Kangaroo Crossing: Zoo’s New Exhibit Now Open

Those visiting the Indianapolis Zoo this summer can experience the zoo’s new Kangaroo Crossing. Powers & Sons Construction delivered the design-build project, which opened on Saturday, June 18. It is the first time since 2009 the zoo has had a dedicated kangaroo exhibit.

Project Manager Jeremy Sadler (center) with Assistant Project Manager Dylan Etheridge (left) and Senior Project Manager Randy Swinford were on hand for the exhibit’s opening day.

The new habitat for the red kangaroos provides visitors with an interactive experience with free-roaming kangaroos and other unique Australian species. There is no fencing or barriers between the seven female and six male kangaroos and visitors. The exhibit includes an aviary with cockatoos that fly overhead.

Visitors follow a paved walking path through the exhibit. Some may be able to gently pet the ‘roos on the back (never near their face or ears). Guests can snap a selfie or two just feet away from the animals while learning about the threats they face in the wild.

According to Project Manager Jeremy Sadler, the kangaroo’s home is waterproof inside so zookeepers can easily spray it down and keep it clean. The 3,000 SF concrete-block structure features a water retardant in the mortar and a water sealant on the block with very little regular drywall anywhere in the holding area.

The caging system is unique with sliding doors that open and close via a pulley system rather than door handles, which could be opened by the animals. Metal columns support stainless steel welded-wire mesh netting that forms a canopy over the aviary, which is attached to the building on two sides. Net sidewalls come down to the fence to keep the birds enclosed.

Learn more about the exhibit on the zoo’s website at indianapoliszoo.com/meet-our-mob.

Kelly Powers Baria

Building the Obama Presidential Center

Building the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) is about local, sustainable change and partnership.

CEO & Chair of the Board Mamon Powers, Jr. and Vice President Kelly Powers Baria are featured in a new video released by the Obama Foundation about the Lakeside Alliance initiative.

Lakeside Alliance is a joint venture between Powers & Sons Construction Company, UJAMAA Construction, Inc., Brown & Momen, Inc., Safeway Construction Company, and Turner Construction Company. “Our primary mission is to be transformative,” says Kelly. “We want to leave the construction landscape different than when when we first began.”

The five firms form an innovative team of experienced construction management specialists. Together, the alliance will execute a new paradigm in the industry where community and capability merge. At least 50 percent of the workforce hired for this historic project will live in the area surrounding Chicago’s Jackson Park.

The multi-year OPC project will be a catalyst for substantial investment in the area. Located on the south side of the city near the University of Chicago, the OPC will feature a presidential library, a museum, a forum (event) building, an athletic center, and a spacious plaza with green space. The majority of these facilities will be free and open to the public.

Kelly, Mamon, and partners discuss the vision for honoring our nation’s first Black president in the video at https://lnkd.in/eZmPfFk.

New Reality Accelerates Need for Strength and Innovation

Mamon Powers, III, an eight-year member of the United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI) board and president of the Indianapolis Office, is featured in the first article in a new blog series launched by UWCI last week.

Titled “A Board United: Meet Mamon Powers,” Mamon shares his thoughts on how a strong, inclusive company culture has helped Powers & Sons Construction stand the test of time. It also enabled us to pivot and be flexible in adjusting to the nation’s new reality when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Mamon discusses how business leaders had to act quickly to realign company resources, achieve its project goals, and guide their teams through uncertainty. He shares some of his key lessons learned about adapting to changing conditions in the construction industry.

Read the entire article.