Manhattan Construction Group

Naples, Florida – Manhattan Construction Group has announced that its Florida subsidiary, Manhattan Kraft Construction, Inc. will change its name to Manhattan Construction (Florida), Inc. effective today, October 5, 2011.

“This name change is the final step of a process which began last year to clearly identify our Florida operations with the other operations of Manhattan Construction Group,” said Kevin P. Moore, president of Manhattan Construction Group.

“The company’s Florida leadership remains the same,” said Moore. “As they have for more than 40 years, this Florida team remains committed to delivering high quality projects and continued community involvement.”

In 2011, Manhattan’s Florida team was recognized with five Excellence In Construction Awards from the Associated Builders and Contractors Florida Gulf Coast Chapter in recognition of quality construction projects.

To reflect the new name, the Manhattan Construction (Florida), Inc. web address will be www.manhattanconstruction.com .

About Manhattan Construction (Florida), Inc.:
Manhattan Construction (Florida), Inc. provides general contracting, pre-construction, construction management, and design-build services throughout Florida from offices in Naples, Fort Myers, Tampa, Sarasota and Kissimmee.

About Manhattan Construction Group:
Manhattan Construction Group is ranked among the top17 general building firms and the top 16 green building firms in the nation by Engineering News-Record. The firm’s operations include, Manhattan Construction Company, a general building firm founded in 1896 and operating in the United States, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean; Manhattan Construction (Florida), Inc., a general building firm operating in Florida; Manhattan Road & Bridge Company, a bridge and heavy construction business in the Mid-South and Southwest; and Cantera Concrete Company, a concrete installation company with operations in Oklahoma. For more information visit: www.manhattanconstructiongroup.com.

TULSA – Manhattan Construction Co. has been awarded the Tulsa Preservation Award in recognition for outstanding accomplishments contributing to the preservation of the city’s extensive heritage through stewardship and advocacy for the historic renovation of the Robinson Packer Lofts project.

“The award recognizes the efforts to make historical assets productive again,” said Ed Sharrer, city planner and Tulsa Preservation Commission staff member. “It’s our way of thanking contractors for their labor of love in restoring historic structures.”

The Robinson Packer Lofts is an 85-year old historical building is located in the Brady District of Tulsa.  The project included extensive and precise demolition of the interior. The project included 12-living units, with 4 studios, 2 one-bedroom and 2 two-bedroom lofts. To keep true to the original layout and feel of the historic building, Manhattan worked along with the architect by integrating several original features to match the historical profile of the building.

“The honor is representative of the investment the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Sikes-Abernathie Architects and Manhattan have made in the revitalization of downtown Tulsa,” said Patrick Fogarty, project engineer for Manhattan Construction.

About Manhattan Construction Company:

Founded in 1896, Manhattan Construction Co. is recognized as a top general builder in the nation. Manhattan operates from offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, OK; Dallas and Houston, TX; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, GA; and Mexico City, Mexico. Manhattan’s building portfolio includes corporate headquarters, institutional, healthcare, office, hospitality and leisure, sports and entertainment, aviation, retail, and judicial facilities throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.  More information is available at:  www.manhattanconstruction.com.  

TULSA – The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Oklahoma has presented Manhattan Construction Co. with five Excellence In Construction Awards and the STEP Diamond Award – the highest level of honor in the Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) Program. Manhattan received project honors for construction of the:

• Saint Francis Hospital Laureate Central Plant – Industrial $2-$5 million category
• Saint Francis Hospital Southwest Parking – Garage Parking Garage category
• Peggy and Charles Stephenson Oklahoma Cancer Center – Mega Project category
• Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Student Union Renovation – Renovation $2-$10 million category
• Robinson Packer Lofts – Historic Restoration $1-$2 million category

The Saint Francis Hospital Laureate Central Plant project was a partial renovation and addition to the existing building.  Manhattan’s coordination of the re-piping and logistics of exchanging/and adding of new equipment was a critical component of this project.  The Central Plant controls all of the conditioned air for the entire Laureate Brain Institute Campus.

The Southwest Parking Garage project is a four-story parking facility located at the southwest corner of Saint Francis Yale Campus.  The garage includes 677 parking spaces, 27 handicap spaces and features full height stair towers as well as two elevators that service all levels.  This project also included construction of a new entrance roadway, as well as three limestone-clad serpentine retaining walls that now serve as the main entrance and a stunning focal point of the Saint Francis Yale Campus.

The Peggy and Charles Stephenson Oklahoma Cancer Center is the largest public private biosciences initiative in Oklahoma history representing an unprecedented commitment to improving how cancer affects Oklahomans through treatment, clinical research, support programs, education and world-class diagnostics and treatment in a design that promotes multidisciplinary and patient centered care.

The Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Student Union project was a complete renovation of the existing 42,000-square-foot Student Union that was originally constructed in the 1950’s.  The student union is home to the primary kitchen and dining hall for the entire campus, as well as the campus bookstore, meeting rooms, ballroom, student government office and general lounging areas.

The Robinson Packer Lofts is an 85-year old historical building located in the Brady District of Tulsa.  Manhattan renovated a major portion of the building.  The project included extensive and precise demolition of the interior.  The completed project consists of 12-living units, which includes 4 studios, 2 one-bedroom and 2 two bedroom lofts.  To keep true to the original layout and feel of the historic building Manhattan worked along with the architect integrated many original features to match the historical profile of the building.

ABC’s Excellence in Construction program recognizes innovation, quality and vision by a building team. Projects are judged on a safety, personnel management, quality control, scheduling and degree of difficulty in completing a project. The awards were presented at the organization’s Excellence in Construction Awards Banquet on September 15th at the Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

About Manhattan Construction Company:

Founded in 1896, Manhattan Construction Co. is recognized as a top general builder in the nation. Manhattan operates from offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, OK; Dallas and Houston, TX; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, GA; and Mexico City, Mexico. Manhattan’s building portfolio includes corporate headquarters, institutional, healthcare, office, hospitality and leisure, sports and entertainment, aviation, retail, and judicial facilities throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.  More information is available at:  www.manhattanconstruction.com.  

FREDERICK, Maryland– Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Manhattan/Torcon building team celebrated the “Topping Out” of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) replacement facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland. USAMRIID is the largest, most complex biocontainment facility ever designed. The joint-venture team of Manhattan Construction Co. of Washington, D.C. and Torcon, Inc. of Red Bank, N.J. are constructing the $518 million project. The “Topping Out” ceremony celebrates when the uppermost steel beam is put in place on a structure.

When the six-story, 835,000-square-foot research facility is certified, it will contain the largest block of state-of-the-art biosafety level (BSL) 3 and 4 laboratory suites in the U.S. Department of Defense. The biosafety laboratory spaces employ many technical enhancements, allowing researchers to work together safely and effectively to respond quickly to critical emerging biological threats, including the world’s deadliest pathogens such as Ebola, for which there is no vaccine.

“We are honored to have the privilege of helping our nation’s military prepare to combat new biological threats through the construction of USAMRIID,” said Manhattan Vice President of Operations Brian Killion. “Today we recognize the workers who have been quality conscientious, careful and swift in bringing this project to this milestone on schedule and with an exemplary safety record.”

The building is scheduled to be completed in July 2014 and will serve as the cornerstone of the National Interagency Biodefense Campus (NIBC) at Fort Detrick.

The USAMRIID project is LEED®-registered and designed to meet LEED Silver certification. The LEED green building certification program is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of green buildings.

The project architect is Joint Venture Partners CUH2A – a subsidiary of Omaha Nebraska-based HDR, Inc. and Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Smith Carter.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, is a full-spectrum engineering force of Soldiers and civilians dedicated to serving the Armed Forces and the Nation with innovative and effective solutions to a broad range of engineering challenges.

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Click here to learn more about USAMRIID and Manhattan Construction Co.’s science and technology building portfolio.

Tulsa, Okla. – Dennis Thompson has rejoined Manhattan Construction Co. as executive vice president of business development.  In this role, Thompson will manage business development strategies encompassing all of Manhattan’s market segments throughout the United States, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Thompson originally joined Manhattan as director of business development in 1995, leaving as vice president in 2001.

Thompson, a 35-year construction industry veteran, brings significant expertise to his new role including executive oversight or direct project management of more than $3 billion worth of commercial construction projects.

In 2010, Thompson was honored by the Mid America Minority Business Council with the CEO Advocate of the Year Award.  Thompson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and Technology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, in 1976.

Manhattan Construction Co. is a leading construction firm in the nation ranking among the top 17 general building firms in the nation by Engineering News-Record. Manhattan’s building portfolio includes aviation, healthcare, sports, corporate, commercial, education, government, cultural, hospitality, mixed-use, retail, multi-unit living, parking garage, science and technology facilities throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. More information is available at: www.manhattanconstruction.com . 

DALLAS – A mammoth red oak tree is scheduled for relocation to the George W. Bush Presidential Center project site on the morning of Friday, June 10. It will be transplanted from its current location on a part of the Southern Methodist University (SMU) campus property that is scheduled for demolition. The 45-foot-high tree is the largest of the 40 trees transplanted on the project site, either from other areas of SMU property or from other locations within the construction site.

“They don’t make a tree spade large enough for a tree with a 25-foot root ball like this one, so our tree-moving team is using a gantry lift system,” said Manhattan Construction Project Executive Mark Penny. “This gantry equipment has moved the largest trees ever relocated in the world, and it is being used here in Dallas for the first time.”

“We have been preparing this 50-year-old red oak for transplant for about three weeks,” said Penny. He and his team will be following a series of best practices to acclimate a tree of this size to ensure its survival during transplant.

“Our subcontractor, Environmental Design has pruned the roots, encapsulated the root ball and inserted a steel lifting platform beneath the root ball,” Penny said of the process. “They used a four-point gantry hydraulic lift to raise the 245,000-pound tree onto a specialized trailer for its trip across campus.”

On Friday, the tree will travel 2,500 feet to its final location on the north side of the George W. Bush Presidential Center project site, said Penny. On Saturday the tree will be lowered into its new place.

The public can have a bird’s eye view of the tree relocation activities by visiting Manhattan Construction Co.’s project webcam for the George W. Bush Presidential Center on moving day at: www.manhattanconstruction.com. Webcam images for this project are updated every 15 minutes and are archived on-line for review.

Manhattan Construction Co. is building The George W. Bush Presidential Center on a 23-acre lot on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. After completion, Manhattan will have the unique distinction of being the only contractor to have built two Presidential libraries. The project is LEED®-registered with a certification goal of LEED Platinum, the highest level of the LEED green building certification program.

The 226,500-square-foot building will hold the George W. Bush Library, including the archives and museum, and the George W. Bush Institute. The site includes a 15-acre urban park featuring native landscaping such as a wildflower meadow, a tall grass prairie and savannah and woodland clearings. The project architect is Robert A. M. Stern Architects, LLP. (RAMSA). The landscape architect is Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA).

About Manhattan Construction Company:
Manhattan operates from offices in Dallas and Houston, Texas; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; and Mexico City. The company builds throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The firm’s services include Manhattan’s trademarked Builder-Driven Pre-Construction®, construction management, general building, and design/build. Visit the Manhattan website: www.manhattanconstruction.com.

About the George W. Bush Presidential Center:
The George W. Bush Presidential Center is a dynamic hub of ideas, innovation, and action that will include a presidential library to preserve and present the story of the presidency, a state-of-the-art facility, accompanied by a unique web presence, to convene and connect visitors from across the world and an action-oriented institute to develop solutions to global challenges.  In all its work, the Bush Center advances the timeless principles that guided President and Mrs. Bush during one of the most consequential periods in American history, including universality of freedom, accountable leadership, dignity of human life and service to others. For more information, visit www.bushcenter.com.

About LEED:
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally-recognized green building certification system. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.  For more information visit: www.usgbc.org.

The Park on Brady will be new urban green space in Brady Arts District of downtown Tulsa.

TULSA, Okla. – Manhattan Construction Co. installed a drilling rig this week, taking the first step in the construction of the Brady geothermal field in downtown Tulsa. The rig will drill 120, 500-foot wells for a geothermal field that will provide heat to the Tulsa Paper Company building, also under construction by Manhattan, and the future Hardesty Arts Center.

The construction of the geothermal field is the next phase of the estimated $110.5 million investment in Brady Arts and Greenwood Districts. George Kaiser Family Foundation and related organizations are investing an estimated $53.1 million, with an estimated $57.4 million coming from other various projects.

“The goal of these investments is to create a family-friendly community gathering space with emphasis on the arts,” said Ken Levit, executive director of George Kaiser Family Foundation. “The inclusion of a geothermal field will provide environmentally-friendly energy to these buildings.”

The geothermal field is being developed with a $2.5 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Energy Demand Reduction grant and a $200,000 Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Brownfield Development grant. The drilling phase will last approximately 45 working days with excavation and core drills for outlets to take three to four months.

“In the summer, the geothermal system pulls heat from the building and discharges it into the earth. In the winter, it does the opposite, providing heat from the earth into the building,” said Bob Jack, area manager with Manhattan Construction. “This process uses the earth’s constant temperature, a renewable energy source to heat and cool the building in an efficient manner.”

Ground-source heat pumps will be utilized to tap the geothermal energy below The Park on Brady. These pumps take advantage of the constant year-round temperature of about 50 F that is just a few feet below the ground’s surface. Water will be pumped through pipes that are buried underground and re-circulated into the building.

The Park on Brady is scheduled for completion in July 2012.

About Manhattan Construction Company:
Manhattan Construction Co. is ranked among the nation’s Top Green Contractors by Engineering News-Record and Building Design + Construction magazine. Manhattan operates from offices in Dallas and Houston, Texas; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; and Mexico City. The company builds throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The firm’s services include Manhattan’s trademarked Builder-Driven Pre-Construction®, construction management, general building, and design/build. Visit the Manhattan website: www.manhattanconstruction.com

About George Kaiser Family Foundation
George Kaiser Family Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through investments in early childhood education, community health, social services and civic enhancement. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, GKFF works primarily on initiatives developed in collaboration with Tulsa-based direct service organizations. For more information about George Kaiser Family Foundation, visit www.gkff.org. 

TULSA, Okla. – The National Safety Council (NSC) has awarded Manhattan Construction Company the 2011 Occupational Excellence Achievement Award.  The award is bestowed annually by the NSC to firms that demonstrate safety excellence.

In 2010, Manhattan achieved a perfect safety record with zero lost work days due to injury or illness nationwide.  Even more impressive is that the firm logged nearly one million work hours during this period. The lost work day rate is a key factor in the criteria for the award. 

Oklahoma Safety Council Executive Director Dave Koeneke said, “It is refreshing to see an Oklahoma-based company recognized for outstanding safety through the National Safety Council’s Occupational Excellence Award. This recent achievement demonstrates a solid commitment to safety. Not only is it the right thing for Manhattan to do to protect its most important assets – human beings – but it also results in significant cost savings for the company.  Manhattan employees should be very proud of this accomplishment.”

About National Safety Council
The National Safety Council saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads through leadership, research, education and advocacy. More information is available at: www.nsc.org
 
About Manhattan Construction Company:
Founded in 1896, Manhattan Construction Co. is recognized as a top general builder in the nation. The company operates from offices in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, OK; Dallas and Houston, TX; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, GA; and Mexico City, Mexico. Manhattan’s building portfolio includes corporate headquarters, institutional, healthcare, office, hospitality and leisure, sports and entertainment, aviation, retail, and judicial facilities throughout the Southwest and East regions of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.  More information is available at:  www.manhattanconstruction.com.