordpower.com/st-louis-missouri

800-324-0066

Custom Home Elevator

customhomeelevators-stlouis.com

314-423-1620

Drilling Service Company

drillingserviceco.com

314-291-1111

Geotechnology

geotechnology.com

314-997-7440

Franklin Mechanical (a ZAK Company)

zakcompanies.com

636-492-3200

HydroDramatics

hydrodramatics.com

314-231-9806

IBEW Local 1

ibewlocal1.org

314-647-5900

K&F Electric (a ZAK Company)

zakcompanies.com

Kirby-Smith Machinery, Inc.

kirby-smith.com

888-861-0219

Power-Up Electrical Contractors

theupcompanies.com

314-865-3888

Seiler Instrument

seilerinst.com

314-968-2282

Sielfleisch Roofing

sielfleischroofing.com

636-349-2920

SITE Improvement Association

sitestl.org

314-966-2950

St. Louis - Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council

carpdc.org

314-644-4800

Subsurface Constructors

subsurfaceconstructors.com

314 421-2460

Sunbelt Rentals

sunbeltrentals.com

314-426-1111

The Electrical Connection

electricalconnection.org

314-781-0755

Waterhout Constructors

waterhout.com

314-781-1178

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