Building North & South

We are often asked, “How far will you go to build?” Our answer is, “How far will you take us?” We have a manufacturing customer who needed a network of regional service centers from South Florida up the Eastern Coast to New England. Over a period of 5 years, we helped plan and execute four service centers with them—South Florida, the Deep South, Mid-Atlantic and New England. While the building portion of these projects was very similar, the civil work was drastically different.

In New England, the site was built in rolling hills where rock (or “ledge,” locally) occurs shallow and had to be blasted. The International Union of Operating Engineers provided the labor for the 100,000 CY earthmoving operation, which spanned over the toughest winter on the books with 108 inches of snowfall. Granite curbing was installed to resist the effects of snow removal and underground detention was needed to protect water quality for the surrounding conservation area.

In South Florida, the same building sits on sugar sand. While the earthwork was much more straightforward, the regulatory process and entitlements took two years to complete. Only miles from the coastline, the building was constructed to resist the worst of hurricanes, not an easy task given the giant overhead doors and clear span service bays. The success of all these projects started with good planning, good personnel and an awareness that every part of our country has its own challenges, and solutions, if you have the experience to listen. We walked in lockstep with our customer through each phase of the journey.