(177,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','CB Richard Ellis Lease and Sale Transactions','none','CB Richard Ellis, sales, lease  transactions','none','<p><a href=\"http://www.cbre.com\">CB Richard Ellis, Inc.</a> announced the following&nbsp; lease and sale transactions:</p>\n<p>Jerry Gidlow, SIOR, represented Thompson Price Kitchen, Bath and Home LLC in leasing 5,000 square feet of retail space at 12101 Manchester<br />Road, West St. Louis County, from DDR Realty Company, represented by Tim Cherre of Sansone Group.<br />&nbsp;<br /><img alt=\"CB Richard Ellis\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"69\" src=\"/images/uploads/cbre.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"157\" />Marc Cacciarelli, SIOR, represented DJS Enterprises, Inc., in the sale of a 13,580-square-foot industrial building on 1.14 acres at 13539<br />Northwest Industrial Drive, North St. Louis County, to Dolph Properties, Inc., represented by Dan Johnson of Hilliker Corp.<br />&nbsp; <br />Don Weis represented Brubaker &amp; Associates, Inc. in leasing 12,145 square feet of office space at 16690 Swingley Ridge Road, Chesterfield,<br />from Dierbergs Office, Inc.<br />&nbsp;<br />Richard Robinson represented TD Ameritrade, Inc., in leasing 3,203 square feet of retail space at 1628 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, from<br />Chesterfield Oaks, LLC, represented by Capitol Realty.<br />&nbsp;<br />Jeff Kaiser and Matt Aljets represented Hertz St. Louis One, LLC, in leasing 2,099 square feet of office space in the Laclede Gas Building,<br />720 Olive St., to Welk Resort Group, Inc., represented by Andrew Bagy of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial.<br />&nbsp;<br />Mark Hinchey represented Carelinc Options, LLC, in a 6,850- square-foot office lease renewal at 2127 Innerbelt Business Center Drive with the<br />lessor, Innerbelt Business Center, LLC.<br />&nbsp;<br />Marc Cacciarelli, SIOR, represented Targee Westport, LLC, in the sale of two industrial buildings totaling 23,516 square feet at 2225 and<br />2253 Administration Drive, West St. Louis County, to South Tacoma Way, LLC, represented by Matt Hiatt .<br />&nbsp;<br />Mark Hinchey represented Cabrera Services, Inc., in leasing 2,454 square feet of office space at 12747 Olive Blvd., West St. Louis County,<br />from BSP Golub Creve Coeur, LLC, represented by Tom Ray and Ann Dulle of CB Richard Ellis.<br />&nbsp;<br />Mark Palmer and Jeff Kaiser represented John Hancock Life Insurance Company in leasing 3,315 square feet of office space at 16141<br />Swingley Ridge Road, West St. Louis County, from Emerald I, LLC, represented by Lynn Richter of Coldwell Banker Commercial CRA LLC.<br />&nbsp;<br />Ann Dulle represented BMJ Partners, a Florida General Partnership in a 3,900-square-foot retail lease renewal at 4600 Chippewa St.,<br />with the lessee, ProRehab, PC.<br />&nbsp;<br />Mark Palmer represented Mattson Jack Group, Inc., in a 15,540-square-foot office lease renewal at 11960 Westline Industrial Drive,<br />Maryland Heights, with the lessor, CUNA Mutual Life Insurance Co.<br /><br />Don Woehle, SIOR, represented So Properties in leasing 2,918 square feet of office space at 612 N. 2nd St., to Kastner &amp; Partners.<br />Mark Palmer and Ted Green represented Softchoice Corporation in leasing 10,822 square feet of office space in CityPlace Four,<br />Creve Coeur, from Cornerstone Opportunity Ventures, represented by Koman Group, LLC.<br />&nbsp;<br />Don Woehle, SIOR, represented Downtown St. Louis Partnership in leasing 9,843 square feet of office space in the Laclede Gas<br />Building, 720 Olive St., from Hertz St. Louis One, LLC.<br />&nbsp;<br />Tom Ray and Jeff Kaiser&nbsp; represented Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., in a 5,162-square-foot office lease renewal at 9666 Olive Blvd., Olivette, with<br />the lessee, Brown &amp; Brown, Inc.<br />&nbsp;<br />Mark Palmer and Jeff Kaiser&nbsp; represented Green, Cordonnier &amp; House, LLP, in a 4,362-square-foot office lease renewal at 8000 Maryland Ave.<br />with the lessor, 8000 Maryland Avenue, LLC.<br />&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','CB Richard Ellis announced the following recent lease and sale transactions: ','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(178,1,5,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','Declare Your Independence from Chaos','none','relax, stress, lifestyle','none','<p><em>By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP&reg;, Chief Cheetah, Cheetah Learning</em></p>\n<p>It\'s easy to get caught up in the speed of our hectic lifestyles both at home and at work.&nbsp; If you\'re finding that stress and chaos is becoming the norm, it\'s time to transform the storm into calm.<br />Here are a few tips that I use to manage my stress and keep projects flowing in all aspects of my life.</p>\n<p><strong>1) Identify where the stress is coming from.&nbsp; &nbsp;</strong><br />If you find yourself regularly saying, \"I\'m stressed,\" but not doing anything to change your environment or behavior, you may be running at full speed without thinking about where the stress is coming from.&nbsp; For example, are you saying, \"yes\" to everything and overloading your calendar?&nbsp; Are you working long hours without a break and feeling cheated because there is no personal time?&nbsp; Are you part of the sandwich generation caring for both your own children and your parents at the same time?&nbsp; Before you develop a plan, you need to pinpoint your key stressors.</p>\n<p><strong>2) Build a support team.</strong><br />Many times, we get stressed because we\'ve taken everything onto our own shoulders without asking for help and tapping into our support network.&nbsp; If you think of stress management as a project, your support team is the team helping you manage this project.&nbsp; When you look at the areas where you\'ve identified your stress as coming from, this will help you pinpoint who are the people you need on your support team.&nbsp; They are probably already there for you, but you\'re not asking them for help.&nbsp; If your biggest stress is coming from work, think of a colleague, mentor or advocate who can talk you through it and help you come up with new strategies for approaching the challenge.</p>\n<p><strong>3) Catch your ZZZZ\'s.</strong><br />While getting very little sleep may have been a badge of honor in college (or even in some companies), don\'t buy into this myth.&nbsp; Sleep deprivation reduces your concentration and overall effectiveness.&nbsp; It\'s difficult to come up with a sound solution or keep your cool on three hours of sleep.&nbsp; Try to go to sleep at the same time every night as much as possible.&nbsp; Let your brain cool down before you go to bed and separate from challenging work a few hours before you go to sleep.&nbsp; Also cut back on caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and sugar, which affect some people\'s sleeping patterns.</p>\n<p><strong>4) Find joy in exercise.</strong><br />If you hate the gym, you\'re never going to go there.&nbsp; So, knowing that exercise is one of the great stress-busters, you need to find joy in exercise for yourself.&nbsp; Maybe it\'s as simple as taking a walk down a favorite street or road.&nbsp; You may get the yoga itch and fall in love with those stretches and poses.&nbsp; Whatever works for you, give your brain a boost, and take a break from both the computer and whatever is weighing heavily on your mind with a frequent exercise break that becomes a routine you cherish.</p>\n<p><strong>5) De-stress your environment.</strong><br />Do you have the right balance of quiet time for concentration and interaction with key team-members or family members?&nbsp; Make sure your furniture (especially at work) is designed to support you and properly adjusted.&nbsp; Are you working in the right light, so you are not straining your eyes?&nbsp; Look at your environment and see what relaxes and comforts you and what causes you additional stress.</p>\n<p><strong>6) Break for relaxation.</strong><br />You know that person that you admire because s/he is always at ease and seems like a Zen master?&nbsp; If you ask that person, how s/he does it, you\'ll usually unearth a couple of golden nuggets tucked away.&nbsp; I\'ve always used deep-breathing techniques to relax me - especially when I\'m getting ready for an important meeting.&nbsp; Meditation and imagery work well too.&nbsp; It\'s amazing how just five minutes of closing your eyes and going to your favorite beach or location will completely take you away and bring you back refreshed.&nbsp; In our classes, we incorporate breathing techniques, yoga stretches and relaxing music.&nbsp; Our students always tell us what a difference this made for them as they were studying and preparing for the PMP exam.</p>\n<p><strong>7) Make Fun a Part of your Life.</strong><br />What is really fun for you, and more importantly, when was the last time you had fun?&nbsp; If fun is relegated to a handful of times a year, you need to make a commitment to enjoying yourself more and making that part of your Stress Management Plan.</p>\n<p><strong>8)&nbsp; Design your Stress-Less Management Plan.</strong><br />Use the seven tips above to develop your Stress-Less Management Plan.&nbsp; These tips will help you get your ideas formulated and pinpoint what you need to work on to lower your stress level, increase your relaxation time and most importantly - have more fun with the people you love.<br />Now, put your computer to sleep for five minutes and visualize yourself in your favorite spot drinking a bottle of water and smiling.&nbsp; May your visions bring you peace, prosperity and the ability to create a stress-free space no matter where you are!<em><br /></em></p>\n<p><em>Michelle LaBrosse is the founder and Chief Cheetah of <a href=\"http://www.cheetahlearning.com\">Cheetah Learning</a> and author of Cheetah Negotiations and Cheetah Project Management.</em></p>','','','none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','It\'s easy to get caught up in the speed of our hectic lifestyles both at home and at work.  If you\'re finding that stress and chaos is becoming the norm, it\'s time to transform the storm into calm.','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(179,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Hilliker Corporation Announces Transactions','none','Hilliker,  transactions','none','<p>Hilliker Corporation announced the&nbsp; following&nbsp; real estate transactions:</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Hilliker logo\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"79\" src=\"/images/uploads/HillikerLogo.gif\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"105\" />Meade Summers represented both parties in the lease of 56,409 sq.ft. of office/warehouse space located at 6800 Prescott Avenue in the City of St. Louis to Mid-States Supply Co. by Mayfair &amp; Woodcliffe, LLC.<br /><br />Scott Martin represented Douglas DeVries and Cherie Francois in leasing the 2,680 sq.ft. retail space located at 530 East Osage in Pacific to Faith Fellowship Church who represented itself.<br /><br />Jim Newman&nbsp; epresented both parties in the lease of 9,100 sq.ft. of office/warehouse space located at 4806 Potomac in the City of St. Louis to Gateway Custom Millwork LLC by J.D. Investments Company of Missouri.<br /><br />Peter Newton represented both parties in the lease of 2,900 sq.ft. of retail space located at 6922 Manchester Avenue in Maplewood to Papagoyos Inc. by Baltic Properties LLC.<br /><br />Will Aschinger represented Graniterra/European Tile and Marble in the purchase of the 5,500 sq.ft. office/warehouse building located at 647 Trade Center in Chesterfield from Envirotest Systems Corporation represented by NAI Desco Commercial.<br /><br />Meade Summers represented both parties in leasing 28,323 sq. ft. of office/warehouse space located at 4410 Hunt Avenue in the City of St. Louis to Ace Pipe Cleaning, Inc. by Dr. Jesse F. Donnell, LLC.<br /><br />John Hoofman represented Paul Ronsick in the sale of the 34,412 sq.ft. of land located at 3055 N. Lindbergh in Florissant to Millennium Venture Group Inc. represented by St. Louis County Realty.<br /></p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Hilliker Corporation announced the  following  real estate transactions:','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(188,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Is Commercial Construction Recession Bound? ','none','construction  market, recession','none','<p><em>by Peter Downs</em><br /><br />The U.S. construction market is entering a recession from which it will not recover until 2010. That seems to be the consensus among prominent national construction economists.<br /><br /><img alt=\"recession\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"273\" src=\"/images/uploads/recession.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"240\" />Robert Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction, said new construction starts for 2008 will fall an estimated 11 percent to $558.5 billion. The commercial building market, which had grown in 2006 and 2007, started to lose momentum in the second quarter of 2008, he said. The market will fall back eight percent in dollar volume and 16 percent in square feet for the year, he said, with construction of stores and warehouses suffering the most. Single-family will follow a terrible year with an even worse one, he said, declining 28 percent in dollar volume and 31 percent in dwelling units for the year. <br /><br />FMI has revised down its outlook for 2009 and expects nonresidential construction \"to falter late in 2008 and into 2009.\" According to Heather Jones, construction economist for FMI\'s Research Services, total construction spending will fall four percent in 2008 and one percent in 2009. \"The decline in 2009 will be driven by a decrease in nonresidential construction for the first time since 2003,\" she said.<br /><br />Kermit Baker, chief economist for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), predicts a \"dramatic drop\" in nonresidential construction activity in 2009, especially in the office and retail sectors. The consensus forecast developed by the AIA foresees a 1.9 percent drop in inflation adjusted construction activity this year followed by a 6.7 percent drop in 2009.<br /><br />\"We\'ve seen a dramatic contraction in design activity in recent months,\" Baker said. \"Right now things are especially hard in the West and in the commercial and multifamily residential sectors. This weakness in design activity can be expected to produce a contraction in these construction sectors later this year and into 2009,\" he added.<br /><br />\"The one bit of good news is that this contraction in activity is likely to be considerably milder than the construction recessions of the early 1990\'s and earlier this decade,\" he said.<br /><br />Baker cautioned that inflation could make the contraction worse than predicted. \"The cost of construction materials has increased more than twice that of consumer products and services - up 37 percent versus 18 percent since 2004,\" he said, and that could hold back demand for new buildings.<br /><br />\"Surging prices for diesel fuel, asphalt, steel and other materials are clobbering construction budgets,\" said Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).<br /><br />The PPI for inputs to construction industries--materials used in all types of construction plus items consumed by contractors, such as diesel fuel--surged 10.4 percent over the past 12 months. The index for highway and street construction leaped 18.9 percent.<br /><br />\"Bad as those figures sound, the increases in asphalt and steel costs have been even worse since these prices were collected in mid-June,\" Simonson said. \"In the first two weeks of July, asphalt prices have jumped by 40 percent in several parts of the country. Prices for rebar--steel used to reinforce concrete in highways, bridges and buildings--soared $200 per ton.\"<br /><br />In the futures markets, aluminum has been setting records, while natural gas has doubled in price from a year ago. That has triggered jumps in the cost of construction plastics--such as polyvinyl chloride pipe, insulation and flooring--that use natural gas as a feedstock.<br /><br /><img alt=\"recession\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"226\" src=\"/images/uploads/recession-house.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"240\" />\"Unless Congress passes additional funding in the next few weeks to keep highway construction funds flowing, many states will stop awarding contracts,\" Simonson warned. \"Other public agencies, as well as private owners, must adjust their budgets promptly to reflect the new price realities for construction,\" he said.<br /><br />Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) noted that job losses already are mounting in construction, an indication that activity has already started to slow.<br /><br />According to Gerry Fritz, a spokesman for the ABC, the nonresidential construction sector lost 5,600 jobs in June; 29,100 jobs over the last six months, and 43,900 jobs since June 2007. Total construction employment, he said, is down 452,000 since June 2007, a decline of nearly six percent.<br /><br />With developers faced with rising construction costs \"the industry can expect far fewer nonresidential construction starts in the year ahead,\" he said The ABC, he added, \"anticipates continued nonresidential construction job losses in the remaining months of 2008 and into 2009.\"<br /><br />Ed Sullivan, chief economist of the Portland Cement Association (PCA), said construction already is in recession and he expects it will not rebound until 2010 as the economy \"is being dragged down by high energy costs and weak employment fundamentals.\" Focusing on the home building industry, he predicted housing starts will fall 36 percent in 2008 compared to 2007, for a third straight year of declines. By then it should be near bottom and housing starts probably will fall only one more percent in 2009, he said.<br /><br />The number of single-family home starts in June was at its lowest monthly level in 17 years, 64.5 percent below the peak of the building boom in January of 2006, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Home builders do not expect it to get any better any time soon.<br />&nbsp;<br />\"Builders are reporting that traffic of prospective buyers has fallen off substantially in recent months,\" said National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chief Economist David Seiders. \"Given the systematic deterioration of job markets, rising energy costs and sinking home values aggravated by the rising tide of foreclosures, many prospective buyers have simply returned to the sidelines until conditions improve,\" he said. Builder confidence levels and sales outlooks in June hit their lowest marks ever in the Wells Fargo/NAHB Housing Market Index.<br /><br />Construction economists aren\'t the only ones predicting recession, according to Kevin Kliesen, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Writing in the July issue of The Regional Economist, he noted that, \"Escalating oil price and commodity prices, a sharp contraction in the housing market, and financial market turbulence have increased the odds of recession this year, according to most forecasters.\"<br />&nbsp;</p>','none','The U.S. construction market is entering a recession from which it will not recover until 2010. That seems to be the consensus among prominent national construction economists.','none','','none','','none','','none',179,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/recession.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(190,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Washington University\'s Danforth University Center Completed','none','Washington University, Clayco, Danforth University Center','none','<p>Clayco Inc. has completed construction on Washington University\'s new\nDanforth University Center in St. Louis, Mo. The&nbsp; $43 million,\n115,880-square-foot University Center also achieved LEED Gold\ncertification by the U.S.en Building Council (USGBC). <br /><br />\"The Danforth University Center project is a marquis for Clayco. Its construction and architecture embraces a variety of positive influences under one roof,\" said Steven Street, Clayco\'s project director. \"For instance, the new University Center integrates sustainable design elements, functional public spaces, thought-provoking interior and exterior finishes, and practical amenities in one meeting place to inspire learning and creativity. Furthermore, careful collaboration between the design, construction and ownership team facilitated the completion of the new facility in time for the 2008 fall semester students to enjoy its outstanding features.\"<br />&nbsp;<br /><img alt=\"Danforth University Center\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"366\" src=\"/images/uploads/Danforth-Center.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />Finished in just 16 months, Danforth University Center is located between Simon Hall and Mallinckrodt Center on the Washington University campus. The new three-story University Center houses WUTV-TV, Student Life newspaper, the student union, student and faculty dining areas, conference rooms, campus life offices, a game room and a common area. Built over a pre-constructed, three-story 520-car parking garage which was an earlier Clayco project, the University Center features reinforced concrete with a granite stone facade, complementing the collegiate Gothic architecture displayed throughout the campus. <br />&nbsp;<br />In addition, Clayco completed a variety of other projects to improve the campus infrastructure prior to the facility\'s construction. These included incorporating extensive landscaping to conceal the garage, installing underground utilities to support the central underground garage and main garage, and building a 92,000-square-foot addition to the Snow Way parking garage.<br />&nbsp;<br />Beginning designs for the project included pursuing certification in USGBC\'s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. However with great effort from all team members involved, the project jumped from Certified to Gold standard. LEED is USGBC\'s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world\'s greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings. <br />&nbsp;<br />Danforth University Center was designed to incorporate a number of sustainable strategies that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include the use of natural materials and lighting controls.<br /><br />\"We are proud to construct buildings that defend and protect our community\'s environment while at the same time being the best value for our clients,\" added Street. \"Bringing these two critical elements together in new and innovative ways is what drives our company\'s success.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />Clayco\'s project team included Kirk Warden, Clayco Senior Vice President and Partner and project executive; Pat Moriarity, senior project manager; Jamie Callaway, project manager; Craig Buchheit, project superintendent; Gary Marrin, operations manager; and Street. TSOI/Kobis &amp; Associates of Cambridge, Mass., was the architect. Joining Clayco on the project were CommArts, interior designer; Woolpert Inc., civil engineer; KPFF Consulting Engineers, structural engineer; Bell Electrical Contractors, electrical engineer; Murphy Co., mechanical engineer; Corrigan Co., plumbing; and Ahern Fire Protection, fire protection.<br />&nbsp;<br />Clayco Inc. is a full-service real estate development, design and construction firm with annual revenues of $871 million, specializing in \"the art and science of building.\" With offices in St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit, Clayco provides design-build project delivery on a nationwide basis for the corporate, financial, industrial, institutional and residential markets. For more information, visit www.claycorp.com &lt;http://www.claycorp.com/&gt; .<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Clayco Inc. has completed construction on Washington University\'s new $43 million Danforth University Center in St. Louis, Mo. The 115,880-square-foot University Center also achieved LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). ','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(191,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Cardinals Unveil New Targets for Ballpark Village','none','Ballpark Viklage, Cardinals','none','<p>Cardinals Unveil New Targets for Ballpark Village<br /><img alt=\"boutique Row\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"273\" src=\"/images/uploads/boutique-row_1.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"240\" /><br />Battered by a shifting economy and tighter credit markets, 2008 turned into a rebuilding year for the Cardinals\' plans for Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis. On Wednesday, the Cardinals unveiled the outline of a new development agreement with the City of St. Louis that provides them with more flexibility as to what they will build.<br /><br />Under the new plan, the Cardinals agree to build between 100,000 and 750,000 square feet of Class A office space, the first new office construction in downtown in two decades. Under the old agreement, the Cardinals committed to building 300,000 square feet of office space. <br /><br />The retail component also has become cloudier. The existing plan called for constructing 300,000 square feet of retail space in Phase I. The new agreement gives the Cardinals a range to shoot for: 225,000 to 360,000 square feet.<br /><br />The estimated cost of building Phase 1 has risen to $320 million from the previous estimate of $280 million. Although the percentage of the cost that the city and state are responsible for financing is decreased in the new agreement to 32 percent, the top amount of that commitment has increased by nearly $4.5 million to $102.4 million<br /><br />The new plan also has a small residential component, 100 to 250 units, which would likely be built in Phase 2. The estimated cost of the total two-phase project also is given as a range in the new agreement: somewhere between $387 million and $600 million.<br /><br />Cardinals\' President Bill DeWitt and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay commended Stifel Nicolaus for assisting in the negotiations that led to the new agreement. Stifel President Ron Kruszewski said, \"We were charged with modifying the previous development agreement to give the development team more flexibility to respond to changing market conditions while also preserving the City\'s core principles. This new agreement accomplishes all of these goals.\"<br /><br /><img alt=\"Rawlings Ballpark Vilalge\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"222\" src=\"/images/uploads/rawlings_11.2.06-resized.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />Slay said he will recommend the new agreement for immediate approval to the Board of Estimate &amp; Apportionment, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, and the State of Missouri, a process that is expected to take eight to 10 months.<br /><br />The off-again-on-again project has languished while mud and water accumulate in the hole at the old stadium site. The Cardinals hope that with this agreement the project will finally move forward. DeWitt announced that site work will begin shortly - an exact date is be announced in the coming weeks - to give developers a jump on the construction schedule pending approval by the Board of Aldermen and the Missouri Assembly. It also will give them a jump on the All Star Game, which will be played in St. Louis in July 2009.</p>','none','Battered by a shifting economy and tighter credit markets, 2008 turned into a rebuilding year for the Cardinals\' plans for Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis. On Wednesday, the Cardinals unveiled the outline of a new development agreement with the City of St. Louis that provides them with more flexibility as to what they will build.','none','','none','','none','','none',181,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/boutique-row_1.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(192,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Kit Bond Brainchild Target of Scammers','none','HUBZone, Kit Bond, GAO, fraud','none','<p>An investigation by the Government Accountability Office of a federal economic development program known as the HUBZone program has found that lax oversight has left it rife with fraud.<br /><br />In the six month long investigation, which ended in June 2008, the GAO obtained HUBZone certification from the Small Business Administration for four fake businesses. Certification qualifies the businesses for federal contracts under the Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program. <br /><br /><img alt=\"Kit Bond\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"273\" src=\"/images/uploads/kit-bond.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"240\" />In addition, 10 of 17 HUBZone businesses the GAO looked into in Washington, D.C. failed to meet the eligibility requirements for the program. Those same 10 firms have received more than $105 million in federal contracts since 2006. In the case of one of the firms, the GAO made multiple visits to the site listed as the firm\'s principal office, but found that no employees were working at the location and the only business equipment present was a computer and a filing cabinet. That firm received $3.9 million in HUBZone contracts from the Army and the Air Force during fiscal year 2006-2007, but its principal office was actually in McLean, VA, an upscale Washington, D.C., suburb that is not in a HUBZone.<br /><br />The House Committee on Small Business heard about the results of the investigation in a public hearing on July 17. The committee chair, Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), said in her opening statement that the findings of the investigation were \"appalling.\" <br />&nbsp; <br />\"It\'s tougher to get a library card than it is to get into the HUBZone program,\" she said. \"All you need is a bit of White-out. It\'s absolutely shameful.\"<br /><br />The investigation was undertaken at the committee\'s request.<br /><br />Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), wrote the 1997 bill that created the HUBZone program to promote economic development and employment growth in distressed rural and urban areas by giving small companies located in those areas preference in Federal contracting opportunities. Since then, he has pushed federal agencies to increase contracting through the program. A year ago, he criticized federal agencies for falling far short of meeting the goal set by Congress of awarding three percent of prime contracts to HUBZone companies.<br /><br />To qualify for HUBZone certification, a firm must be owned and controlled by at least one U.S. citizen, 35 percent of its full-time employees must reside in a HUBZone, and the firm\'s principal office must be in a HUBZone area.<br /><br />In the bi-state area, the City of St. Louis, University City, Pagedale, Pinelawn and additional parts of North County in Missouri and East St. Louis, Centreville, Washington, Fairmont City, Brooklyn, and Venice in Illinois are all in HUBZones.<br /><br />The GAO estimated that $8 billion in federal spending flow to the 14,000 firms in the program. HUBZone firms are supposed to get a 10 percent price preference when competing against large businesses for contracts. In other words, HUBZone firms can charge up to 10 percent more than their non-HUBZone competitors and still get the federal contract. According to the Missouri Small Business Development Centers, federal contracting officers also can restrict contracts to HUBZone companies if they think two or more HUBZone companies will submit bids. For contracts worth less $3 million, they can designate a HUBZone company as a sole source provider. In addition, federal agencies are supposed to require a HUBZone subcontracting plan on any prime contract with a non-HUBZone company worth more than $500,000. <br /><br />In a statement emailed by Sen. Bond\'s office, Missouri\'s senior senator said, \"Fraud, abuse and poor management found by the GAO investigators was not just troubling, but unacceptable.&nbsp; While I am pleased that SBA has already taken steps to address these problems, I will monitor carefully their efforts to ensure that the program operates as intended by the Congress.\"<br /><br />This not the first time that allegations of lax oversight and fraud have dogged the HUBZone program.<br /><br />\"The GAO report confirms the claims contractors have been making for years - that the Small Business Administration (SBA) has failed to execute its oversight authority over the HUBZone program,\" said AGC\'s chief executive officer Stephen Sandherr. \"The HUBZone program has been a huge administrative failure, which has cost the program its potential as a legitimate contracting vehicle, the opportunity for growth for these disadvantaged communities and billions of lost taxpayer dollars.\"<br /><br />AGC has long expressed significant concerns about the effectiveness and fairness of the HUBZone program as it is applied to the construction industry and has advocated that significant improvements be enacted to reform the program. The program does not realize its goal of increasing employment and reinvesting in economically disadvantaged areas.<br /><br />AGC advocates the following changes to the HUBZone program:</p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li> Applying the HUBZone program only to contracts for the construction of federal projects within a 150-mile radius of the HUBZone contractor\'s principal place of business. According to the AGC, only those projects can offer employment to a significant number of HUBZone residents, and only those projects can promise to make a lasting change in their economic circumstance.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li> Requiring that HUBZone residents receive at least 30% of the payroll needed to perform all HUBZone contracts. According to AGC, using payroll as the measure will avoid pass through purchases of materials and supplies that encourage brokering by legal HUBZones entities that nonetheless are not actually building construction projects.</li>\n<li> Requiring the SBA to routinely investigate alleged abuses of the program within 10 days. </li>\n</ul>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li> Reducing the price preference in construction to five percent.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li> Letting contractors protest a sole source designation on the grounds that the HUBZone contractor does not actually qualify for the program.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li> Requiring construction firms - companies that experience large fluctuations in employment throughout the course of any given year - to provide certified payroll records at the end of each year to demonstrate that HUBZone residents truly worked at least 35% percent of all the hours worked in that year.</li>\n</ul>\n&nbsp;','none','An investigation by the Government Accountability Office of a federal economic development program known as the HUBZone program has found that lax oversight has left it rife with fraud.','none','','none','','none','','none',189,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/kit-bond.jpg','none','Kit Bond, who wrote the legislation launching the HUBZone  program, now calls for controls. ','none','','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(195,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Freeze Harley Takes LEED Gold','none','Frieze Harley-Davidson, LEED','none','<p>Frieze Harley-Davidson in O\'Fallon, IL, a winner in this year\'s CNR Regional Excellence Awards, was recently notified by the U.S. Green Building Council that the company\'s new building has been awarded LEED Go<img alt=\"Frieze Harley-Davidson\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"163\" src=\"/images/uploads/Frieze-interior.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />ld certification. The certification makes the dealership the first LEED Certified Harley-Davidson dealership in the country.<br /><br />\"I am very excited to be the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealer to construct a LEED Certified building,\" stated Jenny Frieze, owner and general manager of Frieze Harley-Davidson.&nbsp; \"I hope other business owners and Harley-Davidson dealers will be encouraged to take similar steps when constructing new facilities. I am very proud to have the opportunity to contribute to a program that will have a positive impact on preserving our environment.\"<br /><br />Karasek Architects were the designers of the new eco-friendly building. Trumpet Builders was the project\'s general contractor. Vertegy Consultants was the sustainability consultant. <img alt=\"Frieze Harley-Davidson exterior\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"142\" src=\"/images/uploads/frieze-exterior.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" /><br /><br />The 33,000 square foot Frieze showroom and maintenance&nbsp; shop is partially powered by a wind turbine. It was constructed with insulated concrete forms (ICFS), an energy-efficient structural wall system providing an insulation R-value of 40. <br /><br />The building\'s environmentally-friendly aspects include rapidly renewable bamboo wood flooring, specialty coatings in the display area, and a combination of lighting means. Natural light that is emitted through the northwest showroom windows and more than 40 solatubes ia supplemented by the computer-controlled light system, which provides an energy savings mode for all of the artificial light fixtures. Another energy saving feature is the maintenance shop\'s radiant floor system, which is heated from burned waste oil. <br /><br />The building is sited within naturally landscaped grounds, using native grasses, plants, and drought-tolerant shrubs and trees. The natural look, in lieu of a manicured lawn, limits maintenance and water use on the grounds.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Frieze Harley-Davidson in O\'Fallon, IL, a winner in this year\'s CNR Regional Excellence Awards, was recently notified by the U.S. Green Building Council that the company\'s new building has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The certification makes the dealership the first LEED Certified Harley-Davidson dealership in the country.\n','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(196,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Jamestown Mall to be Reborn  as Mixed-Use Center ','none','Jamestown Mall, Carlyle Development Group','none','<p>Carlyle Development Group, the owner of Jamestown Mall in North County, has unveiled plans to convert the property from a traditional enclosed mall into a mixed-use commerce center where area residents can live, work, dine and shop. <br /><br /><img alt=\"Jamestown Mall\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"169\" src=\"/images/uploads/jamestownrendering.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />&ldquo;We\'re developing an economic driver for North County,\" said Thomas Fear, senior vice president of Carlyle Development Group, the firm that owns and is redeveloping the property. &ldquo;Our goal is to restore energy to the mall and make it an exciting, fresh destination.&rdquo;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />The project master plan contains four phases with many significant changes taking place in its initial phase. One of the major components of Phase I is the conversion of the vacant 215,000 square-foot space, formerly occupied by Dillard&rsquo;s department store, into back-office space. The plan also calls for the closing of 100,000 square feet of other retail space in the Dillard\'s wing.&nbsp; &ldquo;The level of vacancies in that particular wing is detrimental to the overall success of the mall,&rdquo; says Fear.&nbsp; &ldquo;Our goal is to reinvigorate the property by bringing all of the retail occupants together in designated parts of the property while taking the excess retail space out of the picture.&rdquo;&nbsp; The excess retail will be furloughed until it is the right time to lease it as traditional retail, service retail or ancillary office space.<br />&nbsp;<br />Existing retailers in the Dillard&rsquo;s wing will be relocated to the north and east wings of the property.&nbsp; This shift will increase occupancy in the mall and result in a more vibrant retail environment, Carlyle Group said.&nbsp; The estimated cost of the master plan is in excess of $120 million and is projected to commence in the first quarter of 2009. Carlyle Development Group is actively pursuing office tenants and is anticipating announcing newly signed tenants over the course of the next few months. <br />&nbsp;<br />&ldquo;The vacant square footage may never return to retail,&rdquo; Fear noted.&nbsp; &ldquo;It was time for some fresh thinking. Retail is no longer the sole driver for successful development. We analyzed the property and knew we had to change the mix.&rdquo;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />Future phases of the plan include The Residences at Coldwater Creek, a 200-unit, active adult and senior living community which will be located off of Old Jamestown Road and approximately 360,000 square feet of suburban low-rise office along Lindberg Boulevard (Highway 67).&nbsp; A small service retail component along Lindbergh Boulevard is also planned.<br />&nbsp;<br />&ldquo;North County needs a vision for the future,&rdquo; says Michael O\'Mara, councilman for St. Louis County\'s 4th District. &ldquo;The redevelopment of Jamestown Mall is central to that vision.&rdquo;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Carlyle Development Group, the owner of Jamestown Mall in North County, has unveiled plans to convert the property from a traditional enclosed mall into a mixed-use commerce center where area residents can live, work, dine and shop.','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(194,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Antique Craft Techniques Makes Roads Safer','none','Clayton, crosswalk, BrickPrint','none','<p>The City of Clayton, MO has turned back the clock to make its streets safer for pedestrians. At crosswalks throughout the city\'s central business district the city is installing a three-quarter inch overlay of BrickPrint from Traffic Calming USA to slow traffic and draw attention to where pedestrians cross.<br /><br />The high-tech material in BrickPrint is installed using age-old work practices reminiscent of blacksmithing. Glyn Owen, vice president of operations for Traffic Calming, described the BrickPrint material as essentially molten brick. The material includes recycled glass, sand, and 25-30 percent granite stone flecks. Special equipment heats it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit to melt it.<br /><br />The key to working with BrickPrint is the same as the key to working with iron: keeping it hot enough mold into shape. The installation crew from Traffic Calming use hot spreaders - thick metal rods with flat surfaces welded onto their ends - which they warm in a heat box under the blast of a propane torch, much like a blacksmith might heat his metal before working it. One worker fills <img alt=\"Crosswalk on Forsyth in Clayton\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"212\" src=\"/images/uploads/crosswalk.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />a battered bucket with the molten BrickPrint material and pours a line of it across the crosswalk. Another worker grabs a hot spreader and uses it to smooth out the material. He has scant minutes to work before the material cools too much to work with it. As soon as the spreader cools, he trades it in for another hot one. As he finishes each line of material, the guy with the bucket pours another one. A third worker throws sand across the top of the material so a fourth worker can hand stamp a brick pattern into it with metal mold.<br /><br />Owen said it takes about three hours to install a complete crosswalk. The material dries in one hour and comes with a three-year guarantee.<br /><br />Bob Phillips, regional sales manager for Traffic Calming USA, said the material will not delaminate as did some thinner overlays applied in St. Louis in the 1980s. Since it goes on at 400 degrees, \"it melts the layer of asphalt below it and bonds to it,\" he said. The color is mixed throughout the material so it will not wear off.<br /><br />Phillips added that the company has different formulations for different climates to better resist both cracking and softening.<br /></p>','','184','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The City of Clayton, MO has turned back the clock to make its streets safer for pedestrians. At crosswalks throughout the city\'s central business district the city is installing a three-quarter inch overlay of BrickPrint from Traffic Calming USA to slow traffic and draw attention to where pedestrians cross.','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(197,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','PRIDE Honors Four Industry Builders','none','PRIDE, Wrighton, Elsperman, Schaefer, Bernard','none','<p>On Aug. 13, four area leaders will be honored by PRIDE for their teamwork-building efforts to advance St. Louis as the best place to build at an awards luncheon.</p>\n<p>The honorees are:</p>\n<p><img alt=\"PRIDE logo\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"157\" src=\"/images/uploads/pride-logo.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"119\" /><br /><strong>Mark S. Wrighton</strong>, chancellor, Washington University. While not a developer, few over the last decade have had a larger impact on the St. Louis construction industry.&nbsp; Wrighton will be honored with the PRIDE Industry Impact Award for expanding Washington University&rsquo;s legacy of excellence that in the 13 years of his tenure has led to the commissioning of 30 new buildings.&nbsp;&nbsp; He has also encouraged significant minority participation in building projects.&nbsp; Further, Wrighton has advanced the university&rsquo;s tradition of educating architects, engineers and construction managers through improvements to the Sam Fox Arts School of Design and Visual Arts, the John M. Olin School of Business and the soon-to-expand school of engineering. <br /><strong><br />Robert P. Elsperman</strong>, P.E., chairman, Tarlton Corp. A fixture in the St. Louis construction industry for more than 55 years, Elsperman brought a construction entrepreneurs&rsquo; perspective to the PRIDE board when he served as management co-chair from 1998 to 2003.&nbsp; Elsperman, who continues to attend PRIDE board meetings, has been affiliated with the organization for nearly 30 years.&nbsp; Elsperman will be receiving the Al Fleischer Management Award named for the late Alfred J. Fleischer, who helped co-found PRIDE and was its first management co-chair. <br /><br /><strong>Rick Schaefer</strong>, director of department planning and capital projects, Malinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine.&nbsp; As PRIDE owner co-chair from 2004 to 2007, Schaefer fostered greater two-way communications between union construction industry stakeholders and the buyers of their services. Prior to being named co-chair, Schaefer served on a number of committees to help advance construction industry proficiency in the region.&nbsp; Schaefer will be honored with the Joe Rinke Owner Award.&nbsp; The award is named for Joseph W. Rinke, PRIDE&rsquo;s first owner co-chair. <br /><strong><br />William Bernard</strong>, president emeritus, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers. A native St. Louisan, Bernard rose from the rank of apprentice in Asbestos Workers Local 1 in 1950 to become a national and international ambassador for the tenets of PRIDE.&nbsp; He led the historic negotiations that unified the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, which set a national and international precedent on cooperation between unions.&nbsp; Bernard will be honored with the Dick Mantia Labor Award.&nbsp; The award is named for Dick Mantia, who co-founded PRIDE and remains board member emeritus of the organization. <br /><br /><br />&ldquo;These are stalwarts of our industry,&rdquo; said Jim LaMantia, executive director of PRIDE.&nbsp; &ldquo;Each has embraced and furthered the principles of cooperation to build a better future for the St. Louis area and its union construction industry.&rdquo;<br /><br />The award recipients will be honored at luncheon at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand &amp; Suites Hotel in downtown St. Louis.<br /><br />PRIDE, founded in 1972, is an acronym for Productivity and Responsibility Increase Development &amp; Employment.&nbsp; For more than 35 years, PRIDE has worked to maintain harmony and build cooperation among St. Louis area AFL-CIO construction craft workers, contractors, construction buyers, architects, engineers and suppliers.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','On Aug. 13, four area leaders will be honored by PRIDE for their teamwork-building efforts to advance St. Louis as the best place to build at an awards luncheon.','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(198,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Lake St. Louis \"Lifestyle Center\" to Open','none','The Meadows, Davis Street Land, M+H  Architects, Brinkman','none','<p><a href=\"http://www.dslandco.com\">Davis Street Land Co</a>. is opening The Meadows at Lake St. Louis on Aug. 23. The Meadows is the first lifestyle center developed in St. Charles County.&nbsp; The first phase includes nearly 30 retailers and restaurants, including 13 opening their only stores in St. Charles County plus three making their Missouri debut. Designer of the complex is <a href=\"http://mharch.com\">M+H Architects</a>.&nbsp; <a href=\"http://askbrinkmann.com\">Brinkmann Constructors</a> is the general contractor on the $33 million project. Other team members are Stock and Associates , civil engineer; Alper Audi Inc., structural engineer; Durrant, M/E/P; and SWT, landscape/hardsca</p>\n<p><img alt=\"The Meadows\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"244\" src=\"/images/uploads/meadows1_314x314.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" /> Located on a 64-acre site at Lake Saint Louis Boulevard and Interstate 64 (I-64), the center will include such retailers as&nbsp; BC\'s Kitchen, Banana Republic, Cach&eacute;, Chico\'s, Clarkson Jewelers, Coldwater Creek, Eddie Bauer, Jos. A. Bank, New Balance St. Louis, Puddle Ducks, Salon Kashmir, Talbots and The Walking Company.&nbsp; Three retailers will be making their Missouri debut at The Meadows, including Von Maur Department Store (to open in 2010); Backwoods, the outdoor apparel chain opening in early 2009; and Bachrach.<br />&nbsp;<br />Phase I features four retail buildings totaling 260,000 square feet clustered around an inviting central plaza with seating and performance spaces.&nbsp; A 15-foot tall bronze sculpture by local artist Marty Linson stands at the plaza\'s center.&nbsp; A 40-foot-tall clock tower marks the octagonal-shaped plaza with its venue for festive events presented on an inviting stage.&nbsp; A pergola with a redwood trellis forms the backdrop for the stage.&nbsp; Four 12-foot-high stone columns topped with limestone planters mark gateways to the plaza.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;Each of The Meadows\' four buildings hosts 10 to 15 retailers.&nbsp; Storefronts contrast deep-set, limestone frames with 11- to 15-plus-foot-tall shop windows and clerestories accented with brick and limestone facades. Shops feature distinctive entrances which emphasize individual brand. Continuity is expressed in cast medallions bearing the logo of The Meadows and store addresses, a limestone ribbon around each building and gabled roofs with slate-style shingles and ornamental copper gutters, downspouts and flashing. <br />&nbsp;<br />A dozen patterns and types of brick pavers and stamped concrete are used to subtly direct way-finding.&nbsp; Cast iron benches and decorative railing framing landscaped stretches add to the charm.&nbsp; The center is planted with more than 100 varieties of trees, grasses,&nbsp; and flowers. Parking is provided via discreet, intuitively navigated roundabout slowing and directing automobile traffic around the plaza.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />At night, architectural lighting illuminates elements of building facades shadowed during the day, including basket weave brick patterns beneath eaves and medallions.&nbsp; Landscape lighting and cast iron street lights brighten walks for shoppers.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br /><img alt=\"The Meadows aerial view\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"244\" src=\"/images/uploads/meadows2_314x314.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />The Meadows at Lake Saint Louis is owned, leased and managed by Davis Street Land Company in partnership with Bruce Johnston, a lifetime resident of St. Louis with more than 25 years of retail real estate experience.&nbsp; Based in Chicago, Ill., Davis Street develops and owns upscale specialty and lifestyle centers.&nbsp; The principals of the company are responsible for such unique retail properties as Plaza Frontenac and The Shops at Clarkson Corner in St. Louis, Renaissance Place and Orland Park Crossing in Chicago, The Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, Tenn. and The Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert, Calif.&nbsp; To learn more, visit www.dslandco.com &lt;http://www.dslandco.com&gt;&nbsp; &lt;http://www.dslandco.com/&gt; .<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Davis Street Land Co. is opening The Meadows at Lake St. Louis  on Aug. 23. ','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(207,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Lambert Launches Improvement Projects','none','Lambert, Hrabko, improvements','none','<p>Lambert-St. Louis International Airport officially kicked off the Airport Experience renovation program announcing the first projects underway<br />totaling $16.9 million in improvements.<br /><br />The Airport Experience is a multi-phase program to modernize and upgrade the Main Terminal and concourses. The first Airport Experience project beginning in July is the interior restoration of Lambert\'s four historic domes.&nbsp; A complete replacement of Lambert\'s Main Terminal in-bound baggage system - at an estimated cost of $5 million - is scheduled to begin in early 2009. That<br />project will include all new carousels and oversize luggage retrieval systems. The six carousels will be replaced one at a time. The third project, also set for early 2009, is the makeover of Lambert\'s roadway signage program, expected to cost $1.5 million. This \"Wayfinding\" project involves creation of a master plan for all signs and the installation of all<br />new messaging to help travelers and airport users better navigate to andfrom Lambert.<br /><br />Other projects within the renovation program will be phased in over the nextfive years. <br /><br />Kwame Building Group is providing oversight, programming, design coordination and procurement, and will manage implementation of the \"Airport<br />Experience Program.\" Other consultants selected for the project are:<br /><br />&nbsp;&bull;Teng &amp; Associates, Inc.: Dome renovations design, Main Terminal ticketing hall and mid-level architectural renovations design; concourses architectural renovations design.<br /><br />&bull;Kozeny-Wagner, Inc.: In-bound conveyers and baggage claims design/build.<br /><br />&bull; Apple Designs, Inc.: Entrance monuments and wayfinding signage design.<br /><br />&bull;Burns and McDonnell: Main Terminal ticketing hall and mid-level mechanical, electrical, plumbing and special systems (MEPPS) renovations<br />design; concourses mechanical, electrical, plumbing and special systems (MEPSS) renovations design.<br /><br />The schedule for installing many of those improvement will not be determined until designs are complete.<br /><br />\"We\'re proud to begin these much anticipated improvements after listening to our passengers, airport users and the community,\" said Richard Hrabko,<br />Director of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. \"In spite of these volatile and uncertain times in the travel industry, we currently have the<br />ability to begin the transformation of our historic facility while remaining fiscally responsible.\"<br /><br />Hrabko added, however, that the health of the industry and the airport will determine when the addition projects move into construction.<br /><br />\"From the start, Lambert intended for the renovation program to proceed with<br />only those projects that deliver the most impact for airport users and/or to<br />improve airport operations. That continues to be our goal,\" he said. \"As we<br />move through the design phase of the next projects, we will carefully<br />monitor our budget and the economic landscape of the airline and airport<br />industries to make sure the airport is financially secure before we proceed<br />with the construction of our next projects.\"<br /><br />The $16 million facility renovation program is in addition to HMSHost\'s<br />agreement to invest $16 million ($13 million by 2011) to introduce more<br />local and upscale dining venues. Three new concepts are now under<br />construction in the Main Terminal. Local favorite, The Pasta House Co., will<br />open in the lower level in the fall of 2008.&nbsp; Brioche Dor&eacute;e Caf&eacute; and<br />Missouri Vineyards, a new wine bar concept are scheduled to open in early<br />2009 in the Ticketing Hall of the Main Terminal.<br /><br />Other new dining options could include Mosaics Tapas Fusion, which has been<br />named one of top restaurants in St. Louis; Fitz\'s Root Beer; Baja Fresh and<br />a new Fresh&euml;ns.&nbsp;&nbsp; The construction schedules and opening dates for those<br />venues will be determined at a later date.<br /></p>','','186','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Lambert-St. Louis International Airport officially kicked off the Airport Experience renovation program announcing the first projects underway totaling $16.9 million in improvements.\n','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(208,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Nuns Tickled Pink Over KAI Job','none','Pink  Sisters, KAI, addition','none','<p>KAI Design &amp; Build has completed a 10,000-square-foot addition to the Mount Grace Convent at 1438 E. Warne Avenue in St. Louis, MO. The convent is home to the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, known as the \"Pink Sisters\" because of their unique rose-colored habits.&nbsp;</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Pink Sisters\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"178\" src=\"/images/uploads/Pink-Sisters-Rendering.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />Established in St. Louis in 1928, the Mount Grace Convent is one of only 18 convents of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters in the world.&nbsp; KAI provided design/build, architecture and estimating/scheduling services on the $2.8 million project, which included demolition of the existing termite-damaged rectory and two adjacent residences, and construction of a new two-story addition, garage and 65-space parking lot. The lay office remained open and operational during the construction.&nbsp;</p>\n<p>\"The project started at $120,000 to simply replace the existing termite-damaged rectory,\" said KAI Project Manager Marcus Moomey. \"Then, the Pink Sisters wanted to add three bedrooms for visitors and guests, as well as a kitchen, eight bedrooms for themselves and a basement. When the Mother Sister came from Germany to meet with KAI, she decided that all future international conferences would be held in St. Louis, so even more rooms were needed for the visiting sisters.</p>\n<p>Eventually, the Pink Sisters decided to buy the adjacent lots and create a 65-space parking lot for special events.\"&nbsp; The new addition was constructed of load bearing masonry with precast floors and roofs. Special attention was given to matching the detailed brick and cut stone of the original convent. The project began in September 2006 and was completed in February 2008, on-time and within the sisters\' new budget.</p>\n<p>To help pay for the parking lot, the Pink Sisters held fundraisers and sold t-shirts.&nbsp;</p>\n<p>By utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, KAI was able to provide the sisters with realistic images of what the new facility would look like before it was constructed. BIM also allowed KAI to closely monitor the material changes and construction estimates to keep the project within budget.&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','KAI Design & Build has completed a 10,000-square-foot addition to the Mount Grace Convent at 1438 E. Warne Avenue in St. Louis, MO. ','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(210,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Clayco Named Construction Manager for New Supercomputer Facility','none','Clayco, University of Illinois, Super Computing','none','<p><a href=\"http://www.claycorp.com\">Clayco Inc. </a>was recently named construction manager for a new 90,000-square-foot computing facility for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the <a href=\"http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/\">National Center for Super Computing Applications (NCSA).</a></p>\n<p>Located in Champaign, the NCSA Petascale Computing Facility (PCF) will house a new supercomputer currently in development, known as Blue Waters. This IBM system\'s enhanced computing power will enable scientists and researchers across the United States to make extraordinary leaps in scientific discovery.<br /><br />The PCF will feature a command center, system administration center and office space for 50 staff members. It will also contain a 20,000-square-foot machine room with a six-foot raised floor large enough to house Blue Waters, as well as other systems. Current plans also call for 24 MW electrical capacity and 5,400 tons of water cooling capacity from the University\'s chilled water distribution loop. <br /><br />\"Clayco\'s experience in data center design and construction will allow us to work in harmony with the innovative computer architecture and the needs of the scientists,\" said Scott Murnick, project director at Clayco and on the NCSA Petascale Computing Facility project. \"We are excited for the challenge to drive the creation of a facility that embraces the requirements of operating an unprecedented research infrastructure while offering strategies for a system with the least impact on the environment.\"<br /><br />Energy efficiency and sustainability are pivotal to the design and construction of this project. The PCF will achieve LEED certification, with LEED Silver certification as the goal.<br /><br />Environmental efforts include building three on-site cooling towers to provide water that has been naturally chilled by the cold outdoor air, rather than electrically cooled and eliminating the installation of an Uninterruptible Power Supply to minimize floor spaced required and increase energy efficiency. Since Illinois is ranked among the top states in tornado frequency, the building is also designed to withstand an F3 tornado and winds of 165 mph. <br /><br />Clayco added Nova as a team member.&nbsp; \"We just finished a Mission Critical project with Nova in Chicago.&nbsp; This is a winning combination,\" said Steve Street, project executive.&nbsp; Nova is a Mission Critical Contractor based in New York, New York. <br />&nbsp;<br />Clayco\'s project team includes Steve Street, project executive; Frank Baum, project estimator; Chad Derus, project manager; Frank Wiza, project superintendent; Scott Murnick, project director; and Kevin McKenna, Regional Vice President. The architect is EYP Mission Critical Facilities and the interior designer is M. Arthur Gensler Jr. &amp; Associates. The civil engineer is the Terra Technologies, Inc., the structural engineer is Rubinos and Mesia Engineers, Inc., and the mechanical engineer is Schirmer Engineering Corporation. <br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Clayco Inc. was recently named construction manager for a new 90,000-square-foot computing facility for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the National Center for Super Computing Applications (NCSA).\n\n\n','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(213,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Continental Cement Selects Wilson for Downtown Cement Facility','none','Wilson, Continental, unloading, downtown','none','<p>S. M. Wilson &amp; Co. was selected by Continental Cement Company, LLC to build a new $15 million barge unloading facility and dome storage facility at the company\'s terminal in downtown St. Louis.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Continental Cement\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"183\" src=\"/images/uploads/continental.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />Construction will be completed in two phases. Phase I will involve the construction of a 40,000 ton cement storage dome with an adjoined cement transportation center. In addition, a 1000 square foot building also will be built to house equipment. Phase II of the project will include the construction of the new barge unloading facility on the Mississippi River. A utility bridge will be constructed to connect the new unloading facility to the storage dome.</p>\n<p>Construction for Phase I is scheduled for completion in late 2008, while Phase II is targeted for completion in May 2009.</p>\n<p>EDG Consulting Engineers, based in Columbus, Ohio, is the engineering firm for the project.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','S. M. Wilson & Co. was selected by Continental Cement Company, LLC to build a new $15 million barge unloading facility and dome storage facility at the company\'s terminal in downtown St. Louis.','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(214,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Korte Expands Anderson Women\'s  Hospital','none','Korte, Anderson, expansion','none','<p>The Korte Company recently completed a $5.1 million expansion project for Anderson Hospital\'s Pavilion for Women in Maryville, IL. Anderson Hospital delivers more babies at this facility than any other hospital in Southern Illinois. In 2007, the Pavilion delivered nearly 1,800 babies, a 21 percent increase from deliveries in 2003. Because of the increasing number of patients, it was imperative to increase the size of the unit to meet the growing community\'s needs. <br />&nbsp;<br /><img alt=\"Anderson\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"206\" src=\"/images/uploads/anderson.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />Construction of the second story addition began in late 2006 and was completed in April of this year.&nbsp; The $5.1 million Design-Build project added approximately 19,000 square feet to the existing facility.&nbsp; The expansion, located above the current OB unit, includes 17 private mother/baby suites and a second nursery.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;</p>\n<p>The first floor of the unit will now be used primarily for prenatal care, labor and delivery.&nbsp;&nbsp; The second floor will focus on mothers and newborns during their postpartum stay.&nbsp; A \"lactation station\" has also been added in this project offering patients an exclusive site for breastfeeding support, supplies and education.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;Architect on the project was Jonesmayer, Inc.</p>\n<p><br />According to Todd Korte, President and CEO of The Korte Company, \"We are certainly proud to be a part of Anderson Hospital\'s expansion efforts. Our team delivered on time and on budget, and we\'re looking forward to doing it again very soon.\"<br />.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The Korte Company recently completed its expansion project for Anderson Hospital\'s Pavilion for Women in Maryville, IL. Anderson Hospital delivers more babies at this facility than any other hospital in Southern Illinois.','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(215,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Hey Mr. Sandman!  Recycling  Flood Leftovers','none','sandbags, corps of Engineers','none','<p>During the recent flooding in the Midwest,&nbsp; the&nbsp; Army Corpos of Engineers said&nbsp; that 13.2 million sandbags to support the flood fight. \'The sandbags, if laid\nend-to-end, would span from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.,\" the Corps reported. Now that the&nbsp; floodwaters have receded, what is to be done with all that soggy (and in some cases contaminated)?</p>\n<p><img alt=\"clarksville\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"163\" src=\"/images/uploads/Clarksville-6-14-08_2987.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />In many cases they\'re being recycled. Around 200,000 bags from around Illinois\' Sny Levee District were\nrecycled at Mark Twain Lake where they were used to protect hydroelectric\nequipment at the Clarence Cannon Dam.</p>\n<p>Similar sandbag levees are to be dismantled in Clarksville, Mo.,  where most sand removal will be contracted out According to Clarksville\nMayor Jo Anne Smiley&nbsp; the town will give the sand away for fill at\na local golf course, cement manufacturing or use by the county to dust\nicy roads in winter.</p>\n<p>\"It\'s economically\nwise to reuse the leftover sand,\" says spokesman Robert Anderson of the\nCorps\' Mississippi Valley Division, though environmental concerns\nfactor in. Sandbags may be tainted by sewage or chemicals, cautions the\nCorps\' St. Louis District spokesman Alan Dooley. Bags become fragile\nand may deteriorate in sunlight, Dooley says. Clarksville is separating dry from soaked sandbags. Wet bags are considered contaminated and will be placed in land fills.</p>\n<p>lIn in Canton, Mo., 600 cubic yards of wet sand will be covered by 12 inches of clean\nsoil for a new park. Canton, population 2,557, estimates that that sandbag removal and levee repairs\nin the area will cost $176,200.</p>','','188','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','During the recent flooding in the Midwest,  the  Army Corpos of Engineers said  that 13.2 million sandbags to support the flood fight. \'The sandbags, if laid end-to-end, would span from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.,\" the Corps reported. Now that the  floodwaters have receded, what is to be done with all that soggy (and in some cases contaminated)?','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(216,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Hanley and Eager Improvements Added to I-64','none','I-64, Hanley, Eager, MODOT','none','<p>The Missouri Department of Transportation, Gateway Constructors and\nSt. Louis County announced<a href=\"http://www.thenewi64.org/assets/i64/documents/Hanley%20MOT%20Plans.pdf\"> </a><a href=\"http://www.thenewi64.org/assets/i64/documents/Hanley%20MOT%20Plans.pdf\">more improvements\nat the Hanley and Eager</a><a href=\"http://www.thenewi64.org/assets/i64/documents/Hanley%20MOT%20Plans.pdf\"> intersection</a> as part of the I-64 reconstruction\ncontract.&nbsp; St. Louis County will pay Gateway Constructors $4.6 million\nto complete the work with the I-64 contract keeping the original\ncompletion milestone for I-64 to open all lanes by Dec. 31, 2009.&nbsp;\nConstruction will begin on the I-64/Hanley interchange and Hanley and\nEager intersection when the west half of I-64 reopens in late 2008 or\nno later than Jan. 2, 2009.<br /><br />\"In order for us to complete the additional work and keep our schedule,\nHanley Road over I-64 will be closed for up to eight months,\" said\nMoDOT District Engineer Ed Hassinger.&nbsp; \"The keys to getting around will\ninclude the opening of&nbsp;I-64 from I-170 west including Brentwood and the\nreopening of access from Eager to northbound I-170.&nbsp; All of these items\nwill be complete before we close Hanley.&nbsp; We will also connect two\nlanes in each direction on Hanley directly to Eager Road so traffic can\nflow from Hanley to Eager to the I-170 ramps.\"<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\nMoDOT\'s original design for the Hanley and Eager intersection would\nhave restricted the traffic to just a right turn in and right turn out\nof Eager at Hanley.&nbsp; The additional improvements will enable traffic on\nHanley and Eager to travel in either direction through the\nintersection, with reduced congestion.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \"The Hanley and\nEager intersection is notorious for terrible traffic and this project\nwill provide a great improvement to the traffic flow when complete,\"\nsaid St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley.&nbsp; \"Doing the work now\nreduces the disruptions to motorists if we had to do this work after\nI-64 was complete and costs less than half of what it could cost to do\nit later.&nbsp; The County will work with MoDOT to spread the word that\nMid-County is still open for business and there are many ways to get\naround.\"</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The Missouri Department of Transportation, Gateway Constructors and St. Louis County announced more improvements at the Hanley and Eager intersection as part of the I-64 reconstruction contract.','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(217,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Dogfight over Metro East Air Park Project','none','','none','<p>In the latest episode of a story line worth of television drama, Troy D. Martin, head of <a href=\"http://www.martinaviationgroup.com/\">Martin Aviation Group</a>, a company that announced plans for&nbsp; a $4 billion air park in Metro East, said that he fired <a href=\"http://www.korteco.com\">The Korte Co</a>. as his general contractor prior to their announcement this week that they had quit.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Dogfight Over Airpark\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"273\" src=\"/images/uploads/martin-aviation.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"240\" />Martin\'s biggest claim to fame prior to the announcement of the condominium project at Downtown St. Louis Airport was as the passenger in a Cessna that was almost shot down by military jets over the White House in 2005.</p>\n<p>He has said that the project &mdash; which is projected to have 42 buildings with two expansion towers totaling 4 million square feet &mdash; will cater to non-U.S. companies wishing to establish a North American headquarters. The website for the the project claims, among other things, that the condominium project, where buildings are projected to sell at $950 per square foot,&nbsp; will have a 10,000-space parking garage and helicopters and chauffeured Rolls Royce limosines for executive tenants. The mile-long campus, which is termed the \"Golden Mile\" on Martin\'s website.</p>\n<p>Martin said that Korte had not performed and that he has hired&nbsp; <a href=\"http://www.hollandcs.com/\">Holland Construction Services</a> to replace Korte.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','none','In the latest episode of a story line worth of television drama, Troy D. Martin, head of a company that announced plans for  a $4 billion air park in Metro East said that he fired The Korte Co. as his general contractor prior to their announcement this week that they quit. ','none','','none','','none','','none',200,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/martin-aviation.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(218,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Michael Tobin to Head Centene Project','none','U.S. Equities, Tobin, Centen','none','<p>U.S. Equities Realty announced that real estate management \n                                            veteran Michael Tobin will oversee its Centene Plaza \n                                            project, a mixed-use urban center \n                                            housing Centene Corporation\'s \n                                            headquarters in Clayton.</p>\n<p align=\"justify\">\"We \n                                            are thrilled to have such a visionary \n                                            and respected industry executive joining \n                                            our talented team,\" said Robert \n                                            A. Wislow, chairman and CEO of U.S. \n                                            Equities. \"The depth and breadth \n                                            of Mike\'s experience enhances \n                                            our group\'s expertise and allows \n                                            us to focus on our pursuit of new \n                                            development opportunities.\"</p>\n<p align=\"justify\">With \n                                            33 years of experience in Chicago\'s \n                                            commercial real estate industry, Tobin \n                                            most recently served as a partner \n                                            with Northern Realty Group where he \n                                            oversaw all acquisition and development \n                                            efforts. Tobin generated more than \n                                            $325 million in development projects \n                                            during his ten years with the firm. \n                                            Prior to joining Northern Realty Group, \n                                            Tobin spent six years as president \n                                            and chief operating officer of Central \n                                            Station Development Corporation where \n                                            he directed the development of a 100-acre \n                                            mixed-use community on Chicago\'s \n                                            lakefront. In addition, Tobin spent \n                                            eight years as vice president of development \n                                            for Metropolitan Structures, Inc., \n                                            where he managed more than $650 million \n                                            in development.</p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Tobin \n                                            holds a bachelor\'s and a master \n                                            of architecture degree from the University \n                                            of Michigan, and is a licensed architect \n                                            and real estate broker. He resides \n                                            in Highland Park, Ill. and sits on \n                                            Chicago\'s Near South Planning \n                                            Board and the University of Michigan\'s \n                                            Alfred Taubman College of Architecture \n                                            and Urban Planning Real Estate Advisory \n                                            Board.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','U.S. Equities Realty announced that real estate management veteran Michael Tobin will oversee its Centene Plaza project, a mixed-use urban center housing Centene Corporation\'s headquarters in Clayton.','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(219,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Randy Burkett Lighting Design Celebrates 20 Years','none','Burkett Lighting Design, 20 years','none','<p>Randy Burkett Lighting Design, Inc. is celebrating 20 years of professional practice. The Saint Louis based architectural lighting design firm was founded in 1988 by Randy Burkett, FIALD, IES, LC.&nbsp;&nbsp; Their lighting work has been honored numerous times with design awards for projects throughout the United States and abroad for distinction, design excellence and technical achievement.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Randy Burktett Lighting Design\" class=\"table-left\" height=\"91\" src=\"/images/uploads/Logo_Blk.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"97\" />Local past and current projects include: The Gateway Arch; Lumiere Place and Four Seasons Hotel including the River City Casino Hotel; Renaissance Grand Hotel; Old Post Office and CustomHouse; St. Louis Science Center; and The Penguin and Puffin Coast at the St. Louis Zoo.</p>\n<p>National and worldwide projects include:&nbsp; The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC; 111 West Illinois Building in Chicago; Utah State Capitol historic renovation in Salt Lake City;St. Anthony\'s Falls Bridge I-35 Replacement, Minneapolis; Goethels Bridge Replacement, New York, NY; Zhe Jiang Fortune Finance Center in Hangzhou, China; Sea World Shark Encounter of Florida in Orlando, FL;&nbsp; Orange County Convention/Civic Center in Orange County, FL; and The American Queen Steamboat.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;Lighting Design offers a complete range of services from initial conceptual development through final construction administration. The team\'s professional experience includes: skills in complete design formulation and development, equipment layout and specification, architectural detailing, custom luminaire design, solar and lighting energy analysis. The firm specializes in both interior and exterior project types including: corporate, retail, shopping malls, museum/exhibit, conferencing facilities, hotels, restaurants, religious structures, themed environments, monuments, and bridges.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Randy Burkett Lighting Design, Inc. is celebrating 20 years of professional practice. The Saint Louis based architectural lighting design firm was founded in 1988 by Randy Burkett, FIALD, IES, LC.  ','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(220,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Hancock Elementary Undergoing $6 million Renovation ','none','Hancock Elementary, Ittner, school, renovation','none','<p>Demolition is nearly complete and construction has begun on the renovation of the Hancock Place Elementary campus, located at 9101 S. Broadway in Lemay.&nbsp;</p>\n<p>The building that dates back to the 1970s is being remodeled and updated thanks to the patrons of the school district. Thisproject is the first phase of the $9 million dollar bond issue that was passed by the voters of Lemay on April 8, 2008.<br /><br /><img alt=\"Hancock  Elementary\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"217\" src=\"/images/uploads/hancock-elementary.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"244\" />The architectural firm of Wm. B. Ittner was responsible for the design of the elementary renovation and the C. Rallo Construction Co is<br />serving as the construction manager of the project. Upon completion the elementary school will be retrofitted with a new library, two new computer<br />labs, renovated classrooms and office space. In addition the heating and cooling systems, lighting, fire protection and security systems will be<br />upgraded. This is an extensive improvement to an aged building that serves more than 800 students and a staff of nearly 100 who will return at the<br />start of the school year on Sept. 2.<br /><br />The project began when school was dismissed in late May and is well underway. \"At this point everything is going as scheduled and we are pleased with the progress. The building will have a brand new look inside and will provide substantial improvements to the students learning environment,\" said Dr. Greg Clark, Superintendent. \"It is going to be a busy summer but we are excited about the educational benefits the project will provide.\"</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Demolition is nearly complete and construction has begun on the renovation of the Hancock Place Elementary campus, located at 9101 S.\nBroadway in Lemay.','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(222,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','AGC of St. Louis and KC Heavy Constructors Join Road/Transportation Advocacy Group ','none','AGC of St. Louis, Kansas City Heavy Constructors','none','<p>The American Road &amp; Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), announced Aug.18 that the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of St. Louis and Heavy Constructors Association (HCA) of Greater Kansas City have become its latest state affiliates.<br /><br />\"AGC of St. Louis and HCA join a growing team of state contractor associations that have chosen to affiliate with ARTBA and work in partnership with us to boost the federal government\'s investment in transportation,\" ARTBA President &amp; CEO Pete Ruane said.&nbsp; \"Our new chapters and members in Missouri will strengthen our grassroots team as we advocate for a renewed vision and mission for America\'s federal highway and transit programs.\"<br /><br />Ruane noted Missouri is home to key congressional and state transportation leaders, and said the Missouri chapters will play a critical role in helping educate these policymakers about the revenue shortfall facing the Highway Trust Fund this year (Missouri can expect a 34 percent cut in its federal highway/bridge funding October 1, unless Congress acts), and about the state\'s overwhelming investment needs as Congress considers the next <br />multi-year highway/transit investment bill, scheduled for 2009 action. &nbsp;<br /><br />Heavy and highway construction contractors in both chapters will be enrolled as ARTBA members.&nbsp; The two associations will be ARTBA\'s exclusive Missouri affiliates. AGC of St. Louis members include general contractors engaged in commercial, government, institutional and specialty construction in that region of the state.&nbsp; HCA includes contractors, suppliers and affiliates with an emphasis on heavy construction in the bi-state (Missouri and Kansas) Kansas City area.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br />AGC of St. Louis and HCA join 33 other ARTBA chapters from around the country.&nbsp; ARTBA\'s unique \"federation\" membership structure includes more than 5,000 private and public sector members in the transportation design and construction industry. &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;\"ARTBA has a bold vision for the future of the nation\'s surface transportation network.&nbsp; Next year\'s federal transportation bill will be critical to St. Louis and Missouri, so we\'re pleased to join ARTBA\'s efforts,\" said Len Toenjes, AGC of St. Louis president.&nbsp; \"Our goal is to be the leading voice on behalf of the construction community in St. Louis, to solve problem and find solutions that will make St. Louis a safer more productive community,\"&nbsp; added Toenjes. &nbsp;<br /><br />HCA\'s Executive Director Ed DeSoignie added, \"Our partnership with ARTBA gives our members another strong voice in the Nation\'s Capitol.&nbsp; ARTBA\'s success will help us protect our area\'s federal transportation funding and make the case for more investment to meet the Kansas City area\'s transportation infrastructure needs.\" <br /><br />-</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), announced Aug.18 that the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of St. Louis and Heavy Constructors Association (HCA) of Greater Kansas City have become its latest state affiliates.','none','','none','','none','','',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(248,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Remote-Controlled Whole Foods Market ','none','Kaiser Electric, Whole Foods','none','<p>\"Our company goal is to reduce every type of consumption,\" said Tony Lesley, construction project manager for Whole Foods Market. \"And if that means spending additional money to determine how much energy is being consumed in order to make our stores more environmentally friendly, then that is what we are going to do.\"<br />&nbsp;<br /><img alt=\"Whole Foods Town &amp; Country\" class=\"table-left\" height=\"190\" src=\"/images/uploads/Whole-Foods-Photo.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"253\" />Brian Litteken, Kaiser Electric project manager, said the wiring for the energy management system was unique, because wiring for all of the store\'s systems had to be tied together at a single board in the main electric room. Start up of all the systems also had to be done simultaneously as a result of the unique system and its wiring. <br />&nbsp;<br />\"With traditional wiring jobs, you would have a local thermostat for each rooftop unit which would monitor the temperature in that area and control the unit independently of the other rooftop units,\" said Litteken. \"But with the energy management system, all the rooftop units are tied together with a communication cable and controlled by temperature sensors in the unit and on the sales floor.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />Construction on the new store began in November 2007, with Kaiser Electric selected as the electrical contractor on the project. The general contractor on the project was Kansas City, MO-based Luke Draily Construction and the designer was WD Partners based in Ohio. The store opened in June 2008.<br />&nbsp;<br />Remote-Controlled Market<br /><br />Kaiser Electric has completed the wiring of a new Whole Foods Market in Town &amp; Country, MO. The complex wiring system for the 55,000-square-foot natural and organic grocery store includes an energy management system that lets the supermarket chain monitor energy use on an hourly basis and control the store\'s lighting, refrigeration, and HVAC systems from its regional office in Chicago.<br />&nbsp;<br />\"Our company goal is to reduce every type of consumption,\" said Tony Lesley, construction project manager for Whole Foods Market. \"And if that means spending additional money to determine how much energy is being consumed in order to make our stores more environmentally friendly, then that is what we are going to do.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />Brian Litteken, Kaiser Electric project manager, said the wiring for the energy management system was unique, because wiring for all of the store\'s systems had to be tied together at a single board in the main electric room. Start up of all the systems also had to be done simultaneously as a result of the unique system and its wiring. <br />&nbsp;<br />\"With traditional wiring jobs, you would have a local thermostat for each rooftop unit which would monitor the temperature in that area and control the unit independently of the other rooftop units,\" said Litteken. \"But with the energy management system, all the rooftop units are tied together with a communication cable and controlled by temperature sensors in the unit and on the sales floor.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />Construction on the new store began in November 2007, with Kaiser Electric selected as the electrical contractor on the project. The general contractor on the project was Kansas City, MO-based Luke Draily Construction and the designer was WD Partners based in Ohio. The store opened in June 2008.<br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Kaiser Electric has completed the wiring of a new Whole Foods Market in Town & Country, MO. The complex wiring system for the 55,000-square-foot natural and organic grocery store includes an energy management system that lets the supermarket chain monitor energy use on an hourly basis and control the store\'s lighting, refrigeration, and HVAC systems from its regional office in Chicago.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(249,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Coldwell Banker Commercial CRA LLC Announces New Sales and Leases','none','Coldwell Banker Commercial, transactions','none','<p>Coldwell Banker Commercial CRA LLC has announced the following new transactions:<br />&nbsp;<br />Bert Solomon of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented Barry Simon in the lease of 6,655 square feet of industrial space at 632-636 Trade Center Blvd., Chesterfield, MO 63005, to Sebco Companies Inc., represented by Victoria L. Dolan of Coldwell Banker Commercial.<br />&nbsp;<br />Patty Sturm of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented Tamuck Inc. d/b/a Massage Envy in the lease of 3,399 square feet of retail space at North Glen Center, 3000 S. State Route 159, Glen Carbon, IL 62034, from Missouri Real Estate and Insurance Agency Inc., represented by David Wittenauer of Grubb &amp; Ellis/Gundaker.<br />&nbsp;<br />Jaimie Lance and Jackie Quicksilver of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented Maple Tree Center LLC in the lease of 2,400 square feet of retail space at Maple Tree Shopping Center, 15850 Clayton Road, Ellisville, MO 63011, to Narbell Inc. d/b/a Dairy Queen. <br />&nbsp;<br />Victoria L. Dolan of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented BeBetter Networks Inc. in the lease of 1,244 square feet of office space at 9717 Landmark Parkway, St. Louis, MO 63127, from BR STL Office Portfolio 1 LLC, represented by Carrie Mauch of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker. <br />&nbsp;<br />Ken Kaller, CCIM, of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented Ace Holdings LP in the expansion of Engraphix Architectural Signage Inc.\'s lease to 10,000 square feet of industrial space at 425 Hanley Industrial Court, St. Louis, MO 63144.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Coldwell Banker Commercial CRA LLC has announced the following new transactions:','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(250,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Thirteen is Lucky Number for  Gene Mackey  III','none','Mackey, AIA, gold honor','none','<p>Eugene (Gene) Mackey III, architect, artist, mentor,&nbsp; scholar and dedicated St. Louisan was recognized Sept. 18 with the St. Louis Chapter, American Insitute of Architects\' Gold Honor Award.</p>\n<p>Mackey, presented with the award at a ceremony at the Missouri Botanical Garden by Chapter President&nbsp; Sara Tetley, was the only 13th recipient of the award in its 25-year history. The Botantical Garden is the site of some of Mackey\'s most notable designs. During the presentation Peter Raven,&nbsp; director of the garden, acknowledged Mackey\'s contributions.&nbsp;</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Gene Mackey III\" class=\"table-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/gmackey300.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />His father, Eugene Mackey Jr., was a prominent St. Louis architect, who with his partner, Joseph Murphy, designed the Botanical\nGarden\'s Climatron, in collaboration with R. Buckminster\nFuller, who advanced the notion of using geodesic domes as greenhouses.</p>\n<p>In accepting the award Mackey acknowledged his upbringing&nbsp; asthe driver behind&nbsp; both his&nbsp; passion for architecture and his commitment to the St. Louis community.</p>\n<p>\"Architecture and architects have been intrinsically woven into the\nhistory of our great city &mdash;from Geo I. Barnett\nthrough Charles Ramsey, William Ittner, Theodore Link, Louis La Beaume,\nHarris Armstrong, and Frederick Dunn,\" Mackey said in accepting&nbsp; the honor &nbsp; \"We are the beneficiaries of\ntheir marvelous work and we carry on in their spirit.<br /><br />\"My\nlife has been a wonderful journey filled with outstanding people and\nopportunities. My parents raised Ellen, John, and me to be very\nindependent and address important issues.&nbsp; My father always said to\nremember that the world of ideas was where we, as architects, could\nperform at our best and to draw, draw, draw.</p>\n<p>\"From the beginning,\nI viewed architecture in the broad framework of society as a whole, not\nonly projects and buildings but also the larger community \'the architecture of cultural organizations and institutions\'. That is why\nI\'ve been so involved.\"</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','none','Eugene (Gene)  Mackey III, architect, artist, mentor,  scholar and dedicated St. Louisan was recognized Sept. 18  with the St. Louis Chapter, American Insitute of Architects\' Gold Honor Award.\n\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/gmackey300.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(227,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','OSHA Proposes Per-Employee Penalties for Personal Protective Equipment Violations','none','OSHA, ASA, personal protection','none','<p>The <a href=\"http://www.asaonline.com\">American Subcontractors Association</a> reported that on Aug. 19 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed to \"clarify\" how it will apply penalties for violations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) rules.</p>\n<p>In response to a case before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission that suggested that \"minor variations in the wording of the provisions affect the Secretary\'s authority to cite and penalize separate violations,\" OSHA said that it \"interprets its respirator and training provisions to impose a duty upon the employer to comply for each and every employee subject to the requirement regardless of whether the provision expressly states that respirators or training must be provided to &lsquo;each employee.\'\"</p>\n<p>OSHA\'s proposed change would make explicit in the 29 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 1910 through 1926 employers\' duties to provide PPE, such as respirators, to each employee who performs covered tasks and to train them to use PPE properly. OSHA set a deadline of Sept. 18, 2008, for public comments or requests for hearings on this change, but ASA has asked for a 90-day extension to allow more feedback.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The American Subcontractors Association reported that on Aug. 19 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed to \"clarify\" how it will apply penalties for violations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) rules.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(229,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Extreme Home Makeover  Helps Shrewsbury Family','none','Shea, Extreme Home Makeover, Shrewsbury','none','<p>One hundred and six hours &mdash; a little less than four and a half days&nbsp;&mdash; that\'s how long that John Shea of Fenton, MO and Dave Dunlap of Webster Groves,<br />along with hundreds of other volunteers, will have to demolish one house,build a new one in its place, and landscape the yard.<br /><br />The reason for the lightning fast build is ABC\'s \"Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition,\" the Emmy-winning reality television show about building new homes<br />for deserving families.<br /><br />Shea, known as \"Mr. Fix It\" on KTRS radio (AM 550) is president of CallierThompson Shea Construction and Design. Named Remodeler of the Year in 2007<br />by the Home Builders Association, the company had revenues last year ofabout $3.5 million.<br /><br />Shea got involved in the project after the television show\'s producers began making the rounds of radio stations in St. Louis to promote the project and<br />publicized their search for a builder. Shea said someone at KTRS suggestedto Conrad Ricketts, the executive producer of \"Extreme Makeover: Home<br />Edition\" that he talk to Shea, and he did.<img alt=\"Martinez family for  St. Louis Extreme Home Makeover\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"161\" src=\"/images/uploads/martirez_family.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"214\" /></p>\n<p>The St. Louisans chosen for ABC\'s \"Extreme Makeover Home Edition\"\nare Dawn and Emmanuel Martirez of Shrewsbury.</p>\n<p>Dawn is a pediatric cancer nurse. They have a daughter, Elle, and\ntwin boys, Evan and Alec. Evan has an extremely rare genetic condition called 9P minus, and\nAlec has another uncommon genetic disorder known as Crouzon Syndrome.\nBoth twins suffer from skeletal abnormalities that require extensive\ncorrective facial and cranial surgeries, with Evan having physical\nhandicaps and mental retardation and Alec being profoundly hearing\nimpaired.\"</p>\n<p>Dawn Martirez had to give up her job to take care of the twins full time. A statement released by the television&nbsp; show said: \"As the boys get older, the home\'s cramped narrow hallways, steep\nstairs, crumbling driveway and single, handicapped inaccessible\nbathroom are posing great problems for them and slowing their\ndevelopment. Now it is up to Ty (Pennington) and his designers to equip\nthe Martirez\'s home to accommodate the twins\' special needs.\"</p>\n<p><br />Shea said he was excited about the project, but he knew he needed help - \"a project of this magnitude and timeline is a challenge for any company,\" he<br />said - so he turned to his old friend Dave Dunlap of Consolidated Construction Group Inc. \"Once Dave knew it was for charity, he was on<br />board,\" Shea said.<br /><br />\"Both companies have been blessed and believe strongly in giving back,\" said Dunlap. \"We believe our project motto, \'People, Passion, Purpose,\' really<br />exemplifies what this project is all about and encourages everyone to getinvolved. Every dollar, piece of material and hour donated to this project<br />will make a difference.\"<br /><br />Consolidated Construction Group is a nationally recognized, award-winning design-build remodeling firm; ranked highest in homeowner satisfaction among<br />all remodelers nationwide, according to NRS Corp.\'s National Homeowner Satisfaction Study; and a member of Remodeling magazine\'s Big 50 Hall of<br />Fame in 1990.<br /><br />On August 26, Shea, Dunlap, and Ricketts met with more than 420 prospective volunteers from over 100 contracting companies to discuss how the four-day<br />build will work. \"It was all by word of mouth,\" Shea said.<br /><br />For more information on the build and to find out how you can volunteer, please visit <a href=\"http://www.extrememakeoverstlouis.com\">www.extremehomemakeoverstlouis.com</a> or call 636-256-8906.</p>','none','One hundred and six hours, a little less than four and a half days, is how long that John Shea of Fenton, MO and Dave Dunlap of Webster Groves,\nalong with hundreds of other volunteers, will have to demolish one house,build a new one in its place, and landscape the yard.','none','','none','','none','','none',204,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/extreme-makeover.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(230,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','United Rentals Helps St. Louis Family for \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\" ','none','United  Rentals, Extreme Makeover','none','<p>United Rentals, has joined forces with ABC\'s \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\" and hundreds of volunteers to build a new home for a Shrewsbury family.<br /><br />Following today\'s surprise visit by the \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\" team, the United Rentals branch in St. Louis began delivering more than 75 pieces of equipment to the site of what will be a new house for Emmanuel and Dawn Martirez and their three children. The popular television show has relied on United Rentals for aerial lifts, <img alt=\"Martinez family for  St. Louis Extreme Home Makeover\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"161\" src=\"/images/uploads/martirez_family.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"214\" />light towers and power generators on projects around the country through a partnership that initiated last year.<br /><br />Nick Reitz, branch manager for United Rentals in St. Louis, said, \"This is a total community effort on behalf of the Martirez family, and we\'re prepared to support the crew around the clock, even if it means delivering equipment at midnight. The United Rentals branches in our area want to help out any way we can. We plan to be on hand every day at the jobsite to help make this house happen!\"<br /><br />Diane Korman, senior producer for \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\", said, \"We know we can rely on United Rentals to help us get the job done under the most challenging conditions. Their equipment and expertise is available to us around the clock, and no matter where we travel, they have a branch nearby ready to serve us. United Rentals is an Extreme partner in every respect!\"</p>\n<p>The episode featuring the Martirez family will air on ABC\'s \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\" during the 2008 season on a date to be announced.<br /><br />Dawn Martirez is a pediatric oncology nurse who has comforted hundreds of parents and their terminally ill children. It was an exciting time for the Martirez family when Dawn, husband Emmanuel and daughter Elle relocated from St. Louis to Orlando so that Emmanuel could pursue his career. Their dreams were suddenly put on hold when Dawn gave birth to twin boys, both of whom have severe medical and developmental problems. Now back in St. Louis, the Martirez family has struggled to cope in a tiny and unsafe house. With the help of \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\", Emmanuel and Dawn will be able to give their children the comfort of a new home custom-built for their special needs.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','United Rentals, has joined forces with ABC\'s \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\" and hundreds of volunteers to build a new home for a Shrewsbury family.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(231,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Construction Spending Dropped in July, Commerce Reports','none','construction spending, nonresidential, Commerce Department','none','<p>Construction spending fell six-tenths of a point in July, according to the Commerce Department. The drop was twice as much as analysts had forecast. Meanwhile, housing activity fell to its lowest level since March 2001, and nonresidential activity also declined. Some analysts expect nonresidential construction to weaken as banks tighten lending standards.</p>\n<p>Housing\nactivity fell for a 16th consecutive month, declining 2.3% to a\nseasonally adjusted annual rate of $357.8 billion, the lowest\nlevel since March 2001.</p>\n<p>Nonresidential\nactivity, which had been offsetting some of the weakness in the\nresidential sector also fell in July, dropping seven-tenths to an annual rate\nof $416.8 billion. It was the first setback in that category since\nDecember.</p>\n<p>Analysts are concerned that nonresidential building\nwill weaken in coming months as banks tighten lending standards for nonresidential projects\nas well.Overall, construction spending totaled $1.084 trillion\nat a seasonally adjusted annual rate in July. Last month\'s drop\nrepresented the largest setback since a nine-tenths decline in February.</p>\n<p>The\ngovernment revised the June performance to show a 0.3% increase instead\nof the 0.4% decline that had been originally reported.</p>\n<p>Construction activity is 4.7% below the level of a year ago, representing one of the major drags on the current economy.</p>\n<p>For\nJuly, the seven-tenths drop in nonresidential construction followed gains of\n1.7% in June and 3.1% in May. Last month\'s weakness reflected declines\nin the construction of factories, power plants, schools and health care\nfacilities.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>Public\nconstruction projects rose by 1.4% to $309.7 billion in July as\nspending for federal, state and local building projects rose to\nall-time highs.</p>\n<p>Spending for state and local projects was up 1.2%\nto an annual rate of $285.68 billion, while construction of federal\nprojects rose by 3.9% to an annual rate of $24.05 billion.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Construction spending fell six-tenths of a point in July, according to the Commerce Department. The drop was twice as much as analysts had forecast. Meanwhile, housing activity fell to its lowest level since March 2001, and nonresidential activity also declined. Some analysts expect nonresidential construction to weaken as banks tighten lending standards.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(232,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','O\'Toole Design Promotes  Stamer  and Johnson','none','O\'Toole, Stamer,  Johnson','none','<p><br />O\'Toole Design Associates promoted Debbie Stamer and Kim Johnson to senior associates and hired Ashley Heidbrink and Kate Rudolphi as designers.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Kim Johnson\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"149\" src=\"/images/uploads/Kim1_1.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"120\" />Johnson is responsible for all phases of project management \n              from schematic and design development through space planning and \n              construction administration.&nbsp; She graduated from the University \n              of Kansas in Lawrence, KS with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior \n              Design.&nbsp; With over 13 years experience in the design industry, her focus has been in corporate and hospitality design.<strong></strong></p>\n<p><strong>Kim Johnson</strong></p>\n<p>&nbsp;Stamer <img alt=\"Debbie Stamer\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"154\" src=\"/images/uploads/Debbie1_1.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"120\" />brings \n              over 14 years of experience in corporate interior design to O\'Toole.&nbsp; \n              She graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of \n              Science in Interior Design. Her past experience incorporates \n              both corporate and hospitality design, with primary responsibilities \n              including all aspects of project management from schematic and design \n              development through space planning and construction administration.</p>\n<p><strong>Debbie Stamer</strong></p>\n<p>O\'Toole Design \n              Associates, Inc. was founded 15 years ago by principal, Michelle \n              O\'Toole. It began with a commitment to designing functional and \n              creative environments for corporate interiors. Today, the firm \n              provides a broad scope of comprehensive interior services including programming \n              and space planning, interior design, interior finish and \n              furnishing selections, budgeting, custom millwork and furniture \n              design.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','O\'Toole Design Associates promoted Debbie Sstamer and Kim Johnson to senior associates and hired Ashley Heidbrink and Kate Rudolphi as designers.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(233,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Extreme Home Makeover Drops in for Coffee','none','Extreme Home  Makeover,  coffee shop','none','<p>Ty Pennington and the \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\" designers surprised a second St. Louis family when they knocked on Sam Malek\'s coffee shop, More Than Coffee, located in Manchester, Mo.<br />&nbsp;<br />Born in Cairo, Egypt, with cerebral palsy, Malek\'s parents were overwhelmed with the miracle of his life when he started breathing shortly after the doctors pronounced him to be a stillborn. This would be the first of many miracles in the life of Malek. He continues to beat the odds and is now a 44-year-old married father of two teenage sons and a business owner. Malek took out a second mortgage on his home in 2007 to purchase the drive-through coffee shop where his mission is to \"help challenged people one cup at a time.\" He does so by employing handicapped individuals and letting customers help decide which charitable organization will be the recipient of the coffee shop\'s benevolence each month.<br />&nbsp;<br />\"Sam is a true hero and is a living testimony of the potential all of us can reach when given the opportunity,\" says Dave Dunlap of Consolidated Construction Group. \"His hard work, perseverance and success are an inspiration to us all, and in particular for families like the Martirezes. Dawn and Emmanuel fight on a daily basis to provide the same opportunities for their special-needs sons Evan and Alec that are taken for granted by most. Sam is an example that hope can prevail.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />\"When &lsquo;Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\' told us about Sam, again we had to say &lsquo;yes!\',\" added John Shea of Callier Thompson Shea. \"Sam always puts himself and his needs last and we are excited to build a new and improved coffee shop for his employees, family and the community that is so dedicated to supporting his mission. Our plan is to complete construction within the next two days.\"<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />While Ty and the designers, local builders Callier Thompson Shea Construction &amp; Design LLC and Consolidated Construction Group Inc., and hundreds of volunteers and workers rebuild the More Than Coffee shop to make it more efficient, safe and ADA compliant, the coffee will continue to flow from a temporary location in the same parking lot at 14240 Manchester Road, and Malek will be spending his time volunteering at the Martirez build.<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Ty Pennington and the \"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition\" designers surprised a second St. Louis family when they knocked on Sam Malek\'s coffee shop, More Than Coffee, located in Manchester, Mo.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(234,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Barry Real Estate Companies, Inc, Tarlton to Construct National Archives ','none','Barry Real Estate Companies, Tarlton, Construct National Archives ','none','<p><br />The U.S. General Services Administration has awarded a development contract to Barry Real Estate Companies, Inc. of Atlanta to complete a build-to-suit lease for the National Archives and Records Administration at 1829 Dunn Road.<br /><br />Skanska USA Building of Atlanta will partner with Tarlton Corporation of St. Louis to construct the 474,690 square-foot facility. HKS, Inc. of Dallas is the lead architectural firm.<br /><br />The National Archives will relocate from their current offices at 9700 Page Avenue to the new lease in 2010. Other federal agencies will also use space in the new building. About 650 federal workers will be moving to the new facility.<br /><br />Through GSA, the government has entered into a 20-year lease valued at $19.50 per rentable square foot.<br /><br />\"I am delighted that the experience and expertise of Missouri workers will remain at hand to serve our public,&rdquo; said Senator Christopher S. &ldquo;Kit&rdquo; Bond (R-Mo.). &ldquo;It has been a long review and I applaud a hard-earned result.\"<br /><br />1829 Dunn Road is located in northeast St. Louis County, adjacent to Interstate 270 and Highway 367. The three-story office and record storage facility will be visible from Interstate 270.<br /><br />Record storage areas will meet the new 2009 facility standards for fire safety, heating, ventilation and air conditioning. In addition, the building will be LEED Certified and meet the Intergovernmental Security Standards for build-to-suit facilities. Bus service is planned for easy public access, as well as 700 on-site parking spaces for workers and visitors.<br /><br />&ldquo;We are grateful that NARA will stay in St. Louis County and the approximate 600 jobs will remain intact,&rdquo; said St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley.&nbsp; &ldquo;Senator Kit Bond and Congressman Lacy Clay worked hard to keep the relocation here, and I thank them for their leadership and support of St. Louis County.&rdquo;<br /><br />&ldquo;It is our mission to retain and attract quality jobs to St. Louis County. We appreciate the great partnership efforts among the GSA and public officials in working with us to keep this important project in the county. The new facility will retain all jobs and provide updated office space and a state-of-the-art environment for storing and preserving irreplaceable records,&rdquo; said St. Louis County Economic Council President&nbsp; CEO Denny Coleman.<br /><br />Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) of twentieth century military service veterans will be stored at the new facility. The National Archives receives one million requests annually for information or copies of the files. Requestors seek to verify service, apply for benefits, obtain medals, research medical conditions and conduct genealogical research.<br /><br />&ldquo;We are excited that this location will allow us to remain within the St. Louis community where we already have strong ties,&rdquo; said Ron Hindman, Director of the National Personnel Records Center. &ldquo;It will provide us an outstanding storage facility for our records, and great working environment for our workforce.&rdquo;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The U.S. General Services Administration has awarded a development contract to Barry Real Estate Companies, Inc. of Atlanta to complete a build-to-suit lease for the National Archives and Records Administration at 1829 Dunn Road.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(235,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','AGC of St. Louis Prepares for Road/Transportation  Funding Battle','none','AGC of St. Louis, ARBTA','none','<p>The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of St. Louis announced a new weapon in its battle for adequate funds to maintain<br />Missouri\'s roads, bridges, and rails: affiliation with ARTBA - the American Road &amp; Transportation Builders Association.<br /><br />ARTBA \"has a rifle-like focus on transportation issues,\" Len Toenjes said in announcing the affiliation. Toenjes is president of the AGC of St. Louis.<br />Noting that the national AGC already has lobbyists in Washington, D.C., Toenjes said that affiliation with ARTBA \"will multiply our voice on<br />transportation policy.\"<br /><br />The affiliation couldn\'t come at a more important time. On Friday, the Bush administration admitted that the highway funding system is in crisis.<br />Reversing policy, the Administration now supports a House plan to restore $8 billion to the highway trust fund, money that Congress had taken out of the<br />fund 10 years ago to balance the budget. The House overwhelmingly approved the plan in July by a vote of 387-37, but it has been held up in the Senate<br />by, in part, a veto threat from the President.<br /><br />T. Peter Raune, president and CEO of ARTBA, said the administration reversed itself when it saw the bills coming in from the states and realized it did<br />not have the money to pay them. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced on Friday that the highway trust fund would run out of money by<br />the end of this month unless Congress puts more money into it.<br /><br />Raune said that everyone knew this day was coming; they just didn\'t expect it to come so soon. The culprit, he said, is higher gas prices, which<br />prompted car owners to drive less and purchase less gasoline. Since the highway trust fund is funded by a federal gasoline tax, the cutback in<br />driving has meant less money going into the fund that people had expected.\"Never have we seen a cutback of this magnitude,\" he said.<br /><br />The $8 billion Congress is offering is only a band-aid, Raune said. \"Withouta [gasoline] tax hike, we\'ll be right back in the same boat in 2009,\" he<br />said.<br /><br />Even a gas-tax hike is only a medium-term solution, he added. If people continue to buy more fuel-efficient cars, electric cars, and alternative<br />fueled cars, and curtail driving, \"eventually we\'ll have to go to a fee forevery mile a vehicle travels,\" he said.<br /><br />Toenjes said the funding crisis is even greater in Missouri, because of the way Missouri paid for its recent road construction. Missouri borrowed money<br />to pay for it current road program and next year the bond payments on thatdebt come due. That, he said, will mean 50 percent less state money for road<br />and bridge repair and maintenance.<br /><br /></p>','','202','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of St. Louis announced a new weapon in its battle for adequate funds to maintain Missouri\'s roads, bridges, and rails: affiliation with ARTBA - the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(236,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','NAI Desco Announces Transactions','none','NAI Desco, Transactions','none','<p>NAI Desco Announced the&nbsp; following&nbsp; transactions:</p>\n<p><strong>Office Transactions:</strong></p>\n<p>John Sheahan, SIOR and Andrew Port, SIOR of NAI DESCO represented R.G.B. Construction Company (the Seller) in the sale of a 25,000 SF office<br />building at 777 Craig Rd in Creve Coeur, Missouri. The building was purchased by Health Care Group, LLC.</p>\n<p>Tom Erman, SIOR of NAI DESCO represented Milliman, Inc. (the Lessee) in the lease of 6,553 SF of office space at 501 N. Broadway in St. Louis, Missouri. The<br />landlord is Parmenter One Financial Plaza LP represented by Tony Kennedy of EVS Realty Advisors.</p>\n<p><strong>Industrial Transaction:</strong></p>\n<p>Floyd L. Sweeney, SIOR, MCR and David Branding of NAI DESCO represented Envirotest Systems Corp (the Seller) in the sale of a 2,500 SF<br />industrial building at 1008 Lofting in St. Clair, Missouri. The building was purchased by John L. Ramsey.</p>\n<p><strong>Retail Transaction:</strong></p>\n<p>Peter Sheahan and David Branding of NAI DESCO represented Grasso Brothers Land Company, Inc. (the Seller) in the sale of a 41,030 SF retail<br />building (formerly Rhodes Furniture) at 3900 Union Rd in St. Louis, Missouri. The building was purchased by Southside Hills Assembly of God represented by<br />Elaine Medve of Helix Realty.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','NAI Desco announced the following transactions','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(237,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','KCI Construction awarded $13.9 Million Cooling Tower at MU','none','KCI, MU, cooling tower','none','<p><br />KCI Construction was recently awarded the Power Plant Cooling Tower Upgrade and 480V SUS Replacement project at University of Missouri in Columbia, with a total contract amount of $13.9 million.&nbsp; The 18-month project, which is scheduled to begin immediately, involves site improvements and construction of a new concrete cooling tower basin to receive a five-cell fiberglass cooling tower, followed by demolition of four existing cooling towers off the roof of the power plant.&nbsp; Concurrently with the cooling tower work is replacement of aging electrical systems inside the plant with a new 480-Volt secondary unit substation, switchgear and motor control systems.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />KCI has worked successfully in the mid-Missouri region in recent years, with three other major projects currently under construction for the University of Missouri in Columbia totaling $80 million - Brady Commons Student Center expansion, Graham-Defoe Mid-Campus student housing, and LaFerre Hall addition.<br />&nbsp;<br />KCI Construction is a general contractor with offices in both St. Louis and Lebanon, MO, and a 2007 volume of $89 million, and has recently begun an ownership transition from owner Doug Jones to Jon Schenk, Tom Huster and Brent Krueger.<br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','KCI Construction was recently awarded the power plant cooling tower upgrade and 480V SUS replacement project at University of Missouri in Columbia, with a total contract amount of $13.9 million. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(238,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Lawrence Group Makes Inc. Magazine  5,000 List','none','Lawrence Group, Inc. Magazine','none','<p><a href=\"http://www.thelawrencegroup.com\">&nbsp;Lawrence Group </a>has been named by Inc.\nmagazine and Inc.com as one of the nations\' 5,000 fastest-growing\nprivate companies in 2008. Lawrence Group has grown more than 200\npercent since the architectural firm was founded in 1983, with revenue\nof&nbsp; $44.6 million in 2007.<br /> <br /> For more than 25 years,<em> Inc.</em> has celebrated the success of\nthe fastest-growing private companies in America with the annual Inc.\n500 issue. In 2007, Inc.com published the first Inc. 5000 list, an\nexpansion of the <em>Inc. </em>500 list, now featuring the nation\'s 5000 fastest-growing, private companies.<br /> <br /> Companies on the list will be honored at the 27th annual Inc. 500/Inc.\n5000 Conference and Awards Ceremony, held on September 18-20, 2008 at\nthe Gaylord national Resort &amp; Convention Center in National Harbor,\nMaryland. The event is the only major business conference that\nrecognizes the accomplishments of entrepreneurs in America. <br /> <br /> Lawrence Group has expanded its core services from architecture and\ninterior design to also include real estate development services and\nconstruction management. The company has expanded geographically with\noffices in Austin, the Carolinas, Denver, New York and most recently,\nPhiladelphia and Beijing, China.&nbsp; <br /> <br /> Lawrence Group is one of the largest international building design,\nplanning, and project delivery firms in St. Louis with more than 200\nemployees in the US and China. Named in the \"Top 100 Giants\" by <em>Interior Design</em> magazine, the Lawrence Group offers architecture, interior design, a\nretail furniture showroom, landscape design, graphic design, town\nplanning, construction management, and real estate development services\nto health care, commercial and housing clients. Lawrence Group is a\nmember of the American Institute of Architects, the U.S. Green Building\nCouncil and the Urban Land Institute.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Lawrence Group has been named by Inc. magazine and Inc.com as one of the nations\' 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in 2008. Lawrence Group has grown more than 200 percent since the architectural firm was founded in 1983, with revenue of  $44.6 million in 2007.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(239,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Grubb & Ellis|Gundaker Commercial Recent Transactions','none','Grubb & Ellis|Gundaker Commercial, transactions','none','<p>Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial, announced the following completed transactions:<br /><br />* Rebekah Bahn &amp; David Biales, CCIM of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented GHH Investments, LLC in the lease of 8,384 square feet of office<br />space at 100 Chesterfield Business Parkway in Chesterfield, Missouri to OPAA! Food Management, represented by Sansone Group.<br />* Nikki Kiser and Joe Flaherty of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Superior Wireless Concept - Cricket Communications in the lease<br />of 1,400 square feet of retail space at 4728 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville, Missouri from Mid Rivers Retail Development, LLC.<br />* Chris McKanry of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Cricket Communications in the lease of 1,200 square feet of retail space at 1568<br />Sierra Vista Plaza in St. Louis, Missouri from DESCO Group.<br />* Josh Hibbits of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Telegraph Property Holdings, LLC in the lease of 960 square feet of retail space at<br />6060 Telegraph in St. Louis, Missouri to Lexis Cole Boutique d/b/a Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio.</p>\n<p>* Vince Bajardi &amp; Paul Zimny, CCIM of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Conti Electric in the lease of 10,465 square feet of industrial<br />warehouse / distribution space at 13633 Lakefront Drive in Earth City, Missouri from Lakefront Investors, LLC, represented by Hutkin Development.<br />* Robert Busch, Esq. of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Henneman Engineering, Inc. in the lease of 6,953 square feet of Class A<br />office space at 1 CityPlace Drive in Creve Coeur, Missouri from Cornerstone Opportunity Ventures, LLC, represented by Koman Group.<br />* Don Worley of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Linh Hoang in the sale of 282 acres of lance at 289 Hwy. 19 South in New Florence,<br />Missouri to Sam &amp; Katherine Ford, represented by Prudential Alliance Realtors.<br />* Joe Allison, David Biales, CCIM &amp; Andrea Aston of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented A Sure Wing LLC d/b/a Buffalo Wild Wings in the lease<br />of 6,544 square feet of retail space at 183 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in St. Peters, Missouri from Mid Rivers West Development, LLC, represented by<br />Pacific Development, LLC.<br />* Don Worley of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Linh Hoang in the sale of 282 acres of lance at 289 Hwy. 19 South in New Florence,<br />Missouri to Sam &amp; Katherine Ford, represented by Prudential Alliance Realtors.<br />* Chris McKanry &amp; Dan Rossini of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented USA Properties in the sale of 10,068 square feet of retail/office space at 2917 Olive Street in St. Louis, Missouri to RE/Max Best Choice.<br />* Dave Biales, CCIM &amp; John McDonald of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Chesterfield Valley Professional Building Associates, LLC in the<br />lease of 1,916 square feet of medical office space at #6 McBride &amp; Son<br />Center Drive in Chesterfield, Missouri to Turlington Podiatry.<br />* Don Worley of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Linh Hoang in the sale of 282 acres of lance at 289 Hwy. 19 South in New Florence,<br />Missouri to Sam &amp; Katherine Ford, represented by Prudential Alliance Realtors.<br />* Meg Mannion &amp; Rebekah Bahn of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Triple Net Properties, LLC in the lease of 1,645 square feet of<br />office space at 7777 Bonhomme in Clayton, Missouri to Lamont E. Farr.<br />* Meg Mannion &amp; Rebekah Bahn of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Triple Net Properties in the lease of 1,258 square feet of Class<br />A office space at 7777 Bonhomme in Clayton, Missouri to Robert S. Adler, P.C.<br />* Robert Busch, Esq. of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Kataman Metals, LLC in the lease of 7,563 square feet of Class A office space at 7733 Forsyth Boulevard in Clayton, Missouri from Pierre Laclede Office Investors, LLC, represented by Colliers Turley Martin Tucker.<br />* David Biales, CCIM &amp; John McDonald of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Aegis I, LLC in the lease of 1,513 square feet of office space<br />at 17000 Baxter Road in Chesterfield, Missouri to Edward D. Jones &amp; Co., L.P., represented by Colliers Turley Martin Tucker.<br />&bull; Robert Busch, Esq. of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial representedFidelity Financial Mortgage Corporation in the lease of 1,830 square feet of<br />office space at 12747 Olive Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri from BSP Golub<br />Creve Coeur, LLC.<br />&bull; David Gitt of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Heritage Operating, LP in the purchase of .05 acres of land at Mid Rivers Industrial<br />Drive in St. Peters, Missouri from Gunna Development, LLC.<br />&bull; Robert Busch, Esq. of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Aurora Systems Group, Inc. in the lease of 2,703 square feet of office space at<br />1224 Fern Ridge Parkway in St. Louis, Missouri from BSP Golub Creve Coeur, LLC.<br />&bull; Josh Hibbits of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Pasha Distribution Corporation in the lease of 3,704 square feet of retail space<br />at 1136 Washington Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri from A.D. Brown Acquisitions, LLC.<br />&bull; David Gitt of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Acosta, Inc. in the lease of 16,390 square feet of office/warehouse space at 18089 Edison<br />Road in Chesterfield, Missouri from Edison Investors, LLC.<br />&bull; Don Worley of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Linh Hoang in the sale of 282 acres of lance at 289 Hwy. 19 South in New Florence,<br />Missouri to Sam &amp; Katherine Ford, represented by Prudential Alliance Realtors.<br />&bull;Robert Busch, Esq. of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Rehabilitation Professionals, Inc. in the lease of 5,753 square feet of<br />Class A office space at 1034 S. Brentwood Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri from CF Clayton Office II, L.P.<br />&bull; John McDonald &amp; David Biales, CCIM of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented O\'Brien Doris Ann Revocable Living Trust in the sale of 7,800<br />square feet of office / retail space at 3877 Veterans Memorial Parkway in St. Peters, Missouri to SPA Motel, LLC.<br />&bull;Robert Busch, Esq. of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented Worsham N. Caldwell Jr. &amp; Associates, LLC in the lease of 2,872 square feet<br />of Class A office space at 1010 Market Street in St. Louis, Missouri from Tomorrow 35 Market, L.P.<br />&bull; Steve May of Grubb &amp; Ellis|Gundaker Commercial represented CWA Local 6320 Building Corp. in the sale of 5,206 square feet of office space at 6255 Knox<br />Industrial Drive in St. Louis, Missouri to Real Knox Investors, LLC.<br /><br />Gundaker Commercial Group, Inc. (GCG) is a full-service commercial real estate company providing Brokerage, Asset Management, Development, and<br />Construction services in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.&nbsp; Noted as one of St. Louis\' largest commercial real estate and commercial development firms,<br />GCG offers clients a wide array of services.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Grubb & Ellis|Gundaker Commercial, announced the following completed transactions:','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(240,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Budrovich Crane Rental Garners National and Local Safety Awards','none','Budrovich, safety, awards','none','<p>Budrovich Contracting was recently honored with two safety awards.&nbsp; The Specialized Carriers and Riggers Association bestowed a \"Zero Incident Award\" on the company for its performance in 2007.&nbsp; <br /><br />The crane company is one of eight crane rental companies nationally to receive the award.&nbsp; The SC&amp;RA has over 1300 member firms in over 43 countries.&nbsp; The American Subcontractors Association Midwest Council also recognized the Budrovich Crane accomplishment at their annual awards banquet in April.&nbsp; <br /><br />Budrovich was one of four contracting firms in Division 5 to receive the Zero Accident award.&nbsp; Division 5 is for firms with over 50,000-100,000 man hours without an accident.<br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Budrovich Contracting was recently honored with two safety awards.  The Specialized Carriers and Riggers Association bestowed a \"Zero Incident Award\" on the company for its performance in 2007. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(241,1,5,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','A Review of Three Unique ConsensusDocs Forms ','none','ConsensusDocs, forms, review','none','<p><em>By Leonard R. Ruzicka, Jr. </em></p>\n<p>Of the approximately 70 documents within the ConsensusDocs family of forms, there are three forms that offer a unique approach to addressing traditional business risks: the Collaborative Agreement, the Electronic Communication Protocol document and the Time and Price-Impacted Materials document.&nbsp; This article provides a brief overview of how these three forms tackle business risks in a unique way. <br /><strong></strong></p>\n<p><strong>Tri-Party Collaborative Agreement Doc No. 300</strong><br />This Agreement is initially executed by the owner, design professional and contractor and/or construction manager.&nbsp; The primary purpose of the Agreement is to bring these key players together at the front end of the project to minimize the risk of delay, conflict and increased cost typically experienced by project participants in non-integrated project delivery.&nbsp; The Agreement\'s provisions are intended to require a fully integrated and cooperative effort of all the project participants from preliminary design through final acceptance.&nbsp; In order to make this happen, the owner, design professional and contractor each designate an authorized representative to serve as a member of the Management Group.&nbsp; The Management Group is the decision-making body for the delivery of the Project consistent with the Owner\'s intended project requirements including schedule and budget.&nbsp; To facilitate an integrated, collaborative design process, there are provisions in the Agreement for including key design consultants, trade contractors and suppliers under Joining Agreements at later stages of the project as necessary.&nbsp; All of the initial members must approve the addition of such consultants, trade contractors and suppliers to the team.&nbsp; The Agreement requires decisions to be made through a consensus of the Management Group.&nbsp; If consensus cannot be reached among the Management Group members, the Owner retains the right to make a determination in the best interest of the Project as a whole. &nbsp;</p>\n<p>Although this is a cost plus agreement, there are a number of provisions designed to provide some predictability of ultimate costs to the Owner and to also control costs.&nbsp; The Constructor and Trade Contractors are required to provide input to the Designer in order to create value for the project by identifying options to improve constructability and functionality and to reduce capital costs.&nbsp; The Designer and Constructor must jointly develop a preliminary estimate of the cost of construction, together with contingencies and allowances to arrive at a Design Budget.&nbsp; To clearly identify costs, the parties are required to revise and further develop the project budget with the ultimate goal of arriving at a Project Target Cost Estimate when the project design is sufficiently complete.&nbsp; There is an option to penalize or reward the Designer and Constructor if the actual project cost is more or less than the Project Target Cost Estimate. &nbsp;<br />Another means of controlling costs is to employ \"pull based\" principles so that each of the parties to the agreement are performing, at any point in time, only work necessary to advance the project as anticipated and directed by the Management Group.&nbsp; The Agreement penalizes out of sequence work by requiring any party that fails to follow the approved work sequence plan to pay the cost of any rework resulting from such failure. &nbsp;<br />The Agreement also allows the parties to select one of two forms of risk allocation.&nbsp; The first option is entitled Safe Harbor Decisions.&nbsp; If this option is selected by the parties, they agree to release each other from any liability resulting from a collaboratively reached decision that may have been based on any mistake or error in judgment by one or more of the parties.&nbsp; This safe harbor provision does not extend to acts or omissions that amount to a willful default of an obligation under this Agreement.</p>\n<p>The second option is entitled Traditional Risk Allocation.&nbsp; This option requires each party to be fully liable to the other parties for its own negligence or breaches of contact or warranty.&nbsp; However, this second option provides for a specific dollar limitation of liability for both the Designer and Contractor. &nbsp;<br />Another unique clause in this document is entitled Principles of Communications.&nbsp; This provision not only requires that the parties agree on a protocol for communications, but also specifically prohibits \"... offline Project-related discussions among the Project participants...\".&nbsp; This clause emphasizes the importance of following the communication protocol by providing that a failure to adhere to the protocol constitutes a beach of the Agreement justifying a withholding of payment and a basis for termination. &nbsp;<br /><br /><strong>Electronic Communication Protocol Addendum Doc No. 200.2</strong><br />This unique form addresses the growing trend of communicating construction related information electronically.&nbsp; This 13-page form outlines the designation of key players in the communication process and details the list of all parameters that need to be considered in setting up the protocol and assignment of responsibility.&nbsp; This form requires each party to designate an IT Administrator.&nbsp; The IT Administrators then form an IT Management Team, with each party paying for its participation in this team.&nbsp; This form requires each party to establish standards for hardware, software, document format, transmission, security, access and archiving.&nbsp; Also, the form specifically requires the parties to make an affirmative election on the categories of documents to be exchanged.&nbsp; The document also outlines that the party failing to follow the detailed protocol in the form will be responsible for the related costs. <br /><br /><strong>Time And Price-Impacted Materials Doc No. 200.1</strong><br />This form addresses the recurring issue of material shortages or wildly fluctuating prices, such as with steel.&nbsp; Essentially the parties agree to certain materials that are required for the Project that may be subject to shortages or price fluctuations.&nbsp; The parties agree on a Baseline Price for selected materials that is included in the contract fixed price.&nbsp; If prior to delivery either party puts the other party on notice and provides adequate documentation substantiating an adjustment, the Contract Price and Time is adjusted either up or down consistent with the substantiated documentation.<br /></p>','','234','none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','Of the approximately 70 documents within the ConsensusDocs family of forms, there are three forms that offer a unique approach to addressing traditional business risks: the Collaborative Agreement, the Electronic Communication Protocol document and the Time and Price-Impacted Materials document.  This article provides a brief overview of how these three forms tackle business risks in a unique way.','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(242,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Hendricks Announces Park 44 Sale','none','Hendricks, Park 44','none','<p>Hendricks &amp; Partners is pleased to announce the sale of Park 44, located at 4426-4444 West Pine Boulevard in St. Louis, MO. The 148-unit apartment community was sold for an undisclosed amount.</p>\n<p>The Seller was Park 44, LLC / Koch Development Co., Inc member of Clayton, MO. The Buyer was Park 44 UI, Limited Partnership of Northbrook, IL.</p>\n<p>The transaction was negotiated by Ken Aston of the St. Louis office of Hendricks &amp; Partners on behalf of both the Buyer and the Seller.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Hendricks & Partners is pleased to announce the sale of Park 44, located at 4426-4444 West Pine Boulevard in St. Louis, MO. The 148-unit apartment community was sold for an undisclosed amount.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(243,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Coldwell Banker Commercial CRA LLC Announces New Leases','none','Coldwell Banker, transactions','none','<p>Coldwell Banker Commercial has announced the following new transactions:<br /><strong>&nbsp;</strong><br />Michael J. Wolken<strong>,</strong> SIOR, of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented JMC Products Inc. in the lease of 3,255 square feet of industrial space at 1801-1839 Belt Way Drive, 1807 Belt Way Drive, Overland, MO 63114, from Beltway Investors LLC, represented by Jake Muniz of Hutkin Development Co.<br />&nbsp;<br />G. Timothy Lawlor of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented 39 Worthington Limited Partnership in the lease of 970 square feet of office space at 39 Worthington Access Drive, St. Louis, MO 63043, to Anton Realty Group LLC.<br />&nbsp;<br />Carl J. Conceller, SIOR, and Victoria L. Dolan of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented Ballas Place LLC in the renewal of Missouri General Insurance Agency Inc.\'s lease for 10,504 square feet of office space at The Ballas Place Office Building, 425 N. New Ballas Road, St. Louis, MO 63141. Jim Mosby of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker represented the tenant in this transaction.<br />&nbsp;<br />Carl J. Conceller, SIOR, and Stephen Gwinnup, CCIM, of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented Smithbucklin Corp. in the extension of its lease for 4,280.53 square feet of office space at 540 Maryville Center Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141, from Duke Realty Limited Partnership d/b/a Duke Realty of Indiana Limited Partnership, represented by Duke Realty Corp.<br />&nbsp;<br />Jaimie Lance of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented Worthington Associates LP in the extension of Kehe Food Distributors Inc.\'s lease for 2,483 square feet of industrial space at Security Plaza Building, 915 Fee Fee Road, Maryland Heights, MO 63043. <br />&nbsp;<br />Carl J. Conceller, SIOR, and Ken Kaller, CCIM, of Coldwell Banker Commercial represented Sabreliner Corp. in the extension of Fastrans Logistics\' sublease of 25,000 square feet of industrial space at 8849 Seeger Industrial Drive, Berkeley, MO 63134. Floyd Sweeney of NAI Desco represented the tenant in this transaction. <br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Coldwell Banker Commercial has announced the following new transactions:','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(244,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Hampton I-64 Bridge to Close','none','Hampton, I-64, closing','none','<p>Full Closure of I-64 Scheduled for Sept 26-29 The Hampton Avenue interchange at I-64 will close Monday, Sept. 22 for eight months of reconstruction. This closure will include<br />the eastbound and westbound entrance and exit ramps.<br /><br />Beginning Friday, September 26 at 10 p.m. through Monday, Sept. 29 at 5:30 a.m., I-64 will be closed under Hampton for the bridge demolition. <br />Temporary pavement will be put in place on Hampton to detour the I-64 traffic up the exit ramps, across Hampton and back down the entrance ramps to I-64. <br /><br />The Hampton Avenue bridge will reopen with one lane in each direction by Memorial Day of 2009, and will be fully reopened by the Fourth of July.<br />While the bridge is being rebuilt, drivers can access Forest Park from nine other entrances off Kingshighway Boulevard, Lindell Boulevard, Skinker<br />Boulevard and Tamm Avenue.&nbsp; Forest Park signs will be in place on Interstate 44 directing motorists to use Kingshighway, and on Interstate 70 directing<br />motorists to Interstate 170 to Forest Park Parkway.<br /><br />To stay updated on the project, visit the <a href=\"http://www.thenewi64.org/\">project website</a> at to see the daily and weekly construction schedule<br />and view photographs and web cameras showing the work.<br /></p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Full Closure of I-64 Scheduled for Sept 26-29 The Hampton Avenue interchange at I-64 will close Monday, Sept. 22 for eight months of reconstruction. This closure will include\nthe eastbound and westbound entrance and exit ramps.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(245,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','More Negative Conditions for Architecture Billings Index ','none','Architecture Billings Index, AIA','none','<p><br />While conditions have improved somewhat for three consecutive months, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) continues to point to unfavorable conditions for the nonresidential construction market.&nbsp; As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI shows an approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the August ABI rating was 47.6, up slightly from the 46.8 mark in July (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The inquiries for new projects score was 52.4.&nbsp; There is, however, continued demand for projects such as schools, hospitals and government buildings with the institutional category of the ABI remaining positive going all the way back to 2004. <br />&nbsp;<br />\"The recent figures over the last quarter are no real surprise given the overall state of the economy,\" said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. \"The news for industries affected by the construction industry is that looking back 12 to eighteen months, the numbers were extremely healthy. That means many of those projects are currently in or entering the construction phase so there should still be demand for labor and building materials, and later on interiors, computer equipment and the like.\"<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>Key August ABI highlights</strong>:<br />Regional averages: Midwest (49.4), West (49.2), Northeast (45.2), South (45.0)&nbsp; <br />Sector index breakdown: institutional (52.2), commercial / industrial (47.5), mixed practice (44.8) multi-family residential (40.8)<br />Project inquiries index: 52.4 <br /><br /><strong>About the AIA Architecture Billings Inde</strong>x<br />The Architecture Billings Index is derived from a monthly \"Work-on-the-Boards\" survey and produced by the AIA Economics&nbsp; Market Research Group. Based on a comparison of data compiled since the survey\'s inception in 1995 with figures from the Department of Commerce on Construction Put in Place, the findings amount to a leading economic indicator that provides an approximately nine to twelve month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction activity. The diffusion indexes contained in the full report are derived from a monthly survey sent to a panel of AIA member-owned firms. Participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended. According to the proportion of respondents choosing each option, a score is generated, which represents an index value for each month.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','While conditions have improved somewhat for three consecutive months, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) continues to point to unfavorable conditions for the nonresidential construction market.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(246,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','New Hilliker Real Estate Transactions','none','Hiilliker, real estate, transactions','none','<p>Hilliker&nbsp; Corporation announced the following real estate transactions:<br /><br />Scott Martin of Hilliker Corporation represented Future 44 Company, LLC in leasing the 3,250 sq.ft. office space located at 267 Wolfner Drive in Fenton to R.E. Pedrotti Company, Inc. represented by Brett Edwards of Cozad Commercial Real Estate.<br /><br /><br />John Hoofman of Hilliker Corporation represented mason Circle Leasing, LLC in the purchase of the 26,000 sq.ft. office/warehouse building located at 1180 Mason Circle in Pevely from Southwest Bank of St. Louis represented by NAI Desco.<br /><br /><br />Scott Martin of Hilliker Corporation represented Callahan Investment Properties LLC in the sale of the 8,038 sq.ft. office/retail building located at 600 Top Notch in Eureka to Notch Top LLC represented by Patrick A. Driscoll of Driscoll Co. LLC.<br /><br /><br />Peter Pfeifer of Hilliker Corporation represented Martz &amp; Wilson, LLP in the lease of 2,633 sq.ft. of office space located at 543 Hanley Industrial Court in Brentwood by Maple Tree Properties representing itself.<br /><br /><br />Hal Ball of Hilliker Corporation represented Halcyon LLC in leasing the 14,000 sq.ft. office/warehouse space located at 5525 West Park in the City of St. Louis to Switch Liberate Your Brand represented by CB Richard Ellis.<br /><br /><br />Jake Shepley of Hilliker Corporation represented Rebecca A. Costello in leasing the 3,840 sq.ft. retail building located at 3711 Geraldine in St. Ann to All Trans, LLC represented by Jay Steinberg of Commercial Brokerage Group, Inc.<br /><br /><br />Jim Newman of Hilliker Corporation represented M &amp; M Enterprises, Inc. in the purchase of the 37,471 sq.ft. office/warehouse building located at 5727 West Park in the City of St. Louis from Mackadomar Realty, LLC represented by RE/MAX Associates Plus &amp; Martin J. Ribaudo.<br /><br /></p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Hilliker  Corporation announced the following real estate transactions:','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(303,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Architecture Billings Index Falls Over  Six Points','none','AIA, architectural billings index','none','<p>Following three consecutive months of signs of greater stability in design activity, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) fell precipitously, dropping more than six points.&nbsp; As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI shows an approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the September ABI rating was 41.4, down sharply from the 47.6 mark in August (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The inquiries for new projects score was 51.0.&nbsp; This is also the first time in 2008 that the institutional sector has fallen below the 50 mark. <br />&nbsp;<br />\"With all of the anxiety and uncertainty in the credit market, the conditions are likely to get worse before they get better,\" said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. \"Many architects are reporting that clients are delaying or canceling projects as a result of problems with project financing.\"<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>Key September ABI highlights:</strong><br />Regional averages: Midwest (45.2), West (45.0), Northeast (44.2), South (44.1)&nbsp; <br />Sector index breakdown: mixed practice (45.9), institutional (45.6), commercial / industrial (42.1), multi-family residential (40.3)<br />Project inquiries index: 51.0 <br /><strong><br />About the AIA Architecture Billings Index</strong>:<br />The Architecture Billings Index is derived from a monthly \"Work-on-the-Boards\" survey and produced by the AIA Economics&nbsp; Market Research Group. Based on a comparison of data compiled since the survey\'s inception in 1995 with figures from the Department of Commerce on Construction Put in Place, the findings amount to a leading economic indicator that provides an approximately nine to twelve month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction activity. The diffusion indexes contained in the full report are derived from a monthly survey sent to a panel of AIA member-owned firms. Participants are asked whether their billings increased, decreased, or stayed the same in the month that just ended. According to the proportion of respondents choosing each option, a score is generated, which represents an index value for each month.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Following three consecutive months of signs of greater stability in design activity, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) fell precipitously, dropping more than six points.  As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI shows an approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the September ABI rating was 41.4, down sharply from the 47.6 mark in August (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The inquiries for new projects score was 51.0.  This is also the first time in 2008 that the institutional sector has fallen below the 50 mark.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(251,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Booming Sales Lead to New Furniture Distribution Center ','none','ARCO Construction Co., Ashley Furniture Home Store','none','<p>The sluggish housing market isn\'t slowing St. Louis retailer Ashley Furniture Home Store, Missouri\'s largest distributor for the nation\'s biggest home furniture maker. Ashley is more than doubling the size of its distribution center and moving its headquarters to the facility when it is completed this winter. <br /><br />ARCO Construction Co. is building the $7.6 million office and distribution center at Green Park Commerce Center in south St. Louis County. When completed, Ashley plans to add up to 30 new employees, boosting its local workforce to more than 300 people. <br /><br />\"Even with the housing crisis, our business has tripled in the past three years. We need more efficient space to store our inventory,\" said Steve Phillips, Ashley chief executive officer. \"While people have been putting off decisions to buy a new home, many have opted to upgrade their existing homes.\"<br /><br />\"We brought ARCO in early for the planning process because we really needed a facility to improve storage and flow of product,\" said Phillips. \"They tailored the building to our specific needs and brought in new technology ideas to optimize building operations.\" <br /><br />The single-story, steel-framed building is being built using beige tilt-up concrete panels and will feature a 100,800-square-foot warehouse zone for rack storage of furniture, including a refinishing shop, and 18,000 square feet of office space.&nbsp; The warehouse will have 38-foot clear-height ceilings, 19 docks doors, a state-of-the-art covered customer pick up zone, energy efficient lights and an in-rack sprinkler system.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The sluggish housing market isn\'t slowing St. Louis retailer Ashley Furniture Home Store, Missouri\'s largest distributor for the nation\'s biggest home furniture maker. Ashley is more than doubling the size of its distribution center and moving its headquarters to the facility when it is completed this winter.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(252,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Village East: Apartment-Style Dorms at Washington U','none','Haberberger, Kaiser, Washington University Village East','none','<p>Haberberger Inc. and Kaiser Electric recently completed work on the Village East Dormitory for Washington University.&nbsp; The new four-story apartment-style dormitory is located on the university\'s Danforth Campus houses 39 suites with a total of 148 bedrooms. The three- and four-bedroom apartments each contain a kitchen and living room. Six of the units, two on each floor, are designed to meet ADA requirements. The building also has a laundry facility.<br /><br />Contracted by BSI, Haberberger was in charge of installing 60 air handling and fan coil units, a 700-ton chiller, a cooling tower and underground site utilities for the dorm. Installing the chiller proved to be a difficult aspect of the project as the team had to disassemble the chiller into three major pieces before it could be lowered by a crane into a sub-grade garage and carted to the chiller room. Each piece of the chiller was then lowered another six feet onto its concrete pad and reassembled by Haberberger\'s crew. <br /><br />Kaiser Electric\'s crews installed the building\'s main electrical systems, as well as provided conduit stubs and rough-ins for the facility\'s telephone wiring and computer cabling. The state-of-the-art facility has multiple computer outlets in each suite and LEED certified compact fluorescent lighting on the exterior of the building and the entryway to reduce energy consumption. <br /><br />Construction began in May 2007 and was completed in July 2008, on budget and on schedule. The general contractor on the project was BSI Constructors, Inc. of St. Louis and the architect was Mackey Mitchell Associates of St. Louis. JEN Mechanical and Premier also worked with Haberberger on the project team.<br />&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Haberberger Inc. and Kaiser Electric recently completed work on the Village East Dormitory for Washington University.  The new four-story apartment-style dormitory is located on the university\'s Danforth Campus houses 39 suites with a total of 148 bedrooms.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(253,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','KCI Hires Boland as Safety Director','none','KCI, Drew Boland, safety','none','<p><img alt=\"Drew Boland\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"207\" src=\"/images/uploads/Drew-Boland.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"253\" />KCI Construction has hired Drew Boland as Safety Director.&nbsp; Drew has been involved in the safety aspect of the St. Louis construction industry for over 10 years, after graduating in Safety Management from Central Missouri State University.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','KCI Construction has hired Drew Boland as Safety Director.  Drew has been involved in the safety aspect of the St. Louis construction industry for over 10 years, after graduating in Safety Management from Central Missouri State University.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(256,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Boyer Fire Protection Moves, Expands','none','Boyer Fire Protection, move, expand, Belleville','none','<p>Boyer Fire Protection has announced their expansion and relocation to new offices at 2425 Amann Drive, Belleville, IL 62220 in Belle Valley Industrial Park. Boyer Fire Protection\'s phone and fax numbers will remain the same T: (618) 222-1500, F: (618) 222-1502. The new location will be host to offices, conference room, warehouse, as well as a fabrication shop.<br />&nbsp;<br /><img alt=\"Boyer Fire Protection\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"69\" src=\"/images/uploads/fire-protection-boyer-logo.gif\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"264\" />\"This move will allow us to expand and better serve the St. Louis and Southern Illinois Metropolitan region,\" said Richard Boyer, President of Boyer Fire Protection. \"These new facilities provide us space to train and recruit additional employees, which is key to our future growth.\" Boyer Fire Protection offers a full range of fire protection services including inspections, services, and contracts.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Boyer Fire Protection has expanded expansion and relocation to new offices to Belle Valley Industrial Park in Belleville, IL. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(257,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Walking on Water: Drilling for Missisippi River Bridge Promising So Far','none','Mississippi  River Bridge, drilling, test, barge, geotechnical','none','<p>Geotechnical engineers are taking core samples of the bedrock where designers hope to put the foundations for the new Mississippi River Bridge. Randy Hitt, Mississippi River Bridge deputy project director for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), said that so far the core samples seem to consist of good, solid rock.<br /><br />Hitt said engineers will use information obtained from the geotechnical survey to design the foundations for the two piers that will support the bridge. They will decide, for example, whether they have to drill a shaft into the bedrock to support the piers or if they can use caissons, which rest on top of the bedrock.<br /><br />In order to minimize obstruction to barge traffic, the new bridge will have a clear span of 1,500 feet between the two foundations &ndash; the longest clear span across the Mississippi River in Missouri, Hitt said. In comparison, the clear spans of the Alton and Quincy bridges are about 800 feet and the clear span of the Cape Girardeau bridge is 1,150 feet, he said. Engineers think the two towers to support the cables that will hold up the bridge will have to be about 400 feet tall to support that long of a clear span, he said.</p>\n<h4><img alt=\"Drilling for Mississipi River Bridge\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"476\" src=\"/images/uploads/drilling3.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"253\" />The new Mississippi River Bridge will touch down in Missouri just to the left (south) of the cement silos in the background. The cement silos belong to Continental Cement Co.</h4>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>The geotechnical team assessing the bedrock includes people from HNTB, TSI, and Geotechnology Inc. Massman Construction provided the barge that served as a drilling platform. Geotechnology provided the drilling rig.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In 2001, Illinois and Missouri \n											received approval for a new \n											Mississippi River Bridge and \n											associated roadways (<a href=\"http://www.newriverbridge.org/initialphase.asp\">shown on a map which can be viewed through this link</a>) . The components of the \n											project are:</p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\">Relocated I-70 \n												in Illinois, north of its \n												current location</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\">A new, 8-lane, \n												I-70 Mississippi River Bridge (revised from the original to four lanes)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\">An interchange \n												in Missouri with existing I-70 \n												near Cass Avenue</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\">An improved \n												I-55/64/70 Tri-Level Interchange \n												in East St. Louis</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\">A connection \n												between the existing I-55/64/70 \n												Interchange and the relocation \n												of I-70 called the I-64 \n												Connector</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Improvements to \n												ramps at the west side of the \n												existing I-55/64/70 Poplar \n												Street Bridge in Missouri</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The two states lacked sufficient \n											funding to construct all components \n											of the project at the same time. The \n											estimated cost of the Ultimate \n											Project Concept is between $1.8 \n											billion and $2.2 billion. The scope \n											of work announced on February 28, \n											2008 is the first phase of the \n											project. This phase is \n											operationally independent since it \n											can be funded and built to function \n											as a viable transportation facility. \n											See the <a href=\"http://www.newriverbridge.org/initialphase.asp\"> Proposed \n											Initial Phase</a> for \n											details.</p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">.</p>','none','Geotechnical engineers are taking core samples of the bedrock where designers hope to put the foundations for the new Mississippi River Bridge. Randy Hitt, Mississippi River Bridge deputy project director for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), said that so far the core samples seem to consist of good, solid rock.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/drilling-4-bridge.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(255,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Gordon Graham to Address Union Apprentices Oct. 7','none','PRIDE, Graham, apprentices','none','<p>In a year when \"change\" is the operative word in politics, a speech\non \"change within\" will seek to capture the attention of more than\n3,000 St. Louis union construction apprentices.</p>\n<p>On Oct. 7 at the St. Charles Family Arena.&nbsp; <a href=\"http://www.prideconstruction.com\">PRIDE of St. Louis, Inc.</a>,\nthe region\'s construction labor-management organization, is bringing\nnationally known motivational speaker and change-agent Gordon Graham to\nSt. Louis. Gordon will share his personal story of redemption to\ninspire the region\'s future workforce to reach its full potential.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Gordon Graham\" class=\"table-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/gordon-graham.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />His&nbsp; presentation is entitled \"Change is an Inside Job!\"&nbsp; Raised in\nan abusive environment, Graham turned to a life of crime, spending\nnearly 20 years in prison before finding the will to \"change within\" to\nfind happiness, success and personal freedom.</p>\n<p>\"The message of Gordon Graham will jump-start careers by giving\napprentices the right frame of mind to build integrity and\naccountability, empowering them to successfully advance their careers,\"\nsaid Jim LaMantia, executive director of PRIDE. \"It will ultimately\nbenefit the buyers of construction if the next generation of union\nconstruction worker is ready to serve in the most professional and\nproductive manner.\"<br />Graham instills principles that are the very\nfoundation of PRIDE, such as the need to work as a team and find common\nground with management in a global economy to ensure jobs remain in the\nlocal community and are not shipped overseas.</p>\n<p>Joining Graham at the Oct. 7 event will be Terence M. O\'Sullivan,\ngeneral president of the 500,000-member Laborers\' International Union\nof North America, St. Charles Mayor Patti York, PRIDE Owner Co-chair\nCarol M. Schmidt, PRIDE Management Co-chair Jim Frey, PRIDE Labor\nCo-chair Jerry Feldhaus and PRIDE Executive Director Jim LaMantia.</p>\n<p>Graham founded Bellevue, Wash.-based <a href=\"http://www.ggco.com\">Gordon Graham &amp; Co.</a> in 1983 and today his motivational programs serves corporations,\ncorrectional facilities, social service agencies, labor-management\ngroups and youth programs.&nbsp; Among his clients are the Ford Motor Co.,\nGeneral Motors, Federal Mediation &amp; Conciliation Service, Merck\n&amp; Co., Federal Bureau of Prisons, United Auto Workers,\nInternational Association of Machinists and a number of municipal\ngovernments.&nbsp; He is also an author of several books.</p>\n<p>The Graham event is the second in as many years sponsored by PRIDE\nto motivate union construction apprentices.&nbsp; Last year, it brought\nlabor strategist Mark Breslin to St. Louis to address apprentices in a\npresentation called \"Survival of the Fittest.\"</p>\n<p>PRIDE, founded in 1972, is an acronym for Productivity and\nResponsibility Increase Development &amp; Employment.&nbsp; For more than 35\nyears, PRIDE has worked to maintain harmony and build cooperation among\nSt. Louis area AFL-CIO construction craft workers, contractors,\nconstruction buyers, architects, engineers and suppliers.<br />&nbsp;</p>','none','In a year when \"change\" is the operative word in politics, a speech on \"change within\" will seek to capture the attention of more than 3,000 St. Louis union construction apprentices.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/gordon-graham.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(258,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','International Concrete Conference Here Nov. 2-6','none','ACI, fall conference, America\'s Center','none','<p>The American Concrete&nbsp; Insitute will&nbsp; hold its&nbsp; fall convention at America\'s&nbsp; Center and the&nbsp; Renaissance Grand Hotel Nov. 2-6.</p>\n<p>ACI is better known for the \"World of Concrete,\" one&nbsp; of the construction industry\'s largest exhibits held each year in Las Vegas. ACI, founded in 1904 and headquartered in Farmington Hills, MI,&nbsp; advances concrete knowledge by\nconducting seminars, managing certification programs, and publishing\ntechnical documents. ACI currently has 98\nchapters and 20,000 members spanning 108 countries.</p>\n<p>In addition to the conference programing, ACI will hold technical and ACI committee meetings during the conference. A complete listing of conference programs is below. For registration for the conference go to the <a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/registration_info.htm\">ACI Conference Registration Site</a></p>\n<table border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"7\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<table align=\"center\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"height: 100%;\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">1:00 PM-6:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/1/2008#S00002104\">Sustainable Development Workshop on Concrete, Green Building, and ISO Standards</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;R-MAJESTIC BALLROOM H</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">6:30 PM-10:30 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/1/2008#EF1\">Dining and Dancing on the Mississippi</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>&nbsp;Sunday, November 2 <a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/program.asp#top\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"12\" src=\"http://www.concrete.org/_nav/uparrow.png\" width=\"11\" /></a></strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<table align=\"center\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"height: 100%;\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">7:30 AM-12:30 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#EF2\">Holcim Plant Tour</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">8:00 AM-9:00 AM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#S00001830\">First-Time Convention Attendee Breakfast</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;R-MAJESTIC BALLROOM B</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">8:00 AM-9:00 AM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#EzORIENT\">First-Time Convention Attendee Breakfast</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;R-MAJESTIC BALLROOM B</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">12:00 PM-2:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#EFIL\">International Lunch</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;R-CRYSTAL BALLROOM</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">1:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#S00001831\">Student Concrete Cylinder Competition</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-100-105</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#S00001480\">Concrete Bridge Design for Extreme Events</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-230</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#S00001470\">Designing and Constructing Durable Long-Life Concrete Pavements, Part 1</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-240</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#S00001485\">Emerging Technologies in Civil Infrastructure Applications</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-224</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#S00001285\">Update of IPS-1 Essential Requirements for RC Buildings</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-225</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#S00001486\">Uplifting Concrete in Museums, Churches, and Civic Architecture</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-223</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">5:15 PM-6:30 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#EzPENSES\">Opening Session and Hardy Cross Lecture Series</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-220-221 &amp; 228-229</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">6:30 PM-7:30 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#EzPENREC\">Opening Reception</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-100-105</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">7:30 PM-10:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/2/2008#S00001832\">Hot Topic Session: Renewal of Bridge Infrastructure: Inspection Maintenance and Security Upgrades</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-240</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>&nbsp;Monday, November 3 <a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/program.asp#top\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"12\" src=\"http://www.concrete.org/_nav/uparrow.png\" width=\"11\" /></a></strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<table align=\"center\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"height: 100%;\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">6:30 AM-8:15 AM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#EzTACBFS\">Workshop for Technical Committee Chairs</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-220-221 &amp; 228-229</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">7:00 AM-8:30 AM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#EzSPKBFS\">Speaker Skills Training Breakfast: Teaching Methods and Educational Materials</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-232</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001839\">ACI Student Fellowships and Young Member Initiatives</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-225</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001471\">Designing and Constructing Durable Long-Life Concrete Pavements, Part 2</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-240</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001838\">Recent Advancements in Concrete Technology in Taiwan</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-224</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001837\">Research in Progress</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-223</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001287\">Session Honoring Professor David Darwin, Part 1</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-230</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">12:00 PM-2:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#EFSL\">Student Lunch</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-220-221 &amp; 228-229</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001481\">Accelerated Bridge Design and Construction</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-225</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-3:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001840\">Convention Session Moderator Training</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;R-LANDMARK 5</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-3:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#EzMOD\">Convention Session Moderator Training</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;R-LANDMARK 5</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001288\">Evaluation of Existing Structures by Means of In-Situ-Load Testing and Structural Monitoring</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-224</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001813\">Recent Advances in Precast Concrete Pavements</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-240</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001483\">Session Honoring Professor David Darwin, Part 2</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-230</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#S00001841\">Use of Technology with Teaching</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-223</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">7:00 PM-10:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/3/2008#EF3\">Dinner in Honor of Luke Snell</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>&nbsp;Tuesday, November 4 <a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/program.asp#top\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"12\" src=\"http://www.concrete.org/_nav/uparrow.png\" width=\"11\" /></a></strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<table align=\"center\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"height: 100%;\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">7:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#EF4\">Holcim Plant Tour</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001482\">Advances in the Fire Design of Concrete Structures</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-240</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001477\">Industry Acceptance of SCC</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-223</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001814\">Innovative Bridge Decks</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-224</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001472\">Practical  Use of Finite Element Analysis in the Design of Concrete Structures, Part 1</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-225</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001469\">Realistic Data for Realistic Expectations</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-230</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001815\">Slag Cement Concrete Developments</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-241</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:30 AM-11:00 AM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#EF5\">Architectural Walking Tour</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">12:00 PM-2:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#EFCL\">Contractors\' Day Lunch</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-220-221 &amp; 228-229</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001844\">Contractors\' Day Session</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-224</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001484\">Design and Construction of Elevated Concrete Pedestal Tanks</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-230</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001843\">Open Paper Session</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-223</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001845\">Practical Use of Finite Element Analysis in the Design of Concrete Structures, Part 2</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-225</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001816\">Recent Advances in Torsion Design of Structural Concrete</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-241</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#S00001286\">Seismic Design and Detailing of Bridge Protection Systems</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-240</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:30 PM-4:30 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#EF6\">Concrete Structures of St. Louis Bus Tour</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">6:30 PM-8:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/4/2008#ECM\">Concrete Mixer</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;R-MAJESTIC BALLROOM</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>&nbsp;Wednesday, November 5 <a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/program.asp#top\"><img border=\"0\" height=\"12\" src=\"http://www.concrete.org/_nav/uparrow.png\" width=\"11\" /></a></strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<table align=\"center\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"height: 100%;\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/5/2008#S00001848\">Adhesive Anchors: Their Importance in the Construction of Concrete Structures</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-224</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/5/2008#S00001849\">People Who Made a Difference in Concrete</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-225</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/5/2008#S00001478\">The Spirit of Structural Concrete in Performance Based Seismic Design of Bridges, Part 1</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-230</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">9:00 AM-12:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/5/2008#S00000804\">Use &amp; Misuse of ACI Documents</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-223</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/5/2008#S00001812\">Advances in Fiber Reinforced Concrete - A Tribute to Gordon Batson</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-223</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/5/2008#S00001282\">Early Age Test Methods for Performance Specifications</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-224</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/5/2008#S00001850\">Shotcrete Construction</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-225</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"right\" height=\"35\" width=\"25%\">\n<p align=\"right\">2:00 PM-5:00 PM</p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" height=\"45\" width=\"55%\">\n<p><a href=\"http://www.concrete.org/Convention/fall-Convention/Program-detail.asp?ProgramDate=11/5/2008#S00001479\">The Spirit of Structural Concrete in Performance Based Seismic Design of Bridges, Part 2</a></p>\n</td>\n<td bgcolor=\"#ffffff\" width=\"20%\">&nbsp;C-230</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The American Concrete  Institute will  hold its  fall convention at America\'s  Center and the  Renaissance Grand Hotel Nov. 2-6.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(259,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','HOK and Biomimicry Guild to Integrate Nature\'s Innovations and Design ','none','Biomimicry, HOK, design, innovations, India','none','<h4><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoknetwork/2825354270/in/set-72157607092726093/\" title=\"Dayna Baumeister\">LINK: Biomimicry Guild Co-Founder Dayna Baumeister explains biomimicry. </a><br />\n<script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\nF.decorate(_ge(\'stewart_swf2825354270_div\'), F._stewart_swf_div).stewart_go_go_go(500, 375, {\n	onsite: \'true\',		flickr_noAutoPlay: \'false\',	photo_secret: \'32a6af4c6a\',\n	photo_id: \'2825354270\'\n});\n// --></script>\n<script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\nF.decorate(_ge(\'photo_notes\'), F._photo_notes).notes_go_go_go(2825354270, \'http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/2825354270_32a6af4c6a_t.jpg\', \'3.1444\');\n// --></script>\n</h4>\n<form id=\"fave_form\" method=\"post\"><input name=\"magic_cookie\" type=\"hidden\" value=\"991e100e022aa755ecf3118c182f4b3b\" /><input name=\"faveadd\" type=\"hidden\" value=\"0\" /><input name=\"faveremove\" type=\"hidden\" value=\"0\" /></form>\n<p><!--\n	<Work rdf:about=\"\"> Dayna on Biomimicry\n		2008\n		Biomimicry Guild Co-Founder Dayna Baumeister explains biomimicry.\n		<Agent>HOK Network</Agent> <Agent>HOK Network</Agent>\n<license rdf:resource=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/\" /> </Work> <License rdf:about=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/\">\n<permits rdf:resource=\"http://web.resource.org/cc/Reproduction\" />\n<permits rdf:resource=\"http://web.resource.org/cc/Distribution\" /> <requires rdf:resource=\"http://web.resource.org/cc/Notice\" /> <requires rdf:resource=\"http://web.resource.org/cc/Attribution\" />\n<prohibits rdf:resource=\"http://web.resource.org/cc/CommercialUse\" />\n<permits rdf:resource=\"http://web.resource.org/cc/DerivativeWorks\" /> </License> --></p>\n<h2>Projects Under Way in India, With Developing Opportunities in North America and the Middle East</h2>\n<p>HOK and the Biomimicry Guild have forged a first-of-its-kind alliance linking the natural and built environment. This exclusive relationship between one of the world\'s largest architectural design firms and the only bio-inspired innovation company will integrate nature\'s innovations in the planning and design of buildings, communities and cities worldwide.<br /><br /><img class=\"image-left\" height=\"180\" src=\"/images/uploads/2631501264_46b4e81365_m.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"240\" />Biomimicry is a science that studies nature\'s best ideas and imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. Biomimicry has inspired numerous commercial products and individual building projects, and the new alliance between the Biomimicry Guild, established by biologists Janine Benyus and Dayna Baumeister in 1998, and HOK has the potential to dramatically expand its scale and impact.<br /><br />\"Given the size, breadth and diversity of HOK\'s design practice, our firm can significantly influence the future generation of architecture, planning and interior design projects around the world,\" says HOK President Bill Hellmuth.<br /><br />The built environment is the most fertile ground for biomimicry, Baumeister says. \"Buildings account for about 50% of total U.S. energy use, and our greatest collective impact will come from applying biomimicry to the planning and design of buildings, communities and cities -- at every scale and in every region,\" she says.<br /><br />HOK is uniquely positioned to expand the awareness and application of biomimicry within the built environment, advancing its long-standing commitment to sustainable design and innovation. The firm contributed to the development of the U.S. Green Building Council\'s original LEED rating system, has adapted LEED to new building types and regions, and authored the influential \"HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design.\"<br /><br />\"We believe biomimicry will not only help us significantly reduce the environmental impact of our projects, but also has the potential to help define a whole new sustainable standard for our profession,\" says HOK Sustainable Design Director Mary Ann Lazarus. \"Because biomimicry addresses critical environmental issues at the habitat scale, it gives us lessons on how to achieve significant results -- even restorative outcomes -- at all scales.\"<br /><br />The alliance advances the relationship between HOK and the Biomimicry Guild, which began in 2004. Both organizations have collaborated on several projects, including HOK\'s participation in the 2008 \"City of the Future\" competition, sponsored by The History Channel, to design the city of Atlanta in 2108. HOK and the Biomimicry Guild are working together to integrate biomimicry into the Lavasa hill station community under development near Pune, India, and are exploring potential project collaborations in Saudi Arabia and North America.<br /><br />\"Together with HOK, we are looking at what it means to be a bio-inspired company in the architecture space,\" says Biomimicry Guild Co-Founder Janine Benyus. \"And I think the answer to that question is really going to be something new in the world. Because making a bio-inspired product is one thing; making a bio-inspired city begins to change the world.\"</p>\n<h4>&nbsp;</h4>','none','HOK and the Biomimicry Guild have forged a first-of-its-kind alliance linking the natural and built environment. This exclusive relationship between one of the world\'s largest architectural design firms and the only bio-inspired innovation company will integrate nature\'s innovations in the planning and design of buildings, communities and cities worldwide.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/biomimicry.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(261,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Metropolis Editor Looks for Bright Ideas Here','none','Szenasy, HOK, Metropolis','none','<p>Metropolis editor-in-chief Susan Szenasy stopped in St. Louis on Monday\nto take her design innovation tour to the headquarters of design firm\nHOK. While here, she had a few things to say about the Arch.<br /><br />Szenasy\nis traveling the country with \"Brilliant Simplicity,\" a short movie\nabout recent winners of the Metropolis design innovation award winners,\nto encourage large design firms to incorporate innovation into their\nprojects. She acknowledged that business and economics constrain what a\nfirm can do, but she encourages companies to search their portfolios\nfor a project where the owner would be open to incorporating \"high end\ninnovation\" into their building.<br /><br /><img alt=\"Susan Szenasy\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"200\" src=\"/images/uploads/sss.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"200\" />\"We have stopped being about\ninnovation in our country and we have to rekindle it,\" she said. While\nadmitting that most owners want only proven<br />technologies in their\nbuildings, she asked her audience to think about what it would take to\nprove new technologies. \"If every large design firm did<br />just one project that incorporated high-end innovation, think how much it would move architecture forward,\" she said.<br /><br />Szenasy\nsaid she is very excited by HOK\'s new partnership with the biologists\nof the Biomimicry Guild and she looks forward to seeing what comes\nout of it. \"Collaboration with academic researchers in\nnon-architectural fields is the way for us to move the built\nenvironment to the next level,\" she said.<br /><br />In a conversation\nwith CNR before her meeting with HOK designers, Szenasy expressed\nastonishment that St. Louis has done so little embrace the Arch.<br />\"Cities around the world would die for a symbol like the Arch,\" she said. \"The question is: what is the city doing around it?\"<br /><br />She\nagreed with John Berendzen of Fox Architects that how one develops the\nboundaries between the park and the city is of special importance. The<br />initiative\nby John Danforth, the former senator, and Mayor Francis Slay to get\npark land turned over to a private entity \"is the wrong conversation,\"<br />she said, and won\'t do anything for how the city embraces the park.<br /><br />\"There\nis plenty for everyone to do: the feds, local government, and the\nprivate sector,\" she said. \"For example, you go to the Arch and what do\nyou<br />see - a Cargill grain elevator. Couldn\'t they at least spruce that up?\"</p>','','212','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Metropolis editor-in-chief Susan Szenasy stopped in St. Louis on Monday to take her design innovation tour to the headquarters of design firm HOK. While here, she had a few things to say about the Arch.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(262,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Conference Board Sees Economic Drop Through 2009','none','Conference Board, economic forecast','none','<p>Negative growth rates for the U.S. economy this past quarter will continue through the fourth quarter, and result in further contraction into the first half of 2009, according to <a href=\"http://www.conference-board.org/economics/chiefEconomist.cfm\">The Conference Board\'s latest economic forecast </a>.</p>\n<p>\"As all eyes turn this weekend to Washington, D.C., for the IMF-World Bank meeting, one hopes that the leaders who gather there are able to engage in productive consultation about what next steps governments and central banks can take to stem the crisis beyond the latest coordinated cut in global interest rates,\" says Dr. Bart van Ark, Vice President and Chief Economist of The Conference Board.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />\"If government and business leaders can calmly - and privately - focus squarely on a way out of all this, looking to prevent tomorrow\'s fires even as they fight today\'s, we can still avoid worse,\" he continues. \"This means finding a crucial balance between the short-run steps needed to get the economy back on its feet and the long-run needed to foster a new phase of global growth.\"<br /><br />The economic environment in the U.S. and abroad is much grimmer than even a few weeks ago.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Conference Board says that the markets are not reacting as hoped to the various government rescue plans enacted in the past weeks, and that feared global contagion has begun to materialize in some markets. The new forecast from The Conference Board is predicated on some loosening of credit markets in response to the measures taken by the U.S. government. <br />&nbsp;<br />\"We see no sign of improvement in the housing market before the first half of 2009 at the earliest, and housing prices may drop further - at significant cost to consumer spending over the next two quarters, holiday season or none,\" says Dr. van Ark. \"Meanwhile, several short-term credit channels such as commercial paper are also freezing up, which can seriously impact day-to-day business operations.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />The Conference Board\'s current forecast assumes that inter-bank lending will recover, and that investor and business confidence will gradually return as government measures take hold in a matter of weeks - which is no small assumption. <br /><br />The rest of the world - particularly Europe - is being buffeted by the current storm, too, and even Asian economies are now seeing some slowdown in growth, consumer expenditure, and exports.&nbsp; That will affect U.S. exports, which have been a major engine of U.S. growth over the past half-year. Meanwhile, U.S. imports are also slow, which - despite the gradual strengthening of the U.S. dollar - impacts companies\' ability to utilize cheap sources.<br />&nbsp;<br />\"A sustainable long-term growth environment will require a new financial architecture that balances the necessary spreading of financial risk with sufficient regulatory oversight,\" concludes Dr. van Ark. \"Such an environment cannot rely solely on the financial conservatism of deposit-based lending. A huge amount of capital investment will be needed to drive the innovation and technological change that are our best hopes of achieving a competitive and sustainable future for the global economy.\"</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Negative growth rates for the U.S. economy this past quarter will continue through the fourth quarter, and result in further contraction into the first half of 2009, according to The Conference Board’s latest economic forecast','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(263,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Laborers\' Union Mobilizes for Democrats','none','Terence O\'Sullivan, Laborers, Democrats','none','<p><br /><br />Terence O\'Sullivan, fiery president of the Laborers International Union of North America, swept through Missouri this week barnstorming for Democrats.<br /><br />\"My mission is to make sure our members are looking at the candidates with economic issues in mind, not race or social issues,\" he told CNR.<br /><br /><img alt=\"Laborers\' President Terrence Sullivan\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/sullivan.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />Speaking to overflow crowds at union halls in Kansas City, Springfield, Potosi, and St. Louis, O\'Sullivan explained what he thinks the economic issues are, starting with the Davis-Bacon Act.<br /><br />\"John McCain has voted against the Davis-Bacon Act ever since getting elected to the Senate; while Obama has supported. And McCain\'s opposition was not just to extending it, but also to reauthorizing it,\" O\'Sullivan said. \"So, if McCain gets elected and does away with Davis-Bacon, you\'ll see a 35 percent pay cut,\" he told his members.<br /><br />On health insurance, \"McCain wants to tax your health care benefits, so in addition to that 35 percent pay cut, and on top of the fact that you are already paying in your premiums to cover health care for the uninsured employees of your nonunion competitors, McCain wants to hand you a tax bill for $2500 for your health benefits,\" O\'Sullivan said. \"Obama wants all employers to provide health insurance,\" he said.<br /><br />On pension plans, \"McCain wants to eliminate defined benefit pension plans. He wants you to invest in the stock market for your retirement. Can you imagine what that feels like right now? Obama wants to expand defined benefit pension plans,\" O\'Sullivan said.<br /><br />Finally, on project labor agreements, \"McCain is against them... Obama is for them,\" he said.<br /><br />O\'Sullivan said the 2008 election is so important - he said it is about preserving the American dream and the future of the working class and the middle class in this country - that the Laborers are spending $15 million on it, and the most they\'d ever spent on an election before was $3 million.<br /><br />\"We understand that we aren\'t going to get any promises,\" O\'Sullivan told CNR. \"But after the election, the gloves come off. We stepped out to try to make America\'s infrastructure an election year issue. Our infrastructure is crumbling and we have to spend $1.6 trillion to rebuild it for us to have a first class country. We need to rebuild our infrastructure to provide jobs that pay a middle-class wage, to improve the safety and security of our country, and to make us more economically competitive. We\'ve seen with the highway trust fund that we can\'t fund it with user fees. We have to make it a priority and take money from the general treasury.<br /><br />\"We\'ve had a bailout for Wall Street, now we need a stimulus for Main Street,\" he said. How will the country pay for it? \"If we can find a way to fund the war in Iraq; if we can find a way to cut taxes for the rich, then I think we can find a way to fund infrastructure. We just have to make it a priority,\" O\'Sullivan said.<br /><br />Cutline: Terence O\'Sullivan (left), general president of the Laborers International Union of North America, accepts compliments from union members after his speech Wednesday night at Local 110 in Green Park, MO.</p>','none','Terence O\'Sullivan, fiery president of the Laborers International Union of North America, swept through Missouri this week barnstorming for Democrats.','none','','none','','none','','none',208,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/sullivan.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(264,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','\"We\'re in a Recession\"','none','Prakken, Macroeconomic Advisers, recesssion','none','<p>Joel Prakken, chairman of Marcoeconomic Advisers, had some sobering news for St. Louis County business leaders on Oct.&nbsp; 9. Speaking at Midwest Bank Centre\'s annual economic breakfast, Prakken said, \"we\'re in a recession,\" and he predicted it will last until June 2009.<br /><br /><img alt=\"Recession\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/recession_1.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />Prakken is forecasting \"a garden variety recession,\" unemployment rising to seven percent, home prices falling another nine percent, and the nation\'s gross domestic product falling two percent before recovering, but he added that if he is wrong, things are more likely to be worse than he expects rather than better.<br /><br />The forces driving the economy into recession are \"the destruction of wealth\" from falling stock prices and falling home values and a tightening of lending standards. The destruction of wealth so far is comparable to the amount of wealth destroyed when the dotcom bubble burst in 2000, he said, \"but it is more pernicious, because stock losses don\'t affect consumption as quickly as losses in housing wealth.\"&nbsp; Magnifying the effects of the loss of wealth is a \"considerable tightening of lending standards,\" he said. \"Lending standards are tighter now than in any time since we started keeping records in the 1960s,\" he said, \"they are even tighter than in1980.\" In the recession that followed the tightening of lending standards in 1980, unemployment reached 10.8 percent.<br /><br />Lower interest rates, declining energy costs, and stabilizing home values will lead to recovery, he said.<br /><br />Prakken was full of praise for the way that Benjamin Bernacke and the Federal Reserve Board have respond to the situation. \"The Fed has been aggressive and ingenious in providing liquidity,\" he said, and as a result they have prevented a 1930s-style collapse of the nation\'s banking system.<br /><br />Still, he added, there is a risk that the Fed\'s actions, even with the so-called \"bailout\" bill passed by Congress, will not be enough to get banks to lend to one another and so stimulate the economy. If that happens, the U.S. could get caught in a deflationary, zero growth trap such as the one that caught Japan in the 1990s. If that happens, unemployment could rise to nine percent, he said.<br /><br />Prakken also called the political backlash against the bailout bill \"hogwash.\" The alternative, he said, \"was 15-20 percent unemployment, the cost of which would quickly dwarf the cost of the bailout bill, not to mention the human suffering it would cause.\"</p>','none','Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, had some sobering news for St. Louis County business leaders on Oct. 9. Speaking at Midwest Bank Centre\'s annual economic breakfast, Prakken said, \"we\'re in a recession,\" and he predicted it will last until June 2009.','none','','none','','none','','none',213,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/recession_1.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(265,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','SunCoke Energy plant selects Guarantee Electrical','none','Suncoke, Guarantee Electrical, Granite City','none','<p>Guarantee Electrical has been selected to perform electrical work at the new $290 million SunCoke Energy Inc. plant in Granite City, IL. Guarantee Electrical, which has a long-standing partnership with U.S. Steel, is serving as electrical contractor, with 80 to 90 electricians onsite at peak production. <br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Guarantee Electrical has been selected to perform electrical work at the new $290 million SunCoke Energy Inc. plant in Granite City, IL.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(266,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','ASA-Midwest Council Receives National Award for Excellence','none','ASA-Midwest Council, chapter  of the year , ASA','none','<p>The ASA-Midwest Council, a chapter of the American Subcontractors Association, has earned the 2007-08 ASA Chapter of the Year Award for a chapter with 100 or more members. The award recognizes the chapter\'s overall excellence, ranging from its governance to its membership development and government relations programs.</p>\n<h4><img alt=\"ASA Chapter of the Year\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"179\" src=\"/images/uploads/Awards-Midwest-CouncilCROP.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"300\" /></h4>\n<h4><br /></h4>\n<h4>Pictured, left to&nbsp; right, are:&nbsp; Bill Olmo, ASA National President, Tim Thomas, Reba Gillick, Tom McDonnell, Michael Fogarty, Jr. and Walter Bazan, Jr.</h4>\n<p>2008-09 ASA President William J. Olmo III, Fedco Construction, Santa Rosa, Calif., presented the award at a September 15 ceremony held in conjunction with the ASA Champions Academy 2008 in Arlington, Va. At the ceremony, ASA Task Force on Recognition Chairman Chip Rohrbach, F. A. Rohrbach Inc., Allentown, Pa., noted that the ASA-Midwest Council\'s excellence has produced enviable results: \"The ASA-Midwest Council has an average retention rate of 90 percent. In addition, the chapter implemented a new recruitment effort last year that resulted in overall membership growth of more than 14 percent.\"<br /><br />The task force, composed of ASA members and chapter executives from across the country, selected the ASA-Midwest Council for the honor on the basis of its annual self-evaluation of chapter management practices. Each ASA chapter annually prepares and submits the self-evaluation report to ASA.<br /><br />Founded in 1966, ASA amplifies the voice of, and leads, trade contractors to improve the business environment for the construction industry and to serve as a steward for the community. ASA\'s vision is to be the united voice dedicated to improving the business environment in the construction industry. The ideals and beliefs of ASA are ethical and equitable business practices, quality construction, a safe and healthy work environment, and integrity and membership diversity.<br /></p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The ASA-Midwest Council, a chapter of the American Subcontractors Association, has earned the 2007-08 ASA Chapter of the Year Award for a chapter with 100 or more members. The award recognizes the chapter\'s overall excellence, ranging from its governance to its membership development and government relations programs.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(267,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Alberici Announces VanAsdale as Director  of  Business Development','none','VanAsdale, Alberici, healtchare, general buildling','none','<p>Dave Gough, vice president and market leader for Alberici Constructors\' General Building Division, announced that John VanAsdale has joined Alberici Constructors as director of business development for the healthcare and general building markets. Splitting his time between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, VanAsdale will be focusing on attracting business in Missouri and the surrounding states.&nbsp; He brings 12 years of experience in healthcare, government and data center design and construction.<br /><br /><img alt=\"vanasdale\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"156\" src=\"/images/uploads/vanasdale_2.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"126\" />Before coming to Alberici, VanAsdale served as Vice President for Business Development for the Bick Group in Kansas City.&nbsp; Prior to Bick, he worked 11 years for JE Dunn in a business development role where he was responsible for clients that included Sisters of Mercy, the U.S. Postal Service, GSA, Bank of America and Wal-Mart. <br /><br />VanAsdale attended the University of Kansas and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1987.&nbsp; He has completed coursework towards an M.B.A at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Dave Gough, vice president and market leader for Alberici Constructors\' General Building Division, announced that John VanAsdale has joined Alberici Constructors as director of business development for the healthcare and general building markets.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(268,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','AGC Economist Predicts Further Job Losses','none','Simonson, AGC, economist, employment, drop','none','<p>\"The drop in construction employment accelerated in September and\nwill get much worse unless credit markets reopen,\" Ken Simonson, chief\neconomist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said\nOctober 3 following a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that showed\nconstruction lost 35,000 jobs last month. \"State governments from\nCalifornia to Maine have been shut out of the bond market, while\ndevelopers have had bank credit windows slammed shut on their fingers\nas they reached for their loans.</p>\n<p>\"All types of construction shed workers in September, following an\nuptick in nonresidential hiring in August,\" Simonson noted. \"Another\nominous sign is that architectural and engineering services\nemployment--a harbinger of demand for future construction--rose until\nrecently but stalled this summer and fell in September.</p>\n<p>\"Further, these numbers only reflect payrolls as of September 12,\nbefore the takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac triggered the current\nfreeze in bank lending,\" Simonson observed. \"Unless Congress adopts a\nrescue plan immediately, the October report--due out just after\nElection Day--will be much uglier.</p>\n<p>\"The bad news on employment comes on the heels of a report from the\nCensus Bureau on Wednesday that private nonresidential construction\nspending fell by nearly 1 percent in both July and August,\" Simonson\nstated.</p>\n<p>\"State and local construction spending was up, but I fear that will\nchange as more states each week announce budget shortfalls. Highways\nand schools--60 percent of public construction spending--are in\nparticular jeopardy, because of drops in fuel and property taxes.</p>\n<p>\"Even the private categories with the best chance of growth in 2009,\nsuch as power plants, refineries, hospitals and higher education, have\nslowed and risk losing access to affordable loans,\" Simonson concluded.\n\"The 2009 construction employment and spending outlook will be very\nbleak unless credit markets revive promptly.\"</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','\"The drop in construction employment accelerated in September and will get much worse unless credit markets reopen,\" Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said October 3 following a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that showed construction lost 35,000 jobs last month. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(269,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Economic Lay of Land Bad, ASLA Reports','none','ASLA, landscape architects, survey','none','<p>Less than half of landscape architecture offices responding were busier than usual last quarter, and only a quarter of firms plan to hire in the short term as the economic turmoil begins to be felt across the profession, according to the latest Business Quarterly survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). <br /><br />Only 44 percent of the 267 responding landscape architecture offices reported average or above billable hours in third quarter 2008, (July 1 - September 30), and just under 43 percent reported average or above inquiries during the same period-12 and 7 percentage-point reductions, respectively, from the previous quarter. Additionally, just over 25 percent plan to hire in the upcoming quarter, down from 29 percent in the second quarter. <br />&nbsp;<br />\"The reduced demand for landscape architecture work comes as no surprise considering the current problems with the economy,\" said Nancy Somerville, executive vice president and CEO of ASLA. \"International projects, particularly in the Middle East and Pacific Rim, are a strong and expanding source of work for many firms. Domestically, the public sector remains the most robust source of projects.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />The survey also asked about landscape architects\' perception of sustainability issues related to local, state and national government as well as in the 2008 election cycle. On a 1-10 scale, landscape architects rated local governments as most effective in championing sustainable solutions (5.54), followed by state governments (5.34) and federal (4.35). Overall, nearly half (48.3 percent) of landscape architects think sustainability issues currently play a larger role than the 2004 election while approximately three in ten (31.3 percent) think these issues are not a significant part of candidates\' agendas. <br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Less than half of landscape architecture offices responding were busier than usual last quarter, and only a quarter of firms plan to hire in the short term as the economic turmoil begins to be felt across the profession, according to the latest Business Quarterly survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). \n\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(271,1,3,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','Thompson','none','Kurt','none','<p>Kurt Thompson is the Market Leader for ecostrategy, inc., which provides sustainability and environmental strategy consulting and education services to clients of Oculus Inc.</p>','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(272,1,5,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','Sustainable Facilities Now A Business Success Imperative','none','Kurt Thompson, Oculus, sustainability','none','<p>Global climate change is bringing the onset of a remarkable change to business strategy. Corporations that differentiate themselves with sustainable, integrated organizational strategies will realize competitive advantage in today\'s marketplace.&nbsp; More than just a passing fad, sustainable facilities are now an imperative for business success.<br /><br />The built environment has a profound impact on our natural environment, economy, health, and productivity. Buildings in the United States annually account for 39% of total energy consumption, 71% of electricity consumption, 39% of greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions, 30% of raw materials use, 30% of waste output, 12% of potable water consumption. Worldwide, buildings account for 17% of fresh water withdrawals, 25% of total wood harvest, 33% of greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions, and 40% of material and energy use (45% in China).<br /><br />The concept of sustainability and green building emerged more than twenty years ago and is today regarded as one of the leading drivers of building design and construction. The positive effects of green building can be linked directly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and offsetting global climate change.<br /><br />Worldwide, green building has enjoyed a tremendous impact on the way buildings are designed and constructed. However, it is the next generation\'s perspective that will link green building directly to the bottom line of corporations. A study by the United States Green Building Council&nbsp; (USGBC) states that 89% of the next generation of consumers will choose brands aligned with social cause, 74% listen to brands aligned with social cause, 69% shop for brands aligned with social cause, and 66% of consumers recommend brands aligned with social cause.<br /><br />Furthering the research into social cause and consumer trends, leading global consulting firm McKinsey &amp; Company conducted a worldwide survey of business executives and consumers aimed at quantifying the relationship between organizational strategy and consumer behavior.&nbsp; The survey identified that business executives now consider the environment as the leading sociopolitical issue that will attract the most attention from the public and politicians for at least the next five years. It also implicitly concluded results similar to those of the USGBC study linking corporate social responsibility to consumer buying habits and trends. The four major industries most affected by these trends, as indicated by the survey will be food and beverage, high_tech, petroleum, and retailing.&nbsp; Businesses must act on global warming to narrow a general trust gap between them and the public.<br /><br />Beyond social cause, green design and sustainable strategies can unequivocally be linked with increased worker productivity and using green materials increases health benefits. A Herman_Miller study found a 7% increase in worker productivity following a move to a green, daylit facility. Reports from other companies that have developed sustainable design and business strategies echo those of the Herman_ Miller study, and additionally state a 5% decrease in sick employee sick time.<br /><br />According to the Gregory Kats \"Green Building Costs and Financial Benefits\" [2003] Report, \"a 1% increase in productivity (equal to 5 minutes per working day) is equal to $600 to $700 per employee per year, or $3 sq ft per year. A 1.5% increase in productivity&nbsp;&mdash; a little over 7 minutes each working day &mdash; is equal to about $1,000 per year, or $4 to $5 sq ft per year. Over 20 years and at a 5% real discount rate, the present value of the productivity benefits is about $35 sq ft for Certified and Silver level buildings.\"<br /><br />Sustainable strategies reduce operating expenses, improve the life cycle cost of business operations, and increase return on investment. Green design and building leads to an 8_9% decrease in operating costs, 7.5% increase in building values, 6.6% improvement in return on investment, 3.5% increase in occupancy, and a 3% increase in rent rates.<br /><br />Business executives can no longer afford to ignore the benefits of green building, nor the social impact of environmental strategy and corporate social responsibility. Global climate change is happening, and whether or not the merits and causes are scientifically agreed upon - the evidence of change is clear. In order to differentiate in this new marketplace, corporations must respond with an organizational strategy aligned with the natural environment. <em><br /></em></p>','','217','none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','Global climate change is bringing the onset of a remarkable change to business strategy. Corporations that differentiate themselves with sustainable, integrated organizational strategies will realize competitive advantage in today\'s marketplace.  More than just a passing fad, sustainable facilities are now an imperative for business success.','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(270,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','More Price Increases Coming on Roofing Products','none','Roofing, increases,oil, prices','none','<p>Asphalt roofing manufacturers have notified suppliers, distributors and wholesalers that another price increase is expected within the next seven to 10 days. They pointed to the disruption in the oil supply caused by Hurricane Ike as the reason. The asphalt used inasphalt roofing is a byproduct of oil refining.<br /><br />Manufacturers and distributors will continue to price the cost of asphalt roofing products at the time of shipment, so suppliers and contractors will<br />have a difficult time pricing long-term contracts currently out to bid.<br /><br />With the cost of crude oil continuing to fluctuate, the Roofing and Siding Contractors Alliance (RSCA) recommends that roofers and contractors update<br />their pricing frequently. The RSCA also recommends that contractors protect themselves by modifying their contracts to explain the likelihood of further<br />price increases and pass through any increases that do occur.<br /><br />\"If you\'re bidding on high-end custom homes or commercial contracts, it is a no-win situation for the supplier and contractor,\" said RSCA President Jim<br />Compton. \"If you bid on a project with long-term projections, your price will be distorted and you won\'t be competitive; and if you bid with the<br />current price, chances are the contract will only be good for a couple of weeks. This is a very unfortunate situation for everyone including the<br />building contractor,\" he said.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Asphalt roofing manufacturers have notified suppliers, distributors and wholesalers that another price increase is expected within the next seven to 10 days. They pointed to the disruption in the oil supply caused by Hurricane Ike as the reason. The asphalt used inasphalt roofing is a byproduct of oil refining.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(275,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Timothy R. McCarthy, 83, Dies','none','Timothy R. McCarthy, McCarthy Building Companies, died','none','<p>Timothy R. McCarthy, 83, a member of the family that founded and established the 144-year-old St. Louis construction firm McCarthy Building Companies, died Oct. 13.</p>\n<p>He suffered a heart attack Oct. 7 in his sleep and has been in the hospital since then.&nbsp;</p>\n<p>McCarthy was part of a family construction dynasty that began in 1864 when an Irish immigrant named, also named Timothy McCarthy, began a lumber business in Ann Arbor, MI building farmhouses and barns. The company he founded in 1864 is now a billion dollar construction firm with offices nationwide. <br /><br />The first Timothy McCarthy had 10 children, and taught carpentry to two sons, John W. and Timothy Jr. His son Charles became a bricklayer. John W. moved the business to Farmington, MO. It moved to St. Louis in&nbsp; 1917, where it was renamed McCarthy Brothers Construction&nbsp; Co. <br /><br />Completion in 1961 of the Priory Chapel helped establish the company\'s reputation as a significant force in St. Louis construction.</p>\n<p>As the company slowly expanded, so did the McCarthy family &mdash; with many members filling leadership positions within the firm. Timothy R. McCarthy,Merryl L. McCarthy,&nbsp; John E. McCarthy, J. Melvin McCarthy and Francis F. McCarthy are credited with much of the company\'s success from the 1940s to the 1970s.<br /><br />In&nbsp; 2002 the&nbsp; company, now called McCarthy Building Companies, completed the&nbsp; transition to employee ownership. Sales last year were $2.3 billion.</p>\n<p>Mr. McCarthy served as the AGC of St. Louis President of the Board of Directors in 1973.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>The family asks that that memorial contributions be made to a charity of the donor\'s choice, in lieu of flowers.&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Timothy R. McCarthy, 83, a member of the family that founded the  140-year-old St. Louis construction firm McCarthy Building Companies, died Monday. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(273,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Horner & Shifrin Marks 75th Anniversary','none','Horner & Shifrin, 75th anniversary','none','<p>Horner &amp; Shifrin, Inc., reached a significant milestone on October 1st:&nbsp; its 75th anniversary.</p>\n<p>Founded in the City of St. Louis, Horner &amp; Shifrin is the oldest engineering firm headquartered there that is still operating under the names of its original founders. The firm is in its fifth generation of management, and has been a 100 percent employee-owned firm since 1987.<br /><br /><img alt=\"Mayor Slay presents Horner &amp; Shifrin proclamation\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"235\" src=\"/images/uploads/Mayor_Slay_Proclamation.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />Horner &amp; Shifrin recently celebrated its Diamond Jubilee anniversary by hosting a reception for clients and employees. Honored guests included the Honorable Francis Slay, Mayor of the City of St. Louis; Richard Horner (son of co-founder W. W. Horner) and his wife, Eve; Daniel Horner (Richard Horner&rsquo;s son); Jean Schneider and Walter Shifrin (co-founder Hymen Shifrin&rsquo;s daughter and son); and Jeffrey Shifrin (grandson of Hymen Shifrin). Past leaders who attended included Leonard Kirberg, George Hasegawa, Cecil Browning, George Sallwasser, Jerry Breite, John Pollard, Charles Buescher, Don Lochmoeller and Vance Lischer, Jr. <br />&nbsp;</p>\n<h4>Mayor Slay commemorated the milestone anniversary by presenting a proclamation declaring October 1, 2008, &ldquo;Horner &amp; Shifrin Day&rdquo; in the City of St. Louis.</h4>\n<h4>&nbsp;</h4>\n<p>The Norman K. Probstein Golf Course &amp; Clubhouse in Forest Park was chosen as the site for the festivities because of W. W. Horner&rsquo;s work on the River des Peres Sewerage &amp; Drainage Works project, which passes through Forest Park. The project thrust Mr. Horner into national prominence at the time of its completion in 1931 and eventually led to his founding of Horner &amp; Shifrin with Hymen Shifrin.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />In looking back on the company&rsquo;s rich legacy, President William Clarke said, &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been successful at doing good work for our clients because of our customer service focus. I am proudest, though, of our core values--we strive to adhere to them in all we do. We have also been fortunate to attract and retain exceptional people. We intend to carry on the same traditions of excellence established by our founders for the next 75 years. Our employee-owners share a commitment to apply our expertise to the highest standards, exercising our knowledge and skills for the benefit of our community, client and fellow employee.&rdquo;<br />&nbsp;<br /><br />Horner &amp; Shifrin, Inc., is a 100% employee-owned multidisciplinary firm of 62 professionals and technical support personnel with offices in St. Louis and O&rsquo;Fallon, Illinois. The company provides professional engineering services to municipal, state and federal government agencies, industries and institutions.<br /><br /></p>\n<h3><br /></h3>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Horner & Shifrin, Inc., reached a significant milestone on October 1st:  its 75th anniversary.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(274,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','CNR Executive Summit: Risk and Rewards in the St. Louis Construction Industry 2009','none','CNR Summit, Risk, Reward','none','<table border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"left\" valign=\"top\" width=\"370\">\n<p>Risk is inherent in the construction\nindustry. In today\'s economic climate that risk is at an all-time high.\nHow do the owners, contractors and the others in the industry protect\nthemselves against the volatility of the financial markets and fuel and\nmaterial price escalation? What are the rewards for those who are\nprepared?</p>\n<p><img alt=\"CNR Summit\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/cnr-summit.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />Because of your leadership position the St. Louis construction\nindustry, we invite you to BE OUR GUEST at this special program, which\nwill kick off CNR\'s 40th year as the \"Voice for the St. Louis\nConstruction Industry.\"</p>\n<p><strong>Date:</strong> Wednesday, November 5th, 2008</p>\n<p><strong>Time:</strong> 7:30-9:30 a.m.</p>\n<p><strong>Location:</strong> Missouri Athletic Club, 1777 Des Peres Road</p>\n<p><strong>Format:</strong> Continental Breakfast, Panel Presentation, Q&amp;A</p>\n<h2>KICKOFF SPEAKER</h2>\n<p>Richard Ward (Principal, Zimmer Real Estate Services, St. Louis;\nformer CEO of Development Strategies and of Team Four): Overview of the\nSt.&nbsp;Louis market, its historic tendencies, demographic, political, and\nmarket forces, and prognosis for the year.</p>\n<h2>PANELISTS</h2>\n<p><strong>Len Toenjes</strong> (CEO, AGC of St. Louis) Market and political forces (transportation, minorities, etc.) affecting contractors</p>\n<p><strong>Walt Bazan</strong> (CEO Bazan Painting, national board of directors\nAmerican Subcontractors Association) Risks to subs in a down market\n(price volatility, risk assumption)</p>\n<p><strong>Mike Flavin</strong> (President, The Business Bank of St. Louis)\nFinancial roadblocks to projects, working capital issues for\nconstruction companies and developers</p>\n<p><strong>Andy Manuel </strong>(Shareholder, Greensfelder, Hemker and Gale, PC)\nLegal risks in developer failures, BIM, ConsensuDocs, LEED\ncertification, and material volatility. Labor issues emerging from\ntighter market.</p>\n<p><strong>Pete Mohs </strong>(Vice President, J.W. Terrill) Risk in bonding,\nelectronic building technologies, implied guarantees and health risks\nin \"green \" construction, fallout from additional focus on crane safety.</p>\n<p>Attendance is free, but registration is required. For registration or more information, email <a href=\"mailto:summit@stlouiscnr.com\">summit@stlouiscnr.com</a>, fax to St. Louis CNR at 314.241.0241, or call Tom Finan at 314.584.4717.</p>\n</td>\n<td width=\"20\"><br /></td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>','none','Risk is inherent in the construction industry. In today\'s economic climate that risk is at an all-time high. How do the owners, contractors and the others in the industry protect themselves against the volatility of the financial markets and fuel and material price escalation? What are the rewards for those who are prepared?','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/cnr-summit.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(291,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','McCormack Baron Salazar Wins $50 Million in U.S. Tax Credits ','none','McCormack Baron Salzar','none','<p><a href=\"http://www.mccormackbaron.com \">McCormack Baron Salazar</a> (MBS) was awarded a $50 million allocation of tax credits by the U.S. Treasury Department Oct. 21 under the 2008 New Markets Tax Credit program (NMTC). The program recognizes companies for their revitalization efforts in low-income rural and urban areas throughout the country. Almost $300 million in tax credits were awarded to Missouri organizations. <br />With the tax credits allocated through the NMTC program, McCormack Baron Salazar plans to invest in retail, commercial, educational and for-sale revitalization projects across the country, including St. Louis. This is the third such allocation received by MBS: the firm received $60 million in allocations in each of the prior two rounds of competition. The company has used its first allocation, received in 2006, to develop projects in North Carolina, Tennessee and Missouri.</p>\n<p>Richard Baron, MBS\'s chairman and CEO, was happy to receive this newest allocation. \"We\'re doing such vital work in cities like St. Louis, New Orleans, Memphis and Los Angeles. These credits will enable us to continue our revitalization efforts, even in this difficult economic environment.\"</p>\n<p>The company has a pipeline of development opportunities in which to use the credits, including Missouri, California, Louisiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. Through its Community Development Entity (CDE) that received the award, MBS has appointed a nationally recognized advisory board to help select the highest impact projects for the use of the tax credits.</p>\n<p>\"New Markets Tax Credits have allowed our firm to expand its efforts to bring new commercial and economic activity into our neighborhoods around the country,\" said Jonathan Goldstein, MBS\'s senior vice president. \"We hope to continue to invest in projects of highest importance to these communities, with the continued support of the Treasury Department.\"</p>\n<p>McCormack Baron Salazar has been leading efforts to revitalize a number of communities in the City of St. Louis. Major developments in the St. Louis area have included Westminster Place, a 470-unit, multi-phased community located in the once deteriorated Westminster area; Murphy Park, a 530-unit mixed income, multi-generational community at the site of the former Vaughn Housing development; and Renaissance Place, a 510-unit, mixed income, multi-generational community located on the north border of the city\'s Grand Center Arts and Entertainment District.</p>\n<h2><strong>New Grand Center Office Building</strong></h2>\n<p>Also on Oct. 21, MBS and the St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) announced that they have closed financing and begun construction on a new office building in the Grand Center district of St. Louis. The building creates a new headquarters for the SLHA at the northwestern boundary of the Blumeyer HOPE VI Revitalization Plan area, completing the physical transformation of the original Blumeyer project site into the new Renaissance Place at Grand community, and adding new commercial and service amenities.</p>\n<p>\"The development of new office space for the St. Louis Housing Authority has been a goal of the Authority for some time. It is even more attractive because it will be a cornerstone of the Blumeyer Revitalization and will be a catalyst for employment and business opportunities for our residents,\" said Cheryl Lovell, executive director of Saint Louis Housing Authority.</p>\n<p>Located just east of the intersection of Page Avenue and North Grand Boulevard and adjacent to the 512-unit Renaissance Place at Grand, the $9 million, 37,000 square foot SLHA office building w ill include a full-service National City Bank branch and space for a caf&eacute; to serve the SLHA&rsquo;s 90 employees, visitors and the surrounding community. The Blumeyer Village Tenants Association (BVTA) was instrumental in bringing the project to fruition. Urban Strategies, Inc., in conjunction with the BVTA, is working with community residents and entrepreneurs to link them with employment opportunities at the site, and to encourage wider use of traditional banking facilities.</p>\n<p>SLHA selected MBS through a competitive RFQ process. The developer has deep local experience working with SLHA; its developments include the redevelopment of Vaughn public housing as the Murphy Park mixed income community, and the transformation of Blumeyer public housing as the new Renaissance Place at Grand mixed income community. The firm also specializes in urban commercial and mixed-use developments, including the 6 North development near St. Louis University, the Big Brothers Big Sisters / Woolworth Building at Grand Center, and The Westin/Cupples Station project next to Busch Stadium. The combination of this experience, together with the firm&rsquo;s commitment of New Markets Tax Credits to support the project, was instrumental in bringing the final pieces together.</p>\n<p>\"Through the use of New Market Credits, McCormack Baron Salazar was able to support the Authority&rsquo;s goal, leverage private equity to close the gap in funding, and realize the commitment made to the residents and the Housing Authority. To our knowledge, this project represents the first in the country to combine New Markets Tax Credits with HUD Capital Funds in a mixed-finance transaction,\" said Vince Bennett, Executive vice president of MBS.</p>\n<p>In addition to HUD Capital Funds and other SLHA resources, the SLHA office building is financed by tax credit equity from US Bancorp Community Development Corporation <br />(USBCDC), an affiliate of US Bank, from the investment in an allocation of NMTCs provided by MBS CDE; and funds from the Greater St. Louis Regional Empowerment Zone. <br />Completion is anticipated in late summer, 2009.</p>\n<p>Founded in 1973, McCormack Baron Salazar, a St. Louis-based nationally-recognized urban housing development and management company, has completed over 131 projects in 33 cities with development costs of $2 billion. The company\'s mission is to rebuild urban neighborhoods in central cities across the United States that have deteriorated through decades of neglect and disinvestment. In partnership with communities, MBS brings vision, experience, and commitment to the challenge of community revitalization. For more information visit www.mccormackbaron.com . [&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','McCormack Baron Salazar (MBS) was awarded a $50 million allocation of tax credits by the U.S. Treasury Department Oct. 21 under the 2008 New Markets Tax Credit program (NMTC).','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(316,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','DOORWAYS Receives National Award for Affordable Housing','none','DOORWAYS, Metlife, housing','none','<p>DOORWAYS Supportive Housing Facility (DSHF), a St. Louis-based non-profit organization, has received a third-place award for Supportive Housing in the 13th annual MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing. DSHF received the award and a $20,000 grant at the 2008 Enterprise Community Conference in Baltimore.<br />&nbsp;<br />The Supportive Housing category award recognizes DSHF for their long-standing compassionate and effective response to HIV/AIDS in the Missouri and Kansas region. DSHF is the only interfaith organization in the St. Louis region devoted to the provision of safe, affordable housing that provides supportive services to people living with the disease. The property is a fully accessible three-story building with 36 private rooms with baths, 24-hour supervision and a nursing station, a dining room, a commercial kitchen, recreational areas and administrative offices. All of the residents are formerly homeless singles living with HIV/AIDS and earn less than 30 percent of the area median income.<br />&nbsp;<br />\"The DOORWAYS Supportive Housing Facility was developed in response to a critical need for housing-based solutions to the HIV/AIDS epidemic,\" said Patricia Magnuson, senior director for supportive housing for Enterprise. \"For supportive services to take effect in troubled populations, a comfortable, safe place is necessary for people to call home. Through their &lsquo;low-demand\' and &lsquo;harm reduction\' models of service, DSHF has had remarkable success in helping the majority of their residents regain their health and transition to independent living.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />DOORWAYS\' substantial rehab of the former Bernard Care Center (originally the Methodist Home for Orphans), has brought healthy living design principles to this historic building. An extensive negative air-pressure ventilation system was installed to move exhaust from residential and certain treatment rooms out through the roof to decrease the impact of airborne infections. Other environmentally responsive principles were adopted on the grounds with an expansive green space, a formal garden and landscaping that improves water conservation and reduces maintenance costs.&nbsp; The property has easy access to public transportation and is in easy walking distance to commercial, retail and healthcare services.<br />&nbsp;<br />DOORWAYS has worked for over 20 years on developing housing solutions for some of the most vulnerable individuals and families in its community, a comprehensive continuum of housing options designed to meet the varied needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. This includes more than $1.7 million annually in scattered-site rent, mortgage, and utility assistance, 99 subsidized units in the city of St. Louis, and a 36-unit SRO property. Since its founding in 1988, DOORWAYS has served more than 5,600 households and currently assists approximately 570 adults and more than 300 children each month.<br />&nbsp;<br />\"Affordable, well-maintained housing is a vital component of livable communities,\" said MetLife Foundation president and CEO Sibyl Jacobson.&nbsp; \"We are pleased to join Enterprise in recognizing DOORWAYS, which is meeting the needs of low-income individuals and families and strengthening its community.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />In total, six MetLife Foundation Awards ranging from $20,000 to $40,000 were presented.&nbsp; Enterprise and MetLife Foundation launched the program in 1996 to recognize and share the important work being done by community-based organizations across the country to provide affordable housing for the nation\'s most vulnerable people.<br />&nbsp;<br />MetLife and MetLife Foundation have supported Enterprise\'s neighborhood revitalization activities with grants and loans of almost $39 million. For more information about the Foundation, visit <a href=\"http://www.metlife.org\">www.metlife.org</a>.<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','DOORWAYS Supportive Housing Facility (DSHF), a St. Louis-based non-profit organization, has received a third-place award for Supportive Housing in the 13th annual MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing. DSHF received the award and a $20,000 grant today at the 2008 Enterprise Community Conference in Baltimore.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(277,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','',' Work Begins  in First LEED-Certified Business Park in Missouri','none','Millwell Green, LEED, Conrad','none','<p>An affiliate of St. Louis developer Conrad Properties Corp. has begun renovation of the first building in the four-building first phase of Millwell Green, a new 8.8-acre, $13 million business park in Maryland Heights. According to Rob Goltermann, director of business development for Conrad, Millwell Green is the first fully LEED-Certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) business park in Missouri. <br /><br />Goltermann reported that more than 75 percent of the 21,000-square-foot 218 Millwell building is already pre-leased to office services provider City Blue Technologies and to a second tenant who has requested anonymity. City Blue is relocating from 103 Weldon Parkway in Maryland Heights. Both users are scheduled to occupy their new space by year end 2008.<br /><br />Three of the four buildings in Phase I were originally warehouses, with the fourth the former municipal services center/city hall for Maryland&nbsp; Heights. Conrad is reducing all four buildings, which total 87,570 square feet, to their structural steel shells and then rebuilding them in accord with LEED standards.<br /><br /><img alt=\"Millwell Building\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"184\" src=\"/images/uploads/Millwell218_Conrad.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />The four single-story service/distribution buildings, all of which can accommodate a single user or multiple tenants, range upwards in size from 18,900 square feet. The buildings have clear ceiling heights of 16 to 25 feet with docks and/or drive-in door access to be provided per user specification. Space for lease is being quoted at $7.95 to $14.00/SF (triple net), depending on the percentage of office finish desired. Each building is also available for purchase, with prices ranging from $1.95 to $2.4 million. <br /><br />Property tax abatement extended to Millwell Green by the City of Maryland Heights under Missouri Chapter 353 statutes gives the development a cost-saving advantage in the marketplace, says&nbsp; Goltermann. \"The resulting reduction in operating expenses works out to about $2 per square foot annually or savings of $20,000 per year for a 10,000-square-foot tenant,\" he said. The abatement will extend for a minimum of 18 to a maximum of 25 years. <br /><br />\"We think Millwell Green makes a sound investment case to a prospective tenant or buyer currently operating out of an antiquated facility,\" he added. \"We are presenting new space in the Westport area supported by ample parking in a LEED-indentured development at a very competitive rate.\" <br /><br />Phase II consists of a 3.2-acre parcel for sale to build-to-suit users. The site can accommodate a single structure of up to 53,000 square feet or up to four smaller free-standing buildings. <br /><br />A walking path with educational signage detailing LEED-focused innovations will link the Millwell Green campus with the new city hall for Maryland Heights that borders it to the north. Other LEED-related innovations include the extensive use of permeable pavers in lieu of asphalt; drought resistant landscaping; and reflective, white rooftops with canopy shading. <br /><br />Parking is provided for up to364 vehicles.</p>\n<p>Joining Conrad on the project team are general contractor G.S. S, Inc.; Kansas City, Mo.-based Treanor Architects, (which operates a branch office in Kirkwood,&nbsp; Mo.); civil engineer CEDC Civil Engineering; and, green building consultant E2 Solutions, Inc. <br /><br />Casey Urkevich and Joseph Hill of Chesterfield, Mo.-based commercial real estate broker Block Hawley represent Millwell Green. <br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','An affiliate of St. Louis developer Conrad Properties Corp. has begun renovation of the first building in the four-building first phase of Millwell Green, a new 8.8-acre, $13 million business park in Maryland Heights','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(278,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','CB Richard Ellis Lease and Sale Transactions','none','CB Richard Ellis, transactions','none','<p>CB Richard Ellis completed the following sale and lease transactions:<br /><br />Mark McNulty of CB Richard Ellis represented Phoenix Metal in leasing 30,000 square feet of industrial space at 21 Elaine Drive, O\'Fallon, from William T. Davis.</p>\n<p>Jeff Kaiser of CB Richard Ellis represented CS Gateway, LLC, in leasing 3,705 square feet of office space in Gateway Tower, 1 Memorial Drive, to Crawford, Murphy &amp; Tilly, Inc.</p>\n<p>Tom Ray and Ann Dulle of CB Richard Ellis represented BSP Golub Creve Coeur LLC in leasing 3,258 square feet of office space at 12747 Olive Blvd. to Peritus Benefits and Investments, Inc.</p>\n<p>Tom Ray and Ann Dulle of CB Richard Ellis represented BSP Golub Creve Coeur LLC in leasing 18,335 square feet of office space at 12755 Olive Blvd. to Power Engineers, Inc.</p>\n<p>Ted Green and George Convy of CB Richard Ellis represented Spherion Atlantic Resources L.L.C. in a 2,291-square-foot office lease renewal at 12647 Olive Blvd., with the lessor, The Realty Associates Fund VII, L.P.</p>\n<p>Bob Staniforth, SIOR, of CB Richard Ellis represented NHP/McShane SAMC, LLC, in a 7,489-square-foot medical office lease renewal at 10012 Kennerly Road, South St. Louis County, with the lessee, South County Anesthesia Assoc., LTD. CB Richard Ellis Press Release<br /><br />Bob Staniforth, SIOR, of CB Richard Ellis represented NHP/McShane SAMC, LLC, in leasing 7,489 square feet of medical office space at 10012 Kennerly Road to St. Anthony\'s Medical Center.</p>\n<p>Bob Staniforth, SIOR, of CB Richard Ellis represented NHP/McShane SAMC, LLC, in an 11,103-square-foot medical office lease renewal at 10012 Kennerly Road with the lessee, St. Anthony\'s Medical Center.</p>\n<p>Marc Cacciarelli, SIOR, of CB Richard Ellis represented Brown Ave. Holdings, LLC, in leasing 52,397 square feet of industrial space at 5485 Brown Ave., North St. Louis, to Consumer Programs Incorporated, represented by Erv Heyde, SIOR, and Don Woehle, SIOR, of CB Richard Ellis.</p>\n<p>Allen Klippel, SIOR, and Ben Haas of CB Richard Ellis represented ProLogis in a 69,737-square-foot industrial lease renewal at 13757 Rider Trail North, Earth City, with the lessee, Phoenix International Freight Services.</p>\n<p>John Pennington and Matt Aljets of CB Richard Ellis represented Credit Control, LLC, in leasing 10,430 square feet of office space at Northwest Corporate Center II, 5757 Phantom Drive, Hazelwood, from McDonnell Associates LLC, represented by Mark Palmer and Tom Ray of CB Richard Ellis.</p>\n<p>Ted Green of CB Richard Ellis represented Preferred System Services in leasing 2,963 square feet of office space at 331 Salem Place, Fairview Heights, Ill., from Plummer General L.L.C.</p>\n<p>Dave Randolph, SIOR, of CB Richard Ellis represented Aquila Inc. in a 25,000- square-foot office lease expansion at 5555 WingHaven Blvd., O\'Fallon, with the&nbsp; lessee, MasterCard, represented by Jones Lang LaSalle.</p>\n<p>Jeff Kaiser of CB Richard Ellis represented Hertz 10 South Broadway, LLC, in an 11,449-square-foot office lease renewal at 10 S. Broadway with the lessee, Hewitt Associates, LLC, represented by Mark Palmer of CB Richard Ellis.</p>\n<p>John Warren of CB Richard Ellis represented A &amp; A Investment Properties, LLC, in the sale of the 7,700-square-foot H.A. Rothman office building at 1516 S. Brentwood, to Fordyce Properties represented by Ben Holley of Savoy Properties.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','CB Richard Ellis completed the following sale and lease transactions:','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(279,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Human Remains  From Road Construction Project','none','human remains, Lambert, road','none','<p>Human remains from a single grave were discovered Tuesday, Oct. 14, on a Lambert-St. Louis International Airport road construction project. Work on the relocation of McDonnell Boulevard is on Lambert property that is part of a former cemetery. Lambert contacted all appropriate authorities and was authorized to remove the remains from the site. They are being held pending a proper reburial. &nbsp;<br /><br />Work on the new two-lane roadway was temporarily halted after the discovery. An archeologist is closely monitoring the status of the project in the event additional remains are discovered.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Human remains from a single grave were discovered Tuesday, Oct. 14, on a Lambert-St. Louis International Airport road construction project.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(281,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Paric Completes  $84 Million Meramec Bluffs Senior Living Project','none','Meramec Bluffs, Paric, Ballwin, retirement','none','<p>Paric Corporation has completed its fourth project for Ballwin\'s Meramec Bluffs retirement community, completing an eight-year, $84 million master building project in West St. Louis County. &nbsp;<br /><br /><img alt=\"Meramec Bluffs\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"232\" src=\"/images/uploads/Meramec-Bluffs-9-10-08.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />The continuing care retirement community now is home to more than 450 older adults.&nbsp; The site\'s 350-member staff assists seniors in a wide array of living options, from independent living apartments and patio homes to residential care, skilled nursing and memory care.<br /><br />The development is located on a 50-acre bluff-top site overlooking the Meramec River at Sulphur Spring and Vance Roads.&nbsp; All residential groupings are nestled in the forested topography of the bluffs and offer panoramic views of the Meramec River valley and Castlewood State Park.&nbsp;&nbsp; Currently, Meramec Bluffs features 223 apartments, 25 patio homes, 56 assisted living apartments, 20 memory care units and an 88-bed skilled nursing facility. &nbsp;</p>\n<p>The final $10.7 million phase of the project adds a new four-story wing which includes an additional 103,000 square feet of living space. The 13-month fourth phase of the project added an additional 46 independent living apartments and additional garage space to what is already one of the largest and most comprehensive senior living communities in metropolitan St. Louis.&nbsp; Paric completed a 66,000-square-foot skilled nursing facility as part of Phase III in 2006 and 122,000 square feet of independent living apartments for Phase II in 2005.&nbsp; Paric has worked with Meramec Bluffs\' parent organization, Lutheran Senior Services (LSS), since 1999.&nbsp;<br /><br />As design-build contractor, Paric joined the project at the onset, helping LSS evaluate several campus layout options, which reduced costs on the project and offered the opportunity to re-grade the site to remain at or below a 6 percent grade to accommodate leisurely strolls throughout campus. &nbsp;<br /><br />\"We have become invested in this community during our eight-year relationship on this project,\" said Paric President and CEO P. Joseph McKee.&nbsp; \"We are proud to have been able to contribute to a project that will enrich the lives of so many of our seniors.&nbsp; It has been a privilege to work with such an outstanding, caring organization as Lutheran Senior Services.\"<br /><br />While Lutheran Senior Services has developed 19 senior living properties in Missouri and Illinois, Meramec Bluffs is the first of their communities to use the design-build approach to construction. The project\'s size and the site\'s complexities led to this decision, said LSS\'s Vice President of Construction Mark W. Schoedel.<br /></p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Paric Corporation has completed its fourth project for Ballwin\'s Meramec Bluffs retirement community, completing an eight-year, $84 million master building project in West St. Louis County.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(282,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','McGrath Completes Science Center Life Science Lab','none','Science Center, Life Science Lab, McGrath','none','<p>McGrath &amp; Associates, Inc. a St. Louis-based general contracting and construction manager, recently completed the new $1.3 million Life Science Lab at the St. Louis Science Center.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Science Center Lab\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"212\" src=\"/images/uploads/Science-Center.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />The 4,700 square-foot-lab boasts several workbenches where visitors can conduct experiments using scientific tools.&nbsp;&nbsp; The majority of funding for the project came from a federal grant.&nbsp; The lab is the first major new exhibit since the James S. McDonnell Planetarium underwent an overhaul in 2001.<br /> <br />\"Our new Life Science Lab launches a new approach to engaging, fun, hands-on learning for children and families,\" said Science Center President &amp; CEO Doug King. \"There is nothing static about this gallery. It is an authentic science experience that lets the individual make his or her own discoveries and grow an appreciation for life sciences that will be critical to our future.\"<br />The Life Science Lab includes an atrium entrance, activity benches, a lab classroom and a staff workroom. In the interactive atrium entrance, visitors of all ages will receive an introduction to various life science concepts and skills as well as the chance to view and use constantly changing collection items, biological specimens and science tools.</p>\n<p><br />McGrath &amp; Associates served as the Construction Manager while HKW Architects, Inc. performed architectural duties. &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','McGrath & Associates, Inc. a St. Louis-based general contracting and construction manager, recently completed the new $1.3 million Life Science Lab at the St. Louis Science Center.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(283,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Schaeffer Electric Lighting Services Save $300,000 in Annual Energy Costs for BJC HealthCare','none','BJC, Schaeffer, energy savings','none','<p>BJC HealthCare partnered with St. Louis-based Schaeffer Electric Co., Inc. for lighting renovations and maintenance spanning seven facilities throughout St. Louis that will pay back its full investment within three years.&nbsp; More than 12,600 fixtures were retrofitted, replaced or re-lamped to generate $300,000 in annual energy savings for the region\'s largest employer, earning Schaeffer another contract to extend its lighting maintenance services to other BJC Healthcare facilities.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','BJC HealthCare partnered with St. Louis-based Schaeffer Electric Co., Inc. for lighting renovations and maintenance spanning seven facilities throughout St. Louis that will pay back its full investment within three years','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(284,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Kolb Grading Opens New Headquarters in Weldon Spring','none','Kolb Grading, new headquarters','none','<p>Kolb Grading recently moved into their new Weldon Spring headquarters, a 41,200-square-foot facility including offices, maintenance building and canopy area on a 23 acre site along the Highway 94 corridor.<br />&nbsp;<br /><img alt=\"Kolb Excavating headquarters\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"225\" src=\"/images/uploads/kolb.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"300\" />\"It is always great to see a long time member of our business community invest and expand their facilities,\" said Weldon Spring Mayor Don Licklider.&nbsp; \"Kolb Grading is yet another fine example of a company reinvesting in their business operations and their community.\"<br />&nbsp;<br /><img src=\"file:///Users/tom/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.jpg\" />Kolb Grading has over 40 years experience in highway project management and grading, levee and lake projects, environmental clean up and disposal, golf course creation, and a wide variety of related construction support services.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Kolb Grading recently moved into their new Weldon Spring headquarters, a 41,200-square-foot facility including offices, maintenance building and canopy area on a 23 acre site along the Highway 94 corridor.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(285,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Catholic Archdiocese Spends $15-$20 Million Per Year on Construction','none','','none','<p>In good times and bad, the Archdiocese of St. Louis spends, on average $15 million a year on construction, an article in this week\'s <em>St. Louis Review, </em>the Archdiocese\'s newspaper, reported.</p>\n<p>There are between 10 and 20\nbuilding projects going on in the St.\nLouis Archdiocese at any one time,\naccording to Bob Palisch, manager\nof archdiocesan building projects in\nthe Building and Real Estate Office.\n<br />\"About 10 to 15 projects a year\nare under contract, probably 15 to\n20 are going on at any one time\nwith another two or three in some\nstage of development,\" Palisch\nsaid.\nThe Building and Real Estate\nOffice provides advice and consultation\nfor parishes in the 11-county\narchdiocese seeking to build, enlarge\nor renovate their facilities.\n<br /><br /> The office also works with archdiocesan\nand regional high schools\nin their building projects.\n<br /><br /> \"There is an average of $15 million\na year spent on construction\ncosts\" by archdiocesan entities,\nPalisch said. \"That\'s not counting\nland acquisitions.\"\n<br /><br /> He added, \"It\'s been like this for\nyears.\"\n<br /><br /> To assist parishes, the Building\nand Real Estate Office has a list of\npre-approved architects and contractors\nwho can work with them.\n<br /><br /> Tom Richter, director of the\nBuilding and Real Estate Office,\nexplained, \"We set up parishes and\nschools contemplating construction\nwith three architects to interview\nseparately. They pick one. Then the\nparish usually starts fundraising activities\nand figures out what their\nbudget is.\"\n<br /><br /> <img alt=\"Sacred Heart Valley Park\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"167\" src=\"/images/uploads/sacred-heart.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"250\" />Parishes usually do that with the\nhelp of the Archdiocesan Finance\nOffice. David Fairchild of that office\nexplained, \"We\'re the lender. ...\nBy statute a parish cannot borrow\noutside of the archdiocese, so the\nSt. Louis Archdiocesan Fund becomes\nthe lender.\"</p>\n<h4>Father Denny Schaab, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Valley Park, consults with school principal Joan Wojciechowski, right, and Cheryl Degenhart, director of religious educati.on, in front of the new parish building, a 29,000-square-foot gym/auditorium, expected to be completed in April.</h4>\n<p>Fairchild said, \"The Archdiocesan\nFund rule is to raise half of\nwhat you need first, then come to\nus. We don\'t loan out more than\nhalf a project.\" If that doesn\'t happen,\n\"we suggest cutting back on\nthe project or phasing it over time.\"\n<br /><br /> Palisch said, \"There are about\n12 projects right now under construction.\nThe two biggest are St.\nPatrick in Wentzville, which is\nbuilding a new parish hall, and Sacred\nHeart in Valley Park, which is\nbuilding a gym/auditorium.\n<br /><br /> \"Our building is about 29,000\nsquare feet,\" said Father Denny\nSchaab, pastor of Sacred Heart\nParish. \"It includes a stage and gym\nwith two junior high\nbasketball/volleyball courts ... and\nthe school and religious education\noffices, an all-day kindergarten\nroom, a music room and a faculty\nlounge.\"\n<br /><br /> Construction is slated to be\ncompleted in April, and everyone\nin the parish is excited, the pastor\nsaid, especially at Sacred Heart\nSchool.\n<br /><br /> The school recently won its\nthird Physical Fitness State Champion\nAward from the President\'s\nCouncil on Physical Fitness and\nSports.\n<br /><br /> \"And that\'s without a gym,\"\nsaid Father Schaab. \"We have an\nexcellent physical education program\nhere, and they\'re very excited\nabout the gym.\"\n<br /><br /> The new building will serve the\nwhole parish, Father Schaab said.\nWith 2,760 households, Sacred\nHeart currently has no space large\nenough to host a Confirmation reception\nor other parish social functions.\n<br /><br /> \"We\'ve been renting for our social\nfunctions. So now we\'ll be able\nto do everything on site,\" the pastor\nsaid. \"And the gym will include\nan elevated walking track, for\nadults only that overlooks the gym\nand has a separate entrance. This is\nfor the whole parish.\"\n<br /><br /> Other current projects include a\nnew school at St. Joseph Parish in\nJosephville; parking lot construction\nat St. Paul in Fenton; a new\ngym at St. Dominic High School in\nO\'Fallon; interior renovations and\na new entrance to John F. Kennedy\nCatholic High School in Manchester;\nand major renovations to the\nsecond floor of Kenrick-Glennon\nSeminary in Shrewsbury.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','In good times and bad, the Archdiocese of St. Louis spends, on average $15 million a year on construction, an article in this week\'s St. Louis Review, the Archdiocese\'s newspaper, reported.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(286,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Gateway AAC Builds Green Concrete Homes','none','The Perfect Home, Gateway AAC, Energy efficient','none','<p>Gateway AAC is constructing what it calls \"The Perfect Home\" at 3736 South Broadway in the City of St. Louis\' Marine Villa neigborhood.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Gateway AAC\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"336\" src=\"/images/uploads/gateway-aac_1.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"254\" />The building envelope of the home, which is intended to be the first in a new development, is constructed of autoclaved aerated concrete panels. Jon Edwards of&nbsp; Gateway AAC said that concrete panels offer many \"green\" benefits, including energy efficiency, vapor permeability resulting in better air quality, low VOC emissions, and low&nbsp; long term maintenance.</p>\n<p>The homes in the development will have a number of energy-efficient features including white reflective roofs, energy-efficient lighting, 95% energy-efficient hot water tank, and a geo-thermal heating and cooling system. They will pre-wired for solar panels, which are available as an add-on option. The parapet wall of&nbsp; the home is designed to disguise the solar panels.</p>\n<p>For more information, email <a href=\"mailto:jedwardsaac@sbcglobal.net\">Jon Edwards</a> or call 314.537.3018.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Gateway AAC is constructing what it calls \"The Perfect Home\" at 3736 Broadway in the City of St. Louis\' Marine Villa neigborhood.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(288,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','St. Louis ASCE Re-Dedicates River Des Peres as Civil Engineering Landmark','none','River des Pere, landmark, Horner,  Shifrin','none','<p>The officers and board of directors of the St. Louis Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will hold a ceremony and reception Oct. 27 re-dedicating the River Des Peres Sewerage and Drainage Works as an ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.<br />&nbsp;<br />This River Des Peres was designed and constructed during 1924 to 1931 by the City of St. Louis, Department of Sewers and Paving under the direction of the President of the Board of Public Service. &nbsp;City engineering staff, including W.W. Horner, served as Engineer-in-Charge and H. Shifrin was his Assistant.</p>\n<h4><img alt=\"River des Pere construction near Gravois, 1930\" height=\"182\" src=\"/images/uploads/River-des-Pere-construction.jpg\" width=\"266\" /></h4>\n<h4><br /></h4>\n<h4>River des Peres construction near Gravois, 1930</h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<br /><img alt=\"River des Peres\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"166\" src=\"/images/uploads/River_des_Peres_Lansdowne_2.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) became the owner of the River Des Peres facility along with other city sewers after the formation of MSD in 1954.<br />&nbsp;<br />The Ceremony will be at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 27.<br />&nbsp;<br />The ceremony location is at 5050 Clayton Avenue just west of Kingshighway in Forest Park overlooking Jefferson Lake as shown on the attached map. &nbsp;Parking is available on the south side of Clayton Avenue and on adjacent streets in the Park.<br />&nbsp;</p>\n<h3>&nbsp;A reception will be held immediately following the ceremony at the Cabanne House, 5300 Lindell at Union on the north edge of Forest Park.&nbsp;</h3>\n<p><br />For more information call Barb Eldrige at 314-531-4321 or email <a href=\"mailto:beldgride@hornershifrin.com\">beldridge@hornershifrin.com.</a></p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The officers and board of directors of the St. Louis Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will hold a ceremony and reception Oct. 27 re-dedicating the River Des Peres Sewerage and Drainage Works as an ASCE National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(289,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Kloster to Retire From McCarthy, Wittkop and Kuntz to Head Central, Southeast Divisions','none','Kloster,McCarthy, Wittkop,Kuntz','none','<p>Karl Kloster, Midwest Division president for <a href=\"http://www.mcarthy.com\">McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.</a> will retire on May 1, 2009.&nbsp; Kloster\'s announcement sets the stage for the Midwest Division, which currently extends from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast, to become two operational entities on January&nbsp; 1&nbsp;&mdash; a Southeast Division and a Central Division</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<h4><img alt=\"Karl Kloster\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"323\" src=\"/images/uploads/Karl-Kloster-Portrait-5.04.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"230\" />Karl KLoster, Retiring&nbsp; Midwest division President for Mccarthy</h4>\n<p>Kevin Kuntz becomes president of the Southeast Division headquartered in Atlanta, overseeing McCarthy\'s operations in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.&nbsp; A 25-year McCarthy veteran, he has held a variety of positions in the Midwest Division prior to this appointment, including vice president, operations based out of the St. Louis office. During his time in St. Louis, he served as chairman of the board of the Associated General Contractors\' St. Louis chapter and was a founding board member of the Construction Career Center, the first charter construction high school in the country.&nbsp; He was selected to open McCarthy\'s Atlanta office in 2005</p>\n<h4></h4>\n<p>&nbsp;Scott Wittkop becomes president of the new Central Division headquartered in St. Louis, overseeing McCarthy operations in the remaining states east of the Rockies as well as its health care, science &amp; technology, and St. Louis business units.</p>\n<h4><img alt=\"Kevin Kuntz\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"329\" src=\"/images/uploads/Kuntz-Portrait.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"230\" />Kevin Kuntz, New mccarthy Southeast Division President</h4>\n<p>Since joining McCarthy in 1986 as a project engineer, Wittkop has spent the last 23 years moving up through the ranks of the organization In 2006 he became vice president, operations for the Midwest Healthcare Business Unit, following his service as a project director in Denver.&nbsp; Wittkop has demonstrated outstanding leadership abilities and his energy, knowledge of the construction industry, and passion for building has prepared him well to step up to this new leadership role.</p>\n<p>\"As a community builder, this transition enhances our ability to respond quickly to growing client needs,\" said Derek Glanvill, McCarthy president/chief operating officer.&nbsp; \"It has been in the works since Karl made known to me his intention to retire some time ago.&nbsp; The contributions he made during his remarkable 21-year career at McCarthy have positioned the division well for these important changes.\"</p>\n<p>Under Kloster\'s leadership, the Division experienced major growth.&nbsp; He nurtured some of McCarthy\'s most enduring client and partner relationships, and his commitment to the St. Louis community helped make a significant impact on numerous charitable organizations in the region.&nbsp; One of those relationships, Make-a-Wish Foundation, began when he led the fundraising drive to establish a regional headquarters.&nbsp; Through the years Kloster, who served a six-year term on their board, supported the organization\'s fund raisers by providing assistance with golf tournaments and other events.&nbsp; In addition to Make-a-Wish, Kloster also served on the board of Variety - the Children\'s Charity of St. Louis.</p>\n<h4><img alt=\"Scott Wittkopp\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"360\" src=\"/images/uploads/Wittkop-Color-Portrait-0407.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"257\" /></h4>\n<h4>Scott Wittkopp, New mccarthy central Division President</h4>\n<p>&nbsp;\"Karl has made a tremendous impact on both our business and the St. Louis community,\" Glanvill added.&nbsp; \"We wish him all the pleasures of a long and happy retirement.\"</p>\n<p>Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest privately held construction firms in America.&nbsp; With 2007 revenues of $2.9 billion, the 100% employee-owned firm provides construction management, design/build and general contracting services for clients nationwide.&nbsp; The firm is ranked the 10th largest domestic general contractor <em>Engineering News-Record</em>, May 2008).&nbsp; In addition to its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, the company has additional full-service offices in Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, Newport Beach, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento.&nbsp;</p>\n<h4><br /></h4>','none','Karl Kloster, Midwest Division president for McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. will retire on May 1, 2009.  Kloster\'s announcement sets the stage for this Division, which currently extends from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast, to become two operational entities.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(290,1,5,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','Swapping Boxers with John Hickenlooper','none','Denver, HIckenlooper, light rail, Metro','none','<p>In an article on downtown areas in the September issue of the <em>Commerce </em>magazine, Chris Leinberger, visiting fellow, Metropolitan Policy for the Brookings Institution, relates the story of how Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, brought 32 suburban mayors into the Wynkoop, his LoDo (Lower Downtown) Denver brewpub/restaurant, got them lubricated, and then convinced them to support a $4 billion light rail system <img alt=\"Tom with boxers\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"353\" src=\"/images/uploads/tom-with-boxers.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"150\" />for Denver.</p>\n<p>Leinberger\'s story didn\'t surprise me at all. I had the opportunity to spend an evening with Hickenlooper back in the &lsquo;90s when he was still putting LoDo on the map. His equal in our town would probably be Joe Edwards, but Hickenlooper is a LOT less shy and self-effacing than Edwards.</p>\n<p>Through a hospitality magazine I owned at the time I was producing a beer dinner at the Denver Athletic Club. My original presenter for the dinner, the CEO of the brewers association, developed a conflict and asked Hickenlooper to sub for him. I should have known that I was in for a wild ride when John showed up with a handler in tow who turned out to be his ex-wife.</p>\n<p>After the dinner he invited me to hang with him for the evening at the Wynkoop. When Hickenlooper arrived at the Wynkoop a party atmosphere erupted. I\'m not exactly sure how it happened, but the next thing I knew Hickenlooper had agreed to swap boxer shorts with another guy in the bar. John ducked into the restroom and came out waving a brightly-colored pair of boxers.<br />John Hickenlooper\'s taste in clothing has apparently evolved a little bit in the past decade (he appeared in <em>Esquire</em> magazine), but his \"let\'s do it\" attitude has proven infectious in Denver - whether he\'s supporting mass transit or early childhood education. In 2005, two years into his first term, <em>Time</em> magazine named him one of the top five \"big city\" mayors in America.</p>\n<p>In November we\'ve got the opportunity to show that our industry has the same kind of can do creativity displayed by John Hickenlooper when he invited the suburban mayors to his brewpub. The Greater St. Louis Transit Alliance, a coalition of business, labor and transit users advocating the passage of Proposition M. Proposition M will ask St. Louis County voters on the Nov. 4 general election ballot to approve a half-cent tax to fund Metro operations and future expansions. Construction industry supporters of the Transit Alliance include AGC of St. Louis, Missouri Growth Association, St. Louis Labor Council, and St. Louis Realtors Association.</p>\n<p>If the ballot measures passes, Metro will have a stable funding source and will plan for major system expansions such as: increased express buses, high-speed bus service and bus rapid transit lines, and an expanded Metrolink line to north and west St. Louis County.<br />If Proposition M fails, Metro will be forced to eliminate 28 of its 60 existing bus routes, including all service west of I-270. Metro could eliminate all express routes and night service in two years, if new revenue is not found.</p>\n<p>Nobody is asking you to drop your boxers: But I AM asking you to consider - particularly in light of the pressures from fuel costs that are not going away - the repercussions that the lack of decent mass transit can have on our St. Louis region. We need to do everything we can to support this measure.</p>','','220','none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','In an article on downtown areas in the September issue of the Commerce magazine, Chris Leinberger, visiting fellow, Metropolitan Policy for the Brookings Institution, relates the story of how Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, brought 32 suburban mayors into the Wynkoop, his LoDo (Lower Downtown) Denver brewpub/restaurant, got them lubricated, and then convinced them to support a $4 billion light rail system for Denver.','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(292,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Move over Joe Plumber, Tradeswomen Speak for Themselves','none','MOWIT, Joe the plumber, Theresa Hughes','none','<p>Joe the plumber, move over. Theresa the plumber, Yvette the electrician, and Beth the carpenter say you don&rsquo;t represent the nation or the middle class and you most definitely don&rsquo;t speak for them.<br />&nbsp;<br />Theresa Hughes, Yvette Goods, and Beth Barton said Joe&rsquo;s turn has gone on long enough. Now they want the candidates to address their concerns. All three women said access to reliable child care is essential for letting women pursue good paying jobs. All three women pointed to the growing specter of unemployment as a critical issue. &ldquo;My husband has been laid-off for months. I&rsquo;m working at [a project at] St. John&rsquo;s, but I&rsquo;ll probably be laid-off soon,&rdquo; Barton said. A member of Carpenters&rsquo; Local 1596, Barton works for McCarthy Building Companies.<br />&nbsp;<br /><img alt=\"MOWIT press conference\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"194\" src=\"/images/uploads/departments/MOWIT-press-conference.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" /></p>\n<h4>Women construction workers said Joe the plumber doesn&rsquo;t speak for\nthem. From left to right: Yvette Goods, Theresa Hughes, Beth Barton.</h4>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>Hughes, the plumber, is a member of Plumbers&rsquo; and Pipefitters&rsquo; Local 562. Plumbing is her second career. She worked in the printing industry for 20 years until the print shop that employed her went out of business and only then joined the plumbers&rsquo; apprenticeship program.<br />&nbsp;<br />Goods, the electrician, is a member if IBEW Local 1 and has been for 25 years. Goods suggested some steps she would like to see any future administration take to reduce unemployment and poverty. &ldquo;People need secure incomes, not minimum wage,&rdquo; she said, and the government needs to put people back to work repairing the nation&rsquo;s &ldquo;neglected infrastructure&rdquo; to make it safe and functional.<br />&nbsp;<br />The three women spoke at a press conference organized by Missouri Women in the Trades, a support group for women construction workers that also works to recruit more women into construction. Since its founding in 2006, the group has worked with the Girl Scouts and held a summer camp to encourage girls to think of careers in construction.</p>\n<h4><br /></h4>','none','Joe the plumber, move over. Theresa the plumber, Yvette the electrician, and Beth the carpenter say you don\'t represent the nation or the middle class and you most definitely don\'t speak for them.','none','','none','','none','','none',226,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/departments/mowit.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(293,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Greg Zuzack Joins Landco','none','Landco, Zuzak','none','<p>Landco Construction recently announced the addition of Greg Zuzack to the Landco team as a Senior Project Manager.&nbsp; He will be responsible for sales, pre-construction services and project management services.<br /><br />Zuzack brings over 20 years of broad construction industry expertise, an existing network of relationships in the real estate community and a solid record of results in strategic planning, new business development, sales, profitability and relationship management.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Landco Construction recently announced the addition of Greg Zuzack to the Landco team as a Senior Project Manager.  He will be responsible for sales, pre-construction services and project management services','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(294,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','National Park Service Announces Preferred Alternative for Arch Grounds','none','Arch, plan, superintendent, Park Service, Bradley','none','<p>&nbsp;A design competition would be held to generate ideas for programmatic revitalization of the Memorial grounds in an area bounded by the North and South Reflecting Ponds, Memorial Drive, Washington Avenue, <img alt=\"Gateway Arch\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"347\" src=\"/images/uploads/Gateway_Arch.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"260\" />Poplar Street, and Luther Ely Smith Square. The look of the Memorial grounds could be changed, according<br />to Bradley, \"so long as those changes are compatible with and respect the grounds\' status as a National Historic Landmark. The final design entries<br />will undergo environmental and historic preservation review by the National Park Service, prior to final approval by the agency.\"<br /><br />The preferred alternative, two other action alternatives as well as a no action alternative will now be fully analyzed as part of the draft General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement to be released for public comment in January 2009. At that time, the public will have another opportunity to comment before the planning process is complete and a Record<br />of Decision is signed by the agency next summer.</p>','','233','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Superintendent Tom Bradley Tuesday announced the agency\'s preferred alternative for the park\'s General Management Plan. Alternative #3: Program Expansion calls for revitalizing the Memorial by expanding programming, facilities and partnerships.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(295,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','John F. Mahon, HOK Director of Human Resources, Dies','none','Mahon, HOK, dies','none','<p>John F. Mahon, Sr., <a href=\"http://www.hok.com\">HOK</a> senior vice president and director of human resources, died October 16 at his home in St. Louis following a battle with cancer. He was 62.<br /><br /><img alt=\"John Mahon\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"372\" src=\"/images/uploads/John-Mahon.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />Since joining HOK in 1985, Mahon led the architectural design firm\'s global human resources initiatives and oversaw its professional staff. He also was a long-time active participant in the AIA Large Firm Roundtable and other professional organizations.</p>\n<p>To honor his memory, HOK has established &ldquo;The John F. Mahon Sr. Scholarship Fund&rdquo; at St. Louis University High School (his alma mater). Founded in 1818, St. Louis University High School is a private, Jesuit secondary educational institution located in Forest Park South in the City of St. Louis. Mahon graduated from SLUH in 1964 and has recently served on the school\'s board of trustees and budget and finance committee. He also received a bachelor\'s degree from Saint Louis University and a master\'s degree from the University of Denver. <br /><br />&ldquo;John was a beloved leader whose legacy will continue to guide and inspire us,&rdquo; says HOK Vice Chairman Clark Davis. &ldquo;He had a profound positive influence on our people, our values and our collaborative culture.&rdquo; <br /><br />Mahon is survived by his wife of 31 years: Victoria Mahon and three children: John F. Mahon, Jr., Emily Singleton Mahon and Michael Patrick Mahon, all of St. Louis. <br /><br />Donors interested in contributing to the John F. Mahon Sr. Scholarship Fund can send a check payable to St. Louis University High School, Attn: Advancement Office, 4970 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110. Please specify &ldquo;The John F. Mahon Sr. Scholarship Fund&rdquo; on the memo line. The monies will be placed in a general scholarship endowment fund to be used wherever the need is greatest.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>','none','John F. Mahon, Sr., HOK senior vice president and director of human resources, died October 16 at his home in St. Louis following a battle with cancer. He was 62.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(296,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Stadium Still in the Cards, Area Work Dicey','none','DeWitt, Slay, Downtown, Cardinals','none','<p>There was good news for Downtown St. Louis and bad-but-hopeful news for the St. Louis Metro Area as whole when the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers held a&nbsp; program on Downtown Development&nbsp; Oct. 23 at the Busch Stadium Champions Club. <br /><img alt=\"DeWitt and Slay\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/dewitt-and-slay.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" /></p>\n<h4>Cardinals President Bill Dewitt III and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay at The St Louis Council of Construction Consumers Presentation on Downtown&nbsp; St. Louis Update on Oct. 23<br /></h4>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>Bill DeWitt III, Cardinals president,&nbsp; said that the Cardinals still hope to see construction underway in the Spring of 2009 on Ballpark Village. DeWitt said&nbsp; that the Cardinals plan to sell TIF bonds for the project in March, \"...if some semblance of order comes to the market.\" <br /><br />DeWitt said that the project has been reconfigured to&nbsp; push residential development into Phase II in recognition of current residential market realities. The Cardinals have lease commitments in place on 80 percent of the office/commercial space in Phase I, contingent on the sales of the TIF bonds, he said.<br /><br />DeWitt countered criticism of tax break given to the Cardinals. Despite the City\'s elimination of the admission tax, revenues to the City have increased from $6 million to $10 million a year since the new stadium opened, DeWitt said. <br /><br />St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay focused on the gains that Downtown St. Louis has made in recent years. \"Eight years ago Downtown St. Louis was a place where businesses were leaving,\" he said. <br /><br />\"We now have a vibrant Downtown, where people are living. If Downtown is doing better it\'s going to help the entire region.\"<br /><br />Slay noted the effort to create a Downtown streetscape, most notably the Gateway Mall sculpture garden project. Slay said that he had originally approached the Gateway Foundation for $350,000 for planning for the mall and ended up getting $30 million to fund the sculpture garden. <br /><br />He said that he is encouraged by the National Park Service\'s decision to consider plans that would develop some of the Arch grounds with amenities. &nbsp;<br /><br />\"What the Arch grounds do (now) is disconnect us from our riverfront. You can buy plum butter or beef jerky there, but you can\'t buy a hamburger.\" <br /><br />Slay said that while the demise of John Steffen\'s Pyramid Companies was unfortunate, Pyramid had left the properties poised to be redeveloped. \"Pyramid advanced the rehab-ability of the properties, \" Slay stated. \"Every one of the properties are now in the hands of people who want to get things done.\"</p>\n<p>Howard Wall, vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis addressed employment and housing issues related to the St. Louis MSA. Wall said that the St. Louis area is tracking along with the U.S. economy in terms of jobs lost. St. Louis\' only area of job growth Q3 of 2007 to Q3 of 2008 has been health care and education, Wall said. He said that the Fed is expecting a continued slowdown all business sectors.&nbsp;</p>','none','There was good news for Downtown St. Louis and bad-but-hopeful news for the St. Louis Metro Area as whole when the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers held a  program on Downtown Development  Oct. 23 at the Busch Stadium Champions Club.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',232,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/dewitt-and-slay.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(297,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Wash U. Announces Winners in  St. Francis de Sales Architectural Competition ','none','St. Francis de Sales, Washington University, design  competition','none','<p>A team of six graduate architecture students has won the Sam Fox\nSchool of Design &amp; Visual Arts\' Community Service Competition. The\nteam, led by Ellen Leuenberger, and includes Denny Burke, Alexander\nHarner, Michael Heller, Rachel Kerr and June Kim.<br /><br />The\ncompetition, which includes a $300 cash prize, centered on an abandoned\n8,000-square-foot children\'s theater located on the campus of St.\nFrancis de Sales in South St. Louis. Popularly known as \"the Cathedral\nof South St. Louis,\" St. Francis de Sales has been a local landmark\nsince the end of the Civil War.&nbsp; Its six-building campus is listed on\nthe National Registry of Historic Places and includes the elegant\nGothic revival church as well as a rectory, a former convent, a\ngymnasium and two former school buildings, one of which houses the\ntheater. <br /><br />\"The agenda for this project is to create a schematic\ndesign proposal that can be used by St. Francis de Sales as both a\nfundraising tool and as a basis for construction documents,\" said Eric\nCesal, a graduate student in architecture, who organized the\ncompetition with classmate Ali Lang.&nbsp; \"The theater is located in a\nwell-preserved 19th century building.&nbsp; The historical quality of the\nspace, as well as its state of preservation and the enthusiasm of the\ncommunity, offers an opportunity to create something really special.\"</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Saint Francis de Sales\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"397\" src=\"/images/uploads/saint-francis-de-sales.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />Jon\nR. Roche, office administrator for the church, explains that the\ntheater is located on the third floor of an 1888 structure that once\nhoused the former parish girls\' school.&nbsp; In the 1920s the theater\nserved as home to the Benton Park Drama Club but in the 1940s was\nsubdivided into classrooms, the two-story stage split horizontally by\ndropped-in ceilings. The original two-story children\'s theater was\nsplit by dropped-in ceilings, creating classroom space and the above\nattic.<br />\"When you go into the attic you can still see the intricate\nhandwork,\" explains Roche, whose grandfather graduated from St. Francis\nde Sales High School.&nbsp; \"It\'s a very beautiful space.&nbsp; At some point it\nwill be restored, and would certainly be great if we could use one of\nthe students\' designs.\" <br /><br />The competition began August 23 as a\none-day charrette (a sort of architectural brainstorming session).&nbsp;\nAfter a brief history and tour of the site, 55 students spent five\nhours developing initial concepts, which were then presented to the\ncompetition jury.&nbsp; The jury short-listed four teams, with the fifth\nteam (originally an alternate) added in mid-September.&nbsp; Over the next\neight weeks, each team expanded its ideas into workable schematic\ndesigns, detailed on a pair of 24\" x 36\" presentation boards. <br /><br />The\ncompetition culminated Oct. 17 in a series of presentations to St.\nFrancis de Sales faithful, local architects and interested community\nmembers.&nbsp; A competition jury comprised of faculty, local architects and\nchurch leaders then convened for final judging.&nbsp;</p>\n<p>The winning design, which focused on the theater\'s entry sequence,\nwould create a large exterior courtyard filled with organic gardens and\nmeeting areas.&nbsp; Pathways would direct worshippers to the church and\ntheater-goers to a pair of reconfigured staircases rising up to the\nrenovated proscenium.&nbsp; The theater itself would be designed for maximum\nflexibility, with non-fixed seating and large windows creating a visual\nand implied connection back to the church and the greater community. <br /><br />\"We\nthought that the design proposals were all of very high architectural\ndesign quality,\" noted jury chair Paul J. Donnelly, the Rebecca &amp;\nJohn Voyles Professor of Architecture.&nbsp; \"The jury ultimately decided\nthat the winning entry should be the one that most directly addresses\nthe church\'s needs associated with their immediate and long planning\nefforts.\" <br /><br />Bruce Lindsey, dean of the Sam Fox School\'s College\nof Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture &amp; Urban Design,\nadded that, \"the City of St. Louis has an extremely rich architectural\nheritage, one that still has much to teach us.\"</p>\n<p>\"As a society, I\nthink we sometimes forget how much architecture matters - how its\nexpressive and spiritual aspects can inspire us, connect us and enhance\npeople\'s lives,\" Lindsey continued.&nbsp; \"As architects, I think we have a\nresponsibility to help build communities as well as buildings.\"</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','A team of six graduate architecture students has won the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts\' Community Service Competition.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(298,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','U.S. DOT  Funds Missouri, Illinois Emergency Projects','none','emergency funds, DOT','none','<p>Missouri will receive a total of $5,769,422 in U.S. DOT flood relief funds and $1,249,308 to repair the Jefferson Ave.Bridge in Jefferson City, which was heavily damaged in late 2007 by a tanker truck wreck . Illinois will receive $13,900,995 in flood relief funds.</p>\n<p>The funding for the two states is part of $679 million&nbsp; the federal government is making available immediately \nto states across the nation to cover costs incurred to repair roads and bridges \ndamaged by a variety of natural emergencies and catastrophic events, U.S. \nSecretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced Oct. 26 during a visit to \nGalveston, TX.</p>\n<p><br /> \"When natural disasters strike, restoring transportation is the first stop on \nthe road to recovery,\" Secretary Peters said. <br /> <br /> Texas will receive $96 million for storm and flooding repairs, including $70 \nmillion for the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Ike in Galveston and along \nthe Texas Gulf Coast. In addition, the state will receive $26 million for \ndamages from Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Dolly earlier this year, as \nwell as the heavy rains that flooded El Paso roads in 2006 and other Texas \nhighways in 2007.</p>\n<p>\"Communities like Galveston should be able to look to the federal government as \na gateway to assistance, not a roadblock of red tape. Our goal is to get \ncommunities moving again,\" said Secretary Peters.<br /> Nationwide, the emergency relief funds will go to 28 states and Puerto Rico to \npay for damages caused by storms, flooding, hurricanes, and other disasters, \nincluding the summer 2008 Midwestern floods and recent major hurricanes. The \nfunds will be used to reimburse states for fixing or replacing damaged highways \nand bridges, establishing detours, removing debris and replacing signs, lighting \nand guardrails. <br /> <br /> \"Transportation is important to communities struggling to return to a normal \nroutine after a disaster,\" said FHWA Administrator Thomas Madison. <br /> <br /> The funds are part of the 2008 Disaster Relief and Recovery Supplemental \nAppropriations Act that provided additional emergency relief funds. Congress \nalso provides an annual authorization of $100 million for the program each \nfiscal year.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Missouri will receive a total of $5,769,422 in U.S. DOT flood relief funds and $1,249,308 to repair the Jefferson Ave.Bridge in Jefferson City, which was heavily damaged in late 2007 by a tanker truck wreck . Illinois will receive $13,900,995 in flood relief funds.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(299,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Student Charrette on Arch Grounds, Riverfront Planned','none','Arch, charette, riverfront, St. Louis','none','<p>Forty-eight students of various design and construction disciplines from five Midwestern universities will be gathering at the Mansion House complex in downtown St. Louis&nbsp; Nov. 6 - 9 to participate in a unique Downtown/Riverfront Student Design Charrette. The collaborative initiative is aimed at exploring new possibilities for improving the functioning, connections and vitality of the area of downtown St. Louis anchored by the central riverfront, Gateway Arch and arch grounds, Memorial Drive and sections of Interstate 70. <br /><br /><img alt=\"Arch\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/arch.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />The event will be held in a currently unoccupied three-story commercial space that is part of the Mansion House complex at 300 North Fourth Street, directly across from the Arch grounds. \"The venue, which is being donated for this initiative, is ideal as its east facing windows provide expansive, unobstructed views of the Arch grounds. The venue overlooks the network of roads that currently serves as a barrier between those grounds and the rest of downtown,\" said Michelle Swatek, Executive Director of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). <br /><br />AIA St. Louis and the Transportation Engineering Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (TEAMS) are the lead organizers for the charrette, and participants include the schools of art &amp; architecture from Washington University, Drury University and the University of Illinois-Urbana; the Department of Civil Engineering at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo. <br /><br />The participating students of transportation engineering, art, landscape and architecture from these schools have spent the past several weeks reviewing advance information about the study area, compiled by Patricia Heyda, Architecture faculty member at Washington University. They will convene in St. Louis on Nov. 6, at which time they will be assigned to one of seven teams. The project gets underway that evening at Washington University with a keynote address by Alex Krieger, professor of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. On Friday, Nov. 7, the teams will gain additional perspective about the area and this project through various speakers, a host of presentations and panel discussions at Mansion House, while also touring the project site. They will then engage in an intense design planning period from 8 a.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. on Sunday, and again on Sunday morning from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. <br /><br />The charrette will conclude Sunday afternoon with a final open-to-the-public session from noon until 4 p.m., during which students will present the various design concepts that emerge as a result of the process. <br /><br />Fred Powers, principal with Powers Bowersox Associates and a past president of AIA St. Louis Chapter, initiated the project and is serving as the charrette coordinator. \"The collaborative nature of the charrette technique and the intensity involved should yield some imaginative suggestions,\" he notes. \"I also think the charrette represents a unique learning experience for multidisciplinary students and universities to collaborate and engage in current and important civic issues for our region. Getting the input of young people makes sense as the decisions being made today will impact their generation, much as the original plans for the Arch grounds conceived decades ago have impacted so many since then.\" <br /><br />The overall goal of the charrette is to create design concepts that will enhance the riverfront and arch grounds, better encompass downtown and transform the area into a world-class destination for visitors and area residents. The specific design objectives for the charrette are:</p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li>To preserve and protect the Gateway Arch as one of the world\'s greatest monuments. </li>\n<li>To view the Riverfront, the Arch grounds and the area extending west across Memorial Drive as one integrated project area. </li>\n<li>To maximize the use and impact of St. Louis\' two greatest physical assets - the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River - for the long-term benefit and enjoyment of the area residents and tourists. </li>\n<li>To incorporate attractions and amenities that will make the area a year round activity center. </li>\n<li>To maximize pedestrian connections to, and within, the overall site. </li>\n</ul>\n<p><br />Organizers realize the project will be a challenging one for the students. \"There have been many attempts over the past several years to beautify and connect the Gateway Arch and Riverfront areas. There are many complex engineering issues due to the close proximity of several downtown roadways, including the convergence of several major interstates, that traverses through the study area. Finding a delicate balance for all will be challenging,\" notes Michael Trueblood, president of TEAMS. \"The complex engineering issues range from pedestrian-vehicle issues to retaining walls and drainage issues to significant infrastructure requirements such as tunneling and bridging. Developing a concept that transcends all of these issues can be done, but it will take cooperation from a number of disciplines.\"<br /><br />Other area experts who will be lending their time to this initiative and providing background information as speakers on Friday morning include: Robert Moore, arch grounds historian; Don Roe, Acting Planning Director, City of St. Louis; Gregory Horn of the Missouri Department of Transportation; Jasen Brown of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Harry Richman, AIA Emeritus, who will share with the students his stories about opening the Arch competition drawing submittals, which ultimately led to the 1947 selection of the design by Eero Saarinen, then a student of architecture at Washington University. &nbsp;<br /><br />Friday evening\'s panel lineup includes: Eric Mumford, Associate Professor, College of Architecture/Graduate School of Architecture &amp; Urban Design at Washington University; Peter Sortino, Director, Danforth Foundation; Tom Bradley, Superintendent of the Arch grounds, and George Nikolajevich, FAIA, principal with Cannon Design. <br /><br />\"This experience will bring together artists, engineers and architects in interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative ideas around an iconic yet dynamic part of the city of Saint Louis,\" notes Bruce Lindsey, AIA, <br />Dean of the College of Architecture at Washington University. \"The students\' ideas will contribute to the on-going dialogue about this important part of the city and contribute towards their development as future professionals and citizens. Students are a renewable energy source.\" <br /><br />The charrette is being made possible thanks to the generous support of the Washington University School of Architecture; AIA St. Louis Chapter\'s Scholarship Committee; the Gertrude and William A Bernoundy Foundation; Peckham, Guyton, Albers, and Viets, Inc.; Cannon Design, HDR, Jacobs, Mackey Mitchell Associates; Powers Bowersox Associates; TEAMS and Value St. Louis Associates, owner of the Mansion House, which is providing the space at no charge. <br /><br />To learn more about the upcoming Downtown/Riverfront Student Design Charrette, contact Michelle Swatek at the AIA St. Louis Chapter, 314-621-3484. <br />.</p>','none','Forty-eight students of various design and construction disciplines from five Midwestern universities will be gathering at the Mansion House complex in downtown St. Louis  Nov. 6 - 9 to participate in a unique Downtown/Riverfront Student Design Charrette.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/arch.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(300,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Cozad Announces New Sales and Leases','none','Cozad, real  estate, transactions','none','<p>Cozad Commercial Real Estate Ltd. has announced the following new transactions:<br />&nbsp;<br />Brian McClure of Cozad Commercial Real Estate Ltd. represented Golden Enterprise Properties LLC in the sale of a 7,200-square-foot industrial building at 3680 Lynn Town, St. Louis, MO 63114, to James B. and Kristine Yager, represented by Finke Real Estate.<br />&nbsp;<br />Ryan Carlie of Cozad Commercial Real Estate Ltd. represented Metal Supermarkets Chicago Ltd. in the lease of 6,875 square feet of industrial space at 1324 Ashby Road, St. Louis, MO 63132, from Essman Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust Dated 10/11/06, represented by Bo Keefer of Hutkin Development Co.<br />&nbsp;<br />Michael Cozad of Cozad Commercial Real Estate Ltd. represented AMSI Properties LLC in the lease of 6,259 square feet of office space at Walker Medical Building, 12855 N. Forty Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141, to Patients First Health Care LLC. <br />&nbsp;<br />Cozad Commercial Real Estate Ltd. represented Surenda K. Gupta LLC in the lease of 4,373 square feet of industrial space at 103 Arc Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146, to US Remodelers Inc., represented by Cresa Partners.<br />&nbsp;<br />Ryan Carlie and Brett Edwards of Cozad Commercial Real Estate Ltd. represented Vorhof-Duenke Inc. in the lease of 2,534 square feet of industrial space at 4126 Seven Hills Drive, St. Louis, MO 63033, to Oblate Media and Communication Corp., represented by Nicks Pride Properties.<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Cozad Commercial Real Estate Ltd. has announced the following new transactions:','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(301,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 Starts Three-Way Conversation','none','Tripartite, Plumbers and Pipefitters, owners, contractors, conference','none','<p>Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 recently held a program that union leaders hope will begin a continuing dialogue with contractors and buyers of construction. On Oct. 14 the union, in cooperation with the St. Council of Construction Consumers,&nbsp; the Mechanical Contractors Association of Eastern Missouri, and the Plumbing Industry Council, held the inaugural \"Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 Tripartite Conference\". <br /><br />\"Basically for years we\'ve worked for the owners but never had a relationship with them.,\" John O\'Mara, assistant business manager of Local 562 said.&nbsp; \"So we\'ve tried to open the door where we could have a back-and-forth about what the owners are looking for from our members.\"<br /><img alt=\"Local 562\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"212\" src=\"/images/uploads/Local-562.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" /><br />O\'Mara said the St. Louis program mirrors a tripartite conference that was held at the national level by the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters. <br /><br />The program covered presentations on training, welding certification, drug testing, manpower needs and other issues, followed by roundtable discussions&nbsp; during&nbsp; which owners and contractors presented specific issues to the union representatives. <br /><br />Approximately 70 people attended the presentation.&nbsp; Major construction consumer firms&nbsp; attending included Ameren, Anheuser-Busch, BJC,&nbsp; The City of St. Louis and St. Louis&nbsp; Airport Authority, Covidien, Northstar,&nbsp; Prairie State, SSM,&nbsp; and Washington U. School of Medicine.</p>','none','Plumbers and Pipefitters  Local 562 recently held a program that union leaders hope will begin a continuing dialogue with contractors and buyers of construction.','none','','none','','none','','none',235,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/pipefitters-562.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(302,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','S.M. Wilson Wins  CM Award for Goldfarb School of Nursing','none','','none','<p>The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) has honored S. M. Wilson &amp; Company with a 2008 Project Achievement Award in the category of New Construction Under $30 Million for the company\'s work on the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College.</p>\n<p>The annual Construction Management Project Achievement Awards program recognizes outstanding achievement in the practice of construction management. The awards program considers project outcomes, overall management, complexity,</p>\n<p>safety, quality management, cost management, schedule management, innovation and creativity and customer satisfaction. <br />This is the third consecutive year that CMAA has recognized S. M. Wilson nationally for a construction management project. In 2006, the company was recognized by the CMAA for Phase 1A of the CTICU &amp; OR renovation at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.&nbsp; Last year the company was recognized for the Dr. William D. Purser, DC Center at Logan College of Chiropractic. <br />S. M. Wilson received this year\'s award on October 14th during the 2008 CMAA Industry Recognition Dinner in San Francisco.&nbsp; Those accepting the award included:<br />o Sara Brothers on behalf of Christner, Inc. <br />o Fred Jaeckle and Kurt Mollet on behalf of S. M. Wilson &amp; Co.<br /><br />The new Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, is a state-of-the-art teaching facility. The five-story, 104,000 square-foot facility houses numerous classrooms, two 200 seat auditorium, student activity and study rooms, computer labs, and nursing simulation labs. The school features the newest teaching technology available in simulated operating rooms and patient rooms, as well as wireless Internet access and video conferencing. The facility also includes the admissions, financial aid, faculty and research offices.</p>\n<p>Construction began in March 2006 and was completed in September 2007. Christner, Inc. was the planner and architect for the building and its landscape.<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) has honored S. M. Wilson & Company with a 2008 Project Achievement Award in the category of New Construction Under $30 Million for the company\'s work on the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(304,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Association Predicts Cement Use Drop Through 2010','none','PCA, cement, forecaset','none','<p>The weak economy and tight credit conditions, coupled with severe job losses and the resulting decline in state government revenues, will translate into significant weakness for the construction industry through 2010, leading the Portland Cement Association (PCA) to again adjust its cement consumption forecast.<br /><br />The latest PCA forecast of cement, concrete, and construction predicts a 12.8 percent decline in cement consumption in 2008, followed by 11.9 percent and 2.1 percent declines in 2009 and 2010, respectively.<br /><br />The PCA report cites the continued drop in residential starts and the erosion of the strong fundamentals supporting nonresidential construction as major factors leading to reduced cement consumption. The weak economy also has affected the public construction sector.</p>\n<p>\"Several economic factors are negatively influencing the construction industry,\" Edward Sullivan, PCA chief economist said. \"High energy prices, the sub-prime crisis, the melt-down of our financial markets, inflation, job losses and tight lending standards are combining to create weak economic conditions and the emergence of huge state deficits. Public construction<br />accounts for nearly half of all the total cement consumption in the U.S., and states in poor fiscal condition will need to cut back on this spending.\"<br /><br />PCA expects cement consumption in residential to decline 31.7 percent in 2008 and 16.9 percent in 2009, but a rebound of the market in the second<br />half of 2010 will lead to a 12.1 percent increase in consumption in that year. Consumption in the nonresidential sector is expected to decline 22.2 percent in 2009 and the public sector will see 6.6 percent declines in 2009 and 2010.<br /><br />\"The nonresidential construction market typically takes 18 months from the onset of better economic conditions to rebound,\" Sullivan said. \"With weak consumer spending, this sector will be especially hit hard in retail construction.\" <br /><br />PCA predicts a recovery to begin in 2011 with a 10.3 percent increase compared to 2010 consumption and a return to near-record consumption levels<br />by 2013.<br /><br />Based in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs. More information on PCA programs is available at <a href=\"http://www.cement.org\">www.cement.org.</a></p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The weak economy and tight credit conditions, coupled with severe job losses and the resulting decline in state government revenues, will translate into significant weakness for the construction industry through 2010, leading the Portland Cement Association (PCA) to again adjust its cement consumption forecast.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(305,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Mortgage Defaults Lead to Higher Rental Housing Demand','none','RubinBrown, rental, housing','none','<p>A steady but slowing multi-family industry was among the findings of RubinBrown\'s 2008 Apartment Statistical Analysis. The report compiles data from 224 apartment projects in 26 states, representing operating results for 2007. <br />&nbsp;<br />Decreasing employment and stagnant vacancy rates were two of the main reasons cited for this trend, with vacancy rates remaining close to 10 percent for most of 2007. In addition, about 800,000 fewer households were added last year than in 2006. However, a slowing economy may mean that more homeowners will become renters. <br />&nbsp;<br />\"We anticipate that there will be a large number of foreclosures in 2008 and perhaps into 2009,\" said Brian Keller, CPA, partner-in-charge, Real Estate Services Group, RubinBrown. \"As a result, there will be greater demand for rental housing, some of which will be satisfied by apartments but some of which will be met by vacant single-family properties being funneled into the rental housing pool.\" <br />&nbsp;<br />Keller says the apartment industry will find itself in a beneficial situation demographically in the near future, as children born in the \'80s and early \'90s, as well as immigrants, become householders. Of the more than 7 million householders under the age of 25, 75 percent are renters. <br />&nbsp;<br />A decrease in new equity investment commitments has caused a negative impact on the housing credit market; however, new legislation by Congress is expected to alleviate some of that impact. <br />&nbsp;<br />Keller notes that the rising cost of oil continues to directly and indirectly impact the apartment industry, increasing operating costs and decreasing operating income. The price of crude oil has risen nearly 500 percent over the past five years, leaving consumers with less money to allocate to rent or mortgage payments.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />Keller also highlights several trends in the housing market, including decreases in multifamily construction as the condominium market falls and the rise in green and sustainable building. As national voluntary standards are being developed for green buildings, many state and local governments have created incentives and initiatives for participation. <br />&nbsp;<br />In St. Louis, the multifamily housing market began to slow at the end of 2007, with dropping occupancy rates and low rent increases. Residential redevelopment continues in the city; however, there may not be sufficient demand to keep up with it. <br />&nbsp;<br />Overall, the industry is expected to benefit from slower construction of single-family homes and increased difficulties in lending. As the economy slows, demand for the affordable housing industry will increase, as it offers quality housing at a reasonable price. <br />&nbsp;<br />The complete 2008 Apartment Statistical Analysis is available at <a href=\"http://www.rubinbrown.com/content/view/1204/101/\">www.rubinbrown.com/content/view/1204/101/</a>. <br />&nbsp;<br />RubinBrown is one of the Midwest\'s largest accounting and business consulting firms, with more than 320 team members working from offices in St. Louis and Kansas City. Founded in 1952, the firm\'s award-winning team members hold leadership roles in both national and local accounting organizations and have worked to establish best practices in accounting within specific industry segments. RubinBrown is an associated member of Baker Tilly International, a network of 138 independent firms in 104 countries. For more information, visit www.rubinbrown.com. <br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','A steady but slowing multi-family industry was among the findings of RubinBrown\'s 2008 Apartment Statistical Analysis. The report compiles data from 224 apartment projects in 26 states, representing operating results for 2007.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(306,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','AGC Says Jobs Report Underscores Need for  Stimulus','none','Infrastructure','none','<p>\"Today\'s unemployment report--grim reading on all counts--is especially bad for construction and shows the urgency of enacting infrastructure spending as part of a stimulus bill,\" Ken Simonson, Chief<br />Economist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said Friday, Nov. 7 following a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that showed the unemployment rate for construction workers jumped to 10.8 percent last month.<br /><br />\"Construction had--by far--the highest unemployment rate of any industry and the largest increase, up from 6.1 percent a year ago,\" Simonson noted. \"The industry accounted for nearly half of the million-plus jobs lost throughout the economy in the past 12 months.<br /><br />\"Many of those losses have been in heavy and civil engineering construction--highways and other public works,\" Simonson observed. \"Those workers could quickly be re-employed if the states had enough money to award contracts for projects they have ready to go. Contrary to some assertions, this money would quickly make its way into the economy, supporting equipment and materials manufacturing and services jobs as well as construction. State officials say they have thousands of projects ready to award without long delays.<br /><br />\"AGC urges Congress to act this month on a stimulus package that includes funding for highway, bridge and other infrastructure work,\" Simonson stated. \"In addition, the new Administration and Congress should give a high priority to renewing long-term highway, airport, water and wastewater funding bills next year.</p>\n<p>While Barack Obama has said that infrastrucure improvements will be a cornerstone of&nbsp; his&nbsp; information, local construction leaders are taking that news with caution. The $60 billion Obama proposed, over the next decade nationwide would need a significant contribution from\nstate and local investors in order to have much impact, Len\nToenjes, president of Associated General Contractors of St. Louis told the <em>St.Louis Post-Dispatch</em>. \"I\'d hate to see people oversimplify this and think that a check is\ngoing to show up from the beltway and we\'re going to have all these new\nprojects going,\" he said.<br /> <br /> One example of the challenges was the defeat of the local proposition\nthat could have built a new MetroLink line into western St. Louis\nCounty, Toenjes said.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','\"Today\'s unemployment report--grim reading on all counts--is especially bad for construction and shows the urgency of enacting infrastructure spending as part of a stimulus bill,\" Ken Simonson, chief\neconomist for The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), said Friday, Nov. 7 following a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that showed the unemployment rate for construction workers jumped to 10.8 percent last month.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(307,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','OSHA Raises the Flag for BSI','none','BSI, OSHA','none','<p>OSHA officials held a special flag-raising ceremony at the&nbsp; headquarters of BSI Constructors Nov. 6, recognizing the firm as the&nbsp; first Missouri construction firm to be approved to self-police safety on all of its construction projects.</p>\n<p>BSI Constructors, Inc. earned OSHA\'s highly-selective Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Mobile Workforce Demonstration for Construction designation.&nbsp; It eliminates the need for repetitive OSHA inspections on BSI projects, allowing the federal safety agency to focus resources on more problem sites.</p>\n<p>BSI is not only the first Missouri firm to earn the VPP designation for all its projects, but the first in OSHA\'s Region 7, which includes Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.</p>\n<p>To earn the distinction, contractors must demonstrate exemplary risk management programs and commit to rigorous self policing of safety on their job sites.&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','OSHA officials held a special flag-raising ceremony at the  headquarters of BSI Constructors Nov. 6, recognizing the firm as the  first Missouri construction firm to be approved to self-police safety on all of its construction projects.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(308,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Gurantee Electrical Completes Four Ladue Schools','none','Gurantee Electrical, Ladue Schools','none','<p>&nbsp;St. Louis-based Guarantee Electrical has completed electrical work on kitchen remodels at four elementary schools in the Ladue School District. Guarantee also is providing electrical construction for the addition of a library and new classrooms at Conway, Reed, Old Bonhomme and Spoede elementary schools, scheduled to be complete in December 2008.<br />&nbsp;<br />The new construction includes a 7,000-square-foot library addition at Spoede to replace the school\'s current library; a 7,000-square-foot addition at Conway; an 11,000-square-foot addition at Old Bonhomme; and a new elevator at Reed. The existing library at Spoede is being renovated into four classrooms.<br />&nbsp;<br />The project includes high-end lighting fixtures and electrical roll-up shades for the new classrooms and library to reduce glare and provide more uniformed lighting.&nbsp; Guarantee is replacing electrical wiring, circuitry and systems; adding new light fixtures; revising existing circuitry and installing new electrical feeds for the planned additions and renovations. Guarantee also is installing voice/data and low-voltage systems on the project.<br />&nbsp;<br />The general contractor on the project is S.M. Wilson. The architect is Christner Inc. and the engineer is KJWW.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none',' St. Louis-based Guarantee Electrical has completed electrical work on kitchen remodels at four elementary schools in the Ladue School District','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(309,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','McGrath Builds Science Center Life Science Lab  ','none','McGrath, Science Center','none','<p>McGrath &amp; Associates, Inc. a St. Louis-based general contracting and construction manager, recently completed the new $1.3 million Life Science Lab at the St. Louis Science Center.</p>\n<p>The 4,700 square-foot-lab boasts several workbenches where visitors can conduct experiments using scientific tools. The majority of funding for the project came from a federal grant. The lab is the first major new exhibit since the James S. McDonnell Planetarium underwent an overhaul in 2001.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Science Center Life Science Lab\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"233\" src=\"/images/uploads/Science-Center_1.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />\"Our new Life Science Lab launches a new approach to engaging, fun, hands-on learning for children and families,\" said Science Center President &amp; CEO Doug King. \"There is nothing static about this gallery. It is an authentic science experience that lets the individual make his or her own discoveries and grow an appreciation for life sciences that will be critical to our future.\" The Life Science Lab includes an atrium entrance, activity benches, a lab classroom and a staff workroom. In the interactive atrium entrance, visitors of all ages will receive an introduction<br />to various life science concepts and skills as well as the chance to view and use constantly changing collection items, biological specimens and science tools.</p>\n<p>\"We were thrilled to have a chance to work on such an exciting and visible project,\" said Kevin Story, director of Business Development &amp; Marketing for McGrath &amp; Associates. \"This<br />project, working within a functioning public facility, presented its own unique set of challenges. It is gratifying to see the final result, especially when you watch families as they learn and enjoy<br />the new space.\"</p>\n<p>McGrath &amp; Associates served as the Construction Manager while HKW Architects, Inc. performed architectural duties.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','McGrath & Associates, Inc. a St. Louis-based general contracting and construction manager, recently completed the new $1.3 million Life Science Lab at the St. Louis Science Center.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(310,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','B2B Credit  Report Raise Lien Flags','none','credit managers, liens, ','none','<p>Increased lien filings are&nbsp; just one aspect of a generally dismal business-to-business credit situation, according to the <a href=\"http://www.nacm.org\" title=\"National Association of Credit Management\">National Association of Credit Management\'s </a>(NACM) most recent Credit Managers Index (CMI).</p>\n<p>The CMI data has been collected and tabulated monthly since February 2002. The Index, published since January 2003, is based on a survey of about 800 trade credit managers during the last 10 days of the month, with about equal&nbsp; representation between manufacturing and service sectors. The survey asks respondents to comment on whether they are seeing improvement, deterioration or no change for various favorable or unfavorable factors. There is representation from all states, except some of the less populated such as Vermont and Idaho. The complete report can be found at <a href=\"http://web.nacm.org/cmi/cmi.asp\" title=\"CMI Report PDF\">http://web.nacm.org/cmi/cmi.asp</a></p>\n<p>\"The seasonally adjusted Credit Manager\'s Index (CMI) for October revealed an increasing sense of doom among the participants, mirroring conditions in the rest of the economy,\" said Daniel North, chief economist for credit insurer Euler Hermes ACI, who analyzes the data and prepares the CMI report for the National Association of Credit Management. The combined index fell 2.6% to a record low of 44.8%. Eight of the 10 components fell, nine are now below the 50 level, indicating economic contraction, and eight set record lows.</p>\n<p>\"The misery was spread all around but manufacturing fared the worst, losing 4.2%, while services fell 0.9%,\" said North. Both manufacturing and services were below 50% for the second consecutive month. \"The &lsquo;accounts placed for collection\' component was below 40% in both manufacturing and service sectors, suggesting that customers are trying their best to drag out terms in an effort to get credit in any form they can, because apparently banks aren\'t giving any,\" said North.<br /><br />\"Certainly the economy is in dismal shape after the effects of high energy prices and the housing market bubble burst have been dragging on for some time. Now the increasing number of job losses, shrinking GDP, negative real retail sales and a host of other indicators confirm that the recession has arrived. Perhaps most troubling though is the disruption in the financial markets which has severely curtailed the availability of credit. As a result, which credit managers are so clearly telling us, not only is the economy bad, but the credit situation is making it even worse,\" said North.<br /><br />The seasonally adjusted manufacturing sector index fell 4.2% to a record low of 43.7%, North reported. Nine components fell, all 10 are below the 50% level and six set record lows. Weak collections, slow payment and tight credit bode poorly for the coming months as were reflected in comments from CMI survey participants:<br /><br />&nbsp;\"Tight, tight money and now a new worry is the customer\'s bank.\" - Steel works<br />\"The number of final demand letters has increased, indicating probable future deterioration in receivables.\" - Motor vehicle parts<br />&nbsp;\"Reviewing credit limits and deciding to lower quite a few as a precautionary measure.\" - Fabricated rubber<br />&nbsp;\"Our market condition is continuing to decline. Our sales continue to shrink.\" - Telephone equipment<br />&nbsp;\"Projecting slow growth\" - Glass works<br /><br />The seasonally adjusted service sector index fell 0.9% to 45.9%. Six components fell, eight are below 50% and five set record lows. \"The climate in the service sector is decidedly more irritable than in manufacturing,\" said North. \"The manufacturing sector seems more focused on weak demand, but service sector credit managers are more concerned about getting their money back.\"<br /><br />&nbsp;Construction materials: \"We are filing more liens than we have ever done.\"<br />&nbsp;Electronic parts: \"I fully expect bankruptcies and delinquencies to increase through 2009.\"<br />&nbsp;Seafood: \"Our customers are seriously challenged by the current economic environment. Threatened credit cut-offs and actual credit cut-offsare at an all time high.\" <br />&nbsp;Farm supplies: \"Increase in the number of customers that are sending smaller weekly payments on account instead of paying invoices in full.\"<br />&nbsp;Metals service center: \"We are beginning to see effects of economic downturn, i.e., slower payments, more unauthorized deductions, increased request for extended terms, request for price adjustment...\"<br /><br />\"It\'s not surprising then, in this environment, to see that one industry in particular is doing well-legal services,\" said North. Said one respondent, \"I expect this to be our best year in 25 years for new business and net revenue.\"<br /><br />\"On a seasonally adjusted basis over the past 12 months, the combined index has fallen 9.0%, with most of the decline coming in the most recent two months,\" said North. Services fell 8.7% and manufacturing fell 9.3%. Bankruptcies led the way in all three indexes, dropping 16.2% in services and 19.4% in manufacturing.<br /><br /></p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Increased lien filings are  just one aspect of a generally dismal business-to-business credit situation, according to the National Association of Credit Management\'s (NACM) most recent Credit Managers Index (CMI).','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(311,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','CNR Executive Summit: 2009, A Year of Risks','none','CNR, Summit, Risk  and Rewar','none','<p>A panel of business leaders had some sobering news for the construction industry at the CNR Executive Summit on risks and rewards in the construction industry in 2009. Risks more than rewards dominate the horizon for next year.<br /><br />Mike Flavin, president of The Business Bank of St. Louis, hit the topic that has everyone concerned: the recession. Flavin, who said the recession will either be long or deep, hoped for a \"short, deep\" recession instead of a long, shallow one.<br /><br /><img alt=\"CNR Summiit Panel \" class=\"image-left\" height=\"284\" src=\"/images/uploads/panel-inside.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />Flavin laid the blame for the recession on the popping of a credit bubble, and said a series of irresponsible decisions by mortgage originators, bankers, investment bankers, insurance companies, and credit raters came together to create the bubble and the current credit crunch.</p>\n<h4>The CNR Summit Panel.&nbsp; Front Row (L to R): Len Toenjes, AGC of ST. Louis; Richard WaRD, Zimmer REal Estate; Walt BazAn, Bazan Painting. Back ROW, Tom Finan, St. Louis CNR; Steve Gillen, J.W.Terrill; Andy Manuel, Greensfelder, Hemker, and Gale; Mike Flavin, The business Bank of St. Louis. <br /></h4>\n<p>Richard Ward, vice president - development management, Zimmer Real Estate Services, predicted slow growth in the coming years. He said the St. Louis economy mirrors the national economy. For the long run - measured in decades, not years - that means, \"slow, but steady growth\" for the metro region as a whole, he said. Within the region, however, he predicted \"a dramatic redistribution of jobs and population to Illinois,\" driven by the relative abundance of easily developed land in the Metro East area as compared to the western parts of the region.<br /><br />Ward raised two caution flags on his modest growth outlook: floods and gridlock.<br /><br />\"We are paying insufficient attention to flood plain management ... [such that] we are creating the potential for the biggest disaster to ever hit the United States,\" he said.<br /><br />And Metrolink, he said, \"is critical to the region\'s future.\" St. Louis County voters\' rejection of additional funding for Metrolink was a bad sign for the region\'s willingness to move forward.<br /><br />Len Toenjes, president of the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis, picked up on the transportation theme. Called the Metrolink vote, Missouri\'s unwillingness to pay for a Mississippi River Bridge, and a shortage of federal funding \"symptoms of a bigger disease\" that threatens the continued viability of metropolitan St. Louis. \"We need to improve the transportation system to remain competitive so we don\'t get all the hubs going north or south of us,\" he said.<br /><br />Without new funding, he said, transportation projects in Missouri will be cut in half in 2009 or 2010. He urged everyone to get behind a new effort by the RCGA and the Regional Business Council to do something about transportation.<br /><br />Walt Bazan, Bazan Painting and the American Subcontractors Association Midwest Council, talked about significant risks facing subcontractors. Moving up the list of subcontractor concerns is worry about getting paid. \"We now have to find out how projects are financed and underwritten to see if there is enough cash,\" he said. \"Banks are no longer accepting real estate as down payment on loans from developers,\" he explained.<br /><br />Andy Manuel, shareholder, Greensfelder, Hemker and Gale, PC) talked about new risks and old: liability issues for contractors and designers in green building and BIM, and getting paid. \"Going forward, we\'ll see a lot of disputes where one party cannot pay,\" and that is where mechanics\' liens are important<br /><br />Steve Gillen, from J.W. Terrill, described why the insurance market is hardening and told the audience that they can expect their premiums to go up.</p>','none','A panel of business leaders had some sobering news for the construction industry at the CNR Executive Summit on risks and rewards in the construction industry in 2009. Risks more than rewards dominate the horizon for next year.\n','none','','none','','none','','none',244,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/summit-panel.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(312,1,5,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','Ramp Up or Stay Put?','none','sales, marketing, ramp up','none','<p>It doesn\'t matter if I\'m in New York, Atlanta, Dallas or good ol\' St. Louis, I hear contractors regularly say: \"I just want to keep the business I have.\" This is so common a mentality I can only assume it has been passed down through the generations. Well, there\'s a bit of a problem with this line of thinking, times have changed. Business and opportunity has transitioned to a highly competitive, global animal.</p>\n<p>Advancements in technology can make a system or building technique obsolete in a short period of time, rendering a provider dated.&nbsp; By sitting tight you run the risk of moving backwards. In an economy that is getting more intense everyday, you cannot afford to rest on your laurels. This position can result in disaster in a relatively short period of time. Several contractors in markets I serve have gone down with this ship.&nbsp;</p>\n<p>The second common action is the abrupt, quick ramp up.&nbsp; This often occurs when a contractor begins to realize he is in a bit of trouble if he or she doesn\'t pull in a bunch of work. This kind of crisis sales effort is easily seen by the customer and erodes any trust factor that may exist.&nbsp; Currently many project owners and managers are fearful of hiring contractors that will be gone either after the job is finished, or worse, in the middle of the project. Sudden pushing to get business serves as a red flag to a potential customer that all your ducks are not in a row.</p>\n<p>Both of these mentalities have put a lot of good contractors in a bind. They\'re scrambling to get their footing and some are in danger of losing everything. Tight times separate the good sales disciplines from the poor. Quick fixes usually just delay the inevitable. What\'s the proper way of correcting this? What\'s a healthy view of business development? How do you shift from a poor sales dynamic to strong? All great questions deserving an answer.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n<p>First of all, get educated. Do you understand the basics of selling? Start with branding. Do you know what is important about having a brand? Can your customers lock into your brand? Do you have a brand. Secondly, how have you gone to market? Have you analyzed and qualified your marketplace? What is your approach to that market? Lastly, how are you going to present yourself and your firm to the customer base? Do you have a network generating opportunity for you?</p>\n<p>You may be thinking that I\'m simply raising a bunch of questions, you\'re right! Only you can answer these in relation to your business. The biggest problem in regards to these questions is that most contractors have asked themselves very few of them. When I run into a contractor that has, they usually have a very healthy business and may be feeling a bit of a pinch but in reality are still going strong. I know contractors that are having record years in the midst of a very competitive marketplace.&nbsp; Stepping back and honestly evaluating where you stand in these areas can help begin to solve the issue. The good news is that contractors which haven\'t given these points enough attention can begin seeing results fairly soon after beginning to get them right. Many are realizing the importance of these business dimensions where in the past they were written off as excess or unnecessary.&nbsp;</p>\n<p>There are fundamental elements that will make these efforts successful. One of the first will be dispelling with old mentalities that subscribe to the excuse machine that justifies poor performance. Any of these ring a bell; \"It\'s always low bid.\", \"My competitor will just hit them with change orders.\", or \"The economy is just too tough.\"? These are the common statements from the excuse mill. Good, strong and aggressive owners as well as sales personnel go after the business. They make no excuses while striving to win more and lose less opportunities.&nbsp; They seek out innovative methods of customer contact and appreciation. They have staffs that are in sync with the corporate brand and sales effort. They manage the back side of the business to facilitate and reinforce the sales effort. They treat the customer base as honored guests as opposed to meal tickets.&nbsp; Let me ask you honestly, of the thought processes described;&nbsp; stay put, quick ramp up or healthy sales practices, which do you really perform?</p>\n<p>Seriously, be hard on yourself here. The only method I know to increase a businesses profitability or market share is to work \"on\" your business. If you were honest with yourself, either you need to begin instituting change or you\'re having a great year! <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>','','242','none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','It doesn\'t matter if I\'m in New York, Atlanta, Dallas or good ol\' St. Louis, I hear contractors regularly say: \"I just want to keep the business I have.\" This is so common a mentality I can only assume it has been passed down through the generations. Well, there\'s a bit of a problem with this line of thinking, times have changed. Business and opportunity has transitioned to a highly competitive, global animal.','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(315,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Hilliker Announces New Transactions','none','Hiliker,  transactions','none','<p>Hilliker Corporation announced&nbsp; the following recent transations:</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>Will Aschinger of Hilliker Corporation represented both parties in the sale of the 40,392 sq.ft. retail land site located at 1500 S. Kirkwood Road in Kirkwood to Sunset Square, LLC from Redcrest, LLC.<br /><br /><br />Will Aschinger of Hilliker Corporation represented H &amp; A Restoration &amp; Development LLC in the purchase of the 18,400 sq.ft. office/warehouse building located at 3100 Gravois in the City of St. Louis from Lochhead Manufacturing Company represented by Ted Greenbergh of CB Richard Ellis.<br /><br /><br />Scott Martin and Brian O\'Connell represented Grizzly Investments LLC in leasing the 10,300 sq.ft. office/warehouse space located at 815 Sun Park Drive in Fenton to BNS South County LLC represented by Patricia McKelvey of McKelvey Properties.<br /><br /><br />Dan Johnson of Hilliker Corporation represented Hunt Investments LLC in leasing the 7,500 sq.ft. office/warehouse space located at 108-112 Trade Center Drive in St. Peters to Anga Supply Company represented by Century 21 Premier Lifestyle.<br /><br /><br />Jake Shepley of Hilliker Corporation represented Balter Redevelopment Corporation in leasing the 5,332 sq.ft. of office/warehouse space located at 1309 S. Broadway in the City of St. Louis to Flame Resistant Garments, Inc. represented by Colliers Turley Martin Tucker.<br /><br /><br />Jim Newman of Hilliker Corporation represented M &amp; M Enterprises in the sale of the 75,837 sq.ft. office/warehouse building located at 3693 Forest Park Avenue in the City of St. Louis to Spring Street Lofts, LLC represented by Patrick McKay of Hilliker Corporation.<br /><br /><br />Jake Shepley of Hilliker Corporation represented Radiant Products Company in the sale of the 150,000 sq.ft. light manufacturing building located at 3433 Tree Court Industrial Blvd. in Kirkwood to Seiler Industrial Building, Inc. represented by Peter Newton of Hilliker Corporation.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Hilliker Corporation announced the following recent transactions. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(313,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Wash U Starts Energy and Biomedical Engineering Building','none','WUSL, ','none','<p>Washington University in St. Louis (WUSL) recently broke ground on a 150,875-square-foot building for its School of Engineering &amp; Applied Science. <br /><br />Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton has announced that the new building will be named the Stephen F. &amp;&nbsp; Camilla T. Brauer Hall in honor of the donors. \"Steve and Kimmy Brauer are two of St. Louis\' and America\'s most distinguished citizens,\" Wrighton said. \"They have been steadfast friends of Washington University for many years, and through their leadership, generosity and service, they have left an indelible imprint both on the University and the School of Engineering. We will be honored to have the Brauer name associated with the University and the school in such a prominent way. I think this is a most fitting way for the University to recognize all they have done.\"</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Wash U Engineering Building\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"170\" src=\"/images/uploads/wash-u-engineering.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"300\" />When Brauer Hall is completed in 2010, it will serve as home for the School of Engineering\'s Department of Energy, Environmental &amp; Chemical Engineering (EECE), provide space for the International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy &amp; Sustainability (I-CARES) and provide expanded facilities for the University\'s highly successful Department of Biomedical Engineering.</p>\n<p>\"We recognized that to be successful in attracting leading, research-active faculty and superb students to the School of Engineering &amp; Applied Science, people who can help us realize our vision to establish Washington University as a hub for environmental and energy research, education, innovation and action, we must have the physical facilities supportive of and commensurate with this ambition,\" said Salvatore P. Sutera, Ph.D., senior professor of biomedical engineering and interim dean of the School of Engineering &amp; Applied Science. <br />Brauer Hall will connect on all levels with Uncas A. Whitaker Hall, home of the Department of Biomedical Engineering .&nbsp; RMJM Hillier\'s design embraces the Collegiate Gothic style characteristic of the Danforth campus while incorporating the subtle variations in period and expression originally introduced by the 19th century campus designers Cope and Stewardson in association with the Olmstead Brothers.<br />&nbsp;</p>\n<p>\"The vision for Brauer Hall reflects an understanding of the school\'s history and future,\" said Peter Schubert, RMJM Hillier\'s Design Director. \"Our proposal seeks to bring to life an ongoing master plan based on Cope &amp; Stewardson\'s historic campus designs. While the exterior facades will reflect the beloved and historically important traditional languages of the original campus vision, the interior will reflect the pressures and considerations of modern lab design.\"</p>\n<p>Two thirds of the space in Brauer Hall will be dedicated to research laboratories designed to maximize flexibility across the wide range of aquatics, aerosols, synthetic chemistry and biomedical research activities that will be housed within the structure. A plug-and play casework system, which includes moveable base cabinets, removable tables, and ceiling-mounted service panels improves ability to accommodate a range of bench-top and floor-mounted equipment while reducing the cost of future renovations as research priorities change. In addition to instructional laboratories, classrooms and specialized teaching areas, several conference rooms, faculty offices and numerous student work spaces, Brauer Hall will house office suites for the Dean of the School of Engineering and for the EECE department and its chairman.</p>\n<p>An innovative feature of the new facility will be a 85-seat distance-learning classroom available for use by all academic departments and schools. Energy, Environmental &amp; Chemical Engineering Department Chair Professor Pratim Biswas said this classroom will be invaluable for communicating with EECE\'s research partners throughout the world, including the 25 member universities of Washington University\'s McDonnell Academy of Global Energy and Environment Partnership (MAGEEP).</p>\n<p>\"We are extremely&nbsp; proud of our successful collaboration with Washington University to achieve a design that is a successful blend of historical context and the most advanced thinking in design for research, teaching and sustainability,\" said RMJM\'s Design Studio Director Steven K. Gifford. \"Our team has been fascinated by the challenge and has enjoyed integrating the highest levels of contemporary design into this historic campus. In this building, the School of Engineering will be able create the future while still celebrating their rich past.\"</p>\n<p>All of the University\'s recent construction projects have been built with environmental sustainability in mind, and this building also is being designed as a green structure according to LEED specifications for a gold rating. LEED, the acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a nationally accepted rating system for the design, construction and operation of buildings that use its specifications for achieving environmental sustainability.</p>\n<p>Some of the sustainable design features of Brauer Hallinclude:<br />Thermally efficient exterior envelope reduces heat gain and heat loss<br />High albedo roof to reduce the heat-island effect<br />Energy savings in excess of 30% through high efficiency air-handling systems that incorporate air-to-air recovery<br />Reduced water consumption by 30% through use of low-flow fixtures including waterless urinals<br />Storm water recycling for use in irrigation<br />At least 35% of all materials will be either recycled, regional, rapidly renewable or certified wood<br />Low-emitting materials for adhesives and interior floor and wall finishes<br />Recycling/salvaging at least 75% of non-hazardous construction waste <br /><br />RMJM are the architects for the new building, combining&nbsp; the firm\'s experience in historic preservation and plug-and-play labs to create a building designed to relate to the rich tradition of design on the WUSL Danforth Campus.The project is being constructed by Clayco Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri. Completion is ex</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','none','Washington University in St. Louis (WUSL) recently broke ground on a 150,875-square-foot building for its School of Engineering & Applied Science. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(326,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Duke Realty Corporation Completes Lakeside Crossing ','none','Duke, Monsanto,  Lakeside Crossing','none','<p>Duke Realty Corporation (Duke) announced that the remaining 8.5 acre\nparcel of land in its Lakeside Crossing Business Park will be the site\nof another new 116,000-square foot, built-to-suit office building for\nMonsanto. With the development of this land, the 100 acres that Duke\nacquired produced 14 building projects over the past eight years.<br />&nbsp;<br />Located\nin the West Port submarket of St. Louis, Lakeside Crossing Business\nPark sits on land that previously was a neglected area of the city with\nolder businesses and industrial properties. Duke has invested more than\n$55 million and developed 916,551 square feet of new Class A office,\nservice center, and warehouse space in Lakeside Crossing Business Park,\nattracting several notable tenants, including State Farm Mutual\nAutomobile Insurance, Johnson Controls, Shaughnessy, KPLR-Channel ll,\nTALX, and Parents as Teachers. <br />&nbsp;<br />This past summer, Monsanto\nmoved into Lakeside Crossing Office One, a 127,778-square foot\nbuilding, leaving one undeveloped site open. Monsanto subsequently\nasked Duke to develop another building for them on the remaining parcel\nin the park, which is adjacent to Lakeside Crossing Office One. The new\nbuilding, Lakeside Crossing Two, will be a sister building to the one\npresently occupied by Monsanto. &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />&ldquo;We are very pleased that we\nhave been able to provide a real estate solution for such a dynamic\ncompany as Monsanto and bring Lakeside Crossing Business Park to\ncompletion,&rdquo; said Toby Martin, Senior Vice President of Duke&rsquo;s St.\nLouis operations. &ldquo;Monsanto, like many other companies, was attracted\nby the accessibility of the park, as well as the nearby amenities in\nthis vital submarket.&rdquo; <br />&nbsp;<br />&ldquo;We are delighted that Monsanto will\nbe expanding its space in Maryland Heights and we look forward to\nworking&nbsp; with them and Duke to complete this new facility as\nexpeditiously as possible,&rdquo; said City of Maryland Heights Mayor Mike\nMoeller. &ldquo;When the City selected Duke eight years ago to redevelop the\narea known as the South Heights, we were confident that they would\ndevelop a first-rate business park. Lakeside Crossing is now a very\nsuccessful development and, with the announcement of this new building,\nwill soon have nearly one million square feet of quality commercial\nspace and more than 2,500 quality jobs. I can think of no better\nexample of a successful public-private partnership in the State of\nMissouri.&rdquo;<br />Ground will be broken on Lakeside Crossing Two the first\nweek of November, and the building is expected to be completed and\noccupied by December 2009. Whitaker Varley, Duke&rsquo;s Vice President of\nLeasing, represented Duke Realty Corporation.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Duke Realty Corporation (Duke) announced that the remaining 8.5 acre parcel of land in its Lakeside Crossing Business Park will be the site of another new 116,000-square foot, built-to-suit office building for Monsanto.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(318,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','ABC Reports Construction Input Prices Drop in October ','none','Construction Input Prices, ABC, materials','none','<p>The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)&nbsp; found&nbsp; a glimmer of hope&nbsp; for the construction industry in October\'s drop in&nbsp; construction material prices.</p>\n<p>Construction input prices fell 2.8 percent in October - the largest one-month decrease since July 1986 - according to the November 18 producer price index (PPI) report by the U.S. Labor Department. Despite the dramatic decline, construction input prices remain 10 percent higher than October of last year (see graph below). <br /><br />Prices for fabricated structural metal products dropped by 0.6 percent in October, but are still 15.1 percent higher than one year ago. Plumbing fixtures and fittings prices dropped slightly in October by 0.1 percent, however they are up a relatively modest 4.1 percent from October 2007.&nbsp; Nonferrous wire and cable prices dropped 7.7 percent - the largest monthly decline since 1949. The decrease brings the year-over-year change down 5.4 percent from October 2007.&nbsp; Prices for fabricated ferrous wire products increased 2 percent in October following a slight decrease in price the month prior. Still, prices are up an astonishing 30.55 percent from a year ago. Softwood lumber prices decreased 7.4 percent from September, the largest monthly decrease since November 2004, and are now down 8.8 percent from last October. In contrast, asphalt felts and coatings prices continue to increase, rising 5.7 percent from last month and up 60.2 percent from a year ago. <br /><br />Crude energy prices dropped significantly, down 24.9 percent in October, with crude petroleum down 26 percent and natural gas down 29.1 percent. Gasoline prices dropped 24.9 percent on a monthly basis.&nbsp; Finished energy good prices fell 12.8 percent from the previous month. Overall, prices for finished goods decreased 2.8 percent, making it the third consecutive monthly decrease.</p>\n<p>\"Even as the broader economy continues to deteriorate, and is increasingly frustrating development and construction efforts, the seeds of the next recovery are being sown,\" said Associated Builders and Contractors\' (ABC) Chief Economist Anirban Basu. \"With construction materials prices generally in retreat, developers will find it easier to make their pro formas work.&nbsp; However, in the near term, this may make little difference to contractors and others in the construction supply chain since the credit crunch continues with little sign of abatement,\" said Basu.</p>\n<p>\"Even though certain materials costs are declining, developers are finding that the revenue stream for new construction, such as new tenants, is weak,\" added Basu. \"Therefore, revenue projections related to prospective development remain muted.</p>\n<p>\"One of the big winners in declining materials prices is the federal government,\" said Basu. \"The next stimulus package will likely possess a significant infrastructure component, and with lower materials prices, the federal government will be able to purchase more infrastructure per dollar. This would appear to be an advantageous moment for the nation to begin to build its 21st century infrastructure, since such investment would address both short- and long-term economic considerations.\"&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)  found  a glimmer of hope  for the construction industry in October\'s drop in  construction material prices.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(319,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','MC Industrial Logs Millionth  Manhour at Holcim Cement Plant','none','MC Industrial,  Holcim','none','<p>While battling a labor shortage created by the largest expansion in U.S. industrial construction in decades, <a href=\"http://www.mc-industrial.com\">MC Industrial</a>&nbsp; earlier this month completed its one millionth self-performed manhour in the construction of the new Holcim (US) Ste. Genevieve cement plant in Bloomsdale, Mo.<br /><br />MC Industrial, a McCarthy company that serves the industrial construction market nationwide, is general contractor for the silos, conveyors and tunnel portions of the $900 million greenfield site project.<br /><br />\"Besides the sheer challenge of managing 500 or more workers at peak at any one time, we have faced the very real challenge of obtaining and maintaining a workforce on this project,\" explained Will Chipley, project director for MC Industrial.<br /><br />The 13 silos completed earlier this year, in particular, posed major labor challenges, as the project competed for workers with other industrial mega-projects under construction in the Midwest at the same time.&nbsp; Since local unions were tapped out, the call went out to other states for tradesmen and women interested in traveling to Bloomsdale for work.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br />Although the majority of \"travelers\" are now back in their home states, a total of 90 contributed to the 700,000 manhours required to build the cement plant\'s silos.&nbsp; These ironworkers, cement masons and millwrights were recruited from 16 states, some as far away as New Mexico, Florida and Michigan.<br /><br /><strong>Labor shortage reported</strong><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />Almost two-thirds of industrial contractors nationwide have experienced labor shortages, according to a new study reported in the November issue of Midwest Construction.&nbsp; \"The study said that demand is particularly strong for ironworkers,\" says Chipley, \"which we have definitely found to be the case.\"&nbsp;&nbsp; This summer and fall, ironworkers in particular were in short supply due to several large power plants currently under construction in the Midwest, he explains.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />Once MC Industrial assembled its large crew, it took careful planning to manage worker safety, as well as to keep everyone productive. \"For two and one-half months, the project was running 24/7, with 13 silos constructed in just 72 days,\" says Chipley.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />In addition to the 13 raw meal, clinker and cement silos, MC Industrial has completed a limestone reclaim tunnel, will soon wrap up work on two 60-foot diameter, 155-foot tall harbor silos which will hold the finished cement for barge loading, and by June 2009, will complete material handling conveyors from the clinker silos to the cement mills.<br /><br />When the plant comes on line in late summer 2009, the new Holcim facility will be capable of producing up to four million metric tons of cement annually&nbsp; Holcim (US) Inc. is one of the largest suppliers of Portland and blended cements and related mineral components in the United States.<br /><br />&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/38977.html\"></a></p>','none','Ninety ironworkers, cement masons and millwrights traveled from 16 states, working around the clock to help complete 13 silos in just 72 days','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(320,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Construction Expert Denounces the NTSB\'s Report on  I-35W Bridge Collapse','none','I-35, bridge,infrastructure, LePatner','none','<p>It\'s been more than a year since the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis. And now, the final report put forward by the National Transportation Safety Board has concluded from its investigation: (1) the steel gusset plates originally designed in the mid-1960s to reinforce the bridge\'s joints were half an inch too thin; (2) the probable causes for the collapse were additional modifications to the original design, which added substantial weight to the bridge, and the weight added by construction materials placed on the bridge by a contractor just prior to the collapse. That\'s it. And if you\'re thinking Surely, there was more to the collapse than that, construction expert Barry B. LePatner says you are right.</p>\n<p>And by ignoring the other (extremely critical) factors, LePatner says, the NTSB is perpetuating a problem that puts millions of Americans in danger every day. \"The NTSB is severely neglecting its duty to protect Americans,\" says LePatner, coauthor of <em>Structural&nbsp; Foundation Failures&nbsp;</em> and author of <em>Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets: How to Fix America\'s Trillion-Dollar Construction Industry </em><a href=\"http://www.brokenbuildings.com\">http://www.brokenbuildings.com.</a></p>\n<p>\"By placing the sole blame for the bridge collapse on the gusset plates and the added weight factor, the Board has ignored the inefficiency and irresponsibility among the government agencies responsible for the bridge, which also contributed to the disaster.\" At the heart of many of these problems is the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which (and here\'s a scary thought!) has long been considered one of the better state transportation departments in the country. Basically, LePatner&nbsp; said,&nbsp; MnDOT failed to protect the public from a preventable disaster that was long in the making. And the problems faced by MnDOT are far from isolated.</p>\n<p>DOTs everywhere are struggling to keep the highways and byways that connect this nation in working order. We must put these struggles in perspective: There are 12,000 bridges in our country whose designs are similar to the I-35W Bridge. Furthermore, according to statistics from a 2007 U.S. Department of Transportation/Research and Innovative Technology Administration report, there are over 72,000 bridges that are labeled \"structurally deficient\" and over 81,000 bridges identified as \"functionally obsolete.\" Every one of these bridges needs detailed inspections to ensure their safety. One important factor contributing to the poor state of America\'s infrastructure is the seeming irresponsibility and inefficiency exhibited by those who have been elected or appointed to government positions that supposedly exist to ensure the safety of the public.</p>\n<p>To illustrate, LePatner has identified several red flags that should have warned MnDOT and other officials that the I-35W bridge was in trouble, but instead were ignored, misunderstood, or simply not acted upon in time:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>The I-35W bridge was first rated as \"structurally deficient\" in 1990. Despite annual reports describing a continuing section loss and build up of corrosion at key places, as well as the attention of a number of consultants who recommended substantial remedial action be taken, at no time between 1990 and its collapse in 2007 was the I-35W bridge\'s condition ever raised above its \"poor\" rating. <br /></li>\n<li>Photographs exist of gusset plates \"bowing and arcing\" as early as 2003, but the photos, taken by MnDOT consultants, were apparently dropped into a file folder and forgotten. MnDOT inspecting engineers did not deem these red flags to be serious enough to command attention. <br /></li>\n<li>In 1996 a bridge on I-90 outside of Cleveland with a structure similar to the I-35W bridge collapsed as a result of improper gusset plate design. But although a) Federal officials investigated this serious failure, b) an official report from outside engineers was filed indicating that the gusset plates did indeed contribute to the bridge\'s collapse, and c) Civil Engineering magazine published an article in 1997 detailing the Ohio bridge collapse, officials at MnDOT denied ever having heard of the Ohio bridge failure and said they were unaware of any prior problems with gusset plate design.</li>\n<li>Discussions concerning the need to add redundancy to the I-35W bridge had been underway years earlier-but action was never taken. And, in fact, MnDOT instead scheduled redecking work that overloaded sections of the bridge, and, according to the NTSB, contributed to the eventual failure of the gusset plates. </li>\n</ul>\n<p>\"Of course, none of this is meant to imply that Minnesota is the only state experiencing serious problems with its infrastructure,\"&nbsp; LePatner said. \"The Colorado Department of Transportation has acknowledged that the cost to replace or rehabilitate 125 state bridges rated in poor condition in the state is $1.4 billion. Yet, bridge repair funding, a critical element in reducing the number of bridges that are considered structurally deficient, has been reduced from $32 million in 2007 to $18 million for 2009.</p>\n<p>\"Or consider a story out of Georgia in which reports identifying several bridges as hazardous were thrown away,\" he added. \"Why? Because the official in charge said handling the problem would have required too much paperwork and involved too many people. Stories like this one are clear indications that Minnesota isn\'t the only state that has had its political head in the sand regarding its infrastructure problems.\"</p>\n<p>\"Clearly, solving our infrastructure crisis will require more than a few patches here and there, LePatner&nbsp; stated. In 2005 the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) estimated that the cost of making the upgrades, repairs, and expansions needed on the U.S. bridge system will be $9.4 billion/year for twenty years. The report also said the U.S. road system required $92 billion/year for maintenance and $125.6 billion/year for improvements-an updated report from the ASCE next year will likely reflect an even larger cost for these repairs. And even if our cash-strapped government could come up with the money and ensure that it\'s properly applied, there\'s little indication that builders could get it done at that price.\"</p>\n<p>The construction industry itself, LePatner said, has been rife with problems for quite some time now, wasting an estimated $120 billion each year. Those problems, he sid,&nbsp; have easily flooded over into public projects, the prime example being the Big Dig and its billions of dollars in cost overruns. \"We must begin taking steps, right now, to shore up America\'s infrastructure, asserts LePatner. Not to do so is to invite more death and destruction. Every engineer in the field of bridge design can testify that the corrosive effects of inadequate maintenance of our bridges and tunnels will only get worse-they are not self-healing. And while the problem is far too massive and widespread to repair overnight, we can take steps now to start chipping away at it.</p>\n<p>\"We must do everything in our power to end the downward spiral of our nation\'s infrastructure,\" says LePatner. \"As the incoming Obama Administration prepares to tackle America\'s ailing economy, it should make repairing the nation\'s infrastructure an important part of those plans. Doing so will not only help prevent future catastrophes; it will actually contribute to our nation\'s prosperity. \"Every $1 billion in infrastructure spending is estimated to create 47,000 new jobs, a critical factor at a time when our unemployment rate is at a 14-year high,\" he adds. \"By taking the steps necessary to tackle our infrastructure problem now, we have an opportunity to improve our economy with the great ROI of a better, safer infrastructure system that will lead to a stronger nation.\"&nbsp;</p>\n<p>Barry B. LePatner is the founder of the New York City-based law firm LePatner&nbsp; Associates LLP. For three decades, he has been prominent as an advisor on business and legal issues affecting the real estate, design, and construction industries. He is head of the law firm that has grown to become widely recognized as one of the nation\'s leading advisors to corporate and institutional clients, real estate owners, and design professionals. Mr. LePatner is widely recognized as a thought leader in the construction industry. His new book, Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets: How to Fix America\'s Trillion-Dollar Construction Industry (The University of Chicago Press), which was reviewed in the Wall Street Journal, has created a national debate among owners, designers, and other key stakeholders.</p>','none','An NTSB report over a year in the making cites faulty gusset plates as the cause of the 2007 Minnesota bridge collapse. But Barry B. LePatner says the report contains a glaring sin of omission: It ignores key problems inherent in our nation\'s infrastructure oversight system that continue to put the public in danger every day.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(321,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Ralph Korte Retires After 50 Years','none','Ralph Korte, retires','none','<p>Ralph Korte, who founded <a href=\"http://www.korteco.com\">The Korte Company</a> in 1958, with little more than a truck and a saw, has announced his retirement from the company. The formal announcement came during the company\'s 50th anniversary celebration, when Ralph Korte took the stage at The Pageant in St. Louis, Missouri.<br />&nbsp;<br />In his address, Ralph noted the company\'s humble beginnings and the many people who helped shape the company along the way. During his fifty years at The Korte Company, Ralph\'s values and passion for building have had a resounding influence on not only the company\'s employees and clients, but the industry as a whole.<br />&nbsp;<br />A pioneer in design-build and tilt-up construction, Ralph\'s innovative approach has placed The Korte Company at the top of Engineering New Record\'s Top Contractor list, a nationally recognized designation. More importantly, it\'s given the company tremendous respect throughout the industry as a leading design-build contractor, which has had a definitive impact on the company\'s growth.<br />&nbsp;<br />Today, The Korte Company manages, on average, an excess of $330 million in annual construction volume and has finished more than 1,600 buildings that dot the cities and towns in 39 states across the nation. Todd Korte, President and CEO of The Korte Company added, \"As a company, we\'ve witnessed extraordinary changes in our industry, but through it all, we\'ve maintained the principles and values Ralph put in place when he founded the company.<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Ralph Korte, who founded The Korte Company in 1958, with little more than a truck and a saw, has announced his retirement from the company. The formal announcement came during the company\'s 50th anniversary celebration, when Ralph Korte took the stage at The Pageant concert venue. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(322,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Guarantee Electrical completes work on Lange-Stegmann','none','Guarantee, Agrotrain, Urea','none','<p><a href=\"http://www.geco.com\">Guarantee Electrical</a> has completed electrical construction on Agrotain International\'s St. Louis Urea Center, the nation\'s largest inland urea import terminal.<br />&nbsp;<br />\"This was a fast-track, heavy industrial project,\" said Craig Schild, Guarantee senior project manager.&nbsp; \"We had up to 30 electricians and multiple foremen on this project, which helped us stay ahead of the curve at all times.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />As electrical contractor, Guarantee provided design, construction and electrical services on the $14 million urea processing plant located in downtown St. Louis. Electrical work began in March 2008 and was completed in September 2008.<br />&nbsp;<br />\"A surging demand for Agrotain\'s fertilizers prompted construction of this new urea plant,\" said Mike Stegmann, president of Lange-Stegmann, Agrotain\'s parent company. The St. Louis Urea Center added storage space for 63,000 tons of fertilizer and increased product handling capacity to one million tons of imported urea a year.<br />&nbsp;<br />The St. Louis Urea Center is the only facility in the world producing Agrotain\'s patented stabilized nitrogen product, using raw materials from as far away as Egypt. As one of the base elements of fertilizer, urea has agricultural, home and commercial lawn, and golf course applications. The company previously contracted with third-party facilities for the proprietary manufacturing of its specialty fertilizer. With this facility, Agrotain now has that capability in-house, within yards of the unloading port on the river.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Guarantee Electrical has completed electrical construction on Agrotain International\'s St. Louis Urea Center, the nation\'s largest inland urea import terminal.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(323,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Women Industry Volunteers Complete Women Build Habitat House','none','women,  Women Build, Habitat','none','<p>A volunteer construction crew of local women picked up hammers, paint brushes, screwdrivers and more to advance the construction of a new Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis home as part of Habitat\'s Women Build program, underwritten by Lowe\'s. <br /><br />The volunteers, including embers of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and Missouri Women In Trades (MOWIT) are helping Pandora Crosby complete her new home on Sheridan Avenue in St. Louis. Crosby plans to close on her home on December 15 and move in the following Saturday. The home is one of 27 Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis houses underway in the Jeff-Vander-Lou Neighborhood.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Habitat Women Build\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/habitat-women-build.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" /></p>\n<h4>Beth Barton (left) and Melissa Keevil of MOWIT install Hardieplank siding on a Habitat for Humanity St. Louis house as Women Build volunteers. The women of Women Build expanded their commitment from one home to two when no other volunteers came forward to build the second house.</h4>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p><br />Crosby, a Blumeyer public housing resident since 1991, has to put in 450 hours of \"sweat equity\" and put down percent of the home\'s cost to purchase the home from Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis. Part of her mortgage debt will include a $40,000 loan that she will not have to pay back if she maintains ownership and residence in the house for 10 years.</p>\n<p><br />Lowe\'s contributed $50,000 to help Habitat for Humanity St. Louis pay for the construction of the home.</p>\n<p><br />The Women Build volunteers undertook construction of a neighboring house when no other volunteers stepped forward to work on it.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','none','Women volunteers from area construction organizations complete Women Build House for Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/habitat-women-build.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(324,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Women in Trades on the Calendar for 2009','none','Women, trades, calendar','none','<p>Next year looking kind&nbsp; of lackluster? Brighten up your office with a<a href=\"http://www.mowit.org/tradeswomencalendar.org\"> Missouri Women in Trades 2009 Tradeswomen Calendar.</a> <br /><br />The calendars, which support efforts to promote women working in the trades and which feature photography of women craftspersons at work, are published by the Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT). The Calendars are on sale now at the website link listed above. Calendars are $10 plus $4 shipping &amp; handling. MOWIT accepts cash, check or credit card.&nbsp; <br /><br />Calendar sponsors are Tarlton Corporation, Associated General Contractors of St. Louis, Colt Safety, Volk Construction, Zonta Club of St. Louis, National Association of Women In Construction St. Louis Chapter, Missouri Department of Transportation and Raineri Construction.&nbsp; <br /><br />For more information, or if you would like to become a 2010 Sponsor, contact Teresa Willis (p) 314.680.1973, (e) <a href=\"mailto:teresa@mowit.org\">teresa@mowit.org</a>.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Next year looking kind  of lackluster? Brighten it up your office  a Missouri Women in Trades 2009 Tradeswomen Calendar. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(357,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Green Data Centers: Crazy... Like a Fox','none','Fox, Data Centers, Monanto, Emerson','none','<p>A St. Louis architectural firm is moving into the vanguard of efforts to solve some of the nation&rsquo;s knottiest business and environmental problems. The firm is Fox Architects and the problems they are solving involve data centers.</p>\n<h4><img alt=\"Monsanto Data Center\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/monsanto.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />Fox Architects has&nbsp; developed an approach to corporate data center design that combines energy conservation with human resource considerations. George Osman, Monsanto\'s director of operations and engineering&nbsp; and Bob Dunn, principal, Fox Architects, in front of the Monsanto data center\'s hurricane-proof sunlight screen.</h4>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p><strong>Data centers?</strong></p>\n<p>&ldquo;Data centers are infrastructure that no one really thinks about, but are a big part of what makes the world go round,&rdquo; said John<br />Berendzen, Principal, Fox Architects. &ldquo;Just as coal and steam technology were engines for the Industrial Revolution, data centers are the engines for today&rsquo;s technology dependent businesses, considering that just aboutevery transaction today ends up as bits and bytes passing through computer systems linked throughout the world,&rdquo; he added. Fox Architects has designed innovative data centers for Monsanto and Emerson, two<br />international companies based in St. Louis.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a data center as any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used<br />for data processing (servers), data storage and communications (network equipment). That includes everything from a closet with a server<br />in it to a dedicated building with racks of tens of thousands of blade servers. Data centers are supposed to run all the time,</p>\n<p>24 hours a day, seven days a week. According to the 7x24 Exchange, when data centers don&rsquo;t run, &ldquo;businesses don&rsquo;t bring in revenue,&rdquo; and any unplanned &ldquo;downtime,&rdquo; or interruption in operations, &ldquo;can be disastrous.&rdquo; The 7x24 Exchange is a business association dedicated to spreading information that can help businesses keep their data centers and servers operating all the time. Another organization, the Uptime Institute, is devoted to the same goal. Joe Loper, Vice President of research and<br />analysis for the Alliance to Save Energy, said that in 2006 there were thousands of data centers across the country housing some 10 million servers. That is twice the number of<br />servers there were in 2000 and growth is accelerating, with the number of servers installed in the U.S. expected to hit 15.8 million in 2010. As<br />companies and institutions which use servers accumulate more and more of them, there is a growing tendency to concentrate them in large numbers in &ldquo;enterprise&rdquo; data centers<br />instead of scattering them around in data rooms and closets.<br /><strong></strong></p>\n<p><strong>Let the Light In</strong></p>\n<p><br />A major cause of &ldquo;downtime&rdquo; in data centers is human error, so Fox Architects has a simplesounding response: Design data centers for<br />people. Data centers typically are windowless bunkers. The thinking is that they are for computers, not people, and computers are<br />better protected by solid walls without windows.</p>\n<p>&ldquo;The mentality for building Tier 3 and Tier 4 data centers (data centers designed to withstand natural or human-made disasters<br />and keep operating) had been that windows are a hazard so no natural light should be allowed,&rdquo; said Steven Black, who has helped<br />build several enterprise data centers and high-tech buildings for McCarthy.</p>\n<p>Fox Architects took the view that eventhough data centers typically have small staffs, people still fi ll a vital role in keeping<br />data centers running. &ldquo;The U.S. Green Building Council has multiple studies linking access to daylight to better human productivity,&rdquo;<br />said Fox Architects&rsquo; Bob Dunn, so the design firm worked to let daylight into data centers without compromising their tier ratings.</p>\n<p>Two years ago, Fox Architects designed a bank of windows on the eastern elevation of the new data center they were designing for<br />Monsanto. They specifi ed a glazing system that had been certified to withstand hurricane force winds. It still took some convincing, but ultimately Monsanto opted for daylight. To add security, the windows are on a corridor, not a server floor wall. The partition wall between the corridor and the server floor is another<br />glass wall, and even glass doors, so that natural light from the corridor can fl ood into the server room. An architectural sunscreen on the<br />front of the building mitigates solar heat gain while letting light into the building.</p>\n<p>Incorporating the windows did not sacrifice security. &ldquo;The Monsanto Data Center&rsquo;s efficient design can withstand a tornado producing<br />winds in excess of 200 mph and an earthquake measuring up to 5 on the Richter scale&rdquo;, said Dipak Kapadia, Vice President of construction<br />and senior project manager for Guarantee Electrical Co., the project&rsquo;s electrical contractor.</p>\n<p>Fox Architects also included high performance windows in their design for Emerson&rsquo;s new data center, scheduled for completion in July 2009. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t ignore the advances in glazing technology,&rdquo; Black said. &ldquo;This glazing is certified by the code officials in Miami-Dade County, Florida to withstand 150 mile per hour projectiles. That is great.&rdquo; Black was the project manager on the Monsanto data center project for McCarthy.</p>\n<p>The windows &ldquo;are a big improvement for people in the data center,&rdquo; said John Buescher, project director for McCarthy. How much so? Lee Quarles, a Monsanto spokesman, said the company&rsquo;s experience with its old data center was that an average of two IT people in the data center would leave in every eight-month period. Since the Fox-designed data center opened nine months ago, no one has left. &ldquo;The amount of daylight in the new data center is one of the chief things that employees like about the new building, and it is a big<br />selling point to potential IT recruits,&rdquo; he said.</p>\n<p><strong>Grappling with Energy Use and Greenhouse Gases</strong></p>\n<p>In addition to tackling human error, Fox Architects also set its sights on energy use. Keeping data centers operating takes a lot of energy.<br />The EPA estimates that in 2006, data centers used 61 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, or about 1.5 percent of the electricity generated<br />in the nation&rsquo;s power plants. The EPA estimates that all that electricity cost the industry about $4.5 billion and is equivalent to all the energy<br />used by all the companies in the U.S. that are involved in making cars, trucks, buses, trains,<br />aircraft, boats, barges and ships.</p>\n<p>That energy use is growing rapidly. The EPA estimates that without major gains in efficiency, data centers will consume 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2011 at a cost of more than $7.4 billion. Depending on the source, estimates of the amount of generating capacity needed to supply to supply that energy ranges<br />from 30 baseline, coal-fi red power plants to 120 merchant power plants. Any cap or fee on carbon emissions could raise the cost of that<br />energy even more.</p>\n<p>William Tschudi, program manager for energy efficiency in high-tech buildings at the U.S. Department of Energy&rsquo;s Lawrence<br />Berkeley Labs, worked on the EPA estimates, which are in a report the agency presented to Congress in August 2007. He put the energy<br />use into an enterprise reference frame. &ldquo;The typical rack of state-of-the-art servers draws 20 kilowatts of power. If you are paying 10<br />cents per kilowatt-hour, that one rack will use $17,000 worth of electricity in one year. Since a data center can have hundreds of such racks, any improvement in energy effi ciency can pay big dividends,&rdquo; he said.</p>\n<p>That energy use is the reason data centers are getting so much attention not just from businesses, which have formed such groups as the Green Grid and the Alliance to Save Energy to research and promote energy saving practices, but also from politicians in Congress, who mandated the EPA study.Tschudi and the EPA estimate that only one-half of the power consumed by data centers is used by IT equipment. The rest is consumed in power conversions, maintaining the availability of backup power and cooling. They estimated that the power and cooling infrastructure needed to support a server now costs more than the server itself. McKinsey and Co., in a report for the<br />Uptime Institute, said the costs of power and cooling are escalating so much that they are crowding IT improvements out of budgets.</p>\n<p>Why are power and cooling costs so high at data centers? Because data center facilities &ldquo;are essentially refrigerators for space heaters,&rdquo; Dunn said. That, said Tschudi, is because<br />&ldquo;all the electric power used by servers is converted to heat.&rdquo; The typical data center includes not just racks of IT equipment, but also uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units, which act as battery backups to keep IT equipment running when there is a temporary loss of power; power distribution units (PDUs) and computer room<br />air conditioning units (often called CRAC units).</p>\n<p><strong>Separate and Recycle</strong></p>\n<p><br />One of the first things Fox Architects did in their designs for Monsanto and Emerson was to take electrical equipment, such as UPS units, PDUs and air conditioning equipment off the data floor. For Monsanto, they designed a two story building, assigning the electrical and mechanical equipment to the fi rst fl oor and the IT equipment to the second. That did two things: It keeps electricalequipment from adding to the server floor heat load and keeps maintenance workers out of the IT room, which means &ldquo;they don&rsquo;t have to worry about dropping something or accidentally hitting something when they turn around,&rdquo; said Dunn. The electrical equipment at Monsanto includes &ldquo;a breaker monitoring<br />system capable of remotely measuring power consumption on every circuit in the data center and backup UPS and emergency generator systems so it can continue to operate<br />throughout a power outage,&rdquo; Kapadia said.</p>\n<p>Moving electrical and cooling equipment off the server floor also freed fl oor space for servers. &ldquo;CRAC units are not small. They take up a lot of space on the fl oor and a data center floor is expensive real estate,&rdquo; Black said. &ldquo;What the Fox team did in taking the cooling off the floor is pretty innovative. It is great stuff ,&rdquo; said Black. How innovative was it? As Monsanto prepared to open its new data center, industry publications were still touting software for planning the best configuration of CRAC units as the cutting edge in cooling efficiency.</p>\n<p>Richard Janis, president of the St. Loui based mechanical and electrical engineering company William Tao Associates, has long advocated separating mechanical andelectrical equipment from server rooms. The role of the architect, however, is to provide a building design that will do that efficiently without hampering the operations of theserver room. By all accounts, Fox succeeded. The next thing Fox Architects did was design the air handling system to use recycled air to cool electrical equipment on the fi rst fl oor. In cooperation with William Tao Associates, they designed a system that supplies cold air at the fl oor of the server room, at whatevertemperature Monsanto desires. It exhaust the air at the ceiling after it has been warmed by the servers, but then pulls the warmer air through a plenum in the ceiling and down the perimeterwalls to condition the fi rst fl oor equipment rooms.</p>\n<p>&ldquo;Transformers and UPS units don&rsquo;t have to be cooled as much as servers,&rdquo; Dunn said. &ldquo;The big diff erence between Monsanto and the other data centers I&rsquo;ve seen is how they handle the air. At Monsanto they recycle it,&rdquo; said Black. That puts a premium on contractors constructing a tight building envelope, but it pays off . Quarles said that<br />Monsanto has found that the new data center uses 30 percent less energy than its old one.</p>\n<p>Although not common, and not included in the EPA&rsquo;s list of best practices, separating mechanical and electrical equipment from the computer fl oor and then cooling them with recycled air &ldquo;is certainly a good practice,&rdquo; Loper said. A representative of the Uptime Institute called it &ldquo;innovative&hellip;neat stuff .&rdquo; Fox&rsquo;s design also saved money on construction.<br />Buescher said the main cause of the savings was that the layout of the building kept down the cost of handling air. &ldquo;There was a lot less piping and fewer controls than is typical,&rdquo; he said.</p>\n<p>Moving beyond energy savings to energy production, Fox Architects designed Emerson&rsquo;s newmdata center with a photovoltaic (PV) array on the roof<br />to generate electricity from sunlight. &ldquo;Emerson will gain 13.6 percent of one day&rsquo;s electrical needs from the solar array, which will feed computer loads directly<br />through the main switchboard,&rdquo; Berendzen said.</p>','none','A St. Louis architectural firm is moving into the vanguard of efforts to solve some of the nation\'s knottiest business and environmental problems. The firm is Fox Architects and the problems they are solving involve data centers.','none','','none','','none','','none',268,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/monsanto.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(341,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Clayco-Legacy Awarded BJC  Projects','none','Clayco, Legacy, BJC','none','<p>&nbsp;Clayco Inc. and its joint-venture partner, Legacy Building Group, were recently awarded new project work for BJC HealthCare and member hospital Progress West HealthCare Center in O\'Fallon, Mo. The team will construct a 40,000-square-foot data center for BJC that will be built to achieve LEED Gold certification with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and a 60,000-square-foot medical office building for Progress West that will achieve LEED Core and Shell certification. <br /><br />\"We look forward to working on another project with Legacy Building Group, which consistently produces the highest quality customer-oriented construction,\" said Kirk Warden, senior vice president and partner at Clayco. \"Our team was selected because we have a successful track record working together and we offered an expertise in mission-critical data centers and collaborative management style.\" &nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;The Clayco/Legacy team aligns with BJC\'s diversity initiatives by proposing to split the project management between companies for each of the projects. Clayco will oversee both projects and will manage data center construction, while Legacy will manage construction of the medical office building. <br />&nbsp;<br />Another important advantage this team offers is Clayco\'s commitment to sustainability, Warden adds. \"Clayco has close to 50 projects registered or certified with the USGBC and over 75 staff with LEED accreditation,\" he said.&nbsp; \"As a company we understand and promote the benefits that sustainable designs and construction techniques have in today\'s world and our goal is to incorporate that understanding into every building we build.\"&nbsp; All of these assets will play an active role in the successful outcome of the project.<br />&nbsp;<br />The $30 million project will include a significant investment for the BJC data center, which will encompass infrastructure equipment and a hardened energy center to support Tier III - N+1 data center requirements. The structural design will be critical and will be built to withstand F-3 tornado conditions. <br />&nbsp;<br />Progress West agreed to provide three of its 48 acres for the data center and anticipates efficiency gains in the process. <br />&nbsp;<br />The medical office building is part of a larger plan to bring more primary care and specialty physicians to the southern part of St. Charles County. <br />&nbsp;<br />\"The community has responded favorably to having easier access to physicians who are on our campus,\" said John Antes president, Progress West HealthCare Center.&nbsp; \"We currently have 20,000 square feet of office space leased to multiple specialty practices.&nbsp; Meeting physician and consumer demand for office space will help St. Charles County residents find the specialty health care services they need closer to home.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />Construction is expected to begin in February 2009 with an anticipated completion date of early 2010.<br />&nbsp;<br />The Clayco-Legacy team joins St. Louis-based Arcturis, as the architect of record; Pittsburgh-based CJL Engineering, as the mechanical engineer of record; Bick Group, as the data center consultant; KJWW, as the structural engineer of record; PSI was the geotechnical consultant; and e2 Energy &amp; Environmental Solutions Inc., as the sustainability consultant.<br />&nbsp;<br /><a href=\"http://www.claycorp.com\">Clayco Inc.</a> is a full-service real estate development, design and construction firm with annual revenues of over $750 million.www.claycorp.com <br /><a href=\"http://www.legacybg.com\">Legacy Building Group</a>, a general contractor that also provides design/build services, is a certified MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) company located in St. Louis. <br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none',' Clayco Inc. and its joint-venture partner, Legacy Building Group, were recently awarded new project work for BJC HealthCare and member hospital Progress West HealthCare Center in O\'Fallon, Mo.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(327,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','LEED 2009 Passes USGBC Ballot','none','LEED, USGBC, environmental, green','none','<p>&nbsp;<br />LEED 2009, the long-awaited update to the internationally recognized LEED green building certification program, has passed member ballot, and will be <br />introduced in 2009 as the next major evolution of the existing LEED rating systems for&nbsp; commercial buildings.&nbsp;&nbsp; It includes a series of major technical advancements focused on <br />improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and addressing other environmental <br />and human health outcomes.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />LEED 2009 will also incorporate highly anticipated regional credits, extra points that have been identified as priorities within a project\'s given environmental zone.&nbsp; LEED has also undergone a <br />scientifically grounded re-weighting of credits, changing allocation of points among LEED&nbsp; credits to reflect climate change and energy efficiency as urgent priorities.&nbsp; This will be one of the most significant changes to the rating system, and will increase the importance of green building as a means of contributing immediate and measurable solutions toward energy <br />independence, climate change mitigation, and other global priorities. <br />&nbsp;<br />LEED 2009 incorporates eight years worth of market and user feedback in the form of precedent-setting Credit Interpretation Rulings, which will ensure clarity for project teams. <br />Coupled with a credit alignment structure designed to create a more elegant and harmonized rating system, LEED 2009 will reset the bar for the certification of high-performance green <br />buildings. <br />&nbsp;<br />Process innovation in how new technical advancements are incorporated into LEED will also be introduced alongside LEED 2009, including a \"pilot process\" for individual credits that will allow <br />major new technical developments to be flexibly trialed, evaluated, and incorporated into LEED.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />\"The conclusion of the balloting process marks the culmination of tireless work done by representatives from all corners of the building industry,\" said Brendan Owens, vice president, <br />LEED technical development, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).&nbsp; \"We have the deepest gratitude for our volunteer leaders, and for their bold steps towards resetting the bar for green building <br />leadership and challenges the industry to move faster and reach further.\" <br />&nbsp;<br />The first public comment period for LEED 2009 opened in May 2008, followed by a second in late August. USGBC had received nearly 7,000 comments from members and stakeholders at <br />the conclusion of the second public comment period on Sept. 2.&nbsp; The final step is the consensus development process for LEED 2009 was to be balloted for a pass/fail vote among <br />USGBC\'s 18,000 member organizations. LEED 2009 successfully passed member ballot on Nov. 14. Detailed information about specific proposed technical changes to the rating <br />system can be found in the background documents that accompany the public comment forms on USGBC\'s Web site<a href=\"http://www.usgbc.org\"> www.ugbc.org</a>.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none',' LEED 2009, the long-awaited update to the internationally recognized LEED green building certification program, has passed member ballot, and will be\nintroduced in 2009 as the next major evolution of the existing LEED rating systems for  commercial buildings. \n','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(328,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Porous Paving  Smackdown:  Vendors Take It Into the Alley','none','porous, paving, alley, St. Louis, Pace, Byrne and Jones','none','<p>Can the right pavement improve water quality and cut down on the amount of storm water running to sewage treatment plants? The Board of Public Service of the City of St. Louis is trying to find out.<br /><br />The Board of Public Service (BPS) has initiated a process to test three paving systems for how well they reduce storm water runoff and improve the quality of runoff, and for how costly or difficult they are to install. The project involves paving three alleys in south St. Louis, one with porous asphalt, one with pervious concrete, and one with pervious paving blocks. The first alley up was Cardinal Alley in a neighborhood near the St. Louis University Medical School.<br /><br />Byrne and Jones Construction Company recently installed a porous asphalt mix at Cardinal Alley on top of a roadbed prepared by Gateway Contractors Inc. Pace Construction Company supplied the mix. In a recent test, a tanker truck sprayed 4400 gallons of water onto the asphalt surface and there was no runoff &ndash; all the water disappeared through the asphalt surface.<br /><br />Andy LaPlante, quality control manager for Pace Construction, said the pavement on Cardinal Alley is an &ldquo;open graded friction course,&rdquo; or OGFC. It has 42 percent voids to allow water to run through to the crushed rock base, compared to four percent voids in a traditional asphalt mix, he said. &ldquo;The difference is in the oil,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We use a polymer-modified oil to make the mix durable,&rdquo; he said. Pace Construction&rsquo;s mix includes three percent recycled shingles. &ldquo;The fiberglass in the shingles increases the strength of the bonds holding the rock together,&rdquo; LaPlante said.<br /><br />Byrne and Jones Construction installed two sections of pavement. One section got a six-inch thick layer of asphalt, the other section got a four-inch layer, &ldquo;so we can see how each holds up,&rdquo; LaPlante said.<br /><br />Michael Woodling, president of Gateway Contractors, noted that the road base for this experimental alley is thicker than the typical road base. &ldquo;Normally a base is 12 inches maximum,&rdquo; he said, while the base of Cardinal Alley is 24 inches deep. The reason is that Cardinal Alley&rsquo;s base serves a purpose that a typical base does not. &ldquo;The smaller base is just for stabilization,&rdquo; Woodling said. &ldquo;This base is for stabilization and water retention,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br />Gateway Contractors began its work by tearing up the old alley. They sent the old bricks to a recycler to be crushed and used as warning track material on baseball fields. After excavating the roadway, they installed a geotechnical fabric to keep dirt from filtering up into the rock and filling voids that are supposed to catch water. The base consists of about 40 percent voids, Woodling said. Two-inch thick clean rock forms the bulk of the base. The laying bed, however, consists of two-inch diameter crushed concrete. From the base to the asphalt, the builders of Cardinal Alley looked for every opportunity to use recycled materials.</p>','none','Can the right pavement improve water quality and cut down on the amount of storm water running to sewage treatment plants? The Board of Public Service of the City of St. Louis is trying to find out.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(329,1,5,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','Putting St. Louis on the Map ','none','maps, St. Louis, Richard Ward, Colin Gordon, Mapping Decline','none','<p>&nbsp;With GPS, Google Maps and cell phone navigators everywhere how often do you see an actual map these days - red-and-blue-state U.S. maps aside?</p>\n<p>Within a recent two-week period I had the opportunity to look at more maps of our area than I\'d seen in a long time, and the picture that they painted wasn\'t pretty.</p>\n<p>Richard Ward, Vice President - development management for Zimmer Real Estate Services, delivered the keynote address for our Nov. 5 CNR Executive Summit. His presentation, \"St. Louis Region:&nbsp; Investments in Progress\" was complemented by charts and maps.<br />Ward\'s maps showed clearly that the rivers and Ozark hills that ring our area have dictated our growth patterns. He pointed out the ways that the rivers have served as funnels to force growth to the east and the west.</p>\n<p>Richard called the rapid development of the area\'s flood plains a major disaster waiting to happen. He questioned the collective wisdom that has resulted in such decisions as voting against funding mass transit toward the development corridor to the west and the reduction in size of the eight-lane Illinois/Missouri bridge - which provides access to the area\'s largest parcel of developable land - to four lanes. Based on Ward\'s presentation, political, racial and other considerations have been used to redraw the St. Louis development map - and not in a good way.</p>\n<p>A week after the summit at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, I heard Dr. Colin Gordon present the themes from his new book Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of American City.&nbsp; Gordon is a professor of history at the University of Iowa.</p>\n<p>His latest book includes a series of maps that trace a story that those of us with deep roots here know all too well: political division, insider deals and racial segregation.&nbsp; The maps&nbsp; show how, beginning almost a century ago, St. Louis governmental agencies and developers systematically sought to limit where African Americans could live by denying financing and through restrictive covenants and zoning. <br />St. Louis was one of four cities in the United States to create blatantly racial zoning laws in 1916. When the Supreme Court struck down the zoning, the real estate community went door-to-door to promote restrictive covenants. They skewed real estate evaluations to create financial impediments to integration.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Tom Finan With Map\" class=\"image-right\" height=\"504\" src=\"/images/uploads/tom-map.jpg\" style=\"float: right;\" width=\"244\" />According to Gordon, every suburban St. Louis subdivision prior to 1948 had a restrictive deed covenant associated with it. As the restrictive covenants expired, suburban developments incorporated and used zoning to enforce segregation, resulting in the St. Louis area becoming what Gordon termed \"one of the most over-governed areas in the country.\"</p>\n<p>Later laws designed to promote improvement in housing standards were exploited to promote the vested interests of commercial projects.&nbsp; One of Gordon\'s maps shows a bizarrely gerrymandered line zig-zagging around poor neighborhoods.&nbsp; It was drawn to create an enterprise zone near Lambert Airport.</p>\n<p>Looking at the maps presented by Richard Ward and Colin Gordon, you get a disturbing picture of how, in seeking to protect interests of one group over another, we drew a roadmap to economic and social decline.</p>\n<p>&bull; &bull; &bull; &bull;<br />As economic times tighten, partnerships have started to emerge to help us weather the tough times. Some of these partnerships would have been unheard of just a few years ago.</p>\n<p>I spoke with Pat Kellett, Business Manager of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 about&nbsp; an overture that his union sponsored. Kellett hopes that the effort will begin a continuing dialogue with contractors and buyers of construction. On Oct. 14 the union, in cooperation with the St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers, the Mechanical Contractors Association of Eastern Missouri and the Plumbing Industry Council, held the inaugural \"Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 Tripartite Conference\".</p>\n<p>The full-day program included presentations on training, welding certification, manpower needs, safety and substance abuse. It concluded with roundtable discussions among union representatives, contractors and owners.</p>\n<p>\"We\'re looking for a better relationship with the direct consumer of our members\' services,\" Kellett told me. \"I think we accomplished that. The feedback we had was that roundtable discussion was pretty blunt with each other.\"</p>\n<p>\"We must give them a safe, educated, drug-free product. There are things that the consumer can teach us that we don\'t know,\" Kellett said.&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','With GPS, Google Maps and cell phone navigators everywhere how often do you see an actual map these days - red-and-blue-state U.S. maps aside? Within a recent two-week period I had the opportunity to look at more maps of our area than I\'d seen in a long time, and the picture that they painted wasn\'t pretty.','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(338,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Credit is Toughest Challenge, Sustainability Big,  AGC Members Say','none','AGC, credit, sustainability, boom','none','<p>The credit crisis that mired many projects in 2008 is the biggest challenge facing&nbsp; the members of&nbsp; the Associated General Contractors of America, according to&nbsp; a survey AGC conducted of its members.</p>\n<p>Credit far surpassed any other impediments in front of AGC members, with 83 percent responding&nbsp; that they saw it as their biggest challenge. The next closest was labor at eight percent, followed by fuel prices (four percent) and global warming (three percent).</p>\n<p>Two-thirds predicted growth&nbsp; in sustainability work, with forty-one percent saying that \"sustainable practices will be big\" in the next year and 25 percent predicting that sustainability would be moderate. Less than half 19 percent the same as this year and 12 percent said it&nbsp; would be minimal.</p>\n<p>Forty-one percent said that it would be three to five years before construction would boom again, while&nbsp; 36% said it would take another one to two years for things to rebound. Thirteen percent&nbsp; said&nbsp; it would take more than five years and only nine percent&nbsp; said&nbsp; that a recovery would happen&nbsp; in less than a year.</p>\n<p>\"The credit crisis that mired many projects in 2008 will likely remain an issue in 2009, according to financial experts, but AGC won\'t let that defeat them,\" wrote Jennifer Hicks, lead editor of AGC\'s <em>Smartbrief</em> enewsletter. \"They\'re dedicated to continuing their 90-year history of legislative work across the aisle to promote the needs of the nation\'s construction industry. More than likely this will include work on pensions, immigration and long-term programs to invest in America\'s infrastructure, such as the transportation reauthorization, clean water infrastructure and investment in federal buildings.</p>\n<p>\"Another positive note is the growing interest in sustainable building and retrofitting of large complexes to save on overall costs,\" Hicks wrote.</p>','','246','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The credit crisis that mired many projects in 2008 is the biggest challenge facing  the members of  the Associated General Contractors of America, according to  a survey AGC conducted of its members. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(339,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Town & Country Votes to Rezone Westminster Christian Campus','none','Westminster Christian, Town & Country','none','<p>With unanimous support from the city of Town &amp; Country, Westminster Christian Academy is one step closer to building its new campus at Maryville Centre Drive and S. Outer Forty Drive.<br />&nbsp;The Town &amp; Country Board of Aldermen unanimously approved the rezoning of the 70-acre site to \"Major Educational Campus.\" In addition, the city approved Westminster Christian Academy\'s<a href=\"http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/3096422618_4af37c5b9a_b.jpg\" title=\"Westminster Christian Site  Plan\"> preliminary site plan (rendering)</a>&nbsp; and authorized the issuance of a building permit once the requirements of all applicable codes and ordinances have been met.<br />&nbsp;<br />\"Throughout this process, Westminster has demonstrated its enduring commitment to serving not only its students with a first-class educational experience, but also its future neighbors in Town &amp; Country by its willingness to take into consideration community concerns and suggestions,\" said Mayor Jon Dalton, Town &amp; Country. \"Westminster is a welcome addition to our community, which is home to a number of outstanding educational institutions recognized locally, nationally and internationally. We look forward to the realization of Westminster\'s plans for a new campus as it will make our community an even better place.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />Westminster created an initial site plan and then gathered feedback from the city, neighborhood trustees and nearby businesses before submitting a modified plan to Town &amp; Country. Developed by Zwick and Gandt, the final site plan includes a main school building, a fine arts center with a 600-seat theater and 200-seat black box theater, two gyms, an eight-lane swimming pool and a media production center. The new school will accommodate 1,200 students and incorporates a \"school within a school\" design, with neighborhoods of 200 students. Additional athletic facilities will include a football/soccer/track stadium; a performance soccer field; 10 tennis courts; and game and practice fields for softball, baseball, lacrosse and field hockey. <br />&nbsp;<br />\"We are grateful for the opportunity to relocate our campus to a location that will be a blessing to Westminster Christian Academy and the community for years to come,\" said Jim Marsh, head of school. \"We will strive to be an asset to the city of Town &amp; Country as both a neighbor and resident.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />Marsh said the very earliest Westminster would break ground in Town &amp; Country is 2009, with the campus completed for the 2010-2011 school year.<br />&nbsp;<br />Marsh explained, \"We are committed to being responsible financial stewards and will not begin construction until we are confident in the sale of our current building and in meeting our capital campaign goals.\"<br />&nbsp;<br />CB Richard Ellis is the exclusive leasing agent for the Creve Coeur campus. For more details on the property, please contact Marc Cacciarelli or Tripp Hardin at 314-655-6000.<br />&nbsp;<br />Westminster Christian Academy is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school serving grades 7-12. Westminster provides an academically diverse student body with knowledge in the traditional liberal arts and the skills and wisdom to apply that knowledge, encouraging students to embrace a Biblical world view and integrate it into every area of life. For more information, visit www.wcastl.org. <br />&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','With unanimous support from the city of Town & Country, Westminster Christian Academy is one step closer to building its new campus at Maryville Centre Drive and S. Outer Forty Drive.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(331,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','No Quick Fixes','none','ULI, Urban Land Institute, trends','none','<p><img alt=\"Dowward Sign\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/downward-sign.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" /></p>\n<p><br /><br />It will be a long recession for commercial development and real estate. That\'s the prognosis that Michael Horst, senior vice president, Urban Land Institute (ULI), delivered at the ULI\'s annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate presentation Wednesday, Dec. 3.<br /><br />\"This is the worst period for commercial real estate probably since way before 1991-92,\" Horst told a lunch-time audience at the Moto Museum near Grand Center. And it will go on awhile. A slow recovery will not start to take hold until 2011, he said. Befoe then, \"We\'re going to see a dramatic drop in values and a sharp increase in delinquencies and foreclosures,\" he said.<br /><br />Prospects are particularly dim for secondary cities, such as St. Louis, Horst said, but even in gloomy times, there are some bright spots. \"Watch for the return to the urban core to continue,\" he said. \"Infill is the big thing and we\'re entering a new vertical wave in development.\"<br /><br />Bob Clark, chairman of Clayco, agreed with the ULI\"s assessment. \"I think we\'re at the beginning of what is going to be a very bad cycle,\" he said. \"Anything requiring financing will be negatively affected. I think it will be a very, very bad construction market here in the next couple of years.\"<br /><br />A panel discussion at the ULI seminar was geared to focus on opportunities that remaining. <br /><br /><strong>Mary Campbell, senior vice president of Bank of America</strong>, said her bank is still financing deals, they just have to be smaller, with a larger equity investment, and the bank is charging more to finance them. Tax credits, however, no longer work as well as a tool for raising the equity, and for one simple reason: tax credit investors have disappeared.<br /><strong><br />Jack Sheradano, senior vice president at Gershman Mortgage</strong>, said deals for subsidized rental housing are going strong, all because developers have rediscovered the magic formula expressed in two simple words: \"think HUD,\" he said. People who used to go elsewhere for financing are now going back to HUD and \"going back to contractors to see if they can build it for just a little bit less,\" he said. <br /><strong><br />Amos Harris, president of Brady Capital, said he remains bullish on downtown</strong>. \"A year ago we had a thousand condos for sale downtown. Now there are 100. Why? Because they were all converted to rental and they rented,\" he said. \"There is room for more high-end rental downtown,\" he added, and the growing number of downtown residents is generating more interest in opening retail downtown. Even layoffs could be good for downtown, he said. \"There are people getting laid-off who want to try going out on their own, so we\'re seeing an uptick in short leases in office suite units in class B buildings,\" he said.</p>','none','It will be a long recession for commercial development and real estate. That\'s the prognosis that Michael Horst, senior vice president, Urban Land Institute (ULI), delivered at the ULI\'s annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate presentation Wednesday, Dec. 3.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/downward-sign.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(332,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','St. Louis Derailed in Nationwide Mass Transit  Surge','none','Metro, Proposition M, mass transit','none','<p>The mass transit train left the station on Nov. 4 with the passage of billions of dollars in mass transit issues nationwide. But St. Louis was left standing at the turnstile&nbsp; with the failure of Proposition M.</p>\n<p>Voters across the country have again signaled their support for transportation-related investment, the&nbsp; The Center for Transportation Excellence ,a non-partisan research group based in Washington, D.C., reported.&nbsp;</p>\n<p>Voters approved more than $75 billion in funding for transportation. There were 32 measures on ballots from Rhode Island to Hawaii and 14 states in between. More than 70% of measures were approved in favor of transportation, demonstrating the willingness of voters to invest in expanding choice, improving performance, and increasing competitiveness. The projects still face financing problems posed by devestated bond markets. But transportation association executives and consultatnts indicated that recent pain-at-the-pump has moved the will of voters&nbsp; in most parts of the country solidly behind mass transit issues.<br /><img alt=\"Metro train\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"206\" src=\"/images/uploads/449.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"275\" /></p>\n<p>Since 2000, approximately 70% of all transportation measures have been approved, a rate double that of ballot measures generally.&nbsp; Of 23 approved measures, 14 increased sales taxes, four provided funding through property taxes and three authorized bonds. One measure, a one-eighth cent sales tax increase in Santa Clara Valley, California is still too close to call. In total, yesterday voters approved more than $75 billion in new investment for transportation.&nbsp; The continued success of transportation ballot measures is especially noteworthy this year considering the on-going economic challenges facing the nation. <br /><br />Included in the&nbsp; approved measures were :</p>\n<p>Arkansas: $130,000/year for five years to establish a Jonesboro transit agency.<br /><br />California: $10 billion for San Francisco-Los Angeles high-speed rail; $40 billion over 30 years for Los Angeles County projects, $45 million/year for Sonoma-Marin rail projects.<br /><br />Colorado: $38 million of bonds for bus rapid-transit system in Aspen<br /><br />Hawaii: Start of a $3.7-billion, 20-mile light-rail line in Honolulu.<br /><br />Kansas: Three sales taxes for streets and public transit in city of Lawrence.<br /><br />New Mexico: $19 million/year in tax revenue, half for New Mexico Rail Runner Express.<br /><br />Rhode Island: $87.2 million of bonds for transportation, including $7.2 million for transit.</p>\n<p>Washingtokn: $17.8 billion over 20 years for transit, including 34 new miles of light rail.<br /><br />Wisconsin: 1% sales tax for $130 million/year to pay for various services, including transit.</p>\n<p>A complete list of 2008 ballot initiatives is available at <a href=\"http://www.cfte.org.\">http://www.cfte.org.</a>&nbsp; <br /> <br /> Following\nthe failure of Proposition M,&nbsp; Metro will have to cut service\nand increase fares in the spring. If St. Louis Metro\'s Prop. M had passed. it would have increased the sales tax rate in St.\nLouis County by half a cent, and triggered a quarter-cent increase in\nSt. Louis city, which together would have generated about $80 million a\nyear for the agency. Half of that money would have been for operating\nfunds, while the other half would have been set aside for future\nexpansions of MetroLink.<br /> <br /> Facing an operating deficit of $50 million next year, the most likely course of action, based on staff recommendations, is:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fare increases to take effect Jan. 1, 2009;</li>\n<li>a major cutback in service in April 2009;</li>\n<li>and more fare increases to take effect in July 2010.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>The transit agency is looking at elimianting bus service beyond I-270 and cutting&nbsp; some low-use bus routes, as well as eliminating lunch-time free zones downtown for Metrolink and sporting events. Elminating Metrolink service after 8 p.m., which had been considered, is now off the table.</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n</ul>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n</ul>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n</ul>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','none','The mass transit train left the station on Nov. 4 with the passage of billions of dollars in mass transit issues nationwide. But St. Louis was left standing at the turnstile  with the failure of Proposition M. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(352,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Land of Lincoln Posted Full Tilt Growth in 2008','none','Southwestern Illinois, Leadership Council, Market Review','none','<p>After shattering records in 2006-2007, the development pipeline for Southwestern Illinois continued to swell over the past year, reaching a new high of more than $9.4 billion, according to the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois. The organization&rsquo;s 2007-2008 Market Review and Investment Update shows the total value of projects announced, under construction, or completed during the reporting period ending September 30, 2008 up more than half a billion dollars over the prior year. <br /><br /><img alt=\"Illinois Lincoln\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/illinois-lincoln.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />The record total includes some highly speculative proposals, such as the $1 billion Martin Aviation luxury office proposal for the Cahokia airport. Nonetheless, the council suggests the metro east has escaped the national economic downturn.<br /><br />&ldquo;In the midst of all the pessimistic news about the slow down in the economy, we&rsquo;re pleased to report that developments were still moving full steam ahead in Southwestern Illinois during the past year,&rdquo; said Suzanne Butler, president of the Leadership Council, the member-based, economic development corporation that compiles the economic data for Madison and St. Clair counties. &ldquo;The continuing investments across so many sectors of our economy reaffirm Southwestern Illinois&rsquo; position as a prime midwestern development location.&rdquo; <br /><br />Among the highlights from this year&rsquo;s report:<br /><br />&bull;&nbsp; $2.5 billion in projects were already under construction as of the end of September 2008, and $6.1 billion in additional announced projects included the multi-billion dollar investment at ConocoPhillips, which moved forward later in the fall. In one note of caution, the reports notes that continuing to move projects through the pipeline will be dependent upon solid support from and cooperation with local, national and international funding sources.<br /><br />&bull;&nbsp; At $6.46 billion, industrial investments represented the largest chunk of the development pipeline.<br /><br />&bull;&nbsp; Commercial investments topped $1.3 billion for the second year in a row, with 87 different projects contributing to the total. Approximately $164 million of the total represents projects already completed, while two thirds of the total consists of projects under construction. Although the pipeline includes over a quarter billion dollars in projects announced, that number is down $60 million from the year prior, an indication that the commercial sector may be slowing a little as the nation&rsquo;s economy continues to struggle. Collinsville and O&rsquo;Fallon remain the two cities with the largest number of projects, 13 and 15 respectively, while the top five projects in terms of investment size can be found in Dupo, Collinsville, Belleville (2) and Shiloh.<br /><br />&bull;&nbsp; Totaling $331.3 million, institutional investments posted a 63 percent increase over the prior year, the largest percentage increase among all the sectors. This sector includes hospitals, medical centers, non-profits and senior housing facilities. Over $200 million in healthcare projects alone drove the impressive increases in the institutional sector, which has seen three years of back-to-back growth.<br /><br />&bull;&nbsp; Office investments totaled $217.7 million, climbing almost 23 percent over the prior year&rsquo;s record total and representing the third consecutive year of investment growth. Almost $62 million in new office projects were delivered during the 12-month reporting period, a 33 percent increase in projects completed compared to the prior year. Collinsville serves as home to one-fourth of all the new office projects moving through the pipeline. <br /><br />&bull;&nbsp; Topping out at $439 million, total investments in the educational sector remained steady over the past year. While the overall investment numbers remain strong in the educational arena, the total value of announced projects decreased by 33 percent compared to the prior period. $262 million of the projects on this year&rsquo;s list are K-12 facilities, while $177 million represents investments in higher education projects. The three largest projects under construction, totaling $93 million, are K-12 projects. <br /><br />&bull;&nbsp; Public investments (excluding transportation) soared to $648.7 million, up 56 percent from last year. This 56 percent gain was on the heels of a 45.5 percent increase the year prior, with projects again ranging from basic infrastructure improvements to recreational amenities to public safety projects. Projects at Scott Air Force Base accounted for $180 million, or more than one-quarter of the total. With over $600 million of the public projects under construction or yet to break ground, investments in this sector should continue to positively impact the local economy for years to come.<br /><br />While the numbers paint a very positive picture for the region, Butler said that sustaining the high level of economic activity will require that new challenges brought on by this growth and the current financial and economic conditions of the country continue to be addressed. &ldquo;The Leadership Council remains confident that individuals from business, industry, government, education and labor will collaboratively address those challenges in a way that moves our region forward,&rdquo; she said.<br /><br />The 2007-2008 Market Review and Investment Update is available online at www.siteselection-il.com</p>','none','After shattering records in 2006-2007, the development pipeline for Southwestern Illinois continued to swell over the past year, reaching a new high of more than $9.4 billion, according to the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois.','none','','none','','none','','none',265,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/illinois-lincoln.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(337,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','Seeing You Through Tough Times','none','lawyers, accountants ','none','<p><img alt=\"Tough Times\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/tough-times.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" /></p>\n<p>The collapse of Demand Electric, Inc., showcases one type of service that lawyers and accountants provide in the construction industry. They can help clean up the mess when a company blows up. But lawyers and accountants can also help forestall business failures and even help to grow businesses in tough economic times.<br /><br />Dennis Daugherty, formerly a project manager at Guarantee Electrical Company, founded Demand Electric in August 2003, near the peak of the boom. He reported revenues of $22 million in 2007, earning Demand Electric sixty-ninth place in Midwest Construction&rsquo;s August 2008 list of the largest specialty contractors in the Midwest. Even as the list appeared, however, the company was in the final stages of collapse.<br /><br />Two dozen plus court filings outline the final stages of the demise of Demand Electric. On April 21, 2008, Demand Electric filed a mechanic&rsquo;s lien against JFK Construction, Forever 21 stores, and Chesterfield Mall. That probably was not the only job to go bad, however, for soon Demand Electric was buried underneath claims from its suppliers and vendors.<br /><br />Access Courier filed suit against Demand Electric for breach of contract on July 2. Two weeks later, the Demand Electric&rsquo;s landlord sued for possession of the property. In August, City Lighting Products filed a suit on account and Graybar Electric filed a mechanic&rsquo;s lien against Demand Electric, Duke Construction, and 625 Building LLC.<br /><br />The pace of claims picked up in September. IBEW Local 1 and NECA-St. Louis filed suit in federal court against Demand Electric, The Business Bank of St. Louis, and Providence Counseling, for contributions Demand Electric owed to electrical industry trust funds. French-Gerleman Electric filed a mechanic&rsquo;s lien; Graybar and Colorado Electric Supply each sued Demand for breach of contract.<br /><br />The avalanche of claims picked up strength in October with more mechanic&rsquo;s liens filings against the company, now from Liebert, Western Extralite, Rexel Electric Supply, and multiple liens from Butler Supply Co. and Warren Sign Co. On top of that, an eviction order was served on the Demand on October 6. Butler Supply and Western Extralite followed their mechanic&rsquo;s liens with breach of contract suits in November.<br /><br />Lawyers clearly had been busy, while behind the scenes accountants toiled to get all the numbers right for all the liens and other claims.<br /><br />&ldquo;Going forward, we&rsquo;re going to see a lot more disputes where one party cannot pay,&rdquo; said Andrew Manuel, shareholder, Greensfelder, Hemker and Gale, PC, and that is where mechanics&rsquo; liens, and properly documenting costs covered by liens, are important.<br /><br />Manuel said he is seeing legal work in the construction industry unfold in two ways. &ldquo;The first thing we&rsquo;re seeing is more mechanic&rsquo;s liens and bond claims and the type of payment dispute where money has stopped flowing. That is something going on right now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The other area we&rsquo;re seeing is suspension or termination of projects. Those raise issues of how to suspend or terminate a contract. We&rsquo;re seeing questions about that up and down the whole business chain. And then with those, we are seeing issues around bankruptcy and reorganization and pension fund liabilities,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br />Walt Bazan, from Bazan Painting and the American Subcontractors Association Midwest Council, said worries about getting paid have rapidly moved up the list of subcontractor concerns. &ldquo;We now have to find out how projects are financed and underwritten to see if there is enough cash,&rdquo; he said, and that means getting the right in a contract to look at the developer&rsquo;s financial information.<br /><br />&ldquo;I&rsquo;m making sure my clients are more aggressive on protecting themselves on payment issues,&rdquo; said Len Ruzicka, a partner in Stinson Morrison Hecker, who represents large general contractors. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m making sure they have the right to suspend work for nonpayment, the right to terminate a contract for nonpayment, and the right for a financial audit of the owner at any time on job, so if they get a change order they can say &lsquo;show me the money.&rsquo; I also encourage them to have negotiations up front with the owner on cost escalations on certain items,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br /><strong>Raising Your Game</strong><br /><br />&ldquo;A good lawyer can help a party be more competitive, no doubt,&rdquo; Manuel said. &ldquo;We do some of our best work up front in helping clients get projects and understand the roles and risks so they can manage them and go forward,&rdquo; he said. Greensfelder clients, he said, &ldquo;are getting pretty creative on how to pursue contracts. We&rsquo;re seeing more joint ventures, more teaming, and more collaborative contracts.&rdquo;<br /><br />Bill Wilbrand, a partner in Brown Smith Wallace LLC, said a good accountant can help a company be more competitive, too.<br /><br />&ldquo;If everyone is in sync, if everyone in the company knows its objectives, its vision, and its goals, this is just a bump in the road, an opportunity for weeding out the opposition,&rdquo; Wilbrand said. &ldquo;If the company knows its goals, we can put the proper management tools in place to measure progress towards those goals. That will help a company come out dramatically better, stronger, and probably more profitable when things do change,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br />Wilbrand said one of the biggest areas in which he sees contractor clients needing help from the outside now is in rightsizing their companies. &ldquo;They need to know what is the break even point, what are their goals, what are the company&rsquo;s sweet spots, what should they be targeting, and what are the critical success factors and key indicators they need to manage,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br />Dave Winkler, director of the business intelligence group at BSW, called the firm&rsquo;s methodology &ldquo;balanced scorecarding.&rdquo;<br /><br />&ldquo;It allows you to align the activities of the organization with the goals of the organization,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You want to get everyone on task,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We put the tools in place that help an organization measure how well employee activities align with objectives,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br /><strong>Cutting Wages</strong><br /><br />Productivity always is important, but right now, cutting costs is critical to a lot of companies, said John Wunderlich, head of the consulting group at BSW, and the only way to make meaningful cuts is to cut payroll costs, he said. The dilemma for contractors is how to do that while retaining key people for when things turn better. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re talking to a lot of companies about dropping back to four-day work weeks with employees taking a commensurate drop in pay, or in some cases asking for volunteers to go part time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re also helping companies look at suspending the employer match to 401k plans. When times are this tough, you have to be getting to wages,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br />Gerry Richardson, an attorney with Evans &amp; Dixon, L.L.C., who specializes in employment and labor law, said, &ldquo;many companies are facing difficult decisions about reductions in force and closing certain businesses.&rdquo; Discrimination laws and the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act add layer of complexity to what are already difficult decisions.<br /><br />WARN, which applies to layoffs of at least 100 employees or a plant closing that affects at least 50 workers, is one of the issues in the plant occupation of a building components manufacturer in Chicago. In general, a company that fails to give the required notice &ldquo;is liable for wages equivalent to 60 days of work,&rdquo; Richardson said. The exception, he said, is if a company that thought it had financing suddenly and unexpectedly lost it&rsquo;s financing and had no money to operate. Republic Windows and Doors put 250 people out of work when it closed its factory on December 5 after giving the workers only three days notice.&nbsp; The workers immediately occupied the factory to keep the finished products from being shipped out to customers until they received the vacation pay they said was owed them and the severance pay they said was due them under WARN. <br /><br />&ldquo;If doing a reduction in force (as opposed to a layoff, where you expect to call people back in less than six months) an employer needs to take a systematic approach to how layoffs are done to avoid claims of discrimination from older workers, or claims based on gender or race,&rdquo; Richardson said. &ldquo;Ideally, you try and keep the best employees and let go of the weak ones, but if you don&rsquo;t have documentation in the form of say performance appraisals that prove your determination of who is best, you will have a hard time defending against claims of discrimination if women or workers over 40 or another protected class tended to be laid-off more than other people,&rdquo; he explained.<br /><br />&ldquo;To avoid liability, employers want to use criteria that means they are not picking by protected class. A lawyer can help select criteria and do an analysis to see how it would work &ndash; how it affects people in protected classes. If there is a disproportionate result, you have to reevaluate that selection criteria,&rdquo; he said. <br /><br />There are other hoops, too, but the important point is to &ldquo;exercise caution on the front end,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you end up in court, remember that almost everyone in the jury pool has lost a job at some point. So if there is any doubt, their sympathy goes with the employee,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br /><strong>Looking for Work</strong><br /><br />Some contractors are actively seeking new markets so they can avoid laying off employees. &ldquo;Our proactive clients are aggressively pursuing projects outside of Missouri and Illinois,&rdquo; said Manuel.<br /><br />&ldquo;I see a move to more work in the public sector,&rdquo; Ruzicka said. &ldquo;There is a lot of public work out there, Obama has announced there is going to be even more, and there is a general sense that the way we will move out of this recession is more public work,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br />In federal work, however, &ldquo;the bidding structure is much different,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Most often there is no opportunity to negotiate; you can&rsquo;t even take exception to the bid package,&rdquo; he said. He helps guide clients through the differences in bidding structures, prevailing wage requirements, bonding requirements, &ldquo;and more importantly,&rdquo; he said, new ethics requirements.<br /><br />&ldquo;Regulations passed a year ago, and regulations just approved, are very much more demanding in terms of documentation. Any contractor or subcontractor who is getting over $5 million has to demonstrate that he has an ethics program in place and has to document certain things,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve done three presentation in the last month to six weeks on ethics compliance,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Just last month, another four regulations were published with more requirements. The underlying requirements are the same, it is the reporting that has become the issue and there are some pretty sophisticated contractors out there who don&rsquo;t know about it,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br />Ruzicka said he thinks the new reporting requirements started because of problems in Iraq, &ldquo;because of that there has been a lot,&rdquo; and although they may seem a burden, he said he thinks they will end up being good for contractors.<br /><strong><br />Change Is Coming</strong><br /><br />A potent emerging issue is the Employee Free Choice Act, which Richardson said is very likely to pass Congress next year. This year it passed the House, but the Senate held it up. Richardson does not think the new Senate will do the same. &ldquo;If you went to a bookie to get odds on the Employee Free Choice Act passing, he would tell you it is a poor bet to bet against it,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br />The Employee Free Choice Act would make it much easier for private sector employees to join unions, he said. In the version that passed the House, &ldquo;all it would take would be for a union to have signed authorization cards from 50 percent of a recognized group of employees, then the employer would have to negotiate and if they didn&rsquo;t reach agreement within 120 days, the law would require interest arbitration to set the terms of the first contract.&rdquo; <br /><br />Currently a union has to have at least 1/3 of the employees sign cards and then it can get an election. There is a minimum of 42 days between a union request and when an election occurs, which gives the employer six weeks to get its message out, he said. If a union does win an election, currently there is no time limit for reaching agreement on a first contract. &ldquo;It could take 5 years as long as everyone is bargaining in good faith, or they may never reach an agreement,&rdquo; said Richardson.<br /><br />If either provision of the Employee Free Choice Act passes, unionization by signed authorization cards instead of election or interest arbitration after 120 days, &ldquo;it would radically change labor relations,&rdquo; Richardson said.</p>','none','The collapse of Demand Electric, Inc. showcases one type of service that lawyers and accountants provide in the construction industry. They can help clean up the mess when a company blows up. But lawyers and accountants can also help forestall business failures and even help to grow businesses in tough economic times.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/tough-times.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(336,1,11,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','Products, Services, & Opportunities','none','<p><a href=\"http://www.maeparts.com\"><img alt=\"MAE\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"155\" src=\"/images/uploads/MAE.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"155\" /></a>&nbsp;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;<a href=\"http://www.drillingserviceco.com\"><img alt=\"Drilling Service\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"155\" src=\"/images/uploads/drilling-service.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"155\" /></a><a href=\"http://scs.wustl.edu/Academics/MCM.asp\"><img alt=\"Wash U. \" class=\"image-left\" height=\"157\" src=\"/images/uploads/CNR_ENewsletterAd_October_09.jpg\" style=\"float: left; border: 0.14px solid black;\" width=\"157\" /></a><a href=\"http://www.vatterott-college.edu\"><img alt=\"Vatterott\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"155\" src=\"/images/uploads/Vaterott.gif\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"155\" /></a></p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','none','','none'),(342,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Electrical Connection Wraps Best-Ever Habitat Effort','none','Electrical Connection, Doug Martin','none','<p>With a 50 percent increase in its annual donation, The Electrical Connection has made this year&rsquo;s Habitat for Humanity St. Louis house building blitz the most successful ever &ndash; not only for disadvantaged families, but for out-of-work union electricians.&nbsp; The labor-management organization donated $190,000 in material and services to safely wire a record 27 Habitat homes. House-building this year began in June and wrapped-up in early December. Families received keys to the new homes at a ceremony December 6, 2008.</p>\n<p>&ldquo;It has been a rough year for many area families, so we increased our commitment to help Habitat&nbsp; build more homes and provide full-time pay and fringe benefits to jobless union electricians,&rdquo; said Douglas R. Martin, executive vice president of the St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). St. Louis Chapter NECA partners with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local One to form the Electrical Connection.</p>\n<p>The homes are located in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood of North St. Louis, most of them on Sheridan Avenue and Thomas Street. All are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified &ndash; a first for Habitat for Humanity St. Louis. .<br /><br />&ldquo;The slumping economy has put many electricians out of work,&rdquo; added Steve Schoemehl, IBEW Local One business manager. &ldquo;In our fifth year partnering with Habitat, we are delighted to have provided work for 50-plus electricians while bringing 27 disadvantaged families home just in time for the holidays.&rdquo;</p>\n<p>&nbsp;Since 2004, the Electrical Connection has donated more than $500,000 to wire more than 140 Habitat homes.<br /><br />Participating union electrical contractors included: Dickherber Electric, Inc., J. Bathe Electric Co., M.R. Bathe Electric, Northwest Electric Co., Inc., Superb Electric, L.C., Schaeffer Electric Co., Inc. and Wentzel Electric.<br /><br /><a href=\"http://www.electricalconnection.org\">The Electrical Connection</a> has also donated services to Rebuilding Together to improve homes for low-income, elderly persons in the area, and for 12 years has donated skills and material in support of St. Louis City&rsquo;s &ldquo;National Night Out&rdquo; anti-crime program.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','With a 50 percent increase in its annual donation, The Electrical Connection has made this year\'s Habitat for Humanity St. Louis house building blitz the most successful ever – not only for disadvantaged families, but for out-of-work union electricians.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(343,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','The Man Behind the Green (LEED) Curtain','none','LEED, Sammartano, Salian','none','<p>The pivotal scene in the movie The Wizard of Oz comes when Dorothy Gale&rsquo;s dog Toto pulls back a green curtain behind the fire-belching &ldquo;Wizard&rdquo;, to reveal a &ldquo;humbug&rdquo; patent medicine salesman.&nbsp; A similar situation exists in the world of &ldquo;green&rdquo; building,&nbsp; LEED consultant Dan Sammartano, LEED AP, general manager, Salian Commercial Construction Services, told the attendees at the Green Buildings &amp; New Technology Conference held in Clayton on Thursday, Nov. 11. <br /><br /><img alt=\"Man Behind the Curtain\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"303\" src=\"/images/uploads/man-behind-the-curtain.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"266\" />Sammartano, who has consulted on many LEED projects around the country, including the Platinum LEED Alberici building, expressed concern with the current state of LEED building. While LEED standards have accomplished a lot in terms of establishing a baseline of performance and legitimizing sustainable construction, the unpredictability of quantifiable data on energy savings predicted in LEED models puts the program&rsquo;s credibility at risk, Sammartano said. <br /><br />&ldquo;A recurring theme at the conference was the premium LEED is bringing to the value of commercial buildings,&rdquo; Sammartano said.&nbsp; &ldquo;This is evidenced by a growing interest in these buildings even during this economic downturn. Preferred lending and increased valuations were also discussed. If we are to put a premium on a building&rsquo;s LEED certification believing they are energy efficient, than the system should assure delivery of the intended efficiencies.<br />&nbsp;<br />&ldquo;As a LEED practitioner, I am concerned about the effectiveness of the LEED&reg; certification system. If we are to believe LEED brings a premium to owners, lenders and tenants, then we&rsquo;d better make sure it has true value. What has been shown in recent studies is that the energy savings portion of that value cannot be counted on in that sample. <br /><br />&ldquo;One study concluded that the ratio between predicted and measured results were all over the chart, pointing to an unreliability that should make any LEED&reg; practitioner or owner worry.&nbsp; Now government regulations are appearing which require true benchmarking of energy use through Energy Star Portfolio Manager for commercial buildings. <br /><br />&ldquo;Soon these energy data will be made public, and those which achieve high rates of energy efficiency will be able to leverage this premium in ways LEED&reg; may not.&nbsp; If LEED doesn&rsquo;t solve the problem of predictive energy use by requiring actual energy use data for certification, then LEED stands the risk of being passed by these benchmarking efforts,&rdquo; Sammartano stated.<br /><br />Other speakers included Michael Clark of Green Street Properties, LLC, who said that his company is still seeing strong demand for green construction, even as the economy tanks. &ldquo;Boardrooms are filled with people who are not sophisticated at all about green building but are asking their people, the questions,&rdquo; Clark said. He said that his company has thrived by focusing on marketing to the growing segment of business that is embracing sustainability, and by partnering with governmental entities to make the numbers work on the existing buildings that Green Street redevelops.<br /><br />Other speakers included a panel of attorneys who discussed the potential liabilities and innovative leases needed for green projects and accountant Teri Samples, CPA, shareholder in MPP&amp;W, who presented models for financing, cost accounting, and structuring deals on sustainable projects.</p>','none','The pivotal scene in the movie The Wizard of Oz comes when Dorothy Gale\'s dog Toto pulls back a green curtain behind the fire-belching \"Wizard\", to reveal a \"humbug\" patent medicine salesman.  A similar situation exists in the world of green building,  LEED consultant Dan Sammartano, LEED AP, general manager, Salian Commercial Construction Services, told the attendees at the Green Buildings & New Technology Conference held in Clayton on Thursday, Nov. 11.','none','','none','','none','','none',255,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','/images/uploads/man-behind-the-curtain.jpg','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(344,1,5,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','Waiting for the Phone to Ring?','none','','none','<p>Is this your corporate sales policy? Staring at a phone that used to ring regularly and now wondering if there\'s a problem with the line. I honestly can\'t tell you how many times sales managers and company owners tell me this is the posture of most of their sales personnel. Estimators, sales reps and project managers have developed this sales technique as a reflection of a strong business climate for quite a few years. Guess what? Not gonna work anymore.</p>\n<p>Even well established companies with years of presence in the marketplace are finding out there are no customers in their office. The first response is usually to start with a little telemarketing and then schedule meetings to figure out what the heck is going on.&nbsp; Let me give you a strong piece of consulting advice for free, get off your behind! <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n<p>Trying to figure this whole economy out, sitting waiting for your bailout or wondering what the new President is going to do for you is a colossal waste of time. You need to take control of your company\'s sales effort and begin to generate activity.&nbsp; Get moving and start the ball rolling. Stop having meetings to schedule meetings. Get your focus off all your internal issues and realize your biggest need in this climate is to go out and MAKE the phone ring. I find little customer insensitivity mistakes everywhere. Why would you not have your name and greeting on your voicemail? Sure seems arrogant to me. If your phone answers \"you have reached 314-123-1234\" how do I know it\'s your number? Maybe I dialed a wrong number. I\'ll just call someone who\'ll let me know who he or she is.&nbsp; AND quit having someone else record your greeting you lazy bum! I want to hear your voice not your secretary\'s or the phone services computer.&nbsp; Maybe it\'s just me .... Nope!<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n<p>Another thing, why wouldn\'t you have your cell number on your business card? Certainly wouldn\'t want to be accessible to your customers now would you?&nbsp; Did you skip Christmas cards this year? I\'m sure your clients appreciated your non-wish of Season\'s Greetings.&nbsp; Have you cut out lunches, tickets, giveaways or happy hours? Sure the customers haven\'t noticed. I recently did a seminar in New York City where I spoke on selling through tough economic climates. You know what seminar topic that preceded me? \"How to cut your costs to the bone.\" Wow! Raise the white flag. That\'s okay, I\'m sure your customers will understand your corner cutting and will go right back to where they were when things get better. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n<p>If it sounds like I\'m being sarcastic, you\'re right. Unless you\'re in line for a government bailout, you\'re going to need to generate your OWN revenue. This means expanding your customer base, diversifying your offerings to the clients and focusing on their needs not your own.&nbsp; I don\'t care what size your business is you need to be firing on all your sales cylinders. ALL your personnel need to understand every order, job or opportunity is crucial. Customers are the most valuable commodity we have. They need to be cultivated, respected and listened too.&nbsp; Attitudes, laziness and arrogance have no place in anyone\'s company at this point.</p>\n<p>I\'m really not sure when they really ever are acceptable.&nbsp; I see countless examples of half efforts, lack of improvement and no sense of urgency prevalent amongst contractors, suppliers and service organizations. This business climate has changed, you must as well.&nbsp; Sitting in the office waiting for opportunities to come to you from your \"established\" clients will guarantee a drop in business.&nbsp; This is not rocket science but you will need to develop a course of action. Just throwing money at the problem doesn\'t work either. The good news is the cost of making a splash in sales has actually gone down with the advent of technology, if used properly in conjunction with good ol\' sales tactics. Do you know how to enact the plan? Do your people understand it? Do you have a great mission statement or catchy tagline? Which of those grabs your customer\'s interest? Have you spent more time on employee engagement as opposed to customer engagement? (Reference US automobile manufacturers) <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>\n<p>Take this as an alarm sounding if you are still sitting by the phone.&nbsp; I\'m trying to help you here. Get out with your clients and let them know you love and appreciate them. You value their business and want any opportunity they have. You want to prove your loyalty to them instead of your expectation of them keeping your company in business. That\'s your job! Make that phone ring!<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;</p>','','251','none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','Is this your corporate sales policy? Staring at a phone that used to ring regularly and now wondering if there\'s a problem with the line. I honestly can\'t tell you how many times sales managers and company owners tell me this is the posture of most of their sales personnel. Estimators, sales reps and project managers have developed this sales technique as a reflection of a strong business climate for quite a few years. Guess what? Not gonna work anymore.','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(345,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Construction Starts on St. Charles County Memory Care Facility','none','Meadwowlands, memory care, St. Charles','none','<p>A group of local investors has given the signal to proceed with the most extensive and advanced assisted living and memory care facility in St. Charles County, Assisted Living at the Meadowlands. <br /><br />The Meadowlands, which will be located near the intersection of T.R. Hughes Blvd. and Tom Ginnever Blvd. in North O&rsquo;Fallon, will be the only facility in St. Charles County to offer Alzheimer&rsquo;s patients an assisted living option instead of nursing home care.<br /><br />Owner/Managing Partner Kevin Kast said the idea for Assisted Living at the Meadowlands &ldquo;began five years ago as a vision between Tom Hughes and myself.&rdquo; Since they assembled 18 more prominent residents of St. Charles to back that vision. Those investors are looking for more than financial returns, he said. &ldquo;The investors who came together to build this facility are looking for an ROI that is measured in exceptional, compassionate care to the residents,&rdquo; he said.<br /><br />The first phase of the project will consist of an 86-bed, 53,000-square-foot facility to provide specialized care to elderly and memory care patients. Future phases, which will include congregate independent living, senior villas, and physician offices, will increase the capacity of the facility to 500 residents and grow the campus to more than 30 acres. The total cost of Phase 1 is estimated at $10-12 million.<br /><br />The general contractor and builder of the Assisted Living at the Meadowlands is TRH Commercial Group.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','A group of local investors has given the signal to proceed with the most extensive and advanced assisted living and memory care facility in St. Charles County, Assisted Living at the Meadowlands.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(346,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Midwest Block & Brick Gobbles Up Competition','none','Midwest Block & Brick, Hill Thomas, Glenstone Block Company','none','<p>The economy may be tough, but Midwest Block &amp; Brick is expanding.<br /><br />Midwest Block &amp; Brick, a division of Midwest Products Group, recently acquired Hill Thomas, based in East St. Louis, IL and Glenstone Block Company in Springfield, Branson, and Camdenton, MO. Both acquisitions took place in October.<br /><br />Along with the acquisition of Glenstone Block Company, Nattinger Block &amp; Brick, a Midwest Products Group company, will be changing their name to Midwest Block &amp; Brick as a part of a consolidation strategy. <br /><br />The Hill Thomas company headquarters includes 3.5 acres located in East St. Louis, Illinois, complete with a rail spur. Their accompanying retail showroom, approximately 2,000 square feet in size, is located in Shiloh, IL.<br /><br />The Glenstone Block Company headquarters includes 5.5 acres located on Glenstone Avenue in Springfield, MO. The facility features a 4,000 square foot showroom, with block manufacturing plant, shop, and warehouse included. The Glenstone Block Company acquisition also includes their Branson retail outlet located on approximately 2 to 3 acres. Glenstone&rsquo;s Camdenton location will merge with Midwest Block &amp; Brick&rsquo;s current facility in Osage Beach.<br /><br />According to a statement from Midwest Block &amp; Brick, the immediate benefits of the Hill Thomas acquisition include a broader range of products available for Midwest Block &amp; Brick customers to choose from; additional experienced salespeople for the Metro East; customers in the St. Louis area; and a showroom facility in Shiloh, Illinois.<br /><br />&ldquo;The acquisition of Hill Thomas by Midwest Block &amp; Brick gives us a presence in the expanding areas of Edwardsville, O\'Fallon and Belleville, Illinois,&rdquo; said Darryl Winegar, vice president of Midwest Block &amp; Brick. <br /><br />Similarly, Mike Ankrom, another vice president, said, &ldquo;The acquisition of Glenstone Block Company by Midwest Block &amp; Brick gives us an increased market penetration in the crucial trade areas of Branson and Joplin, as well as a bigger presence in Springfield, MO.&rdquo;<br /><br />Midwest Block &amp; Brick already had multiple manufacturing and showroom facilities across Missouri, including the Kansas City region; Columbia, Jefferson City and Osage Beach in mid-Missouri; the Hannibal area; and throughout the St. Louis Metro region. Midwest Block &amp; Brick also operates in Quincy and Springfield, IL; Paducah, KY; and Union City, TN.<br /><br />Besides Midwest Block &amp; Brick, Midwest Products Group has several other divisions headquartered in the St. Louis region, including Kirchner Block &amp; Brick and St. Louis Retaining Wall Company.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The economy may be tough, but Midwest Block & Brick is expanding.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(347,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','',' Clayco Builds Blue Waters Supercomputing Facility','none','Clayco, University of Illinois, supercomputer','none','<p>The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the National Center for Super Computing Applications (NCSA) have turned to Clayco Inc. to manage construction of a new facility to house the world&rsquo;s newest and fastest supercomputer.<br /><br />Located in at the northwest corner of Oak Street and St. Mary\'s Road in Champaign, the 90,000-square-foot Petascale Computing Facility (PCF) will house Blue Waters, a new supercomputer currently in development, that will be 500 times more powerful than supercomputers currently in use.<br /><br />The PCF will feature a command center, system administration center and office space for 50 staff members. It will also contain a 20,000-square-foot machine room with a six-foot raised floor large enough to house Blue Waters, as well as other systems. Current plans also call for 24 MW electrical capacity and 5,400 tons of water cooling capacity from the University&rsquo;s chilled water distribution loop. <br /><br />Energy efficiency and sustainability are pivotal to the design and construction of this project. The PCF will achieve LEED certification, with LEED Silver certification as the goal.<br /><br />Environmental efforts include building three on-site cooling towers to provide water that has been naturally chilled by the cold outdoor air, rather than electrically cooled and eliminating the installation of an Uninterruptible Power Supply to minimize floor space required and increase energy efficiency. Since Illinois is ranked among the top states in tornado frequency, the building is also designed to withstand an F3 tornado and winds of 165 mph.<br />&nbsp;<br />Clayco&rsquo;s project team includes Steve Street, project executive; Frank Baum, project estimator; Chad Derus, project manager; Frank Wiza, project superintendent; Scott Murnick, project director; and Kevin McKenna, Regional Vice President. The engineering firm is EYP Mission Critical Facilities and the architect is Gensler. The civil engineer is the Terra Technologies, Inc., the structural engineer is Rubinos and Mesia Engineers. Also joining Clayco on the project is Nova, a Mission Critical Contractor based in New York, NY.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the National Center for Super Computing Applications (NCSA) have turned to Clayco Inc. to manage construction of a new facility to house the world\'s newest and fastest supercomputer.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(348,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','',' 1.2 Million SF Mixed-Use Development Breaks Ground in St. Chuck','none','Durrant, Streets of St. Charles','none','<p>The Durrant Group, Inc., recently celebrated the official groundbreaking for &ldquo;The Streets of St. Charles,&rdquo; a 1.2 million square foot mixed-use development on former site of Noah&rsquo;s Ark restaurant and motel. The &lsquo;new urbanism&rsquo; mixed-use development, located just south of I-70 at Fifth Street, will contain 170,000 square feet of retail space, 280,000 square feet of office space, 540 residential units, two hotels and a theatre. Phase I of the development is estimated to be completed in 2010.<br /><br />Durrant is the architect and engineer of record. Cullinan Properties, Ltd., is the developer. Brinkmann Constructors is the general contractor.</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The Durrant Group, Inc., recently celebrated the official groundbreaking for \"The Streets of St. Charles,\"  a 1.2 million square foot mixed-use development on former site of Noah\'s Ark restaurant and motel.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(349,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Air Products to Put Facility at Fountain Lakes Commerce Center','none','Air Products, Fountain Lakes','none','<p>Following a region-wide competition, Air Products has selected Fountain Lakes Commerce Center at I-370 and Elm Street in St. Charles, MO, as the site for a new 269,837-square-foot production facility. The 475-acre Fountain Lakes Commerce Center project is owned and developed by The Millstone Company. <br /><br />The new facility, which has a projected completion value of $54 million, will enable Air Products to increase output of its sophisticated membrane products by more than 50 percent and is being built by Korte Construction in two phases on a 12-acre site. Phase I will consist of a 98,047-square-foot building that will be completed by mid-2009. Phase II, a 171,790-square-foot facility, is slated to open in early 2010. <br /><br />Geoff Orf and Kevin Gallagher with Gateway Commercial/Cushman Wakefield represented Millstone in the transaction. Tom Erman and Kevin McKeon with NAI DESCO represented Air Products.<br /><br />Gallagher said Air Products looked at multiple sites in St. Charles and St. Louis counties before choosing Fountain Lakes. <br /><br />&ldquo;The fact that Fountain Lakes Commerce Center and the roads leading to it rest on ground that is above the 500-year flood plain was a key factor in the decision of Air Products to invest here,&rdquo; said Paul Chesterton, director of real estate development for Millstone. &ldquo;St. Louis experienced two floods in 2008 and the development stayed dry through both without needing a levee to protect it.&rdquo; <br /><br />&ldquo;The comparatively low tax rate in the City of St. Charles plus the willingness of the city to expedite the approval process &ndash; it was shortened by four months &ndash; were other important factors,&rdquo; he added. <br /><br />Air Products currently operates a membrane production facility that employs more than 100 people at 11444 Lackland Ave. in St. Louis County. Open since 1984, the company has expanded the plant several times, most recently by 25,000 square feet in 2007. The Lackland plant will continue to operate after the Fountain Lakes plant opens. <br /><br />&ldquo;Locating near our existing facility will allow us to leverage our skilled workforce and know-how to bring the facility into full production more quickly and efficiently,&rdquo; said George Lewis, global business manager, equipment sales at Air Products. &ldquo;This new facility will ensure our ability to meet strong demand for high performance membranes.&rdquo;<br /><br /></p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Following a region-wide competition, Air Products has selected Fountain Lakes Commerce Center at I-370 and Elm Street in St. Charles, MO, as the site for a new 269,837-square-foot production facility. The 475-acre Fountain Lakes Commerce Center project is owned and developed by The Millstone Company.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(350,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Second Phase of Wood River Commons Gets Underway','none','Koman, Wood River Commons','none','<p>Koman Properties has announced that work is officially underway on Phase II of its Wood River Commons retail development, which is already home to Walgreen&rsquo;s and McDonald&rsquo;s. Club Fitness has signed on as the anchor tenant for the 13,500-square-foot second phase, which represents an additional $2 million investment in the community by Koman Properties. <br /><br />A full-service health club with existing locations in Granite City and Alton, Club Fitness will be taking 8,000 square feet of space in the expanded development and is set to open its doors to the public in the spring of 2009. Upon completion of Phase II, the overall Wood River Commons development will encompass a total of 33,000-square feet and feature an expanded selection of national and local retailers, specialty shops, services and restaurants. <br /><br />&ldquo;The Interstate 255 extension and Wal-Mart Supercenter are helping to draw more customers to the area and positioning it as a convenient shopping destination for people in the surrounding communities,&rdquo; stated Terry Barnes, who is overseeing the development of Wood River Commons for Koman Properties. &ldquo;The demand for the goods and services available in this commercial district will only grow as work underway at ConocoPhillips brings additional laborers to the area, making this an ideal time to proceed with the next phase of this project.&rdquo; <br /></p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','Koman Properties has announced that work is officially underway on Phase II of its Wood River Commons retail development, which is already home to Walgreen\'s and McDonald\'s. Club Fitness has signed on as the anchor tenant for the 13,500-square-foot second phase, which represents an additional $2 million investment in the community by Koman Properties.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(351,1,2,'','none','','none','','none','MRB Team Prequalifies Contractor Teams for Bridge ','none','Misssisspii River Bridge, contractor, Massman, Alberici','none','<p>The Mississippi River Bridge design team has prequalified four contractor teams to bid on the cable-stay portion of the new bridge between East St. Louis, Ill., and St. Louis, Mo.<br /><br />Contractor teams prequalified to bid on the four-lane bridge are: Kiewit Western Co.; American Bridge Co; a joint venture between Walsh Construction and PCL; and a joint venture between Massman Construction Co., Traylor Brothers and Alberici Enterprises.<br /><br />By prequalifying, these contractors will be able to work with the Mississippi River Bridge team to develop confidential and individualized proposals using the latest advances in construction technology. Each contractor has the opportunity to make cost-saving suggestions to reduce the final cost of the river bridge. These contractor teams will submit bids for bridge construction at the end of 2009 using plans that include their confidential concepts.<br /><br />Contractors must prequalify to bid to verify that the company has the experience, leadership and capability available to complete the complex work required in constructing the Mississippi River Bridge.<br /><br />There will be another opportunity for contractor teams to prequalify in August 2009 for the bridge. These contractor teams will bid on the project using base plans that the Mississippi River Bridge design team will develop. The contractor team with the lowest bid on the bridge will win the bridge construction contract when it is awarded. The construction cost of the cable-stayed section of the bridge has been estimated at $160 million.<br /><br />Walsh Construction also is among eight contractors that have indicated that they were interested in working with the Mississippi River Bridge team to develop potentially cheaper construction alternatives on the bridge approaches - the section of the roadway on either side of the bridge leading to the bridge. For the MRB, this section ranges from approximately Route 3 on the Illinois side to just before Broadway on the Missouri side. Those contractors who have indicated they are interested in developing alternatives for the approaches are Fred Weber Inc., KCI Construction Co., Keeley and Sons, Keller Construction Inc., Kozeny-Wagner, Millstone-Bangert Inc., St. Louis Bridge Construction Co. and Walsh Construction.</p>','none','The Mississippi River Bridge design team has prequalified four contractor teams to bid on the cable-stay portion of the new bridge between East St. Louis, Ill., and St. Louis, Mo.','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(353,1,5,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','Climbing Out Together','none','recession, green construction','none','<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe we got to where we are so fast,&rdquo; Bill Mitchell, general manager of Roland Machinery said to me at the recent Construction Equipment Dealers Association (CEDA) dinner. &ldquo;Where we are&rdquo; is, of course, all anyone inside or outside the construction industry is talking about these days.</p>\n<p>The mood at the dinner was, if anything, even more convivial than in past years (misery loves company). Bill Mitchell was passing out some lapel buttons he had produced with a red circle and slash through the word &ldquo;Recession.&rdquo;</p>\n<p>This certainly isn&rsquo;t our first recession at CNR. January begins the 40th year of CNR as the &ldquo;Voice for the St. Louis Construction Industry&rdquo;. My Dad, who was second-generation construction industry, started the magazine in the middle of an Ironworkers strike. The photo on the first issue\'s cover is a collage of shut down projects with the word \"Standstill\" overprinted on them.</p>\n<p><img alt=\"Tom Mountain Climber\" class=\"image-right\" height=\"416\" src=\"/images/uploads/tom-mountain-climber.jpg\" style=\"float: right;\" width=\"168\" />I came on board as the magazine first broke even following the recession of 1973-75. Since then we\'ve weathered the downturns in 1980-82; 1990-91; and 2001-2003.</p>\n<p>It has been our role through all of those recessions to walk alongside you on the long climb out. Part of that walking alongside is accomplished by giving you information and tools you can use.</p>\n<p>One of the greatest strengths of our local construction industry is the same thing that we complain about in good times: our conservatism and risk aversion. Because the highs here never ascend into the stratosphere, our lows are not as low as many other areas of the country.</p>\n<p>Many contractors and designers I&rsquo;ve talked to have work lined up into the third quarter of next year. The key issue, of course, is financing. &ldquo;I have eight projects,&rdquo; one general told me, &ldquo;not stuff I&rsquo;ve bid on, but stuff with my name on it, that I can&rsquo;t get moving because of money.&rdquo;</p>\n<p>Credit far surpassed any other impediments to recovery in a recent national survey of AGC members, with 83 percent responding that they saw it as their biggest challenge. The next closest was labor at eight percent, followed by fuel prices (four percent).</p>\n<p>Two-thirds predicted growth in sustainability work, with 41 percent saying that \"sustainable practices will be big\" in the next year and 25 percent predicting that sustainability would be \"moderate\". Less than 19 percent said \"the same as this year\" and 12 percent said it would be minimal.<br />While &ldquo;green&rdquo; construction holds promise, one of our town&rsquo;s leaders in this field warns about charging down the sustainable construction path with green-colored spectacles.</p>\n<p>The pivotal scene in the movie The Wizard of Oz happens when Dorothy Gale&rsquo;s dog Toto pulls back a green curtain behind the fire-belching &ldquo;Wizard&rdquo;, to reveal a &ldquo;humbug&rdquo; patent medicine salesman. A similar situation exists in the world of &ldquo;green&rdquo; building, consultant Dan Sammartano, LEED AP and general manager of Salian Commercial Construction Services, told the attendees at the Green Buildings &amp; New Technology Conference held in Clayton on November 11.</p>\n<p>Sammartano, who has consulted on many LEED projects around the country, including the Platinum LEED Alberici building, expressed concern with the current state of LEED building.&ldquo; A recurring theme at the conference was the premium LEED is adding to the value of commercial buildings,&rdquo; Sammartano said.</p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is evidenced by a growing interest in these buildings even during this economic downturn. Preferred lending and increased valuations were also discussed. If we are to put a premium on a building&rsquo;s LEED certification believing they are energy efficient, than the system should assure delivery of the intended efficiencies.</p>\n<p>&ldquo;As a LEED practitioner, I am concerned about the effectiveness of the LEED certification system. If we are to believe LEED brings a premium to owners, lenders and tenants, then we&rsquo;d better make sure it has true value. What has been shown in recent studies is that the energy savings portion of that value cannot be counted on in that sample.&rdquo;</p>\n<p>&ldquo;If LEED doesn&rsquo;t solve the problem of predictive energy use by requiring actual energy use data for certification, then it stands the risk of being passed by (other) benchmarking efforts,&rdquo; Sammartano stated.</p>','','258','none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','','none','“I can’t believe we got to where we are so fast,â€ Bill Mitchell, general manager of Roland Machinery said to me at the recent Construction Equipment Dealers Association (CEDA) dinner. “Where we areâ€ is, of course, all anyone inside or outside the construction industry is talking about these days.','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(635,1,4,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','Midwest Council ASA Elects Officers','none','ASA, Midwest, officers','none','<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;\"><em><span style=\"color: white;\"><span style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1pt;\"></span></span></em></span>The American Subcontractors Association Midwest Council has voted in new officers and directors,&nbsp; effective July 1, for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.&nbsp; The new officers and directors are as follows:</p>\n<ul class=\"unIndentedList\">\n<li> Jim Freeman, The Freeman Contracting Co. Inc., president</li>\n<li> Chris Milne, Oreo &amp; Botta Concrete, vice president </li>\n<li> A.J. Ford, Budrovich Contracting, secretary </li>\n<li> Mark O\'Donnell, O\'Donnell, Bonebrake &amp; Company, treasurer </li>\n<li> Michael Fogarty, Jr., Briner Electric, immediate past president </li>\n<li> Steve Giacin, Kaiser Electric, director </li>\n<li> Ken Bartels, Eqdeals, Inc., director </li>\n<li> David Vaughn, Grant Contracting, director </li>\n<li> Sandra Wilmoth, Midwest Marble &amp; Granite, director </li>\n<li> Vincent Irwin, Irwin Products, director</li>\n<li>Rick Williams, A.R.T. Concrete &amp; Tool Supply, director &nbsp;&nbsp;</li>\n</ul>\n<p align=\"center\" class=\"MsoBodyText\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;\"></span></p>\n<p><!--EndFragment--></p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','','none','','','','','','','','none','','','','none','','none','','none','The Midwest Council ASA has elected its 2009-2010 officers. ','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),(685,1,6,'','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','','You\'re Invited to CNR\'s 40th Anniversary Celebration to Benefit Habitat for Humanity St. Louis ','none','Habitat, CNR, 40th Anniversary','none','<p><img alt=\"Habitat Fund Raiser\" height=\"341\" src=\"/images/uploads/HabitatCNR-.jpg\" width=\"604\" /></p>\n<p>Please join October 29th in an evening of celebration and recognition, marking 40 years of CNR\'s role as \"The Voice for the St. Louis construction industry.</p>\n<p>All proceeds over facility</p>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>','','You are invited to \"Raise the Roof\" at CNR\'s 40th Anniversary Celebration Oct. 29. ALL PROCEEDS from the event will benefit Habitat for Humanity St. Louis. ','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none','','none',0,'none','',0,'none','','','','','','','','','','','none','','none','','none','','none'),