CCR April 21

ROUNDTABLE ATTENDEES DISCUSS INDUSTRY’S RACE TO NORMALCY

April 2021 • www.ccr-mag.com

The Specialists Why Floor & Decor continues to be one of America’s favorite DIY stops Julie Starzynski, Director, Construction Design & Entitlements at Floor & Decor

Official magazine of

Also inside:

Exclusive Inside: Retail and grocery flooring in the wake of COVID-19 Stepping up security to protect against equipment theft The important role building materials play post-pandemic See our engineering firms’ report

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CIRCLE NO. 1

Vol. 20, Issue 4, 2021

56

28

64

FEATURES 28 The Specialists

Why Floor & Decor continues to be one of America’s favorite DIY stops 40 Back to the future

Industry professionals discuss the race to normalcy in Virtual Men’s Roundtable 56 Community engagement

Reimagining the Durham County Main Library 64 Ground level

Retail and grocery flooring in the wake of COVID-19 80 The Infrastructure Plan

Your guide to where it may go from here

2

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

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CIRCLE NO. 2

Vol. 20, Issue 4, 2021 INDUSTRY SEGMENTS 48 Engineering Firms

DEPARTMENTS 4 Editor’s Note 12 Industry News 108 Women in Construction 136 Commercial Construction & Renovation Data 138 Ad Index 140 Publisher’s Note

SPECIAL SECTIONS

Hospitality in Commercial Construction 71 Up for the challenge

How MRP Design Group is helping meet the growing hospitality demand

71

Federal Construction 87 Legacies

Army Corps improves historic cemetery for the living at USMA, West Point Commercial Kitchens 97 Earth. Fire. Water. Air.

How Zuma’s newest restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood is bringing izakaya-style to Beantown The Cannabis Operations 113 Online and ready

How Inanna Manufacturing is firing up the next generation of products for the cannabis market

97

Commercial Construction in Healthcare 121 The road ahead

Inside the state of today’s healthcare construction landscape Craft Brand and Marketing 129 The cutting edge

How Evolution Craft Brewing continues to stay one step ahead of the crowd

121 4

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

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EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR’S NOTE

by Michael J. Pallerino

Bouncing back...with some patience

T

Recovery Expected to Come Much Faster for Resort and Value Hotels

he headline doesn’t scream everything we want to hear, but the message is loud and clear. While the US hotel sector won’t fully recover from the pandemic until somewhere around 2025, some segments are expected to return faster than others, according to a recent report by real estate services firm CBRE. So, while I’m really not into clichés, the magnitude of the aforementioned news depends on whether you’re a “glass half empty” or “glass half full” kind of person. Make no mistake about it, the hotel sector (along with the rest of us) has experienced a sharp and sudden downturn last year amid the pandemic.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be optimistic about a rebound.

Do you see what I did there—I used the “glass half empty” and “glass half full”

in one unifying sentence? According to the CBRE report, while that “full recovery” we so desperately crave might not come until 2025, segments like resorts located in drive-to destinations in the Sunbelt could recover faster.

Perhaps no segment took a bigger hit more than luxury and upscale chain hotels during the pandemic, with occupancy rates down 65% on an annual basis and nearly 72% in the last quarter of 2020. The segment that seemed to keep its head above the pandemic swell was value-priced hotels, driven mostly by the extended stay category, which continued during the pandemic as a haven of sorts for medical and emergency personnel looking to shield their families from becoming infected by the virus.

Patience. This will be the factor that must drive each of us forward. As we slowly start to return to a sense of normalcy (the emphasis on “slowly” no matter what you may believe), each of us will have to put one foot in front of the other (okay, I did it again with a cliché) before we are able to run.

In his book, “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World,” CNN host and best-selling author Fareed Zakaria takes an in depth look into the nature of our post-pandemic world, focusing in on the political, social, technological and economic impacts that may take years to unfold.

Part of Zakaria’s insights offer analysis on whether or not COVID-19 proves to be a catalyst for all of us moving forward, i.e., will it be the kind of event that changes the course of human history? In pandemic pasts, society advanced in myriad ways (it is worth googling). In which ways we grow and transform remain to be seen, other than how some of the world’s leading minds came together on producing a life-saving vaccine.

As Zakaria writes, “What we can do is be far more conscious of the risks we face, prepare for the dangers, and equip our societies to be resilient.” Continuing our quest for education, awareness and a willingness to think differently will go a long way toward realizing all three.

As we push ahead, it will be impressive to see how our industry continues to help lead the return to a version of what we had before the bottom dropped out. Along the way, we will continue to share your stories— the ones that show the difference each of you are making.

Michael J. Pallerino is the editor of Commercial Construction & Renovation. You can reach him at 678.513.2397 or via email at mikep@ccr-mag.com.

We want to hear from you At Commercial Construction & Renovation, we’re always looking to showcase the best of what our industry is doing. If you have a project profile or a fresh perspective on how to keep our industry positively moving forward, shoot me an email at mikep@ccr-mag.com. We’d love to take a look.

6

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

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EDITORIAL EDITOR: Michael J. Pallerino 678.513.2397 • mikep@ccr-mag.com SENIOR ART DIRECTOR/AD PRODUCTION MANAGER: Brent Cashman 404.402.0125 • bocdesign@me.com CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Ron Treister rlt@communicatorsintl.com • 561-203-2981

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PUBLISHER/EDITOR David Corson • davidc@ccr-mag.com 678.765.6550 (fax) 678.765.6551 SUMMIT DIRECTOR David Corson • davidc@ccr-mag.com 678.765.6550 (fax) 678.765.6551 CCRP MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR: Kristen Corson • kristenc@ccr-people.com 770.990.7702 LIST RENTAL: Brian Clotworthy • bclotworthy@inforefinery.com 800.529.9020

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CIRCLE NO. 6

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

F&J PUBLICATIONS, LLC Commercial Construction & Renovation is published monthly by F&J Publications, LLC. The opinions expressed by authors and contributors to Commercial Construction & Renovation are not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. Commercial Construction & Renovation is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Articles/content appearing in Commercial Construction & Renovation cannot be reproduced in any way without the specific permission of the publisher or editor.

CIRCLE NO. 7

CCR EDITORIAL BOARD RETAILERS AARON ANCELLO TD Bank VP Regional Facilities Manager AVP New England DAVE CRAWFORD Vice President of Design & Construction Belk Inc. STEVE KOWAL VP Construction & Property Management Hibbett Sporting Goods

RESTAURANTS GREGG LOLLIS Sr. Director, Design Development Chick-fil-A DAVID SHOTWELL Construction Manager Atticus Franchise Group ISYOL E. CABRERA Director Design & Construction Edibles DEMETRIA PETERSON Project Director, Design and Construction at HMSHost

BOB MEZA Senior Construction Project Manager Target

DAVID THOMPSON Construction Manager Scooter’s Coffee

JOHN MIOLOGOS Director, Store Standards Store Design and Planning Walgreens Company

ROB ADKINS, LEED AP CDP Project Manager, Construction Starbucks Coffee Company

JERRY SMITH Head of Construction Bluemercury LAURA GROSS Retail Facilities Manager American Signature Furniture ERRAN THOMAS ZINZER Senior Manager Real Estate Services, Construction & Design RON VOLSKE Construction Project Manager Orscheln Farm & Home DEDRICK KIRKEM Retail Facilities Consultant

HOSPITALITY JOHN COOPER Principal Executive Vice President at Stormont Hospitality Group LLC

RESTAURANTS RON BIDINOST Vice President of Construction at Bubbakoo’s Burritos

10

GINA NODA Founder Connect Source Consulting Group, LLC.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

ARCHITECTS/ENGINEERS

MATT SCHIMENTI President Schimenti Construction JOHN STALLMAN Marketing Manager Lakeview Construction

DEVELOPMENT/PROJECT MANAGEMENT KAY BARRETT NCIDQ, CDP Senior Vice President, Cushman & Wakefield PAM GOODWIN Goodwin Advisors, LLC Goodwin Commercial The Pam Goodwin Show MEGAN HAGGERTY Founder Legacy Capital Investment MIKE KRAUS Principal Kraus-Manning JOHN LAPINS Project Management Consultant, Greystar

ROBERT RAUCH CEO RAR Hospitality Faculty Assoc., Arizona State University

JIM SHEUCHENKO President Property Management Advisors LLC

JOE THOMAS Vice President Engineering Loews Hotels

CHRIS VARNEY Principal, Executive Vice President EMG

RICK TAKACH Chairman Vesta Hospitality

STEPHEN HEKMAN Executive VP Kingsmen Retail Services US

SAMUEL D. BUCKINGHAM, RS CMCA AMS President & Co-Founder Evergreen Financial Partners LLC PUNIT R. SHAH Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Group+ Part-Owner of Miami Marlins

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

CONSULTANT

LU SACHARSKI Vice President of Operations and Project Management Interserv Hospitality

GARY RALL Vice President of Design and Development, Holiday Inn Club Vacations

HEALTHCARE CLINTON “BROOKS” HERMAN, PMP Senior Facilities Project Manager UTHealth Science Center at Houston

HOSPITALITY

KEN DEMSKE Vice President Jones Lang LaSalle BOB WITKEN Chief Operating Officer KCA Development MIKE KLEIN, AIA, NCARB Senior Architect Core States Group

NUNZIO DESANTIS, FAIA CEO & Founder of Nunzio Marc DeSantis Architects TOMMY LINSTROTH CEO at Green Badger, LLC JEFF ROARK Principal/Partner Little JEFFREY D. MAHLER Vice President L2M JIM STAPELTON Vice President Nelson FRED MARGULIES Director of Retail Architecture Onyx Creative STEVEN MCKAY Managing Principal, Global Design Leader at DLR Group STEVE TURNER Director, GPD Group STEVEN R. OLSON, AIA President CESO, Inc.

ADA BRAD GASKINS Principal The McIntosh Group

ACADEMIA DR. MARK LEE LEVINE Professor Burns School/ Daniels College University of Denver

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INDUSTRY NEWS

NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS...

AroundtheIndustry RETAIL

Target Stores Target will spend around $4 billion annually over the next few years on capital projects, including opening new stores, remodeling existing locations and incorporating tech tools designed to speed up online order fulfillment. The retailer plans to open up to 40 stores per year starting in 2021, and it has been expanding the use of stores as fulfillment centers for digital orders.

Sephora Sephora expects to open about 60 standalone locations this year, in addition to in-store shops it is launching with new retail partner Kohl’s.

Macy’s/Backstage Macy’s will open 45 more off-price Backstage locations within existing department stores this year, with plans to ultimately grow the concept to 270 shops. It also plans to open more standalone Backstage stores.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Dick’s Sporting Goods is opening a new concept store, Dick’s House of Sports, in Rochester, New York. The store will sport interactive features like a rock climbing wall, and employ fitness experts to help shoppers select appropriate workout gear and routines, with an eye toward forming a fitness community.

Shoe Carnival Shoe Carnival plans to remodel and/or relocate two-thirds of its 383 stores over the next few years to serve shoppers’ growing demand for omnichannel retail.

Levi Strauss Levi Strauss plans to open more stores this year to take advantage of vacant retail space and further its goal of expanding direct-to-consumer sales. New locations will be smaller-format NextGen stores that will use machine learning tech to manage inventory.

Petco Petco plans to ensure that half of its product assortment is sustainable by the end of 2025, making sustainable products easier to find with in-store signage and a sustainable online shopping site.

Qualifying products will meet at least one of five sustainability criteria related to sourcing and manufacturing.

RESTAURANTS Fazoli’s Fast-casual Italian-American chain Fazoli’s added six new franchisees, totaling 12 new locations across Iowa, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas.

12

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

Chipotle Mexican Grill Chipotle Mexican Grill will debut a new Chipotle Digital Kitchen concept in Highland Falls, New York. Customers will be able to place orders via Chipotle’s app or website, or a third-party service, for takeout or delivery only.

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is adding drive-up lanes at 1,500 US restaurants, where customers who order ahead via the chain’s website, mobile app or by phone can pick up their orders. The new windows, called Hut Lanes, are part of an ongoing effort by the company to use technology to improve the customer experience.

Denny’s Denny’s is ramping up efforts to rebound from the pandemic with two virtual brands—The Burger Den and The Meltdown. Launched in January, they now are available in half of the chain’s US locations.

Jersey Mike’s Jersey Mike’s continues to target colleges and universities as part of its growth plan. So far, the brand has developed outposts at seven campuses, including Purdue University, Seton Hall University and Montclair State University.

Bloomin’ Brands Bloomin’ Brands Inc. has opened a two-story Aussie Grill in Hong Kong that features such a coffee counter, a grab-and-go area and kiosks for ordering. Bloomin’ Brands also will roll out the test of its virtual chicken concept Tender Shack to 12 more US markets in partnership with DoorDash. Tender Shack’s food, available for delivery only, is prepared in the kitchens of Bloomin’ Brands-owned restaurants Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Outback Steakhouse.

Famous Dave’s Famous Dave’s signed a 25-unit expansion deal with Bluestone Hospitality Group to create Famous Dave’s locations that are co-branded with Bluestone’s casual Italian brand Johnny Carino’s. The deal also includes a plan to use Johnny Carino’s locations to prepare Famous Dave’s menu items for takeout and delivery. Famous Dave’s also will open a Quick ‘Que location with the concept’s first drive-thru this summer in Salt Lake City.

Via 313 Texas-based Detroit-style pizza concept Via 313 has attracted equity investor Savory, which will take a stake in the brand with plans to open about 12 new units over the next two years.

King Ranch Texas Kitchen The owners of Landry’s and Fertitta Entertainment have teamed with the largest ranch in Texas to open King Ranch Texas Kitchen in Houston. The new 10,000-square-foot eatery will fill a space formerly held by Willy G’s Seafood & Steaks, another Landry’s concept.

Bodega Taqueria The parent of Bodega Taqueria & Tequila in Miami will launch a fast-casual concept, Bodega Taqueria. The first three units are scheduled to open in South Florida next year, with a menu featuring tacos and inventive takes on Mexican street fare.

GROCERS

ALDI ALDI is joining with Instacart to grow its curbside pickup service to 500 stores by the end of this year, adding those sites to the 600 stores in 35 states where the pickup option was rolled out in 2020.

ALDI also announced plans to open 100 new stores this year, focusing on Florida, California, Arizona and the Northeast.

Amazon Fresh Amazon launched its first checkout-free store in Britain. Called Amazon Fresh, the store is located in Ealing, London, and will let customers walk in, pick up what they want and walk out again without having to pay at a cash register.

Winn-Dixie Southeastern Grocers opened four new Florida locations for its core banner Winn-Dixie, using half of the eight locations it acquired earlier this year in bankruptcy auctions for Earth Fare and Lucky’s Market.

Openings were held at renovated sites in Boynton Beach, Jacksonville, Lakewood Ranch and Gainesville.

Wegmans Wegmans is targeting the mid-Atlantic states for an expansion that will include at least 10 new stores and a $175 million distribution center in Ashland, Virginia. Wegmans is planning sites in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, DC. Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market will launch its first Montana location in the fast-growing city of Bozeman, with the opening planned for fall 2021 in the city’s Gallatin Valley Mall. The mall, which is being redeveloped, serves five surrounding counties with a population of 150,000.

Ingles Markets Ingles Markets is working with the Hewlett Packard Enterprise company Aruba to bolster its technological capabilities, which will allow the regional grocer to start offering curbside pickup and contactless ordering at many of its nearly 200 stores. Ingles will use Aruba’s services to upgrade its digital infrastructure, which was installed two years ago.

Schnuck Markets Schnuck Markets is remodeling its 60,000-square-foot store in a suburb of St. Louis to add a food court featuring popular local restaurants and a section offering clothing from St. Louis retailer Arch Apparel. The grocer said renovations at the site should be completed in the summer and also will include expanded options for fresh foods and other upgrades both inside and out.

Giant Giant’s new 65,000-square-foot store in Philadelphia features an outdoor terrace, restaurants and a beer garden. The location will help serve as Giant’s urban flagship and offer a blueprint for future growth.

H-E-B Butt Grocery H.E. Butt Grocery will enter the Dallas-Fort Worth market with two new stores in Plano and Frisco, both set to open in fall 2022. The new stores will be the first in the region for the grocer’s flagship banner.

Raley’s Raley’s is on course to convert all existing stores to reflect its O-N-E concept, which puts extra emphasis on healthy and sustainable products. Raley’s will open its second O-N-E location in El Dorado Hills, California.

HOSPITALITY

Great Wolf Resorts Great Wolf Resorts plans to open a Great Wolf Lodge water park resort in Jackson, Tennessee. The proposed $150 million project is expected to bring in up to 500,000 guests annually and create 500 jobs.

Universal Music Group A $1.2 billion state-of-the-art hotel and entertainment venue in Biloxi, Mississippi is among the first three properties Universal Music Group plans to open as it enters the hospitality arena. Atlanta and Orlando, Florida also will help launch the UMUSIC brand.

Hai Hospitality Austin, Texas-based multiconcept operator Hai Hospitality received a “substantial” investment from private-equity firm KSL Capital Partners. Hai plans for a location in Miami early next year. The group also operates the sister concept Uchiko.

Hotel Xcaret Arte The Hotel Xcaret Arte in Riviera Maya, Mexico will showcase Maya culture while regaling travelers with 900 suites, 10 bars and lounges.

The adults-only property, set to open July 1, affords access to Grupo Xcaret’s seven eco-adventure parks.

Amber Rock Resort Amber Rock Resort is set to build on a former quarry in Derbyshire, England. The project will include 148 straw bale lodges, 210 holiday apartments, a 116-bed hotel and an indoor water park, a lazy river, a raft ride, an outdoor pool and water slides.

SpringHill Suites The four-story, 80,000-square-foot SpringHill Suites hotel in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood was constructed on top of an existing two-story parking garage and retail center. It is only the third hotel in the immediate area.

Gun Lake Casino Gun Lake Casino in Wayland, Michigan is undergoing a 250,000-square-foot expansion that will include a 250-room hotel, restaurant, entertainment space and full-service spa. The $300 million project follows an expansion of the casino, which will be completed by the end of the year.

Signia by Hilton Construction has begun on a 40-story hotel on the Georgia World Congress Center Authority campus in Atlanta. The Signia by Hilton tower, set to open in 2023, will house 975 rooms and 18,000 square feet of meeting space.

ISSUE 4, 2021 — COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

13

INDUSTRY NEWS

NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS...

The numbers game

34

The percent of brands that say they will increase physical retail spending next year, with just 20% saying they will decrease investment, according to a survey by Glossy and Modern Retail.

About 27% of companies surveyed shuttered one or more retail locations during the pandemic.

180

The number of hotels that Wyndham Hotels & Resorts plans to open in Asia and the Pacific this year after adding 125 properties in those regions during the pandemic. China will play host to about 100 of the new hotels, with Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam also in the mix.

55,395

The number of rooms the US has opened since March, more than any other country, according to STR. Only five additional countries have opened more than 2,000 rooms during the pandemic, including China (23,470), Japan (16,304), Germany (9,027), Canada (2,748) and the United Kingdom (2,481).

1,500

The number of drive-thru lanes that Pizza Hut is planning to add across the country. The Hut Lane is a digital order pickup window for previously ordered carryout pizzas. Customers either order by phone or through the Pizza Hut app or website, pull up to the window, get their order and leave.

They said it “We’re committed to helping our consumers foster lasting relationships with their homes not only functionally, but also emotionally.”

— Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison on the home improvement retailer’s pandemic strategy

“One of the things that’s really been the most challenging part is understanding what we can control and understand and what we can’t control.”

— Signature Room co-owner Richard Roman on how restaurants are navigating the road to reopening

“Retailers are looking at their holistic supply chain and store networks together—distribution centers and warehouses and stores—to figure out, how do they support demand?”

— Accenture’s Managing Director Sean Whitehouse on how a retail revival could bring new inventory challenges

Back in business A fter hitting a 5-year low at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction industry is booming.

An average of 135,500 building permits were issued in the months of Q1 2021, compared to only 96,000 in April 2020, according to the Census.

Source: Industrial Paint and Protection Magazine (www.ippmagazine.com)

Source: Census building permits survey

14

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

Annual Architecture/Design Firm Listing GreenbergFarrow Danielle Barr, Marketing Manager 1430 West Peachtree St. NW, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 3030 Telephone: (212) 725-9530 www.greenbergfarrow.com dbarr@greenbergfarrow.com Year established: 1974 No. of employees 204 Billings from Jan - Dec 2020: N/A Retail: $18,615,000, Hospitality: $26,500 Restaurants: $8,720,000, Healthcare: $122,000 Multi-Housing: $4,309,000, Federal: $N/A Cannabis: $500,500, Other: $1,422,000, TOTAL: $33,715,000 Specialize In: Retail, Restaurants, Shopping Centers, Cannabis, Office, Multi-Housing, Industrial / Warehouse & Energy Leading Clients: Texas Roadhouse, The Home Depot, Murphy Oil, Circle K, Meijer, IKEA

Take it to the curb(side) Technomic names country’s fastest growing chains

I

n a pandemic that had everyone scrambling for takeout orders, big chains won out over smaller ones. Here’s a look at the 10 leading chains in the “Technomic Top 500.”

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Teriyaki Madness Wingstop Sonic Drive-In Marco’s Pizza Pizza Guys Ono Hawaiian BBQ

7. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 8. Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers 9. Tropical Smoothie Café 10. Jersey Mike’s

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INDUSTRY NEWS

NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS...

Out with the old...

How to start eliminating construction waste today

M

aterial waste is a common problem in construction projects. In fact, according to Science Direct, as much as 30% of all building materials delivered to a typical construction site can end up as waste. While construction waste is a growing problem, especially in the US, there are steps your team can take to minimize the effects of construction waste on the environment and your community.

Here are a few innovative ways you can reduce your impact on the environment at your job site: > Try adaptive reuse.

This is a booming construction industry trend that gives new life to forgotten structures. By utilizing an old structure, you’ll minimize waste that comes from demolition to contribute less overall waste. > Use recycled materials.

Steel, for example, is a material that is made of 93% recycled steel scrap and asphalt is nearly 100% recyclable. Opting for materials like this help lessen your project’s overall carbon footprint. > Reduce supplies.

Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) allows you to create a 3-D model of your project that can help you plan how to salvage materials and estimate the exact amounts of materials needed for your project so you don’t over-buy. These are just a few of the many benefits of using BIM at your site.

Source: BigRentz

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

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CIRCLE NO. 10

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INDUSTRY NEWS

NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS...

Shields up 4 tips for upgrading cybersecurity at construction sites

W

hen it comes to the latest cybersecurity technologies, the construction industry often is a step behind. In fact, according to the “2019 Travelers Business Risk Index,” nearly half of all construction executives believe their firms are destined to fall victim to a cyberattack, yet more than 68% admit they haven’t assessed the security risks, or made plans or preparations. In order to build a better security posture, here are four strategies worth considering: 1. Start with Foundational Security Measures — Strong cyber security starts with fundamental layers of security. Any computing devices on site should be secured the same way they would be in a traditional office setting. Deploy firewalls, patch software regularly, back up your data frequently, enable core network security services and endpoint protections, etc. These are basic, but critical table stakes. New generations of ruggedized security technologies, including multi-function security appliances and Wi-Fi access points, can address historical jobsite issues like heat, dust and moisture, while remote monitoring and management tools can allow IT professionals to execute updates and monitor alerts from a central location.

being installed in a new development.

Understanding these motivations can help you identify the best mix of security layers to implement.

3. Invest in Employee Education — Better cyber security awareness is a simple, but powerful measure, especially given how wide ranging the level of technical skill and training is across construction teams and employees. Teach all managers, employees and contractors to identify phishing attempts, flag suspicious

By Corey Nachreiner emails, calls or wire transfer requests, and to not click on every link they receive.

4. Prioritize both Physical and Cyber Security — Some construction companies already may be undergoing digital transformation initiatives, using wireless or cellularly-connected rugged tablets and shared blueprints, and plans on digital devices rather than paper. You might be using drones for site inspections or 3D printers for prototyping. Today’s cyber criminals already are targeting tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices, and while attacks on drones or 3D printers are not as common, they are possible.

Regularly update these devices, change their stock passwords and assess them for potential compromises.

2. Understand Your Adversary’s Motivations — You cannot adequately protect company data without understanding who might want to get a hold of it and why. One of the main motivations for targeting a construction site is the theft of intellectual property, such as blueprints that could provide intelligence on defeating the physical security in the future. Another could simply be compromising the supply chain to divert payments or extortion via ransomware. Attackers might even want to open a backdoor into a future tenant’s network by gaining control over the building automation systems Corey Nachreiner is CTO of WatchGuard Technologies. A front-line cybersecurity expert for nearly two decades, Nachreiner regularly contributes to security publications and speaks internationally at leading industry trade shows like RSA. For more information, visit www.watchguard.com.

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

CIRCLE NO. 11

INDUSTRY NEWS

PERSPECTIVE

Locking it down

Stepping up security to protect equipment against theft

By Phil Casto

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

T

he pandemic created something of an open season for construction site theft as job sites across the country either shut down or saw work curtailed as the nation attempted to isolate and curtail the spread. Circumstances aggravated a persistent and costly problem for the industry, which reports some 600 to 1,200 cases of equipment theft annually, costing it an average of $400 million.

The issue is a lot bigger than the replacement value of the stolen equipment. The indirect costs can be significant, stemming from job delays and penalties and downtime for operators, higher insurance premiums and sometimes its cancellation.

Some estimates suggest that the direct and indirect costs of thievery at residential construction sites can add 1% to 2% to the price of a new house.

It makes preventative security measures at job sites and of the equipment within them instrumental to protecting this substantial investment. Both low and high tech solutions are effective, especially used in combination. Here are four measures that will make a difference:

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INDUSTRY NEWS

PERSPECTIVE No. 1 — Layered security solutions make better barriers

The harder criminals must work to penetrate security defenses the more likely they will be to give up. Fences are a must. They also must be kept locked and offer features that make them resistant to climbing. They don’t have to be sophisticated: securing sheets of plywood to a cyclone fence is an effective deterrent. Making the point: warning signs strategically located on the fence. These can tout 24-hour video surveillance, penalties for trespassing and/or rewards offered to those who report thieves.

Access points should be limited and monitored, whether with technology or on-site guards (especially valuable despite the cost in high crime areas). Adequate lighting is another must-have—even better when used with motion detection monitors and alarms.

No. 2 — Identify everything and keep a list

All equipment and its attachments—from heavy machinery to hand tools—should be marked with the company name in a way that cannot be easily removed or obliterated. Using welding or etching tools will do the best job.

Much of this equipment doesn’t have title and registration information, making this crucial for identifying and reclaiming property that’s stolen.

Also important is maintaining an inventory of all equipment on the site and where it’s located. This is an efficient way to stay on top of thievery and facilitate recovery. As an additional way to keep tools and equipment labeled, consider microdot technology.

Microdots are tiny labels that are invisible to the naked eye, but that show up under a black light or magnification.

No. 3 — Tech solutions give a leg up against criminals

One way to marry the security benefits of lighting, monitors and alarms is through Internet of Things (IoT) solutions—especially helpful at big job sites with a large amount of tools and equipment to protect. By using IoT-enabled tags that

are equipped with sensors, the location of equipment can be monitored in real time.

In fact, using IoT sensors at strategic locations throughout a job site can help detect equipment movement and other risks, too, like fire and flooding.

Ensure that you have all your equipment protected with a GPS, and not just the biggest items. GPS trackers can be smaller than a cell phone, and installed on items like generators, welders, light pods and trailers. We’ve seen cases where a schedule of equipment was stolen, and the GPS on a small piece of equipment was what led police to the storage location.

Newer, factory-installed GPS units are integrated into the control circuitry and aftermarket options like smaller battery-operated GPS units can be easily hidden.

Many manufacturers now are providing integrated GPS systems that monitor and link operations to increase efficiencies. The battery-powered units have a five-year-plus battery life and can be attached magnetically in hidden locations.

Another technological solution is motion sensing cameras; inexpensive systems with flexible power solutions, from hardwired to solar power options and reliant on a cell phone signal versus wi-fi. Motion detection

signals an alert to a mobile device, but some vendors offer 24/7 monitoring. A few wellplaced cameras can cover an entire job-site, or a subdivision for residential builders.

No. 4 — Make it hard to walk or drive off with equipment

The most commonly stolen equipment from construction sites includes power tools, anything that will fit into a pickup truck, and equipment that can be easily trailered.

Factory and dealer-installed security options like hydraulic locks and hidden disconnects provide a lot of value. Other portable equipment like generators and welders should be locked in a trailer, chained up inside an encapsulated building, or at the very least, chained up in an out-of-sight area and positioned in a way that makes them difficult to transport.

It should not be necessary to mention, but sometimes the most effective security for construction equipment doesn’t require an expensive and sophisticated technological network. Reinforcing the need to use a little basic common sense can go a long way. That means not overlooking a no-key-left-behind policy to ensure keys are not stored on the machinery and a purchasing policy that ensures all equipment is individually keyed. CCR

Phil Casto is Senior VP for Risk Services at HUB International. Casto has extensive experience in the construction, manufacturing and petrochemical industries. He serves as a resource for the insurance brokerage operations, providing solutions in the areas of risk mitigation, safety, regulatory compliance and workers compensation.

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

CIRCLE NO. 13

INDUSTRY NEWS

PERSPECTIVE

An awakening The important role building materials play post-pandemic

A

year into COVID-19, and while there are signs of a light at the end of the tunnel, we still have a long way to go when it comes to bringing back a full semblance of normalcy. Along with developing medical advancements, such as vaccines and evolving social interaction guidelines, parts of the physical world around us will need to be reimagined in order to be fully safe for occupation and to help reestablish peoples’ sense of safety while indoors with others.

As a result, the building materials industry has had to pivot to fit new and changing levels of demand, expectations of ability and overall role in the future of the commercial building industry.

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

By Lucas Hamilton

The change in demand

Over the past year, the importance of appropriate and advanced building materials has skyrocketed. When building materials went on allocation previously, it was inconvenient, but rarely a breaking point. During the pandemic, a restaurant, for example, that could not acquire the materials it needed to create a comfortable outdoor dining area or modify

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INDUSTRY NEWS

PERSPECTIVE its entrance to safely provide take-out service, may have been forced to close.

Meanwhile, schools that could not access the equipment needed to modify their HVAC design or increase the fresh air changes in classrooms were under unbelievable pressure to open and keep everyone safe, while educating.

the general wellbeing of occupants through the materials they are composed of and the technology they harness—has been in the foreground of innovation for the industry.

When it comes to creating healthy buildings, the pandemic was, in some ways, an awakening for the building materials industry. The past year drew attention to

Overall, the goal is that new building materials, and their uses, will help foster confidence in building occupants and allow them to eventually “worry less” about their surroundings.

Overall, the pressure to meet new and changing guidelines and expectations, has left organizations and properties across the country and world with a need to in-demand materials, and building material manufacturers with big, new orders to fill in record time.

The change in expectations

During this time, there also has been a greater pressure on buildings (and the materials they are composed of) to meet new health expectations. For years, the concept of healthy buildings—structures that support

vulnerabilities in the built-environment vertical and forced industry giants to rethink their products.

One solution for industry leading companies has been to model new products after what has already been the standard in hospitals and doctors’ offices for years, in order to meet the changing expectations for everyday building materials. For example, outside of healthcare facilities, the industry struggled with creating materials with pathogen control. Now, it is one of the topics dominating discussion.

As a result, the concept of “safe surfaces” is of top priority as we look to bring people back into commercial spaces. Meanwhile, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) professionals are implementing many of the lessons learned in healthcare to the rest of the commercial sector as solutions for existing buildings and establishing it as new standards.

The future of innovation

Overall, the goal is that new building materials, and their uses, will help foster confidence in building occupants and allow them to eventually “worry less” about their surroundings.

However, since it is unlikely that the impact of the pandemic (such as a heightened awareness of germs) will not wear off in the near future, the new materials and design solutions developed because of the pandemic and consumers concerns, will become standard elements going forward.

Over the next five to 10 years, the building materials industry will continue to emphasize creating healthier indoor environments. We also will see a change in the ways these spaces are utilized. Concepts like touchless controls and means of interacting will make light switches and doorknobs seem as outdated as wired telephones.

As we pass through public spaces, we’ll make note of what we touch and ask why it is still necessary. Meanwhile, spaces may need to be able to clean themselves to some degree and hard to clean surfaces may become hard to live with.

Overall, building materials have been, and will continue to, play a critical role in our society’s ability to recover from COVID-19 by meeting growing demands, adapting to changing expectations, and continuing to innovate along the way.

The pandemic has pushed the building materials industry to innovate at a faster pace and has challenged us with creating solutions to real time problems. As a whole however, we will come out stronger. CCR

Lucas Hamilton, Manager, Applied Building Science for Saint Gobain North America, is a physicist with 30 years of experience in construction and construction materials manufacturing. His expertise includes forensic building envelope diagnostics and testing as well as the development of non-intrusive construction analysis equipment and techniques. A practitioner of a variety of building performance simulation software, Hamilton spent the past 15 years working with builders and design professionals on behalf of Saint-Gobain to achieve more sustainable, durable and higher performing buildings.

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

CIRCLE NO. 15

The Specialists Why Floor & Decor continues to be one of America’s favorite DIY stops Interview by Michael J. Pallerino

28

T

ile. Wood. Stone. Accessories. When it comes to flooring, whatever today’s professional contractors and homeowners are looking for, Floor & Decor

delivers. For the past 20-plus years, the leading specialty hard surface flooring retailer has been the go-to place.

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

ISSUE 4, 2021 — COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

29

THE SPECIALISTS Maybe that’s why the retailer has been recognized as one of Fortune’s 100 fastest growing companies.

The key to Floor & Decor model rests in its extensive selection of in-stock products, which enable its customers to get what they need, when they want it. Sourcing directly from myriad manufacturers and quarries around the world, the Floor & Decor team is able to keep its “everyday low price” strategy well below its competitors.

We sat down with Director, Construction Design & Entitlements Julie Starzynski to see where the Floor & Decor brand is heading.

The pandemic and amount of time spent at home has really opened customers eyes into what needs renovating at their homes.

Give us a snapshot of the Floor and Decor brand?

How does the overall design of your stores cater to what today’s consumers are looking for?

Floor & Decor is your one-stop shopping for any tile, wood or stone products to elevate your brand new build or remodel your home.

We help you start a project and make sure you have everything in order to finish the project. We pride ourselves with being able to supply all the materials for your new build or remodel at our store.

30

What type of consumers are you targeting?

We target contractors, do it yourselfers and homeowners.

Our store design is very simple for a customer to navigate. We have large displays showing multiple products. Our store is broken up into areas for the type of finish you’re looking for so a customer can see the multiple options they can choose from. We have large quantities for in-stock products

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

for the customers to purchase and leave with the job quantity they require. There also is a design gallery to help inspire our customers with ideas and consult with an in-store designer.

What kind of adjustments have you made over the past year?

When the pandemic hit, we offered curbside pickup, which was touchless. I actually used this to pick up tile for a project I was working on. We also offered virtual and in-store design appointments. Our website also was revamped to help customers look online and purchase products for pick up.

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THE SPECIALISTS

What’s the best piece of advice you can offer on how to deal with what’s happening now?

I think all retailers have to be flexible and really think outside the box to make sure their customers feel safe while shopping and also have non-traditional ways to shop your stores. Being creative right now is the only way retailers will be able to navigate the pandemic.

Is there a location that shows how your stores interact with the community and customers?

All of our stores show how we interact with the community and customers. In the Atlanta area, Kirkwood is one of our newer locations that shows the current prototype. I love walking into that store and seeing where we are right now. And even though our I-85 store (Atlanta, right off Interstate 85) is not the current prototype, it shows how far Floor & Decor has come.

This was the first store in our chain.

32

Walk us through how and why your locations are designed the way they are?

We always design for the the customer in mind. We look for locations that are easily accessible for our customers and in locations they might frequently visit. In regards to our layouts, we make sure the layout is designed for an easy in and out experience for the customer. Our layouts also lend to

an ease of finding products. We always strive for a great customer experience.

Take us through your construction and design strategy.

Our construction and design strategy is always fast to market. We look at what needs to be done for our stores and figure out the best path for us to open a store in a quick and cost-effective fashion. It’s a team effort

I think all retailers have to be flexible and really think outside the box to make sure their customers feel safe while shopping and also have non-traditional ways to shop your stores.

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

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CIRCLE NO. 17

THE SPECIALISTS with a lot of thinking outside the box, and figuring out what the best path is for our stores and company.

What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?

As most people know in the business, obtaining steel and concrete has been a struggle across the board. The other struggle is getting any type of hand sanitizer dispensers. Building in a pandemic has been challenging in general because of the availability of product and the safety plan in place to have a safe working environment.

Talk about sustainability.

What are you doing?

We are constantly looking at ways to improve upon sustainability. We have started a recycling program across all our stores.

We are always looking to incorporate whatever we can with our products and construction, as well as sell to our customers.

In construction, we also use energy saving devices for multiple items in our store, i.e., electric forklifts versus internal combustion.

What type of opportunities do you see moving ahead?

Our brand is unique in that we offer a large selection of products that can be bought on the spot.

With our company being fairly young, the opportunities are numerous. We easily could venture into numerous arenas that we are not currently in. For example international, purchase of a smaller company to incorporate into Floor & Decor, etc.

What trends are you seeing/expecting?

The immediate future is definitely more and more customers renovating rooms for an office or home gym. The pandemic and amount of time spent at home has really opened customers eyes into what needs renovating at their homes. Knowing more time is spent at home, customers want their homes to be more their style and functional for their needs.

What’s the secret to creating a “must visit” location in today’s competitive landscape?

Customer experience hands down. You must have the right customer service, the right at-

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

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CIRCLE NO. 18

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THE SPECIALISTS mosphere, and the right products to make sure your customer wants to experience and shop your store. Without a strong and good customer experience, the drive to shop your store is lost.

What’s today’s consumer looking for?

Value. Customers want a great product for the right price. It is especially true today with the current climate that all of us are experiencing. Customers are spending large amounts of time at home and some still are not fully back to work. They want a product

that looks great, but also is cost effective in the climate of this pandemic.

What’s the biggest item on your to-do list right now?

Work wise, opening stores. Personal wise, revamping my new house to fit my needs. In all seriousness, my biggest item on my to-do list is to make sure we’re making the best decisions for products that are cost effective and time-wise the best decision for the construction of our stores.

With the current climate during the pandemic, many companies did not survive so

the market is hungry to get the business. With that being said, I need to relook at my products/services and make sure I’m choosing the best for my company in costs and timing.

Tell us what makes your brand so unique?

Our brand is unique in that we offer a large selection of products that can be bought on the spot. We sell everything you need to complete a project. We also are unique in that we offer free design consultations if you’re unsure how or what you want to do for your space. CCR

ONE-ON-ONE WITH...

Julie Starzynski, Director, Construction Design & Entitlements at Floor & Decor

Describe a typical day.

Crazy busy. I’m a morning person so I’m typically at the gym or working out early, and then at my home office desk between 7 a.m.-7:30 a.m. Because of the pandemic, my work day has shifted from water cooler conversations to a lot of scheduled meetings.

Most days, I’m in meetings from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. After that, it is catching up on emails. Add travel days in and it just extends the day that much more.

36

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Seeing a finished store. I love being able to see the project at concept level for a Floor & Decor and then seeing the doors open and customers shopping. It’s especially rewarding when you take a building that is less than desirable and turn it into a bright and shiny new Floor & Decor.

What was the best advice you ever received?

This is tough. I have received a lot of great advice, but I think one of the biggest pieces of advice I have received is to never stop learning. I’m always

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

trying to read books, articles, etc., to make sure I’m still learning about my field. I ask questions just to learn and to keep my skills at top notch.

What’s the best thing a client ever said to you?

I absolutely love when a customer or client tells me how amazing our stores are and how they didn’t know how great our stores were.

I love when I see and hear the excitement in their voice after they have just been in our store or shopped at our store. It shows me that our hard work of creating a great customer experience is working.

How do you like to spend your down time?

I love traveling and playing sports. I have been to 45 of the 50 states and lived/ been overseas as well.

For sports, you can see me pretty much doing anything, but most likely running a half marathon (and soon to be marathon), softball, volleyball or hiking. I love being outside as much as possible whether at a beach, a lake, the mountains, etc. I also love spending time with my rescue Pitbull/boxer, Roxy. And as of late, I am loving renovating/updating my newly purchased home.

ES T

2010

CIRCLE NO. 19

How to Make Your Advertising in CCR…

By Jim Nowakowski, President Accountability Information Management, Inc. We do a lot of advertising research. And today, there’s a lot of confusing information about what advertising is and isn’t.

The Readership Circles chart on the right will help you cut through this confusion. Because today, an “ad” is just part of the equation: readers get information digitally. They go through Google to find you (over 4-billion searches each day), so your ad investment in CCR is just part of the equation. This article explains how to maximize that investment.

Content is the Key Your ad appears in the print and digital version of the media outlet. The publisher of CCR, David Corson, invests most of his time and money building his “overall audience” for your ad (you can see his audience in this auditing tool: http://intrln.com/ccr) But he also has his website to handle the audience he can’t control: the Google audience. Therefore, you can help maximize your investment by sending in your company information for CCR's website. The more content you have on the internet, the more chances you have of being found and purchased. Simple, huh?

Your Product is Really Information No matter what product or service you are selling, your real product is information. Thus, you are in an information war competing for the attention of buyers with not just your competitors, but with everyone on the internet. The more content you have that’s yours, the more opportunities for them to see you and go through the readership circles.

Why We Know This AIM places a tracking code on CCR’s website and each month monitors visitors. Then, because you advertise, you receive 10 “dossiers” seen on the right on companies who have consumed data – companies that represent high-valued ACCOUNTABILITY WEBSITE AUDIT targets because their need is NOW for what you are selling.

Accountability Information Management, Inc.

CCR-MAG.COM

David Corson has us audit this activity. You receive this audit if you advertise, and it represents a rich field of leads for you. Call David Corson 678.765.6550 today to find out more details! Or, call us and we’ll help you understand the powerful information at your disposal.

Always Trusted Information Accountability Information Management, Inc. 553 N. North Court, Suite 160 Palatine, Illinois 60067 847-358-8558 www.a-i-m.com

IMPORTANT. This audit covers the above website for the period of September, 2020. It was conducted by allowing Accountability Information Management, Inc. (AIM) by placing a proprietary Code on the website to provide deeper analytics from the thousands of monthly visitors to the website to the publisher (i.e., the companies utilizing the website). AIM is in the business of auditing and verifying data. For information, contact: AIM, 553 N. North Court, Suite 160, Palatine, Illinois 60067.

PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT. Commercial Construction & Renovation, CCR-MAG.COM, is a community of leading commercial construction professionals within the retail, restaurant, hospitality, health care, federal, multifamily and other commercial sectors. The website content spans the design, construction and facilities operations of major commercial construction segments to meet the information needs of today’s high level executives. Visitors will find information relevant to the collaborative management process required to complete projects on time and on budget, and to efficiently manage these facilities.

PRIVACY. F&J Publications, LLC discloses the information we collect on this website and how it is used. This report is based on visitors to CCR-MAG.COM. Specifically, the information in this report is aggregated to provide our advertisers information on website usage. F&J Publications always reserves the right to release information about visitors, including non-personal information.

NUMBER OF COMPANIES

XXX

This is the number of companies that the Code identifies.

This number is the monthly universe of companies that can be identified from the thousands of visitors to this website.

NUMBER OF TIMES THESE

X,XXX

This is the number of times these companies visited the website. The average per company is 1.41.

PAGE VIEWS BY

X,XXX

This is the number of page views that these companies viewed on the website. The average pages viewed by a company this month is 2.04.

SEARCH TERMS USED BY

XX

This is the number of identifiable different search terms these companies used to arrive on the website. The search terms, for example, were put into a browser which delivered results. Among the results was a page on this website. For example, while many people find it by typing in “commercial construction and renovation” or “CCR” in a search engine like Google or Bing, other terms deliver specific pages from this website based on what users type into the search engine. These searches account for less than 5% of the total search terms used. The top ten (listed) account for 48% of the identified total (not counting CCR itself).

INDUSTRIES

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This is the number of companies that the Code is able to classify. It represents 5% of the total companies that visited this website, and is supplied for reference only. See UNDERSTANDING THE DATA.

FIRST PAGE VIEWED

X,XXX

The Code keeps track of the first page viewed by the companies, and is the same number of times the companies came to the website. The chart Key First Pages Viewed lists the top ten landing pages from this grouping (excluding CCR-MAG.com itself, which is among the top, but not more than 12%).

SEPTEMBER 2020

SEARCH TERMS USED TO REACH US • “Christopher Bushnell” AND Social Security • gary falco architecture • hi macs color TERRAZZO LUNA • inverter eon model el3 10 watt pricing • metal work very essential tools • mulehide jts1 colors • penncolor uv dispersions • permeable pavement concerns • rampart yellow wallcovering • silicone molds KEY FIRST PAGES VIEWED (other than CCR-MAG.com) • 7-essential-tools-for-your-metalworkingprojects • what-is-soil-reinforcement-and-how-is-it-done • 8-important-safety-measures-forconstruction-sites • new-menards-store-in-paducah-ky • construction-procurement-101 • conversations-with-bennett-van-wert-dwm • conversation-withbobby-darnell-cmc • american-dream-mall-in-nj-to-reopen-onoctober-1 • cny-group-names-new-vp-of-people-andculture • the-impact-of-building-materials-inconstruction COUNTRY BREAKDOWN OF COMPANIES United States India Pakistan Canada United Kingdom Other (64 countries)

XX% X% X% X% X% XX%

UNDERSTANDING THE DATA This report is provided to you from the publisher to help you understand the creation, distribution and consumption of information on the digital highways.

The companies that are provided to you in this report have visited CCR-MA G.COM and consumed information. Knowing the name of the company gives you a “heads up” to pursue for your sales efforts. If you need to explore additional ideas, including ways to utilize this information, please contact the publisher or AIM directly. In addition to the INDUSTRY/COMPANY listings, you will see a list of companies that are not categorized by Code into industries. These are sometimes more valuable and should be considered carefully for your sales efforts. Finally, often a company will utilize a general channel (like Comcast), which does not provide the individual company’s IP. These visitors are often just as valuable in terms of “what” they consume on our website. We would happy to help you pursue this type of analysis.

CCR7002.1

...Pay Dividends.

The magazine or newsletter or website has a specific number of possibilities - the overall audience.

You must factor that into ROI.

No matter where you place your message, this is the pattern of what we call the “Readership Chain.” And the weakest link in the chain will break it. That’s why you need as much content as you can on the Internet. People, your buyers, get distracted easily. Your messages must be compelling.

Some convert into readers of your message.

Not all people will "see" what you are selling.

You must know some of these basics.

Some also raise the hand and ask for information.

Accountability Tools from CCR The audience audit tool (on the left) enables you to see CCR’s audience for yourself. The Company Dossier tool on the right highlights 10 companies who have consumed CCR content that month for your marketing purposes. Advertising in CCR gets you these dossiers. And there’s much more. Below are the highlights from the prior month for your review. Imagine being able to see who is consuming content like this, and then putting them in your marketing sights!

ACCOUNTABILITY WEBSITE AUDIT Each month advertisers receive powerful information to help them market their products and services.

Here is a taste. 98,819 pages were consumed by over 2,000 companies. Among them: • • • • • •

Architectural firms like HDR Inc. and Smithgroup Universities like Illinois Wesleyan, Yale or University of Massachusetts Energy companies like BP America or Schlumberger Financial companies like American Express, Mckinsey & Company and Wells Fargo Materials companies like USG Corp and Carlisle Industrial companies like Aecom, Eaton and General Dynamics

And thousands more like CBRE, Texas Instruments, Goodyear, St. Lukes Episcopal Hospital. All these companies have projects going on – projects you can access to sell your products and services.

Call the publisher, David Corson for a complete details. 678.765.6550.

Or email him at: davidc@ccr-mag.com.

CIRCLE NO. 20

Back to the future W

e are making progess. As vaccines make their way across the country, the commercial construction industry is slowly inching its way back to the first phase of what will become our New Normal.

As the participants in our Virtual CCR Men’s Roundtable can attest, the move back to normalcy is filled with a great sense of anticipation, even as the industry deals with it share of labor and supply issues, among other factors.

Our monthly scheduled virtual roundtables feature a diverse crew of vendors and end users who connect via Zoom for two days and several hours worth of networking. The events are hosted by Commercial Construction & Renovation Publisher David Corson and Editor Michael Pallerino.

Following is a roundup from our second roundtable of 2021.

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

Industry professionals discuss the race to normalcy in Virtual Men’s Roundtable

Kelly O’Brien • National Accounts

Ken Demske • Director

Sam Harris III • President/CEO

Jim Harte • Senior Construction Manager

Tom Muzzy • CEO

Ed Phillips • President

David Thompson • Construction Manager

ISSUE 4, 2021 — COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

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BACK TO THE FUTURE CCR: Tell us what’s on your to-do list.

Sam Harris, Samjen Realty: We have an array of things that we’re working on.

The most important is getting technology integration throughout our entire platform— from our development services to franchise and the new coffee shop we’re working on.

Technology is a big deal.

The projects that are on our to-do list are in Selma, Alabama. It’s a place where we’re spending a lot of time. It’s a historical city. It has been left behind, but we’re galvanizing developers and key business leaders to help us bring new life there. Our to-do list is to complete out the first phase of our coffee brand by the end of 2021.

Our hotel brand will start as construction. In addition to that, we have projects in Tampa.

We’re looking for one in the Atlanta area and South Florida.

or 20 years down the road, you are able to have a 20-plus return on your dollar.

Take medical marijuana. One of the things we’re seeing is an increase in hemp production. We’re also looking at manufacturing. Hemp manufacturing will lead to new technology and building materials.

Right now, in our industry, we have a shortage of lumber. Lumber has gone up at an extreme rate. The only way we can combat that is to look at new ways to do it. We see hemp as a big play in Selma. It gives you the ability to be in the Midwest, close to the East Coast, easy access to the West Coast.

David Thompson, Scooter’s Coffee: I joined the Scooter’s brand in July of last year. There will be huge growth for the brand over the next few years. Next year, we are going to be pushing 200-plus units.

I have been doing a lot of connecting with our clients, who we are starting to see spend more money. We will be looking at how to manage their renovations differently, whether it’s in the drive-thru area, for example.

CCR: When you look at revitalizations in places like Detroit and Selma, do you see that as a trend?

Samjen Realty’s Harris: Absolutely. People migrated to the Northeast in the Midwest.

What’s happening is that those people are now raising their children. They’re of retirement age, so they’re migrating back to the south. The south will be a new mecca for opportunities. Preferably, small towns are more appealing to people who are in that upper income level. They don’t want to be involved in all the high price congestion of real estate.

Small towns are very appealing and are the lowest port of entry when it comes to capital investment. When you’re looking 10

42

I’m one of four construction managers. I cover the Southern market. Our current model is 550 square feet. We are a coffee concept, but we have a food program as well, including breakfast burritos, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, donuts, cookies, cinnamon rolls, etc.

CCR: With the 65 stores you opened last year during the pandemic, was that on pace for where you wanted to be?

Scooter’s Coffee’s Thompson: I think it was more of an increase. I came on during the pandemic. That is one of the reasons I’m here. Our growth actually increased during the pandemic. Store sales skyrocketed, while other brands saw losses.

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

CCR: What other markets are you looking at?

Scooter’s Coffee’s Thompson: We have big growth in my territory—Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Houston and Dallas. There also is growth in markets like Louisville, Kentucky, Knoxville, Tennessee and the panhandle of Florida.

Jim Harte, Clarks America: It’s exciting in that we are contemplating some new projects. I also now have the corporate office fall under department, so I’m honing my property management skills for an office building. Clarks also is looking to do some refreshes to our existing stores. The stores we have are a stable group, so we’re going to concentrate on making them look better.

Ken Demske, JLL: I have been doing a lot of connecting with our clients, who we are starting to see spend more money. We will be looking at how to manage their renovations differently, whether it’s in the drive-thru area, for example.

Some of our clients had a very difficult year, but are still doing projects. So we’re talking about capital planning—how to get the best bang for their buck. Work is being done differently today. The needs of a lot of our clients are different. We’re looking at how to help them.

Generally, a lot of our clients’ construction market teams just look differently.

They’re not as big. We’re trying to see where we can fill some gaps—just make sure they’re being serviced and are able to press on within a different environment.

We’re also looking at the technology.

How can we deliver sites in a different environment? I think most people have been doing that for a year, so we are finding ways to adapt moving forward. How do we make some of these changes permanent?

Tom Muzzey: Swade Cannabis: Everyone thinks the cannabis world is all smiles and happiness, but it has been a challenge during COVID. We operate in a world where traditional bank financing is not readily available. If you want to construct a $10 million facility, you have to look at either raising the money personally or taking on investors in equity.

We are in the process of finishing up 10 build-outs and 10 licenses that we were awarded in November 2020. As soon as we got started, COVID hit. Initially, this year is about getting Phase 1 and Phase 2 moved on. The challenge for me is that with a state where it’s not something that has existed, we have to bring on qualified contractors who understand what our needs are and how to help us implement through the build-out. That has been challenging.

We have found a few good partners and will continue to work through the process with them.

Initially, we had some really bad experiences. It cost millions of dollars because they weren’t in a position to really understand the industry. That’s a big challenge for us as we work through the rest of the year.

CCR: How do you see other states opening up?

Swade Cannabis’ Muzzey: It’s a great opportunity from a contractor, management or investor standpoint. Recently, for example, New York went fully recreational. And in states like Missouri that are medical, you’ll see potentially a 100% increase overnight in the demand, and the need for additional space and additional products. There’s a lot of opportunity out there from a property management, real estate, design and construction opportunity.

Ed Philips, Sign & Lighting: We’re a local company. It started out with my wife and I. My dad was in the business in a different fashion, exclusively paper window signs, but we took it to the next level. Fifty years later we have around 60 people. We’re constantly growing. We have a pristine reputation in our region. We’re known for quality above all.

Above that, we’re known for dependability.

We don’t miss delivery dates. That’s something we take very seriously.

We do a fair amount of work for other sign companies, installing their product in our market. We are building this division of our company with a number of customers now building and shipping product out all over the country. This is a division of our company where we’re seeing growth.

Another key part of our business is the people. It has become apparent to us that

we need to hire younger people, bring them in and train them. We’re electrical contractors as well as electrical sign fabricators.

We have an electrical division where we’re actually sending people to school. It’s fun to watch these young people rise up through the ranks and flourish.

A lot of our employees have been with us for more than 25 years, which I think says a lot. It speaks well of our culture.

When people come to work every day and enjoy what they do, it shows.

things happening across all enterprises when it comes to technology.

Phillips Signs’ Phillips: It has been our people. I have been amazed with their dedication and patience through this whole COVID experience. We’ve all had to deal with one thing or another—everything from social distancing to putting on masks. Just the sheer caring about each other has been something to see.

It has been inspirational to see our whole

It has become apparent to us that we need to hire younger people, bring them in and train them. We’re electrical contractors as well as electrical sign fabricators. We have an electrical division where we’re actually sending people to school. It’s fun to watch these young people rise up through the ranks and flourish.

Kelly O’Brien, Philips Sign: I mostly operate in the Great Lakes States. These are interesting times. Soliciting business since COVID, especially new business, has been really different. Nobody’s at their desk.

Nobody does email like they used to. But I’m really excited to get into this because these are interesting times.

CCR: What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned over the last year?

Samjen Realty’s Harris: Our biggest takeaway has been technology. We were all moving so fast that we never really slowed down to smell the roses. If you look at where we are today, what we have been through, technology was in place for us to scale our business beyond our wildest dreams. We had a record year in 2020, and it’s going to be another record year in 2021 simply because we embraced technology. You need to have a team of IT people who can help you stay ahead of things. There are some new, innovative

crew pull together the way that we have.

It’s so human.

Phillips Signs’ O’Brien: What I’ve noticed over the past couple years is that, especially in the retail, QSR and stuff, there is so much transiency. People change so often.

I’ve never had so many emails get knocked back to me because somebody isn’t there anymore. I don’t know if it was because of COVID or not.

JLL’s Demske: I’ve been really inspired by some of my people—what they’ve had to go through. Some of the challenges they’ve faced and how strong they were was inspiring. That’s something to be grateful for.

The second part is that I think I learned how to manage my business better. I think we all have, by necessity. We had to learn how to do things better.

Also, some things that we may have let go in years past, we just couldn’t anymore.

We had to address some things and change how we do business. What I’m taking away

ISSUE 4, 2021 — COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

43

BACK TO THE FUTURE is that we need to find out what’s really necessary. What do we need to do? How do we change how we do it? How do we make things more efficient?

Clarks’ Harte: One thing I really learned about is how important relationships are.

It went from meeting with people face-toface, flying out, going to jobs to we couldn’t go anywhere. You had to have had those relationships—ones where you could actually trust the people who have been doing things for you. It’s kind of scary in one sense because do we really need people going out and checking as much as they used to check? Or is this the new way where we trust people?

basically walking it virtually. I’m able to do a rough-in inspection, whether it’s pre-pour or pre-cover-up. It has really helped out financially for the brand and allowed us to be at home.

CCR: Tell us how you started in the business. What’s your story?

Clarks’ Harte: I’ve been doing this for my entire adult life. I have a degree in Marketing Communication, but I was doing construction throughout high school and college. I obtained my Construction Supervisor’s license. Shortly after I got out of school, I started working with a fast-food company’s franchisee, coordinating placing signs on its properties and working on

I have been amazed with the dedication and patience of our people through this whole COVID experience. We’ve all had to deal with one thing or another—everything from social distancing to putting on masks.

Just the sheer caring about each other has been something to see.

Swade Cannabis’ Muzzey: A couple things come to my mind. It’s really about the resiliency of our people—how much closer I’ve gotten with people, staff and vendor partners, after you see the dedication they have. So many of us had to endure difficult situations. I just have a tremendous amount of appreciation and respect for those people.

Scooters Coffee’s David Thompson: For me, it is the technology piece. I was hired amid the pandemic. Being able to onboard for a company that is based out of Omaha (Nebraska) when I am in Dallas. We did everything via Zoom. I was very impressed.

It has even gone to the point of where we can conduct site visits virtually. I’m still on the road, but not as much as I used to be. With technology now, I can see a site with a superintendent or project manager,

44

decor packages for the franchisees’ new and remodeled stores.

From there, I moved to actually constructing its buildings. I built a lot of Burger Kings, Dunkin Donuts and Blockbuster Videos back in the day. One day I saw an ad for a construction coordinator at a kids shoe company, Stride Rite. They were looking for someone to work in their construction department assisting the licensed partners design and build stores. I applied.

I was there for 21 years, ultimately becoming the Director of Design and Construction for its brands.

I moved to big box stores for a sporting clothing retailer in the Northeast. I was at Bob’s Stores/Eastern Mountain Stores for a number of years building stores and overseeing their store maintenance program. After that, I spent three years at a supermarket co-op, Topco. They had 50

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

supermarket chains. I would do procurement for everything from generators, bar joists, roofing materials and LVT—basically anything you needed to build a supermarket or fuel center. The problem was I missed the finished product. I could purchase all the material, but never saw it installed.

From there, I moved back to the construction side. I landed at Clarks two and a half years ago. It has been a good decision.

I went there knowing they needed help with store openings and remodels. I knew I could help. I’ve consolidated all my past learnings and am applying it at Clarks.

So I’ve been on all sides of the retail development business—the management side, the owner’s side and the dirty side, construction. I get up every morning wanting to do more and more to help the stores.

Life in retail stores can be tough, so I try to make it a little better. The great thing is I still love this business after all these years.

Swade Cannabis’ Muzzey: I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. When I was 14, my brother came into my room, woke me up, and said, “I need help on the job site.”

That’s how I got into the concrete world. I did that all through high school, college and then as side work.

I got married my junior year of college and am still married—31 years. We have three great kids who are all out of college and doing well. Our oldest two are pharmacists. My youngest daughter is actually working in the cannabis business. She loves tattoos and she’s all about the cannabis world. My wife is retiring this year as a middle school principal.

I got into this through a dad at one of my youngest daughter’s volleyball games.

He is the one who got me into this new venture as a partner. It’s pretty exciting.

We’ve built a lot of car washes along the way. A lot of rental property. A lot of storage units. Did all kinds of crazy stuff. My Uncle Bernie once told me that you could always make more with a pencil than you could with a toolbelt. For me, there’s really nothing more fulfilling than having a great day of work—that sense of accomplishment. I still love being hands-on.

I have six diplomas and a Ph.D. But at the end of the day, it’s about what I can

CIRCLE NO. 21

BACK TO THE FUTURE do with my hands. That’s what impresses me. I always encourage kids to look into the trades. There is a lot of money to made there if you’re good at it, work hard and seek to improve. There are always opportunities for skilled trades people. I’m always pushing that.

Phillips Sign’s O’Brien: I got into signage in a roundabout way. I went to school, but didn’t last long there so I went into the Marines. Did my tour. When I came out, a friend of mine who worked at Stanford University in the athletic department got me a job there. Part of the job was to go around the different fields and check the scoreboards. After going back to Michigan, one of the guys from a company I worked with recommended that I call a friend of his. I started selling scoreboards to high schools, junior colleges, minor league and professional baseball teams. It was right when the stadiums were transitioning from analog to solid state.

Scooter’s Coffee’s Thompson: In high school, I worked in the construction area— framing field, if you will. My dad wanted me to have something I could always fall back on. After high school, I joined the Marines and served four and a half years there. I served a couple of years overseas, serving during the liberation of Kuwait. I truly enjoyed my time in the Corps. Everything I did helped to get me to where I am today. I’m proud to be a Marine.

When I got out, I thought I continued framing houses and then got into home building. I bounced around in the housing market for quite a while, then when the housing market was falling; I made a jump into the restaurant sector. I worked as a PM for a couple of general contracting firms.

I have been with Scooters since July of 2020. Prior to that I was with Which Wich for about eight years.

JLL’s Demske: I grew up in Florida and attended USF on an athletic scholarship. I

It has even gone to the point of where we can conduct site visits virtually. I’m still on the road, but not as much as I used to be. With technology now, I can see a site with a superintendent or project manager, basically walking it virtually.

I eventually was hired by a large national company in Detroit. My first project was when Chrysler was bought out by Daimler. They changed their name three times since then. That was always good for business. I ended up working with several large national sign companies and traveled 100,000 miles a year.

I can really relate to what it’s like not rushing to the airport, parking the car, renting cars. This whole transformation has been a little bit different for me, but I’m excited. I don’t think anybody ever plans on being a sign salesman. It just happens that way.

46

played baseball at USF. I moved to Atlanta after college because that’s what you did at the time. If you’re in college, you moved up to Atlanta to try to find work and make your way.

I started working for a signage company almost 30 years ago as my entry into doing a lot of multi-site and retail. Then I went to a smaller general contractor. I did a lot of rollouts.

I’ve been with JLL now for 17 years—all in retail, multi-site. I started out as a project manager years ago doing construction management, roll-outs, and things like that.

I worked my way to where I lead the team.

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

It’s more about people management and business development. It’s a little different skill set than what I had planned to do. I enjoy it because I get to work with a lot of people—a lot of different people.

Samjen Realty’s Harris: I have an interesting story like we all do. My grandparents adopted my twin sister and I when we were very young. My father was murdered when I was around five years old. I remember what my grandfather said to me, “I’m going to teach you how to work and be able to take care of your family.” He told me everything there was to know about carpentry.

I had 13 aunts and uncles. They always had parties. Every Friday and Saturday they would have all of their friends over. Then, Sunday morning, the yard was covered with trash. I would pick up everything. I took all the cans to the recycler.

That was my introduction into being an entrepreneur. I didn’t want to work all day somewhere and earn five dollars when I can earn $100.

In high school, my objective was to be a fighter pilot in the Marines. I’m not a Marine, but I’m a Marine at heart because I believe in those values. I had an asthma attack after my 15th birthday, so I couldn’t go.

When I was 16 1/2 years old, my girlfriend at the time—she is now my wife of 25-plus years—said, “You know Sam, my mom said you can sell ice to an Eskimo. You should go be a stockbroker.”

So I went to stockbroker school after I graduated high school. When I walked into the school, the first thing I was told was that I would never make it because I was African-American. They said I didn’t have a college degree and that I wasn’t 30 years old and white. It fueled me like you wouldn’t believe. In a class of 20 something people, I was the only one who passed the stockbroker course and exam the first time around.

I was assigned to work at St. Armand Circle in Sarasota, Florida working as a 401K small business retirement specialist.

That’s where I learned about money. As I started talking to different people from different walks of life, I realized that real estate was where I wanted to be as a business professional. There was so much opportunity

and things at the community where I come from did not understand or have access to.

I ended up working as a financial advisor for about seven years. I decided to give my booker business up and started our firm, which now is Samjen Residential & Commercial Realty. We’ve been in business for more than 20 years. It was just my wife and I when we started. We’ve grown to be a good-sized company with 20-plus employees. We’re in the process of hiring agents and brokers all over the United States to work on development projects.

It brings me to the conclusion, which is my greatest experience about my story.

There were so many people who told me I couldn’t do something. Now, I get phone calls every day from people who say, “We knew you could do it.” Anybody that has a dream or a vision, if you want to do something, don’t listen to the naysayers. There is always going to be somebody telling you you can’t do it.

Phillips Sign’s Phillips: I was born in southeast Michigan. I grew up with my father in the sign business. He did paper window signs— the ones that used to hang on grocery store windows. We would literally airbrush 6-foot cabbage heads or tomatoes and all that crazy stuff. I grew up doing that with my father for many years. When my father finally retired I took a job at Pulte Homes. I worked with Bill Pulte himself. He was a super human being, just a great person to be around. He was a real inspiration for me.

I was punching out houses. I would take care of the homes for these people for one year, all the warranty issues and all that type of stuff. I loved the job. I did it for five years. But I never got the sign business out of my blood. One day, I’m heading to work out to Novi, Michigan and I see a man hanging a sign on this old decrepit building.

I went to introduce myself and asked him about the building. I found out that someone promised to buy the building from him.

I told him I would give him a check right there. It was crazy. I called my wife and said I think we just bought a building. Here we are 45 years later and we have these magnificent buildings.

I went back into the sign business with that old building. We bought a truck and ended up turning this thing into what

it is today. We have some of the greatest help. We have a general manager that’s incredible. A workforce that’s beyond believe. There’s not a morning that I don’t get up and I am not anxious to go to work. The phone keeps ringing. It’s just a great way to live, so it’s been a good life—a fun trip.

expedite anything if you can’t get into the city hall to jump on somebody’s desk and tell them you’re there with the review. I want to find ways to get into the city and get plans out in a timely manner. Our development timelines have increased on the front end just due to the permitting phase of it.

CCR: What’s the biggest opportunity you see this year?”

JLL’s Demske: For me it’s picking up on the efficiencies that we have. How do we do it better? How do we serve clients differently?

What can we bring to the table? How do we use technology? How do we make that become more efficient? It’s really just capitalizing on some momentum that we’ve built over the last few months with our clients in our industry and staying out in front of the client’s needs, basically.

Clarks’ Harte: The biggest opportunity is to get customers back into the store so that we’re able to start remodeling again. Hopefully, we’ll be able to lose some of the COVID protection in the stores. I’d love to lose the sneeze guards and open it up so that the customers and the associates in the stores can interact much more closely again.

I want to find ways to get into the city and get plans out in a timely manner.

Our development timelines have increased on the front end just due to the permitting phase of it.

Swade Cannabis’ Muzzey: For me, it’s the opportunity to execute better than other people in the industry. Because there were major COVID delays, we’re trying to work smarter and faster than other people to capitalize on the market with an elevated product and experience.

Phillips Sign’s O’Brien: The biggest opportunity for me is to sell as much as I can and raise the profile and reputation, which is already established at Phillips Signs.

Scooters Coffee’s Thompson: For me, the biggest opportunity and biggest struggle I have to fight right now is on the front end, getting these stores permitted. Due to COVID, it has been near impossible to get any response from some of these municipalities with them being shut down. Everyone’s working from home. Expediters are really not helping out in any way. You really can’t

Samjen Realty’s Harris: The biggest opportunity we have lies in technology. We now have digital technology like Zoom, which allows us to connect and reach more people, especially the next generation. We want to teach them how to be real estate developers and construction workers at a rapid speed.

Our takeaway and the opportunity for this year, moving forward, is the ability to hire young people with technology as a catalyst to win them over.

Phillips Sign’s Phillips: We’re looking at some new software that will make our company more efficient as well as additional equipment. We’re excited about that. With Kelly on board, we’re excited about 2021. 2020 was a trying year but in the end a very good year. I know that’s unbelievable, but we had a great year. So we’re looking forward to an even better 2021. CCR

ISSUE 4, 2021 — COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

47

SPECIAL REPORT

ENGINEERING FIRMS

Report shines on industry’s leading engineering firms

I

MIXED-USE

Stantec Consulting..........................................

Walter P Moore...............................................

CEI Engeneering Associates, Inc......................

NOVA Engineering & Environmental, LLC.........

Henderson Engineers......................................

Osborn Engineering .......................................

TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc........................

GPD Group......................................................

Wallace Engineering.......................................

Case Engineering, Inc.....................................

$18,965,387.00 $5,470,000.00 $5,172,724.00 $4,554,410.00 $3,033,283.00 $2,800,000.00 $1,800,000.00 $1,300,000.00 $1,000,000.00 $765,000.00

Stantec Consulting..........................................

NOVA Engineering & Environmental, LLC.........

TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc........................

Walter P Moore...............................................

Henderson Engineers......................................

Wallace Engineering.......................................

GPD Group......................................................

Greenberg Farrow...........................................

Osborn Engineering .......................................

MBI Companies Inc.........................................

$31,197,082.00 $4,650,904.00 $2,500,000.00 $2,090,000.00 $2,006,561.00 $2,000,000.00 $1,500,000.00 $1,500,000.00 $1,000,000.00 $590,914.00

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

RESTAURANT

$5,552,109.00 $4,140,000.00 $2,600,000.00 $2,506,519.00 $1,990,561.00 $1,000,000.00 $1,000,000.00 $875,000.00 $400,000.00 $334,000.00

$7,200,000.00 $5,600,000.00 $4,365,529.00 $3,176,645.00 $3,095,329.50 $2,704,000.00 $2,000,000.00 $1,609,686.00 $1,000,000.00 $648,756.00

FEDERAL

HOSPITALITY

Stantec Consulting..........................................

Walter P Moore...............................................

TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc........................

Henderson Engineers......................................

NOVA Engineering & Environmental, LLC.........

GPD Group......................................................

Wallace Engineering.......................................

Osborn Engineering .......................................

Little Diversified Architectural Consulting........

3 MG, PSC......................................................

GPD Group......................................................

WD Partners...................................................

Core States Group ..........................................

MBI Companies Inc.........................................

Interplan LLC..................................................

Case Engineering, Inc.....................................

Greenberg Farrow...........................................

CEI Engeneering Associates, Inc......................

Wallace Engineering.......................................

Stantec Consulting..........................................

Stantec Consulting..........................................

NOVA Engineering & Environmental, LLC.........

P2S Inc...........................................................

Henderson Engineers......................................

Walter P Moore...............................................

GPD Group......................................................

TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc........................

Osborn Engineering .......................................

The JDI Group, Inc..........................................

Case Engineering, Inc.....................................

$32,954,003.00 $8,803,680.00 $3,400,000.00 $2,092,232.00 $1,730,000.00 $1,500,000.00 $1,500,000.00 $750,000.00 $75,000.00 $22,000.00

HEALTHCARE

$58,995,776.00 $23,000,000.00 $19,280,109.00 $16,300,000.00 $12,342,275.00 $10,309,083.00 $8,600,000.00 $6,000,000.00 $5,300,000.00 $1,904,000.00

TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc........................

Walter P Moore...............................................

Stantec Consulting..........................................

P2S Inc...........................................................

WD Partners...................................................

Osborn Engineering .......................................

Henderson Engineers......................................

GPD Group......................................................

NOVA Engineering & Environmental, LLC.........

MBI Companies Inc.........................................

$32,500,000.00 $30,920,000.00 $23,740,157.00 $13,000,000.00 $9,900,000.00 $6,600,000.00 $6,269,052.00 $5,000,000.00 $2,207,318.00 $1,824,742.00

TOTAL BILLINGS

RETAIL

Henderson Engineers......................................

WD Partners...................................................

Stantec Consulting..........................................

GPD Group......................................................

Core States Group ..........................................

CEI Engeneering Associates, Inc......................

Little Diversified Architectural Consulting........

Wallace Engineering.......................................

Greenberg Farrow...........................................

Case Engineering, Inc.....................................

MULIT-HOUSING

f you’re looking for the industry’s top engineering firms, look no further than our annual survey, which highlights the leaders in the retail, restaurant, hospitality, healthcare (and other) sectors. In addition, the listing provides the contact information and contact person for each firm. If you didn’t make the list, contact Publisher David Corson at davidc@ccr-mag.com.

Stantec Consulting..........................................

Walter P Moore...............................................

Henderson Engineering...................................

GPD Group......................................................

Henderson Engineers......................................

TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc........................

Nova Engineering & Evironmental, LLC............

P2S Inc...........................................................

WD Partners...................................................

Osborn Engineering .......................................

$411,019,347.00 $136,450,000.00 $127,760,939.00 $108,800,000.00 $75,001,628.00 $69,600,000.00 $60,472,945.00 $48,187,769.00 $42,000,000.00 $37,425,000.00

3 MG, PSC CEI Engineering Associates, Inc.

Manuel Ray, Owner P.O. Box 9023772 San Juan, PR 00902-3772 (787) 979-9973 www.3mg-pr.com • mray@3mg-pr.com Year Established: 2004 Number of Employees: 14 Retail: $273,000.00 Hospitality: $334,000.00 Restaurant: N/A Federal: N/A Healthcare: N/A Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $289,000.00 Total: $896,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 3 Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Dept. Store Leading Clients: Royal Sonesta, Hilton, Fairmont, Foxwoods, Pepe Ganga (PR) Dept. Stores PR Industrial Development Co.

BlueStreak Consulting

Rich Knapp, Director 25001 Emery Rd., # 400 Cleveland, OH 44128 (216) 223-3200 • Fax: (216) 223-3210 www.bluestreak-consulting.com rknapp@bluestreak-consulting.com Year Established: 2005 Number of Employees: N/A Retail: N/A Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: N/A Federal: N/A Healthcare: N/A Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: N/A Total: $5,303,267.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: N/A Specialize In: Retail, Restaurants, Healthcare, Multi-Family, Craft Brew, Mixed-Use, Shopping Centers, Industrial Leading Clients: N/A

Case Engineering, Inc.

Darrell Case, President 796 Merus Ct. St. Louis, MO 63026 (636) 349-1600 Fax: (636) 349-1730 www.caseengineeringinc.com dcase@caseengineering.com Year Established: 1995 Number of Employees: 78 Retail: $1,904,000.00 Hospitality: $55,000.00 Restaurant: $2,704,000.00 Federal: $22,000.00 Healthcare: N/A Multi-Family: $171,200.00 Cannabis: $60,000.00 Craft Brew: $14,700.00 Mixed-Use: $765,000.00 Shopping Centers: $86,000.00 Other: $4,123,154.00 Total: $9,905,054.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: N/A Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Restaurants, Cannabis, Mixed-Use, Other Leading Clients: Wingstop, Five Guys, Habit Burger, AT&T, Loomis Brothers Armored Cars, Cintas, Aramark, One Medical, Starbucks, Dominoes, Circle K, Dutch Bros., Jersey Mikes

Daphne Morton, Marketing Specialist 3108 SW Regency Pkwy.

Bentonville, AR 72712 (800) 433-4173 www.ceieng.com info@ceieng.com Year Established: 1973 Number of Employees: 154 Retail: $10,309,083.00 Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: $1,609,686.00 Federal: N/A Healthcare: $101,920.00 Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: $5,172,724.00 Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $6,379,330.00 Total: $18,904,698.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 375 Specialize In: Retail, Restaurants, Mixed-Use, Leading Clients: Walmart, Sam’s Club, Loves Travel Stops, Murphy Express, Firestone, Chipotle

CESO, Inc. Steven R Olson, AIA, President 175 Montrose W Ave., # 400 Akron, OH 44321 (330) 933-8820 www.cesoinc.com • olson@cesoinc.com Year Established: 1987, No. of Employees: 244 Retail Billings: $31,900,000.00, Hospitality Billings: $300,000.00 Restaurant Billings: $1,200,000.00, Healthcare Billings: $500,000.00 Multi-Housing Billings: $1,500,000.00, Federal Billings: N/A Craft Brewery/Distillery: N/A, Cannabis: $100,000.00 Other Billings: $18,500,000.00, Total Billings: $54,000,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20:N/A Specialize In: Retail, Healthcare, Multi-Housing, Office, Shopping Centers, Hotels/Casinos, Restaurants, Education, Industrial/Warehouse Leading Clients: E-commerce, Speedway, Love’s, Valvoline, Burlington, Casey’s

Classic Engineering Michael Kavanagh, Mechanical Consultant 100 Grandville Ave. SW, Suite 400 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (616) 742-2810 Fax: (616) 742-2814 www.classicengineering.com mkavanagh@classicengineering.com Year Established: 1998 Number of Employees: 12 Retail: N/A Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: N/A Federal: N/A Healthcare: N/A Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: N/A Total: N/A Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: N/A Specialize In: Hospitality, Restaurants, Multi-Family, Mixed-Use Leading Clients: N/A

ISSUE 4, 2021 — COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

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SPECIAL REPORT

ENGINEERING FIRMS Core States Group GreenbergFarrow

Kevin Behnke, Vice President 3039 Premiere Pkwy., Suite 700 Duluth, GA 30097 (770) 242-9550 www.core-states.com • kbehnke@core-states.com Year Established: 1999 Number of Employees: 350 Retail: $12,342,275.00 Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: $4,365,529.00 Federal: N/A Healthcare: $874,580.0 Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: $31,690.00 Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $12,954,337.00 Total: $29,693,831.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 4,069 Specialize In: Retail, Restaurants, Mixed-Use, Energy, Industrial/Warehouse, Fueling Leading Clients: JP Morgan Chase, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Fossil, Lidl, Proterra, Electrify America

Danielle Barr, Marketing Manager 1430 W Peachtree St. NW, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 (212) 725-9530 www.greenbergfarrow.com dbarr@greenbergfarrow.com Year Established: 1974 Number of Employees: 204 Retail: $5,300,000.00 Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: $2,000,000.00 Federal: N/A Healthcare: N/A Multi-Family: $1,500,000.00 Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $800 000.00 Total: $9,600,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: N/A Specialize In: Retail, Restaurants, Shopping Centers, Cannabis, Office, Multi-Housing, Industrial/Warehouse & Energy Leading Clients: Texas Roadhouse, Murphy Oil, The Home Depot, Circle K, Meijer, Bloom Energy, IKEA

Don Penn Consulting Engineer Henderson Engineers Michelle Judkins, Vice President

1301 Solana Blvd., Bldg. 1, Ste. 1420 Westlake, TX 76262 (817) 366-5451 www.donpenn.com mjudkins@donpenn.com Year Established: 1991 Number of Employees: 39 Retail: $1,900,000.00 Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: N/A Federal: N/A Healthcare: N/A Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $4,500,000.00 Total: $6,400,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 1,000 + Specialize In: Retail, Restaurants, Cannabis, K-12 Schools Leading Clients: Planet Fitness, T-Mobile, CVS, AT&T, Five Below, Philz Coffee, Warby Parker, Rolex, Medly Pharmacy, Harvest, Massage Envy, Foot Locker, Western Dental, Swarovski

GPD Group

Steve Turner, Director 1801 Watermark Dr., Suite 210 Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 577-8081 Fax: (330) 572-2101 www.gpdgroup.com steve.turner@gpdgroup.com Year Established: 1961 Number of Employees: 630+ Retail: $16,300,000.00 Hospitality: $1,000,000.00 Restaurant: $7,200,000.00 Federal: $1,500,000.00 Healthcare: $5,000,000.00 Multi-Family: $1,500,000.00 Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: $1,300,000.00 Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $75,000,000.00 Total: $108,800,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 1,800 Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Restaurants, Federal, Healthcare, Multi-Family, Cannabis, Craft Brew, Mixed-Use, Shopping Centers, Fulfillment Centers Leading Clients: RaceTrac, CVS, 7-Eleven, Starbucks, Taco Bell/ Yum! Brands, PNC, Meijer, The Home Depot, JOANN Stores, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Jason’s, PetSuites, Wyndham

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

Mike Achoki, Public Relations & Communications Specialist 8345 Lenexa Dr., Suite 300 Lenexa, KS 66214 (913) 742-5000 • Fax: (913) 742-5001 www.hendersonengineers.com mike.achoki@hendersonengineers.com Year Established: 1970 Number of Employees: 891 Retail: $58,995,776.00 Hospitality: $2,506,519.00 Restaurant: $60,905.00 Federal: $2,092,232.00 Healthcare: $6,269,052.00 Multi-Family: $2,006,561.00 Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: $37,300.00 Mixed-Use: $3,033,283.00 Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $52,759,311.00 Total: $127,760,939.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 3,360 Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Federal, Healthcare, Multi-Family, Craft Brew, Mixed-Use, Education, Shopping Centers, Restaurants, Arts & Culture, Higher Education, K12 Education, Transportation, Venue, Warehouse/Distribution, Workplace Leading Clients: Walmart, Shake Shack, Nike, Tiffany & Co., Dave & Buster’s, Ulta Beauty

Hixson Architecture, Engineering, Interiors

Scott Schroeder, Vice President and Manager, Client Development 659 Van Meter St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 241-1230 • Fax: (513) 241-1287 www.hixson-inc.com • info@hixson-inc.com Year Established: 1948 Number of Employees: 120 Retail: $1,000,000.00 Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: N/A Federal: N/A Healthcare: N/A Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $19,000,000.00 Total: $20,000,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 10 Specialize In: Retail, Mixed-Use, Shopping Centers, Food and Beverage and Science & Technology Facilities Leading Clients: Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, CVS Health

CIRCLE NO. 22

SPECIAL REPORT

ENGINEERING FIRMS Interplan LLC MBI Companies Inc.

Rachel Reife, Business Development Manager 220 E Central Pkwy, Suite 4000 Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 (407) 645-5008 • Fax: (407) 629-9124 www.interplanllc.com • rreife@interplanllc.com Year Established: 1972 Number of Employees: 170 Retail: $1,063,441.73 Hospitality: $25,770.00 Restaurant: $3,095,329.50 Federal: N/A Healthcare: $14,070.00 Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $1,534,450.35 Total: $5,733,061.58 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 900 Specialize In: Retail, Restaurants, ADA, Commercial, Gas and C-Store, Hospitality, Institutional, Managed Care, Office, Other, Residential, Schools, Telcom, Service Leading Clients: N/A

Louis Cortina, CFO 299 N Weisgarber Rd. Knoxville, TN 37919 (865) 584-0999 Fax: (865) 584-5213 www.mbicompanies.com louisc@mbicompanies.com Year Established: 1990 Number of Employees: N/A Retail: $1,145,175.00 Hospitality: $217,157.00 Restaurant: $3,176,645.00 Federal: N/A Healthcare: $1,824,742.00 Multi-Family: $590,914.00 Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $13,605,569.00 Total: $16,405,569.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 100 Specialize In: Retail, Healthcare, Education, Shopping Centers, Hotels/Casinos, Restaurants, Office, Multi-Housing, Sign Engineering, 3D Scanning Leading Clients: Fresenios Medical Care, Pilot, Weigels, Nissan

NOVA Engineering The JDI Group, Inc. & Environmental, LLC

Bryan Autullo, Director of Operations 360 W Dussel Dr. Maumee, OH 43537 (419) 725-7161 Fax: (419) 725-7160 www.thejdigroup.com • bautullo@thejdigroup.com Year Established: 2002 Number of Employees: 70+ Retail: $300,000.00 Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: N/A Federal: $75,000.00 Healthcare: N/A Multi-family: N/A Cannabis: $2,000,000.00 Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $7,500,000.00 Total: $9,875,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 150 Specialize In: Federal, Cannabis, Education, Office & Support Areas for Industrial Market Leading Clients: General Mills, BP Husky, Nutrien, Marathon, Bowling Green State University

Robert Hughes, President 3900 Kennesaw 75 Pkwy., Suite 100 Kennesaw, GA 30144 (770) 425-0777 • Fax: (770) 425-1113 www.usanova.com • rlbagwell@usanova.com Year Established: 1996 Number of Employees: 465 Retail: $1,218,867.00 Hospitality: $1,990,561.00 Restaurant: N/A Federal: $8,803,680.00 Healthcare: $2,207,318.00 Multi-Family: $4,650,904.00 Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: $4,554,410.00 Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $37,047,205.00 Total: $60,472,945.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 1,028 Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Healthcare, Shopping Centers, Restaurants, Federal, Multi-Family, Mixed-Use, Commercial, Industrial, Sports/Recreation, Residential, Transportation, Power, Infrastructure Leading Clients: Hines, Prologis, HCA Healthcare, Walmart, Childress Klein

Osborn Engineering Little Diversified Elyse Augustine, Architectural Consulting Corporate Marketing Manager

Jeff Roman, Partner/National Director of Engineering 615 S College St., Suite 1600 Charlotte, NC 28202 (704) 561-3454 • Fax: (704) 561-8700 www.littleonline.com • jeff.roman@littleonline.com Year Established: 1954 Number of Employees: 380 Retail: $8,600,000.00 Hospitality: $400,000.00 Restaurant: $250,000.00 Federal: N/A Healthcare: $1,500,000.00 Multi-family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $3,250,000.00 Total: $14,000,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 209 Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Restaurants, Healthcare, High Performance/Sustainable Buildings Leading Clients: Echo Park Store for Sonic Automotive in Las Vegas, included renovation and addition and parking expansion

52

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

1100 Superior Ave., Suite 300 Cleveland, OH 44114 (216) 861-2020 www.osborn-eng.com • eaugustine@osborn-eng.com Year Established: 1892 Number of Employees: 225 Retail: $450,000.00 Hospitality: $875,000.00 Restaurant: $150,000.00 Federal: $750,000.00 Healthcare: $6,600,000.00 Multi-Family: $1,000,000.00 Cannabis: $50,000.00 Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: $2,800,000.00 Shopping Centers: $350,000.00 Other: $24,400.000.00 Total: $37,425,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 135 Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Restaurants, Federal, Healthcare, Multi-Family, Mixed-Use, Shopping Centers, Content Media, Education, Industrial, Institutional, Municipal, Sports, Transportation, and Water Resources Engineering Leading Clients: NBBJ, HKS, Inc., IRGRA, ODPArchitects, Vocon Design, PNC Bank, Sherwin Williams

CIRCLE NO. 23

SPECIAL REPORT

ENGINEERING FIRMS P2S Inc. Wallace Engineering

Joshua Seo, Marketing Strategist 5000 E Spring St., Suite 800 Long Beach, CA 90815 (562) 497-2999 • Fax: (562) 497-2990 www.p2sinc.com • Joshua.seo@p2sinc.com Year Established: 1991 Number of Employees: 267 Retail: $146,849.00 Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: N/A Federal: $3,400,000.00 Healthcare: $13,000,000.00 Multi-Family: $343,772.00 Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $31,297,148.00 Total: $48,187,769.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 129 Specialize In: Federal, Healthcare, Education Leading Clients: University of California System, Cal State University, Port of Long Beach, Boeing

Brad Thurman, PE, FSMPS, CPSM, Principal & CMO 123 N Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Tulsa, OK 74103 (800) 364-5858 • Fax: (918) 584-8689 www.wallacesc.com info@wallacesc.com Year Established: 1981 Number of Employees: 170 Retail: $6,000,000.00 Hospitality: $1,000,000.00 Restaurant: $1,000,000.00 Federal: N/A Healthcare: $1,000,000.00 Multi-Family: $2,000,000.00 Cannabis: $500,000.00 Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: $1,000,000.00 Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $12,500,000.00 Total: $25,000,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: Approx. 1800 Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Restaurants, Healthcare, Multi-Family, Mixed-Use, Shopping Centers Leading Clients: Walmart, Sam’s Club, AutoZone, Aldi Grocery stores, Casey’s

Walter P Moore Stantec Consulting Kirsten Cornell, Associate

Darren Burns, Vice President 1100-111 Dunsmuir St. Vancouver, BC V6B 6A3 Canada (604) 696-8009 www.stantec.com • darren.burns@stantec.com Year Established: 1954 Number of Employees: 22,000 Retail: $19,280,109.00 Hospitality: $5,552,109.00 Restaurant: $648,756.00 Federal: $32,954,003.00 Healthcare: $23,740,157.00 Multi-Family: $31,197,082.00 Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: $18,965,387.00 Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $278,681,744.00 Total: $411,019,347.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 7,772 Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Restaurants, Federal, Healthcare, Multi-Family, Cannabis (Canada Only), Craft Brew, Mixed-Use, Shopping Centers, Airport, Civic, Cultural & Entertainment, Justice, Office, Research/Labs, Warehouse/Light Industrial, Education Leading Clients: Boston Properties, JP Morgan Chase, McDonald’s, The Irvine Company, Walmart, Hines, Brookfield Properties, Wells Fargo

TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc.

Michelle Hubbard, CPSM, Director of Marketing 255 S Orange Ave., Suite 1600 Orlando, FL 32801 (407) 487-1012 www.tlc-engineers.com • michelle.hubbard@tlc-eng.com Year Established: 1955 Number of Employees: 370 Retail: $500,000.00 Hospitality: $2,600,000.00 Restaurant: $500,000.00 Federal: $1,500,000.00 Healthcare: $32,500,000.00 Multi-Family: $2,500,000.00 Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: $1,800,000.00 Shopping Centers: $2,000,000.00 Other: $25,700,000.00 Total: $69,600,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 768 Specialize In: Hospitality, Federal, Healthcare, Mixed-Use, Education and Office Leading Clients: HOK, HKS, HNTB, Gresham Smith, Perkins + Will, Gensler, etc.

54

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

1301 McKinney St., #1100 Houston, TX 77010 (713) 630-7300 www.walterpmoore.com • kcornell@walterpmoore.com Year Established: 1931 Number of Employees: 703 Retail: N/A Hospitality: $4,140,000.00 Restaurant: N/A Federal: $1,730,000.00 Healthcare: $30,920,000.00 Multi-Family: $2,090,000.00 Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: $5,470,000.00 Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $92,100,000.00 Total: $136,450,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: N/A Specialize In: Retail, Federal, Healthcare, Mixed-Use, Aviation Sports, and Education Leading Clients: N/A

WD Partners

Tara Yavorsky, VP, Marketing 7007 Discovery Blvd.

Dublin, OH 43017 (614) 634-7000 www.wdpartners.com • talktous@wdpartners.com Year Established: 1968 Number of Employees: 329 Retail: $23,000,000.00 Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: $5,600 ,000.00 Federal: N/A Healthcare: $9,900,000.00 Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: $3,500,000.00 Total: $42,000,000.00 Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 1,304 Specialize In: Retail, Restaurants, Healthcare Leading Clients: The Home Depot, Walmart, CVS

WT Group

Jaclyn Triphahn, Director of Marketing 2675 Pratum Ave. Hoffman Estates, IL 60192 (224) 293-6333 • Fax: (224) 293-6444 www.wtgroup.com • info@wtgroup.com Year Established: 1971 Number of Employees: 160 Retail: N/A Hospitality: N/A Restaurant: N/A Federal: N/A Healthcare: N/A Multi-Family: N/A Cannabis: N/A Craft Brew: N/A Mixed-Use: N/A Shopping Centers: N/A Other: N/A Total: N/A Number of Completed Commercial Projects by 12/31/20: 1,500 Specialize In: Retail, Hospitality, Restaurants, Shopping Centers Leading Clients: Speedway, LLC

CIRCLE NO. 24

Community engagement Reimagining the Durham County Main Library

By Greg Peele

T

hey say you should never judge a book by its cover. But it is true that a tome with enticing artwork draws the eye and

attracts notice. The same is true for a library where those books are displayed. Many of today’s public libraries were built decades ago along utilitarian lines. They have room for books The role of public libraries within our community has evolved tremendously since then, and many of these older structures lack the functionality to support all of the programming their surrounding communities need. As a result, many library systems are planning renovations or replacement of older facilities to meet the current role of the public library as a catalyst for community and personal development with a range of services available to all members of the populace and the space to support those programs.

The recently completed renovation of Main Library of Durham County Library in North Carolina is a model for this type of project.

The existing building opened its doors in 1980 to serve the Durham community with books and public services. Over the next 37 years it gradually expanded its offerings to meet public needs and incorporate advances in technology.

With the passage of time, the institution’s requirements began to outstrip the capacity of its concrete structure with its waffle slab dividing the library’s three floors. Its solid walls allowed very little natural light into library spaces and the enclosed central staircase blocked sight lines, making the interior seem darker and more confined. The design also left no room for the library collection and programming to grow.

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

Photography courtesy Mark Herboth Photography LLC.

and spaces for staff, but not much more.

ISSUE 4, 2021 — COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

57

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT An extended effort by the Durham County Commissioners determined that upgrades to the library were essential to fulfilling their vision of the library as a vibrant community hub. Working with a design team from Raleigh-based Vines Architecture and a construction joint venture between our North Carolina branch of Skanska and Holt Brothers of Raleigh, the concept for the renovation expanded from a simple facelift and interior renovation to the existing 65,000 square foot building, to a reimagining of the entire space to better reflect the needs and priorities of the community.

Full STEAM ahead

Rather than sequestering new STEAM (science, technology, art, math) education spaces into a separate wing, these programs were woven through the interior of the building, gathered around a new collaborative central zone tied together by a monumental staircase flooded with light from an enormous skylight overhead. A fourth-floor addition, and expansion to two corners of the building, brought the building to nearly 100,000 square feet, making room to house new programming and ensure that the library’s extensive North Carolina Collection was more accessible.

The design and construction team based its approach in its deep appreciation for the role of public libraries in the community. They had a clear understanding of how people utilized the library—a place for using reliable internet access, students using the building as a location to meet tutors, and small business owners using the meeting rooms for their entrepreneurial endeavors.

A public library can be the centerpiece of a community’s efforts to embrace core values of equity, participation, and social connection and serves as a place where age, ethnicity, social status, wealth or education are no barrier to inclusion.

Mindful of this deep connection to the public it serves, the construction crew, led

by Skanska senior project manager Jason Tobias, embraced the opportunity to involve itself with the library’s community throughout the building process. During the initial phase of demolishing the portions of the old structure that were not retained in the new design, the team placed notices in the local community offering jobs.

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From a construction standpoint, the project was an interesting challenge requiring tactical demolition and complicated reconstruction around the existing structure.

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

As a result, more than 40 patrons from a nearby mission, the Urban Ministries of Durham, located across the street from the library, were hired to help on the building site. The construction crew served breakfast at the mission at least once a month throughout the construction process. They also promoted the library’s summer reading program for children. They sought out local small businesses as subcontractors on the job and posted regular progress updates on a “Community Corner” outside the jobsite.

The demolition was a delicate process requiring strategic planning to eliminate unwanted building sections without undermining the structural integrity of the remainder. This decision to retain the bones of the existing structure was made in efforts to save money such that the funds could be redirected to other priorities. It was feasible only through careful engineering to thread the upgraded HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems into the tight spaces between floors which were built with waffle-like slabs to support the weight of the heavy book collection.

The outdated elevators and enclosed central stairwell were removed, and the new

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT elevator shafts and monumental staircase were reinforced with steel to support the substantial shelves of books while allowing for glass partitions, curved walls and more modern open floorplans.

Eyes set ahead

The new library was completed in the third quarter of 2019, and was scheduled to open to the public the first quarter of 2020, just as the country was restricting access to public gatherings due to the pandemic, so it has not yet been opened to the public. When its doors open, hopefully later this year, the community will be able to experience its stunning new spaces.

Beyond the beautifully tiled main entrance lies a dedicated children’s area, with a teen space below it and two floors of adult stacks and collaboration spaces above.

Beyond the beautifully tiled main entrance lies a dedicated children’s area, with a teen space below it and two floors of adult stacks and collaboration spaces above. A glass-enclosed two story auditorium for teaching and events opens on to an outdoor amphitheater where additional programming can be held.

Two distinct maker spaces were built on the first and third floors, wired for technology and equipped with 3-D printers, and other equipment to support creative and educational uses.

The fourth floor addition is topped with a partial green roof that contributes both to programming possibilities and to the building’s ambitious sustainability metrics while also creating delightful outdoor terraces where library patrons can meet or

relax on temperate days. The overhang of this addition creates a covered walkway area outside the main entrance that serves as an additional gathering space.

Until its grand opening, the public can take advantage of one of the library’s other new innovations—instead of a traditional drop box for returns, the library installed an automated system that scans returned items and sorts them robotically using radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging into separate bins for re-shelving or return to their home locations. This frees time for the staff to focus on retrieving items that patrons place on hold for pick up now and for other library priorities as things reopen.

From a construction standpoint, the project was an interesting challenge requiring tactical demolition and complicated reconstruction around the existing structure.

Despite these obstacles, in the nearly halfa-million man-hours spent on the project, there was not a single safety incident that resulted in lost time.

The whole team now can take pride in the satisfaction of a rewarding collaborative design and construction relationship, tremendous public support, and the promise of civic pride and community-building inherent in a beautiful structure so well-tailored to meet the needs of its vibrant population for decades to come. CCR

Greg Peele is Executive VP/GM for Skanska USA Building Inc.

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Ground level Retail and grocery flooring in the wake of COVID-19

By Bo Barber & Clay Moore

G

rocery and retail spaces have witnessed unprecedented change since the COVID-19 pandemic manifested in early 2020. New and evolving health and safety guidelines have prompted many stores to completely rethink the way they operate. This significant shift in how consumers live, shop and interact has placed greater emphasis on the health and well-being of individuals— both employees and consumers—leading grocery and retail stores to find new and inventive ways to support and enhance the customer experience.

There is a renewed sense of awareness surrounding health and wellness.

Brands that can embrace that (in an authentic way) will go a long way in attracting and retaining customers. Retailers that were once primarily focused on the aesthetics and appeal of their brand now are pivoting to the health, safety and overall experience of their customers.

In addition to creating a sterile and clean shopping environment, companies are discovering other ways to instill a sense of wellness. Consumers who choose to shop in-store want to feel safe and protected.

Offering additional self-checkout kiosks can make the shopping experience more convenient and safer.

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GROUND LEVEL Grocers also may choose to offer greater visibility into their food prep operations to showcase freshness and safe food practices. Flooring also can provide an additional layer of security with surfaces that are shiny, impart a clean appearance and are soft underfoot.

From advanced cleaning practices to ensure the safety of employees and customers to sourcing transparency and even healthcare solutions in-store, people are looking to retail and, specifically, grocers to provide a sense of reassurance and comfort.

Businesses specifying flooring with characteristics that support these goals will deliver an enhanced level of customer service while increasing brand loyalty.

The new essential workers

According to RetailTouchPoints, 90% of retailers plan to implement BOPIS by 2021, while 78% of retailers rate integrating e-commerce and in-store experiences as important and business-critical.

Buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS) is becoming an increasingly popular option for customers. In fact, according to RetailTouchPoints, 90% of retailers plan to implement BOPIS by 2021, while 78% rate integrating e-commerce and in-store experiences as important and business-critical.

With grocery stores seen as one of the absolutely essential services for consumers, employees of supermarkets and other big-box retailers are taking on the role of frontline workers. Grocery employees now must provide both traditional and evolving services while doing their best to maintain social distancing and hygiene protocols.

With some grocery stores turning into fulfillment centers, new services such as contactless pickup and online delivery services are keeping store employees on their toes as they race around to gather groceries for customers. These new mandates necessitate flooring with ergonomic properties that reduce stress on joints while offering a high coefficient of friction to mitigate injuries due to slips and falls under both wet and dry conditions.

Redesigning the stores with employees in mind not only helps to keep them safe and healthy, but it also can contribute to employee retention and, ultimately, greater customer satisfaction.

Convenience is king

With hospitals overwhelmed with patients, grocery stores and retailers are finding

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GROUND LEVEL ways to offer wellness services where convenient for consumers. In fact, these “anchor stores” are transforming into healthcare support hubs, with services ranging from physical therapy and acute care to fitness centers and pharmacies. For example, big-box retailers such as WalMart and Target are offering these ancillary services to better serve their customers.

When redefining the store, retailers should take a closer look at existing assets and how they can be utilized to create flex-spaces. Using a variety of design choices and flooring finishes, these flexible floorplans can support multi-use facilities, such as seasonal stores and colocation spaces. Mixed-use spaces are becoming increasingly popular as businesses strive to create “convivence communities,” where people can live, dine and shop. However, these mixed-use facilities will require flooring with high acoustical properties to help minimize noise and disruption through the various spaces.

The post-pandemic world

Regardless of when the pandemic ends, it will continue to have a lasting impact on traditional brick and mortar businesses.

Many retailers have already reimagined a variety of ways to support their employees and customers. However, the question remains: How do businesses keep consumers engaged during this new era of online shopping?

First, stores should continue to embrace experiential design. The convenience of e-commerce is driving retailers to offer interactive experiences that can’t be derived from an online purchase. For example, shoe stores that provide turf surfaces to try on athletic footwear place a great emphasis on performance flooring while helping increase in-store engagement.

Additionally, traditional malls that now lay dormant are being transitioned into sports facilities and gaming environments. Rethinking these spaces will give consumers a new reason to visit these outdated environments and have a different type of human connection that goes beyond shopping.

The future of flooring

Since flooring is the largest surface in any facility, it deserves greater attention. There are a variety of ways flooring can support the new spaces that will be created in a COVID-19 world. From taking care of grocery employees with surfaces that offer greater ergonomics and a superior coefficient of friction to utilizing experiential design to provide more intimate and interactive

retail environments for customers, focusing on the human experience has become the new normal as we make our way through the pandemic and beyond.

The post-COVID-19 world will require a concerted effort from all stakeholders to fully integrate operations, facilities, design and construction to meet the needs of their brand, their customers and their employees. CCR

Bo Barber is Executive VP of Sales and Marketing, and Clay Moore is Mideast Regional Sales Manager for Ecore.

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CIRCLE NO. 29

IS YOUR SUPERINTENDENT CERTIFIED?

Being a retail superintendent requires a unique set of skills different from other market segments. While all construction superintendents have responsibilities for schedule, productivity, safety, and quality on the project site, the challenges and constraints of the retail environment mean that a special training focus is needed.

Superintendents must learn how to think like a retailer and a contractor throughout these projects.

RCA’s Retail Superintendent Training Program addresses this need.

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Learn more about the program & view a list of participating companies: retailcontractors.org/superintendent-training-program Toll Free: 800-847-5085 | Phone: 703-683-5637 | retailcontractors.org

April 2021

Up for the challenge How MRP Design Group is helping meet the growing hospitality demand

Ken Dalton, President, MRP Design Group

Hospitality in Commercial Construction

By Tom Morgan

Up for the challenge How MRP Design Group is helping meet the growing hospitality demand

T

he MRP Design Group team was introduced to the owner of a 5.64-acre tract by a mutual friend/contractor with whom they had worked closely for several years in the restaurant business. The owner’s architect recently retired and it just happened that MRP had collectively designed over 100 hotels and so the relationship began.

The project owner, Singh Investment Group, already owned 14 Hilton, Marriott and Holiday Inn products and had the Hilton name on the site with approximately 100 bungalow style, one-story units that were tired and had evolved into extreme extended stay facilities.

The owner’s intention was to place two completely different concepts, a Springhill Suites by Marriott and a Home2 by Hilton, on this one tract. MRP worked side-by-side with the civil engineers to craft site plans that creatively managed the usage of the property while maximizing value and profitability for each concept.

There were “grandfathered” site conditions that discouraged more robust development until the owner felt the timing was a must. Developing a project on Hilton

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Head Island (HHI) where “Island Character” transcends all other parameters, provides its own set of challenges but this property had a laundry list of other issues to contend with.

The site was below floodplain level, had high voltage transfer lines with a 50-footwide easement, and suffered from extremely low water pressure for fire protection on the proposed four-story building. MRP was also fighting an oppressive height limitation that required every inch of height to be designed with intention.

The Home 2 (H2) hotel was the first concept to be designed. In its standard prototype, Hilton allows for Queen-Queen Rooms, but it is not in the base Hilton drawings as the H2 brand specifically targets the business person on-the-go, providing primarily single queen bed suites.

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Hospitality in Commercial Construction

Since Hilton Head Island is a family destination, the MRP team suggested a considerable segment of the building be expanded to have two beds. This change added 6 feet to the footprint for a particular block of rooms requiring related structural design modifications. As a bonus, the laundry and the food serving areas below, which are almost too narrow in the prototype, also enjoyed this extra space to operate more efficiently.

Many fashionable trends, like community tables in the breakfast area and modern conveniences, like Wi-Fi accessibility (“The Connected Room”), were included in the prototype, and are easily mastered by our engineers. Having designed hundreds of hotels, addressing these trends and requirements comes easy for them, leaving us to accent the differences that make the brand stand-out and concentrate on big picture items like local design restrictions in place to keep this resort area beautiful.

Adding conveniences for the traveler is fun, addressing a floodplain can be a much bigger challenge. Obviously, MRP had to raise the finished floor level out of the flood plain, easy enough. But because of the proximity to the coast, we had to incorporate break-away barrier walls to keep the rain out but allow a flood surge in to save the structure during a storm. Underground propane tanks also had to be anchored so they would not float in frequent high water events.

Other storm drainage structures, and water pressure shut off valves that had deteriorated over the years had to be discovered with cameras and pressure tests, and corrected before we could proceed.

Hotels require sprinklers, and sprinklers require minimum pressure. Maintaining that minimum pressure requires fire pumps, and most of the time very expensive emergency generators to run the pumps. Sure, there are ways to bypass the main disconnect, avoiding the generator, if the power is deemed “Reliable”, which it is not on the island. MRP provided creative alternatives to the Fire Marshal avoiding the extra expense, while keeping the property safe.

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Hospitality in Commercial Construction

Speaking of safety, the site is in a very high lightning strike area, which is only exacerbated by the natural lightning rod of the high voltage lines. This was easily addressed with properly placed lightning protection.

Lighting levels are required to be very low on Hilton Head Island. So low, designers had to use special parking lot and pool lighting and careful spacing to meet the national code levels, but not exceed the island character parameters.

Project No. 2 up and ready…

The second hotel, a Marriott Springhill Suites (SHS), had many of the same hurdles as the Home 2 project. Both brands focused on their outdoor spaces, fire-pits, and grilling areas, which fit right into the pedestrian atmosphere in HHI. The building ran parallel and much closer to the power lines requiring us to shuffle the swimming pool from behind the building like the prototype, to the end of the building.

The required restrooms and other features were shifted to provide a seamless operation.

Humidity was another factor that brought extra focus to these projects. Marriott requires the toilet exhaust to be replaced with conditioned air, piped all the way to each room, from the roof, forcing the balance of air by using diminishing duct sizes as you go, with certain back-draft dampers, etc. That ductwork takes up ceiling height that we did not have to spare considering the local height restrictions, requiring flatter/ wider ducts with other challenges.

The Home 2 exhaust system is allowed to pump conditioned air into the hall, and have it drawn half the length of the hall and under the doorway, by varying the volume of exhaust in the suites.

There is as much art as there is science to balancing infiltration and other factors. While we were building the Springhill Suites project, the H2 had already developed

Many fashionable trends, like community tables in the breakfast area and modern conveniences, like Wi-Fi accessibility (“The Connected Room”), were included in the prototype. a moisture issue. A faulty Test and Balance Report had missed the fact that the rooftop toilet exhaust shaft fans had not been set as we required on the drawing, causing a negative pressure and sucking in humidity through the outside walls.

The fans were adjusted and the moisture cleaned up before it became a serious detriment to the building. You might think, if you exhaust enough humid air out of the building you are good, but you can exhaust too much.

The final buildings were so unlike the initial prototypes, with plantation shutters

and other beautiful Design Board Review features sprinkled throughout the design, that MRP had to ask two franchisors for special franchisor consideration more than once.

In the end, the projects have become flagships for creative alternatives. For example, the H2 prototype “beacon” feature became a more muted lighthouse tower.

The trick was giving the local Design Review Board the “feeling” they wanted without losing the hotel branding completely.

Hotels are on the way back after the latest downturn, and the industry is poised to meet the demand.

Tom Morgan is Director of Architecture for MRP. Over the past 31-plus years, MRP has completed more than 2,500 projects across the United States.

Its team of NCARB certified architects are specialists in the design and development process, from preliminary interior and exterior layout design through detailed permit and construction drawings to construction administration.

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CIRCLE NO. 32

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T

he American Jobs plan released on March 31 details the Adminis-

tration’s transportation infrastructure assets and priorities, including spending on a wide range of assets and incentives that will greatly impact construction and engineering operations across industries.

The Infrastructure Plan Your guide to where it may go from here

By Joseph Seliga, David Narefsky, Stephanie D. Wagner, Mitchell D. Holzrichter, Philip R. Recht, Andrew Olmem, Jonathan H. Becker & Warren S. Payne

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From modernizing roads and bridges to improving waterways and ports, the American Jobs Plan (AJP) is just the beginning of the legislative process to implement infrastructure provisions that would provide investment and funding for critical infrastructure programs.

On March 31, the Administration released its much-anticipated American Jobs Plan, which outlines $2.3 trillion of proposed spending on not only traditional infrastructure programs, but also climate change, housing, drinking water, workforce development, manufacturing, telecommunications and elderly care measures. It also includes a substantial increase in corporate taxes to pay for the proposal.

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THE INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN AJP sets the stage for what is expected to be a robust debate between the Administration and Congress, and within Congress on the details of the legislation to implement the AJP. It is important to understand what the AJP is and is not.

First, AJP is a policy proposal that sets forth the Administration’s policy and spending priorities. It is not, however, a legislative proposal (in other words, there is no proposed legislative language) and does not lay out specific policy details. The details will be contained in the legislative text once it is released.

Second, it is important to understand that the $2.3 trillion proposed in the AJP is to be phased in over the course of eight years and is spread across both traditional transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges, mass transit, airports, waterways and railroads) and many other areas of infrastructure (including housing, broadband, drinking water and energy).

Therefore, while the proposed level of infrastructure spending is significant, the time horizon and the spending across what is a very broadly defined scope of infrastructure should be kept in perspective.

AJP’s infrastructure proposals include spending of approximately $621 billion over the next decade on a wide range of physical assets and transportation-related incentives, with a focus on safety, reliability and resiliency.

Public Transit — Modernizing and expanding public transit systems to meet use demands, including addressing significant transit repair backlogs ($85 billion) Passenger and Freight Rail — Repairing Amtrak; investing in the Northeast Corridor; improving existing corridors and connecting new city pairs; supporting grants related to rail safety and efficiency ($80 billion) Airports — Funding the Airport Improvement Program; spending on FAA asset upgrades and programs supporting terminal renovation and multimodal connections to airports ($25 billion) Ports and Waterways — Improving inland waterways, coastal ports, land ports of entry, and ferries; mitigating impacts of pollution on communities near ports ($17 billion) Large Projects With Regional and National Economic Benefits — Accelerating “transformative investments” and dedicating funds to “ambitious projects” that may be too complex for existing funding programs (25 billion) Addressing Historic Investment Inequities — Reconnecting neighborhoods cut off or divided by prior infrastructure investments; increasing focus on equity in future project development ($20 billion) Electric Vehicles — Supporting grant and incentive programs for producing 500,000 electric vehicle chargers by 2030; creating rebates and incentives for purchasers; replacing diesel transit vehicles and school buses ($174 billion)

What other policy proposals and investments are included?

AJP’s infrastructure proposals include spending of approximately $621 billion over the next decade on a wide range of physical assets and transportation-related incentives, with a focus on safety, reliability and resiliency, including the following:

The AJP also includes nearly $1.4 trillion in spending for clean water infrastructure, digital and broadband infrastructure, power infrastructure, modernization of schools and early learning facilities, affordable housing resources and veterans hospitals.

Additionally, AJP calls for funding increases in research and development infrastructure, climate research initiatives, improvements to American industrial capacity for critical goods, innovation hubs and community revitalization, and worker training programs and for increased access to capital for domestic manufacturers. It also includes $400 billion, 20% of the total, to support increased availability of home care for elderly and disabled people.

Asset type proposed spending under the AJP

How is AJP Paid for?

Transportation Infrastructure Assets & Priorities: The spending highlights?

Road and Bridge Modernization — Repairing and modernizing 20,000 miles of highways and roads; fixing the 10 most “economically significant” large bridges as well as repairing 10,000 smaller bridges ($115 billion) Road Safety — Increasing funding to local “vision zero” plans and safety improvements to reduce accidents ($20 billion)

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AJP includes a variety of corporate tax changes that would raise over $15 trillion over 15 years and that the Administration asserts would more than pay for the spending included in the AJP. These are to: > Increase the corporate tax from 21% to 28% > Increase the tax on foreign sourced income to 21%, calculate tax based on a country-by-country basis and eliminate allowance for foreign assets

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THE INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN > Impose a 15% minimum tax on large corporations’ book income > Eliminate tax incentives for foreign-derived intangible income (FDII) > Create new regulations to prevent corporate inversions > Eliminate tax preferences for fossil fuels > Increase funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to increase tax audits of corporations and otherwise prevent corporate tax evasion.

What opportunities will there be for private investment in infrastructure?

AJP includes few details about policies related to infrastructure investment, including with respect to private investment. Legislation implementing components of AJP could include language that could help facilitate increased private investment in infrastructure, which would increase the overall amount of infrastructure investment through the AJP. These proposals include: > Infrastructure investment incentive grants providing federal grants in connection with infrastructure concessions implemented by state and local governments where proceeds of those concessions are reinvested in infrastructure > Increasing or eliminating the current $15 billion cap on surface transportation private activity bonds (which is planned to be included) > Implementing private activity bond authority for social infrastructure projects > Expanding the federal TIFIA and RRIF financing programs and implementing similar low-interest financing programs in other areas of infrastructure (for example, related to resilience, infrastructure equity, airport infrastructure, social infrastructure and broadband development) > Making changes to facilitate the use of private activity bonds and TIFIA financing and the maintenance of tax-exempt debt related to existing infrastructure assets concessions where proceeds are reinvested in infrastructure

Where do we go from here?

The release of the AJP is just the beginning of the legislative process to pass one or more bills in Congress to implement the

plan. While the AJP was presented as a single plan, its enactment into law will likely occur in pieces. Many of the spending provisions will be collected into a single bill that will be passed using reconciliation procedures, which permit certain spending and taxing legislation to be passed without being subject to the Senate’s filibuster.

AJP includes a variety of corporate tax changes that would raise over $15 trillion over 15 years.

However, a separate bill still will likely be needed to reauthorize surface transportation programs, which expire on Sept. 30, and other programmatic reforms, which are not eligible for inclusion in reconciliation legislation. The Senate Parliamentarian decides which provisions can be included in reconciliation.

The Senate Parliamentarian recently ruled that Senate Democrats could use the budget reconciliation process for a second time to move the infrastructure plan forward as they did with the COVID-19 relief package earlier this year. Under budget reconciliation procedures, Senate Democrats could advance infrastructure legislation with only 50 votes, as opposed to 60 votes, which is the threshold for passage for most bills in the Senate.

To pass the infrastructure bill using budget reconciliation, all 50 Senate Democrats will need to be in complete agreement on any legislative text.

What is the time frame?

The plan would be to pass the infrastructure legislature by July 4, but the enactment of AJP unlikely is to occur before Congress’s August recess and more likely to happen in the fall. CCR

Joseph Seliga is co-lead of Mayer Brown’s Government Transactions and Projects & Infrastructure practices (Chicago); David Narefsky is a partner in Mayer Brown’s Government Transactions and Projects & Infrastructure practices (Chicago); Stephanie D. Wagner is a partner in Mayer Brown’s Government Transactions and Projects & Infrastructure practices (Chicago); Mitchell D. Holzrichter is a partner in Mayer Brown’s Government Transactions and Projects & Infrastructure practices (Chicago); Philip R. Recht is the Managing Partner of Mayer Brown’s LA office and co-leader of the firm’s Public Policy, Regulatory & Political Law practice; Andrew Olmem is a partner in Mayer Brown’s DC office and a member of the Public Policy, Regulatory & Political Law practice; Jonathan H. Becker is a partner in Mayer Brown’s DC office and a member of the Public Policy, Regulatory & Political Law practice’; and Warren S. Payne is a senior advisor in Mayer Brown’s DC office and a member of the Tax, Public Policy, Regulatory & Political Law and International Trade practices.

The Administration has indicated that the $115 billion in the AJP for roads, bridges and transit is in addition to the expected renewal of the existing surface transportation program funded by the federal gas tax; the last such renewal, in 2015, provided $305 billion in federal funding over the following five years.

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ISSUE 4, 2021

A L S O C O V E R I N G L O C A L , S TAT E & R E G I O N A L P R O J E C T S A N D FA C I L I T I E S

Legacies Army Corps improves historic cemetery for the living at USMA, West Point

By JoAnne Castagna

Legacies Army Corps improves historic cemetery for the living at USMA, West Point

W

est Point Cemetery, located on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point,

New York is America’s oldest military post cemetery and a national historic landmark. Historian Ulysses Grant Dietz says that historic, park-like cemeteries like this were never intended just to be resting places for the dead. They were always envisioned as places of interaction and Dietz is the great great grandson of Army General Ulysses S. Grant the nation’s 18th president and commander in chief, and great-grandson of Major General, Frederick Dent Grant, who has a grave in the West Point Cemetery.

To ensure this cemetery continues to serve this purpose, the US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District its expanding and improving the serene grounds for the thousands of visitors who come to the cemetery each year. “This project supports the Army’s commitment to provide in-ground burial to authorized service members and their families who have dedicated their lives in the service of this nation,” says Raymond Pifer, project manager, New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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Credit: USACE, Public Affairs.

memory for the living.

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West Point’s 200-year old academy is located 50 miles north of New York City on the Hudson River and its cemetery sits in the northeast corner of the campus, overlooking the water. The cemetery’s sprawling 11-acre grounds is home to 9,000 graves and several monuments, including the distinguished Old Cadet Chapel that greets visitors at the entrance.

The cemetery was created in 1817, but before that, the grounds were used by residents for burials, including the graves of Soldiers from as far back as the Revolutionary War. Today, the cemetery holds some of America’s most storied military leaders and historical figures that includes distinguished Soldiers, Medal of Honor Recipients, astronauts, athletes and family members.

These include individuals like GEN Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., commander of coalition forces in the Gulf War; LTC Edward White II, the first American to walk in space; and Major General Grant.

“Each gravesite associated with President Grant or with his wife, Julia, is important to the Association,” says Dietz, who is on the board of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and speaks annually at “Grant’s Tomb” in

Healy portrait of Major GEN Frederick Dent Grant painted in 1876. Credit: Ulysses Grant Dietz.

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West Point Cemetery, located on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York is being expanded and enhanced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District.

Credit: JoAnne Castagna, Public Affairs

West Point Cemetery, located on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York is America’s oldest military post cemetery and a national historic landmark.

Credit: USACE Public Affairs.

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New York City. “General Grant was the first of three career generals named Grant to be launched by the Academy. The fact that his eldest son Fred lies here with his wife, Ida, makes it an especially important historical spot for the Association.”

The Army Corps has constructed many structures on the campus over the decades and now it is expanding and enhancing its cemetery. The work is being accomplished

by Army Corps contractor Intercontinental Construction Contracting Inc. of Passaic, New Jersey. The grounds will be expanded to make space for an additional 3,492 graves that will include in-ground burial sites and interments for cremated remains.

To make room for the new grave sites, an old PX gas station site was demolished and contaminated soil on the site was excavated and removed. After this, retaining walls were constructed along the sloped area along the river, to provide land stability.

To add additional stability, special foundations will be placed throughout the

grounds to address the varying soil conditions on the site. When space is made, grave sites will be installed. This will include 836, 3 x 8 crypts; 32, 4 x 8 crypts; 2,156, 3 x 4 interments for cremated remains; and 468 interments for cremated remains that will be placed in a niche wall or columbarium. This is like a mausoleum that is designed for the interment of cremated remains.

To ensure the cemetery can run efficiently, additional structures will be constructed including waterlines, sanitary sewer, storm drainage, telecommunications, electrical power distribution, security systems, and heated and air-conditioned storage and maintenance facilities for cemetery staff.

Visitors to the cemetery will not only have more spacious grounds to walk, but also new entrance gates, vehicle and pedestrian access roads and walks, exterior lighting, curbs and gutters, access for individuals with disabilities, perimeter fencing, restrooms and signage to help them find loved ones.

The grave of Major GEN Frederick Dent Grant, son of President Ulysses S. Grant, who was a soldier and U.S. Minister to Austria-Hungary. Credit: Ulysses Grant Dietz.

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West Point Cemetery, located on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York is America’s oldest military post cemetery and a national historic landmark. Credit: JoAnne Castagna, Public Affairs

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The picture shows part of the new drainage system that will convey all the runoff from the parking area and areas south/southwest of the site through the site, down the slope and out to the Hudson River.

Credit: USACE, Public Affairs.

Even though construction is in the works, visitors still are coming to the cemetery. “As I watch people walk through the cemetery, I realize that they are likely not visiting family, but rather individuals that made an impact on the many generations that have followed them,” says John Butler, project engineer, New York District, US Army Corps of Engineers. “It is a gentle reminder that this cemetery contains not only individuals who are mourned by their family, but individuals who we are indebted to for their past actions, regardless of whether their names are known today or a simply a part of history.”

This is not the only thing Butler realized. “Originally, when I found out that I

would be working on a cemetery, I cannot deny that there was a bit of apprehension, as I, like most individuals, do not tend to venture into a cemetery to either dig or be there after dark.””

Butler says that after getting past this initial reaction, he found himself honored and privileged to be working on the project. “This will provide the final resting place for many of the leaders that this academy has and continues to create during the 20th and 21st centuries. It will allow them to take their place in history alongside those who have chosen the academy as their final resting place.”

The work on the West Point Cemetery is expected to be completed in spring 2022.

“The West Point Cemetery is a remarkable historic graveyard, which makes it both a historic green space and a touchstone to a great deal of American history,” Dietz says.

“As such, it deserves the same sort of care and attention that a historic building would get. I’m really delighted that the Army Corps has turned its attention to it.”

Butler says it is an honor to be able to work on a project that is creating a tranquil place for families to grieve, remember and reminisce about their loved ones and to provide a final resting place for so many leaders that have served our great nation through some of its best and some of its worst times. FC

Dr. JoAnne Castagna is a Public Affairs Specialist and writer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. She can be reached at joanne.castagna@usace.army.mil.

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Terrazzo: The Cure for the Common Floor Terrazzo is the natural choice for today’s buildings. A seamless, non-porous finish makes terrazzo easy to clean and disinfect. Its resistance to moisture accumulation and microbial growth helps maintain a mold-free environment and healthy indoor air quality. Terrazzo is impervious to liquids, odors and dust mites. Equipment rolls silently on terrazzo’s smooth surface. With endless design possibilities and a long life-cycle, terrazzo floors bring beauty and sustainability to every setting.

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Sanfilippo Perfume Passage Museum Architect: Heitman Architects Designer: Luci Creative General Contractor: Gibson Custom Homes Photographer: FotoGrafix

YOUR STORY is your best sales tool INSIDE THIS ISSUE: President’s Message.......................pg 3 Member Directory .........................pg 4-5

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SPRING EDITION • 2021

Two Tax Credits in the Covid Stimulus Could Save Your Business Thousands

magazine.com

Don’t miss out on these provisions of the bill passed in December in addition to the paycheck protection program

By Gene Marks This article originally appeared on theguardian.com. Reprinted with permission from the author.

While a lot of attention has been given to the recent renewal of the paycheck protection program, there are two tax credits included in last December’s Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act that may actually be more valuable for many small businesses. Why? Because the PPP is a forgivable loan that’s only available to certain businesses, whereas the employee retention tax credit and the work opportunity tax credit are both potential cash payments that are available to a greater number of small businesses.

Interested? You should be. Because if your business is still in operation but has been at least partially affected by Covid, then you’re probably eligible.

To be eligible for the employee retention tax credit in the first or second quarter of 2021 you must first show that your business had fewer than 500 full-time-equivalent employees and was either partially or fully shut down due to Covid restrictions. Even if you don’t match the shutdown requirements you can still qualify by demonstrating that your revenues (defined as total sales, net of returns and allowances) declined in either quarter by more than 20% compared with the same quarter in 2019 (employers that did not exist in 2019 can use the corresponding quarter in 2020 to measure the decline in their gross receipts).

That threshold is lower than what is required to access PPP funds, which requires showing a 25% reduction in revenues. Assuming you qualify, you may be surprised at just how much money you’ll save. So here’s how you will figure that out.

(Continued on next page )

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W e ’ r e J u s t “ I t c h i n g ” To E d u c a t e Yo u A b o u t P o i s o n I v y , P o i s o n O a k , a n d P o i s o n S u m a c .

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Earth. Fire.

Water. Air. How Zuma’s newest restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood is bringing izakaya-style to Beantown

A special supplement to:

Photography by Darrin Hunter, courtesy Dyer Brown

Earth. Fire.

Water. Air. How Zuma’s newest restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood is bringing izakaya-style to Beantown

L

ocated at the Four Seasons Hotel, nestled in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, sits the 12th addition of Noriyoshi Muramatsu’s international collection of Japanese

informal dining. Zuma, the izakaya-style concept, features the very best in Japanese delicacy, compliments of the founder of Tokyo-based Studio Glitt.

Architects Dyer Brown worked with Studio Glitt on the restaurant, which features a main dining room that offers a full view of three open kitchens, including the principal kitchen, and sushi and robata counter. At Zuma, diners are treated to the action, as chefs prepare dishes over Japanese charcoal. In addition, Zuma’s bar and lounge area feature a unique floating DJ booth made from one piece of monkey pod wood.

Part of the beauty of Zuma is that the design team was able to bring a sophisticated level of design to the city’s third tallest skyscraper, ensuring that the 7,000 square foot eatery venue lives up to its globally recognized name. Each of Muramatsu’s Zuma masterpieces stay true to the restaurant’s global aesthetic inspired by the four elements of earth, fire, water and air. While embodying the style and elegance of Zuma’s 11 other locations worldwide, the design incorporates unique commercial kitchen features.

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EARTH. FIRE. WATER. AIR.

COMMERCIAL KITCHENS

We sat down with Kasumi Humphries, Senior Interior Designer at Dyer Brown Architects, to get a snapshot on the new Zuma restaurant concept at the Four Seasons hotel.

Give us a snapshot of the design concept.

Overall, the Zuma concept is a sophisticated twist on the izakaya, a kind of informal Japanese pub. The traditional and contemporary menu items are inspired by the four elements of earth, fire, water and air. The design concept takes its cues from this idea as well.

The space dominated by granite walls and slabs of exotic monkey pod wood is sourced from Thailand. Additional interior accents include full-height rice paper accent walls with vibrant red and purple jewel tones.

To help achieve Studio Glitt’s signature design for Zuma, Dyer Brown sourced porcelain ceramic tiles for the flooring as well as glass, wood paneling, wood veneer and granite tile for the walls.

As for the restaurant and kitchen layout, Zuma’s cuisine is prepared in three separate open kitchens: a main kitchen, a sushi bar and the signature robata charcoal grill. Overall, the approximately 8,000 square foot restaurant features 176 seats.

How does the design of the restaurant cater to what today’s consumers are looking for?

The approach to the cuisine is authentic, but not necessarily traditional. The design reflects this by blending traditional and contemporary elements of Japanese culture. Each location’s design is somewhat distinct from the others. Studio Glitt, along with chef and founder Rainer Becker, wanted the design to be informed by the location and the city, the energy, the culture and the clientele.

The design for Zuma Boston has elements in common with the others. The high level of quality is consistent across all locations, and all of them have the three

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

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open kitchens, but the Boston design is distinct in certain ways.

What are some of the adjustments you made to your business model surrounding the recent state of events?

Zuma Boston incorporates the best of recent trends in restaurant design technology to better serve the guests and support the staff. Primarily, those trends reflect a growing emphasis on health and wellbeing, influencing the specification of lighting fixtures and ventilation equipment, among other areas.

Walk us through how and why the restaurants are designed the way they are?

Both the traditional and contemporary menu items are inspired by the four elements of earth, fire, water and air. The design concept takes its cues from this idea as well.

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The design features massive monkey-pod wood slabs and spectacular granite boulders, all imported from Thailand and integrated with sophistication into an environment of custom-made Japanese paper walls, traditional purple and red hues, and floor-to-ceiling bamboo lanterns. The lighting is integrated seamlessly into the design to provide illumination without the guests ever noticing the fixtures themselves.

What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?

There were enormous challenges, most of which were the result of working in a tight space in a skyscraper that was still under construction.

One of the biggest challenges was bringing in and installing the “floating” DJ booth, which is actually a massive 12-foot-long monkey pod tree trunk. Installing it so that it appears to float was simple enough, but getting the tree inside the building required cutting it in half, and that meant it had to be reassembled inside.

What trends are you seeing?

Izakaya-style dining is itself a recent trend, which still is growing in popularity. For Zuma Boston, we focused on delivering a space that supported the signature Zuma worldwide concept, with some unique elements that reflect the location in Boston’s pulsating Back Bay neighborhood.

But in terms of the technology used in the design, we incorporated the best of recent trends in restaurant design technology to better serve the guests and support the staff.

Primarily those trends represent the desire for health and wellbeing: good lighting and appropriate ventilation for comfort, for example.

What’s the secret to creating a “must visit” restaurant environment in today’s competitive landscape?

You can see it in Zuma—sophisticated, intimate and exquisite. The tables evoke the exotic monkey pod wood color and finish and, in some cases, are actually monkey pod slab. The seating is chic and sophisticated, mirroring the jewel tone color palette.

The lighting is integrated seamlessly into the design, with the goal of providing illumination without the guests ever noticing the fixtures and luminaires themselves.

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What was one of the more unique aspects of the design?

To help achieve Studio Glitt’s signature design for Zuma, Dyer Brown sourced porcelain ceramic tiles for the flooring, as well as glass, wood paneling, wood veneer and granite tile for the walls. Many such elements are large format, including the slab granite from Thailand, the wood veneer, and full-height Japanese paper walls sandwiched between 12 foot-x-12 foot glazing.

The ceilings primarily feature slats of teak wood veneer lined with spotlighting on tracks, while the sushi bar and main kitchen sit under solid wood veneer ceilings. Each station is lit from underneath with recessed LED fixtures in the floor. The lighting is integrated seamlessly into the design, providing illumination without the guests ever noticing the fixtures themselves, adding to the venue’s mystique. CK

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INDUSTRY

WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION

Striving for perfection Our conversation with Central Roofing’s Cindy Hillegass The advances I have been exposed to while at Central Roofing provide exceptional trend examples from 3D imaging, leak detection products, to live vegetative roof top parks and gardens. While this generates interesting project development, it demands contractors stay on top of their individual industry advancements, training and education—or risk being left behind and out of work.

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen over the past few years?

From board drafting with pencil and ruler to CAD programs, the changes have been nonstop. The biggest change in recent years is the need for contractors to supply their own CAD-generated submittal and shop drawings. Architects and specifiers are looking for more job-specific detailed information defining how trades and crafts will transition and tie together.

Cindy Hillegass

A

s just one of three females graduating from Minneapolis’ Architectural Drafting and Estimating Program at Dunwoody Institute, Cindy Hillegass’ evolution in

the commercial construction industry made strides early.

While her passion for the profession started early (as a teenager, she worked alongside her father installing surround sounds, networks and antennas in new residential construction projects) she did not immediately opt for a secondary education pursuit. Instead, she settled into more typical female jobs like retail, fast food and accounting.

But as the call for a career change beckoned, Hillegass found herself drawn to the construction world, especially in the drafting/architect sector. She found it the perfect spot to take her shot.

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We caught up with Hillegass to get her thoughts on the industry’s future for women, her plans for a return to normalcy and how the biggest item on her to-do list may help women everywhere.

Give us a snapshot of the construction market today.

Currently, design appears to be driving the construction market toward creative utopian projects featuring more complex, energy efficient and environmental challenges for contractors. Thankfully, product manufacturers are simultaneously stepping up their game.

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

Name some of the opportunities available for women in the industry.

With all the advances in the construction industry, women are constantly discovering ways to outwit obstructions and discover innovative opportunities where none previously existed. Only limited by their own imaginations, from trade workers to management and everything in between, there exists a treasure trove of roles waiting for female pioneers.

Women bring their natural born insight, empathy, grace and passion to the workforce. As they take on industry roles traditionally held by men, the opportunities for improvement are expanding. Jobs in a variety of areas, including communication, application and idea generation, are constantly expanding.

What challenges remain?

In many situations, women still are under-represented and often under-paid in the construction industry. They’re able to

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INDUSTRY

WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION do the work, but for some reason those in leadership positions are unable to see the equal value. Women need to stand up and support each other. That’s the only way we will gain ground.

Here’s what I’ve personally experienced. Respected drafters must be detail-oriented, focused on minute items and have a direct personality. Often, those traits are judged differently for (and by) men and women. When I’m detailed-oriented, I’ve been labeled as anal-retentive or over the top. When I focus on minute issues in a plan, I can be called boring, or stuck on the details. If I offer a firm handshake, some people decide I come across as too manly.

These are limitations that females face in the workplace. No matter who imposes them, these perceptions negatively impact the vast opportunities for everyone.

everyone can easily read. And when you’re typing, always use spell check.

3. Speak up when you know you’re right and others are considering doing otherwise. Be a good listener and proactive solution provider.

On the flip side, own your mistakes.

It’s far less painful than trying to cover them up. You’ll learn more from them.

4. Realize you’re never stuck in a position or a role. You have the power to change in order to achieve your vision of success.

5. Always be open to constructive criticism. Some of the best insight comes from negative criticism.

10. Never stop learning. Read everything you can on a topic and take actual notes. What’s important is not remembering all the answers; it’s knowing where to go to get the answers, even if it’s in your own notebook.

The biggest lesson the past few months have taught you?

It has been challenging on a personal level.

My father passed away in November from natural causes. I was so busy with work that I almost missed the chance to share some final moments with him. My CEO, Gerry Stock, took me aside and told me to “stop, listen and slow down.” She talked to me about the importance of family, whether it’s our Central Roofing family or my at-home family. Her empathy trickles down through our work family, uniting us all. Right before my Dad passed I spent valuable time with him.

First thing you’re going to do when everything gets back to normal?

While I’m sure this will sound corny, I want to go to Disney World. I’ve always enjoyed the parks, shows, rides and people watching. In fact, when we go to the parks, I have often been mistaken as a cast member. I believe one day I will work there.

Biggest item on your to-do list?

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

“Perception is reality.” What a person perceives to be true is reality for them. If you’re going to successfully make change happen with anything, you must change the perceptions of those around you and your realities will become one.

What advice would offer women just coming up in the industry?

I have 10 of them:

1. A s you carve out your own place, keep ethics front and center. Let your work speak for your character.

2. Learn how to write and print legibly. Stay away from fancy writing. Stick to a style

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6. Nourish relationships. Cling to those which help you build character.

Let go of those with destructive forces, no matter how difficult the choice can be.

I want to create an internship/mentoring program at Central Roofing with a local trade school. My idea is to provide students the opportunity to graduate with exposure to real construction situations, some cash in their pockets, and an idea of what the construction industry has to offer them.

7. Find a solid mentor—someone who offers a “safe place” to ask questions without judgment. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Biggest lessons you learned over the past four months?

8. If you want to get ahead or get noticed, show up every day before your boss and leave later.

9. Write handwritten thank you notes and physically mail them. You never know when that extra personal touch may position you for your next job.

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

On a personal level, I’ve learned how important it is to take care of your spiritual, physiological and mental health at all times. On a professional level, take the time to fix something on paper before a project starts. If you identify a problem, don’t wait and fix it in the field. It will cause less anxiety, plus save time and money to make a fix as soon as you see it. CCR

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April 2021 • Issue 3

Online and ready How Inanna Manufacturing is firing up the next generation of products for the cannabis market

Raquel Origel, CEO, Inanna Manufacturing

THE CANNABIS OPERATIONS

ONLINE AND READY

Online and ready How Inanna Manufacturing is firing up the next generation of products for the cannabis market

W

hen Raquel Origel launched Inanna Manufacturing, she had one goal in mind: to transform how people viewed cannabis. As a woman CEO in a male-dominated industry, she knew the road ahead to changing consumer perception would take some work. But she was ready.

Headquartered in Bellflower, California in southeast Los Angeles County, Inanna Manufacturing is helping fulfill the industry’s demand, working closely with cannabis brands by creating personal, transparent and service-oriented relationships, coupled with cost-effective pricing. Inanna offers a full suite of services to brands, taking them through the processes of ideation, flavor formulation, research and development, packaging and market launch.

Inanna has the capability to manufacture a wide range of cannabis and cannabis-infused products using THC distillate, water-soluble rapid onset THC, CBD and an array of minor cannabinoids such as CBN, CBG, Delta 8, THCa and THCv. Today, just a little over one year into the growing cannabis game, Inanna is a turnkey solution for brands looking to enter California’s burgeoning marketplace.

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We sat down with Origel to get her thoughts on where today’s cannabis market is heading and how Inanna Manufacturing is helping meet the demand.

WHAT DOES TODAY’S CANNABIS MARKET LOOK LIKE? Today’s cannabis market is incredibly vibrant with a fast-growing consumer base that is discovering the benefits of cannabis and cannabis-infused products. Brands come to us seeking to manufacture a wide range of products, including gummies, drinks, topicals formulated with essential oils and herbs, tinctures in a variety of unique flavors, pre-rolls, baked goods, and more.

Consumers are growing savvier and expect sophisticated, quality, consistent products and we provide that to our clients through a costeffective, white-label manufacturing service.

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Interview by Michael J. Pallerino

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THE CANNABIS OPERATIONS

ONLINE AND READY

GIVE US A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR BRAND? We are the brand that services the brands serving cannabis consumers. Inanna Manufacturing offers licensed, state-regulated white-label manufacturing and co-packing services in the world’s largest and most mature legal cannabis market in the world— California. With state-of-the-art facilities and a seasoned staff with extensive experience in cannabis and analogous industries, we take products from concept to production, ensuring they meet tight regulatory requirements and high-quality assurance.

WHAT TYPE OF DEMOGRAPHIC DO YOU TARGET? Our target is any consumer brand that is looking to enter California’s booming cannabis marketplace. We work with our clients through the supply chain processes of ideation, flavor formulation, research and development, packaging, and market launch. We do the heavy lifting of manufacturing the product in this highly regulated space so that the brands can focus on their IP and marketing.

GIVE US A RUNDOWN OF YOUR MARKET’S LAYOUT. We work with a variety of clients with distinct needs and goals. We work with brands who know what type of products they want, but need formulations for products such as gummies, topicals, tinctures, and more. We also work with clients who have a formulation or recipe, but need help either with sourcing ingredients, or with research and development, and meeting standards to bring their product to the legal market.

We also have consulting chefs and a food chemist in our facility who can help create custom recipes from scratch for clients who desire to go that route.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST TRENDS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? As the benefits of cannabis become more widely known and consumer markets develop in more and more states, and globally for that matter, we see a distinct shift from

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flower, which has been the traditional way to consume cannabis, to cannabis-infused products like edibles and topicals.

Flowers used to represent more than half of all cannabis sales in legal states like Colorado, Washington and California two years ago, now it is less than 45% and trending lower. It is not that retailers are selling less cannabis flowers today—in fact state-sanctioned cannabis sales overall are growing by around 25% annually nationwide—it is that infused products are growing even faster.

As the demand for infused products grows, so will the demand for reliable manufacturing services, which in turn leads to more innovation. For example, we are beginning to see greater interest in minor cannabinoids. At Inanna, we already work with a wide array of cannabinoids, including CBN, CBG, Delta 8, THCa and THCv, to help our clients stay ahead of consumer trends.

The pandemic has shown us how quickly things can change, and the cannabis industry moves even quicker. Brands need to stay educated and be prepared to adapt.

WHAT’S TODAY’S CONSUMER LOOKING FOR? They want the same things consumers have always wanted—whether they’re buying cannabis or frozen yogurt—they want quality products that deliver value and a consistent and predictable experience. You can’t deliver that without reliable manufacturing. The brands we work with count on us to deliver the highest quality products with ease, cost-effective pricing and transparency.

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU CAN OFFER TO OTHER BRANDS ON HOW TO DEAL WITH WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? My advice is to always be prepared to pivot. The pandemic has shown us how quickly things can change, and the cannabis industry moves even quicker. Brands need to stay educated and be prepared to adapt.

WHAT’S YOUR SHORT-TERM STRATEGY? LONG-TERM? We have only one goal—to be a world class manufacturing resource for cannabis brands.

TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? The cannabis industry is still evolving, and sustainable options that are common in more mainstream industries like food and beverage are making their way over to the cannabis space. Ensuring we have sustainable options starts with creating partnerships with brands that share our values.

For example, we’re currently vetting and creating partnerships with companies that provide sustainable material for packaging so that we can offer such options to our client brands.

WHAT TYPE OF OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU SEE MOVING AHEAD? The cannabis industry is the fastest growing industry in the world, and that’s

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creating business opportunities, creative opportunities and opportunities to forge new paths. Federal legalization is no longer a question of if, but when. We feel fortunate to be in this dynamic space and helping brands launch new exciting products that will help consumers discover the great benefits of cannabis.

TELL US WHAT MAKES YOUR BRAND SO UNIQUE? We are focused on providing clear, transparent pricing and on-time deliverables for our clients, which is still relatively rare in our industry. We focus on empowering brands and being a trusted partner from start to finish, providing quality and cost-effective service so brands can focus on marketing themselves.

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY. There is no typical day in the cannabis world—that’s the fun part about this industry. Every brand is different or is creating something unique for the market. We have standard processes and workflows, but the products themselves and the journey to market can be very unique.

ONE-ON-ONE WITH...

Raquel Origel, CEO, Inanna Manufacturing

What’s the biggest item on your to-do list right now?

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

What was the best advice you ever received?

Innovation is a big thing to do for us daily. This is a fast-moving space, and innovation is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

Creating products for our clients, seeing a brand go from concept to a finished product on retail shelves, and seeing their success. That is the ultimate reward.

The only one stopping me is me.

What’s the best thing a client ever said to you?

The best thing a client can ever say about us is not the finished

product, but how much they appreciate our team.

How do you like to spend your down time?

There isn’t a lot of downtime in my current role, however when I do have free time, I spend it with my family.

ISSUE 4, 2021 — COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

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Digital Buyers Guide Directory Get listed in our new app that will connect you with our community.

Listing will consist of: Company name

Email

Contact

Product Category

www.acastglobal.com/ccr

To get listed contact: Mike Pallerino mpallerino@gmail.com CIRCLE NO. 49

April 2021

The road ahead

Inside the state of today’s healthcare construction landscape

Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center

By Pat Peterson

The road ahead Inside the state of today’s healthcare construction landscape

W

hile adhering to new COVID-19 protocols has been difficult for the construction industry, it has been significantly more taxing on the healthcare sector, which is not only working to keep its essential workers safe, but also the public at large. Today, the pandemic continues to impact day to day operations with immense swings in patient counts and interrupted their cash flow with hundreds of elective procedures canceled.

In order to deliver quality healthcare to both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients simultaneously, operational protocols have drastically shifted.

As the healthcare industry plans for the uncertain future ahead, flexibility will be key. When it comes to building healthcare facilities, which are crucial in the fight against COVID-19, it is critical to work strategically and collaboratively with our healthcare clients and partners to overcome these unforeseen construction challenges and complete these essential projects safely and on time.

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One current healthcare project that McCarthy Southern California has been able to streamline and keep moving forward throughout the pandemic is the Providence Tarzana Cedars Sinai Medical Center, which is dubbed a “hospital of the future” with unmatched patient care and technology.

This project boasts new sustainable and energy efficient designs, including a five-story patient care tower with all private rooms and new state of the art specialty care units that put the focus on the patient and family.

To keep the essential healthcare projects like Providence Tarzana streamlined, it has

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been essential to put our client’s operations first and deliberately rethink our planned approach when it comes to the day to day relationship between hospital and construction operations.

A few successful measures that have implemented include: creating new temporary construction access points into the facility to reach work areas while minimizing interactions between workers; patients and visitors, developing detailed work plans pre-coordinated with the facility allowing us to take advantage of time periods where patient census allows access into the facility; and increasing communication on expected construction costs to our clients to help them make responsible, timely decisions to keep essential projects and hospital operations adept to deliver care without any significant impact to either.

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Healthcare providers have been integrating both short- and long-term strategies to mitigate the transmission of the current coronavirus and to be actively prepared for future outbreaks.

As hospitals and care centers adapt to the pandemic, there are a few forward looking predictions that will be vital as general contractors continue construction on these facilities amid this global health crisis. One practice is offsite production (prefabrication), which will continue to play a critical role during this pandemic and beyond.

This approach moves what can be substantial portions of a project offsite and into a controlled, factory-like environment.

COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

There, it is easier to manage the potential health risk of employees while maintaining the schedule and commitment of essential building infrastructure to healthcare clients and the community. McCarthy has long employed offsite production and prefabrication techniques for healthcare projects across the country, streamlining fabrication efficiencies, control quality and improving safety by reducing work activities on an active jobsite.

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As general contractors continue to adjust to this “new normal” the benefits of offsite production are even greater, as it reduces the number of workers on the jobsite, thereby decreasing the possibility of infection and subsequently contact tracing.

An offsite production strategy also benefits healthcare owners by increasing flexibility and providing greater certainty.

Projects are more likely to be completed on-time and as specified with this method. Additionally, the construction often is faster because offsite production occurs in parallel with other activities on the jobsite.

that provide physical isolation and separation both indoors and outdoors, supported by necessary mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

Additionally, it is equally important to prevent contact transmission. Many healthcare facilities have implemented touchless screening platforms to allow employees to self-assess before entering facilities. Healthcare providers also are using antimicrobial coatings in and around patient areas, with many taking steps to reduce the need for movement in and out of patient rooms. To avoid compromising

Healthcare providers have been integrating both short- and long-term strategies to mitigate the transmission of the current coronavirus and to be actively prepared for future outbreaks. Because COVID-19 can be transmitted by airborne droplets, modifying HVAC systems is a strategy that has been top of mind for healthcare projects.

This includes modifying existing air filtration systems, UV or thermal sterilization techniques systems that provide temporary isolation of supply and return air, and by designing flexible and temporary spaces

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containment, healthcare workers remain in the hallway and communicate with patients and providers in their rooms via windows and audio systems.

In areas where hospital space is at full capacity, providers are creating temporary spaces for screening, intake and ambulatory care that can be augmented with mobile power, medical gas systems in concert with wireless communications, records management, and instrumentation. McCarthy anticipates these simple and cost-effective preventative measures will become staples for all healthcare facilities in the future.

As the industry continues to navigate through the pandemic and the current landscape of healthcare construction in this region, healthcare systems in Southern California still are looking to the future with new construction projects, including University of California Irvine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Hoag Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Orange County and Rady Children’s Hospital, to name a few.

But the main concern for healthcare systems right now is focusing on the immediate crisis of the current surge. Fortunately, approved vaccines now are available for essential workers and will continue to be widely available.

While some parts of the industry may slow and expose shortcomings such as, lack of ICU beds and infrastructure, flexibility, innovation, collaboration and communication will be the key to successful healthcare designers and builders for the rest of 2021 and the years to come.

Pat Peterson is the Project Director at McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

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CIRCLE NO. 51

VOL 5 • ISSUE 4, 2021

The Voice of Craft Brands

The cutting edge How Evolution Craft Brewing continues to stay one step ahead of the crowd

The Voice of Craft Brands

The cutting edge

How Evolution Craft Brewing continues to stay one step ahead of the crowd

For John and Tom Knorr, the plan for the Evolution Craft Brewing Co. was to always maintain a recognizable local identity. Started in 2009 in Delmar, Delaware, being a small craft brewer in a small town was the perfect plan. But then something exciting happened along the way—the demand for the Evolution name kept growing, which means the Knorrs had to grow with it.

The story of their beer—and their growth—centers on two passions: beer and food. Ask John and Tom and they’ll tell you that top-rated beers are perfectly crafted to complement great food—either the food they serve in their restaurants or the food customers make at home.

The success is in the continual evolution, pun intended.

Perfect food requires perfect beer, and vice-versa.

For the Knorrs and the many fans of their beer and food, the Evolution name continues to add to its legacy, which along with its much sought after craft beer includes their Public House restaurant. To get a feel for where the Evolution Public House & Brewery brand is heading, we sat down with John and Tom.

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Give us a snapshot of today’s craft brew market from your perspective.

While it’s a highly competitive market, it’s a consumer’s market because there are so many great breweries out there with many different styles. It continues to evolve every day. There are so many different styles of beer people are putting out.

What’s likely to happen next?

As more breweries open, they’re moving more toward on-premise sales, meaning over the bar instead of the distribution world. Because the distribution of craft beer is more competitive now, people are doing more sales

CBAM-MAG.COM

Interview by Michael J. Pallerino

from an on-premise standpoint. They can also do can releases at the brewery so people can buy it there. More brewhubs and beer gardens are being built to give that on-premise experience because there’s only so much shelf space. It’s shrinking every day because the seltzer market is really hot, which leaves less space for craft beer.

If you’re entering the market and you want to know how to sell craft beer, you’re going to build a brewery and try to make an awesome outdoor area to base sales on instead of shipping beer all over the place.

What trends are defining the space?

IPAs still lead the market. Younger breweries are trending more toward hazy IPAS and call some of them milkshake IPAs. The next hot trend is sour beers; limited small can releases. One time batches so they are keeping the variety always changing and drawing more people into their business. You must continue to evolve your styles and innovate new beers.

From the standpoint of brick and mortar, there seems to be a significant investment in outdoor venues. We continue to work with breweries on how to accomplish this with designs that promote the outdoor connection, while still providing cover and protection from weather. Security and other control elements are key pieces constantly being evaluated. We have achieved all these with the new outdoor venue here at the Public House and are looking to expand the experience in the very near future.

We use all English ingredients except for some American hops in there. We said the British would love this beer, but would exile it because it has American hops in it. All the styles go with the names and mean something on how they are perceived. It’s a cohesive way in branding. We need to make sure we reach the market and have the customers remember Evolution for what they sell and the quality in the way we make the beer.

What’s the biggest issue today related to the marketing/sales side of the business?

Competing with new breweries. You want to make sure your brand is fresh enough to compete in the current market. Every day someone is putting out something new. For a veteran brewery like us, it’s harder. Your branding gets stale a little quicker than it used too. We didn’t do any refresh of our brands for about eight years and now we’re having to do it more often just to keep up and compete.

What’s your story from a brand perspective?

Evolution was founded on the goal to create beers that we thought were well balanced. We were looking at other breweries—looking at the best styles, then taking those styles to decide what would be infinitive of those.

We wanted to evolve from the popular beers—evolving different styles of beer and what we think is best.

The background from the restaurant side was creating well balanced beer that would go well with foods. We looked at cross sections of all menus to create styles that would take care of any style of restaurant. For example, if they are a Latin restaurant with spicy foods, they would pair with IPAs. They cut through the spiciness with its bitterness. Or, if we have a BBQ place, we have our Lucky 7 porter, which has smoky roasted notes so we have different styles of beer that fill any restaurant’s needs.

Walk us through your branding strategy.

When we create a new brand, my goal is to make a relevant style we can sell with the current market climate of what people are drinking. Branding the name always has something to do with the actual process of the beer or something about the beer. Lot #3, for example, is a third in the series of IPAs we brewed to make, what we thought, would be our definitive IPA. Lucky 7 porter is made with seven different malts. Each brand tells something about the beer. Exile red ale is a classic English pale ale.

The market is growing so fast that everyone is doing well and everyone is still looking at us like a rising tide, but on the distribution side, we’re competing with multiple breweries, which can be a challenge.

Another segment of our industry that is pretty hot right now is farm breweries. There are some really awesome ones in Maryland right now. Barns with post and beam kind of deal. Sit on the lawn with your beer, listen to music—500 people on blankets and food trucks. Big trend right now.

What’s the secret to creating a branding story that consumers can buy into?

Something you can relate with. It’s about having a good story that resonates with someone; not too long and simple enough that it makes sense about the beer or the product you’re selling. Make everything as approachable

CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING

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Evolution Public House & Brewery

as possible. You don’t want to make consumers feel dumb. You want to make the beers approachable and not overwhelming.

The way we have grown our company is by making well balanced, approachable beers that people will want more than one of at a time. We want them to show loyalty by sticking to our brand and not go overboard. It’s taking the intimidation factor out for us and just simplifying it. Tell a story that resonates.

What’s the one thing every craft beer brand should do in the way of marketing?

I think making sure you’re constantly analyzing your brands to make sure they are fresh and relevant to the time you are in from a marketing standpoint. Also, utilizing tools like social media to prop those brands up. You must evolve to the next generation.

What do you see as some of your biggest opportunities moving ahead?

From our perspective, it’s spending more money and investing in our brick and mortar to make it more inviting and user friendly. I think that’s what will drive our bottom line more from an internal perspective.

The future expansion will be a new outdoor bar and toilet room facilities. This will allow us to potentially extend the season and also host larger crowds. The outdoor area also creates a significant presence on the highway that people see and want to experience.

Externally, from a distribution standpoint, we want to keep developing relationships in the marketplace with restaurant groups, the restaurants and the retail world.

Maryland’s market is much different than others across the country because in most states you can go to a grocery store and buy your beer, which is driven by a corporate level.

In Maryland, you have thousands of little retail stores you can sell, which in time, you must forge relationships with those small groups. It’s a tricky business because one state at a corporate level can take it away in one year. In Maryland, you dig in deep and build that relationship because you’re selling to 6,000-plus consumers. It’s important we maintain those relationships and make sure the beer is selling well.

What’s the biggest item on your to-do list?

It’s regaining a lot of the accounts that had shut down or cut back in 2020 due to COVID—some of which we’ve had

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CBAM-MAG.COM

CIRCLE NO. 52

Evolution Public House & Brewery

for years. We want to be sure we can support them as they reopen and make sure that relationship is still strong. A lot of focus is on making sure we have staffing levels to meet our needs now with the expanded outside area.

This expansion has forced most to shift focus in on how they present new offerings and will give them a specific venue to highlight them. Patrons will now be immersed in marketing and branding that will tie food and beer selections along with music concerts.

We also want to make sure our guest experiences are what we want them to be. It has been challenging because of competing with unemployment. Luckily, we have a pretty great staff, but everyone is burnt out at the end of the week.

How does your taproom space integrate into your branding/marketing strategies?

Our taproom acts as our lab for new brands. We utilize it to test new brands to see if people like the beers.

We also use it to market our core brands. We get a lot of tourists come through that may not be familiar with around here. We have our core brands that you can get throughout the Mid-Atlantic, so hopefully they like the brands enough to buy them when they get back home.

What are some of the adjustments you made to your business model surrounding the recent state of events?

We expanded the outside area. We had the facility split into two. We were running a pizzeria on one side of our restaurant and a public house food side on the other. We had two separate menus and have since worked it into one menu. The pizza expansion has merged well with the craft brew. There seems to be as many critics and fans for wood fired pizza as there are beer enthusiasts.

Food offerings in these new gardens must be elevated and must have the same level of attention as the main character. So, with that, the architecture and design really needed to help reinforce this strategy. The design of how people feel, act and what they remember are all key elements in planning a successful venue.

Pull up a barstool Inside the design of the Evolution Public House & Brewery To get a feel for what went into the design of the Evolution Public House & Brewery, we sat down with Fisher Architecture Principal Keith Fisher.

Here’s his take on what it takes to design the perfect craft beer experience.

We had been contacted by Tom and John (Knorr) when they decided to make a significant expansion. They had previously worked out of a small grocery store and needed a larger space to increase the production.

They chose what once was a Reddy Ice plant to convert. The main focus was on the brewery, but ownership

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knew they needed to have a Public House that elevated the restaurant scene in Salisbury (Maryland). This restaurant would become one of the more prominent places to go and the design was something that the area had not experienced before.

Working with them, we developed a master plan to house the brewery and maintain all the necessary functions to be able to grow in the future and to handle the demand.

They also designed the Tap Room, the dining room and bar area to be in line with the company’s overall goal of

ISSUE 4, 2021

CBAM-MAG.COM

feeling welcome and to not intimidate its patrons. Guests feel welcome and at home when they come in and are excited to experience the offerings of a traditional public house.

We have since developed plans for an outdoor area that will be both accommodating to guests and be in line with the future of restaurant dining.

With the global pandemic restaurateurs are constantly trying and testing new concepts in order to be inviting and have guests feel comfortable. This new venue will do all those things and provide a unique experience to the area.

CIRCLE NO. 53

PROJECTS

PROJECTS • CCD

Commercial Construction Data

F

ollowing is a brief report on new commercial construction projects. The information is presented as a service of Commercial Construction Data, a product of Commercial Construction & Renovation. For more information, visit www.cdcnews.com.

PROJECT NAME

CITY

PROJECT VALUE

SQ. FT.

CONSTRUCTION TYPE

START DATE

7-Eleven

Lancaster, CA

$1,000,000

2,454

New Construction

Q3 2021

In-N-Out Burger

Beaverton, OR

$750,000

3,900

New Construction

Q3 2021

Shake Shack

Walnut Creek, CA

$200,000

5,174

Remodel

Q3 2021

West Village at Calabasas

Calabasas, CA

$75,000,000

150,000

New Construction

Q4 2021

Sprouts Farmers Market

Menifee, CA

$2,000,000

22,610

New Construction

Q3 2021

AutoZone #2359

Pasadena, CA

$1,500,000

6,500

New Construction

Q3 2021

Five Below

Ventura, CA

$400,000

9,548

Renovation

Q3 2021

Rainier Avenue South Apartment Building

Seattle, WA

$70,000,000

204,000

New Construction

Q3 2021

Radio Park Apartments

Spokane, WA

$32,000,000

264,420

New Construction

Q4 2021

Pixel Apartments

Redmond, WA

$12,200,000

75,136

New Construction

Q4 2021

Hampton Inn

Simi Valley, CA

$25,000,000

65,948

New Construction

Q4 2021

Courtyard by Marriott

Olympia, WA

$15,000,000

63,564

New Construction

Q2 2022

New Compton High School Campus

Compton, CA

$150,000,000

225,000

New Construction

Q3 2021

Beaver Lake Middle School

Issaquah, WA

$4,850,000

3,366

Addition

Q3 2021

Pacific HS - New Administration Building

San Bernadino, CA

$4,000,000

8,000

New Construction

Q3 2021

City Hall Redevelopment

Wenatchee, WA

$7,775,000

60,978

Renovation

Q3 2021

Corporation Yard Administration Building

Vacaville, CA

$3,097,894

4,562

New Construction

Q3 2021

Live Well Center

San Diego, CA

$60,000,000

65,000

New Construction

Q4 2021

NKC Kent Panther Lake

Kent, WA

$8,000,000

9,560

New Construction

Q3 2021

RETAIL/RESTAURANTS/QUICK SERVE:

RETAIL/STORES/MALLS:

RESIDENTIAL/MIXED USE:

HOSPITALITY:

EDUCATION:

MUNICIPAL/COUNTY:

MEDICAL:

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

CIRCLE NO. 54

AD INDEX

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9

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61

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91

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125

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75

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101

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120

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45

21

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137

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37

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17

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103

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70

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11

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117

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112

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111

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31

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109

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107

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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021

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139

PUBLISHER

PUBLISHER’S PAGE

by David Corson

True Southern Grace A

few weeks back, my wife wanted to visit her mother in Hilton Head, South Carolina who wasn't feeling well. It's about a four and half hour ride. So she packed up her Ford Explorer and headed out on a trip she has done many times.

The trip begins with an hour and half trip down I-75 to Macon, followed by two and half hours east on I-16 to Savannah. The final leg is a hop, skip and a jump into Hilton Head on the South Carolina coast.

She usually gives me a ring when she reaches I-95 near Savannah or when she get to her mother's home. A couple hours into her drive, I saw my mobile ring. She called to inform me that her SUV was losing power. I told her to pull off the highway and get to some place safe rather than get stuck on the interstate.

She jumped off the next exit and pulled into a Lexus dealership.

The car basically died. It would start, but started making some really bad engine noises. She couldn't get it into gear. I thought it might be the transmission. Luckily we had an extended warranty on the vehicle, but the questions was, "How does she get it back to the ATL to be fixed?

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After calling several Ford dealers in Macon, nobody would help her. Next, she called Ford Roadside Assistance. Nobody picked up.

She tried AAA, where we have been members for 20-plus years. They scheduled to pick up the SUV with a flatbed, which would be about a three hour wait, give or take.

Things started to look better.

While she was waiting for the flatbed, she went into the Lexus dealer to see what kind of deal she could get if she traded in her vehicle. She called around to see if there were any rental cars available in Macon. Everything was sold out. She was basically stuck there and she really wanted to see her mom.

After three hours or so, there was still no flatbed. She called and was told nobody was available and that it might not be until around 9 or 10 p.m.

Frustrated, she hung up the phone and called me. I told her to call AAA back and ask for a manager, as we were Gold Plus Premium members. After she called, the manager, understanding the severity of the situation, found a flatbed. Fifteen minutes later a tow truck showed up. She originally was told she could not ride in the flatbed and that she would be left to fend for herself.

With his friendly Southern accent, the driver, knowing the rules, said, "No problem, mam. Climb on in and we'll get you and your SUV back to Atlanta." It took a true gentleman to step up to the plate and fix a really bad situation. They laughed all the way back up I-75.

Sometimes, things can look bleak. But that is when you must maintain your composure, stay positive and remain determined to get what you need done. The rules in place to conduct business should be flexible depending on the situation.

We are grateful the flatbed driver realized this and wanted to maintain us as customers. He took matters into his own hands and did what was needed to make things right. That is true customer service at its best. It is what makes AAA worth the membership investment.

Customers are too hard to come by these days and every company must step up to the plate, no matter the situation, to keep their customers happy campers. One lost customer is one too many.

A few days later, her car was as good as new, and she was ready to make that road trip again to see her mom, who is feeling much better.

So, I want to say, "Thank you," to AAA for being there and making a positive out of a negative, even though it was a long day stuck with no place to go. You are golden in my book.

We hope to see all you peeps soon, as we are bringing back our CCRP monthly receptions. Starting this Summer and into the Fall, CCRP Receptions will be in Atlanta, Texas, FL and maybe a few others as states open up and get back to normal. We hope to see many of our local subscribers who we have missed last year during the COVID shutdown.

Come on out and say hello. We look forward to seeing your smiling faces. Here's to prosperity and good health to all of us in the second half of 2021. And, as always, "Keep the Faith."

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