Renovated Sheraton in Palo Alto is a nod to modern California hospitality.
88 Building your business within the commercial construction sector for 2017
It’s very possible to do
108 Historically cool
Spotlight shines on Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
132 Open for business
Reflections on consumer restroom perceptions, facility design and proper maintenance
140 Nature knows best
How the use of natural stone can help you achieve your sustainability goals.
146 Earth Services & Abatement
ESA clears way for Stapleton redevelopment completion
Cover and feature photos by: Mike Fredriksen FEATURES
18 91 36
SPECIAL COVERAGE
Industry Events
18 Commercial Construction & Renovation People – Denver, CO
21 Commercial Construction & Renovation People – Nashville, TN
36 Women’s Retreat: Eyeing the road ahead
INDUSTRY SEGMENTS
60 Leading facility maintenance firms
74 Annual HVAC/energy controls manufacturers
SPECIAL SECTION
Commerical Kitchens
91 The real deal
How Fazoli’s is changing the Italian dining experience
100 All aboard Penn Station East Coast Subs debuts restaurant redesign
Federal Construction
117 Messages in the sand Learning in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
126 Inside the web
The R&D Tax Credit aspects of construction industry IoT
DEPARTMENTS
6 Editor’s Note
12 Industry News
16 Perspective: Steady as she goes
138 Leadership
152 Perspective: What’s your brand worth?
156 Commercial Construction & Renovation Data
159 Ad Index
160 Publisher’s Note
A new way of thinking
These are different days. It’s a statement that can set a conversation into 100 different directions. I think we can all agree on that. I’d like to focus on the renewed energy and passion that can be found in every conversation taking place about the state of business today in the commercial construction industry.
During our last couple of industry roundtables, we heard scores of passionate conversations about where the industry is, where it is heading and what needs to be done to keep the momentum moving in a positive direction.
With a cautious eye on the market’s tumultuous recession-laden days, today’s commercial construction executive understands the need to keep an open mind on all of the factors – positive or
Smart
people talking smarter decisions is
what
will continue
to
push our industry forward. Finding solutions, not excuses, is the only alternative we have.
not – impacting the landscape. The need for steady and smart growth. The need to replace skilled worker losses. The importance of partnerships.
Everything, you could say, is on the table. Smart people talking smarter decisions is what will continue to push our industry forward. Finding solutions, not excuses, is the only alternative we have and, thankfully, the only one being discussed.
But there is much work to do. There are many miles to travel on a journey that’s just now rising above the myriad empty steps that were taken during a time when a lot of good people and good companies either fled – or were forced to flee – for higher ground.
In the conversations these executives are having, these sentiments are openly discussed. There is an honesty – an admission, really – that in the cyclical world of economics anything can (and does) happen.
But in the spirit of that “fool me once...” philosophical approach to the future, each of us understands what needs to be done to survive and thrive. In this (see “Eyeing the Road Ahead, page 36 ) and following issues, check out what some of your colleagues are saying about what they are doing and what they think the future holds.
And then let us know what you think. As we move forward, we will expanding our reach to give you more insights to the people, companies and projects driving our industry.
So, drop me a note at mikep@ccr-mag.com and let me know what you are up to. I look forward to hearing from you.
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.
ROBERT RAUCH President R.A. Rauch & Assoc. Faculty Assoc., Arizona State University
JOE THOMAS Vice President Engineering Loews Hotels
RICK TAKACH President and CEO Vesta Hospitality
PUNIT R. SHAH President Liberty Group of Companies
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
MATT SCHIMENTI President Schimenti Construction
GINA NODA Rebcor Construction Inc. Executive Director Business Development
DEVELOPMENT/PROJECT MANAGEMENT
KAY BARRETT Senior Vice President, DTZ
STEVE JONES International Director JLL
DON HASULAK Managing Director Big Red Rooster
TOMMY LINSTROTH Principal Trident Sustainability Group
JEFF ROARK Principal/Partner Little
JEFFREY D. MAHLER Vice President L2M
JIM STAPELTON Vice President FRCH Design Wordwide
MIKE KRAUS Principal Kraus-Manning
SCOTT OFFERMANN Managing Director Global Occupier Services Cushman & Wakefield
LU SACHARSKI Vice President of Operations & Project Management Interserv Hospitality Solutions
JIM SHEUCHENKO President Property Management Advisors LLC
ARCHITECTS/ENGINEERS
NUNZIO DESANTIS Executive VP & Director of Hospitality HKS
HUGHES THOMPSON Principal GreenbergFarrow
FRED MARGULIES Director of Retail Architecture Herschman Architects
STEVEN MCKAY Senior Principal DLR Group
BRIAN HAGEMEIER, P.E., LEED AP Program Manager GPD GROUP
BRAD GASKINS Principal The McIntosh Group
ACADEMIA
MIKE AUTENRIETH Academic DirectorCulinary Arts/Hospitality Management The International Culinary School at The Art Institute International Minnesot
DR. MARK LEE LEVINE Professor Burns School/ Daniels College University of Denver
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AroundtheIndustry
Retail
Sprouts Farmers Markets
Sprouts Farmers Markets will open eight new stores in the first quarter of 2017, including its first locations in Florida and North Carolina.
Petco
Petco opened 12 remodeled stores in Seattle with a bigger emphasis on in-store services. The stores include a concierge desk where shoppers can seek advice and make grooming and training appointments and an area to let their pets test new products.
Kmart
Kmart has remodeled an Illinois store under an initiative dubbed “Whole Lotta Awesome,” which is designed to win over budget-conscious millennials. The store includes an “Aisle of WOW!” with $1 deals and limited-time bargains.
Target
Target’s Chicago store will boast a Freshii restaurant as well as a Starbucks and CVS Pharmacy. The store is one of Target’s flexible-format urban locations designed for convenience and stocked with goods aimed at appealing to local shoppers.
Restaurants
Chipotle
Chipotle Mexican Grill will launch a burger concept called Tasty Made in Lancaster, Ohio.
Friendly’s
Friendly’s plans to open four new restaurants per year over the next two years while looking for additional franchisees. The company will focus on ice cream, shakes and burgers through the expansion, which will see the chain’s first new locations in 10 years.
Mooyah Burgers
Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes is marking the opening of its 100th restaurant with a special deal for potential franchisees as the chain looks to expand in metro Houston.
Grill Concepts
Grill Concepts converted a 23-year-old Daily Grill restaurant into a seasonal seafood eatery called Laurel Point, the first unit in a new division dubbed Point Restaurants. A second location is slated to open in Denver early next year, and the name of each Point restaurant will include the street where it’s located.
Anthropologie
Anthropologie is opening larger stores to showcase its home furnishings. The retailer operates two of the large-format stores, with plans to open three more in 2016 and up to five in 2017.
Under Armour
Under Armour will take over the former FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue flagship in New York to open its own 53,000-square-foot flagship there in the next two years.
Nordstrom Rack
Nordstrom plans to grow in Canada by opening Nordstrom Rack stores in Calgary, Alberta and Vaughan, Ontario, by 2018. Three more are slated to open by the end of 2017.
Wal-Mart Stores
Wal-Mart is set to open its first State Fair Treats eatery in Plano, Texas. The retailer teamed with award-winning State Fair of Texas cook Isaac Rousso on the restaurant concept, which could expand to other Wal-Mart locations nationwide.
Fazoli’s
Quick-service Italian chain Fazoli’s is planning to open two new restaurants in the Chicago area in 2017 as part of a big nationwide expansion.
Noodles & Company
Noodles & Company plans to open 35 to 40 units in 2016 and 10 to 15 in 2017, focusing on established markets with stronger sales.
Uncle Maddio’s
Uncle Maddio’s will open three more restaurants in the Knoxville, Tenn., area.
Blue Ribbon Restaurants
Blue Ribbon Restaurants will unveil its eighth restaurant concept with the opening of Blue Ribbon Federal Grill in Manhattan’s Financial District this fall. The company will grow to 20 locations when it opens the seventh Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill in Miami this year.
Krispy Kreme
Franchisee Chicagoland Restaurants started construction on the first of eight Krispy Kreme shops planned for the Chicago market.
AroundtheIndustry (continued)
Hospitality
Marriott International
Marriott International plans to add 40 rooms to its Courtyard Philadelphia South at the Navy Yard. The 172-room property, which debuted in 2014, is the lone hotel at the Navy Yard.
Proper Hospitality
Wealthy, creative guests are the stated target of the new luxury brand Proper Hospitality. The goal is to create a homelike feel, as with the brand’s first hotel, Hollywood Proper Residences, which includes unfurnished apartments.
La Posada de Santa Fe Hotel & Spa Resort
La Posada de Santa Fe Hotel & Spa Resort is becoming part of the Tribute Portfolio by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. The 157room property invested $1.7 million to meet Starwood’s standards.
Marriott/Moxy
Marriott International plans a second Nashville, Tenn., edition of its Millennial-oriented Moxy hotel brand. The 130-key Moxy Nashville/ Vanderbilt Hotel will open in 2018.
Hyatt’s Unbound Collection
The historic James Robertson building in downtown Nashville, Tenn., will become a hotel in Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. Hyatt Hotels and HRI Properties will spend about $50 million converting the structure near Music City Center.
Two Roads Hospitality
The merger of Destination Hotels and Commune Hotels & Resorts has resulted in a new name – Two Roads Hospitality. The new lifestyle company based in Boulder, Colo., lists 95 properties in eight nations.
Sacramento’s new NBA home named first LEED Platinumcertified sports arena
Don’t look now, but the Sacramento Kings have vaulted to the top of the NBA rankings – at least in stadium talk. The team’s new $557 million home, built by Turner Construction, has become the first sports arena to earn LEED Platinum certification. It’s one of about 30 LEED-certified sports venues in the country.
The percent of restaurant operators who plan to invest in capital improvements over the next six months, according to NRA’s Restaurant Performance Index. The report shows that 64 percent have invested in similar improvements over the past six months.
Growth that matters
Starbucks opening stores in underserved communities
With the store it opened in March in the Jamaica section of Queens, N.Y., Starbucks set the precedent that it would create jobs in troubled neighborhoods.
So it opened another in Ferguson, Mo., near the scene of the riots that plagued the area following the fatal police shooting of a black teenager in 2014. It opened another in Phoenix. Though the idea is to create jobs in troubled neighborhoods, the new stores aren’t all that different than its other locations, Hines said.
Recently, it opened a store on the South Side of Chicago as part of its push to open more locations in low-income areas. The company hopes to expand its efforts to at least 15 underserved communities in Baltimore; Birmingham, Ala.; Long Beach, Calif.; Miami and Seattle by 2018.
Project Managers and Superintendents
Commercial Construction
National general contractor seeks qualified construction Project Managers and Superintendents for projects throughout the U.S.
Minimum 5 years experience required in project management/supervision of retail interior fit out and ground up construction projects. Computer literacy a plus. Must be willing to travel.
Send resume to resumesubmitfl@gmail.com.
Piling it on
Sandwich shops setting the bar for fast casual growth
After more than doubling its footprint over the past three years (from 700 units to about 1,500), Jersey Mike’s Subs is inspiring growth across the sandwich format world. Annual sales have grown from an estimated $402 million in 2013 to $675 million last year, according to Technomic, a research company. Powered by the rise in the fast-casual sector, chains such as Jersey Mike’s, Jimmy John’s and Firehouse Subs are starting to offer easily customized meals and healthy options.
Steady as she goes
Sterling Risk Sentiment Index shows risk exposure perception remains stable
Concerns about risk exposure in 2016 remain stable. That is the consensus of the latest “Sterling Risk Sentiment Index,” which shows that most report improving profit margins, while others say their concerns about staffing are decreasing. The No. 1 business risk is access to adequate numbers of employees, the report found.
According to the report, companies say “risk sentiment” remains steady at 4.4 on a scale of 1-10 (it was at 4.4 at the end of 2015 as well).
For the first time since the “Sterling Risk Sentiment Index” was conducted in 2015, it has not seen a significant improvement in the perceived risk among construction companies. That’s alongside numbers that show a drop in their year-to-year pipeline of opportunities and profit margins that are significantly down from last year.
The index, which surveyed 86 top executives in Atlanta’s construction industry, noted other key issues of concern. Financial & cash flow issues saw a significant jump (up 8 percent), with increased competition and government regulation remaining high.
By Doug Rieder
Highlights from the “Summer 2016 Sterling Risk Sentiment Index” include: (Note: Where noted, comparisons are with the 2015 Index)
• The No. 1 risk issue overwhelmingly remains staffing, with construction companies struggling to have enough employees to handle projects. But the percentage is at 47 percent, down from 60 percent in Fall 2015 Risk Index. Economic issues ranked a distant second at 20 percent.
• Staffing again was the issue companies reported they felt least prepared to deal with right now (30 percent). Health care costs were next (15 percent), followed by cash flow and financial issues (9 percent).
• 64 percent say their company’s exposure for risk is lower than a year ago, a drop from December’s 71 percent.
• 86 percent of respondents say they have formal strategies in place to manage their risk, up from 74 percent in December.
• 75 percent have reviewed their risk management plans in the last 12 months, down from 69 percent.
Additional survey results include:
• 84 percent say their profit margins are better today than a year ago
• 88 percent say their pipeline of opportunities is better today than a year ago
• 78 percent say they are able to build adequate contingencies into their project budgets
Sterling Risk Advisors is a full-service risk brokerage firm with strong expertise in the construction industry. The firm first surveyed construction industry risk sentiment in February 2015. Sterling surveys the construction industry’s risk sentiment on a semi-annual basis, allowing it to follow and compare local industry trends. CCR
Doug Rieder is principal and the head of construction practice at Sterling Risk Advisors in Atlanta.
A CCRP Hoedown
Networkers take over Denver’s Cowboy Lounge
If it’s Denver, it has to be one of the coolest places in town. That’s why the Commercial Construction & Renovation People (CCRP) event hit the Cowboy Lounge, complete with cozy lounges, fireplaces, outdoor patios and high-end architectural features. The brainchild of the family-owned Tavern Hospitality Group, the Lounge provided the perfect backdrop for industry networking. If you’re looking to the best networking opportunities in 2017, contact Kristen Corson today at 770-990-7702 or via email at kristenc@ccr-people.com.
1: Nate Doney, Philadelphia Sign; Mark Yager, Capacity Builders
2: Heidi Naples, Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli; Jan McKenzie, ASSA ABLOY
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CIRCLE NO. 15
2: Dan Papais, Fairmont Sign Company; Kevin Hedican, Hermes Worldwide
3: Win Rice, Wallace Engineering; Dan Baldwin, Wallace Engineering
4: Pryce Joyner, Wallace Engineering; Wayne Rausch, Capacity Builders
5: Jeff Francois, Nuquest Development; Larry McIntosh, The McIntosh Group
8:
9:
10:
1: Greg Mooney, ArcVision; Darin Satterwhite, Natural Grocers; Bill Briggs, Fi Companies; Amy Fonzi, Fi Companies
6: Karen MacCannell, The McIntosh Group; Cha Nye Farley, Smashburger
7: Craig Dietz, Jump Start Manuals; David Corson, CCR
Dan Mazzei, Wallace Engineering; Robbye Chastain, Retail Security Services
Dan O’Neill, Ideal Harvest; Kevin Rourke, Davis Marketing Inc.; Anthony Cacciatore, Acton Mobile
With a slogan that reads, “A laid back, ‘come as you are’ hangout,” Nashville’s Tin Roof 2 offered up the best in networking for the Commercial Construction & Renovation People (CCRP) event. Located in the booming suburb of Franklin, which is south of Nashville, the Tin Roof is what CCRP networking is all about – a fun, inviting and ideal spot to talk shop. To get in on the CCRP fun in 2017, reach out to Kristen Corson today at 770-990-7702 or via email at kristenc@ccr-people.com.
Jan McKenzie, ASSA ABLOY; Charles Girtman, DH Pace
Doug Brown, Best American Hospitality/Shoney’s; Don & Rose Geddis, Q1 Facility Services
5: Kevin McDowell, JLL: Stuart McNeill, JLL: Robert Miles, J. Alexanders
6: Mike Coghlan, Benise-Dowling & Associates; Tim Theroux, Mats Inc
7: Bret Hanks, Ameritech Facility Services; Ryan Cameron, JLL; Matt Frank, Fortney & Weygandt; Jan McKenzie, ASSA ABLOY; Ben Hill, Ameritech Facility Services
8: Robert Shearin, Federal Heath; Wyatt Culver, Hermitage Lighting; Todd Humes, Hermitage Lighting
Trail blazers How Lapels is changing the dry cleaning game
By Michael J. Pallerino
Brand recognition is everything. Ask any of the franchisees of Lapels Dry Cleaning, and they will tell how its customers praise the efficiency and convenience of each and every location.
The question is where do you shine the spotlight on the brand’s growing reputation as a franchise leader?
For example, it has grabbed a number of accolades in the franchise world, including being ranked as the No. 1 franchise in the Dry Cleaning and Delivery Services category for Entrepreneur’ magazine’s annual “Franchise 500” in 2016. Based on objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation, the ranking is the best and most comprehensive rating of franchises in the world.
Over the past dozen years, Lapels has pioneered its eco-friendly dry cleaning experience, which includes a partnership with GreenEarth, the dry cleaning industry’s only non-toxic cleaning alternative for its newer locations. Using these kinds of solutions, and the latest technology in equipment, Lapels is one of the few dry cleaners able to offer no hazardous waste in their process.
Thanks to the support of the corporate team, Lapels franchisees can be in business for themselves, but not by themselves. The brand offers trendsetting Quality Control and Wholesaler Liaison positions filled by Lapels franchisees – the people at the store level who have day-to-day, hands-on knowledge of what the customer wants.
To get a beat on where the dry cleaning brand is heading, Commercial Construction & Renovation sat down with David Grippi, director of operations.
TRAIL BLAZERS
Give us a snapshot of the Lapels Dry Cleaning brand?
Lapels has created a unique business model from both the customer facing side of the business as well as the franchise model. We build boutique-like stores that feature granite counters, French Doors, Pendant Lighting – a true boutique-like dry cleaning store. Within that store, we feature the worlds only 100 percent, non-toxic cleaning system.
Lapels features equipment that is able to clean clothes in a way that is better for its employees, customers and the environment. As Entrepreneurs No. 1 in Category Dry Cleaning business, we feature a Hub and Spokes business model that’s very easy to scale and operate with minimal labor.
What type of consumers are you targeting?
Our customer base is adult 35 to 55 demographic, white collar/professionals.
Talk about your growth strategy.
Our stores are 100 percent franchised. The franchise system gives us the ability to scale our business not only throughout the United States, but also in other countries. Our first three stores outside the U.S. are currently
being built in Qatar. The franchise model gives us the ability to put great operators inside the business each day with the power of a national brand to support them.
What areas are you targeting?
We are currently working on expanding the Lapels Brand in Saudi Arabia, all of China and throughout the United States.
Technology is becoming a great asset for our business. We utilize it to help us be more proficient in marketing as well as operating our business.
What do you look for in franchisees?
Someone who is an entrepreneur and willing and eager to learn. Someone who is driven and self-motivated who can lead a team and have a successful business.
Walk us through your construction and design strategy.
We have made the Lapels system truly turnkey. We handle the architect / engineering, as well as overseeing the bid process, permit process and GC supervision with in house construction management services. We strive to help make the build process efficient through our years of experience.
Our business is really a service industry, and within service there will always be a need for a community dry cleaner.
What role do franchisees have in selecting location, etc.?
Our franchise owners are actively involved in discovering the locations that we ultimately will put their store in. We view this as a real team approach that is a collaboration between local real estate professionals, our franchise owners who live in the communities, and the franchisor giving guidance and support along the way.
What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business today?
The permit process seems to have more and more people involved with each build. Having a team of professionals that can help guide a franchise owner who is typically not familiar with this process is essential today.
Talk about sustainability. Is there anything special you’re doing?
Lapels Dry Cleaning is committed to using the most advanced environmental practices and technologies. Our 100-percent environmentally friendly solvent is the only one in the world that has no odor, breaks down naturally and is non-toxic to the environment, is gentle on clothes-you can see, feel and smell the difference, and is safe to use. The combination between our equipment that is made exclusively for us and the solvents we use gives us a 100-percent hazardous free process. This gives us the ability to put our stores in centers that would typically not allow a dry cleaning use.
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What do you see as some of your biggest opportunities moving ahead?
The power of the brand as it gets larger is an exciting opportunity for us. As we scale our business, the ability to leverage the power of the brand to market to our stores will be a very exciting opportunity.
Are you optimistic about what you see in the retail sector?
Our business is really a service industry, and within service there will always be a need for a community dry cleaner. We see more and more dry clean only garments being produced in combination with more
The power of the brand as it gets larger
is an exciting opportunity for us.
and more households that have both spouses working.
What trends are you seeing out there today?
Technology is becoming a great asset for our business. We utilize it to help us be more proficient in marketing as well as operating our business.
What is the secret to creating a location that people want to use in today’s competitive landscape?
The perfect location is the one that people trip over in the course of their every day lives. Next to a Whole Foods, Starbucks or other service-driven businesses.
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TRAIL BLAZERS
What is today’s consumer looking for?
Reliability and convenience. Today’s customers are always on the go, so they need fast convenient locations.
What makes the Lapels Dry Cleaning brand top their list?
It’s eco-friendly. Each one has a knowledgeable staff who will go above and beyond for their customers. Each offers a convenient location. We reward our customers for dollars spent as well as frequency. For those who can’t make the two trips to the dry cleaner, we will come to your door with our “Free Home & Office Delivery.”
What’s the biggest item on your to-do list right now?
Supporting the day to day operations of our
Our franchise owners are actively involved in discovering the locations that we ultimately will put their store in.
nearly 100 stores. As we grow, we want to make sure we are in tune with the pulse of the day to day operation.
Describe a typical day.
Truly depends on the day and projects. Some days, I am traveling and working to set up a new location, and dealing with equipment and the hiring process. Other days, we are training new employees and making sure they have a full understanding. On other days, we can be at the office working with our vendors and local training.
Tell us what makes the Lapels Dry Cleaning brand so unique?
Our stores look like no other and offer a 100-percent, environmentally non-toxic cleaning process. It’s the only one of its kind. CCR
One-on-one with...
David Grippi, Director of Operations
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Training a new franchisee and staff on the day-to-day operations of dry cleaning and having them succeed.
What was the best advice you ever received?
Surround yourself with positive people and always listen to those around you.
What’s the best thing a client ever said to you?
I restored a customer’s wedding gown that was her grandmothers. She was so happy when she saw it that she cried. It was a “loss of words” moment.
What’s your favorite vacation spot and why?
My family and I have been going to Point Sebago Resort in Maine for the past eight years. It is a place where we enjoy boating, relaxing and quiet nights by the fire with great friends.
What are the three strongest traits any leader should have?
Confidence, honesty and integrity.
What is the true key to success for any manager?
Inspire your staff. You must coach and listen, and be able to communicate and recognize those around you.
What book are you reading now?
“Entrepreneurial Insanity in the Dry Cleaning Business” by Kevin Dubois and Roger McManus.
How do you like to spend your down time?
I love to spend my down time with my wife and our two daughters, who are very active with soccer, cheerleading and dance. When we are not on the field or at the studio, we enjoy weekend getaways at the beach or up north skiing.
Wednesday, January 11th, 2017:
• Afternoon check-in
• 5:30-7:30 PM Foot Golf Tournament
• 7:30-9:30 PM Welcome Reception/ Table Top Exhibit with Dinner
Thursday, January 12th, 2017:
• 7:45 - 8:45 AM Breakfast buffet with Round Tables discussions & Speaker.
• 9:00 - 10:15 AM AIA Seminars.
• 10:15 - 10:45 AM Coffee Break.
Friday, January 13th, 2017: • 8:00- 9:00 AM End User Breakfast Only. • 9:00- 11:00 AM Bass Fishing Tournament/Water Activities
Permit Processing in today’s changing times... Obtaining plan approval is getting more and more difficult in these changing times. Electronic submittals, digital seals, 3rd party reviewers... It is getting more and more confusing and there seem to be so many “experts” out there to assist in the constantly evolving process. We look to sift through the permit process and offer some solutions and best practices to obtain permits faster and easier.
1
Grace Daly
ShopTalk360.com
A Seat at the Table
How Today’s Savvy
Construction & Facilities
Leaders are Creating their Sustainable Built Environment and Brand Experience. Join us for this retail and restaurant panel to share their candid POVs and strategies on presenting to the C-suite, partnering with Design and aligning with Field Operations for cost and time efficiency while protecting the Brand experience.
Robert Moore
President, Gray/Retail Contractors Association
Top Ten Project Risks –Changes and Strategies
Have you had a challenging retail project in the past year? What risk factor went unchecked? In this interactive presentation, attendees will develop a Top Ten Project Risks list, discuss how risks are changing and share risk management strategies for retail projects.
Please select one in each time slot:
2
3
Breakfast Round Tables and Opening Remarks 8:00 - 8:45 AM
Breakfast Speaker: Len Ferman
Steve Jones
International Director, JLL Creating Value
The role of the Chain/Brand Executive is changing, and we are all tasked to do more with less. Listen to a panel of your Chain Store peers discuss how they have embraced this change and are creating value for their company.
4
Innovation is one of the most frequently heard business buzzwords of the 21st century. The constantly accelerating pace of change in technology, and its impact on customer and client needs, necessitates that all organizations must know how to innovate or become irrelevant. But what exactly is meant by innovation? And how can innovation apply to you personally?
Innovation expert Len Ferman will provide a primer on the innovation process and show how you can leverage the process to improve your professional potential and help create a culture of innovation in your organization. The speech will be delivered in a unique fashion as the entire audience will learn how to juggle (literally!). Len Ferman is a 7-time world joggling champion (running while juggling). He teaches everyone to juggle using specially designed juggling scarves that float in the air. Everyone can learn in this manner as no prior skill is required. Len then relates each step in learning to juggle to a step in the innovation process. This makes the key information in the session easier to remember since each step is associated with a juggling activity (true multitasking!). The session is entertaining, interactive and informative. Session attendees will never forget where they learned to juggle and they will long remember the key principles of innovating for success.
Luncheon with Taylor Morton
Taylor will discuss three key points that will help you overcome adversity in
and in life. Taylor travels the country speaking to businesses, churches and sports teams. Taylor’s core belief is that the true character of a person is not found when everything is going great, but the true character of a person is found when adversity strikes. His book is titled “It’s Only Pain: But Its Real And It Hurts”. Taylor’s motto is: Never, Never, Quit!
Seminars 10:45 AM - Noon Return your Seminar selection to David Corson at davidc@ccr-mag.com or fax your selections to 678-765-6551
www.ccr-summit.com
JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Hotel
Orlando, FL January 11th-13th, 2017
Application Instructions
• Please type or print clearly.
• Incomplete applications and contracts will not be processed.
• A counter-signed copy will be returned to you within 10 business days.
Mail completed applications as follows: Attention:
David Corson
F&J Publications, LLC
P.O. Box 3908 Suwanee, GA 30024
2017 Commercial Construction & Renovation Summit Schedule:
Wednesday Jan 11th, 2017:
• * Afternoon check-in.
• 5:30-7:30 PM: Foot Golf Tournament
• 7:30-9:30 PM: Welcome Reception/ Table Top Exhibit with Dinner.
• 9:00- 11:00 AM: Bass Fishing Tournament/ Water Activities
• Early Afternoon Flight Home
CCRS 2017 Advisory Board members:
Grace Daly, ShopTalk 360
Anthony Amunategui, CDO Group
Erran Zinzer, US Cellular
John Stallman, Lakeview Construction
Gina Noda: Retail Consultant
Roz Strapko, Exclusive Retail Interiors
2017 Commercial Construction & Renovation Summit
End-User Complimentary Registration
END-USER ATTENDEE INFORMATION
I would like to receive Commercial Construction & Renovation. YES No
CCRS 2017 Complimentary Registration includes air fare and transportation to and from Orlando Airport, Hotel Room for two nights, Foot Golf Tournament, Dinner Table Top Exhibit, Breakfast Round Table, Two AIA seminars, Luncheon with Speaker, One-On-One Appointments, Lazer Skeet Shooting and Bass Fishing/Water Activities. Any incidentals at hotel are responsibility of attendee.
Requirement to receive complimentary credentials: Attendee must meet and have breakfast and lunch with vendor participants of your choice. In addition must agree to meet with six vendor participants of your choice for 15 minute meetings on January 12th, 2017 in the afternoon.
PAYMENT: Registration: Complimentary
Hotel Room: Complimentary
Wednesday Foot Golf Tournament: Complimentary
Please check here for Bass Fishing Tournament/Water Activities: Complimentary
I hereby authorize F&J Publications, LLC to reserve the Summit spots as indicated I acknowledge that I have read the 2017 Commercial Construction & Renovation Summit requirements above and agree to abide by all terms and conditions. I am an authorized representative of the company named on this Application and have full power and authority to sign this document. I understand that F&J Publications, LLC reserves the right to decline this document.
Eyeing the road ahead
Somewhere between finalizing the strategies of 2016 and their growing to-do lists for 2017, executives from some of the industry’s leading commercial construction firms spoke passionately about pushing the needle forward.
Snapshots of the current state of the marketplace were hashed out during the Women in Commercial Construction & Facilities Retreat, held August 4-7, at The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel in Charleston, S.C. The conference was sponsored by Commercial Construction & Renovation magazine.
New business opportunities, growing the industry top wish list of Retreat attendees
The discussions were part of the roundtable discussion held during the three-day event, which featured strategic networking opportunities such as a intimate bus tour of historic downtown Charleston, several lunch and dinner parties, and the vaunted one-on-one meetings.
Following is the initial installment of our Retreat coverage, including a look at our afternoon roundtable forum. For more information, visit us at www.ccr-mag.com.
Jennifer Abilez Steak n Shake
Rita Briggs Fairmont Sign
Rebekah Cianfrocco Level Office
Patricia Davis Innovative Dehumidifier Systems
Jessica Hamilton Porcelanosa USA
Karen MacCannell The McIntosh Group
Angela Peterson The Public Library of Cincinnati
Rebecca Suen Hilliker Corporation
Melisa Baune Core State Group
Kelli Buhay Retail Maintenance Specialists
Bre Coe Level Office
Haylee Giere P&C Construction
Patty Kelly Broad Street
Emily McCready Selser Schaefer Architects
Angie Roach Cedar Lake Cellars
Nicole Thompson-Floyd TD Bank
Gabriella Bolm Cedar Lake Cellars
Magen Bybee Genesis Lighting Solutions
Penny Czarra AC-Tech
Laura Gross American Signature Furniture
Sharron Koch JHM Hotels
Lisa McShane Los Angeles Dodgers
Janel Scarborough Broad Street
Grace Daly Shop Talk 360
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
Give us a snapshot of the most pressing items on your to do list?
Melisa Baune, Core State Group: I have a few items on my to-do list as I am sure everyone does; I am primarily focused on growing our Dallas offices’ retail, hospitality and restaurant portfolios both by building new, solid connections and maintaining existing client relationships.
Sharron Koch, JHM Hotels: Right now development is really big. We're growing really fast. We have 37 hotels stateside and four under construction right now, and we have seven under renovation. There’s going to be another four or five that will break ground next year. And those are just the new builds. We just went through a period where nobody was building or renovating – nobody was getting any money. That’s changed now. We're just trying to keep up and manage all of it, and make sure we do it smartly.
and cost saving redesign of existing prototypes. Through this process, we help retailers achieve their company goals, whether they are increased efficiencies, reduction of construction costs and schedules, or increased customer engagement and turntimes. My job is to see where those complementary partnership opportunities are and make the match.
Nicole Thompson-Floyd, TD Bank: As you know, banking is going through major changes as our customers do more of their banking online or on-the-go. So we’re trying to determine what brick and mortar means to our customers today and balance that with being everywhere they are to meet their digital needs.
It’s about innovating our use of space; What does that look like? How do we develop it and make our stores a more interactive experience for our customers? Do we add more elements within the space that lead to collaboration with customers and employees?
Janel Scarborough, Broad Street: What’s hot right now is budget season. We're also finishing a vet clinic that wanted to expand into another space. It’s a good learning experience for us.
Emily McCready, Selser Schaefer Architects: We service nearly all industries within the commercial market. My current focus is seeking opportunities in the retail industry, particularly restaurants, grocers and convenience stores. We are seeking brands that are looking for an architectural partner for prototypical design, maintenance and/or site adapt projects. A service that is in high demand for our retail clients is analysis
“One of our main hot topics right now are the tax credits that are going to be awarded to the affordable housing projects.”
– Patricia Davis, Innovative Dehumidifier Systems
Haylee Giere, P&C Construction: Like a lot of you have been saying, the construction industry continues to change. Companies that previously haven’t been doing a whole lot of construction – new construction or remodels – are starting to again now. We have a lot of projects currently in progress, so most of what I'm focusing on is trying to make everything more efficient. A large piece of that is communication in the field. We have a new system to track communication on all of our sites. We work in multiple states, so making sure we have clear communication between our superintendents on site, project management in the office and our subcontractors is critical. Sub-contractors are really busy right now, so finding quality ones who will do quality work for a competitive price, but still meet the schedule is quite the juggling act. There is a lot of screening taking place before they are contracted. We have numerous discussions with them to figure out if they are a good fit for our clients needs.
Seventy to eighty percent of our work is repeat business. We like to build long-term relationships with our clients, and are continually working to strengthen those. The longer a business partnership goes, the greater benefit it is for both parties. Building LTR’s and making sure we meet all of our client’s needs and expectation’s is the top priority. It comes down to piecing together all of the smaller pieces to create a full product for our
Who Doesn’t Like The Feeling of a Job Well Done ?
Specifier, contractor, architect, installer.
Project estimator, material purchaser, product manufacturer, building owner.
We all feel the satisfaction when a project comes together as planned ... and our reputations go up a notch.
That’s why AC•Tech puts so much emphasis on actually “being there” with technical support when it counts.
It’s one thing to manufacture specialty coatings that have been engineered to perform.
It’s quite another to invest in the technical expertise and field experience necessary to make these coatings actually meet the FIELD performance SPECIFIED.
We know that helping everyone to do it right the first time is what builds success, reputation, and that “atta boy” feeling. Who doesn’t like the feeling of a job well done?
AC•TECH Substrate Sleuths
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
client. Creating a streamlined communication process that is more efficient will help accomplish that.
Patty Kelly, Broad Street: My most pressing item at this time is expanding one of our large anchor tenants. This is on the top of my list in order to make every effort to ensure we move along with this project as quickly and efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, it has been very difficult due our deadline and so many unforeseen obstacles, which have been out of our control. Aside from this project, we are in the process of multiple acquisitions and sales, which is very exciting.
Bre Coe, Level Office: We currently own and manage 10 buildings in six cities, totaling over 500,000 square feet that are in various stages of development and stabilization. Based on the success of our existing locations and the backing of our investors, Level is aggressively seeking to enter new markets and fill our pipeline with new projects. What's hot on my to do list is primarily on the acquisitions front – finding new buildings in multiple markets for us to potentially buy, which involves underwriting the construction scope/budget and the business plan.
Besides our exciting plans for growth, another hot item is finding ways to add value to our existing centers and constantly adapting to the needs of our tenants. We've seen great success in renting out smaller, budget-friendly offices (less than 100 square feet and starting at $349/month), so we've begun adding these offices where there is space –primarily in areas like storage closets and basements.
“What I am finding is that a lot of companies are exploring the thermoformed sign faces for their signage.”
– Rita Briggs, Fairmont Sign
Oftentimes, there is a substantial amount of untapped value in under-utilized space throughout different buildings that can be maximized through developing more offices or other amenities for our clients. We have also capitalized on pent-up demand for flexible, 1,000-3,000-square-foot executive suites that hold 15-50 employees that are able to achieve substantially higher lease rates than conventional office.
Karen MacCannell, The McIntosh Group: I have made some very, very good relationships at events like this. The key is to continue to build and nurture them. It’s about not letting people fall through the cracks, making sure that someone on our team stays in contact with them. So keeping in touch is always pressing.
In order to make sure we continue to stay top of mind with them, we produce helpful materials including our CCR mini-magazine “Commercial Transformations,” white papers, an online ADA Question and Answer forum called AskBrad on our website, etc. But it can’t be just about making a sale; it’s about making real connections. We don’t want people to turn into “pressing items” even though their potential project might be.
We just make friends, and learn what their needs are… and when a project comes up, be it in 2 weeks or 2 years, hopefully they’ll think of us first because by then we are a trusted resource.
Jennifer Abilez, Steak n Shake: We have a long list of non-traditional formats, including universities and casinos. We continue to add these formats to our brand portfolio because of our flexible design options. Our smallest footprint is a 460-square-foot, and our largest non-traditional counter service is 1,200 square feet, not including the dining room.
We have also redesigned our freestanding full service prototype and added a freestanding counter service prototype to our brand. We are growing our franchising business in the domestic and international segment of the restaurant industry.
Kelli
Buhay, Retail Maintenance
Specialists: We’ve been expanding on the restaurant/casual dining type of retailer, attending RFMA and Restaurant category shows. We’ve recently won “Vendor of the Year” with Samsung, which features 4,100 shop-in-shop locations, which we are all very proud of. It’s not an easy task because of the dynamics of being in Target, Wal-mart and Best Buy locations, among others.
I've been with the company for two-and-a-half years, since that time, we've doubled in size. I’ve been working very closely with our VP of Operations as we continue to grow to keep ourselves in check on our hiring and our 90-day training program, which assists and preps our account representatives to become acclimated to our programs, operational processes and our strict attention to detail.
Rita Briggs, Fairmont Sign: So, as national accounts manager, my priorities are always the priorities of my clients. So
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
the things that are important and hot on the top of their list are the topics that are really on the top of mine. What I am finding is that a lot of companies are exploring the thermoformed sign faces for their signage. While we still do plenty of channel letters and other types of signs, we have a very large facility, and we're able to manufacture very large signage with thermoformed faces. We do it in a special way. Our president does a lot of the innovation for our company. He has come up with some innovative ways of thermoforming signs. It depends on what the customer wants and needs.
The process works like this: You take a sheet of plastic or polycarbonate, and heat it up to a high temperature. Then it starts to get soft. Next, you put it over this wooden die and then vacuums suck it down. It turns it into this amazing sign. It’s something we’ve been doing more of because it has a three dimensional look and is very clean looking.
Rebekah Cianfrocco, Level Office: There’s always a million things going on, so everything’s a hot button. We have a short construction schedule, so I have to make sure we're on top of things. I have to make sure I get my furniture and material orders in and keep
CCR: How many retail outlets to you have at the stadium?
LA Dodgers McShane: There are nine different large retail outlets as well as numerous retail kiosks throughout the stadium. Last year, we redid the Stadium Dugout Club. We also built two Overlook Bars so fans can enjoy a one-of-a-kind view overlooking the bullpen. Baseball is a very old tradition with the same type of office culture. Everything is a slow-moving process. There are lots of department heads that specialize in their own respect fields.
Patricia Davis, Innovative Dehumidifier Systems: One of our main hot topics right now are the tax credits that are going to be awarded to the affordable housing projects. Our in-wall dehumidifier is an Energy Star-rated appliance, so developers that utilize our appliance receive tax credits. But our product is also seen as a luxury product - and we need it to be seen as a necessity, so we have to make sure we maintain those relationships with the developers when those credits are awarded. We don’t want our product cut based on budget constraints.
Maintaining relationships with the developers is key. We also have to maintain relationships with the general public, because we sell through our website. This has been quite explosive for our business. Consumers didn’t know that our product even existed, and Innovative Dehumidifier Systems is the sole developer of the IW-25 in wall dehumidifier. We’ve landed a lot of business, but in the same interim, we need to maintain existing relationships while creating new ones.
“Something that is surprising me is the current cost of construction. Our original 2016 maintenance package bid came back approximately 20 percent higher than our published estimate.”
– Angela Peterson, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
everything organized. That’s super important, so we’re trying to come up with a non-complicated way to keep everything organized. Basically improve procedure and processes. When you have a fairly new company, a small team and five projects at different stages going on at the same time, keeping things on track and going smoothly is key to success.
Lisa McShane, Los Angeles Dodgers: For us, the running theme right now is, are we going to play baseball in October? That makes things busy for all of us. Now, we're talking budgets and seeing what construction needs to be done in a very short window of time for the 2017 season for all our facilities. Between season-end, all the way through spring training in March, I can work 16-hour days, as all requests go in at the same time. I am constantly juggling my time between lots of different projects, which is why I rely a lot on relationships, as that is how I accomplish the tasks.
Angela Peterson, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County: I am currently working on a re-bid of our maintenance package and a remodel and expansion of our Loveland branch library. The maintenance package consists of HVAC equipment replacement in 14 of our buildings along with some roof replacements. The Loveland branch is expanding into an existing storefront space. It is growing from approximately 5,500 square feet to 8,550 square feet.
Core State Group's Baune: Companies are outsourcing more and more in all sectors. On the Program Management side of Core States Group, we are seeing a growing pressure on our clients to reduce costs and streamline processes. Clients will come to us to utilize our program managers to run their programs, allowing them more flexibility to use their internal resources elsewhere. For example, we have had one of our full-time project managers embedded in Fed-Ex Office’s headquarters for over a year now working as an extension of their staff. Gregg (Wheeler, project manager) has recently moved back into our office while they plan out their next program and he or another team member will return when needed.
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
Gabriella Bolm, Cedar Lake Cellars: Due to our growth, we are focusing on three major areas of interest. First, we're restructuring our company and have hired additional staff. Second, we now have a very talented and experienced leadership team who are completely focused on putting a new system in place so that our company can work more efficiently. And lastly, we hired a new executive chef and Chef de Cuisine, who serves as a liaison between the kitchen and customers. Our primary goal is to have healthier fare, so we plan to offer an extensive selection of organic food options. Food accounts for 30 percent of our total revenue and, while we are running a winery, we have a tremendous opportunity to promote the food aspect of our business. We are looking forward to taking every facet of our business to the next level.
Rebecca Suen, Hilliker Corporation: We have had some very exciting and amazing opportunities recently, one of which was the
collectibles, such as classic cars, boats, RVs, motorcycles (etc.). Basically, The Place is your ultimate man cave. These private storages range from about 700 square feet to 4,000 square feet. We are promoting it as a personal space away from home.
Penny Czarra, AC-Tech: What’s trending for us as a building product manufacturer, and what I see happening relevant for others, is that there’s now a return to reality where you cannot just say you’re an expert by saying it’s “in your catalog”.
As a result of the Great Recession, construction product manufacturers expanded their catalogs in hopes of increasing revenues. In many cases, they began offering products for which they did not have the technical knowledge or technical support capacity. Consolidation happened everywhere. One-Stop shopping took hold. The days of the product specialist seemed numbered. Oh, and technical support services and personnel were also cut during this time as a way to improve profit margins.
Union Seventy Center (in St. Louis). Union Seventy is a first class industrial business park on approximately 161 acres. It was formally a General Motors assembly plant and conveniently located right by downtown and the Lambert airport. I would say Union Seventy Center is a best value for modern warehouse space in our MSA. Hilliker is thrilled to partner up with Union Seventy and acquire more tenants for the center.
On a slightly different note, another remarkable real estate deal we are promoting is the luxurious storage condominium suites called The Place. It is located in Chesterfield, Mo., which is about 30 miles west of St. Louis. It’s designed for people with luxurious toys and
“Due to our growth, we are focusing on three major areas of interest. We are looking forward to taking every facet of our business to the next level.”
– Gabriella Bolm, Cedar Lake Cellars
But now there is a definite trend back towards product manufacturers partnering with each other based on their areas of expertise. That’s ultimately good for the end customer because they get the best solution for their particular project. Take our case. We specialize in the coatings that go on the concrete before the final flooring is installed. It requires a very specialized knowledge base without which the risk of flooring failure is dramatically increased. So the trend we see is that flooring product manufacturers are increasingly working together to offer the customer the best combination of products rather than offering everything from just one catalog.
Laura Gross, American Signature Furniture: We are remodeling and re-evaluating our retails spaces for we know that our customer shops differently. We want to provide them with the best possible experience, so that they can find what they want for their home.
We are partnering with folks like Chip and Joanna Gaines, who have the same belief that everyone deserves a space they love and no one should over pay for furniture. Their new line of product – Magnolia Home Furniture – has been in our stores since Labor Day weekend. It has been a huge hit with our customers.
For me, the biggest thing on my to-do list is vendor management. I firmly believe that aligning our vision and values and purpose is important, for it aligns us on the same thing - the customer. As a
www.porcelanosa-usa.com
info@porcelanosa-usa.com
KITCHEN
BATH
TILE
HARDWOOD & LAMINATE
MOSAICS
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
team, we can focus creating a better experience for our customers – make furniture shopping easy.
Magen Bybee, Genesis Lighting Solutions: Currently, we are expanding our brand into the hospitality and storage space market. LED consumerism is still untapped in many areas, so the answer to this question is expanding on a weekly basis. We are already specified in many national programs such as Domino’s, Papa Murphy’s, Red Lobster, The Little Gym, and Extra Space, to name a few. Some of these are franchised based business, so we are constantly building that clientele as well. Currently, we are helping Fiesta Restaurants expand their brand and redesign many of their concepts, which has been a very fun adventure.
CCR: What type of trends are you seeing out there?
Public Library of Cincinnati's Peterson: Something that is surprising me is the current cost of construction. Our original 2016 maintenance package bid came back approximately 20 percent
higher than our published estimate. This shocked me. Normally our estimates are pretty close. I was also surprised that we are not getting many bidders. Everyone seems to be very busy.
Steak n Shake's Abilez: We are also seeing construction bids coming in higher than last year. Our budgets that are only eight to twelve months old are significantly out of date. This affects the bottom-line and influences our franchisee’s decisions. They may not develop multiple restaurants as previously expected.
“We have had some very exciting and amazing opportunities recently. We are promoting it as a personal space away from home.”
– Rebecca Suen, Hilliker Corporation
Retail Maintenance Specialists' Buhay: It seems that everybody has been on a growth spurt for a while now. What I'm finding is even with the addition of hiring a third-party vendor, everything seemed to be higher. If one can turn around and get the business at a 20 percent higher mark-up, they'll take it. I think that has a lot to do with what you're saying – we have seen it as well.
Genesis Lighting Solutions’ Bybee: The LED business is evolving rapidly. So
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
we're cutting our costs all the time. The prices have to stay marketable to stay in business. Therefore, although the electrician’s time might becoming more expensive- the product they are installing is becoming more inexpensive.
Jessica Hamilton, Porcelanosa USA: In 2016, you can expect to see the use of more bold metallics as well as hexagon shaped tiles. Metallics can add so much personality to any room, whether used as an accent wall or a simple backsplash. The same applies to hexagon shaped tiles. You can create classical patterns using hexagons with flooring tile as well as walls; make them large scale or small – the choice is ultimately up to your own design aesthetic.
We’ve also seen a shift to larger format tiles. Porcelanosa has a wide variety of large format tiles such as our Air Slate collection that is available in 47-inch x 94-inch and our X-Light collections, which are available in 39-inch x118-inch.
Porcelanosa also produces luxury vinyl tile that is available in many different styles including natural wood, woven textiles and brushed natural woods.
Grace Daly, Shop Talk 360: A pressing issue that I hear of across the industry is the lack of skilled trades people in the field. Since the economic downturn in 2008, there appears to have been a mass departure from the industry – especially so in the facilities sector. People have left the industry, whether they lost their jobs, lost their businesses or retired. Also, much of the younger generation has shifted to other professions such as technology. As industry leaders, we have a responsibility to raise the awareness and importance of this profession and also mentor the newcomers.
“We’re trying to determine what brick and mortar means to our customers today. We’re looking to balance that with the mobile side.”
– Nicole Thompson-Floyd, TD Bank
Retail Maintenance Specialists' Buhay: It seems as if the up and coming generations behind us are looking for a quick buck. They feel entitled to make six figures as soon as they decide they're going to go into the workforce. I’m a Baby Boomer, and when I was younger I took on two or three jobs to get what I needed. It seems as if there’s a shift with that. We really are losing the trained craftsman, the trained carpenter and the expert who was really talented. What they do is an art.
AC-Tech's Czarra: We lost a lot of craftsmen. In 2008 and 2009, a lot of these family businesses were devastated. The parents left the business and started to do something else. So a good part of the issue is that we just don’t have that next generation coming up. They don’t want to lose everything again. If they haven’t been trained, they have moved on.
Retail Maintenance Specialists' Buhay: Those regional entrepreneurs, if you will.
AC-Tech's Czarra: Yes, they really were entrepreneurs. They went on to do something else to survive. Maybe it was construction related, or maybe not. But they certainly felt vulnerable. It happened everywhere around the country,
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
and there really hasn’t been a recovery yet. So yes, it has really limited the number of skilled workers out there.
Retail Maintenance Specialists' Buhay: In 2007/2008, this happened in my husband’s field as well. We were living in Georgia. We were hit really hard due to the continued growth since the ’96 Olympics. For example, they would build shopping centers everywhere, but nobody moved into them. It just stopped dead.
Some areas of the country, Texas, for example, were not hit as hard. I think there were so many businesses that just went under and builders were left with nothing. So there’s a lot to be said about the lack of skilled jobs out there and what it means today. There is a big movement right now by associations in the flooring and concrete market to start skilled training programs. They are on a mission – unions and the private sector – to train the next generation of workers. It’s an effort that will pay for itself in the
CCR: How do you fix that? These types of conversation have been happening for several years. When the recession hit, some people just left the construction industry.
Retail Maintenance Specialists' Buhay: They had no business. In my husband’s case, 75 percent of his client base was gone. Something he built for 30 years was gone – all of the relationships and business, gone. He rebounded, but many didn’t. For example, a major builder in Georgia, a partner of his, was told by the banks to cut their losses and close out. They said you’re just not going to win here. It was sad.
P&C Construction's Giere: We're experiencing this a lot with our superintendents who are either retiring or wanting to help train the next generation to replace them when they do retire. One of the things that we have started to do is to visit local high schools & colleges that have programs related to construction. We talk to the students and put the vibe out there about what we do. A lot of young people may not recognize construction as a career that will be able to take them somewhere. It’s about building relationships and sharing the available opportunities.
long run. They have to find the talent, whether it’s the millworker or carpentry area. I am constantly saying that people should get interns. We have to start training these young people in our trades before it becomes a dying breed.
AC-Tech's Czarra: It’s not something you can learn electronically.
Retail Maintenance Specialists' Buhay: No, it’s not. You have to physically do it. They have to get out there and learn. We all learn at different levels. I am a doer. I need to physically do something in order to learn how it works. Learning a craft takes time and effort.
“Customer service and the timeliness of responding to any bid is important, especially since we plan to triple in size within the next two years.”
– Melisa Baune, Core State Group
Hilliker Corp.'s Suen: Now this is obviously a broad generalization, but speaking for the younger generation, I think the mentality for some is, “What’s in it for me?” If we’re not aware of the potentials of a career-we don’t know what’s in it for us-automatically, that option is out. We don’t even want to take the risk to find out the rewards.
You know, we grew up in a world where instant gratification and stability are placed well above time investments and risks. If something is not within our reach immediately, it’s not something we will consider.
So in the case of real estate construction, if the younger generation is not educated on the benefits of having a career in that field, then we are less likely to pursue it.
Retail Maintenance Specialists' Buhay: Do you think a part of it is the lack of direction or the lack of wanting to do something physically? Let’s face it –the mentality is to become doctors and lawyers, not carpenters. In my opinion, you can succeed in whatever you do, shine shoes, wait tables, whatever it is you
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
“We are in the process of some acquisitions and sales, which is very exciting.”
– Patty Kelly, Broad Street
choose to do, you just need to do your best. If you do your best –you can make an excellent living. It’s about having work ethic and not expecting everything be handed to you. My parents didn't hand me anything so I had to work for it. I think that’s the disconnect.
Hilliker Corp.'s Suen: I think there is definitely a disconnect. Like I said before, our present culture encourages instant gratification and results. How do we become successful fast? How do we get rich fast? Manual labor doesn’t necessarily represent that, but the idea of going to law school or medical school, getting out and having a high salary job does. It’s a much more streamlined approach, which is far different from the “grind til you make it” mentality in the past.
Retail Maintenance Specialists' Buhay: Not everybody can be a doctor or a lawyer. We need mechanics, too. Do you remember “The Jetsons?” Who would have thought watching back then than when a phone call came in the person would pop up on a screen? I mean, that’s FaceTime today. Everything is automated these days. Businesses keep cutting and cutting people, so, why not learn a trade?
TD Bank's Thompson-Floyd: I think part of the problem is that we’re requiring kids at age 15 or 16 to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I can tell you, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Some high schools have designated programs like international business or engineering. For a percentage of kids these programs are perfect, but for most they have no idea what these jobs entail.
they need? Where should we provide career fairs that showcase different career options? How do we teach them that everyone’s definition and path to success is different?
JHM Hotels' Koch: I think one of the things we have to think about as an industry is how can we make it attractive again? How do we make it attractive to Millennials? We went through this whole period in 2008 and 2009 where it was the bottom-line. Survival was all that mattered. The lowest bid won the war. And that meant you didn't hire the guy with five kids. You hired whoever had the lowest bid. And we got away from having a responsibility to our craftsmen. We took the lowest possible bids, and that drove everybody out of the market. I think if we want to be really true to ourselves and say we have a big responsibility to these craftsmen or to these trades to take care of them, we need to pay them a fair wage. I think this helps everybody.
I think we’re doing them a disservice by not allowing them to explore different things, by not offering an education that exposes them to a wide range of possibilities and opportunities. There are so many things out there. If we want today’s kids to have better drive, we have to give them better tools. And all of the different programs that could provide that are the first to get cut. We want people to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, but what if they don’t have boots? So how do we provide the tools that
Retail Maintenance Specialists' Buhay: But typically, if you have a relationship with someone that you really adore and you really want to work with, do you not turn around and say, “Okay, we want to deal with you, but at this point, you're 20 percent higher. What can we do to even this out a little bit?”
JHM Hotels' Koch: I mean, I have – I personally have gone back to some of my favorite vendors and said, “You're probably not going to get awarded this job because you're 20 percent higher.” And sometimes they'll come back and say, “Thank you very much. Can we rebid?”
That means everybody gets to rebid, and they still may not come out the winner. And then what do you do? Do you play that game until you give it to them? Or do you cut your losses and say, “You're not going to get the job.”
There comes a time when you want to be loyal to them, but you want to make a good business decision too. So where do you draw that line? CCR
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
'Round Charleston
Cities historic footprint on display for attendees
Cobblestoned streets. 18th Century homes and plantations. The Battery. The museums and churches. And that city market. There isn't much that the City of Charleston doesn't have in the way of historical beauty and preservation. And thanks to an air conditioned ride in and around the city, attendees of the Women in Commercial Construction & Facilities Retreat received a taste of it all. The tour was part of the Commercial Construction & Renovation event, held August 4-7 at The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel in downtown Charleston. The retreat featured three days of networking, including a lunch and dinner gathers, industry roundtable discussion and the highly anticipated one-on-one meetings.
Blackbeard’s last stand
Attendees visit final resting place of famous pirate leader
While attendees were busy exchanging business opportunities, their significant others were mired in a trip through time, which included the place where the city held Blackbeard. The Provost Dungeon, which rests beneath the Old Exchange Building, is a fancy architectural jewel designed to house 18th-century assemblies. The building housed, among other historic gatherings, a “ghoulish prison” of the Revolution, the place where George Washington greeted his fellow citizens, a meeting place where slaves were sold for generations, and the balcony from which the Declaration of Independence was read. The tour, sponsored by Commercial Construction & Renovation magazine, was part of the Women in Commercial Construction & Facilities Retreat, held August 4-7 at The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel in downtown Charleston.
Value Line
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Replace up to120w halogen bulb 1100 lumen output
UL listed 15 watts
EYEING THE ROAD AHEAD
I'll have what they're having
Foodies get the 'Taste of Charleston'
Cypress...
Housed in a historic two-story building on East Bay Street in the downtown district, Cypress is led by two-time James Beard nominee Craig Deihl. Using Lowcountry ingredients to showcase Deihl’s signature style, its award-winning in-house charcuterie program features more than 90 types of meats (cypresscharleston.com)
If the history and architecture isn’t enough to pull you in, the food in Charleston, S.C., will finish the job. When attendees weren’t talking shop and exchanging opportunities, they were treated to several of Charleston’s cooler downtown restaurants, including Magnolias and Cypress for dinners, and lunch at 82 Queen. The foodie treks were part of the Women in Commercial Construction & Facilities Retreat, sponsored by Commercial Construction & Renovation magazine. The event was held August 4-7 at The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel in downtown Charleston.
Magnolias...
A trendsetter in Charleston’s culinary renaissance, Magnolias opened to raved reviews and expectations – paving the way scores other restaurants across the South. Led by chefs Don Drake and Kelly Franz, Magnolias remains a local staple – a place where the soul of the South meets the best in innovated dishes. (magnoliascharleston.com)
82 Queen...
With a 300-year-old address nestled in downtown Charleston’s historic French Quarter for the past 34 years, 82 Queen has become known for its gracious Southern hospitality and fresh local cuisine. Spread throughout three buildings, patrons can eat in one of its 11 quaint dining areas, including a turn-of-the-century courtyard featuring a mammoth Magnolia tree. (www.82queen.com)
A snapshot of the industry’s leading facility maintenance firms
In today’s highly competitive marketplace, having an ally in the facility maintenance area can be a real asset. To get you up to speed on the industry’s leading firms, our annual listing gives you everybody in one place. Our exclusive listing provides the contact information and contact person for each of the reporting companies. If your company was not on the list, contact publisher David Corson at davidc@ccr-mag.com. For a digital version, visit us online at www.ccr-mag.com.
AA Sign & Lighting (a division of Ad Art, Inc.) 150 Executive Park Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94134
Services Provided: Pest Control, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: Abercrombie & Fitch, Children’s Place, Forever 21, Lucky Brand Jeans
CIRCLE
APi National Service Group
1200 Old Highway 8NW
New Brighton, MN 55122
Joe Jetland/National Sales Representative 651-925-8525 FAX 651-425-8547
www.api-nsg.us
Year Established: 1926, No. of Employees: 10,000
Number of clients under contract: 54 National Acct. Customers, 10,000+ Local Customers, Services Provided: Fire Protection, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Federal, Leading Clients: Staples, CalPine Energy, Apple, REIT, Cabelas, Value Place Hotels
ASSA ABLOY
110 Sargent Drive
New Haven, CT 06511
Jan McKenzie, Director National Accounts 512-585-5205
jan.mckenzie@assaabloy.com • www.assaabloy.com
Year Established: 1994, No. of Employees: N/A
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Doors, Hardware, Security Solutions, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Specialty Stores, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Federal, Leading Clients: N/A
ASSET Technologies, LLC
3600 Chamberlain Ln., Suite 122 Louisville, KY 40241
John Roeder/Director of Sales and Marketing 502-425-8702 FAX 502-425-8714
john.roeder@a-techs.net • www.a-techs.net
Year Established: 2008, No. of Employees: 16
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: HVAC Control Board Repair/BAS Control Module Repair, Specialize In: Big-Box/ Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Federal, Leading Clients: Walmart, Lowe’s, Comfort Systems USA
Number of clients under contract: 75, Services Provided: HVAC Specialize In: Casinos, Medical, Education, Religious Institutions, Municipal, Leading Clients: N/A
Benise-Dowling National Painting
5068 Snapfinger Woods Dr. Decatur, GA 30035
Office: 770-981-4237 Mobile: 859-907-2647
mcog@benise-dowling.com • www.benise-dowling.com
Year Established: 1978, No. of Employees: 100-225
Number of clients under contract: 80+, Services Provided: Floor Coatings, Consulting, Painting, Parking Lot Striping, Wall Coverings, ElectroStatic Coating & Powder Coating Services, Specialize In: Big-Box/ Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Federal, Eight Story Buildings or higher that require certified rigging is one of our specialties i.e. Hotel, Condo, High-Rise Buildings, Leading Clients: Delta, Bridgestone Firestone, Embassy Suites, Hilton Hotels, Publix, GAP Stores, REITS, FelCor Lodging Trust, Regal Cinemas, Six Flags
Boss Facility Services
1 Roebling Ct. RonKonKoman, NY 11779
Keith Keingstein/President 631-361-7430 FAX 631-389-2218
Number of clients under contract: 60+, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor Care, Consulting, Painting, Plumbing, Signage, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Medical, Specialty Stores, Restaurants, Banking & Financial Services, Leading Clients: N/A
Chain Store Maintenance, Inc.
81 Union St. Attleboro, MA 02703
John Catanese/Vice President 800-888-1675
john@chainstore.com • www.chainstore.com
Year Established: 1991, No. of Employees: 52
Number of clients under contract: 100+, Services Provided: Electrical, Pest Control, Plumbing, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Grocery, Drug Stores, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Restaurants Leading Clients: Ruby Tuesdays, Rite Aid, Bed Bath & Beyond
Cornell Storefront Systems
140 Maffet St. Wilkes Barre, PA 18705
Christopher Slocum/Founder & Chief Customer Officer 570-706-2775 FAX 800-882-6772
Number of clients under contract: 120, Services Provided: Overhead & Passage Doors, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients:
Cushman & Wakefield
77 W. Wacker Dr., Ste. 1800 Chicago, IL 60657
Colette Temmink/Managing Director 312-424-8000 www.cushwake.com
Year Established: N/A, No. of Employees: 43,000
Number of clients under contract: 900, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor Care, HVAC, Janitorial, Landscaping, Consulting, Lighting/Re-lamping, Painting, Windows, Pest Control, Plumbing, Signage, Equipment, Waste Disposal, Specialize In: N/A, Leading Clients: Schlumberger, Citigroup, Verizon, Adobe, Symantec, Metlife
DENTCO
1161 E. Clark Rd. DeWitt, MI 48820
Teresa Phelps/Sales Director 800-993-3689
sales@dentco.com • www.dentco.com
Year Established: 1977, No. of Employees: 150
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Landscaping, Parking Lot, Snow Removal, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Specialty Stores, Restaurants, Leading Clients: N/A
DWM Construction & Renovation
2 Northway Ln. Latham, NY 12110
Allison Bishop/Director of Marketing 888-396-9111 ext. 257 abishop@dwminc.com • www.dwminc.com
Year Established: 1997, No. of Employees: 67
Number of clients under contract: 26, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor Care, HVAC, Consulting, Lighting/Relamping, Painting, Windows, Parking Lot, Pest Control, Plumbing, Roofing, Signage, Equipment, Doors, Locks, Gates, General Maintenance, Rollouts, Refurbs, Specialize In: BigBox/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Medical, Specialty Stores, Restaurants, Federal, Leading Clients: Barnes & Noble, LL Bean, Petco, Dollar Tree
Emcon Associates 74 Brick Blvd. Brick, NJ 08723
Michael Pluff/VP of Business Development mpluff@emconfm.com • www.emconfm.com
732-920-5400 FAX 732-920-5454
Year Established: 1986, No. of Employees: 140
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor Care, HVAC, Landscaping, Lighting/Relamping, Painting, Windows, Parking Lot, Pest Control, Plumbing, Roofing, Signage, Equipment , Specialize In: Big-Box/ Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Leading Clients: N/A
EMCOR Group, Inc.
3100 Woodcreek Dr. Downers Grove, IL 60515
Andrew Swanson/Sr. Vice President 866-890-7794
emcor_info@emcor.net • www.emcorgroup.com
Year Established: 1994, No. of Employees: 8,500
Number of clients under contract: 10,000, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor Care, HVAC, Janitorial, Landscaping, Lighting/Relamping, Painting, Windows, Parking Lot, Plumbing, Signage, Equipment, Handyman, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Federal, Leading Clients: U.S. Bank, US Postal Service, Nasa, Express Scripts, Cummins, Goodyear, International Paper
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Lighting/Relamping, Signage, LED Retrofits/Conversions, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: N/A
Federated Service Solutions, Inc.
30955 Northwestern Highway Farmington Hill, MI 48334
Jennifer Ferris/President 248-539-9000 FAX 248-406-8033
Number of clients under contract: 60, Services Provided: Electrical, Consulting, IT Services, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Manufacturing and Distribution, Leading Clients: Wal-mart, Lowe’s, CVS, Party City, Bed Bath & Beyond, Cisco
Front Street Facility Solutions
4170 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Ste. 102 Bohemia, NY 11716
Jessica Smith/Executive Assistant 631-750-4265
jsmith@frontstreetfs.com • www.frontstreetfs.com
Year Established: 2003, No. of Employees: 140
Number of clients under contract: 120, Services Provided: Electrical, HVAC, Lighting/Re-lamping, Painting, Windows, Parking Lot, Pest Control, Plumbing, Roofing, Signage, Equipment, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Restaurants, Leading Clients: N/A
GGS Partners, LLC
P.O. Box 2857
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Neil A. Sperling/Managing Partner 888-429-1612 FAX 856-424-5386
neils@ggspartners.com • www.ggspartners.com
Year Established: 2004, No. of Employees: 5
Number of clients under contract: 15+, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor Care, HVAC, Janitorial, Lighting/Relamping, Painting, Windows, Pest Control, Plumbing, Signage, Locks, Specialize In: Specialty Stores, Restaurants, Leading Clients: N/A
Global Facility Management & Construction
525 Broadhollow Rd., Ste. 100
Melville, NY 11747
Sean Blank/President 631-617-6500 FAX 631-813-2812
sales@gfm247.com • www.gfm247.com
Year Established: 2004, No. of Employees: 240
Number of clients under contract: 226, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor Care, Janitorial, Lighting/Relamping, Painting, Windows, Parking Lot, Pest Control, Plumbing, Signage, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Drug Stores, Medical, Specialty Stores, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Leading Clients: N/A
Graybar
2300 E 25th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Scott Moseman/Retail Acct. Manager 612-810-0916 FAX 612-728-2500
scott.moseman@graybar.com • www.graybar.com
Year Established: 1929, No. of Employees: 6,500
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Electrical, Consulting, Lighting/Re-lamping, Parking Lot Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Restaurants, Leading Clients: Our listing includes many of the top customers in all segments of commercial sales.
Icon – Maintenance Division
1418 Elmhurst Rd. Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Kevin Hughes/EVP Sales & Marketing 847-364-2250 FAX 847-364-1517
iconic@iconid.com • www.iconid.com
Year Established: 1931, No. of Employees: 400+
Number of clients under contract: 200+, Services Provided: Electrical, Lighting/Relamping, Signage, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Medical, Restaurants, Leading Clients: N/A
IdentiCom Sign Solutions
24657 Halsted Rd. Farmington Hills, MI 48335
John DiNunzio/President 248-344-9590 FAX 248-946-4198
info@identicomsigns.com • www.identicomsigns.com
Year Established: 2009, No. of Employees: 20
Number of clients under contract: 15, Services Provided:
Year Established: 2002, No. of Employees: 20+, Number of clients under contract: 50+, Services Provided: HVAC, Specialize In: Specialty Stores, Leading Clients: Avenue, GameStop, Brooks Brothers
Incenergy
1135 W. 6th Street, Suite 140 Austin, TX 78703
Barry McConachie/CEO Phone: 512-327-2020
Fax: 512-401-3394
www.incenergy.com • sales@incenergy.com
Year Established: 2010, No. of Employees: 15, Number of clients under contract: 345, Services Provided: HVAC, Lighting/Re-lamping, Specialize In: Big-box/department, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Drug Stores, Resorts, Restaurants, Education, Medical, Leading Clients: Baker Hughes International, GE, Thyssen Krupp, Flextronics, Sun and Ski Sports, Venterra, Preferred Care, YMCA, ZF Transmissions
Instakey Security Systems
7456 W. 5th Avenue Lakewood, CO 80226
Cita Doyle LPQ/Director of Sales & Marketing 303-761-9999 FAX 303-761-6359
sales@instakey.com • www.instakey.com
Year Established: 1986, No. of Employees: 30
Number of clients under contract: 1,120, Services Provided: Security, Doors/Locks, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Restaurants, Education, Federal, Fuel Center/Convenience Stores, Leading Clients: GameStop, Z Gallerie, Under Armour, Cabelas, Buffalo Wild Wings, Qdoba, Ann Inc, A.C. Moore
Main Source Roof Management
P.O. Box 45718 Atlanta, GA 30320
Jeff Ansel/Business Development 404-965-9370 FAX 404-965-9369
jeffa@mainsourcemgt.com • www.mainsourcemgt.com
Year Established: 2006, No. of Employees: 9
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Roofing, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: Lowes, Target, Kroger
Year Established: 1998, No. of Employees: 24, Number of clients under contract: 21, Services Provided: N/A, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: CBRE, Corner Bakery Café, KeyBank, Wendy’s
National Pavement
24 Sydney Hill Rd Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Joe Fairley/EVP, Corporate Development and Strategy 518-813-2006 FAX 315-287-4402
joe.fairley@nationalpavement.com
www.nationalpavement.com
Year Established: 1966, No. of Employees: 55
Number of clients under contract: 50+, Services Provided: Parking Lot, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Medical, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Family Dollar, Lowe’s, BJ’s, CVS, Best Buy
Nationwide Cleaners
105 Main St. 3rd Floor
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Donna Bellester/Business Development 877-933-8356 FAX 201-353-2344
Number of clients under contract: 105, Services Provided: Floor care, Janitorial, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: Burlington Coat Factory, Rainbow Apparel, Shoprite
NEST
550 Crescent Blvd. Gloucester City, NJ 08030
Rob Almond/CEO 844-650-3721
sales@enternest.com • www.enternest.com
Year Established: 1994, No. of Employees: 150
Number of clients under contract: 100, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor care, HVAC, Janitorial, Landscaping, Consulting, Lighting/ Re-lamping, Painting, Windows, Parking Lot, Pest Control, Plumbing, Roofing, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Drug Stores, Specialty Stores, Restaurants, Education, Banks, Leading Clients: N/A
North America Roofing
41 Dogwood Road Asheville, NC 28806
Brian Sliva/National Account Manager 616-250-3701 FAX 828-687-1230
bsliva@naroofing.com • www.naroofing.com
Year Established: 1979, No. of Employees: 250+
Number of clients under contract: 100+, Services Provided: Roofing, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Shopping Centers, Medical, Leading Clients: Wal-mart, Home Depot, Toys R-Us
Paint Folks
105 Main St. 3rd Floor Hackensack, NJ 07601
Brian Foster/Sr. Vice President 888-888-7870 FAX 201-336-9180
bfoster@paintfolks.com • www.paintfolks.com
Year Established: 2011, No. of Employees: 18
Number of clients under contract: 12, Services Provided:
Painting, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Store, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: Staples, Longhorn, Sephora, Sonic
Number of clients under contract: 100+, Services Provided: Lighting/Relamping, Parking Lot, Signage, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Drug Stores, Medical, Hotels, Restaurants, Financial, Automotive, Leading Clients: PNC Bank, AllState Insurance, Subaru, Walgreens, Regions Bank
Pioneer Properties, LLC 350 West Passaic St. Rochelle Park, NJ 07662
Mike Bosslett/Marketing Manager 201-655-6060 FAX 201-655-7367
Number of clients under contract: 40, Services Provided: Construction, Repair and Maintenance, Exterior Maintenance, Refreshes, Roll-Outs, Related Services, Specialize In: Premier National Brands: Retail, Luxury Retail, Big Box, Hospitality, Leading Clients: Abercrombie & Fitch, Vera Bradley, The Children’s Place
Kelli Buhay/Director of Business Development 609-891-9954 FAX 609-978-9824
www.retailmsc.com • kelli@retailmsc.com
Year Established: 2003, No. of Employees: 25
Number of clients under contract: 33, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor Care, HVAC, Landscaping, Consulting, Lighting/Re-lamping, Painting, Windows, Parking Lot, Pest Control, Plumbing, Roofing, Signage, Equipment, Waste Disposal, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: Foot Locker, Samsung, Sally’s, EmployBridge
RFS
2314 Circuit Way
Brooksville, FL 34604
Joe Bennett/Business Development 352-848-2588 FAX 352-848-2592
sales@rfsrenovates.com • www.rfsrenovates.com
Year Established: 2013, No. of Employees: 40
Number of clients under contract: 15, Services Provided: Renovation & Restoration Services to national restaurant, Senior Living & Hospitality Brands, Specialize In: Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: Darden Restaurants, Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, Holiday Retirement
Number of clients under contract: 20, Services Provided: Electrical, Lighting/Re-lamping, Painting, Signage, Waste Disposal, Specialize In: Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Restaurants, Leading Clients: N/A
Rockerz, Inc.
100 Commonwealth Dr. Warrendale, PA 15086
Robert Smith/Director Business-National Acct. 724-612-6520 FAX 724-935-4948
rsmith@rockerzinc.com • www.rockerzinc.com
Year Established: 2004, No. of Employees: 30
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Floor Care, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Federal, Leading Clients: National Vendors
RSM Maintenance
461 From Rd. Paramus, NJ 07652
Wayne Knaub/VP of Sales & Marketing 888-776-6775 FAX 973-253-9330
wknaub@rsm-usa.com • www.rsm-usa.com
Year Established: 1998, No. of Employees: 98
Number of clients under contract: 186, Services Provided: Electrical, HVAC, Janitorial, Landscaping, Lighting/Re-lamping, Painting, Parking Lot, Pest Control, Plumbing, Signage, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Shopping Centers, Restaurants, Leading Clients: N/A
RSS Roofing Services
& Solutions
216 S Norton Ave. Orlando, FL 32805
Other Locations: St. Louis, MO; Columbia, MO; Evansville, IN; Nashville, TN; Central Florida; Special Projects Division
Mark Gregory/General Manager 407-426-0400 FAX 407-426-0424
mgregory@roofingsands.com • www.roofingsands.com
Year Established: 1895, No. of Employees: 40
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Roofing, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Federal, All Commercial Roofing, Leading Clients: Walt Disney World, AT&T, T-Mobile, Wells Fargo
Service Repair Specialists
11400 W. Olympic Blvd. Suit #243
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Allen Kieffer/President 310-312-9577
akieffer@srvrepair.com www.srvrepair.com
Year Established: 2009, No. of Employees: 20
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Electrical, Floor Care, HVAC, Lighting/Re-lamping, Painting, Pest Control, Plumbing, Signage, Equipment, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Specialty Stores, Groceries, Drug Stores, Hotels, Restaurants, Banks, Leading Clients: N/A
Sound Management
130 E. Grove St. Lombard, IL 60148
Roy Bocchieri/Business Development 630-995-2812 FAX 908-874-4525
Number of clients under contract: 25, Services Provided: Acoustics and Sound Masking, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Federal, Open Offices, Leading Clients: McDonalds, J&J, CDW, Google, Amazon
Number of clients under contract: 338, Services Provided: Parking Lot, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Resorts, Casinos, Medical, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Leading Clients: Home Depot, Lowes, Chase, Target, Wal-Mart
MAINTENANCE
The Terminix International Company, LP
860 Ridgelake Blvd. Memphis, TN 38120
Kyle Quinn/VP National Accounts 800-Terminix www.terminix.com/commercial
Year Established: 1927, No. of Employees: 13,000+
Number of clients under contract: 813, Services Provided: Pest Control, Specialize In: Groceries, Drug Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Education, Federal, Leading Clients: Dollar General, JPMorgan Chase, G6 Hospitality, Tractor Supply, Sears/Kmart
Trane
800 A Beaty St. Davidson, NC 28036
feedback@trane.com • www.trane.com
Year Established: N/A, No. of Employees: N/A
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: HVAC
Phil Chiellini/Business Development 800-235-4393 FAX 201-331-9091
pchiellini@academysg.com • www.vpssinc.com
Year Established: 1999, No. of Employees: 50
Number of clients under contract: 100, Services Provided: Electrical, Plumbing, Handyman, Specialize In: Big-Box/Dept, Groceries, Drug Stores, Specialty Stores, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Restaurants, Leading Clients: Aerosols, United Rentals, Ruby Tuesday
Wachter
16001 West 99th Street Lenexa, KS 66219
John Irwin/Director of Business Development 949-680-9250
john.irwin@wachter.com • www.wachter.com
Year Established: 1930, No. of Employees: 1680
Number of clients under contract: 200+, Services Provided: Electrical, Consulting, Lighting/Re-lamping, Voice and Data Infrastructure (Structure Cabling), Network Systems and Applications, Physical Access Control, Video Surveillance (Camera installation, service and repair), Fiber Optic installation, Access Control, Fire, Security and Safety, IT Support, Specialize In: Big-box/department, Specialty stores, Groceries, Shopping centers, Drug stores, Hotels, Resorts, Restaurants, Medical, Federal, Leading Clients: Wal-Mart, Kroger, IBM, Caterpillar
Western Specialty Contractors
1637 N. Warson Rd. St. Louis, MO 63132
Jessica Gitto/Business Development Representative 314-427-1637 FAX 314-593-9924
Number of clients under contract: N/A, Services Provided: Roofing, Concrete & Masonry Restoration, Waterproofing, Specialize In: Medical, Shopping Centers, Hotels, Education, Federal, All types of commercial buildings, Leading Clients: N/A
Annual survey showcases leading HVAC/energy controls manufacturers
If you’re looking for the best in HVAC/energy control manufacturers, our annual listing spotlights the marketplace’s leading firms in the retail, restaurant and hospitality sectors. The report provides you with the contact information and contact person at each of the reporting firms.
If you want to be a part of next year’s list, email publisher David Corson at davidc@ccr-mag.com. For a digital version, visit us online at www.ccr-mag.com.
A-Niks Outdoor Comfort
13215 W. Memorial Hwy. Tampa, FL 33635
Phone: 813-838-8514
Fax: 813-436-5567
www.aniks.com • aerturk@aniks.com
MATERIALS: Outdoor Heating and Cooling
Aeroseal, LLC
7989 S. Suburban Rd. Centerville, OH 45458
Vicki Auditore/Manager Phone: 877-959-4496
www.aeroseal.com • info@aeroseal.com
MATERIALS: Ductwork/Accessories
Aquatherm
500 South 500 West, Bldg. #1 Lindon, UT 84042
Glen Miller/VP of US Sales Phone: 801-805-6657
www.aquatherm.com • glen.miller@aquatherm.com
MATERIALS: Pipe Valves & Fittings
ASSET Technologies, LLC
3600 Chamberlain Lane, Ste. 122 Louisville, KY 40241
John Roeder/Director Sales & Marketing Phone: 502-425-8702
Fax: 502-425-8714
www.a-techs.net.com • john.roeder@a-techs.net
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Laura Blanpied/Marketing Generalist Phone: 630-560-3707
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Renovated Sheraton in Palo Alto is a nod to modern California hospitality
By Daniel Scovill & Brooke Taylor
West Coast cool
The task was straight forward – Renovate and personalize the well-known Sheraton in Palo Alto, Calif. Originally built by renowned architect Clement Chen Jr., in 1972, the hotel previously underwent renovations in the 1980s and 2000s, resulting in a blend of different architectural styles. When Oakland, Calif.-based Arcsine was tapped to renovate the hotel’s public spaces, the goal was to respect the hotel’s past, while leaving our own stylistic mark for the new design.
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In reference to the Sheraton Palo Alto’s origins, Arcsine was inspired by 1960’s California modernism.
Arcsine was tasked with redesigning all of the public areas, including the lobby, registration area, bar, pool area, Sheraton Club Lounge and Cypress Ballroom, as well as the guest restrooms. The renovation totaled 6,500 square feet of space. With 346 rooms spread over four floors, the challenge was to renovate the hotel while the property still was in full operation with a 90 percent average occupancy – which was done in under a year.
Arcsine drew inspiration from the building’s original California modern architecture and from the entrepreneurial spirit of the surrounding Silicon Valley area, to elevate Sheraton’s signature brand aesthetic. The renovated public spaces now reflect a cultured, connected setting designed for social interaction through clean lines, curated artwork and contemporary California-inspired finishes.
Local touches
This Sheraton location called for a more youthful vibe than the typical Sheraton customer base. Most of the guests are parents of students at nearby Stanford University or business people visiting Silicon Valley.
At the heart of the Valley, Palo Alto is a tech-forward town, which significantly has contributed much of the internet and connectivity technology we take for granted today. The Arcsine team wanted the design to reflect this energy of entrepreneurship and innovation, while also honoring the rich university community.
WEST COAST COOL
Because Palo Alto is a techhaven, Arcsine had to convert that energy into a design that is neither techforward nor too modern.
Since Stanford is located just minutes away, the bar area long has served as a popular gathering place for Cardinal fans or others attending events at the school. As such, we designed a custom art program that thoughtfully marries tasteful nods to old-school Stanford with global and modern influences.
It was important that the art feel like a curated collection. In the seating area, a panoramic photo of a 1920s Stanford football game sits above a new 11-foot freestanding banquette, while a painting of Stanford Cardinal head coach, Bill Walsh, is offset by a collection of framed mirrors.
Because Palo Alto is a tech-haven, Arcsine had to convert that energy into a design that is neither tech-forward nor too modern. To do this, the team focused on incorporating interlocking geometric patterns – a central element of Sheraton’s Regency Revival style – with globally influenced textures and an overall contemporary aesthetic.
The internet has made the world a smaller place, and it honored that through patterns and artwork that reflect a refined worldliness. A neutral color palette of taupe, walnut and creamy white is punctuated with highlights of brushed brass and occasional red-orange accents.
Brightening up
Throughout the hotel, Arcsine found opportunities to let in a little more of that California sunshine. Clerestory windows and a 20-foot glass pyramid skylight in the center of the lobby flood the space with natural light, now that the overbearing ficus tree that formerly occupied the space has been removed.
A brushed brass sculpture, chosen for its sense of movement, hangs below the skylight, serving as a vibrant focal point in the lobby. When the sun shines through at mid-day, the lobby
WEST COAST COOL
floor is flooded with a pattern of shadows that recall the intricate pattern work of the Spinneybeck laser-cut leather tiles installed behind the registration pods.
In the Cypress Ballroom, the largest meeting space within the hotel, the design team transformed the basement level room into a bright, welcoming meeting area. The old chandeliers were replaced with oversized, contemporary lighting fixtures made from iron-framed acrylic panels that give off more light.
Framed mirrors with a unique shape and white wallcoverings with a subtle, metallic ostrich print, also help with light reflectance. Similar interventions were made in the guestroom bathrooms, where lighting was used to make the room appear more spacious.
Each bathroom now has a custom light cove and sliding door within the shower, and
Because Sheraton is so iconic, it was important to balance the hotel brand’s signature style with an inspired California aesthetic.
an illuminated mirror above the vanity for an extra glow. All floor space and walls are tiled to give off an ever-extending illusion as well.
Blast from the past
In reference to the Sheraton Palo Alto’s origins, Arcsine was inspired by 1960’s California modernism. It felt charged with honoring the original architecture, which was clean and linear, with open lines and a meandering flow of space.
In the lobby, it refurbished an existing teak wood ceiling, one of the most modern elements left in the space. All of its color and pattern choices in the lobby honored the endless-summer feeling of the original wood. This continues in the bar, where brass accents on light wood are evocative of a vintage brass bar cart.
Renovations done in the 1980s introduced molding and arched doors into the
communal spaces – design details that really conflicted with earlier design. In the Cypress Ballroom, Arcsine faced an excess of dated elements, like molding on doors and recessed art niches. Rather than treating these designs as barriers, it integrated them into its own work.
The team painted the molding black to create dynamic contrast in an otherwise light space. It gave the recessed art niches its own update by repeating the dark molding motif and retexturing the interiors. It filled these spaces with sculptures and objets d’art that combine contemporary aesthetics with an old world simplicity, and opted for mirrors where there would otherwise be wall art.
Molding Sheraton
Because Sheraton is so iconic, it was important to balance the hotel brand’s signature style with an inspired California aesthetic. The formerly long and boxy reception desk was replaced with two Sheraton-designed registration pods that create an intimate hospitality experience.
While Sheraton typically uses a deeper color palette rich in mahogany, Arcsine primarily used walnut, reminiscent of the
mid-century architecture. It took the hotel brand’s standard design and lightened up the palette to match the sunny Palo Alto locale.
For the lobby, the team worked with Couristan to develop custom area rugs that incorporate the Sheraton brand signature of interlocking geometry. The emphasis on pattern was the conceptual driver behind the selection of the custom laser-cut Spinneybeck leather tiles featured as a focal wall behind the registration pods.
The custom painted wood screens that define seating areas within the lobby showcase a repeating pattern created based on Frederick Law Olmsted’s master plan for Stanford’s campus that was then fabricated by Fairmont Designs. These screens are the ultimate example of Sheraton meets Stanford.
The final design for the Sheraton Palo Alto is a sophisticated update of iconic modern architecture. As university affiliates and venture capitalists filter through with an eye on the future, Arcsine hopes its hospitality experience will give a little taste of modernity combined with the comfort of the classic Sheraton experience. CCR
Daniel Scovill is co-founder and principal of Oakland, Calif.-based architectural and design firm Arcsine. Brooke Taylor, is director of interiors.
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Building your business within the commercial construction sector for 2017
By Ron Treister
IIt’s very possible to do
f you’re a business owner/manager and work within the commercial construction arena, chances are at times you’ve felt like the mythological King Sisyphus.
Remember him? He was punished by the Greek gods. He was forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it come back to hit him, repeating this action for eternity. Not ironically, ever since those ancient times, tasks that are both laborious and futile have been described as “Sisyphean.”
Quite honestly, it’s not always good to be King.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t build your business. After all, if you’re the king or a top-ranking officer, it’s paramount that if you fall down, the best thing to do is get up and keep moving toward your goals.
I know that sounds a bit cliché-ish. But if you have a program from which to work off, a strategically posed business growth plan, I don’t think you need a magic wand to build your business. Just some patience, a strong dose of optimism and, a firm commitment that once your plan is crafted, you’ll stick to it.
From a discipline standpoint, having and sticking to a business plan really is no different than committing to get your tired old body back in shape. You put together (or have someone put together for you) a workout program, and then stick to it religiously. No pain, no gain, and after you get used to the routine, you see results. Your business-building plan can work just as easily.
To begin, you must:
• Know what you strengths (and weaknesses) are. Be honest.
• Ask yourself, “What is a reasonable sales growth goal for my firm?”
• Step out of your ego. Just because you don’t like your competition, don’t be in denial if they’re beating you in certain areas.
• Never hate your competition. Be civil regarding them, especially if you ever rub elbows. You might even be able to find out more than you’d ever realize. Remember what Don Corleone said?
“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
• Include your management team in the development of this plan. Their input will prove to be invaluable.
• Make sure once your plan is in place that you share it with your people. Get them excited about being part of it, especially your sales team.
• There’s no reason not to keep using old school tools to promote your business, especially if they’ve successfully worked over the years. But to be afraid to learn about/implement the newer online promotional tools is insane. If you’re over 55 and set in your ways, be smart enough to bring in younger employees who aren’t. It’s even smarter if you jump into the 21st Century and learn/understand these disciplines.
• It is imperative to have personnel with a strong understanding of today’s social media and how it can be used to positively
BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS
build your image, reach prospects and educate your targets regarding why they need you.
Let’s talk about focus. What kind of growth are you looking for? The easiest is to stay where you are, work hard to maintain all your existing customers, and then just raise your prices across the board by a certain percentage. Now, that sounds pretty basic, and it can make sense. But would your incumbent regular customer base stay with you, were you to announce a 10 percent price increase, especially for the upcoming New Year?
From a realistic standpoint, growth sometimes can be gauged based upon internal need. For example, if you’re maxed out, if all of your team members are working more hours than ever to accommodate your clientele, then obviously, you need more bodies.
But don’t just bring in new hires as a Band-Aid due to having more work than workers. Rather, bring in people who not only can help you meet the demands of your everyday business – ones who
• If you’re big enough and want to project your organizational structure, possibly via a flow chart showing hierarchy of positions/roles, do it.
• Go into detail regarding company goals and the financial projections needed to attain these. It’s best to be conservative.
• In great detail, outline your product/service offerings. With your staff, go over each component that you “sell” to your customers. Be open and honest. Are each of these offerings as good as they could be? If not, how can they be improved.
• Make sure you have an ironclad HR program in place for existing personnel and those to be added. If your firm is large enough to have a dedicated HR person/department, look at that as a great insurance policy for your firm.
• Make a listing of all the challenges you envision in the upcoming year. Of course, this will change, but by realistically forecasting what you very well may confront, eye-opening business surprises during the year will be dealt with more effectively.
Make sure once your plan is in place that you share it with your people. Get them excited about being part of it, especially your sales team.
will free up fellow workers. Allow them the time to focus on bringing in new business, rather than just slaving to maintain what you already have. After all, it will soon be 2017. Everybody wears more than one business hat these days.
Do you want to grow what you already have and branch out in other directions? Or, maybe you are thinking about growth by acquisition? Maybe you just want to grow your business, so that it can go on the sales block? In other words, build it to sell it.
On your mark, get set, grow...
Once you decide the direction to grow your business, go online and look for some of the commercial construction economic reports, which often readily are available. I’ve read many.
Perhaps the best annual commercial construction preview in my estimation comes from the Gilbane Company. It’s professionally done, unselfish and very much on target. Obviously, knowing your marketplace well is a necessity.
To structure your plan, there are many basic protocols. Here’s an outline of one.
• Start out with your company’s mission statement.
• Every construction firm has a certain company culture. State yours here.
• Clearly, know all the laws to which your firm must abide. As business owners and managers, you’ve all been hit once or twice by some regulation (taxes, zoning, etc.)
• Embark on a cogent marketing program. And to do so, think about working with a professional marketing firm offering a strong track record within the industries you target. Even though so many firms want to go “in-house,” which in many cases makes sense economically, determine if you’ll get the best talent that way. Or, should your company partner with an outside firm? This marketing program should be put together in great detail. It can and should include participation in networking events, utilizing social media, ongoing content development, advertising, public relations, community outreach services, an ongoing protocol for targeting potential customers… and, so much more. Included also should be a review how to best support your sales team with the best marketing tools and customer services.
• Make a strong effort to make your plan flexible, so you may adjust to the many business variables to be encountered.
Let’s face it – 2017 will be upon us in a few months. Some people believe an “election year” is a guarantee of business increases. Whether or not that is valid, I cannot answer. I can state, however, that if a company puts together a convincing business plan, remains patient and optimistic, good things will happen. The best indicator I’ve seen these last few months is the amount of cranes at construction sites in larger cities. If you do it the right way, business can and will grow. Unlike King Sisyphus, you indeed can be King of your own domain.CCR
Ron Treister is President/Founder of Communicators International, Inc., a marketing communications firm headquartered in Jupiter, Florida. For three decades, his firm has worked with major accounts focusing on the commercial construction sector. He may be reached at: rlt@communicatorsintl.com
Kitchens Kitchens
Carl Howard CEO, Fazoli’s
By Michael J. Pallerino
The real deal How Fazoli’s is changing the Italian dining experience
D
othan (Ala.). Snellville (Ga.). Harzard (Ken.). McAllen (Texas). Sioux Falls (S.D.). Chicago. Memphis. The list of cities is growing for the Fazoli’s brand. Thanks to a solid year, and some record-setting months, the Italian restaurant chain continues to attract high quality franchisees in the highly competitive fast casual market.
As the brand charges forward, it continues to implement key changes to further its position, including new delivery and catering options, an upgraded menu with premium ingredients to meet the growing consumer demand for high quality and innovative menu items.
The strategic changes comes on the heels of significant growth for Fazoli’s, including 13 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth – with franchisees boasting a 5.1 percent year-over-year same-store sales increase in July. And, as part of the brand refresh earlier this year, Fazoli’s continues to remodel some of its locations with a new, contemporary look and feel as it targets new markets for expansion.
To get a feel for where the Fazoli’s brand is heading in 2017 and beyond, Commercial Kitchens sat down with CEO Carl Howard.
Give us a snapshot of the Fazoli’s brand?
Fazoli’s is America’s largest fast casual Italian chain with nearly 220 restaurants in 24 states. The company stands out in the marketplace as a brand that offers a real Italian dining experience for hardworking people who want a break from ordinary fast food, but without spending more. At Fazoli’s, we pride ourselves on empowering togetherness for friends and family through fresh food and a welcoming atmosphere.
What type of consumer are you targeting?
We’re targeting those customers who understand great tasting food at a great value. Our guests, no matter their age, are savvy in more ways than one, especially when it comes to spending their hardearned money on dining out. Over the years, we’ve learned that understanding our target consumer’s behavior and values is essential for attracting and retaining more loyal customers.
Talk about your growth strategy.
Over the last two years, we’ve brought in new executives and created new positions within our franchise sales team to support the brand’s evolution and drive future growth. As part of our national expansion plans, Fazoli’s is targeting new markets, including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Knoxville (Tenn.), Phoenix, Pittsburgh, and other cities. We aim to open 20 new locations nationwide over the next two years.
What characteristics stood out about the areas you are targeting?
Our growth strategy is focused on neighboring, suburban markets and rural areas where we currently have strong-performing restaurants. We have also seen great success in returning to former markets where Fazoli’s once had a presence. Most recently, we made our return to Warner Robins, Ga., after nearly two decades. The response has been fantastic. That’s the kind of lasting impression Fazoli’s has on its guests. Not many brands can make that claim. In addition to extensive market research, our team utilizes the Buxton real estate forecasting model to provide us with the most accurate consumer data and predictive modeling to identify the right communities and areas to build our stores.
We’re positioned to drive future growth by delivering exactly what our customers want, which is great tasting food at a great value.
What do you look for in franchisees?
Fazoli’s requires franchisees have minimum liquid assets of $250,000 per unit and an investment capability of $750,000 per unit. Franchisee should also have hands-on restaurant experience, preferably with multi-unit operations. Through our extensive training program, franchise owners have the support to develop and grow their business. Personal integrity is also important to the Fazoli’s franchise relationship. As long-term partners, our brand seeks individuals who share our core corporate values and our people-focused, companywide culture.
Walk us through your construction and design strategy.
As part of Fazoli’s brand refresh, earlier this year, we began remodeling some of our locations with an exterior redesign and an interior refresh with a new, contemporary look and feel. The new prototype features a distinctive 35-foot tower and improved lighting for enhanced street appeal and increased visibility at night. It also features a versatile color scheme to give the brand
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a fresh, modern look. Elements of this new prototype design will be used in new non-traditional, in-line and end-cap units.
Talk about the new, contemporary
look and feel.
While a few of our restaurants have received an interior refresh that showcases a warm, friendly environment with an attractive color palette, now, we’re working on a complete, modern redesign of the inside of our restaurants. This includes incorporating
franchisees. We always keep our franchisees, their employees and guests top of mind when it comes to anything we do for the brand. Over the past year, under our new private equity firm Sentinel Capital Partners, we have been able to reinvest in the business in order to take Fazoli’s to the next level and promote future growth. We have made great strides to enhance the brand over the last eight years since I first joined the company. It certainly continues to be a work in progress.
a Wi-Fi bar with free wireless access and electrical outlets, in addition to a variety of floor plans with tables of varied heights and sizes to accommodate any group’s size or needs, ranging from solo diners to larger parties. Right now, we offer only one form of seating, which includes booths and tables, so the interior redesign will truly be an upscale revamp for our brand. We’re also looking into integrating in-store kiosks and a special area for catering. The first restaurant to offer the new redesign will open in April 2017, and an additional nine locations are set to be completed by the end of next year.
How did that come about?
The new prototype was created to appeal to both a new generation of diners and long-time customers, as well as potential
Today’s guests have higher standards and expectations when it comes to dining, but they don’t necessarily want to pay more for it.
What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business today?
We are constantly battling inflation costs. When budgets are already tight, one fluctuation can wreak havoc on a project.
Talk about sustainability. What are you doing?
We’ve replaced plastic ware with real dishes and silverware, so that everything is washed and reused. Not only has this elevated our dining experience, even more importantly, it has also helped us to drastically reduce waste across all of our restaurants.
What do you see as some of your biggest opportunities moving ahead?
As we look ahead, one of our greatest opportunities is to build the brand’s national presence. Fazoli’s has experienced strong growth with 13 consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales. Our franchisees are experiencing nearly three times the industry average growth rate, with new franchised restaurants setting company-wide records. We also recently launched an enhanced catering program initiative with new menu items, in addition to a catering hotline and catering sales captains at our corporate restaurants. We are planning a franchise rollout in the second quarter of 2017, and this additional revenue stream will drive even greater business for our franchisees.
Are you optimistic about what you see in the restaurant sector?
We’ve never been so confident about the future of Fazoli’s. We’re positioned to drive future growth by delivering exactly what our customers want, which is great tasting food at a great value.
What trends are you seeing out there today?
Technology has profoundly changed the restaurant industry and dining experience like never before, and we’re continuing to see rapid advancements in foodservice technology. This is largely due in part to changing consumer expectations and behaviors. As consumers become more educated, they are able to voice their needs and be heard by companies on a variety of platforms. They want their food the way they want it, when they want it and how they want it. Their demands are truly shaping the future of the restaurant industry.
What is the secret to creating a “must visit” restaurant in today’s competitive landscape?
The secret is listening to the customer and giving them the opportunity to interact with
THE REAL DEAL
the brand the want they want to, whether that’s at the drive-thru, in the dining room or through online ordering and catering. Nowadays, guests want better control over their dining experience. At Fazoli’s, we are known for making them feel valued and welcome, while always being mindful of their limited time and needs. This will not only improve the guest experience, but also help build better customer relationships for the long haul.
What is today’s consumer looking for?
Given the amount of information that’s readily available to today’s consumers, they are now seeking more transparency with food sourcing and safety. That’s the direction Fazoli’s is heading toward in order to make sure we eliminate any artificial ingredients from our menu.
What makes Fazoli’s top their list?
At Fazoli’s, we’ve built a strong reputation for serving fresh, quality food and warm hospitality at a great value, which allows us to stand out in the industry. Aside from our craveable menu variety and freshly baked, famous breadsticks, our table service creates a strong differentiator between us and the competition. These little touches further help our brand stand out.
What’s the biggest item on your to-do list right now?
Aside from driving our key initiatives, I’m currently focused on putting the finishing touches on the newly, enhanced prototype design, so that we can deliver the Fazoli’s of the future and drive results for our corporate and franchised locations.
Describe a typical day.
There really is no such thing as a typical day when you’re leading America’s largest fast casual Italian chain. My morning starts off by reviewing sales reports for our corporate and franchised locations to make sure we’re on track with traffic and Per Person Expenditure. We’re always in the pursuit of excellence and aim to deliver our very best in everything we do. There is something different to tackle each and every day, but the end goal is to make sure that we deliver on our key initiatives.
Tell us what makes the Fazoli’s brand so unique?
Today’s guests have higher standards and expectations when it comes to dining, but they don’t necessarily want to pay more for it. There aren’t any restaurant concepts of our size and volume in the fast casual industry that delivers what we do at our price point. From our fresh, quality ingredients to our level of table service, Fazoli’s has raised the bar on so many levels. It’s something that we’re very proud of. CK
One-on-One with...
» Carl Howard CEO, Fazoli’s
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Being able to donate my time through our national partnership with Feed the Children. It’s a cause that’s very close to my heart.
What was the best advice you ever received?
From Ken Cole, former CEO of Damon’s: “Carl you need to have high standards and fully commit to you career for a period of time if you are going to rise through the ranks.”
The person who fully commits to greatness and can keep a great attitude will rapidly advance in one’s career. I tell people all the time hard work and a great attitude will take you a long way.
What’s the best thing a client ever said to you?
The best thing franchisees can say to me is that they are happy with the performance of the company and their investment. Right now, we have very happy franchisees and my goal is to keep it that way for a very long time.
Name the three strongest traits any leader should have.
Leaders should be unintimidating coaches. They should recognize they have made it to the corner office that some of their employees dream about. So be humble, don’t be a jerk, and try and help people learn so they can go farther.
How do you like to spend your down time?
Ninety-five percent of my free time goes to my family. I love spending time with my wife, Rocchina, and my in-laws, who were both very instrumental in my career. I also enjoy like to spending time with my high school friends, our two dogs (Myles and Beckett) and our horses.
What is your favorite pasta dish?
It is actually our baked spaghetti with sausage and spicy Calabrian pepper sauce. It’s so yummy.
By Kirk Durchholz
All aboard Penn Station East Coast Subs debuts restaurant redesign
Penn Station East Coast Subs isn’t a brand that changes often. Its fresh grilled sandwiches don’t need changing, and the fast casual restaurant’s operational flow has stayed the same to make sure consumers can watch as their sandwich is grilled to order. This has been a key differentiator for Penn Station among other sandwich restaurants.
As government restrictions have changed, the walls around the kitchen started to rise, blocking one of Penn Station’s key restaurant design features – the open kitchen. Using that as a catalyst, Penn Station decided to refresh the entire restaurant design and reopen the kitchen so consumers can see how Penn Station is different from other sandwich brands.
When a supplier discontinued one of the main aspects of Penn Station’s restaurants, the hood over the grill, the construction and leadership teams started a discussion about what else could be updated in the restaurants, especially if it lowered construction costs for franchisees.
The aesthetics of the stores have changed slightly over the years, but this redesign was planned to be more profoundly different than previous modifications to resonate more with customers. The team took the discontinuation of the hood as an opportunity to create something new that showcases where the brand is heading and better serves customers.
Penn Station didn’t want to change the way it makes sandwiches or the way customers order, so the goal was to update the design while maintaining the customer flow. Penn Station knew it wanted to open the kitchen and cook line so it was even more visible to the customer and create an overall lighter, more open restaurant.
While these changes needed to be smart, they also had to maintain brand recognition and stay consistent with the old restaurant design.
Most important, Penn Station wanted to accomplish these design goals without increasing construction costs. As with everything Penn Station does, return on investment (ROI) and profitability for its franchisees were top of mind when redesigning the restaurants.
During the redesign process, Penn Station looked at every single aspect of the store, reviewing tile samples, tabletops, paint colors, and more. Penn Station worked with suppliers, which also came up with ideas and created sample boards. The team would even mock up sections of the restaurant in the corporate office so they could see how the finished product would look all together at full scale.
Features of the new design
The older Penn Station restaurant design featured visible duct work, monochromatic, earth
All aspects of Penn Station’s new design stay true to the original branding and template while updating the look to be more palatable for today’s customers.
tone colors and food photography on the walls. The walls previously were covered with dark wallpaper, and the cooking line featured a copper canopy structure on the ceiling.
The new design was created for aesthetics first – to be lighter and more open – all while reducing costs wherever possible. Penn Station dropped the ceiling to hide the duct work, using a light gray ceiling tile to make the restaurant feel open and bright, while also saving money on construction.
On the walls, Penn Station switched to gray paint, which is brighter and easier to maintain than the previous wallpaper. Reducing the amount of art on the walls also helped open the space up and update the look.
Since most of its competition doesn’t grill food to order, Penn Station wanted to make the grill a focal point of the new design. The old copper canopy hood was replaced with a new stainless steel hood, which is easier to clean and maintain. It protrudes out, so people are better able to see the hood, reminding them that their food is about to
be freshly grilled in the restaurant. It added a soffit above it that allowed it to put the logo on the wall to reinforce branding.
One of the most important parts of the original and the new Penn Station restaurant design is the open kitchen. Penn Station always has wanted customers to watch as their sandwiches are freshly grilled and assembled. Stricter health codes were requiring Penn Station to continue to raise the wall in front of the cook line, limiting the view into the kitchen.
Penn Station addressed this in the new design by installing a three-foot wall with a clear sneeze guard on top of it that meets health codes and allows customers to see their sandwiches as they are grilled.
Penn Station also looked at the durability of its products when redesigning the restaurant. For example, compared to wallpaper, paint is low maintenance, long lasting and easy to fix if necessary, making it more cost-effective for franchisees. Penn Station also added wood planking to the bottom half of the walls in a brick pattern. The more cost effective planking will protect the drywall from chairs or table being moved.
Since most of its competition doesn’t grill food to order, Penn Station wanted to make the grill a focal point of the new design.
To accomplish that, Penn Station changed from fluorescent to LED to add more light to the restaurant. Penn Station chose a 12x18 gray porcelain tile for the floor – a change from a 12x12 beige tile in the old design – to help brighten the store. The tile has the highest rated coefficient for friction – well above what codes require.
Once the new features like flooring and paint color were chosen, Penn Station had to review older items like furniture. Previously, the restaurants featured coral upholstery for the booth seats and chairs. It was clear that the coral would clash in the new color scheme, so Penn Station changed the upholstery to black. Coral wasn’t incorporated in the brand’s new logo and customers didn’t associate it with Penn Station, so the new color scheme is focused on scarlet red and dark gray.
Implementing the new design
While the new design was based on updating and brightening the look of the restaurants to appeal to consumer aesthetically, the function of every product put in the restaurant was critical. Penn Station looked at everything from flooring to light bulbs. It evaluated the luminosity of the light bulbs because it wanted the restaurants to be at least as bright or even brighter than before.
Once Penn Station had decided what the new restaurants should look like, it was time to get the suppliers, architects and engineers to implement the changes. The specs they created were compiled by Penn Station to create a new design template that is used as new restaurants are built and as older restaurants update their design.
All aspects of Penn Station’s new design stay true to the original branding and template while updating the look to be more palatable for today’s customers. Inspired by Penn Station’s streamlined new logo, the team created a design that was bright and fresh, while maintaining construction costs and using durable products.
Penn Station has received awards for its food – we were named the No. 1 sandwich brand by the "2015 Nation’s Restaurant News Consumer Picks" survey – and its franchising program – we were on the "QSR Best Franchise Deals" list and the Forbes "Best Franchises to Buy" list this year. The new restaurant design matches Penn Station’s success in food and franchising in the look and feel of the restaurant. CCR
Kirk Durchholz is VP of construction for Cincinnati-based Penn Station East Coast Subs, a fast-casual sandwich franchise with more than 300 locations in 15 states. For more information, visit www.penn-station.com.
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Historically W
cool
Spotlight shines on Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
By Jeff Alexander
hen President Obama gives the groundbreaking speech for a new project, you know it’s special. This past September, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), adjacent to the National Museum of American History and the Washington Monument, opened its doors to the public.
An important landmark for the nation, the Museum is built on the last available spot on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. To ensure the success of this prominent project, many partners were called together to work collaboratively during the design and construction phases. Each brought a different expertise to the project.
Three American architecture firms, The Freelon Group, architect of record and design team leader (and now part of global design firm Perkins+Will), Davis Brody Bond, with extensive experience in museum projects, and the local D.C.based firm SmithGroup, joined forces. Da -
An important landmark for the nation, the Museum is built on the last available spot on the National Mall in Washington D.C.
vid Adjaye, lead designer of London-based Adjaye Associates, was the last to join and brought an international design element to the project.
Together, they formed a group named ”Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup” (FABS). They worked cohesively to create a world-renowned museum that would accurately tell the story of the African American experience.
The museum, which encompasses 397,000-square-feet of space across 10 levels, houses exhibit galleries, administrative areas, theatre space and storage facilities for the collection, which includes approximately 33,000 pieces of artwork and historical objects. The
building design features three distinct elements: the shape and form of the corona (the three-tiered filigree envelope that wraps around the structure), the porch extension that merges the building into the surrounding landscape, and the bronze color of the corona that provides a distinctive look and strong presence on the National Mall.
Exploring the composition
The Corona – an iconic building form –pays homage to the nearby Washington Monument, closely matching the nearly 17-degree angle of the capstone, while using the Monument’s stones as a reference for the NMAAHC panel proportion and pattern. Reaching toward the sky, the bronze clad corona is said to expresses faith, hope and resiliency.
“The bronze colored plates and glass-panel façade that make up the Corona is a representation of traditional African
“This was a completely new way of installing panels, as the building is almost inside-out, with the glass on the inside and the ornamental structures, the metal panels, on the outside.”
architecture using modern materials and will visually define the museum,” says Matt Wurster, project manager for Clark Construction Group, one of the general contractors for the project.
The Porch is an outdoor room that bridges the gap between the interior and exterior of the building. This feature also unites the structure with its natural surroundings. The underside of the porch roof is tilted upward, allowing for a reflection of the moving water below. This covered area creates a microclimate where breezes combine with the cooling waters to generate a place of refuge from the hot summer sun.
With bronze colored panels covering the tiered exterior of the building, the Filigree's perforated patterns reference the history of African American craftsmanship. Each of the 3,600 customized, bronze-colored, cast-aluminum panels reflect the design of ironwork by
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HISTORICALLY COOL
enslaved craftsmen in Charleston, S.C., and New Orleans. The density of the pattern varies to control the amount of sunlight and transparency allowed into the interior, and the bronze color stands in stark contrast to the building’s marble and limestone neighbors.
The bronze wash of the metal panels was a monumental component of the design. Lead project manager Zena Howard AIA of Perkins+Will says the color choice was discussed over the course of many years with all parties involved in the design process. Ultimately, bronze was selected as the team determined it would remain “an enduring and permanent color that would command respect for the building and the exhibits housed inside.”
Once the final color idea was identified, the new challenge of obtaining the perfect hue began. Three custom shades, African Sunset, African Sunrise and African Rose, and one standard shade of Black Valspar Fluropon coating were used on these massive aluminum panels, each weighing around 200 pounds and stretching 4 feet by 5 feet.
“The color-matching period lasted for more than 18 months because we were looking for depth even more than just color since the panels were so intricate and unique,” says Del Stephens, president and CEO of Dura Industries, who served as the project’s metal panel applicators.
Each panel that was custom cast by Morel Industries was finished with five different coating layers, each a different color of the Fluropon coating, to achieve the exact bronze shade desired by the design team. Eventually, the final color was created and earned the name of “Artisan 3.5.”
The individual coatings needed to hold their color across every layer on the panels, as each new additional color is built off of the last to create the final shade. Valspar’s Fluropon was the best product for this complicated job due to its durability and color retention, which will help showcase the vivid color for many years.
Extensive testing was done during the coating application process due to the sheer size of the panels, and because of the
“The colormatching period lasted for more than 18 months because we were looking for depth even more than just color since the panels were so intricate and unique.”
– Del Stephens, President & CEO, Dura Industries
CIRCLE
intricate design already cut into each piece. The coating was applied entirely by hand from the team at Dura Industries and each color layer was carefully inspected to make sure every part of the coating process was on track.
The question arose as to whether or not this process could be replicated for the 3,600 panels, and Dura Industries answered with a resounding yes. The team worked furiously to finish the panels in an identical fashion and ship them from the workstation in Portland to the project site in Washington, D.C.
After a bit of back and forth, the panels and their many layers of custom colors were approved and were deemed ready for installation. “What we ended up with gave us the look of real bronze, a luminous feeling that created a dynamic and beautiful façade,” Howard says.
The first panels went up in April of 2015, and the build process moved forward rapidly over the ensuing months.
“The installation process went very smoothly,” says Marty Antos, project manager at Northstar Contracting, which oversaw
the installation process, despite the unusualness of the project. “This was a completely new way of installing panels, as the building is almost inside-out, with the glass on the inside and the ornamental structures, the metal panels, on the outside.”
Antos says the panels were installed within six weeks on the project site, but the assembly process took a bit longer, spanning more than one year due to the amount of materials coming to Cleveland from across the nation, including castings from Seattle, steel frames from New Jersey and aluminum extrusions from Missouri.
The filigree is an eye-catching adornment that both draws visitors in and sets the stage for the rest of the guest’s journey throughout the museum. It combines polish, artistry, creativity and persistence, just like the art, history and culture memorialized within the building.
The museum itself is a work of art, one that stands out among the historic structures to its left and right, and will act as a physical representation of the historical past of African Americans. CCR
Jeff Alexander is VP of Sales for the Coil and Extrusion division at Valspar.
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Sand being pumped onto Coney Island Beach, New York.
Credit: Public Affairs, New York District.
Messages in the sand Learning in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
By JoAnne Castagna
Days after Hurricane Sandy hit the Atlantic Coast of the United States in 2012, coastal engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, were walking the beaches to see the damages.
One of them was on a New Jersey beach, where the team was stunned to see a house completely demolished nearby a house that looked like it was barely touched by Sandy's force.
Why? It's because the house still standing was on a beach that previously received beach nourishment and dunes from the Army Corps. Other projects the Army Corps visited sent the same message. Beach nourishment and dunes are extremely important to reducing coastal damages after storms and hurricanes.
Sand replenishment work taking place on Sea Bright to Manasquan, New Jersey. Credit: USACE.
CIRCLE NO. 58
In fact, post-Sandy analysis shows that the Army Corps’ beach nourishment projects in the states of New York and New Jersey saved an estimated $1.3 billion in avoided damages. Now the Army Corps is taking these findings to improve future beach nourishment projects.
New York District’s coastal mission
The Army Corps’ New York District is responsible for the coasts along New York City, Long Island, New York and the New Jersey coast as far south as Manasquan. In addition, it’s responsible for the portions of the Passaic River, Rahway River, South River, and the Raritan and Sandy Hook Bayshore that are effected by the coastal tides.
“The forces of Hurricane Sandy eroded approximately six million cubic yards of sand from the coasts of New York and New Jersey, where the District has responsibility,” says Anthony Ciorra, senior program manager, New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Ciorra says that some of the projects that were replenished in New York include Coney Island Beach, Rockaway Beach, Gilgo Beach, West of Shinnecock and Westhampton Beach. In New Jersey, Sea Bright to Manasquan and Keansburg were replenished.
A sand replenished beach with dunes can prevent elevated ocean waters, due to storms, from inundating coastal communities.
Not only does the Army Corps protect habitats, but as a result of sand nourishment may help create them.
The Army Corps has replenished these coasts with approximately 15 million cubic yards of sand, which is enough to fill three MetLife Stadiums, a football arena located in New Jersey.
Beaches lose their sand over time due to wave action and longshore currents. When hurricanes and coastal storms occur, like Hurricane Sandy, the fierce breaking waves and elevated water levels can change the width and elevation of beaches and accelerate erosion.
Communities are vulnerable to damages from hurricanes and coastal storms if their beaches are eroded. In addition, wildlife that relies on the beach as a habitat also is at risk. So it’s important to replace this sand.
Beach nourishment process
During a beach nourishment project, large volumes of beach-quality sand – called beachfill – are added from outside sources to restore an eroding beach.
Sand replenishment work taking place on Coney Island Beach, New York. Credit: USACE.
“The Army Corps tries to match the sand to the native sand of the beach that is being nourished,” Ciorra says. “This is done for environmental habitat consistency, to be in balance with the forces of waves, tides and currents and for the community beachgoer experience.”
Usually, ocean dredges gather sand from offshore sand borrow areas and pump it through pipelines onto the beach. Sometimes, it is more cost effective to transport the sand using trucks from quarries if the project needs a small quantity of sand.
The sand can be placed in different areas of a beach depending on the project design. Sand can be placed to increase the height and width of a berm of the beach. The berm is a flat area of the beach between the landward shore and the ocean where beach goers typically sun bathe.
The sand also can be placed offshore in an underwater berm or stockpiled on a feeder beach where the sand naturally can distribute to other parts of the project. The sand also can be used to create sand dunes.
Sand dunes are areas of the beach where sand is elevated several feet to act as a buffer between the waves and storm water levels and the structures landward of the beach. Determining whether dunes are needed has become a more pressing question in the last few years, especially after Hurricane Sandy.
Constructing a dune has to be necessary and cost effective. “For example, one project area had a high backshore elevation.” Ciorra says. “In this case, a dune is not necessary if the land behind the beach is over 18 feet above sea level. And in another project, the
beach already had a seawall that was over 21 feet above sea level, which acted as a de-facto more permanent dune.”
If it’s determined that a dune is necessary, the dune’s sand volume itself isn’t very costly, but how a dune is situated on a beach berm can make it a more costly project. Creating dunes pushes out the beach berm more oceanward because of the footprint of a dune.
If a berm is 75 feet or 100 feet wide, and a dune is created that has a footprint of 50 feet wide, this will reduce the size of a berm. It then will be necessary to add sand to that berm to increase its full design width.
Additional structures may be constructed to help maintain the beach nourishment work. For example, groins are designed to retain sediment moving along the shore and help maintain the wide beaches by minimizing or slowing down erosion. Groins are shoreline structure that are perpendicular to the beach that are made of large boulders, concrete, steel or wood.
After a beach has been nourished with sand and dunes, work on the beach doesn’t end. Sand on beaches naturally erodes, and because of this, beaches need to be replenished with sand every few years, depending on the location.
Keeping the environment in mind
The Army Corps has many environmental restrictions that determine when it can perform this work. When beach nourishment and replenishment takes place depends on the environment of the area.
Sand replenishment work taking place on Rockaway Beach, New York. Credit: USACE.
Ovation Franklin, Tennessee
The Forum Norcross, Georgia
Wade Park Frisco, Texas Avalon Alpharetta, Georgia
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Atlanta | Jacksonville | Orlando | Dallas | Shanghai | Panama
Avalon - Alpharetta, GA
The Battery - Atlanta, GA
Town Center at Atlantic Station - Atlanta, GA
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Avalon - Alpharetta, GA
The Battery - Atlanta, GA
Town Center at Atlantic Station - Atlanta, GA
Wade Park - Frisco, TX
Beaches are prime wildlife habitats for birds, including Piping Plovers and Least Terns and plants like the Seabeach Amaranth. If there is a beach that doesn’t have these species, sand can be placed there anytime. Once beaches become habitats for these species, the typical season for dredging and pumping sand onto beaches is approximately from September through March when these species are not present on the beach. This also is the safest time of the year for dredges to be out in the ocean because there is less threat of hurricanes and high waves.
When the dredging takes place, the dredge workers also take measures to protect the environment. Most dredges are equipped with Whale, Seal and Sturgeon monitors and deflectors to prevent sea turtles from getting caught in the dredge equipment.
Not only does the Army Corps protect habitats, but as a result of sand nourishment may help create them. By restoring degraded beaches, habitats return to them.
Post Sandy beach nourishment findings
After Hurricane Sandy, the Army Corps examined its beach nourishment projects across the northeast United States, many of which faced the greatest intensity of the hurricane.
It performed an analysis along the northeast that identified what beach nourishment projects were more effective in reducing storm risk to the shore communities, and the analysis showed that beach nourishment and dunes were important in some areas.
“The beaches that had previously received beach nourishment and dune construction sustained less damages and saved an estimated $1.3 billion in avoided damages along the New York District’s shorelines,” Ciorra says.
“The Army Corps tries very hard to not make the beaches different, just larger with higher dunes.” –Lynn Bocamazo, senior coastal engineer & chief of the New York District’s Engineering Division’s Hurricane Sandy Branch
“As a result, there was an estimated $494 million in avoided damages to houses and structures,” Ciorra says.
Another project was the Fire Island to Montauk Point – Westhampton Interim beach nourishment project on Long Island, New York.
Lynn Bocamazo, senior coastal engineer and chief of the New York District’s Engineering Division’s Hurricane Sandy Branch visited this beach after Hurricane Sandy and witnessed how the high dunes resulted in an estimated $107 million in avoided damages.
Bocamazo says the dunes have grown to different heights along the project area and the shorter dunes in one location were the only ones topped by water during Hurricane Sandy. This showed that a dune and beach fill project significantly acted as a protective barrier to the water, thus confirming the Army Corps designs.
She says the beaches that did not have beach nourishment and dunes prior to Hurricane Sandy experienced much more coastal damages. Some of these beaches sit right next to beaches that had been constructed and the comparison was striking.
Bocamazo also saw this in New Jersey. The Sandy Hook to Barnegat Project stood up well after Hurricane Sandy and resulted in an estimated $323 million in avoided damages.
Within the Sandy Hook to Barnegat Project is a three miles area in Deal to Loch Arbour, N.J., that never had beach nourishment where she saw one building completely demolished standing near a house that had minimal damage.
It was a similar situation in New York City at Rockaway Beach in the Borough of Queens, where it didn’t have dunes and was totally inundated with water.
With these findings, the Army Corps’ New York District is re-examining areas that originally didn’t include dunes.
Atlantic Hurricanes may occur every season, from June to November, but what is steadily occurring is sea level rise associated with climate change and the Army Corps believes that beach nourishment and dunes are an answer to dealing with this.
“Addressing this is straight forward, the dunes can be made higher each time sand replenishment is done on a beach,” Ciorra says. “The Army Corps performed a study and found out that it is cost effective to create a dune foundation now on a beach in anticipation of having to raise the dune in the future because of climate change.”
On the whole communities in the Northeast are well educated about beach nourishment, but there still are those who don’t understand the importance of the work and how ultimately it’s to help reduce damages to their property.
One of the beach nourishment projects that demonstrated a great reduction in damages was Coney Island Beach in the Borough of Brooklyn. The beach was designed to protect against storm surge and erosion. Hurricane Sandy’s surge pushed sand up and over the beach’s boardwalk, but the impacts behind the constructed project were minimal and this was due to the beach’s high elevation.
Bocamazo says some communities don’t want change. The Army Corps understands this and only does the work requested by a community. “The Army Corps tries very hard to not make the beaches different, just larger with higher dunes,” she says. “Waves and high water are going to come and hit the properties in your community. This will happen less often if you have a beach nourishment project.” 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. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/writer4usacenyc
Inside the web
By Charles R. Goulding, Michael Wilshere & Andrea Albanese
The R&D Tax Credit aspects of construction industry IoT
The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the dynamics of the construction industry in a major way. Recent advancements in remote monitoring provide increasingly detailed information about construction equipment, ongoing project details and the condition of finished projects.
Low cost sensors provide real-time data about truck locations and driver behavior, the condition of heavy equipment and deterioration in bridges, tunnels, roads and buildings. Managers are beginning to use the new wealth of data to manage inventory and reduce downtime which often is caused by lack of supplies and long lead times.
Meanwhile, wearable technology allows machines to identify the location of workers in order to avoid accidents and provide detailed visuals of construction sites. The advent of these smart capabilities is very exciting for modern construction companies. They should be aware of federal and state Research and Development Tax Credits that are available to stimulate innovation.
The Research & Development Tax Credit
Enacted in 1981, the Federal Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit allows a credit of up to 13 percent of eligible spending for new and improved products and processes. Qualified research must meet the following four criteria:
1. New or improved products, processes or software
2. Technological in nature
3. Elimination of uncertainty
4. Process of experimentation
Eligible costs include employee wages, cost of supplies, cost of testing, contract research expenses and costs associated with developing a patent. On Dec. 18, 2015, President Obama signed the bill making the R&D Tax Credit permanent. In 2016, the R&D credit
companies to schedule essential maintenance and parts replacements on a timely basis. It also saves additional diagnostic costs that can get quite significant when equipment has to be transported to garages and repair shops.
Inventory Management
Mangers are beginning to use data generated by IoT to manage inventory and reduce downtime which is often caused by a lack of supplies and long lead times. With the modern trend toward just in time inventory, this capability is becoming increasingly useful. IoT technology will alert managers when resources are getting low and reinforcements are needed.
Logistics ecosystems have many players and dynamic parts. Materials and inventory are transferred between manufacturers, suppliers, distribution centers, retailers, and consumers. These increasingly complex supply chains demand an agile and informed supply network that can keep inventory lean, fresh and versatile.
Enter the Internet of Things. By putting an RFID chip in a pallet or container, managers are be able to tap into a cloud network and identify the precise location of ingoing and outgoing materials, products and equipment. By allowing devices to talk to each other, IoT will help supply chain managers save fuel costs, manage warehouse stock, ensure temperature and environmental stability and identify supply chain inefficiencies.
IoT quickly is enabling an innovative concept known as a “smart building.” This technology allows buildings to be self-aware of their increasingly sophisticated dynamics.
was used to offset Alternative Minimum tax and startup businesses can utilize the credit against payroll taxes.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) allows machines to collect data and communicate it with humans, other devices, computers and analytical systems. The meaning of “things” includes everything and anything. In the construction industry, it includes buildings, ships, trucks, cranes, heavy equipment, containers, materials, workers, tools, pipes, vents and mechanical systems.
Equipment Monitoring & Repair
Equipment repairs represent one of the largest operating costs in the construction industry. Construction companies have large fleets of trucks and heavy duty equipment used to transport materials and other equipment. These assets must be in excellent running condition at all times. If they break down not only are the repairs costly, but work opportunities are lost due to downtime.
IoT can provide updates on the performance of the engine and other systems on a vehicle or piece of equipment. This enables
GPS Tracking
GPS fleet tracking applications assist construction companies in managing their fleets by providing a host of useful information to help maximize efficiency while reducing costs and increasing the quality of service. Monitoring a truck driver’s activity enables accurate time logging and monitoring of driving habits. These benefits can be uncovered by analyzing GPS data from across fleets and comparing it over both short long periods of time. This also helps construction companies comply with regulations, identify trends, increase safety, provide better route deliveries, and efficiently manage fuel costs.
Wearables
Wearing bright colors is not the only way construction companies use clothing to keep construction workers safe. Wearable technology has the potential to greatly reduce the risks of accidents at construction sites. Construction workers on-site can wear a helmet and vest with RFID, vitals monitoring, GPS sensors, and motion sensors so if heavy duty machinery gets too close, the wearable sensor can communicate with the machinery and order a halt command. A truck driver can be required to wear a wearable, which may come in the form of an activity band so drivers and management can be alerted if a driver is falling asleep and an alarm can be sounded.
Building Management
IoT quickly is enabling an innovative concept known as a “smart building.” This technology allows buildings to be self-aware of their increasingly sophisticated dynamics. That includes automated adjustments to ventilation, temperature control, lighting, water use, and overall energy saving techniques. Cloud based systems are capable of regulating a building automatically, which means reduced overhead involved with their day-to-day management.
Infrastructure
The roads, bridges and tunnels of the future will be intelligent, living and breathing organisms scattered with sensors that continuously communicate with robots, cars, trucks, and operations managers. Tunnels and bridges automatically will alert
IoT can provide updates on the performance of the engine and other systems on a vehicle or piece of equipment.
engineers to developing faults. Meanwhile, highways will be aware of exactly how many cars and trucks are traveling on them at any given moment. This will enable real time communication that will, for the first time, have information about traffic patterns, road hazards, and weather conditions approaching ahead.
The Internet of Things is changing the dynamics of the construction industry in a major way. Innovative technology solutions are now able to provide construction managers with a broad range of previously unavailable data that can be used to increase safety, reduce operating costs, and better identify deterioration and maintenance needs in construction projects. Federal and state R&D Tax Credits are available to help stimulate and support construction companies developing and integrate this technology. FC
Charles R. Goulding, attorney/CPA, is president of R&D Tax Savers, an interdisciplinary tax and engineering firm that specializes R&D tax credits. Andrea Albanese is a project manager and Michael Wilshere is a tax analyst with R&D.
Construction worker works alongside an excavator, a common practice in the industry
By Jon Dommisse
Open for business
Reflections on consumer restroom perceptions, facility design and proper maintenance
The condition of restrooms really do matter to consumers and businesses alike. Nobody wants to enter a messy, dirty, unstocked or non-working restroom. Unkempt laboratories tend to make restroom users feel let down, neglected and just plain grossed out.
Consequently, for commercial facilities, negative restroom appearances damage business reputations.
A national annual survey of Americans’ perceptions and beliefs regarding restrooms shows that whether people use a public restroom at a commercial facility, business or workplace, they have high expectations.
In fact, according to the survey conducted by Bradley Corp., the majority of consumers believe a poorly maintained restroom indicates bad management, lowers their opinion of the company, shows the business doesn’t care about customers, and makes them think the company is lazy or sloppy.
Despite their expectations for orderliness, it’s somewhat surprising that almost 70 percent of Americans reported experiencing unpleasant conditions in restrooms in 2015 – a 20 percent rise since 2012. In fact, when asked about the most important improvement they’d like to see in restrooms, respondents overwhelmingly said, “Clean them more regularly.”
On the facility management side of restrooms, today’s tight operations and maintenance budgets may leave less time and resources available to keep up with
About the survey
Bradley’s Healthy Hand Washing Survey queried 1,062 American adults online Dec. 10-13, 2015, about their hand washing habits in publict restrooms and concerns about germs, colds and the flu. Participants were from around the country, were 18 years and older, and were fairly evenly split between men and women (47 and 53 percent). For ore information, visit www. bradleycorp.com/handwashing.
cleaning and maintaining these areas. Even so, businesses that skimp on or ignore restroom conditions inadvertently are alienating their customers.
Maintenance priorities include regular cleaning, sanitization and stocking, with special attention to picking up garbage, keeping countertops, toilets and floors clean and dry, and using air-fresheners to maintain a pleasant-smelling environment.
Building materials can improve restroom conditions
In addition to regular cleaning and maintenance, there also are steps building owners can take during construction and renovation to optimize the condition of restrooms.
The look, function, efficiency and sustainability of today’s commercial restroom design continues to be bolstered by new technology, material and product design innovations. Designed with architects/ designers, building management/staff and consumers/restroom patrons in mind, next generation restroom materials and furnishings provide many features and benefits.
Countertops, lavatories, faucets, hand dryers, partitions, toilets, accessories – and even lighting and paint color – will optimize cleanliness, maintenance and convenience, while elevating the aesthetics of the washroom environment. Over the lifecycle of these high-performance fixtures and materials, they will lower operating costs due to less cleaning and replacements.
For example, restroom products now incorporate more sustainable materials, which are made of natural and recycled materials. Many are GREENGUARD-certified and can contribute to LEED credits. In addition to green benefits, sustainable materials can increase the durability, maintainability and life span of these products.
Newer sustainable materials for lavatories and basins include a molded natural quartz material that can be sculpted into a range of attractive design options. Natural quartz virtually is maintenance-free, since it does not require sealing, buffing or reconditioning like granite.
Solid surface material made of recycled materials and rapidly renewable material is also a popular sustainable choice. Solid surface resists stains, chemicals, scratches and heat, which reduces the likelihood of repairs and the need for replacements.
Top 10 list of public restroom aggravations
• Toilet paper dispenser empty or jammed (85 percent of survey respondents
• Partition doors that don’t latch closed (79 percent)
• Restroom’s overall appearance is old, dirty or unkempt (71 percent)
• Soap dispenser empty or jammed (69 percent)
• Towel dispenser empty or jammed (67 percent)
• Water collecting on the floor (60 percent)
• Hand dryer not working (56 percent)
• No place to put belongings (54 percent)
• Paper towels on floor (47 percent)
• Water collecting on sink counter (47 percent)
Source: Bradley Corp.’s Healthy Hand Washing Survey (conducted Dec. 2015)
Both natural quartz and solid surface utilize integrated bowl designs, which eliminate crevices for microbes to hide, are easy to clean and help prevent the spread of germs.
Addressing consumers dislike for touching restroom surfaces
Demonstrating Americans’ disdain of germs in specific public places, Bradley’s survey found that restaurants and health care facilities are the top places at which respondents are most concerned about somebody not washing their hands. It’s interesting to note that restaurants foster even more anxiety over hand washing and germs than a medical establishment. Other types of facilities mentioned in the survey – in order – are grocery stores, K-12 schools, airports, highway rest areas and offices.
Further, the survey also shows that people go to great lengths to avoid touching germs in public restrooms. Almost 60 percent admit to operating the toilet flusher with their foot, while 56 percent use a paper towel when touching the restroom door, 43 percent open and close doors with their hip and 39 percent use their elbows to avoid touching surfaces.
In addition to regular cleaning and maintenance, there also are steps building owners can take during construction and renovation to optimize the condition of restrooms.
In response to this aversion to touching restroom surfaces, facilities are using touch-free restroom fixtures to appease consumers and minimize germy touchpoints in commercial restrooms. In addition to reducing the transmission of germs and bacteria from users’ hands, touchless fixtures also can promote hygiene in the overall facility as users leave the restroom area and enter other parts of the building, while being user friendly and convenient to use.
Touchless fixtures also help staff keep restroom elements in good working condition. The “hands-free” design reduces wear and tear from usage, and helps deter vandalism attempts such as leaving a faucet running to overflow in the restroom. Sensored faucets prevent excess water spills with an automatic shut off.
Conserving water and paper cuts operating costs
Some of the newest hand washing fixtures incorporate hands-free infrared 0.38 gpm faucets that reduce water usage by 24 percent over 0.5 gpm faucets, and even more in buildings that use 1.0 gpm, or more. These high efficiency fixtures provide long-term operational and environmental benefits, saving thousands of gallons of water annually, and consume less hot water than traditional commercial faucets.
High-speed touchless hand dryers help promote hand-drying with the hygienic benefits, but without excess paper waste and expense, and extra maintenance. Newer models also are highly energy efficient, using 80 percent less electricity than other hand dryers, while drying hands in as little as 10-12 seconds.
Adding up the long-term investment
Utilizing high-performance restroom fixtures pays back over time. The water-, paper- and energy-saving features minimize operating costs, and the improved washing, hygiene and convenience aspects make a healthier restroom environment. Durable product materials require less upkeep and maintenance, saving costs on repairs and replacement parts, so staff can spend time on other duties.
In all, today’s commercial restroom design innovations promote lasting durability, efficiency, cleanliness – and customer satisfaction. CCR
Jon Dommisse is director of global marketing & strategic development for Bradley Corp. of Menomonee Falls, Wis., a USGBC member and manufacturer of locker room products, plumbing fixtures, washroom accessories, partitions and emergency fixtures. For more information, visit www.bradleycorp.com.
Being awe-inspired
By Grace Daly
Grace Daly is the founding host of ShopTalk360.com, the industry podcast show. With more than 20 years directing design, construction and facilities for national retail brands, Daly’s current role as interviewer, author and business coach celebrates the leaders in our industry she fondly refers to as her family. Please feel free to reach out to her at Grace@GraceDaly.com
Coming from our retail Industry, I love the fourth quarter and the holiday season. Over the past few years, I’ve made it a tradition to watch one of my favorite movies: “Elf.”
For those of you who may not be familiar with this whimsical comedy, basically it’s a story about Buddy (played by Will Ferrell), who was raised by elves and lived in the North Pole with Santa Claus. When Buddy finds out he’s a human and not an elf, he leaves the North Pole for the big city in search of his birth father.
I love this movie for many reasons. As a native New Yorker, the movie takes place in the heart of New York City. As a writer and author, the movie also runs along the sub storyline of a children’s book publishing company. As a mom, it has great wholesome family humor for everyone. And, finally of course, as a retailer, it captures the ever awe-inspiring retail visual merchandising during the holiday season.
Big box retailers are known for their elaborate displays and storefront windows dressed to the hilt with silver glitter, snow, animated characters and music projected out onto the street. These scenes are reminiscent of my childhood years.
Pressed up against the storefront glass of the flagship Macy’s on 34th Street, even at grade school age, I would study these detailed window scenes. I tried to figure out how they were constructed, how many people it took to build it and all the various materials, time and money involved. From a very young age, I think many of us industry folks can relate to that creative builder inside of us, examining something and deconstructing it in our minds.
Still, with all these reasons, what resonates with me the most in this movie is Will Ferrell’s character. It is evident in Buddy’s approach to everything. He’s open to exploring and looking with fresh new eyes. He’s open to learning and having fun. He’s not afraid to look silly or make a mistake. He brings an amusing curiosity into the busy business world, and a child-like wonder into the hustle and bustle of big city life.
This poses the question to me: How many of you still have this fun curiosity and sense of wonder in your day to day life?
Many of the folks I coach have forgotten this energy or have chosen to tuck it away in fear corporate cultures frown on such an approach. Many also are consumed with the past or worried for things in the future that have not yet happened or may never happen.
This type of stress easily can be adjusted by remembering this one simple key: Everything is manifested and grows from creativity, trial and discovery. Even during the most aggressive store opening programs or remodel rollouts in my decades of corporate America, we made time to play. We made it a game, a competition and it was fun.
Whether I’m interviewing someone for a podcast for the very first time, crafting questions for an upcoming panel event or developing a team-building workshop for my client, I infuse creativity, learning and fun in everything I do. This approach helps me along my entrepreneurial journey, gently reminding me to be selective with the people I work with – people who exude this same energy and value relationships.
When we’re enjoying ourselves, there is a sense of fulfillment. Like attracts like; and in this energy we are happier, we do better. Things just always seem to work out as people come to aid our purpose.
The exact opposite happens when we are tense, worried, feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. Like attracts like; and so when we are feeling down, more negative energies are immediately drawn to us.
As the holidays come and go, give yourself the gift of this awareness. In fact, consciously choose this awe-inspiring energy and see what other wonderful opportunities you will attract. The people, places and things you choose create the circumstances in your life. Ultimately, this creates your world, so choose to emanate and attract fulfillment and happiness. CCR
Nature knows best
By Michael Schumacher
How the use of natural stone can help you achieve your sustainability goals.
The sustainability movement is seemingly endless – as it should be. Sustainable living is part of a journey. All too often, the completion of a building or initiative is seen as a destination. The achievement of a LEED Certification or other designation should not be the coronation of your efforts.
Instead, this is just one more step on your path to a more sustainable, environmentally conscious future. American biologist Barry Commoner was decades ahead of the sustainability movement when he published “The Closing Circle” (1971), which included his “Four Laws of Ecology.” Within these profound principles he wrote: “Nature knows best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such change in a natural system is likely to be detrimental to that system.”
Mountain Valley Quartzitic Sandstone. Photo courtesy of Delta Stone Products.
NATURE KNOWS BEST
We have made great strides to improve our quality of life along with the state of our environment. In our pursuit of a more sustainable future, we have forgotten about some of the most fundamental and time-proven materials. As one of civilization’s primary building products, natural stone has proven its sustainable attributes for thousands of years. We see evidence of its long-term durability and performance in structures around the world.
It would be easy to think that a natural product like stone would be considered a sustainable building product. In today’s market, this time-proven staple of building and construction has to fight for its own voice to be heard. One of the largest forces behind natural stone’s challenge of market share is the increasing use of the word “stone” to market man-made, engineered products that actually are not stone, but products that imitate natural stone.
Because of their manufacturing process and contents, these products have a substantially higher Embodied Energy Coefficient. This speaks to the sum of all the energy that goes into the manufacture of a product. Comparative to other building materials commonly used today, natural stone has one of the lowest Embodied Energy Coefficients. This is an often overlooked, yet
extremely important attribute of any product that is to be considered sustainable.
One of the biggest challenges facing the specifying community and their clients today is selecting products and methods that truly align with green/sustainable practices. From a product standpoint, nearly every manufacturer has its own collection of pediments on which it builds its green marketing campaigns.
Since the appeal is in how you tell your story, the most credence is given to those companies and products that have gone through a third-party verification process.
As part of the natural stone industry’s commitment to the green building movement, the Natural Stone Council (NSC), a collaboration of stone businesses and trade associations, has worked closely with the National Center for Sustainability Standards, NSF International, to develop a new standard known as ANSI/NSC 373: Sustainable Production of Natural Dimension Stone and NSC Chain of Custody Standard.
The completed standard operates on a very similar platform to the LEED Certification process, the Green Label (carpets and adhesives), and Forest Stewardship Council (wood products). NSC 373 offers certifications for quarriers as well as fabricators within this standard. This helps to establish Cradle to Cradle reporting, which generates a Life Cycle Assessment.
In addition, the standard also evaluates Cradle to Gate, which speaks to a product’s social, economic and environmental impact as it moves from quarry to the project site.
Certifications are based upon a quarrier and/ or fabricator’s performance and metrics for improvement in the following categories:
• Water
• Transportation and chain of custody
• Site management
• Land reclamation
• Corporate governance
• Energy
• Management of excess process material and waste
• Safer chemical and materials management
• Human health and safety
• Innovation
Kenoran Sage and Cold Spring Black granite paving; Baltic Brown granite cladding. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Carrie Photography.
Agate, Carnelian, and Mesabi Black granite paving. Carnelian granite benches. Photo courtesy of Steve Maylone Photography.
NATURE KNOWS BEST
Similar to the LEED rating system, there is a combination of required and optional credits. An organization’s pursuit of elective, enhanced or innovation performance credits are what determine their level of certification – Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
The new certification tracts that are available in LEED v4 speak to the U.S. Green Building Council’s commitment to the use of sustainable practices in the design community. Two primary certification programs related to the commercial market are LEED Building Design and Construction (BD+C) and LEED Interior Design and Construction. These certifications concentrate specifically on new construction or major renovations of schools, retail, hospitality, data centers, warehouses and distribution centers, and healthcare facilities.
The natural stone industry has paved the way to a greater understanding of how everyone can work together to achieve our common goal of a better tomorrow.
LEED Operations and Maintenance (O+M) focuses on enhancing the performance of existing buildings. It can take up to 80 years to make up for the environmental impact of raising a structure and building a new one. Many of today’s efficiencies can be achieved through the incorporation of new technology and the use of more sustainable materials.
The majority of the architectural community has been using LEED v4 as the basis of their designs. They will be looking to use products that align with the new prerequisites and credits. The addition of the NSC 373 certification process works to affirm
natural stone’s place within the sustainable building market.
In an effort to help the specifying community gain a better understanding of natural stone’s role in today’s sustainable building market, MIA+BSI has developed an online course explaining NSC 373. This session has been recognized by the AIA, LACES, IDCEC (ASID, IIDA, and IDC) for continuing education credit. Knowledge obtained from the course can be self-reported to the GBCI and LFA to obtain LEED credential maintenance credits.
MIA+BSI provide resources for the specifying communities on the use and installation of natural stone. Visit the Use Natural Stone website (www.usenaturalstone. com) and add the NSC 373 course to your ongoing education efforts (www.naturalstoneinstitute.org/sustainabilityceu).
The journey to a better, healthier and more sustainable future can be confusing. The natural stone industry has paved the way to a greater understanding of how everyone can work together to achieve our common goal of a better tomorrow. Be cautious of “Green Washing” in the marketplace, and look closely at what you are selecting.
In considering all the products on the market, one cannot help but consider the true durability, versatility and sheer brilliance that is found within natural stone.
Dr. Commoner was right, "Nature really does know best." CCR
Michel Schumacher has completed degrees in business and construction, and is a past recipient of the MIA Natural Stone Scholarship Award. In addition to serving as marketing and sales specialist for Michels Corp., he also is a crew leadership instructor for the Associated Builders & Contractors of Wisconsin.
Mountain Valley Quartzitic Sandstone. Photo courtesy of Delta Stone Products.
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Licensed and certified in 35 states, ESA is recognized as one of the top turnkey environmental remediation and demolition firms in the country.
ESA clears way for Stapleton redevelopment completion
By Paula Black
The more than $200 million Stapleton Redevelopment project near Denver still is underway of its transformation from an international airport to a thriving residential and mixed-use community.
While many local organizations and businesses have come together over the ongoing 16-year project, Earth Services & Abatement (ESA) of Commerce City, Colo., has maintained its working presence in Stapleton, completing multiple phases since the project’s early years. Final phases of asbestos abatement, demolition and soil remediation are in progress, with a finish date slated for this June.
The 4,700-acre site was home to the Stapleton International Airport in 1919, and then Denver International Airport in 1929. But as the city began to grow, Denver officials decided to close down the airport in Stapleton and move it to its present-day location, about 15 miles east of the former site.
In 1990, the Stapleton Foundation was created. And in 1995, after the [Stapleton] airport officially closed, the foundation published the Stapleton Redevelopment Plan, commonly referred to as the “Green Book.” The plan called for the establishment of jobs and open rec spaces in a new mixed-use neighborhood. Approved by the Denver City Council in 1995, the Green Book was the foundation for the work that still is taking place in the Stapleton community.
EARTH SERVICES & ABATEMENT
Greg Holt, director of transportation systems at Denver International Airport and the program manager for Stapleton Redevelopment, has worked on the project since its inception. Holt has worked with the city and county of Denver for more than 35 years and was the chief airport operations manager at the Stapleton Airport before its closure in 1995. Holt has been involved with multiple stakeholders and agencies to make sure the redevelopment meets all of the goals and regulations set in place. He also worked closely with ESA to see that all the demolition, remediation and asbestos abatement work was on schedule.
“The Stapleton Redevelopment Program is fortunate to have engaged numerous consultants, general contractors for both demolition and environmental remediation, and federal, state and city agencies to achieve our goal,” Holt says.
ESA currently is completing the last major landfill remediation on the Highline Canal, Phase II portion of the project. This area is approximately 45,000 cubic yards of landfill material from a 1960s-era landfill site. ESA is working concurrently on the former control tower abatement to make way for one of the new highlights of the redevelopment project, Punch Bowl Social –a popular bar, restaurant and bowling alley. ESA has been responsible for much of the abatement, demolition, and remediation throughout the life of the project and is one of the few abatement firms in the U.S. capable of performing all of its work in-house, without having to contract to outside firms. The company has performed the abatement and demolition of the Sand Creek Bridges, multiple hangars, and the abatement of the control tower; in addition they are responsible for over one million yards of landfill and soil remediation.
Opportunity
When ESA first went under contract at Stapleton in the 1990s, no one knew how much contamination would be encountered, says Kory Mitchell, president of ESA. Then, because of the landfill cleanups and soil remediation work, the contract work ended up topping out at more than $30 million. The work was not only fiscally rewarding, but gave the company a new avenue of work as well.
Earth Services & Abatement performs contaminated soil remediation work at the former Stapleton Airport. ESA’s demolition and remediation efforts here have spanned over 17 years.
ESA performs soil remediation near Stapleton’s United Airlines training facility.
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“At the beginning of our work with Stapleton Redevelopment, we started as an interior asbestos abatement company," Mitchell says. "Through the process of working on this project, we have become a full turn-key environmental clean-up, demolition and soil remediation contractor. So, in a lot of ways, our growth and transformation was driven by our work in Stapleton.”
Although the work is not yet fully completed, the transformation of the former airport site already is home to 20,000-plus residents living in that area. “This was a significant demolition project and really helped to transform the community of Stapleton,” Mitchell says. “ESA’s operational model mirrored that transformation.”
“This was a significant demolition project and really helped to transform the community of Stapleton.”
– Kory Mitchell, President, ESA
ESA emerged from its reputation as a leading demolition and abatement company, to a prominent soil remediation firm. The firm technically has not left the Stapleton site (between multiple phases of the project) from 2006 to the present. In those 10 years on the ground, the project has helped shape the company, especially in the State of Colorado. ESA operates as an asbestos abatement firm in 33 states, but Colorado is the only one where it currently performs large-scale soil remediation work.
Breakdown of ESA’s Work at Stapleton
Abatement & Demolition
• Sand Creek Bridges
• Multiple Hangars
• Interior Abatement of Control Tower
• The Stone House Farms Demolition and Asbestos Removal
• Forest City Control Tower Abatement
Landfill & Soil Remediation
• Fillings 7, 16, 18, 19, 32
• Entire Site Remediation of 32nd and Syracuse
• Northwesterly Creek Remediation
• Highline Canal
“Now – because of the work done at Stapleton – ESA does more contaminated soil work than any other firm in Colorado,” Mitchell says. “We still do plenty of interior abatement and demolition in the state, but I would say contaminated soil work is now between 40 to 50 percent of our revenue, and of course Stapleton was a major part of this shift.”
During its time on site, ESA evolved from primarily an asbestos abatement company – using labor – to a company that earns more than half of its revenue from heavy equipment work, which is “unusual” for the abatement industry, Mitchell says.
Setting the standard
To date, the Stapleton project has included the demolition of more than 120 buildings, remediation of 50 site projects, and recycling of over 200 million tons of concrete and asphalt. ESA has performed a significant portion of this work.
“Initially [the project] began with an environmental standard that would be used on the site throughout the program duration," Holt says. "The standard, called the Stapleton Numeric Criteria (SNC),
The former Stapleton airport site already is home to 20,000 residents.
was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), State of Colorado, the city – and later the insurance company.”
Holt says setting the SNC standard was important in the remediation efforts because it set the bar for the projects. “We have remediated numerous old landfills including sections of an old High Line Canal lateral that crisscrossed the Stapleton site,” he says. “The program remediated the airport-type of contaminated soil, which was due to jet fuel and deicing fluid. We have disposed of over a million yards of contaminated soil from these projects.”
The project still is ongoing, requiring two to three years before all of the land is transferred and six to ten years before the site is fully developed. “It has been a great project overall,” Holt says. “After all, how many projects give you the opportunity to demolish over 120 buildings, not to mention the demolition of major bridge structures for runways and taxiways, over creeks and over a main line railroad?”
“We were fortunate to be one of the first cleanup contractors on the Stapleton site in the late ’90s,” Mitchell says. “Now we are likely to be the last to leave. Over nearly twenty years, the project has shaped our small family owned firm into one of the most significant environmental firms in the Rocky Mountains.” CCR
Paula Black is a free-lance writer who covers the commercial construction industry for the Construction Writers Collaborative.
Safety for the public and its crews is the highest priority for ESA, evidenced by its dedicated training division, the Midwest Training Institute.
What’s your brand worth?
You never get a second chance to make that great first impression
By Keith Branch
Do you remember your first date in high school? You wanted to make sure your date liked you. You showered. Your hair was perfect. You put on the best perfume/cologne, the right clothes, etc. It was all in an attempt to make the best first impression.
Today, your work comes with greater responsibility, because that “date” is now your client, and he demands so much more.
Architectural or construction photography is all about making your creation “shine.” It's about drawing attention to the structure without distractions. The viewer’s eye must be attracted to the image and be visually excited to examine every detail. Your structures have demanding regulations. The best workers are put on every job and millions of dollars are spent.
Shouldn’t it also require the best professional photography available?
When selecting your photographer, the first action is obvious. Check out his website and see if there are any testimonials (whether on the site or google). The images should have that “wow” factor to them – almost surreal.
Two things stand out to any architectural image: lighting and composition. The lighting must work with shadows to create dramatics, form and shape that hold the attention of the viewer. Daytime images require the right time of day, usually early morning or late afternoon.
Personally, evening/dusk photos have more impact, as your facility tends to “pop” out of the image more. With these images, the interior lights, including all accent lights, should be turned on. Professional photographers know their light colors and insure that the color is not only correct on the building itself, but also all lights show the building properly. Evening shoots can last two hours or most of the night.
Photography by: Branch Commercial Photography
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While examining the photos on the website, see if your eye goes to the building or is distracted by minor items, whether it be the sky, vertical lines (not vertical or cracks in the pavement). Here are a few of the things I do whether on site or in post production that make a difference. Make sure the photographer pays attention to:
• Keystone (leaning walls/poles cause by camera tilt) is corrected
• Distractions in windows are removed
• Signage detail and color is enhanced
• Any flags are not too blurred by wind (evening shots)
• All accent lights are on and color is corrected (evening shots)
• Parking lot is cleaned of debris, cracks, etc. and a reflective “wet” look might be added
• Sky is added if needed
❏ (A)Retail Chain
(N)Hospitality (Hotel, Motel, Resort,, Cruise Line, etc. and Hospitality Management Co.) ❏ (C)Restaurant ❏ (O)Architecture Firm
(G)Design Firm
• Landscaping is cleaned up (replace dead bushes/plants are replaced)
• Grass, bushes or trees are added if needed (for winter time shoots)
• Curbs are cleaned of tire marks/cracks
❏ (P)Engineering Firm
❏ (H)Contractor/Builder/ Construction
❏ (I)Developer ❏ (Q)Management Company ❏ (K)Financial/Purchasing Firm ❏ (R)Shopping Center Owner ❏ (S)Healthcare Facility ❏ (L)Manufacturer/Supplier
Architectural or construction photography is all about making your creation “shine.” It's about drawing attention to the structure without distractions.
(3) Management
(4) Facilities
(5) Maintenance
(6) Construction
(7) Architect
(8) Engineer
(9) Design
(10) Project Management
(Z)Other (please specify)
(11) Estimator
When you contact the photographer, does he ask specific questions as to what you want to showcase? What angles are preferred? Is it a day or evening shoot, etc.? You will be given a detailed estimate and, in some cases, production list detailing requirements of the facility.
(12) Operations
(13) Security
(14) Purchasing
(15) Environmental
(16) Real Estate
(99) Other (please specify):
Architectural imagery is enhancing reality, grabbing the viewers’ attention and drawing them in emotionally. A professional photograph can draw prospects to want to know more, motivating them to search your website. The photograph is your “silent salesman,” but speaks more words than words alone can expressed. CCR
Keith Branch, has been a professional photographer for 35 years, with dozens of award winning images and is a Master – Craftsman Photographer from PPA. The past 10 years have seen a shift in his passion to commercial photography. See his work at www.branchphotography.com
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September/October 2016 • ccr-mag.com
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(4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail (Include Pickup Stands, Trade Shows, Showrooms and Other Sources)
E. Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4))
F. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and e)
G. Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4, (page #3))
I.
H. Total (Sum of 15f and g)
Paid and/or Requested Circulation.
16. Electronic copy circulation
a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies
b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)
c. Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)
d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c x
X I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are legitimate requests or paid copies.
17. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the issue of this publication.: September/October 2016
18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner
David M. Corson, September 27, 2016.
I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/ or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).
With honor
Over my 20-plus year publishing career, I have logged many miles on the road and have seen many things – some memorable and some not so much. From the Southeast to Northwest, to the Southwest to Northeast, and everything in between, America really is an awesome country.
Our country is made up of all types of people who make things interesting. But wherever I go, when I see military personnel, it makes me proud to be an American.
Not long ago, on my way to our Commercial Retreat I caught a late night flight to Daytona Beach, FL from the ATL. And, as usual, I did not have time to eat dinner before leaving the house, so I decided to grab something to eat before getting on the plane.
Pizza? A Mexican wrap? Salad? Nothing looked appetizing on the concourse. And then I saw that Chick-fil-A was still open. It was my ticket for an empty stomach.
So, just as they were about to close, I made my way through the line to order. While in line, I noticed a young Marine and Army veteran from the Vietnam military campaign behind me.
After the cashier asked me to place my order, I turned and asked our two soldiers and if they were hungry. ‘Dinner is on me. You deserve it.’
The young Marine looked top-notch. After a long day of traveling in his uniform, he didn’t have a crease in his jacket, shirt or pants. His shoes were shiny. He was the picture perfect image of what a soldier should look like. The Vietnam vet was wearing his hat proudly and had a big smile on his face while looking at America’s finest.
The two shook hands and began to talk about where they were from. As I inched my way up in the line, I noticed that both were looking over the menu board to see what they wanted. Then, I saw the young Marine look in his wallet to see if he had enough money. I heard him tell the vet he was just going to get some nuggets.
Upon hearing that, the cashier asked me to place my order. I turned and asked our two soldiers if they were hungry. “Dinner is on me,” I said. “You deserve it.”
I asked them where they were going, what divisions they were in and how long they had been on the road. It was an honor to buy their dinner, as without their current service and past sacrifice, none of us would have the rights that we do.
Better yet, the cashier informed me that they offered a 10 percent discount to service personnel, and then handed me my receipt. I didn’t know that Chick-fil-A offered that kind of discount and will remember that for the future.
Before I left, the cashier said, “Hey mister, that was a really nice thing you did.
We just don’t see it done that much in this busy airport.” I will forever remember their faces. Man it felt great.
In the future, if I’m in this same situation again, they can count on me to get my credit card out and show my support. We wish you all a “Happy Thanksgiving,” and that your year ends on a positive note.
Hope to see many of you at our 7th Annual Summit, Jan 11-13, 2017, in Orlando at the J.W Marriott Grande Lakes. Things already are shaping up to be our best event to date.
