Choate Breaks Ground at Scott Clark Honda Choate Construction recently demolished the old Scott Clark Toyota building and broke ground on its fourth project for Florida based Automotive Management Services, Inc., Scott Clark Honda. It will be the largest Honda dealership and service station in the Charlotte Metro region and the third largest in the state of North Carolina. Over 800 vehicles are to be displayed on their new and preowned inventory lots. Built of structural steel and metal stud framing, the 10,000 SF metal panel clad showroom allows for display of up to eight Honda models at a time! A climate controlled new vehicle delivery area will add a unique element to the dealership enhancing the customer’s experience. An LED lighting package throughout the showroom puts emphasis on Scott Clark Honda’s goal of energy conservation. Office and administration areas will be on the second floor of the building. The service and maintenance areas will be constructed of reinforced block and topped with a steel joist roof system. A fully air conditioned, 7,000 SF service reception drive will allow room for 14 service adviser stations. The service shop will feature 8 quick lube lanes, 2 alignment racks, 45 service bays and 8 detail bays for Scott Clark Honda customers. An automatic car wash is also on site for customers’ vehicles.

Choate’s CFO Awarded Behavioral Finance Innovator Award Planning for the retirement futures of Choate employees is no easy undertaking, but it is one Choate’s own Chief Financial Officer David Page set his sights on. And today he is recognized for his efforts and cutting edge techniques implemented which positively impacted the financial outcomes of the employees. Highlights of these practices include convenient 401(k) enrollment, which provided all employees the opportunity to plan for retirement, as well as easier-to-comprehend diversified “smart funds” managed by a designated portfolio manager to help reach a goal of 90% participation, a savings rate goal of 10% and to get employees into a one-stop professionally managed portfolio. All for the purpose of helping Choate employees have the successful future we all hope for. “We’ve been working towards this for several years, and the positive impact achieved has been astonishing. Our increased participation has improved by extraordinary margins,” said David. “I am very proud of the award but even more proud of what Choate has accomplished and Choate’s commitment to our employees and the forward thinking taking their best interest at heart.” Given by the Allianz Global Investors, the inaugural award, one of only two in the nation that will be given this year; the other award winner being The Mall of America.

Choate Awarded Construction Management of Studioplex for Medient Studios, Inc. The phrase “Lights, Camera, Action” will soon be heard in Effingham County, Georgia. Choate Construction Company announced today it has been awarded the construction management contract for the Studioplex by Medient Studios, Inc., a Georgia-based production company. “We believe that Choate is the regional leader in terms of quality and reputation,” Medient CEO Jake Shapiro said. “From the very beginning, we have been impressed with their professionalism and expertise.” Designed by Foley Design, the 1,560-acre site will be converted into a massive film studio complex phased over the next five years. Included in the campus plans are sound stages, production and post-production offices, theaters, editing suites, back lots, warehouses, mills, and set fabrication facilities, as well as retail space and sitework for trails, sports fields, ponds and lakes. The studios will be constructed of tilt-up concrete with a 45-foot clear height. With construction beginning in early 2015, the initial engagement is for the preconstruction and construction specifications for the first phase of the Studioplex sound stages, offices, public areas, roads, and infrastructure. “The film industry is booming in the state of Georgia and we are honored to be a part of this exciting studio campus by Medient,” says Millard Choate, President of Choate Construction Company. “It is projects like these that have significant, long-term benefits for the county and state.” Once complete, Medient’s state-of-the-art movie studio will provide in excess of 500 permanent jobs in addition to the skilled construction work needed. The studio jobs have an average salary of about $60,000.

Choate Construction Company and repeat client Dominion Realty Partners broke ground last week on Wade III, the newest addition to west Raleigh’s Wade Park mixed-use and office park complex. The four-story office building will encompass 105,000 SF and is the first addition to Wade Park since 2008. Designed by architecture firm Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio, the steel-framed building will be clad in architectural precast, brick-clad precast and curtainwall. The building will be built to LEED Gold certification standards and also includes a table-top parking structure and all site infrastructure. Already 25% leased, construction on Wade III began immediately and is expected to complete in July of 2015.

Martin Toyota dealership in Oakwood breaks ground and city officials said they are looking forward to more growth in the area. The Toyota dealership, which will be built on 12-acres overlooking I-985 near the Oakwood exit, will flank the east side of the interstate. Oakwood Mayor Scroggs said city officials have been carefully planning for growth in the south Hall town, making sure there is proper infrastructure to support incoming business.

UNC Marsico Hall Awarded National Excellence in Safety Out of more than 60 projects for consideration for the ENR Excellence in Safety award, only 15 were named finalists. And from there, the judges chose this year’s National Excellence in Safety Award winner went to Choate’s project, University of North Carolina Marsico Hall, a contemporary 374,000-SF, nine-story, state-of-the-art lab and research facility.For the entire project’s impressive four-year construction duration, there was zero time lost to accidents, injuries or safety violations. With a site located in the very middle of an active, busy campus, ensuring student safety was absolutely critical. To achieve paramount safety conditions, all trades and their employees were required to be indoctrinated on Choate’s safety program. Choate’s policy ensures both personnel and subcontractors know and adhere to rigid safety criteria, often above and beyond the requirements of OSHA. As a part of the specialized safety program, subcontractors were subjected to a safety pre-approval check. In addition, they were required to develop and submit a site-specific safety program for their work for acceptance. Choate requested and received a partnership with the NCDOL for their Extended Consultative Review Program. In this program Choate and every subcontractor individually participates in a consultative job site safety inspection. The contractor safety program is reviewed, training programs and a site inspection of work in progress is monitored. Unexpected visits by Choate’s dedicated Safety Manager also keep safety in the forefront of the team’s minds at all times. Additionally, Choate kept the entire construction site encompassed by a fence as well as requiring all jobsite personnel to have very visible and specific badging; absolutely no student interaction was tolerated. Marsico Hall also received an Award of Merit in the Higher Education/Research category in the ENR Southeast Best Projects.

Four notable Choate Construction Company projects receive recognition in the ENR Southeast “Best Project” Competition, including three Best Project Awards, one Award of Merit, and the National “Excellence in Safety” Award. Clemson University’s SCE&G Energy Innovation Center – Best Project Energy/Industrial category Located within a decommissioned U.S. Navy warehouse atop a rehabilitated brownfield site, the 82,264-SF facility will support the critical testing of next generation off-shore wind turbines by allowing businesses to simulate in mere months over 20 years of rigors faced by the turbine systems at sea. Carter’s, Inc. – Best Project Interiors/Tenant Improvement category Carter’s 275,000-SF space highlights the company’s heritage of quality, innovation, and value throughout each of its 11 floors. While their products might be developed for a juvenile crowd, their office space is sophisticated and contemporary. Red Ventures – Best Project Office/Retail/Mixed-Use category Choate’s third project for powerhouse tech company Red Ventures is just as impressive and innovative as the rapidly-expanding company that will live within its walls. Phase three of the Red Ventures Corporate Campus features a striking five-story, 180,000-SF office building complete with a beer garden, six-lane bowling alley, lounge, and cafeteria. A soccer field, two tennis courts, two beach volleyball courts, and various recreation areas also help create the ultimate “work hard, play hard” corporate campus. University of North Carolina’s Marsico Hall – Award of Merit Higher Education/Research category and the National “Excellence in Safety” Award The University of North Carolina’s Marsico Hall is a contemporary nine-story, state-of-the-art lab and research facility servicing both UNC’s School of Medicine and the Eschelman School of Pharmacy. The 340,000-SF facility serves not only as the primary vehicle for both schools to advance their efforts in the area of cancer research, but has the flexibility to house the imaging technology of today and the yet-to-be developed research technology of the future. Winning projects were chosen from more than 100 entries by two judging panels. The winning projects now advance to national judging.

The Clays for a Cause event was held last Friday at the Forest City Gun Club. The annual event is put on by Choate Construction Company and benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Participants had a packed day that included lunch, shooting clay pigeons, an auction, live entertainment, and dinner. The shooters competed in teams and the winners got trophies and prizes. The event sold out and had more than 200 people and 50 sponsors. This is Choate’s 25th year partnering with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Choate Vice President, Ben Bunyard says, “Over the 25 years, we’ve raised over $5 million. This is our main sponsorship for our Choate Savannah Office and this year we’ll raise over $60,000.” Last year’s total was more than $30,000. Next year, the company hopes to raise more than $75,000.

IMC Construction Selected by Widener University Widener University has selected IMC for the construction of their new 200-bed residence hall at 15th and Potter Streets in Chester, PA to address growing housing needs on campus. The new residence hall will include food service and classrooms on the first floor for a living/learning community model. The four-story brick building will become a gateway to the University’s Western campus and is being designed by Kimmel Bogrette Architecture + Site of Conshohocken, Pa., and will be built according to LEED/ sustainable construction. The new residence hall will be built at the location of the former Immanuel Baptist Church, which was acquired by Widener in 1992 and served as the home of Theatre Widener until the building was demolished in 2013. “IMC is delighted to be a part of Widener University’s growth. Building a statement building that reflects the latest in campus living and learning environments will provide beneficial to Widener for many decades” said IMC’s President/CEO, Robert Cottone.

Friday marked the groundbreaking of a 83,000-square-foot visual and performing arts center for Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch. The two-story building expands the school’s arts offerings with additional teaching spaces for music, dance, and theater classes, a professional-level recording studio, a photography suite, a television/broadcast studio, and a 715-seat auditorium where the public can enjoy performances. Saunders Construction, Inc. is the general contractor and SlaterPaull Architects is the architect.