Author: Datamine

One thing that remained unchanged in 2020 was our annual company-wide effort to thank and acknowledge our entire team, which included a dozen new staff members across three offices.

In lieu of a traditional Christmas celebration, Vice President Kelly Powers Baria led a committee that held a virtual event that included a fun “party-in-a-box” with snacks and gifts delivered to employees at their job sites, offices, and homes.

During the event, members of the executive team reviewed the year’s highlights during a video presentation. They also recognized these individuals who received one of four annual company awards.

Founders Safety Award

• Indianapolis office:  Phil Hadley
• Northwest Indiana/Chicago office: Drew Smith

Z-PRIDE Project of the Year

• Indianapolis office: Dustin Thalmann and Don Smith
• Northwest Indiana/Chicago office: Haley Solar and Jeremy Wilson

President’s Z-PRIDE Award

• Indianapolis office: Carrie Nichols
• Northwest Indiana/Chicago office: Tamara Davis

Mamon Powers, Sr. Team Member of the Year Award

• Indianapolis office: Michelle McCullough
• Northwest Indiana/Chicago office: Ameya Lokhande

The Powers team has been awarded an $11.5 million renovation and addition project for Friend Health at their Woodlawn headquarters.

Powers & Sons Construction will build the Chicago-based healthcare provider’s new flagship medical center and administrative building at the corner of 63rd and Cottage Grove. The property, which includes an existing 3,000 SF building that will be renovated, will feature a new community center, retail space, and a surface lot with 140 parking spaces.

The 45,000 SF main medical center will house about 43 new staff, most of whom will be hired locally. About 96 percent of Friend Health patients are Black or Hispanic, with an average 75 percent living under the poverty line.

The facility, located in a medically underserved area, will provide acute care, family medicine, and OB/GYN services as well as imaging operation.

The contract is part of an overall $37.5 million effort to revitalize the area and provide improved healthcare services for low-income local residents. Friend Health and its developer DL3 Realty are pursuing $8 million in TIF funding for the project, reports the Hyde Park Herald.

The medical center building is expected to open in January of 2022, with the adjacent building coming online in July of 2022.

Work continues on our 16 Tech District construction site to remove and replace an existing parking lot and install new surface lighting and landscaping.

The Powers & Sons project is part of a new 16 Tech initiative which encompasses 60 acres on the near northwest side of Indianapolis in the historic Indiana Avenue Cultural District. It is part of a larger 250-acre technology park being developed by the City of Indianapolis to foster economic development and build on the city’s already strong tech ecosystem.

Find the latest news about 16 Tech—which is expected to be a magnet for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and intellectual property owners who want to support market-driven innovation—at 16tech.com.

With the first and second phases of work to build an outdoor concert venue at White River State Park now complete, phase three of this construction manager as constructor (CMc) project is underway.

The Amphitheater at White River State Park, located at 801 West Washington, is on the east bank of the White River. It will offer a diverse mix of some of central Indiana’s best music and contemporary musical acts.

The first phase of construction was building permanent restrooms near the park’s administrative building which houses its ticket sales operation as well as a first-aid station. The resulting 12,000 SF structure was completed in June of 2019.

The second phase was to build the main stage, additional restrooms, a back-of-house artist VIP area, large LED screens, and add 3,000 permanent seats in addition to the 4,000 existing lawn seats. This work was substantially completed in August of 2020.

The current and third phase of our continued work at WRSP is to construct a large, visually artistic permanent canopy over the stage and permanent seats. The $10.8 million canopy is expected to be complete in June of 2021.

The new wedge-shaped roof will make the WRSP concert experience even better for live music lovers. The area under the canopy includes fixed seats as well as open space near the stage for a general admission pit.

Gray skies and drizzle didn’t dampen our spirits during a ground-breaking celebration to recognize the new Culver’s restaurant that is being built at 111th and Doty Avenue in Pullman being built by the Powers & Sons team.

It was our honor to join co-founder Craig Culver, Alderman Anthony Beale, representatives from Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, and others to recognize the occasion.

When completed in 2021, the restaurant will be one of the only sit-down restaurants to open in the neighborhood in decades.

This will be the third Culver’s Powers & Sons has built, with the first in Bronzeville and the second in Joliet.

A small beam-signing ceremony was held on the site of the $9.2 million new 25,000 SF West Perry Library.

Representatives from the Indianapolis Public Library, the City of Indianapolis, elected officials, and members of the project team including Schmidt Associates and Powers & Sons Construction were on hand.

With those in attendance wearing masks and practicing social distancing, the audience heard remarks from local leaders about the need for the facility and the positive impact it will have on children and adults living in the growing south side township.

Located on six acres at 6650 South Harding Street, the property features a spacious parking with storm water retention pond.

The structure features energy-efficient universal design principles and sustainable building materials. The team will pursue LEED Silver Certification through the U.S. Green Building Council when the project is completed.

Interior features include a centralized material handling system, circulation desk, information desk, meeting rooms, quiet reading and study areas, and public computers.

The library will open in 2021.

The Northtown Library & Apartments project continues to garner accolades, earning two important industry recognitions this month.

The American Institute of Architecture (AIA) and the American Library Association (ALA) named Northtown Library & Apartments one of four 2020 Library Building Award recipients in the U.S. and Canada. The annual AIA/ALA award is noteworthy because those selected must demonstrate design achievement, including a “sense of place, purpose, ecology, environmental sustainability, and history.”

With an estimated 71 percent reduction in energy use compared to similar facilities, Northtown Library & Apartments exceeded its sustainability goals and met the AIA’s 2030 Commitment for combating global climate change.

In addition, the Northtown Library & Apartments project was recognized by the Chicago Building Congress (CBC) with a 2020 Merit Award in the residential and hospitality category.

Congratulations to the architecture team at Perkins + Will, the three engineering firms engaged on the project, and our friends at Evergreen Real Estate Group. Building this modern, contemporary LEED design with affordable housing units located above a branch of the Chicago Public Library was an honor for Powers & Sons.

In its 47th annual list of the nation’s top 100 largest Black-owned businesses, Powers & Sons Construction rose 30 spots—up from 62—in Black Enterprise magazine’s 2019 “Top 100” list. 

The ranking equates to a nearly 157 percent increase in growth, which landed Powers & Sons in first place on the magazine’s ten-company “Growth Leaders” chart. Only one other firm achieved triple-digit growth last year.

In compiling the annual list, the magazine considers a range of factors, including total number of employees, sales by industry, annual revenue, and overall five-year trends. The largest business sectors on the list are technology and manufacturing, with about 38 percent and 24 percent of the total respectively. 

Black-owned construction companies accounted for nearly four percent of the total, ahead of the media, energy, transportation, telecommunications, and health care sectors.

In total, the companies on the list employ more than 70,000 workers and earned more than $25 billion in revenue last year. 

The Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Wayne Township in Indianapolis has awarded Powers & Sons Construction a construction manager as agent (CMa) contract for the 2021 calendar year.

The Powers team will oversee an estimated $15 million in renovations, upgrades, improvements, building additions, and expansions across the large district. The contract could be extended for 2022 and 2023, with a similar volume of work each of those years. 

Wayne Township is a large public school district on the west side of Indianapolis. It serves over 17,000 PK-12 students and employs a total of 2,500 teachers, administrators, and staff. Its properties include one preschool, 11 elementary schools, two 7th and 8th grade centers, a 9th grade center, a Ben Davis High School, an early college high school, a prep academy, and operations, administrative, and transportation facilities. 

The scope of work for 2021 will include renovations Ben Davis High School, the Lynhurst 7th & 8th Grade Center, and five elementary schools (Westlake, McClelland, Chapel Glen, North Wayne, and Rhoades). Services to be provided include the construction of two building additions, interior and exterior improvements, HVAC and mechanical upgrades, and roofing and asphalt repairs.

Chief Operating Officer and President Claude Powers was among several construction industry leaders recently recognized by the Construction Advancement Foundation (CAF) of Northwest Indiana (NWI) for quality outcomes and performance.

According to Building Indiana Business, all of 2020 honorees “clearly demonstrated an ability to consistently exceed national industry standards while establishing projects that will benefit NWI for many years.”

Dewey Pearman, CAF’s executive director, noted winners “demonstrated repeatedly they’re not content with mediocre.” Pearman added those recognized strive to be among the region’s best.

Powers & Sons Construction was honored with the Excellence in Professional Development award. The award focuses on companies that take a proactive role in improving the workforce quality through professional development education and training across all levels of the organization. 

A cornerstone of Powers & Sons’ company culture, employees are encouraged to pursue professional development, continued learning, and professional certification in their respective areas of expertise. 

Powers & Sons supports these efforts through memberships in professional groups including the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), among others. Employees are encouraged to take active roles in local chapters, such as the Indiana Society of Professional Engineers (ISPE) and ASCE’s Indiana section. 

“Like many industries, the construction field is constantly evolving. We want employees to not only be competent in their professions, but to excel in them. Our commitment to excellence and continued professional development helps ensure our team members have relevant, current knowledge and skills. It also ensures they are aware of new trends and changing directions in the industry,” explained Powers.

Claude Powers is actively engaged in local labor and workforce development initiatives. He is a member and past chair of CAF’s board of directors and serves as a trustee on the Indiana Carpenters Pension Fund and its Apprenticeship Board.