2017 News

October 2017

Buildrite Construction on Top 25 Interior Commercial Contractors List
Buildrite Construction (Kennesaw, GA) was named on Atlanta’s Top 25 Interior Commercial Contractors list for the second year in a row, moving up from the number 25 to number 22 spot.

Buildrite Construction Completes Jared & Charles Schwab
Buildrite Construction recently completed a ground up Jared Jewelry store in Wayne, NJ. Buildrite also converted an old Taco Mac into Class A office space for a new Charles Schwab building in Huntersville, NC. The project included demolition, installations and stone and wood paneling. The porch, used for dining tables, was turned into a landscaping area. The job was complicated by the space’s former interior use, particularly what used to be the kitchen. Due to the drainage system of the kitchen, the slab was uneven. Because of this, Buildrite had to make sure that the ground was level across the entire space. Despite the challenges, Buildrite successfully completed the project in 14 weeks nonstop. 
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William A. Randolph Stacks AC Hotel
William A. Randolph (Gurnee, IL) took part in a stacking event for a new hotel in the NuLu neighborhood in Louisville, KY. All 156 rooms at the $38.6 million AC Hotel were constructed off site in a climate-controlled facility and shipped to the construction site, where they were then stacked into place. Marriott, which owns the AC Hotel brand, kicked off an initiative to promote modular construction, saying that it will allow operators to open hotels and start earning revenue faster. The AC Hotel in Louisville will be the fifth Marriott brand hotel to be built out of modules.
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William A. Randolph Overseeing Hyatt Construction
William A. Randolph recently took part in a topping-off ceremony to celebrate reaching the approximate half-way point of the Hyatt Place project in Milwaukee. The 150-room, six-story hotel is part of a project dubbed The Brewery District. The new Hyatt and other parts of the district lie within a short walk of the new arena being built for the Milwaukee Bucks. 
Eric Handley, vice president of William A. Randolph, addressed some of the challenges of the project: “This site’s very small, very congested, there’s not really any room to work. So we’ve had to be very, very careful about logistics and about scheduling deliveries, scheduling cranes, scheduling parking and the access in and out of the site. It’s been quite an orchestra of planning and off-site storage.”
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Marco Contractors Building Harbor Freight
Marco Contractors (Warrendale, PA) has been hired to turn an 18,000-square-feet space, formerly occupied by a Kmart, into a new store Harbor Freight in Mill Hall, PA. Marco has built other Harbor Freight stores in different states across the country. This location could open as early as December 15.
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Pinnacle Wraps Up Construction on CubeSmart
Pinnacle Commercial Development (Pleasant, NJ) recently completed construction on a CubeSmart Self Storage facility in Brooklyn, NY. The 125,000 sq. ft. building is the seventh self storage project completed by Pinnacle in the last year.
The facility features a drive-in loading dock, an on-site secured parking lot, street-level office, and 2,498 units of storage covering two floors. The construction features a one-hour fire rated steel structural grid with composite metal floor deck, concrete fill and a Duro-last roof. Exterior skin is an insulated panel system with painted concrete at limited locations.
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Wolverine Building Group Contracted for Popeyes
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) has been contracted to build a Popeyes in Greenville, MI. Mike Houseman, Wolverine’s president, presented a plan for the restaurant to the Greenville Planning Commission, which approved the project at a recent hearing.
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Rockford Constructions Hires New VP
Rockford Construction (Grand Rapids, MI,) has hired Mike Verhulst as a vice president in its business development department. Verhulst will help connect clients across Michigan to Rockford’s development, planning, pre-construction and construction services. He brings with him 19 years of experience in the construction industry.
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EMJ Celebrates Completion of Four Florida Hotels
EMJ’s Chattanooga, TN team has completed work on four hotels in the Sunshine State. In August, they celebrated the opening of TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Orlando. Located near SeaWorld Park, TownPlace Suites has six floors with 188 suites featuring full kitchens. EMJ completed all site work, including an outdoor pool and hardscape amenities, in addition to the utility infrastructure and construction of the 132,270-square-foot hotel. 
TownePlace Suites shares a site with Holiday Inn Express & Suites Orlando, which opened in October. EMJ built the six-story, 181-room hotel, its outdoor resort-style pool, and 1,740-square-feet of meeting space.

In mid-September, Residence Inn by Marriott in Pompano Beach opened. The 112-room, extended-stay hotel features one- and two-bedroom suites with full kitchens and residential-sized appliances, a business center, a pool, an exercise room, and meeting space.

EMJ also recently completed the SpringHill Suites/Residence Inn in Clearwater Beach. The projects spans 325,000 square feet and includes ground floor retail space, parking on levels one, two and three, and 255 suites located on floors four through seven. Construction also included an elevated, outdoor swimming pool on level four.
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September 2017

Scheiner Commercial Group to Build Out Lululemon
Canadian apparel retailer recently signed a lease in Denver’s Highlands Square. Lululemon will move into a 2,500-square-foot retail space formerly occupied by clothing store Melrose & Madison and will share a building with Pure Barre and Pinot’s Palette. Scheiner Commercial Group of Monument, CO is the general contractor on the store’s buildout. 
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Engineered Structures Building Idaho’s First Medical School
Engineered Structures, Inc. of Meridian, ID, has started construction of what is intended to be Idaho’s first medical school, the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine. The school is a for-profit, privately held facility located next to the Idaho State University Meridian Health Science Center. 

The $34 million project is scheduled for completion in spring 2018. The building will include 24 small group rooms, a simulation lab, 12 exam rooms, social areas, coffee shop, and auditorium.
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EMJ Opens Additional Lidl Stores
Two Lidl grocery stores built by EMJ opened in early September, in Morehead City, NC and and Danville, VA. EMJ completed a Lidl in Winston-Salem, N.C., earlier this year and has two additional stores under construction for the grocer.

Lidl stores offer more than 36,000 square feet of retail space and invite customers to enjoy local food without compromising on budget. The company has announced plans to offer 20 percent lower prices than other U.S.-based stores.
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Schimenti Construction participates in Grand Opening of Landmark Theatres 
Schimenti Construction will participate in the Grand Opening ceremonies of the Landmark Theatres at VIA 57 West, a mixed-use building at West 57th Street near the West Side Highway. The venue is home to eight state-of-the-art theatres. 
The venue hosted a series of events leading up to a grand opening on September 14, which featured the premiere of the movie “Mother!” An Open House was hosted on September 12 and a VIP event was help on September 13. 
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August 2017

Shames Construction Awarded The Shoppes at Livermore Project
Livermore, CA based Shames Construction has partnered with developer RedMill Capital to build The Shoppes at Livermore. The nearly 121,000 square foot shopping center will complement the Tri-Valley’s premier retail destination. It will be situated at West Jack London Blvd and El Charro Road, directly across the Livermore Premium Outlet Center. Completion is scheduled for late Summer 2018.

Rockford Construction to Build SMC Health Building
The Southwestern Michigan College (SMC) Board of Trustees have awarded a $7 million contract to Rockford Construction Co. of Grand Rapid, MI s to build SMC’s new Nursing and Health Education Building. The project will double the size of SMC’s existing 1970 facility while adding four simulation labs and a 16-bed skills lab.
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Rockford Construction Unveils Spectrum Health 
Rockford Construction Co. recently completed construction on a new urgent care patient facility. The Spectrum Health Integrated Care Campus is a 30,000-square-foot, two-story facility that will give Rockford residents easier access to urgent care and a range of doctors. The facility houses internal medicine and pediatrics care, family medicine, urgent care, lab and X-ray services. 
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Wolverine Building Group to Develop Housing Property
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) will redevelop the Holy Family Orphanage in Marquette, MI, into an affordable housing property. Wolverine has partnered with Home Renewal Systems Communities and Community Action Alger Marquette for the $16 million project. The orphanage, originally constructed in 1915 and vacant since 1965, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The six-story building featured classrooms, bedrooms, playrooms, a laundry room, kitchen and dining hall. It once housed up to 200 children. Upon renovation, 14 of the 56 units will be set aside as supportive housing units for formerly homeless persons and families in need. Many of the structure’s historic features, including its sandstone multi-story front porch, will be preserved during the renovation.
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R.E. Crawford Earns Construction Award
The R.E. Crawford Construction headquarters, which opened in January in Lakewood Ranch, FL, has been given the Grand Aurora Award, which is presented annually by the Southeast Building Conference and Florida Home Builders Association.
The building was constructed by R.E. Crawford Construction and designed by Doug Whitney of WBRC Architects Engineers of Lakewood Ranch. The facility earned the Grand Aurora in the Best Commercial Project under 20,000 square feet category. The building is 10,800 square feet and cost $1.7 million. It is located on a 1.5-acre site. Besides housing Crawford Construction, it also has space for two tenants.
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William A. Randolph to Build Sophy Hotel
William A Randolph Inc. (Gurnee, IL) will build the Sophy Boutique Hotel, a 98-room luxury hotel in Hyde Park. The hotel will feature a bar, restaurant with al fresco dining and a fitness center, and is on track to achieve LEED Silver certification. The hotel is scheduled to open its doors in the summer of 2018.
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Marco Contractors Renovating Space forDollar Tree
Marco Contractors, Inc. of Warrendale, PA, will renovate a former clothing store in the Schnucks Swansea Plaza to make way for a Dollar Tree. The renovation work on about 10,000 square feet began in July and the discount store is scheduled to open at the end of August.
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EMJ Celebrates Cinépolis Grand Opening
EMJ has completed its first theatre for Cinépolis, a Mexican luxury movie theater chain. The theater recently opened in Euless, TX. EMJ began construction on the 52,000-square-foot multiplex in September 2016. The theater houses 12 movie screens, 1,300 reclining, leather seats on raised, stadium-style levels, and the second-largest screen in the Cinépolis chain.
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EMJ serves Habitat for Humanity
For the fifth year in a row, members of EMJ’s Dallas office participated in Build Day for Habitat for Humanity in Los Altos, just west of Dallas. The team spent the day building a portion of a house for a family in need. In just one day, they set the trusses and completed the roof framing and decking from start to finish and installed polyethylene sheeting along the foundation.
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July 2017

Fulcrum Construction Breaks Ground on Tractor Supply Company 
Fulcrum Construction (Marina del Rey, CA) has begun construction on a Tractor Supply Co. site in the Santa Clarita Valley. Fulcrum will construct the 19,097-square-foot retail space, which will open in February 2018. It will include a sales floor, external support service area and pet wash station. Tractor Supply Co. is the country’s largest rural lifestyle retail chain.
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Pinnacle Wraps Up Construction on CubeSmart
Pinnacle Commercial Development (Pleasant, NJ) has completed work on a new 2,498-unit storage facility in Brooklyn, NY. The facility will be managed by CubeSmart and is one of the largest in New York with 125,000-square-feet of storage space. Pinnacle has completed seven self-storage projects in New York over the last two years.

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International Contractors Completed New Jewel Osco Prototype Store
Jewel Osco recently celebrated the grand opening of a new prototype store in Deerfield, IL. International Contractors (ICI) (Elmhurst, IL) was the general contractor for the new construction grocery store. The 61,940 square foot grocery store was built between an existing, occupied strip center and the small portion of the existing Jewel Osco that remained in operation until the new store was opened. The façade of the new store incorporates a mixture of metal panel and masonry. The design of the Deerfield location signifies a departure from other Jewel Osco stores and establishes an updated, fresher look. The Deerfield Jewel Osco marks the ninth project ICI has completed for the grocer. 

International Contractors Renovating Mall St. Matthews
International Contractors (Elmhurst, IL) will be doing a major renovation at Mall St. Matthews in Louisville, KY, to accommodate Dave & Buster's as a new anchor tenant. Dave & Buster's is expected to open March or April 2018. 
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PWI Construction Building North Italia
PWI Construction (Las Vegas, NV) is working with Fox Restaurant Concept to build North Italia. The restaurant is schedule to open in the Rampart Commons retail center on December 13. The property fills 5,518 square feet of interior space, plus 1,679 square feet of outdoor patio, will include enough room for 159 seats inside and 88 more on the patio. A long bar will be built right by the entrance.
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KBE Golf Tournament Helps Fund $17,000 in Scholarships 
KBE Building Corporation (Farmington, CT) hosted its first charity golf tournament to help fulfill the company’s goal of providing scholarships to state Tech High School seniors as a way to support Connecticut’s future workforce in the design and construction industry. The tournament was held in June at the Country Club of Waterbury. Nearly a hundred golfers participated, helping to raise the $17,000 needed for the scholarship program. 
Recognizing the continuing labor shortage in the building trades and design and construction industry, KBE recently awarded $17,000 in scholarships to 34 seniors graduating from the Connecticut Technical High School System. Students receiving the awards will use those dollars to help fund their continued studies in the building trades, or in degree programs in construction management, architecture, or engineering.
The scholarships were presented to students during a ceremony featuring Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman at E.C. Goodwin Technical High School in New Britain on June 13. The awardees represented 28 towns and cities throughout Connecticut.
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Commonwealth Building Completes Office Renovation
Commonwealth Building (Quincy, MA) recently completed renovation of the Boston office of Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management, an investment management firm with a focus on socially responsible investing. The firm expanded to include both the 4th and 5th floor of the building, adding an additional 6,083 square-feet to its space. The total square-footage of the office is 11,800. Beginning in the fall of 2016, Commonwealth Building completed the project in six months. The space emphasizes natural light, modern and creative fixtures, an open floor plan, six additional offices, and three new conference rooms.
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Rockford Construction Starts Bridge Street Market
Rockford Construction (Grand Rapids, MI) broke ground in June on Bridge Street Market, a Meijer store set to anchor a $55-million, 3.3-acre development in Grand Rapids. Bridge Street Market will be a 37,000-square-foot store with a focus on fresh produce, a full grocery line, deli, bakery and basic home items. Construction is expected to finish in fall 2018.
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Wolverine Building Group to Expand Craig’s Cruisers
Wolverine Building Group (Grand Rapids, MI) has announced expansion plans for Craig’s Cruisers. The family fun center in Wyoming, MI plans to expand its site by 36,000 square feet. The $2.4 million expansion will include a trampoline park, laser tag arena and indoor roller coaster. The venue is s already home to a go-kart race track, laser tag area, bumper boats, mini golf, arcade, and buffet. Wolverine Building Group will break ground on the project in July. The expansion is slated for completion in February 2018.
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David A. Nice Builders Joins Partners to Open Park 
David A. Nice Builders (Williamsburg, VA) was recognized, along with Land Planning Design and Associates and GuernseyTingle and Associates, for their work on the Kilmarnock Town Centre Park at the park’s opening on July 8. The grand opening lebration began with a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting and was followed by a day filled with activities.
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June 2017

Rockford Construction Names Director of Pre-construction
Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction has appointed Christine Freeman as Director of Pre-construction. Ms. Freeman will lead the company’s in-house pre-construction team and oversee budgeting, bid packages, scheduling, and feasibility. Ms. Freeman, who is Freeman is LEED accredited and CM-BIM certified, has more than 15 years of experience in the construction industry, including in project management and on-site supervision. She joined Rockford in 2011 and has been an estimator and pre-construction manager in her time at the firm.
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Wolverine Earns Historic Preservation Award
For the second year in a row, Grand Rapids-based Wolverine Building Group earned the Michigan Governor’s Historic Preservation Award. The company was recognized for rehabilitating a historic structure in downtown Jackson, originally built in 1865. The building was renovated into apartments in 1929, keeping the People’s National Bank on the first floor. Wolverine restored the 34,400-square-foot building’s historical detail, while modernizing the structure to provide affordable senior apartment housing, named Elaine Apartments.
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EMJ Celebrates Grand Parkway Phase I Grand Opening
Grand Parkway Marketplace hosted its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony in June, officially opening the doors to seven of its new junior anchor stores, including PetSmart, DSW, Party City, Burlington, Michaels, TJ Maxx, and Ulta Cosmetics. The center also opened many other retailers with more being added weekly.

Developed by Kimco Realty and constructed by EMJ’s Construction team, the project spans 75 acres in the Houston metro area and will feature a clear water lake including a boardwalk, fountains, and fish with four surrounding restaurants. EMJ constructed the shells of all anchor stores as well as the finish-out of several of the stores within the development. 

Phase II of the retail development is a 275,000-square-foot project across the street from Phase I. EMJ’s Academy Sports+Outdoors is currently under construction and opening in September. Upon completion, both marketplaces will span over 100 acres.
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EMJ’s First Lidl Grocery Store Opens in Winston-Salem
Lidl, an international grocery retailer with more than 10,000 locations across Europe, opened its first US stores in June. Among them, a Winston-Salem, NC location that was built by EMJ’s Chattanooga team. EMJ is also building four additional stores, with more to break ground soon. Lidl’s expansion goals are lofty: open 100 U.S. stores by the end of 2017, followed by 100 additional stores per year over the next four years. Currently, 20 stores are under construction across the East Coast, and nine locations in North and South Carolina opened in June. 
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Schimenti Construction Celebrates Grand Opening of The Vault
Schimenti Construction Company recently joined with iconic luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue in celebration of The Vault, a new Saks-branded jewelry boutique in Greenwich, CT. The 5,853 square foot retail space is located at 200 Greenwich Avenue and is part of the new luxury shopping mecca known as the Saks Fifth Avenue Shops. 
The project for Saks brought together a wide array of disparate elements including Accura architectural glass from Canada, stainless steel from California, and metallic mesh curtain from Germany. The company was able to address the challenges that often come with working in suburban construction settings including noise restrictions due to adjacent tenants and neighboring residential buildings, as well as limited on-site storage and staging. 

The Vault is the fourth and final piece if the Saks Fifth Avenue Shops which include the main store, The Collective, and Saks’ first shoe specialty store, 10022-SHOE, which Schimenti Construction completed in October.
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R.E. Crawford Holds Ribbon Cutting
R.E. Crawford Construction recently held a ribbon cutting at their Sarasota, FL location. 
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May 2017

Buildrite Completes Hertz at ATL
Buildrite Construction recently completed a project at the world’s busiest airport. When working on Hertz Car Rental at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the top goals of the project was to complete the job as efficiently as possible and without disrupting daily operations. To work around the time and location restraints, Buildrite worked 10-hour shifts on Tuesday through Friday for the duration of the project, since Mondays are Hertz’s busiest days. Additionally, the project was split into two phases. Phase one consisted of the demolition process, while phase two dealt with installation. Installation proved to be the more challenging one of the phases, which made it more difficult to maintain the aggressive time constraint for completion. Despite these challenges, Buildrite finished the Hertz project earlier than estimated, completing the job in just four weeks — and without disturbing any activities at the world’s busiest airport.
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Rockford Construction’s Dimensions Curriculum Teaches Companies How to Expand Their Businesses
Rockford Construction has set out to help minority-, women-, disability- and veteran-owned trade contractors expand their businesses through its Dimensions program, which recently wrapped up its first eight-week session. The program graduated 15 companies, and left them with an opportunity to bid on 25 projects and connected them with “navigators” that will continue to work with them.

More than 600 Rockford man-hours were dedicated to the program, including class topics taught by Vice President of Finance Brian Wierenga, Executive Vice President Jennifer Boezwinkle and President of Construction Shane Napper.

Also at the crux of the program is furthering the network of trade contractors Rockford, and other general contractors, can work with during a time when skilled labor is at a premium.
Rockford CEO Mike VanGessel hopes to hold the program annually. Rockford will do what it can to help the companies continue to grow, but the onus will be on the contractors to execute their part.

At the end of the program, along with the ability to bid on 25 projects and being set up with a navigator, who will be the companies’ direct connection to Rockford, whether they are trying to get work, get paid, or just get a cup of coffee to talk about opportunities.
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EMJ Sponsors Make-a-Wish Child’s Trip of a Lifetime
This spring, EMJ’s Dallas office was honored to help grant the wish of seven-year-old Daisy Perez, a Dallas resident, through Make-a-Wish. Employees divided into teams and competed to raise funds. The two-month competition was led by team captains Ray Catlin, Executive Vice President, Ben Milner, Senior Vice President of Preconstruction, and Kevin Gass, Vice President of Construction. 

“Team Ben” hosted a building-wide bake sale in the office lobby, and raised nearly $800 by the end of the work day. “Team Kevin” hosted a breakfast taco sale, which raised nearly $400. Members of each team reached out to clients, partners and colleagues to see if they would donate to help grant Daisy’s wish.

By the April 1 deadline, EMJ had far exceeded its $10,000 goal, reaching nearly $17,000 in donations. On April 14, Daisy and her family flew to Orlando for a fun-filled week during which she visited Disney World, Universal Studios and Legoland— and of course, fulfilled her dream of meeting Belle from Beauty & the Beast.
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April 2017

EMJ Receives Florida Safety Recognition
EMJ’s Special Projects’ 7-Eleven team was won the Sunshine State Safety Recognition Award. The award, given by the University of South Florida’s (USF) Safety Consultation Program, was developed to motivate and support employers who emphasize safety through the implementation and maintenance of effective injury and illness-prevention programs. The Miami, FL 7-Eleven project consists of a 3,000 square foot building, four 8,000-gallon below- ground fuel storage tanks and two overhead canopies on a 1.4 acre site. After an OSHA Consultation visit, USF’s Safety Consultation Program presented the award to EMJ’s superintendent for the team’s’ commitment to workplace safety and health.
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EMJ Completes Gainesville Bass Pro Shop
Construction of the 80,000-square foot Bass Pro Shops in Gainesville, Fla., was completed in just ten months by EMJ. The anchor tenant of Celebration Pointe, a mixed-use development, the store is situated along more than 100 acres of a permanent conservation area. The tilt-wall structure includes a boat sales and service department, polished concrete floors, and a 12,000-gallon indoor aquarium. The EMJ team received the Sunshine State Safety Recognition Award from the University of South Florida’s Safety Consultation Program in recognition of its work on the project, and was applauded by stakeholders for keeping the project on schedule despite delays resulting from Hurricane Matthew.
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Schimenti Construction Completes Flagship Shinola Store in Brooklyn
Schimenti Construction Company recently finished Shinola's new Brooklyn location, which has a grand opening celebration on April 15. The 5000 square foot store is located at 55 Water Street. The new location will be the Detroit-based watchmaker's second in the city and first in Brooklyn. The space highlights the original structural schist walls along with the brick and heavy timber construction of the roasting warehouse. The schist for the walls was originally excavated from the footings of the Brooklyn Bridge.
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Schimenti Construction names new Corporate Safety Director
Schimenti Construction Company has announced the hiring of Thomas C. Madden as the company's new Corporate Safety Director. The newly-formed position was established to facilitate the creation of an all-encompassing safety program. The program will be designed to exceed construction industry standards and establish Schimenti Construction as a safety leader in the industry.

Madden comes to Schimenti with 17 years of employee health and safety experience. He will be responsible for implementing and managing the safety programs, procedures and trainings. He will work with the executive team to help mitigate risk as well as pre-plan the company's projects to uphold a high standard for safety while enhancing the company's culture.
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March 2017

David A. Nice To Start Work on Billsburg Brewery
On February 7, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the James City County (Virginia) Marina for the future home of Billsburg Brewery, Inc. The property is leased to Billsburg through the James City County Economic Development Authority. Billsburg announced construction plans in August 2016, including tasting room next to the brewing operations. David A. Nice Builders was awarded the contract and participated in the ground breaking. The current anticipated opening of Billsburg will be fall 2017.
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Sponsor News
Window Film Depot Receives Top Award from 3M
At a recent dealer meeting hosted by Energy Products Distribution in Baltimore, Window Film Depot was named 3M's “National Dealer of the Year” for 2016. This is the third time in ten years the family owned company has received 3M's highest award for sales and overall business performance.

Window Film Depot sells and installs innovative products from 3M's Commercial Solutions Division across the United States. The company specializes in the sales and professional installation of solar window films designed to lower energy consumption and security window films intended to make glass safer in buildings. Over 3,500 unique properties have benefitted from the company's products and services over the past twelve months.
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February 2017

Construction One Rolls out Abercrombie & Fitch Prototype
Construction One, Inc. partnered with Abercrombie & Fitch on their newly redesigned store prototype at the Polaris Fashion Place in Columbus, OH. The new 4,800 square feet design includes a well-lit, open concept with a neutral store fragrance and larger, round window display with the A&F logo. New design fitting rooms are suites with phone chargers and controls for lighting and music. There are seven prototype stores planned for 2017.

Schimenti Construction Readies West Hartford Chick-Fil-A for Grand Opening
Schimenti Construction has completed work on a new Chick-Fil-A restaurant at 511 New Park Avenue in West Hartford, CT. Chick-Fil-A celebrated the launch of the 4,730 square foot location with a Grand Opening held on Friday, February 10. Schimenti completed the ground up construction project in just 23 weeks. Temporary heaters were utilized throughout the project so the interior work schedule could progress as the Schimenti team waited for the utility companies to provide permanent power and gas services.
The construction firm also navigated the challenges of working in a functioning shopping center directly adjacent to a busy Aldi’s location during the construction schedule. Schimenti was also entrusted with the handling and installation of Chick-Fil-A’s unique Coke-bottle pendant light, a signature fixture in the restaurant’s new locations.
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Pinnacle Commercial Development “Ties Warmth On”
Staff members from Pinnacle Commercial Development, and Mike Kogan Consulting, both of Point Pleasant, NJ, spent a Saturday morning in January at Lunch Break, a resource for the underserved in Red Bank, NJ distributing scarves to those in need. The purpose of the visit was to “Tie Warmth On”, a program whereby those in need receive a scarf with the suggestion to “pass kindness on”.

Volunteers from Pinnacle Commercial Development and Mike Kogan Consulting tied scarves on the backs of the chairs before Lunch Break’s clients came in to eat their breakfast. Over 500 scarves were given to Lunch Break; half went to the Tent City in Lakewood, NJ later that afternoon. The volunteers planned to return in February 4 to “Tie Warmth On” for a second day.

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EMJ Supports ACE Mentor Program 
EMJ Corporation encourages employees to take responsibility in supporting and investing in clients, partners, and colleagues. One way the company achieves this is internal mentoring as well as encouraging team members to extend mentoring efforts beyond the office doors.

EMJ Chattanooga’s office is involved in the ACE Mentor Program, a national program that aims to engage, excite and enlighten high school students to pursue careers in architecture, engineering and construction. Each year, ACE hosts a scholarship competition in which participating students are given a design and construction project, assigned to teams, and coached by professionals in their community to complete it. At the end of the six-month period, the teams present their designs to a panel of industry experts who judge and select the best construction solution.

This year, students were asked to design a community of 5-10 homes within Chattanooga’s urban core in an attempt to address Chattanooga’s rapidly developing affordable housing crisis. With the guidance of their EMJ mentors, students developed a tiny house community on a .72-acre parcel off of Main Street in downtown Chattanooga, which would facilitate neighborhood interaction, sustainability and green technology. The pair designed, estimated costs for, and built electronic and physical models of the custom-designed homes and community center.
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KBE Building Announces New Principals
In response to its continued growth and expansion, KBE Building Corporation has named four new principals in the firm: James Culkin, Robert G. Dunn, Antonio Mancini, and Timothy M. O’Brien.

James Culkin was named Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President in 2015. He oversees KBE’s Preconstruction and Estimating teams, which includes Certified Professional Estimators and Specialists in Mechanical/Electrical, Site, and Building Information Modeling services. He is closely involved in all aspects of the firm’s field operations, as well as long-range strategic planning.

Robert Dunn joined KBE in 1999 and is a Vice President and KBE’s in-house general counsel. In addition to general compliance oversight and duties as KBE’s ethics officer, Bob proactively oversees contract negotiations, risk management, and dispute avoidance efforts to strengthen relationships among KBE’s clients and vendors, and to ensure the success of KBE’s projects. 

Antonio Mancini is a Vice President of Field Operations for KBE, and is responsible for the management of field construction and project management staff and services on assigned projects. 

Named Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President in 2015, Timothy O’Brien is responsible for all aspects of KBE’s accounting and financial functions, as well as strategic planning for KBE’s long-term growth.
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EMJ Recognized for Safety
EMJ Corporation’s construction team on Lee Vista Promenade (Phase 2) project in Orlando, FL was recognized with the Sunshine State Safety Recognition Award for its commitment to safety on the jobsite.

This award, given by the University of South Florida’s Safety Consultation Program, was developed to motivate and support employers who emphasize safety through the implementation and maintenance of effective injury and illness-prevention programs.
Lee Vista Promenade is a 55-acre, 230,000-square-foot retail development. Phase 1 opened last year and received a Sunshine State Safety Recognition. This latest award is for the EMJ team’s work on Phase 2 of the development, which includes three buildings totaling 100,000 square feet.
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January 2017

RCA Members Give Back Over the Holidays
We tip our hats to the RCA member companies that gave back to their local communities over the holidays. Here’s a sampling:

Woods Construction: Along with another local business, Woods Construction donated 40 twin-sized comforters to provide much-needed bedding for residents of the Regency Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Utica, MI. Click here to read more.

Gray: The Gray construction team in Coldwater, MI raised cash donations through employee raffles—and matching funds from Gray—for the Branch County Toys for Tots. Click here to read more.

EMJ Construction: The company’s Chattanooga team donated its time to the Chattanooga Community Kitchen for the fifth year in a row. The team prepared and served meals for the city’s homeless population. Click here to read more.

KBE Building: During the firm’s 8th annual “Gift of Gobble” event, 40 families in need in the Howard County, MD, area and 228 families in the Connecticut area enjoyed their own classic Thanksgiving dinner, courtesy of volunteers from KBE Building Corp., who assembled meal boxes containing all the ingredients of a classic Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, corn, beans, potatoes, yams, rolls, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and a roasting pan. Click here to read more.

Marco Finishes Harbor Freight
Warrendale, PA-based Marco Contractors announced the opening (January 17) of a new Harbor Freight store in Sandy Township, PA. The new store, a discount tool and equipment retailer, is 15,000 square feet. Click here to read more.

Schimenti Construction wraps VERTS Mediterranean Grill
Schimenti Construction Company has finished work on Manhattan’s first VERTS Mediterranean Grill. The 4,200 square foot space represents the expanding chain's first ever Manhattan location. The restaurant celebrated its Grand Opening on January 13.
Schimenti was involved in the pre-construction process to add value engineering to the existing space.
Click here to read more.