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Building quality commercial buildings is what we do. Building quality relationships is of equal importance. Our quarterly newsletter will keep you informed of new and ongoing projects, company happenings & other information we want to share with you. Subscribe using the box to the right of this post. For more access, follow our social media links at the bottom of the page. Thank you for your time & enjoy!
FEATURED PROJECTS
Walmart Neighborhood Market
The first quarter of 2016 included the grand opening of our first Neighborhood Market store in Mobile, AL. The project was a great success for all parties involved including Walmart, the developer, store management and the City of Mobile. This concept boasts a 40,000 square foot retail store along with an onsite fueling station.
We also broke ground on another location in Huntsville, AL in January. Mass site grading is complete, building pad constructed, masonry walls are going up, site utilities are being installed, and work is beginning at the fuel station.
Hobby Lobby
At just 75 days into the schedule, we are painting and starting flooring at the Greenville, NC location. These stores are pad-ready sites with concrete tilt-up panel exterior walls and a steel deck. An interesting detail of this new store design is the use of form liner concrete panels, taking the shape of, and replacing, conventional masonry veneers.
With a construction schedule of only 110 days, savings of not only cost, but time, are realized. We discuss this more in this newsletter's "Quick Facts" below. With 3 locations completed in 2014-2015, we are looking forward to continuing our relationship with Hobby Lobby.
Shopko
Chicago pharmacist James Ruben moved to Green Bay where he opened the first Shopko store in 1962. He envisioned a larger retail store with health care services combined with retail operations. As a result, Shopko became one of the first chains to offer such services as a pharmacy and an eye care center all under one roof. Shopko Hometown stores are 26,000 square feet of pre-engineered metal building construction. We completed our first Shopko in Prosser, WA last year and currently have 4 stores under construction in Texas.
COMPANY NEWS
Charlie: 19 Years with Bradford
Long-time Bradford employee Charlie Swain retired from the construction industry last month. Charlie has been involved in over 50 projects with Bradford. We celebrated with lunch at Jack Brown's sharing stories like the one below best shared by a fellow superintendent.
"While working at the 1900 Building downtown, Charlie had an interesting experience with the elevator. The original building had an old manually operated traction elevator. One day the elevator operator was sick, so Charlie volunteered. Not knowing that cranking the operating wheel builds momentum before the cab actually moves, Charlie cranked away and found himself flying to the top. To counter, he started cranking the other direction and flew back down to the bottom. When he figured out what was happening, he eased it to the nearest level, walked off the elevator, and kissed the floor. A crowd of laughter welcomed him."
His most valuable pieces of advice for working in the construction industry?
If you mess something up, try to fix it before asking for help. Don’t make it someone else’s problem. If someone asks if you can do something and you don't know how, be honest or ask questions. Don’t go ahead and make a mistake.
Thank you Charlie for your years of hard work with Bradford Building!
St. Patricks Day Employee Lunch
We celebrated St. Patricks Day with lunch catered by Buck Mulligan's, an authentic Irish pub here in Birmingham, and green beer to close out the work day! Sláinte!
QUICK FACTS
Form Liner Panels
A form liner panel is a patterned sheet of plastic, rubber, or styrofoam placed on the inside of a concrete forming system before the concrete is poured. The liner panel acts as a mold for the concrete to be formed against. The resulting concrete surface is permanently textured with the pattern of the form liner, in this case brick and split-face block. The form liners are attached to forms, concrete is placed against the liner, and the liner pattern is transferred into the wet concrete. After the concrete has cured, the liner is stripped and the unique texture is exposed.
LIVE BETTER
Our employees are encouraged to exercise at a local gym and strive for healthy habits with our Corporate Wellness Coordinator, Krissi Williford.
She stresses the importance of our roles in personal health with some helpful reminders.
1. The best way to achieve good health is through diet & exercise. Just 30 minutes a day is all it takes!
2. Busy lifestyles, schedules & kids are not excuses to not actively engage in your health.
3. Physical activity produces endorphins which improves mood & relieves stress.
4. Food is energy and fuel for your body & mind. Calories matter, just eat the right ones!
5. Eating a diet too low in calories can lead to brain fog which can make you become angry, tired or sad.
6. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Build great health day by day for long-lasting results!
Visit www.vestaviahillspersonaltraining.com for more info on her
Corporate Wellness Program & Personal Training.