Commercial Projects
Corporate Office & Warehouse
When a Naples Florida developer bought a 750,000-square foot building complex on a 77-acre site in South Dakota, he needed professional help to get it renovated so he could attract new commercial and industrial tenants. It is the largest building in South Dakota and was previously the corporate offices and manufacturing facility for Gateway Computers – with their iconic cow spotted buildings. ECS reached out to the developer and was hired to work as the Owner’s Representative and Construction Project Manager.
ECS oversaw and coordinated extensive renovations that included site work, fiber optic, natural gas supply, electrical supply, demolition, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, security, roof replacement, general construction, and paving. Fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems were also modified for new tenant demands. In addition, mold remediation was completed on a former cafeteria area.
Project Management services included bid solicitations, bid comparisons, contract development, negotiations, project cost estimates, project schedules, coordination with governmental agencies, site inspections, and Progress Reports.
Corporate Offices
A food manufacturing facility needed to quickly construct a new office building and demolish their existing office area in order to make room for a subsequent expansion of their food processing operation.
The new office building was being done under a design-build contract. Design was still underway and construction had already begun when they discovered their building was way over budget and behind schedule. That’s when they called Scott Flynn of ECS to take over the project, find cost savings and expedite the schedule.
Prior to getting ECS involved, the project was being run by a senior employee of the corporate office. He was stretched too thin on multiple projects. The general contractor's contract was for the work to be done on a cost-plus basis with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). Unfortunately, the GMP was based on a rudimentary scope of work that did not meet the needs of the owner. Nor did the contract include any penalties if the general contractor did not complete their work on time.
In spite of these major challenges, ECS was able to effectively lead the project and rectify the vast majority of the issues. Within two weeks, ECS was able to identify several significant cost saving alternatives. Because the initial budget from the general contractor was very low, the only way to get the project under budget was to cut the scope of work. The owner chose not to do so. However, ECS still succeeded in driving significant costs from the project and managed to expedite the schedule to get the project completed on time.
Ice Cream Shop Parlour, Retail & Museum
A highly successful business that had relied on ECS for many previous projects had a serious problem with a commercial building renovation. They hired a general contractor to complete their project under a design-build contract and chose to manage the project themselves. The building had been originally built in 1917. During installation of new roof joists, the joists all collapsed and a worker was injured. That’s when they called ECS for professional help.
Renovating a historic building is always a challenge. Unforeseen construction issues can arise that add costs and present safety concerns. ECS soon discovered that the building width varied so the length of the roof joists needed to be modified accordingly. In addition, stringent safety protocols needed to be followed for installation of the roof joists.
ECS worked together effectively with the architect, their structural engineer and the general contractor to quickly address several issues with the building plans and specifications. However, installation of an elevator proved to be especially difficult to solve. The architect’s structural engineer designed a very expensive system that put the project over budget so ECS brought cost saving ideas to the table. When the architect’s structural engineer refused to consider them, ECS brought in a different engineer who solved the design issue with a much less costly approach.
In spite of the owner's difficult start to the project, leadership from Scott Flynn and the ECS team ensured they got their historic building renovation completed safely, on time and under budget.