News & Insight

• OSU first, Scioto Greenways eighth in central Ohio’s largest public projects

  Two Messer projects were recently named among central Ohio’s 25 largest public construction projects for 2014, according to a list published by Columbus Business First. The Ohio State University’s North Residential District Transformation (NRDT), managed by Messer, was rated the largest in the region at $370 million. Messer is also managing the No. 8-rated project on the list, Scioto Greenways, which has a cost of $31 million. “We’re very pleased to be leading two of the top ten public projects in central Ohio, including the largest one in the region.” said Messer Vice President Rob Verst, who leads the company’s Columbus region. “We’ve continued to stick to our strategic plan for growth in the area, and it’s resulted this year in significant projects with two outstanding clients, among others. “We’re very excited to be building two major pieces of central Ohio’s future.” Despite managing other large projects in the region – public and private – Verst says Messer’s capacity remains very open. “We’re very excited that, even with this substantial growth, our regional capacity remains such where we’re very much able to take on new opportunities,” he said. “This allows for a healthy amount of continued growth, all while keeping alive our investment in the future of central Ohio.” Read more (via Columbus Business First): http://bit.ly/1hpwzAg

• Messer to build humanities building at Volunteer State

  Messer Construction Co. has been named the construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) for a new $29.2 million humanities building on the campus of Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tenn., just outside of Nashville. According to Eric Melcher, a spokesman for Volunteer State, the three-floor, 74,000-square-foot facility will be the largest on campus, housing 44 classrooms and labs, 56 offices, an art gallery, computer lab, recording studio, music practice area and a “flexible instructional space” for “theater, music, or a variety of things.” The building will be capable of accommodating up to 1,484 people. Construction is slated to begin in late summer or early fall.

• New emergency services facility provides lift to N.C. county

  The opening date is nearing for a new, 24,000-square-foot emergency services center in North Carolina. An open house and brief dedication ceremony were held recently at the new facility in Anson County, N.C. – roughly an hour outside of Charlotte – just a year and a day after Messer broke ground on the project. According to Chris Malinowski, Messer’s lead for the project, the facility was completed on time and on budget, despite significant delays resulting from record rainfall. More than 60 full- and part-time employees will work in the new facility, which houses EMS, emergency management, fire marshal, systems and IT support services, road naming and an emergency operations center.

• Messer among top contractors in Central Ohio

  Messer was ranked in the February 2014 issue of Columbus CEO as Central Ohio’s No. 2 general contractor, in terms of total 2013 contract value. The company’s Central Ohio contracts totaled $360 million ($28M in general contracting; $332M in construction management projects) in 2013, with project work in several market segments, including office, education, health care, industrial and warehouse construction. In 2012, Messer ranked No. 6 on the list, with $96.1 million in contracts. Messer’s 105 Columbus employees are led by Vice President Rob Verst, who says he believes the company has a bright future in the region. “We at Messer are very proud to be among the top general contractors in Central Ohio,” Verst said. “We’ve continued to stick to our strategic plan for growth in the area, all the while building trust and forging strong relationships. “We’re very excited that, even with this substantial growth, our regional capacity remains such where we’re very much able to take on new opportunities. This allows for a healthy amount of continued growth, all while keeping alive our investment in the future of Central Ohio.” Below are a few of Messer’s most notable Central Ohio projects awarded in 2013: The Ohio State University – North Residential District Transformation Nationwide Realty Investors – NiSource/Columbia Gas office building OhioHealth Doctors Hospital – NICU and Well Baby renovations Read more (via Columbus CEO): http://bit.ly/1gkartb

• Space in high demand at University Station

  Commercial and residential space at the University Station development near Xavier University are proving to be attractive draws, as demand for space continues to grow at the 315,000 square foot development. All available office space 46,000 square feet in the projects first phase, along with 86 percent of its available residential space, have now been leased. The names of those office tenants have not yet been released, however it is clear that the Xavier University Bookstore is among Phase 1s retail tenants. In addition to managing the construction of Phase 1, Messer has teamed with the Ackermann Group for its development. The $54 million, mixed-use development sits on 15 acres adjacent to Xaviers campus, and Phase 1 is expected to be complete by the start of this years fall classes. Read more (via Cincinnati Businesss Courier): http://bit.ly/1hJiX2d

• Historic UT-Knoxville building getting a makeover

  A two-year, $114 million renovation project started last week at the University of Tennessee’s 90-year-old Strong Hall, converting the women’s dormitory into a massive, state-of-the-art classroom and laboratory space. A portion of the existing building will remain, as Messer will work with its joint venture partner, Rentenbach Constructors, to transform the building into one of the largest instructional facilities on the University’s Knoxville campus. The new Strong Hall will feature over a dozen classrooms, including a 250-seat lecture hall, biology and chemistry class labs, along with student lounges and meeting spaces. Read more (via KnoxNews.com): http://bit.ly/1f5Oc59

• Knoxville

  Even the feeling of marvel gave way to holiday spirit in the wake of Knoxville’s first-annual “Holiday Canstruction,” presented by Messer. As the unique competition’s awe-inspiring structures were broken down, their remnants – canned food – were donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee to help fight hunger over the holidays. More than 10,000 cans, which were used to construct the massive holiday-themed sculptures, were dispersed across 18 East Tennessee counties by Second Harvest, which targets the working poor – those who are employed but might not receive benefits or earn sufficient wages. According to Second Harvest, one in six East Tennesseans lives in poverty and has difficulty meeting basic needs. The competition, which was held Nov. 23 to Dec. 3 at the Knoxville Convention Center, featured teams of Knoxville-area engineers, architects, construction companies and student groups working to assemble the structures, which included everything from Santa Claus to a snowman. The event concluded with an awards reception, sponsored by Shoffner Kalthoff Mechanical Electrical Service, which featured nine judges representing media, arts organizations, nutritionists, tourism organizations and local food production companies. Qualifying structures from the Knoxville "Holiday Canstruction" event will be entered into the national "Canstruction” competition. Here are the award winners: Jurors’ Favorite: "Down the CAN-ney St. Nicholas came with a bound,” Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, Inc. Structural Ingenuity: "Down the CAN-ney St. Nicholas came with a bound,” Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, Inc. Best Use of Labels: "Down the CAN-ney St. Nicholas came with a bound,” Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, Inc. Best Meal: "CANcracker," The University of Tennessee College of Engineering. Honorable Mention: "CANcracker," The University of Tennessee College of Engineering. People’s Choice: "CANcracker," The University of Tennessee College of Engineering. Read more (via KnoxNews.com): http://bit.ly/1jicD4P

• Dayton officials dedicate new STEM School

  A Dayton-area school recently dedicated its newly renovated building, proudly showing off a symbol of what figures to be a bright future. Local dignitaries, project partners, and students and faculty of the Dayton STEM School in Kettering attended a ceremony which outlined the dedication and teamwork used to execute the $4.3 renovation of their school. And that renovation process was quite a feat. Thanks to collaboration between the school, Messer and SHP Leading Design, the span of time from the first designs to closing out the build was only seven months, concluding just before the start of school in August. The school, which previously occupied a portion of a vacant department store, now includes a new 4,500-square foot fitness room, engineering laboratories, science laboratories, a wind tunnel and a three-dimensional printer. Lean Construction tools were used during the renovation to ensure the completion date was met. The school’s S.T.E.M. acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, the four focal points of the school’s curriculum. The Dayton STEM School includes a junior high and high school and features a unique, open learning environment – most classrooms are separated only by partitions, and do not include ceilings or doors. A study by the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that from 2000 to 2010, growth in STEM jobs was three times as fast as growth in non-STEM jobs. The study also showed that in 2010, about one in every 18 jobs in the U.S. was in a STEM field. Additionally, STEM workers earned about 26 percent more than their non-STEM counterparts.  

• Columbus renovation project lands Messer Build Ohio award

  Messer Construction Co. has won the 2013 AGC Build Ohio Award in the “Renovation” category for its 77 North Front Street project in downtown Columbus. The leadership team of Lance Schneider, Matt Thompson and Wade Hutchison completed the renovation project, which sits across Gay Street from City Hall. Messer managed the complex transformation of the 84-year old building – the city’s former police headquarters, complete with a jail – into state of the art office space. The $32 million project, which used Building Information Modeling (BIM), included a 130,000-square foot interior renovation and five-story exterior glass curtain wall addition. The renovation of the historic building, which had been abandoned for nearly 20 years, is one of the first steps in Columbus’ master plan for a downtown civil services campus. It was completed last March within the original budget, and with no lost-time accidents or missed milestone dates. Additionally, all work was done without interruption of the surrounding downtown neighborhood and businesses. And during key downtown events nearby that saw more than 125,000 people flood the area close to the active construction site, the project remained ongoing and produced no safety or logistical issues. “Messer did an outstanding job of ensuring public safety,” said David Bush, Columbus’ Assistant Director of the Department of Finance & Management. “Furthermore, they maintained a clean professional and organized project which resulted in zero lost-time accidents for this project.” Connecting 77 North Front Street to City Hall is a new 120-foot pedestrian tunnel that sits 20 feet under West Gay Street. To alleviate logistical and operational concerns at City Hall, construction of the tunnel was expedited to be completed in a six-week time window in which city council was not in session. “We could not ask for better customer service, leadership, follow up and follow through,” said Rick Brewer, City-wide Occupational Safety & Health Manager for the City of Columbus. Brewer added his feeling that that Messer went “above and beyond with [its] help and assistance and always placing safety first.” Messer vice president and Columbus region leader Rob Verst said his company is proud to have worked on an historic part of downtown. “Downtown is an integral part of the allure and charm of Columbus,” Verst said. “The opportunity to further-enhance those elements by renovating an historic part of the area is something we took extreme pride in doing. This community is very important to us, and we hope that the renovation of 77 North Front Street will serve as a downtown staple for years to come.”

• Cincinnati organization receives $25K grant from Messer

  The Hearing Speech and Deaf Center of Greater Cincinnati (HSDC) is using a $25,000 grant from the Messer Construction Co. Foundation to help fulfill its mission of supporting individuals and families in overcoming obstacles in communication. The Center has used the funds to purchase occupational therapy gym equipment as well as furnishings for therapy rooms in a therapeutic office called Katie’s House, which is being constructed to resemble a home-like environment in an effort to ease the anxiety children feel when visiting a clinical facility. Steve Eder, vice president and GM at Messer, praised the HSDC’s effectiveness and local impact. “The HSDC has had a strong, positive impact on those in Cincinnati who struggle with communication barriers,” he said. “Their impact is felt particularly in their work with children. “We at Messer are proud to have assisted them in the effort to enhance their resources. This grant will go a long way in allowing them to further aid children and their families in their battles with communication obstacles.” The HSDC turns away no one, giving a yearly total of approximately $500,000 in discounted or free services to low-income clients. Its aim is to strengthen the Cincinnati community through advocacy, and by supporting individuals and families to overcome communication obstacles, regardless of their ability to pay. Approximately 95 percent of the Center’s speech clients are under the age of six, and about 70 percent of the children who come to the center seeking speech therapy services come from disadvantaged homes. If not treated early, these children will develop reading difficulties and broader academic achievement problems, such as autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders, attention deficit disorders or apraxia of speech. The cause hits home for one Messer employee, Company Foreman Dan Grote, Jr., whose son, Landen, was diagnosed as a toddler with apraxia of speech and receives speech therapy services through the HSDC. Landen Grote will be one of the first clients of Katie’s House. “The HSDC has been tremendous to our family,” Dan Grote, Jr. said. “We’re very grateful for the outstanding work they’ve done with Landen. “We’re excited to be involved on both sides of this process, because we know what it means to the Center and how much it can expand its impact.”

• Anticipation heightening for Columbus Zoo’s Heart of Africa exhibit

  The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium this week welcomed a few new, rather tall residents. Three-year-old giraffes Conner and Dasher arrived at the Zoo on Monday and are currently in quarantine, awaiting the completion of their new home, the Heart of Africa exhibit, which is being built by Messer. The $30.4 million, 43-acre exhibit is slated to open this summer and will feature about 100 animals, including giraffes, zebras, monkeys and African lions. Up close and personal experiences with the animals – hand feeding giraffes and zip-lining across the savannah, for example – make the exhibit unique and will set it apart the standard. As renowned zookeeper and the Columbus Zoo’s director emeritus Jack Hannah put it, the exhibit is “something that’s not been done before.” The arrival of Conner and Dasher marks the first time since 2005 that the Zoo has housed giraffes. The two were previously at the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan.