St. Louis CNR - May/June 2018 by Scott Tripp

HAMMERING OUT THE OPIOID CRISIS

PROJECT DELIVERY METHODS

CELEBRATING THE ARCH GROUNDS COMPLETION PAGE 18

THE VOICE FOR THE ST. LOUIS CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY MAY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; JUNE '18

F E AT U R E S COVER STORY PAGE 18 PUBLIC, PRIVATE DESIGN AND PROJECT PARTNERS CELEBRATE ARCH GROUNDS COMPLETION BY KERRY SMITH

10 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 SALES Gene Keeven Advertising gene@stlouiscnr.com 314.368.7357 Kathie Gardner Advertising kathie@stlouiscnr.com 314.821.3003

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. 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 ditorial material under bylines E 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.

Construction Trades Hammer Out Strategies to Attack Opioid Epidemic By Kerry Smith

Project Delivery Method Decision Requires Owners to Define Details, Expectations as Early as Possible By Kerry Smith

CONTENTS VOLUME 49 | NUMBER 3

FEATURES + COLUMNS

03 04 08

Perspective: Putting a Face to a Name By Michael Chollet

Humphreys, Holland Unite to Design & Build Urban Living Options By Kerry Smith

Law: Eighth Circuit Overturns $6 Million Jury Verdict Against Title Company on Mechanic’s Lien Insurance Exclusion By James R. Keller

Sales: Spring and Summer Selling: Make the Effort to Attend Prospect-Laden Events

Monogram Building Brings More Life to Washington Avenue Loft District

Smart Buildings Offer Owners Control, Real-Time Data to Maximize Efficiency

Departments

By TomWoodcock

By Kerry Smith

IT: If It Is Free, You Are the Product By Joe Balsarotti

ASA Midwest Council Celebrates Winners

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

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PERSPECTIVE

BY M I C H A E L C H O L L E T

Putting a Face to a Name If my face looks familiar to you, you can count yourself a member of a very small club in the St. Louis construction industry. If we haven’t met yet, you may be surprised to know that I took the reins of St. Louis Construction News and Review magazine in 2009, when long-time publisher Tom Finan set out to pursue other endeavors. Over the last nine years, I’ve been working behind the scenes, managing the print publication, the weekly e-newsletter and our website. My intent was not to be mysterious, but rather to let the publications speak for themselves. It’s just my nature. When our new Editor, Kerry Smith, joined our team last year, she launched a relentless campaign to bring me out of the shadows, and here we are. I am Mike Chollet, owner and publisher of St. Louis CNR. In the interest of full disclosure, the magazine was founded in 1969 by my late father-in-law Thomas Finan Jr. I met his youngest daughter, Teri Finan, when she was editor of another trade publication held under the Finan Publishing banner. I became an official member of the Finan family when Teri and I got married in 2003. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting her father (he passed away long before we met) it has been an honor to carry on his vision for this magazine – to serve as “The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry.” I am a lifelong St. Louisan who grew up in U-City, but it’s important to note that I came

into my role as publisher with absolutely no background in the construction industry. The bulk of my working career was in hospitality management, including 30 years as General Manager of the Noonday Club, a private dining club on the 40th floor of the Metropolitan Square Building. In that role, I learned a great deal about the personal connections that are such an important part of this city’s DNA. This second act has been a learning experience on many fronts. While I’ve managed to stay out of the spotlight, I have been in the background observing, and what has impressed me most is the remarkable generosity of the St. Louis construction community, even through the recession when times were tough. The word “hero” is tossed around a lot in the news these days, enough so that the definition is sometimes diminished, but it rings true when used in reference the St. Louis building community. Next year, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of St. Louis Construction News and Review magazine. It is humbling to be a part of such a long history and I am proud to continue the tradition of serving this great community. To mark the occasion, we’ve designated 2019 as “The Year of Giving Back.” Every issue of the print magazine will feature stories focused on the charitable efforts of local companies and associations and we hope you will help us tell your stories.

Michael G. Chollet

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

By KERRY SMITH 4

Humphreys, Holland Unite to Design & Build Urban Living Options

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In just a few weeks, the final phase of a mixed-use development begun by Balke Brown Transwestern (BBT) 15 years ago will complete the developer’s menu of urban living offerings close to Forest Park. As Encore at Forest Park – the final piece of the puzzle – falls into place, a total of nearly 700 urban living units in several mixed-use structures have come to fruition on BBT’s 26-acre site. It was once the locale of the St. Louis Arena, which had been home to the St. Louis Blues and other sports franchises before being demolished in 1999. Encore is located at 5700 Highlands Plaza Drive, east of Hampton Avenue and a few blocks south of Forest Park. Dallas-based Humphreys & Partners Architects, L.P. and Swansea, IL-based Holland Construction Services, Inc. are design and construction team members on Encore at Forest Park. Construction of the $51 million, six-story, 247-unit upscale development wraps up this month. Prior to Encore, the most recent urban living option within BBT’s development here was Cortona at Forest Park, a project completed in 2014 with 278 one- and two-bedroom apartments. In 2004, the developer opened its first residential market offering, The Lofts at the Highlands at Forest Park, a $37 million mixed-use urban living and office environment located on the same site as Cortona and now Encore. Holland Construction Services Director of Multifamily Housing Doug Weber said HCS also teamed with Humphreys on Cortona, which sits immediately to the west of Encore. “Encore at Forest Park marks the final phase within Balke Brown Transwestern’s overall development here at Forest Park,” Weber said. “We also had the privilege of building Cortona at Forest Park four years ago. Encore represents the final piece of property. As such, one of the key construction challenges was working on a tight site surrounded by completed buildings. There was no room for laydown (of construction equipment and materials), so we had to coordinate all of our materials deliveries succinctly and be mindful of the existing properties and tenants who are already living there.” Holland Construction Services Project Manager Ryan Savage said constructing the underground parking garage was arguably the steepest challenge, pun intended. Once the project broke ground in May 2016, first and foremost was completion of the below-grade parking structure. “The secure garage is located underneath one-half of the building,” Savage said, “so we needed to complete nearly all construction of the parking garage before we began building the apartments. With all the underground work it entailed, the garage was a 10-month process that really compressed the amount of time we had available to build the living units.” Encore’s sister living community, Cortona, boasts upgraded amenities such as 9-foot and 10-foot ceilings, vinyl plank flooring and large windows. Weber said Encore is yet another notch above that. “The plan for Encore at Forest Park was to be roughly a 10 percent upgrade over Cortona in terms of tenant finishes,” Weber said. “Since Cortona was already upscale, this represented a fun creative challenge.” Holland worked closely with Humphreys to execute the design firm’s specifications for the building’s exterior, which boasts a modern, sleek European look. “We began our design of Encore by taking a hard look at the exterior skin of the building,” said Humphreys Senior Designer Michael Smith. “At the time it was designed and built, adjacent Cortona was innovative, so we were charged with designing Encore to be even more cutting edge. We decided to again feature an innovative

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Encore at Forest Park Project Partners

Owner (Primary): BIT Encore at Forest Park Apartments Owner’s Rep: Balke Brown Associates, Inc. Owner’s Rep: Capital Consultants General Contractor: Holland Construction Services, Inc. Architect: Humphreys & Partners Architects, L.P. (HPA) 3-Form Ameri-Frame LLC Amuneal Manufacturing Corp. Archview Metal Systems BAM Contracting, LLC Bender, Inc. Bommarito Construction CC&C, LLC Ceiling Tile Services, Inc. Cheltenham Construction Services Cintas Fire Protection CLECO Commercial Bathwares Concrete Strategies, LLC Control Line Inc. D&L Painting and Drywall, LLC Degenhardt Heating & Cooling

Excel Fire Protection, Inc. Focal Pointe Ford Foodservice Equipment Co. Ford Marble & Tile, Inc. Forshaw of St. Louis Gartland, Inc. Guarantee Electrical Co. H & G Sales Inc. Helitech Henges Interiors, Inc. Horizon Glass Co. HPA Design Group Hyde Sheet Metal Icon Construction Imperial Ornamental Metal Co. Ingenuity Engineers, Inc. InnoTech Manufacturing, LLC JB Fence & Fabrication, Inc. KB Install KONE, Inc. Leach Painting Co. Leritz Contracting, Inc. Manchester Hackett & Associates Inc. Martin Steel Fabrication, Inc. McDonnell & Sons Mechanics Planing Mill Inc. Miller Enterprise Group, LLC Moz Designs, Inc.

Multi Housing Direct Package Concierge Plumbing Planning Corp. R&F Tile & Marble Co., Inc. Rehkemper & Sons Inc. Rosch Co. SACO Industries Scally Waterproofing Co. Shades, Shades & More Stock & Associates Consulting Engineers, Inc. Subsurface Constructors Inc. Jim Taylor Inc. (Taylor Roofing) Thermacrete, LLC Toenjes Brick Contracting Inc. Trend Manufacturing Co. Unique Stone Concepts Urban Structure, LLC Vee-Jay Cement Contracting Co. Vernon Obermeier Westport Pools, Inc. Whirlpool Corp. Wilke Window & Door Inc. Xtreme Green Synthetic Turf Zumwalt Corp.

“ While tuck-under and wrap-around projects each have their own unique advantages, podium projects such as this one are often preferred in mediumdensity housing developments due to their benefits of increased density in a limited amount of space.”

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product, Nichiha, a fiber-cement exterior cladding and siding. We’d incorporated this same material in the exterior skin of Cortona and used it again for the building envelope of Encore at Forest Park, but this time we used a lot more of it.” A three-story, glass-box entry serving as the front entrance to Encore is another architecturally significant feature of the structure, according to Smith. “The vision behind this design element is for it to appear as a jewel box,” said Smith. “Its exterior walls protrude from the building, so you can see from the front entrance clear through to the back of the building, to the courtyard and amenity space. Tenants are able to access the third-floor roof deck. It’s backlit and you can actually see the exposed I-beam and turnbuckle (metal hooks and eyes) structure behind the glass. It’s stunning, especially at night.” The majority of Encore is comprised of a wood-frame structure, with the exception of the glass entrance and concrete parking garage and podium. “Encore at Forest Park is what we refer to as a podium project (a wood-frame structure on top of a concrete podium),” said Smith, noting that the podium design approach is one of three major configurations for multi-story residential and mixed-use projects. “While tuck-under and wrap-around projects each have their own unique advantages, podium projects such as this one are often preferred in medium-density housing developments due to their benefits of increased density in a limited amount of space,” he said. Just two miles due east of Encore, another urban living development that Humphreys and Holland are team members on is Chroma, a $50 million mixed-use, residential-retail development in the 4000 block of Choteau Avenue, in the heart of The Grove creative district in St. Louis. The four-story, 240-unit structure features a mid-block courtyard along the development’s south façade complete with fire pit, outdoor kitchen areas, covered trellises and a shale shade structure stretching over outdoor billards. An openair dog park borders the eastern side of the structure. Chroma’s name signifies the colorful personality of The Grove neighborhood, according to Smith. As such, a blue color palette – transitioning from aquamarine to royal blue – is exemplified on the exterior, and the interior of Chroma is

Chroma Project Partners

creative as well. “Chroma is designed to be an extension of The Grove community, which is known for its artistic creativity,” Smith said. “In the leasing, clubhouse and future retail area, we’ve commissioned a local artist to add to the vibrancy of the development and to connect it with its surroundings. Koman Group and Green Street Development are great clients, as is Balke Brown Transwestern,” he added. “They really let us push the envelope and go to the creative edge of what we envisioned.” In contrast to a podium approach like Encore, Chroma exemplifies a wraparound approach with four stories of apartments and an above-grade, enclosed parking structure. “The units themselves are wrapped around the parking to conceal it on all but one side,” Smith said, noting that the garage’s western face opens to the street. Inherent in the design and construction challenges of building Chroma, Smith said, was designing and locating the garage so that its west side remained open to accommodate the next phase, which is expected to be retail. “The building is wrapped on the north, east and south sides,” he said. “The only vehicular access for retail deliveries is on the west side on Sarah Street,” he said. “We designed a sort of motor court, back-of-the-house delivery area for future retail establishments at Chroma. It’s always a balancing act on these mixed-use projects,” Smith added. “We knew going in that a good portion of the retail was going to be food service related. That adds another layer of complexity.” Construction challenges that Holland faced while building Chroma included having to drill twice the depth that was originally anticipated and having to break through a greater-than-expected layer of rock beneath the site. “Establishing the deep foundation system and additional drilling in order to punch through the rock and secure the drilled piers was definitely a challenge,” said Will Stajduhar, project manager for Holland Construction Services. “Our initial thought was that we’d need to drill 15 to 20 feet. It ended up being close to 35 feet to enable us to adequately support the load of the garage.” Construction of Chroma began in March 2017 and is expected to finish in August.

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

L AW

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

Eighth Circuit Overturns $6 Million Jury Verdict Against Title Company on Mechanic’s Lien Insurance Exclusion In a historic result, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that a jury will decide if a title company can exclude its insurance coverage for mechanics’ liens even though the lender did not engage in intentional misconduct. This is a significant victory for title companies and a setback for lenders. The opinion erases a jury verdict in favor of the lender for $6 million. It also loosens the previous legal requirement that intentional wrongdoing must be proved to hold the lender liable. The case is Captiva Lake Investments, LLC, v. Fidelity National Title Insurance Co., 883 F.3d 1038 (8th Cir. 2018), decided February 28. The project involved a condominium development on the Lake of the Ozarks in Sunrise Beach, MO. National City Bank loaned Majestic Pointe Development Company, LLC $21.28 million in March 2006 for the project. Majestic Pointe planned to build a condominium development. To protect its interests, Majestic Pointe purchased a title insurance policy from Fidelity National Title Insurance Co. Midway through construction, Majestic Pointe defaulted on the construction loan agreement. It subsequently went bankrupt. National City sold its interest in the condominium development to Captiva Lake Investments. Captiva became the successor-in-interest under the policy. After some procedural realignment, Captiva became the plaintiff and Fidelity the defendant in a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Missouri law applied to the dispute, even though the case was in federal court. On appeal, the Eighth Circuit determined several issues. The most important was whether Fidelity could present to the jury a defense that under its policy National City, as the lender/insured “created, suffered, assumed or agreed to” the mechanics’ liens. This insurance exclusion could release Fidelity from liability for the liens. The trial court determined there must be evidence of intentional misconduct or inequitable dealings by National City for it to be responsible for the liens. Fidelity failed to present such evidence. The jury was not allowed to consider this defense. The Eighth Circuit, in a case of first impression under Missouri law, concluded that the District Court did not apply the correct legal standard. The trial court should have allowed the jury to consider the defense of whether title insurance was excluded pursuant to the policy. The Eighth Circuit noted this exclusion is the “most litigated clause in standard title insurance policies.” The exclusion may apply, the Eighth Circuit concluded, when a construction lender could have prevented a mechanic’s lien from arising. This is now the law even when there is no evidence of intentional wrongdoing by the lender. A lender, the Court noted, can always prevent a mechanic’s lien from arising by simply paying the contractor. Thus, the Eighth Circuit recognized that many courts had previously implied a requirement of fault by the lender before the exclusion applies. Noting that the Missouri Supreme Court has not yet ruled on this issue, the Eighth Circuit analyzed some previous cases from Missouri’s intermediate appellate courts and from courts outside

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Missouri. The Eighth Circuit decided the Missouri Supreme Court, if presented with this issue, would hold that the lender may have created the mechanic’s liens by its failure to release funds to pay the contractor and subcontractors. It is not unusual for a federal appellate court to make its own determination of what a state supreme court would do if it were presented with a new legal argument. This is how new state law is made in the federal courts. In this case, the jury awarded $6 million relating to the mechanics’ liens in favor of the lender and against the title company. The Eighth Circuit determined the entire case would have to be retried. The jury should have been allowed to consider whether the title company’s exclusion of coverage was a viable defense. If so, this defense may reduce – or eliminate – the title company’s responsibility for any payment. This result will impact how title companies and insurers conduct their activities in construction projects. Title companies now have a broader defense than they ever had before. Lenders now have a greater concern when they decide not to pay off mechanics’ liens. The Eighth Circuit also considered whether the District Court erred in applying the first-spade rule. This rule states that mechanics’ liens “relate back” to the beginning of the work by a contractor – thus, when the first spade struck the ground. The first-spade rule dates back to the 1850s. Missouri’s mechanic’s lien statute started when Missouri became a state in 1821. In essence, the rule gives a contractor or subcontractor priority when money is to be paid out over other earlier-filed liens, such as a construction lender’s lien. When claims exceed the amount of money available, priority of claims determines who gets paid first – and sometimes who gets paid at all. Captiva presented no case law precedent where the first-spade rule has been applied to determine the date on which unresolved mechanics’ liens rendered the title unmarketable. The Court stated, “We decline to extend the rule’s scope such that it would govern the determination of their date.” Captiva could not show that title was unmarketable by mechanics’ liens filed by contractors and suppliers who were owed money as of the date of the policy. Fidelity had agreed in the lawsuit to defend Captiva under a “reservation of rights.” This is a common phrase that insurers use when they decide to defend their insured, but to do so reserving the right to later disclaim insurance coverage. The opinion contained a lengthy discussion on the activities of counsel hired by Fidelity to represent Captiva for the limited purpose of the mechanic’s lien litigation. The lawyers also represented Fidelity in that same regard. The court concluded this did not adversely affect Captiva. There was no evidence that counsel assisted Fidelity in any effort to deny insurance coverage. James R. Keller is counsel with Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C. where he concentrates his practice on construction law, complex business disputes, real estate and ADR. He also is an arbitrator and a mediator. Keller can be reached at (314) 446-4285, jkeller@sandbergphoenix.com.

SALES

BY TO M WO O D C O C K

Spring and Summer Selling: Make the Effort to Attend Prospect-Laden Events Money is being spent in all directions to try to gain an advantage in sales. Websites, digital campaigns, graphics, giveaways and promotional materials grab the lion’s share of the attention. Though these are, at times, necessary, hoping these pieces will suffice as your sales effort is overly optimistic. Still the most effective methodology is to get in front of people. But how? There is a definite divide developing between those who hide behind marketing and promotion with those who use it to increase their opportunity to get around people. I really believe in some of the old, traditional, people-centric gathering functions. The difference is that I’ve always had a plan of attack for these events. What events? Two of the most common, as well as the most effective, are associations and trade shows. I know. They’ve both been around forever. There is a reason for that. They’re effective. When worked properly, they serve as a great point of access to customers and potential customers. When I do seminars, I usually ask this question: “How many of you have to deal with a person when getting a project or making a sale?” Guess what? I usually get a 100 percent positive response. We all have to deal with people to get our opportunities. The question is this: How can we maximize the effectiveness of attending these events? First of all, when it comes to associations, it’s critical that you select a couple active associations that are successful in bringing people together or are customer-rich environments. The more people in attendance, the greater the chance you’ll either secure a good piece of sales information or a direct opportunity with a potential customer. Secondly, you have to dive in. Arrive early and review the nametags to see who’s coming. Stay late and milk it for all it’s worth. Lastly, get involved. Committees, boards and volunteering for events put you in the limelight. It gives members a chance to seek you out for your ability to connect them within the association. I practice this firsthand. It really doesn’t matter if you feel awkward. Things will get comfortable as you move along. Go with the purpose of meeting people, as opposed to sitting back and criticizing those who are. There is an old saying in the association world: “You get out of it what you put in,” and it holds true. Another misunderstood event are trade shows. They have been around since the dawn of time, it seems. Trade shows sometimes draw large crowds, sometimes not. They always involve people. Yes, it’s good to see new products and services at these events. You may even grab a great seminar. (I do a ton of them at trade shows!) The greatest value, in my opinion, comes from the people who are in attendance. If it’s a customer-rich environment, you need to attend with the intent of making some connections. Introduce yourself

during booth visits or at breaks in the seminar programs. Go with the purpose of walking away with at least three solid connections. Plan your attack, have your business cards accessible and bring a tool to jot down notes. Planning ahead will take your experience to a new level. I’m often amazed how one person can attend or work a trade show and say it’s a flop while another individual attended the exact same show and found it to be a tremendous success. It seems that perspective and attitude play a huge role with regards to results. Lastly, there are business breakfast meetings, networking happy hours and luncheons popping up everywhere. They are worth the time if you qualify them first. Who is putting it on? From industry is the host? Are the times and locations generally convenient? If so, they’ll probably have higher attendance. Taking the time to include these opportunities in your event repertoire can produce significant results. With the weather improving, golf tournaments and barbecues pop up. Worked correctly, they can be big lead sources. But all of this is useless if you don’t follow up on the information you secure from these networking opportunities. This is the biggest issue I find when training sales reps; they’re great at the event but then they never call their newfound contacts or take the next step. A lead is only effective when it is worked. Most leads go dead in 48 hours as people move on to new ventures. Set aside a specific time to sit and make those follow-up calls. This takes discipline and few really take the time to pick up the phone. Most good sales people love the fact that so few individuals actually do follow up because it allows them to stand out that much more. It’s always easy to discount going to people-connecting events, believing they’re not worth the time or inconvenience. The highest percentage of people uses these excuses to bypass being involved. Sadly, this is a critical sales mistake. Easy to make, but just as easy to rectify. I know that not every meeting or show is going to be a premium event, but you need to stay out there to catch the ones that are. Join the associations. Get to the meetings. Attend the trade shows and meet people. This isn’t the most complicated of concepts. The biggest issue is making the time. If it’s a priority, you’ll make the time. The percentage of sales agents who do is woefully low. Getting around people is still a big lead producer. Finding events where people are congregating is critical. Surprisingly, if you put a real sales effort towards them, you’ll meet a ton of people. I highly recommend having a good schedule of people-laden events on your calendar. There you’ll meet someone who will be of value to your business. The strong ones tend to be strategically involved in your business transactions. 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 May – June ‘18

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CONSTRUCTION TRADES HAMMER OUT STRATEGIES TO ATTACK OPIOID EPIDEMIC Substance abuse not only costs individuals their health and in some cases their lives, but it also costs employers dearly. According to a cost calculator developed by the National Safety Council and nonprofit organization Shatterproof, substance abuse costs St. Louis-based construction firms with 250 employees $100,925 annually. Companies in the construction industry and in other market sectors may plug their location, size and industry type into the calculator, found at nsc.org/drugsatwork, to see how opioid and other substance abuse may be bleeding their balance sheet in terms of lost time, job turnover and retraining and healthcare costs. “Our cost calculator represents a combination of the latest research on employment costs with data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health,” said Jenny Burke, senior director of advocacy for the National Safety Council. “We encourage construction industry employers and others to use this cost calculator to see just how much the opioid issue - and substance abuse in general - affects their bottom line.” The construction industry, according to Burke, is one of the most acutely affected by substance abuse disorders, in part because it’s shift work and in part because of taxing physical demands. “Even if you factor in age and gender, the construction industry is still one of the highest (sectors),” Burke said. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration supports the NSC’s research. According to the SAMHSA, construction is the second-highest industry (followed only by mining) with the most heavy alcohol use among workers ages 18 through

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

64. Illicit drug use among the same age range of construction workers places the industry in the top five of all employment sectors. The cost of intervening and assisting workers in getting help to combat their addiction is less costly than what it may cost an employer in not dealing with the issue up front, according to Burke. “One worker costs his or her organization, on average, $1,000 annually in lost productivity, absenteeism, turnover, healthcare expenses, disability claims and workers’ compensation claims,” Burke said. “A worker with a pain medication use disorder costs that employer, on average, an additional $455. But it only costs (on average) an additional $500 to put a worker through recovery and really support them once they’re back on the job. At the end of the day, employers need to see that by helping support their worker’s recovery, they’re actually reducing their company’s overall expenses and liability…and they’re engendering loyalty in the process.” Don Willey, business manager of Laborers Local 110 in St. Louis, knows firsthand the tragic consequences of opioid addiction. In March of 2016, Willey lost

his son, Matt, and his nephew, Danny, just one day apart. Ever since that dark time, Willey has worked tirelessly as a staunch advocate to arm construction companies with the information and tools they need to prevent more devastation in the form of a pill bottle. “The pain of the loss motivates me to try to keep other people from it,” said Willey. “If we don’t break the stigma of this, it enables it to go on. If you’ve lost someone to addiction or opioids, you’ve got to share it. You’ve got to talk about it.” One stigma to which Willey is referring is the old-school, Draconian approach that construction industry employers – and others – traditionally practiced in dealing with the detection of substance abuse on the job site. In many cases, once a worker’s drug test revealed his or her substance disorder, he or she was banned from the job site for 30 days and referred to a drug addiction treatment center. Not only did this action identify and stigmatize workers testing positive for illicit drug or alcohol use, it also cut off their ability to earn wages for a month and provide for their families, Willey said. And that often that triggered more anxiety, sending the

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worker back to his doctor to get a 60-day or 90-day prescription for a pain med such as OxyContin, ultimately extending the individual’s substance over-dependence. “Typically 30- and 90-day treatment centers have a 90 percent fail rate unless the patients leave there under a medication-assisted treatment program or MAT,” Willey said. “A six-month MAT has the highest and best outcome for recovery.” Willey and John Gaal, EdD, director of training and workforce development for the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council, meet regularly with physicians and researchers at BJC HealthCare, and Washington University in St. Louis and also with insurance providers to devise strategies that support, grow and fund recovery houses across the St. Louis region. “Typically right now for the St. Louis recovery houses, the model is supporting and treating recovering addicts,” Willey said. “There’s a fraternity that exists in this environment, a dynamic that’s special to these individuals.” Recovery home occupants typically spend the first month there via support from a donation or scholarship. The second month, they’re required to get a job, attend house meetings daily and are regularly drug tested – all the while participating in discussion and support groups to identify the social triggers which led them into addiction, and to learn basic life skills and a develop their own personal strategy on how to get clean and stay clean. “There are 10 to 12 recovery houses in St. Louis at this time,” said Willey. “All of them are certified and are producing good outcomes. They’re a place for our people to land. Some individuals may have insurance, but some may not. Housing is a big issue for an addict. A lot of times, the family environment for an addict is toxic. Going home may not be an option or may not be a good option.” Gaal and Carolyn Perez, assistant administrator at Carpenters Benefit Funds of St. Louis, were moved by Willey’s tragic losses and even more motivated to push for needed reforms in the Carpenters’ own health and welfare program specific to substance abuse. “When Don’s son died two years ago, it really hit home,” Gaal said. “We really began digging into the epidemic and adding muscle to our organization’s efforts to support those caught in the throes of opioid abuse. I can count four other individuals with whom I work on a daily

basis who have either lost a son, daughter or parent to opioids or heroin.” Spreading awareness on a local, regional and national level is a big piece of what Gaal, Willey and others are doing. At a recent AGC of Missouri construction safety panel presentation, Gaal asked for a show of hands as to how many companies had First Aid kits on their job sites; all hands went up. Gaal then asked the same room of 300-plus construction professionals how many had AEDs (automated external defibrillator devices) on their job sites; nearly all hands again went up. He then asked how many employers have Narcan (nasal spray) doses – the emergency treatment for an opioid overdose – on their job sites. Only one hand out of 300 went up. “It’s a big effort and it’s going to take a long time,” said Gaal. “The opioid use disorder is also seen as a mental illness, so it’s a double stigma. We’re trying to prevent it by offering Mental Health First Aid training so our workers can help those around them before they turn to more pills. Getting our workers to seek training for this is every bit as vital as it is to train on CPR and OSHA 10 (which teaches recognition, avoidance, abatement and prevention of safety and health hazards in workplaces).” A misconception exists in the construction industry, Perez said, that workers on MAT are impaired. “There really is no science to that,” she said. “When someone is being treated for opioid addiction, it actually normalizes the brain. Most MAT-supervised individuals with OUD (opioid use disorder) are competent to work.” Gaal asks construction employers to: 1) make sure they have persons on the job site who are trained to administer Narcan; 2) make sure they have emergency doses of Narcan at the job site as part of their First Aid resources; and 3) make sure that as employers, they’re part of the ongoing discussion about how to prevent more opioid overdoses on job sites. “The first week in April, we (Carpenters) experienced our first overdose on the job site,” Gaal said. “EMS came in time and they were able to revive him. But it doesn’t always end that way. We’ve all got to come together as an industry – including construction consumers – and send the message that our drug treatment and recovery programs are in place truly as

safety measures. It’s not a ‘gotcha.’ It’s about helping people.” The Missouri Network for Opiate Reform & Recovery, founded in 2013 by Chad Sabora and Robert Riley, is a nonprofit organization in St. Louis dedicated to providing real solutions for those struggling with substance use disorder across the St. Louis MSA. To contact the Missouri Network, see www.nonetwork. org or call (844) 732-3587. To access the National Safety Council’s resources – including postage-paid Stericycle envelopes for recycling unused prescription medications and self-stick Warn-Me labels that adhere to pharmacy prescription cards to request info over alternatives to addictive opioid scripts, see http://safety.nsc.org/stop-everydaykillers-supplies.

Resources from the National Safety Council Begin addressing prescription drug use in your organization Email or call the National Safety Council for your Free Employer Kit containing: • A guide, The Proactive Role Employers Can Take: Opioids in the Workplace • Tools to examine and update your drug-free workplace and employee benefit programs • Fact sheets and handouts with helpful information to educate your employees • 5-minute safety talks • Poster series focused on home safety and disposal

Employers, for your free kit, email us at rxsafety@nsc.org Or call us at (800) 621-7615

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

Monogram Building Brings More Life to Washington Avenue Loft District What’s 315,000 square feet, nine stories tall and occupies one-half of a city block in downtown St. Louis? Although that may sound like a riddle, it’s actually an ambitious rehabilitation of a classic building. Known again today as Monogram – now a 168-unit, multifamily urban living development – in years past it was regarded as the corporate headquarters of CPI Corp., the company that operated portrait studios for Sears and other retail outlets across the U.S. In 2013, CPI closed its business and its headquarters at 1706 Washington Avenue downtown, vacating an

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enormous building that once housed executives, staff and CPI’s photo processing operations. The brick and terra cotta building standing on the western side of the Washington Avenue loft district was originally built in 1912, initially bearing the name Monogram due to its function as a millinery factory and warehouse in what was then St. Louis’ garment district. Monogram is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

By KERRY SMITH

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

“ The intriguing challenge inherent in these old, historic buildings that were once deep warehouses is how to maximize the living space and create the optimal number of units. We designed a very deep floor plate for each unit in order to maximize the window space.”

Monogram Project Partners

Owner: Monogram Building LLC General Contractor: Paric Corp. Architect: BNIM BAM Contracting LLC BCM Commercial Ben Hur Construction Co. Ben Hur Steel Worx LLC BlueBoat International LLC Bob D. Campbell and Co. Brydie Construction Byrne & Jones Enterprises C & R Mechanical Co. Century Fire Sprinklers Charles E. Jarrell Contracting Co. Inc. Code Engineering Services, LLC Custom Engineering Dalco Industries, Inc. Edwards-Kamadulski LLC FP & C Consultants, Inc. Fitzgerald Construction Inc. JB Fence & Fabrication Inc. Jimmy Bea Construction Co. LLC

Kay Bee Electrical Kay Bee Electrical Metropolitan Sewer District Midwest Elevator Co. Inc. Midwest Service Group Missouri Valley Glass Co. Package Concierge Inc. Planters Unlimited Rebar Specialist, Inc. Revive Capital, LLC Rod Reid Associates, Architect Rosin Preservation Schindler Elevator Corp. Spectra Painting Co. LP Sunlight Window Cleaning Inc. Taliaferro & Browne, Inc. Vogel Sheet Metal & Heat Waterhout Construction Co. Western Specialty Contractors Westport Pools Williams Investments of Missouri Zumwalt Corp.

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After remaining idle for three years, the design and construction team of Kansas City-based BNIM and St. Louis-based Paric Corp. began work on restoring and renovating the building for current owner and Kansas City developer Michael Knight who bought the building in January 2016. The new Monogram, which is expected to open this month, features apartment units with 12-foot-wide arched windows, shared living spaces, generous storage areas, top-notch amenities including a rooftop pool and a future retail tenant on the ground floor. The building’s elevators, located in the rear of the building, make it accessible for all dwellers. At the forefront of the project’s design challenges was the sheer size of Monogram, according to BNIM Principal Craig Scranton, who led the project design. “The intriguing challenge inherent in these old, historic buildings that were once deep warehouses is how to maximize the living space and create the optimal number of units,” said Scranton. “We designed a very deep floor plate for each unit in order to maximize the window space. The depth from the exterior wall to the center of the Monogram building is such a long distance because it’s a large, square building with no daylight in the center. Deciding what to do with the interior core space was indeed a design challenge,” he added. What BNIM decided to do with the building’s inner sanctum was to design storage areas for each unit and also to design large common areas where occupants can gather and socialize. These living rooms or public zones, said Scranton, are a desirable amenity for urban dwellers. Bringing the plumbing down through the enormous turn-of-the-century building and transitioning that network of pipes to the ceiling of Monogram’s ground floor so the structure of the building was visible but the pipes themselves were obscured was another sizable design challenge. “Throughout the project, we worked extremely closely with the National Park Service to comply with all historic preservation requirements,” Scranton said. “In this instance, we designed a clouds (acoustic) system that is suspended from the structure rather than from a full, contiguous ceiling. These clouds absorb the sound but are also there to hide the exposed pipes and also show off the ornate structure.”

Restoring and rehabilitating the building’s original terra cotta exterior was another historically specific aspect of the design work. Working with the National Park Service to create new architectural openings on the west side of Monogram was another design-specific element. “We intentionally followed a more random pattern of openings on the west side to distinguish it from the front (north) side,” Scranton said. From a historical perspective, designing all the sight lines to negotiate what passersby see from the street is crucial, according to Scranton. Also of great importance – and a challenge inherent to the rehabilitation of Monogram – was designing and constructing a roof deck capable of supporting the swimming pool. “A crucial component in making that roof deck work was incorporating a stainless steel liner for the pool that allowed for the existing structure to carry the load,” he said. Paul Giacoletto is Paric’s project executive for the firm’s multi-family developments, both historic renovations and new builds. Giacoletto said when working to rehabilitate a classic building like Monogram, its sheer size dictates careful consideration of how to maximize the living space and yet not overbuild in terms of the number of units. “You really have two choices,” Giacoletto said. “One, you can put a skylight in the top of the building and open up an atrium. Two, you can utilize the large building’s interior storage and gathering spaces. We chose the latter, working with the design team and the building owner come to an ideal solution. This decision enabled the design team to create a sawtooth pattern rather than a long, flat wall for the apartment units. As a result, the corridors are a little bit wider, which allowed for the building’s existing round concrete columns. Rather than being in

“ You really have two choices. One, you can put a skylight in the top of the building and open up an atrium. Two, you can utilize the large building’s interior storage and gathering spaces."

the middle of a partition, these beautiful original columns stand out as an integral design element,” he added. “These really add a nice feature to the building and are central to the public gathering spaces.” Giacoletto has worked on the rehabilitation and conversion of many historic structures in St. Louis. He said Monogram and a yet-to-be-named, nearfuture project of a similar scope would add walkability not only to the Washington Avenue loft district but to adjacent areas of downtown as well. “I’ve been involved with a lot of rehabs,”

he said. “Tucker (Boulevard) was always a blocking and stumbling point…it was so big and people didn’t feel safe walking across it. This type of development will bring additional livability and stability to downtown St. Louis. “I’d been keeping an eye on this building (Monogram) for 15 years, hoping to have the privilege and opportunity of rehabbing it.” Extensive remediation of the building took place before construction began, according to Giacoletto, because CPI’s presence for decades involved chemicals processing in the developing of photos.

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Monogram Building Renovation

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

By KERRY SMITH

PUBLIC, PRIVATE DESIGN AND PROJECT PARTNERS

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As the five-year, $380 million Gateway Arch Grounds project nears completion in time for Fair St. Louis’ glorious return to downtown in early July, St. Louis Construction News & Review Magazine takes a look inside, behind the scenes, above and below ground at who did what in redeveloping the areas circling what is known to more than 4 million visitors each year as an iconic symbol of westward expansion, creativity, freedom and possibilities. Fifty-one years after the 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch officially opened to the public in downtown St. Louis, a cadre of design, engineering and construction professionals – locally, regionally and globally – worked for two decades of planning and nearly 70 months redesigning and rebuilding the surrounding Arch Grounds into nothing short of a spectacular, interactive, accessible experience. Hundreds of individuals and firms representing a bevy of architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors and

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

agencies worked in close proximity for years to coordinate every segment of every contract that comprised the overall redevelopment effort of the 90-plus-acre National Park site. To truly appreciate the complexity, the beauty, the magnitude and the challenges they faced, it’s necessary to roll back time and walk through who they are, what they did and how they collaborated to accomplish a common goal: complete redevelopment of the Arch Grounds and downtown riverfront.

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. is the New York-based landscape architecture firm that won the Arch Grounds redesign competition in 2010. General contractor McCarthy Building Companies and contractor Kozeny-Wagner brought MVVA’s landscape design of the Arch Grounds to fruition. McCarthy and Kozeny-Wagner professionals worked closely with MVVA, the National Park Service, Great Rivers Greenway and with St. Louis-based Remiger Design in building a new irrigation system, regrading and supplanting specialty

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.”

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soils, grasses and more than 800 London Planetrees. James Smith, senior associate at MVVA and project manager for the Arch Grounds, said so much of the planning, design and construction of the sub-projects comprising the overall Arch Grounds work was interconnected and interrelated with other design and restoration efforts taking place in close proximity, such as the Old Cathedral (Basilica of St. Louis, King of France) at 209 Walnut Street, very near the Arch. “Making visitors’ paths to the park and the Arch fully accessible from the city to the (Mississippi) river was one of the biggest technical challenges of our scope of work,” Smith said. “We needed to fulfill the goal of complete accessibility for the visitor experience.” But before any landscaping of the Arch Grounds could commence, a large and longstanding structure needed to come down. Demolishing the 500,000-squarefoot parking garage at the north end of the grounds was spearheaded by KozenyWagner and subcontractor Spirtas Wrecking Co., who took down the garage in early 2015. Once the garage was demolished, there remained a completely unused extension of Washington Avenue that Smith referred to as a gulch. “It was more like a 60-foot drop because everything sloped slightly to the south,” he recalled. “With the goal of transitioning from a vehicle culture to a visitor and resident culture, we redesigned that area. Rather than visitors exiting off a steep vehicular ramp from the interstate, turning right and driving half a block down a steep street to a parking garage, now visitors may enter by foot or by bicycle via an 18-foot-wide, gentle slope,” Smith added, noting that grading and path connections, for the most part, presented the biggest challenge for MVVA. Kozeny-Wagner transformed the parking garage footprint into The North Gateway, a seven acre “park within a park” and a vibrant area of Gateway Arch park grounds that now connects the Eads Bridge, Laclede’s Landing, Washington Avenue and neighborhoods surrounding the Arch grounds to the north. The North Gateway Park includes an explorers’ garden, an elevated walkway with views of the Mississippi River and the surrounding park, a natural amphitheater and bicycle paths. Also prior to the grounds redevelopment, an abrupt, steep elevation

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

change at the Grand Staircase needed to be addressed, according to MVVA. It presented a formidable physical challenge, forcing many visitors to walk a good distance to the south end of the park in order to access ramping sidewalks and make their way back to the Arch entrance. “There was a 45-foot elevation change between the Arch entrance and up the 65 steps of the Grand Staircase, which is located between the Arch Grounds and Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard,” Smith said. “We weren’t going to cut through the Grand Staircase because it’s part of a national landmark,” he added. “So we

“ The quality of the overlook platforms and stairs is an impressive architectural finish intended to emulate Eero Saarinen’s original design.”

flanked it and designed hundreds of feet of gently sloping ramp with a handrail to snake our way down that slope to the promenade below. It worked.” Kozeny-Wagner also worked with the National Park Service and C&M Contracting in renovating the North and South overlook platforms, overlook stairs and the top of the river walls. “The quality of the overlook platforms and stairs is an impressive architectural finish intended to emulate Eero Saarinen’s original design,” said Kozeny-Wagner President and CEO Patrick Kozeny, noting that the project was designed to comply with Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System. Another associated contract connected with the Arch Grounds redevelopment involved designing and building a ‘lid’ over what was formerly Interstate 70 (now I-44) as a sustainable park with pedestrian and cyclist access to the grounds from the east. The 97-foot-wide, 274-foot-long bridge was built by Missouri Dept. of Transportation and St. Louis-based KCI Construction using 40 steel girders, each weighing 14 tons. KCI Field Operations Manager Justin Stanford said prior to construction, several lanes of busy traffic

surrounded Luther Ely Smith Square, making it difficult to access the Arch. The new seamless, accessible route from Fourth Street straight to the Arch and riverfront is the first greenspace highway lid that MoDOT has built. The lid over I-44 joins the Arch Grounds with downtown St. Louis, Stanford said. Geotechnology Inc. provided geotechnical engineering and drilling services for the lid project. KCI’s work also included installing two enormous precast concrete cisterns beneath nearby Ely Smith Square that have a combined capacity of 70,000 gallons to collect and filter stormwater for the park’s irrigation system. Randy Hitt, project engineer with MoDOT, worked closely with KCI and many other companies on a weekly and often daily basis to coordinate construction work at and around the project site. Hitt said keeping construction moving while at the same time minimizing the impact it had on area businesses, downtown motorists and Arch visitors was a steep challenge. “Guiding individuals as to where to park, how to access the Arch and specifically how to navigate through these temporary conditions kept us all on our toes,” he said. “One of the keys

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that made all this complex coordination successful were the regular meetings we held at our (MoDOT) office across from the construction site. Every public and private project entity regularly attended these face-to-face meetings as we discussed every nuance of everything that was taking place or about to take place, who would take the lead on what and who was problem-solving which issues. All of us working in unison toward a common goal made these projects successful.” In a related project, St. Louis-based BSI Constructors rebuilt a 1.5-mile stretch of the riverfront, including walls between the road and levee, underground infrastructure, sidewalks and a separate bicycle path connecting to existing trails. BSI also raised Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard by two feet, adding a streetlevel stage that will be used as an event space. BSI Executive VP Joe Kaiser said his firm worked as construction manager for Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard and Kiener Plaza, the projects located on City of St. Louis property. On the projects that were on federal property, including the Arch grounds and the Museum/Visitor Center, BSI was a consultant to CityArchRiver and Great Rivers Greenway and provided preconstruction estimating, value engineering, planning and scheduling, as well as construction phase services. Security was another formidable challenge that BSI and others embraced throughout the duration of the Arch Grounds project. “In the sense of the daily inspection of all the vehicles and employees coming in and off the site, the security piece was a major factor,” Kaiser said. “As a visitor, you will see the row of security bollards lining the north end of what used to be Memorial Drive. Securing this national monument site was paramount, not only for workers but for visitors who continued visiting the Arch on a daily basis.” Before the massive at-grade landscape design and construction began, a complex series of below-grade work had to take place. The joint venture of McCarthy Building Companies and sister company Castle Contracting LLC oversaw construction of much of the subterranean work – and there was a lot of it. Michael Pranger, VP of operations for Castle, said the most challenging issues were those related to heavy equipment logistics. “With the majority of the work we

“ Engineering and building a deep, vertical earth retention system comprised of drilled and set soldier beams with shotcrete facing and tie-backs was the solution for supporting the excavation and construction of what would be a 45,183-square-foot museum expansion.” performed, we worked on a very tight site in close proximity to a national monument that remained open throughout the duration of the projects,” Pranger said. “This presented logistical and phasing challenges on how to move an enormous amount of dirt from the north side to the south side.” McCarthy and Castle moved a total of some 300,000 cubic yards of dirt – hauling off roughly 80,000 yards of it – over the course of the Arch Grounds redevelopment, the equivalent of 19 football fields with 10 feet of dirt each,

and built nine acres of exposed aggregate walkways. Their work also required building a new infrastructure of storm sewers, extensive underdrain systems, sanitary sewers, water mains and underground electrical duct banks. “Another big project challenge was that the grounds contracts were let first, before the museum and visitor center contract was let,” said Pranger. “As we were finishing the large area to the east of the job, we had to pigeon ourselves in to the west of the highway, backing ourselves in to complete the 25-foot-deep work. It

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

“ We moved a total of some 300,000 cubic yards of dirt – hauling off roughly 80,000 yards of it – over the course of the Arch Grounds redevelopment, which is the equivalent of 19 football fields with 10 feet of dirt each.” reduced our laydown area as well as the area we were allowed to disturb, rather than building from the deepest part of the site out to the other areas.” Much of the work McCarthy performed involved building the new slopes that would become the basis for a gently sloping, accessible network of walkways undulating to and from the Arch and the downtown riverfront. “The area where we were building paths from the Arch Grounds above to Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard

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below at the riverfront level flooded twice during construction,” said McCarthy Project Director Andy Poirot. “This brought forth a number of challenges including the sheer delay of the work, the time we had to wait for the area to dry out and replacement of the work. There were a lot of imported soils, landscaping and some concrete work that was destroyed and had to be replaced.” Speaking of specialty soils, a dirt-related challenge workers embraced was positioning specialty soil – more than 150,000 cubic yards of it – at the site and yet not compacting it to ensure that the soil’s organic properties weren’t damaged. “You can’t track over it or layer it,” said Pranger. “We had to use low-impact equipment – either a skid with a wider base or conveyors to shoot the soil into place.” Another supreme obstacle McCarthy and others faced, Poirot said, was continually devising paths through which equipment could be transported to and from the site. These routes were often the identical ones that Arch visitors would traverse. “We delivered material to the loading dock door of the Arch – a very narrow, small, hidden road that crosses the path of pedestrians who were traveling across that same road to reach the base of the Arch and the Grand Staircase. Every piece of equipment had to be escorted in, literally walking the (construction) traffic through the pedestrian zones to get it where it needed to go,” said Poirot. “Logistically speaking, we could not deliver a full-size tractor trailer to the existing museum renovation…every delivery had to be broken down onto smaller trucks and carefully escorted in.” Subterranean engineering, design and construction involve anticipating and problem solving the unknown. As such, a big unknown to structural engineers on the Arch Grounds project, according to structural engineering partner Alper Audi Inc.’s Scott Roark, principal and the senior project engineer, was how the existing museum foundations would be affected by the new mechanical system that was in a below-grade tunnel system. “The new system is housed in below-grade tunnels that originate in a mechanical room in the existing museum space adjacent to existing building column foundations,” Roark said. “The system heads south from the mechanical room in the existing museum space, takes a turn to the west and runs all the way to a new foundation wall separating the new mezzanine and exhibit levels from the new west entry level. This provided a hefty technical challenge.” Roark credited Managing Principal Marc Alper and Jeffrey Young, drafting technician, for their work on the project. Alper Audi teamed with Kansas City-based WBE Leigh & O’Kane L.L.C. on work that included structural work in the museum expansion and Eckersley O’Callaghan for engineering of the canopy system at the Arch’s new main entry on the west side. Vibration was a prominent concern for the design of the museum expansion lid structure. “Mainly because of potential rhythmic excitation, concerns about vibration quickly ruled out the use of structural steel,” Roark said. “Due to the depth of the section of steel required to make the new Arch entrance work – our longest clear span was approximately 80 feet with two feet of dirt on top – we ultimately arrived at a post-tension, cast-in-place concrete floor slab.” Nationally renowned vibration experts were consulted, said Roark, to study the potential vibration implications and the integrity of the new museum expansion’s lid structure. Vibration monitoring was also performed inside the nearby Old Cathedral and Eads Bridge. Dealing with subsurface conditions – 150 years of prior building on the Arch Grounds site, brought workers in contact with pretty

much every kind of material imaginable. Employing tractors with 17-yard dirt pans, D6 bulldozers, 300- and 400-size excavators and a myriad of smaller skids, excavators and backhoes, workers used a high lift – a tractor front-end loader with a skeleton bucket – to sieve the dirt and smaller items from the large rock. “The cost to just haul it all out and haul in new material with a project of this magnitude is cost-prohibitive,” Pranger said. “But you have to weigh that against how much time your crews are taking to sort through all the material.” Geotechnology Inc. Principal Engineer Dennis Boll said researching extensive maps and documents about the site’s history – back as far as 1879 – proved its own unique subsurface challenge. “We searched back in our company’s records as well as other records we could find detailing various construction on the Arch Grounds site,” Boll said. “At the museum site, we drilled down 50 feet deep, coring the rock to learn its properties so we could size the foundations. We’d hoped to find solid rock at the site, but instead we found rock underlain by clay, so that was an issue we needed to address. Karst limestone – underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves – was present and that added to the complexity of our plan for borings. Part of the reason for this was in the 1930s when a number of buildings were demolished to create the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (now known as Gateway Arch National Park), a lot of that old rubble was buried and the voids could fill with water.” Subsurface Constructors, the project’s earth retention contractor, put Geotechnology’s findings to good use. Director of Business Development Lyle Simonton said engineering and building a deep, vertical earth retention system comprised of drilled and set soldier beams with shotcrete facing and tie-backs was the solution for supporting the excavation and construction of what would be a 45,183-square-foot museum expansion. “Our total shoring length on this project was 1,070 lineal feet and with cuts of up to 37 feet of soil above bedrock,” Simonton said. “The overall excavation went another 10 to 15 feet below the top of bedrock. By taking advantage of the rock bench at the bottom of the excavation, we were able to optimize the solider beam spacing and number of tie-backs to help control the

cost of the earth retention system. This process made it possible for McCarthy and Castle to have a deep excavation with vertical walls, minimizing the amount of excavation necessary and ensuring a safe environment for building well beneath the bottom of the old museum.” Designing and building steep slopes – as in the ones the project called for in the north end of the grounds – was indeed a steep challenge, according to MVVA, particularly because when the Mississippi River floods, increased hydraulic friction

(shear stress) of the water flowing from north to south demanded a fully reinforced shot rock (piled, broken stones used as a foundation to stabilize a slope) with geogrid (geosynthetic reinforcement material). Two times, floods washed away Castle Contracting’s reinforced stabilized slope along the project’s east side. SCI Engineering, Inc. Senior Archaeologist Don Booth, who worked with the National Park Service’s Midwest Archaeological Center to discover, excavate and identify archaeological

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Arch Museum + Visitor Center

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

“ Designing intervention that is respectful and that enhances the Gateway Arch has always been at the forefront.” deposits during construction activities at the Arch Grounds, said there were several significant discoveries throughout the course of the project. “We found two cisterns and three privies (outhouses) dating from the 19th century,” Booth said. “One of the cisterns was capped by a one-foot layer of burned debris with the material dating back to the 1840s, likely from the Great Fire of 1849 which destroyed this part of the city. The types and quantities of the items we recovered indicated that these were derived from a tavern or inn.” The privies, located along the northern margin of Poplar Street, according to Booth, yielded a collection of artifacts including tavern drinkware and dishes. A Spanish coin dating back to the 1780s was also unearthed. The intricate, practical and accessible design strategy of the Arch Grounds – led by MVVA – literally took root with a creative, organic soil preparation technique in late 2015, according to MVVA Design Principal Gullivar Shepard. Rather than hauling in heavy equipment to aerate the 70-acre site to import and improve existing poor soil conditions for widespread planting, MVVA chose another solution: lots and lots of radishes. More than 400,000 radishes were planted for their taproots to grow and poke holes in the ground as deep as two feet. The process served as an earth-friendly, costeffective means of widespread aeration, he said. “The story of rebuilding the allées (the pathways bordered by trees) originally designed by Dan Kiley is another memorable one,” Shepard said. “What are the logistics of locating and shipping 800 to 900 matched London Planttrees into Missouri, keeping them at a nearby farm and caring for them until they could be planted? How do you treat the roots with biological amendment, a rhizosphere bacteria concentrate and a new dimension of soil biology, so the trees will adapt more quickly? These were technical challenges that demanded creative, affordable, sustainable solutions.” A pivotal feature of the Arch Grounds effort is a greatly expanded Gateway Arch Visitor Center and Museum. McCarthy Building Companies also served as general contractor for the expansion and renovation of the visitor center and museum, the largest of the Arch Grounds projects, and for the renovation of some 70 acres at the North and South grounds, including

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five additional miles of new accessible walkways. In addition to building the new 46,000-square-foot subterranean museum extension, McCarthy’s work included a dramatic new entrance to the visitor center that features custom solid stainless-steel cantilevered beams and glazing. New York-based Cooper Robertson led the design of the museum expansion. Senior Associate/Project Architect Andrew Barwick and Partner/Project Partner-in-Charge Scott Newman worked closely with St. Louis-based Trivers Associates and James Carpenter Design Associates of New York. “Designing intervention that is respectful and that enhances the Gateway Arch has always been at the forefront,” said Newman. “We were tasked with designing quite a large building that would have a clear identity, serve as a destination of its own and help connect the Arch and park visually to downtown…and at the same time not disturb the landscape. Finding ways in which to do that from a design and technical perspective presented an enormous challenge,” he added. Using the existing topography of the park so as to comply with federal and state historic preservation requirements, Cooper Robertson designed the museum so that its main entrance sat on the face of the berm, Newman said. “Visitors will feel like they’re walking straight into the landscape rather than downward toward it,” he said. “All of that had to be calibrated very carefully in terms of creating enough head room. We were fighting with mere inches to make sure the front door was tall enough.” Building the structure’s topographic design with soil profile 3-D modeling was essential, Barwick said. “We worked closely with MVVA because the building design is so completely integrated into the landscape. We were manipulating architecture and landscape as one unit.” Joel Fuoss, principal and project manager for Trivers, said the firm contributed design expertise to Arch Grounds redevelopment in multiple aspects, including assisting Cooper Robertson in designing the new, larger museum visitors’ store within the former three-story Odyssey Theater. “When you’re designing a minimalistic subterranean building wherein the building and

the landscape come together, it gets complex,” said Fuoss. “We reworked all of the existing eastern ramps from the Arch to the museum floor to become accessible and match the detailing surrounding the new west entry. As the museum design project progressed, we also became involved with the Old Courthouse renovation and with the new (National Park Service) Ranger Station located on the south grounds (at the north side of the Poplar Street Bridge). It has been a bittersweet emotion as the overall project is wrapping up,” Fuoss added. “Daily problem solving has been a part of our lives for so many of us who have been working on the Arch Grounds redevelopment for the past seven years. When I take a step back and reflect that we’ve been working on a national monument, the rare privilege of what we’ve done hits home.” Rhonda Schier, chief of museum services and interpretation for the National Park Service, praised the museum exhibit design performed by United Kingdom-based Haley Sharpe Design and media projects – including movies and interactive monitors – developed by Seattle-based Pacific Studio and Aperture Films of Culver City, CA. The new Keystone Exhibit is a large-scale, real-time video feed of the view from the top of the Arch for those wishing to enjoy the experience virtually rather than taking the tram ride. “Providing the resources for visitors to make personal and meaningful connections to the story of St. Louis is our mission,” Schier said. “The concept of the modern museum experience is one of interactivity, participation personal exploration, analysis and evaluation. We’re ready for visitors to experience all of this,” she added. Kozeny-Wagner, the general works contractor on the Pacific Studio team, worked to transform the Museum of Westward Expansion into a new, state-of-the-art exhibit space. The new museum exhibit space is designed to tell the story of Westward Expansion in interactive ways. The comprehensive, complex Arch Grounds redevelopment involved a cadre of public and private nonprofit agencies, working together for years to ensure successful completion of the enormous undertaking. David Grove is president and CEO of the Jefferson National Parks Association, one of the Gateway Arch’s operating partners. The JNPA is a private nonprofit organization, funded in part by proceeds from National Park Service retail sales including those at the newly expanded museum store. “I’ve been with the JNPA for 25 years,” said Grove. “There hasn’t been anything so significant in St. Louis since the Gateway Arch was originally built. This Arch Grounds project is on that scale. And the entire time that this redevelopment was going on, we marveled that they continued to come and to make extra effort to see the Arch. It’s so magnetic. It’s a real privilege and we don’t take that lightly.” Eric Moraczewski is executive director of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation (formerly known as CityArchRiver). “To me, what’s special and important about this project is that we brought in internationally-recognized design but we built it locally,” he said. “The people who have built this magnificent redevelopment are our friends, our neighbors and our St. Louis family, and they take a huge source of pride in it. A diverse, grassroots, all-inclusive approach to accessibility from the get-go is another hallmark of the Arch Grounds redevelopment, according to Moraczewski. “One of the things that St. Louis isn’t as well known for are its numerous foundations that support persons with disabilities,” he said. “From the very inception of this project through its completion, great leaders from an array of organizations have been a vital part of the design and construction and have been

indispensable in making sure the final product is accessible and enjoyable by all.” Susan Trautman is executive director of Great Rivers Greenway, the regional park district serving as steward of the public and private funds that made the redevelopment possible. “Certainly the scale of this project, its complexity and that it is supported by partners on the federal, state, regional and local level, both public and private – and through a regional sales tax is unprecedented,” she said. “I’m proud of what all of us were able to do together, and I’m grateful to St. Louis City and St. Louis County who were willing to put it on the ballot, and to the business community who was willing to fund the campaign for it.” Bi-State Development President and CEO John Nations said the agency has been a proud partner of the National Park Service for more than 50 years, ever since Bi-State was asked to fund design and construction of the trams to carry visitors to the top of the Gateway Arch. Today, Bi-State operates the tram system and riverboats and is responsible for marketing and promotion of all aspects of the Gateway Arch National Park and downtown riverfront. “The CityArchRiver project is exactly the type of project that we are excited to have been able to contribute to and support,” said Nations. “Over the years, Bi-State Development has helped millions of visitors enjoy their time in St. Louis…We can’t wait to welcome millions more as this transformation makes the Gateway Arch and our riverfront one of the top destinations in the St. Louis region.” St. Louis Construction News & Review Magazine offers special thanks to Michael Plotnick (Plotlines, LLC), Robyn Frankel (Frankel Public Relations) and Jenna Todoroff (Common Ground Public Relations) for their extensive assistance with this retrospective.

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

By KERRY SMITH

Project Delivery Method Decision Requires Owners to Define Details, Expectations as Early as Possible Jack Miller, life-long civil engineer and author of “Rules You Should Know Before You Build Your Important Project,” dispels the myth that buyers of construction services have only a few project delivery methods from which to choose. 28

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distance.mst.edu In Miller’s guide for construction services buyers, he walks readers through the myriad of options for project delivery, delineating questions that buyers must ask very early on in the pre-planning phase of their next facility-in-the-making if they hope to maximize their odds for selecting the ideal delivery mode and project partners. Questions that an owner must ask well ahead of choosing the specific type of project delivery method include: 1) When should I occupy the new facility? 2) How is the best way to build? 3) How can I be sure I get maximum value for my investment? “If you want maximum value,” said Miller, “be sure to choose team members who can provide good value engineering and life cycle cost analysis services.” From the owner’s viewpoint, according to Miller, there are five overall approaches to consider when deciding which contractual relationship is the best for a particular project. The first, bidding contractor, allows the owner to select both his architect/engineer and his general contractor, who in turn will hire the subs. The second, design-build contractor, means the project owner selects the general contracting firm, which in turn selects both the architect/engineer and the subcontractors. The third delivery approach, wherein the construction manager acts as an advisor to the owner, entails a structure that is led by the owner; the owner selects the architect/engineer and the construction manager, and the owner also chooses his own subcontractor labor. The fourth option in project delivery, according to Miller, is when the construction manager (and the architect/engineer) acts as an owner’s advisor along. In this approach, the owner selects an

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

architect/engineer and a construction manager, and the owner also selects a general contractor, who in turn chooses the subs. In the fifth project delivery permutation, a construction manager doubles as the general contractor and hires the subs. Ron Glaser, vice president of preconstruction at Holland Construction Services Inc., speaks the language of project delivery methodology fluently. According to Glaser, the more complicated the construction project is, the more the owner – particularly in the public sector – will want to develop detailed prequalifications with respect to the scope of work. “If the project doesn’t require a complex thought process,” said Glaser, “then you (owner) can get competitive bids that should all fall within the same range. But if it’s fully designed, typically what you’ll see is a lump sum bid. If it’s not fully designed and the owner needs some help in the process, you’ll likely want to make a selection (of the appropriate delivery method) based upon fees and general conditions, such as according to staff rates and how the construction schedule is defined.”

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For example, if an owner wants to build a healthcare facility, that’s generally a lot more complicated than if he wants to build a pre-engineered metal building, according to Glaser. “The choice of project delivery method also depends upon the owner’s level of sophistication and the amount of input he wants to provide on the project,” he said. If an owner requires more assistance on the front end of the project, one delivery method to consider is Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP), said Glaser, which is also known as a not-to-exceed price. “A GMP is what we do the most of,” he said. “We’re brought on early – whether it’s based upon qualifications or fees – and we get involved early on in the design process, helping with design and costing the project rather than the owner relying on a lump sum. With a GMP or CM (construction manager) approach, you’re able to involve the contractors much earlier on.” The CM category of delivery includes two subcategories, Glaser said: 1) CM at risk and 2) CM as agent/agency. CM at risk includes a GMP; CM as agent/agency is a fee-based service, wherein the CM acts solely in the owner’s interest. Robert W. Zak is president and CEO of St. Louis-based Zak Companies – which includes Heideman Associates Inc., Franklin Mechanical Inc., K & F Electric, Franklin Drain Services Inc. and Zak Controls. Zak says the more complex the construction project, the more likely it involves a construction manager that is selected by the project’s owner. The CM then employs a variety of project delivery approaches when signing on its subcontractors to perform the work. “Sometimes the CM opts to use a hardbid or design-bid-build approach when securing subs,” said Zak. “Sometimes the CM will ask us to come on board via a design-assist and preconstruction mode of project delivery. And sometimes we (Franklin Mechanical) may be part of a design-build strategy. For example, we’re currently working at Saint Louis University as a subcontractor to Rock Hill Mechanical Corp. and one of our other subsidiaries, Heideman Associates, is performing engineering work for Rock Hill and Franklin Mechanical, with McCarthy Building Companies as the CM. The decision as to which project delivery approach to use is really driven by the complexity of the project and by the owner’s needs,” he added. “If speed to

market is important, the owner might opt to not take time to bid the project in order to get started on the project more quickly.” Zak Companies recently participated in a hard-bid or design-bid-build project delivery for St. Louis Community College, Zak said, wherein the community college hired Tarlton Corporation as the construction manager and Franklin Mechanical was low bidder on the project’s specified mechanical systems. The level of trust a repeat client has in a contractor or subcontractor may be another instrumental factor in which project delivery method is ultimately employed, he said. “If we do repeat work for clients, they develop a comfort level for who we are and how we work,” Zak said. “As an example, the client may ask us to bid on the fees portion of the job. They’ll send out a Request for Proposal (RFP) asking what our fees are, along with our general conditions and our qualifications. In this instance, we’re not really bidding the whole job. We may be giving them a guaranteed maximum price or GMP budget.” Leonard Toenjes, president of the Associated General Contractors of Missouri, agreed that there is no one-sizefits-all solution to project delivery. “Probably the most sophisticated project delivery system I ever saw was in a presentation given by a representative of General Motors,” Toenjes said. “They actually had somewhat of an ‘if-then’ structure put together that took into account factors including size of project,

location, the facility’s ultimate use and its projected lifespan. The General Motors rep plugged all those variables into a software program and it spit out the best project delivery method.” More sophisticated owners truly understand which delivery method is best for their next project, according to Toenjes. “That’s the owner’s side,” he added. “But from the general contractor’s and subcontractors’ side, it really boils down to risk assignment and risk sharing... where does it best fit on the project? Who should bear the risk? There are times where a project owner might elect to retain a subcontractor to serve as the prime (contractor) who in turn will subcontract services from an entity that traditionally functions as a general contractor.” Whether the project is being funded by public dollars, private dollars or a combination of the two – such as a publicprivate partnership – also weighs heavily into which method of project delivery is ultimately selected. “In the public sector, a lot of owners are enamored with designbid-build,” said Toenjes. “Understanding prequalification and the capacity of the company is crucial, which is why an owner such as Washington University in St. Louis or BJC HealthCare does a prequalification with a stable of GCs in its toolbox that it regularly works with,” he said. “GCs are doing the same thing, assessing subs’ bonding capacity and subs’ performance on similar types of projects in the past to gauge the abilities of their prospective subcontractors.”

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

Smart Buildings Offer Owners Control, Real-Time Data to Maximize Efficiency

By KERRY SMITH

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Smart buildings are getting smarter these days, thanks to increased use of applications that interface with the Internet of Things. Guarantee Electrical Co. VP of Engineering Steve Vrenick and Executive VP David Gralike agree that automation control for lighting systems in commercial buildings is enormously popular. “In the past, you’d drive by office buildings at night and see that every room was illuminated,” said Gralike. “Today, there’s very detailed lighting design as to where occupancy is at any given moment, and occupancy sensor technology is tied into HVAC sensors. It’s robotically controlled. I don’t have to worry anymore about shutting off the lights…they’ll shut themselves off 45 seconds after I leave the room,” he added. As future generations of professionals enter the workforce, their collective expectation is to be able to control everything from their smartphones. “We already see that trend coming,” Gralike said. “One of the things we’re really trying to stay on top of is the range of emerging applications connected with the Internet of Things or IoT. Smart lighting is already playing a big role in it with lighting characteristics such as color, intensity and timing that can automatically adjust according to owners’ and occupants’ needs and preferences.” With the ever-expanding technology in smart building automation control systems, Vrenick said lighting systems alone have the capability to change the way building owners and occupants view and interact within their workspaces. “With the technology that’s already here, we are able to take human-centric lighting sensors and map the interior of a building,” said Vrenick. “We can design sensors to detect heat, motion and the exact location and duration where inhabitants spend their time within the building. This is a reality. It already exists today,” he added. “We’re all very, very excited as to where this trend is continuing to go. Those of us in the electrical industry fully expect to see twice as much technology emerge within the next 10 years as we’ve seen over the past 20 years.” Tracking equipment and personnel in a healthcare environment is another example of how the IoT is facilitating better patient experiences, Gralike and Vrenick said. “In the newer healthcare facilities, nurses may wear a pin that is WiFi enabled so that at a second’s notice, management can spot their location and the location and inventory of patients’ medications,” Gralike said. “It enables hospitals to move away from the old centralized nurses’ stations and to enhanced patient care.” Even airports are accessing smart building technology, tracking the location of wheelchairs for quick allocation and deployment as passengers deplane.

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The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

Murphy Company’s menu of mechanical contracting and engineering services also includes those related to IoT-based smart technology. Senior VP Mark Bengard, Automation Controls Manager Tom Flaker and Project Development Director Sam Welge say smart building technology engineers a precise degree of comfort, pun intended. “We can integrate weather forecasts with automation control systems to preheat or pre-cool a building, taking advantage of lower utility rates during non-peak hours,” Flaker said. One example of what metrics tracking produces, according to Welge, is a wealth of relevant data for the building owner/ operator to analyze and see exactly how much energy is used, when and where, to do predictive energy consulting. “Predictive maintenance is also possible,” Welge said. “We can write rules for how certain systems should operate per temperature and air flow. Smart building control systems talk with each other. If one is out of whack – say the variable air volume box, the thermostat or the fan is running too long or the lighting system is running too much – it can alert the maintenance team via their smartphones. These smart systems also enable operators to track and work the problem before any clients call it in.” Catching anomalies early on – way ahead of seeing them on the owner’s commercial utility bill – is a major plus of savvy and smart building systems applications, according to the Murphy team. “We have a building in downtown St. Louis, and each tenant has a smartphone app that allows them to request HVAC-related service,” said Flaker. “Authorized users merely access the phone app, identify themselves and are then able to adjust the heating and cooling.”

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David Kniepkamp is president of Fairview Heights-based Smart Controls LLC, a manufacturer of high-performance, electronic remote sensing for a number of different building control systems. In the process of making a building operationally efficient, Kniepkamp says, only a small amount of inside air is escaping, thus the potential for CO2 build-up, humidity and condensation on walls along with other undesirable conditions. “When you bring outside air inside, it’s generally the opposite of what you want in your building,” he said. “Here’s where the ‘smart’ comes in. Smart building enables you to optimize the exact amount of fresh air you desire within your building. It also allows you, the building owner, to be extremely efficient as to how you accomplish that.” Networking chillers that are able to ‘talk’ to one another as to when to turn on and off and at what temperature and to what degree of humidity to operate is one facet of intelligent building operations, according to Kniepkamp. “You begin putting all these things together – sensors talking to controllers, controllers talking to equipment – and you create enormous potential for efficiency and comfort with the potential for significant savings. With our Cloud-based monitoring and tracking systems, we’re able to inform and educate the building owner and knock out, on average, 10 percent of a $20,000 power bill every month. That’s the value of building intelligence,” he added. Integrated Facility Services in St. Louis provides mechanical contracting and service in many categories including smart building automation. Jeremy Welch, project engineer and energy specialist at IFS, said the company works closely with Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois to incentivize building owners seeking to equip their building with the latest smart technology.

“We’re not only seeing smart trends on the automation side, but also on the equipment replacement side,” Welch said. “Owners are looking at better bells and whistles such as equipment-designed, part-load capability. In contrast with standard HVAC equipment, part-load capability is designed to cycle itself on and off to maintain optimal temperatures, to match the load of the building and to match the heating or cooling requirement for any given day.” Temperature control engineering grows savvier by the day, according to Brian Schuhmacher, IFS vice president. “Cuttingedge temperature controls technology continues to evolve at a swift pace,” he said. “Soon every outlet in every building will have its own IP address and everything will live on the network. It’s actually available now, but we expect that the price point will continue to come down.” IFS retrofits commercial building temperature controls with digital controls that afford operators much more control over building functions. “Compared with a ‘dumb’ system – a thermostat on the wall, which is terribly inefficient for large buildings – we’re able to replace that with digital electronic controls and tie them into schedules, occupancy sensors, (Microsoft) Outlook calendars and more,” said Kurt Voss, VP of engineering for IFS. “We focus on tailoring the controls to work in conjunction with whatever processes the building owner chooses to optimize.” Doug Sitton is president of Sitton Energy Solutions, an engineering and consulting firm based in O’Fallon, IL. Working as an independent energy advisor, SES advises clients on how to develop a comprehensive energy strategy to find the best ways to make their buildings as energy efficient as possible. “A big area is definitely HVAC systems, optimizing performance of these systems,” Sitton said. “There’s just a lot of opportunity

there. What’s pretty new is analytics software that monitors how the building is actually performing. It equips a building with sensors throughout that are monitoring how the equipment is functioning and will detect if it’s not operating properly. Compared to what used to occur – where a building engineer would have to actually put eyes on the problem as it was happening – these sensors provide real-time, detailed feedback about a malfunction much, much earlier, without anyone having to see the problem as it occurs.” The level and amount of technical training needed to stay abreast of how to install and service rapidly emerging smart systems technology is constantly evolving, according to Dennis Gralike, director of training at IBEW Local 1. “I go to job fairs and tell students that there was a time when there used to be a thermostat attached to the wall,” Gralike said. “But in all seriousness, in the 35 years I’ve been affiliated with the St. Louis Electrical Industry Training Center, I’ve seen the transition and transformation of students as they progress through the program. They’re already computer savvy. They’ve understood programming since they were in grade school, and they understand systems. So they’re naturals in learning how to become proficient with building information modeling (BIM), the digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility,” he added. “At one time, all the trades worked independently with their own set of prints, plans and timetable. Not so anymore. All of us are working together. The sharing of ideas between smart building systems and components is providing the platform for innovation.”

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

HIRES Barbara Pogue has joined Byrne & Jones Construction as an administrative assistant. Byrne & Jones is a diversified St. Louis civil site contractor serving clients through six divisions – concrete, sports, asphalt, soil stabilization, marine and microsurfacing. Sarah Sever has joined Murphy Co. as human resources coordinator. Sever has more than five years’ experience in HR and recruiting. Wendi Prange has joined Lawrence Group as director of talent development. Prange’s role is to foster human collaboration and growth. She brings more than eight years of talent development, employee engagement and action planning experience to Lawrence Group. KAI announces the addition of architect Veronica Castro de Barrera as transit studio leader in its Dallas office. Castro de Barrera has grown in her professional architectural career over the past 20 years where she has pursued her passion to design public projects that improve the quality of life. Mosby Building Arts announces the addition of two new licensed architects, Arthur Merdinian as a home consultant and architect and Lucy Stopsky as architect. Explore St. Louis announces the hiring of Anaja “AJ” Sander as its new director of community engagement. In her new role, Sander will serve as a community liaison for Explore St. Louis and the lead development representative for the St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation. Terri Rollings has joined Leica Geosystems as a territory sales representative for building construction and survey products in Missouri and Southern Illinois. Rollings has a background of more than 25 years serving the St. Louis construction market. She is based in St. Louis. Subsurface Constructors announces the opening of its 3rd satellite location with an office in Minneapolis. Engineer Gary Hahn was recently hired as business development manager – Great Lakes Region, covering primarily Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota. Bloomsdale Excavating announces that long-time industry veteran Pete Buback has rejoined the company as EVP after spending the previous six years with sister company Nexus Construction Service Group. MHS Legacy Group, a national holding company of specialty contractors based in St. Louis, announces the hiring of Joseph F. Huss as CFO. He is a Certified Public Accountant. MC Hotel Construction, a general contractor specializing in new hotel construction and renovations, has hired Randy Wild as director of operations. Wild has more than 25 years of commercial construction and business experience.

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Ralph Grant, a chemical engineer with 28 years of experience leading high-performing project teams, has joined CRB’s central region as the director of business development. CRB is a full-service network of engineers, architects, constructors and consultants, assisting advanced technology organizations in the planning, design, construction and operational support of facilities across the globe. S. M. Wilson & Co, has hired Chris Kopp as project manager and Michael Mounce as project engineer. Kopp will be responsible for handling all administrative functions for a project including scheduling, holding progress meetings, generating meeting minutes, tracking costs and maintaining logs for all project information. Mounce has 18 years of design and construction experience. He also has a SEED (Social Economic Environmental Design) Certification. Jake Goss joins the Northstar team as project manager with 19 years of industry experience. Scott R. Rushing joins the Northstar team as project manager with 18 years of industry experience. Kristin Gounis joins the Northstar team as special projects coordinator with 18 years of industry experience. Ryan Laley has joined Byrne & Jones Construction’s sports division as a project manager and estimator. Byrne & Jones is a diversified St. Louis civil site contractor serving clients through six divisions – concrete, sports, asphalt, soil stabilization, marine and micro-surfacing. McGrath & Associates has hired Ken Lewis from the Central West End in St. Louis as a project engineer. He will be working with McGrath’s pharmaceutical and healthcare business groups. Brian Wright has been named director of FGM’s Municipal & Recreation Practice. Wright will now be focused on FGM’s Chicago, Oak Brook and Milwaukee locations. FGM has named Scot Fairfield vice president & director of marketing. In his new role, Fairfield will promote a culture of strong client and market engagement through corporate-wide efforts affecting FGM’s Chicago, Oak Brook, O’Fallon, St. Louis and Milwaukee locations. EDM Incorporated welcomes Ramona Nicula as vice president and senior electrical engineer. Nicula is a registered engineer in Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maryland, Arizona, California and New York with over 24 years’ experience. She is also a LEED-Accredited Professional. William Schenck, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has joined Hastings+Chivetta Architects as a project designer. In his role, Schenck will work closely with the team of designers to create facilities that foster campus community and student engagement. Alvaro Simon Merino has joined Hastings+Chivetta Architects as a junior architectural designer. As a member of the architectural graphics team, Merino assists project teams with conceptual designs and creates 2D and 3D renderings and virtual reality models.

C O M PA N I E S KWK Architects is working on designs for a new $3.5 million athletic stadium at Westminster College in Fulton, MO. The new facility is made possible in part by a $3 million gift from college alumnus Kent Mueller and his wife, Judy. The new stadium will be located within the college's existing sports complex, which includes a training facility, softball and baseball fields and tennis courts along with football and soccer fields. The new athletic stadium, the largest capital improvement project on campus in more than a decade, will be used for Westminster and local community events. A walking track around the new field for use by students and the public is also planned. Developer TriStar Properties and tenant World Wide Technology (WWT) are teaming on the creation of a 176-acre campus valued at more than $115 million at Gateway Commerce Center, a nationally prominent 2,300-acre logistics and bulk distribution park located outside Edwardsville, Ill. The lease calls for TriStar to develop two equally sized buildings totaling 2.025 million square feet, supported by parking for nearly 2,000 vehicles. It is believed that the WWT lease is the largest industrial property transaction executed in the history of metro St. Louis. The deal represents the culmination of a 7-month competition involving many of the top commercial developers in the St. Louis market. Both buildings will be formed from tilt-up concrete panels and have 36-foot clearheight ceilings plus dock doors and truck courts. Farnsworth Group, Inc., a national full-service engineering and architecture firm, has acquired EWR Architects (EWR), an 11-person architecture firm based in Fairview Heights, IL. EWR was founded in 1984. The firm’s primary market areas include office, education, healthcare, parks/recreation, commercial/retail, housing, civic and industrial sectors. Bill Reichert, who served as EWR president, is now a principal at Farnsworth Group.

The last of three waves of Ameren line workers and support personnel from Illinois and Missouri returned from Puerto Rico. Deployed for consecutive three-week rotations since January, Ameren crews repaired energy infrastructure and helped restore power following the catastrophic destruction of electric infrastructure following Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The 225 Ameren workers were part of a larger group of more than 3,000 power-restoration workers coordinated by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), an electric industry association. According to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), Ameren restored more than 95 percent of the customers who are able to receive electricity. Metro Lighting, a locally owned family business, has received the 2018 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for its outstanding efforts to promote energy-efficient lighting products. Metro Lighting’s accomplishments are recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In 2016 alone, ENERGY STAR-certified products, homes, buildings and plants helped Americans save more than $30 billion in energy costs and approximately 400 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity while achieving broad emissions reductions. G&W Engineering announces the addition of Civil Engineering to its offering of professional services. Civil Engineering services will focus on feasibility studies, land planning, re-zoning processes, site civil, storm water management, regulatory approvals and SWPPP. Engineer Todd Scheibe will oversee the service line and be responsible for the daily operations, quality of service, client satisfaction and talent development. Andy Sutton is a senior civil designer at G&W who is responsible for client contact, planning and designing projects, project coordination and quality control.

PROMOTIONS FGM Architects announces that John Dzarnowski has been named president of the firm. David Murphy has been named project manager at Drilling Service Co. Western Specialty Contractors has promoted Crystal Moyer of Eureka to senior national account program manager. Western Specialty Contractors has promoted Jon Carden of Hayward, CA to branch manager of its San Francisco branch office. Carden was previously superintendent at the branch. Jeff Patterson has been promoted to chief estimator for Murphy Company.

CEO and Chairman Bob Clark, has more than a decade of experience in the real estate industry with a focus on project and fund-level financing activity. Midas Hospitality, a premier hotel management group, has promoted Lucinda Fryman to corporate director of revenue management. Western Specialty Contractors has promoted Krista Gnatt of Chicago to senior national account asset manager. Joel Maevers has been promoted to senior project manager at Murphy Co. Maevers is a licensed professional engineer in both Missouri and Illinois, a LEED-accredited professional and a Chicago Register Energy Professional.

CRG announces the appointment of Shawn Clark as group president. Clark, former VP of finance at CRG and son of Clayco

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

A S S O C I AT I O N S The Electrical Connection expanded its support of the best and brightest high school students in St. Charles County by charting pathways to career opportunities in the electrical industry. As it has done in previous years, the Electrical Connection co-sponsored the STEM Celebration Breakfast presented by EDC Business & Community Partners in St. Charles County. The 9th-annual salute recognized 22 students who excel in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math. This year, it also included a panel discussion on career development that featured Dennis Gralike, director of the IBEW/NECA Electrical Industry Training Center. The training center at 2300 Hampton Ave. is operated by the labor-management partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). Electrical contractor members of the Electrical Connection partnership have again made a robust showing in an annual ranking of the largest electrical contractors by the St. Louis Business

Journal. Eighteen of the 22 electrical contractors ranked are members of the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractor Association (NECA). NECA partners with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 to form the Electrical Connection labor-management partnership. NECA members in the rankings include minority contractors. The industries served by the NECA contactors on the list span residential and commercial, including healthcare, power, industrial, retail, multifamily, renewable energy, institutional, R&D, data centers, schools and more. The Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) has honored Geotechnology, Inc., with an award in recognition of 50 years of membership and service within its organization. With more than 500 member firms, AGCMO represents commercial building, heavy, highway, industrial and infrastructure contractors across the state of Missouri. Geotechnology, a leading provider of geotechnical and environmental engineering, geophysics, water resource

management, materials testing and drilling services, was founded in 1984. Its connection with the AGCMO goes back even further, however, since it acquired ANCO Testing Laboratory in 1996. Data science to measure a player’s performance, the intricacies of graphics on scoreboards and an ever-evolving integrated IT and communications systems all require a strong foundation in STEM subjects for the St. Louis Cardinals. On April 24, the Electrical Connection partnered with the St. Louis Cardinals to spotlight the applications of STEM subjects in baseball operations for St. Charles school officials and honor high school students who excel in science, technology, engineering and math. The St. Louis Cardinals STEM event is one of several educational initiatives support by the Electrical Connection. Others include partnerships with FIRST Robotics, the Saint Louis Science Center, Missouri Energy Initiative (MEI), the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and more.

HONORS Western Specialty Contractors Chief Operating Officer Jim Rechtin, Sr. has retired from the company after 46 years of service. SVP of Operations Tom Brooks has been promoted to replace Rechtin as COO. Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. announces that Jessica Courtway, an attorney in the firm’s St. Louis office, has been selected by the American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on Construction Law as a 2018 Diversity Fellow. The ABA Forum on Construction Diversity Fellowship program aims to draw diverse construction lawyers into the ranks of active, long-term forum members by identifying those who have demonstrated interest in the Forum on Construction and are potential candidates for future Forum leadership. Matt Hicks of Byrne & Jones Sports has been named a certified sports builder. The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) has awarded the certified field builder designation to Hicks, who is director of project management for Byrne

& Jones Sports. Byrne & Jones now has seven certified sports builders on its staff.

for completing this Construction Advancement Program.

The Regional Union Construction Center (RUCC) has named IBEW Local 1 Business Manager Frank Jacobs to its board of directors. Jacobs will serve for an unspecified term. RUCC was launched in December 2007 as an initiative of PRIDE of St. Louis, Inc., now known as the Saint Louis Construction Cooperative.

The 40-acre Donald Danforth Plant Science Center site has been transformed from a highly maintained commercial landscape into prairie and other native habitats to complement the 79,000 square feet of laboratory addition. The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recognized the project with a Merit Award from ASLA St. Louis Chapter and a Merit Award from ASLA Central States.

Cohen Architectural Woodworking has been named a recipient of the Award of Excellence by the Architectural Woodworking Institute (AWI) for its work with the Delbert Day Cancer Institute in Rolla, MO. This is the 4th time Cohen has received the AWI award. Kyle Stigler, project engineer with IMPACT Strategies, completed the AGC of America’s Project Manager Development Program. Stigler was recently recognized by The Southern Illinois Builder’s Association (SIBA) at its Spring Industry Reception

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

For the second time, Guarantee Electrical Company (GECO) has received the award for Most Outstanding Electrical Contractor in the Ameren Missouri Trade Ally Network. GECO topped the list of Ameren Trade Allies that provide full electrical contracting services, energy efficient lighting products and installation services.

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

If It Is Free, You Are the Product You’ve probably heard that quip before, “If it’s free, then you are the product.” As we’ve seen from the recent news regarding Facebook, that certainly is the case. I’ve seen reports that Facebook makes anywhere from $11 to $80 per user, depending on how interested advertisers are in the demographic. So, you may be asking, “Does this effect my business? And if so, how?” Users have provided the likes of Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Apple, Microsoft and a host of others a treasure trove of demographic, purchase history and preference information in exchange for use of those services. The problem is that it seems the vast majority of those users didn’t realize just how much information they were giving and certainly not how it was being used. All of that seems like it is coming home to roost, and that either through regulation or market forces, at least some uses of user information will be off limits. If your business has a social media presence, a website or belongs to an organization that does, it is possible that you will have to change the way you gather information, too. For example, when online privacy (which I personally think is an oxymoron) was first being brought to the limelight, my company, Software To Go, added to the bottom of our website the disclaimer “We do not collect personal information on this informational site” just so we were upfront with all site visitors. If you don’t have a private login section to your website or collect personal user data, you might want to consider putting a similar note on your site. Of course there is a significant difference between personally identifiable information, such as that collected by the bogus Facebook surveys at the center of the current dustup, and general demographic data. If you want to use the proven power of this demographic data to aid your business marketing, you might want to check out Google Analytics (www.google.com/analytics). By adding a small amount of programming to your website, you can glean an amazing amount of information on who visits your website.

Some of the free insights shown about your website include the visitor’s country, his or her language, the number of site visitors, at what date and time they connected, how long they stayed and if they were a new or returning user. Data which can be very useful in designing your website is also available in the basic version of Google Analytics. Information about which browser visitors use to view your site can be very helpful in making sure your website presents the image you want on everything from Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or mobile browsers. For your marketing people, knowing what pages the visitors start on, how long they look at each page and which pages or links they use can help your company fine-tune your message to both prospects and customers. Additionally, this data can be used in conjunction with Google AdWords, a paid service that places advertisements for your site. Furthermore, if you sign up for the advertising features, you are provided with enhanced demographic data such as age, interests or gender. Be aware, however, that you may need to update your website’s privacy policy if you activate these more intrusive features. As we’ve seen, even the most basic of customer data is valuable. Furthermore, that data is readily available to you without spending large amounts of time or costing you a fortune. Consider making use of it to benefit your business. 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.

The Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry May – June ‘18

ASA Midwest Council Celebrates Winners The American Subcontractors Association (ASA) Midwest Council – a construction trade association comprised of quality specialty contractors and suppliers serving the St. Louis MSA whose purpose is to improve the construction process through active participation in education, advocacy and cooperation – announces its award winners: 2018 General Contractor of the Year Category A: McCarthy Building Companies Category B: Kadean Construction Category C: LANDCO Construction 2018 Outstanding MEP Subcontractor Category A: PayneCrest Electric Category B Aschinger Electric 2018 Outstanding Specialty Subcontractor Category A: T J Wies Contracting Category B: AME Constructors 2018 Service Provider/Supplier of the Year: Fabick Rents ASA Industry Person of the Year: Tim Wies, T J Wies Contracting

ASA Legacy Award: Bob Pfeil, Affton Fabricating & Welding GC Field Employee of the Year: Dennis Bentlage, Contegra Construction Co. GC Office Employee of the Year: Joe Sneed, J.E. Foster Building Company ASA Safety Cup: Hayden Wrecking Corp. 2017 Safety Award Winners Division I - Sachs Electric Company Division II - PayneCrest Electric Division III - Golterman & Sabo and John J. Smith Masonry Co. Division IV - BAZAN Painting Co. Division V - Hayden Wrecking Corp. Division VI - Affton Fabricating & Welding and Lindberg Waterproofing

honored ASA Midwest Council Outstanding Specialty Subcontractor

We are

to have been named

Tim Wies, ASA Midwest Council Industry Person of the Year

Thank you

to asa midwest council, and to our customers for selecting us www.tjwies.com

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

ADVERTISER INDEX Company

Page

Website

Phone Number

CK Power

ckpower.com

314-868-8620

Custom Home Elevator

customhomeelevators-stlouis.com

314-423-1620

Drilling Service Company

drillingserviceco.com

314-291-1111

Franklin Mechanical (A Zak Co)

zakcompanies.com

636-492-3200

Geotechnology

geotechnology.com

314-997-7440

Guarantee Electric Co.

geco.com

314-772-5400

Holland Construction

hollandcs.com

618-277-8870

IBEW Local 1

ibewlocalone.org

314-647-5900

Integrated Facility Services

intfs.com

636-680-2100

Kirby-Smith Machinery, Inc.

kirby-smith.com

888-861-0219

Kozney-Wagner

kozenywagner.com

636.296.2012

Lawrence Fabric & Metal Structures, Inc.

lawrencefabric.com

800 527-3840

McCarthy Building Companies

mccarthy.com

314-968-3300

Meyer Painting Co.

meyerpaintingco.com

636-938-9813

Missouri S&T

mst.edu

573-341-4270

Murphy Company

murphynet.com

314-997-6600

Pace Construction Co.

paceconstructionstl.com

314-524-7223

Power Up Electrical Contractors

powerupelectricalstl.com

314-754-5570

SCI Engineering, Inc.

sciengineering.com

314-949-8200

Seiler Instrument

seilerinst.com

314-968-2282

Shade, Shades & More

None

314-241-4798

Sielfleisch Roofing

sielfleischroofing.com

636-349-2920

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

T J Wies Contracting, Inc.

tjwies.com

314-561-8555

The Electrical Connection

electricalconnection.org

314-781-0755

Trivers Associates

trivers.com

314-241-2900

Waterhout Constructors

waterhout.com

314-781-1178

Waterhout Constructors

waterhout.com

314-781-1178

ZAK Companies

zakcompanies.com

636-492-3200

Where Quality Matters

ELECTRICAL • VOICE • DATA • VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS • WIRELESS SYSTEMS SECURITY • RENEWABLE ENERGY ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES ENERGY AUDITS/EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES To power all your commercial, industrial, institutional or residential needs depend on the #1 source for quality Electrical & Communication Contractors. Go to the Electrical Connection to find the best electrical professionals affiliated with the St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association. NECA contractors deliver superior results and value by partnering with the highly skilled and trained electricians & communication technicians of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1.

For a FREE Guide to Electrical Connection contractors, contact: Jim Curran 314-781-0755 • jim@electricalconnection.org