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Messer pledges $25,000 to Redwood for specialized playground equipment
The Messer Construction Co. Foundation recently presented a $25,000 grant to Redwood, a Northern Kentucky organization that provides enriching educational, therapeutic, and vocational services to children and adults with severe and multiple disabilities, helping them achieve independence and reach their highest potential throughout life. “At Messer, we’re committed to building better lives for our customers, communities and employees,” said Messer Vice President and Cincinnati region leader Steve Eder. “We’re pleased to present this grant to help further Redwood’s mission. “Growth is a central to everything we do at Messer – growing our employees, growing our community – but few places can enact growth more meaningfully than Redwood. When they told us about their needs and how they aligned with their mission, it resonated with everyone in our room. Needless to say, we couldn’t be more proud to assist an organization that impacts growth and education the way Redwood does.” Redwood will use the grant money to help fund the replacement of its aging specialized playground equipment with a new coated-steel fabricated play system. The improvements aim to provide a safe, accessible and engaging play environment for the roughly 100 children it serves, ages 4-16, with and without disabilities. Renovations have already started and are slated for completion in October. “The children and I are so excited for the renovation of our specialized playground,” said Redwood’s Director of Educational Care, Katrina Proud. “The playground is more than just a fun area for the children. It teaches the children to socialize appropriately in large and small settings while balancing their flow of energy to be more productive in the classroom. Plus, the extra sunshine truly puts smiles on their faces." Messer Human Resources Vice President Karen Pawsat, who has been involved with Redwood for six years and serves on its board, sponsored the organization for Messer’s grant. “I couldn’t be happier to see Messer and Redwood come together,” Pawsat said. “Messer builds amazing buildings, and Redwood builds amazing lives. “After six years of working with Redwood, I still marvel at how real their mission is and the level at which it is brought to life. These improvements will go a long way in furthering that impact.” The new, barrier-free playground will include a large, elevated play structure accessible by ramps, transfer systems and stairs, as well as ground-level equipment like swings, an easy-rocker see-saw style rider, rocking bridge, “drop shot” and activity panels. The project is designed with the growth and development of children with all types/degrees of disabilities in mind, aiming specifically at their cognitive, social and sensory-motor skills. Redwood offers the most comprehensive range of disability services in Greater Cincinnati. Last year, it served more than 800 adults and children with severe and multiple disabilities via more than 450,000 hours of service. It provides a wide range of innovative programs and services aimed to address needs, close service gaps, promote independence through technology, and help those who have no other opportunities available to them. Its programs include educational care, prescribed pediatric extended care, therapeutic intervention, adult day supports and vocational supports. In only its 11th year of existence, the Messer Foundation this year donated its 900,000th dollar to community organizations from across the company’s nine regions of operation.
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Lean in and learn how to increase efficiency on your next project
The cover story of the September-October issue the AGC’s Constructor Magazine spotlights how industry leaders on are using lean to increase project efficiency. Messer's Nick Apanius shares how we've used lean’s "5 Why" problem-solving tool to zero in on the root cause of incidents or near misses, and lean daily management to streamline operations by looking at key performance indicators. Read more...
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Butler County organization receives $25k grant from Messer Foundation
The Messer Construction Co. Foundation presented a $25,000 grant recently to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County (BBBS Butler Co.), an organization that strives to help children reach their full potential through one-to-one mentoring and promoting a culture of transparency and governance. BBBS Butler Co. plans to use the funding to expand the technological resources at its Hamilton, Ohio, facility. “At Messer, we’re committed to building better lives for our customers, communities and employees,” said Messer Vice President and Dayton region leader Kevin Cozart, “so we’re pleased to present this grant to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butler County to help expand their resources and capacity. The team at BBBSBC does phenomenal work and impacts the lives of countless young people throughout Butler County. “We hope this grant can provide the assistance they need to extend that impact even further.” The grant was sponsored by Messer Senior Project Executive Matt Schnelle, who has worked with BBBS Butler Co. since mid-2014. Schnelle said that over his time with the organization, he’s seen first-hand the impact it has on young lives. “It’s been a lot of fun to spend time around these kids and watch them grow,” he said. “These are young, impressionable people in need of guidance in different areas of life, so it’s been outstanding to help steer them toward their potential.” “I make my living at Messer, but a great deal of my time and effort also goes here (to BBBS Butler Co.). So, it’s been fun seeing the two come together for the common cause of changing the lives of local young people.” In only its 11th year of existence, the Messer Foundation this year donated its 900,000th dollar to community organizations from across the company’s nine regions of operation.
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CCHMC expands footprint with Liberty Campus expansion
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Student Center addition planned at Miami University
Miami University is planning a $23 million addition to its Armstrong Student Center that will put students’ futures at the top of their priority list. The project, which will be led by Messer, will convert and connect Culler Hall, an old academic building, to the current Armstrong Student Center. The additional space will feature a new career services location, along with a gaming and food stop, coffee shop, retail shops and more space for student organizations. The project, which is still in the planning stages, is slated for completion in 2017. Read More (via Dayton Daily News): Miami U preps for $23M addition to student center
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Messer to perform $24M NASIC expansion in Dayton
The U.S. Department of Defense recently chose Messer to perform a $24.1 million expansion at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center’s (NASIC) Foreign Materials Exploitation Laboratory in Dayton. The 58,000-square-foot expansion, which is slated for completion in 2017, will double the size of the current lab. The Foreign Materials Exploitation Laboratory reverse engineers an adversary’s air, space and cyberspace technology to determine how it works. The facility is located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, at which Messer has been building since the 1930s. Read More (via the Dayton Daily News): $24M contract awarded for major NASIC expansion
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Messer’s plans for growth, safety featured in Wall Street Journal
Messer was recently featured in a Wall Street Journal story about how contractors are dealing with the construction industry’s skilled labor shortage. Messer Senior Vice President Mark Luegering is quoted in the article and details some of the methods the company is using to grow its craft force – from 425 to 500 people – and keep its jobsites safe. Luegering said Messer is offering cash incentives to employees who recruit new workers, and he cited the use of prefabrication as a way to limit the number of people on jobsites and foster safety and quality. "The primary benefit--and there are many of them--because of the worker shortage, it's a way to address that concern by having products built in a plant," Mr. Luegering said. "Our goal is to reduce the numbers of craft workers on the job site so that what you have there is easier to manage in a controlled environment." Messer has used prefabrication on several of its projects, including at The Christ Hospital Health Network’s $190 million Joint and Spine Center project in Cincinnati. Prefabrication has been utilized for restroom units, mechanical racks and more, resulting in a wide range of benefits, including safety, quality, schedule efficiency and waste reduction. Read More (via The Wall Street Journal): Worker shortage hammers builders
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Messer enhancing UK Student Center
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Technology enhancing Messer’s work at Ohio State’s NRDT
The Columbus Dispatch recently detailed the impact of Messer’s use of technology and innovative practices at The Ohio State University’s massive North Residential District Transformation (NRDT) project. In the article, Vice President and Columbus Region Leader Rob Verst outlined multiple ways “coordination, communication and collaboration” have been enhanced at NRDT, via the use of electronic kiosks, iPads/LATISTA mobile field management program, and a practice called “plan percentage complete.” NRDT is the largest current construction project in central Ohio, according to Engineering News-Record Midwest, as well as the largest in Messer’s 83-year history. It includes seven residential buildings, a dining facility, a residential/dining facility and a recreation building. Four residence halls and a dining facility are scheduled to open to students this fall. Read more about how these technologies and practices are being applied at NRDT: Construction company uses iPads, PCs daily on OSU job (The Columbus Dispatch)
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IUPUI breaks ground on first traditional residence hall
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPIU) officially broke ground recently on its North Hall project, for which Messer will serve as the construction manager as constructor (construction manager at-risk). The building will be the school’s first traditional residence hall since it was founded in 1969. Located on IUPUI's campus in downtown Indianapolis, the 172,000-square-foot, 700-bed building is designed to promote resident interaction. It will feature common spaces, including a grand lobby area and micro-lounges spread throughout each residential floor, as well as a computer lab, game room, fitness area, laundry facility, large programming area and two classrooms. High demand for student housing on IUPUI’s campus has created a need for residential space, which North Hall will help fill. IUPUI President Michael A. McRobbie noted at the groundbreaking event that the residence hall will help attract, retain and engage students, while enhancing their success. “The key issue,” added IUPUI Chancellor and IU Executive Vice President Charles R. Bantz, “is not that we want to be a landlord – although frankly it’s nice to employ students as resident assistants – and it’s not that we want to have another building. It’s that we want to see 700 students – the residents – be more successful. And we also know it will help the rest of the students on campus.” North Hall, according to IUPUI Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Zebulun R. Davenport, will both fill a need and help create a more attractive, or ‘sticky,’ campus for students. For the first time in IUPUI’s history,” Davenport said, “we’re seriously approaching a critical mass of students who will be living on our campus and engaging on our campus, in ways that this campus has never really experienced before. It’ll create opportunities for students, it’ll create challenges for us, but we’ll see this campus come to life in ways that… make it more ‘sticky’ for our students.” Work on North Hall has already begun, with completion slated for 2016. The building will have two residential wings – four and six stories – and feature a sleek and modern style. IUPUI North Hall rendering. (Image courtesy of IUPUI)
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Ground broken for Shriners Hospitals for Children — Lexington
