The general contractor Barton Malow is taking its centennial celebration on the road.
This Friday, the company will make the first stop on its “Legacy Tour” in Detroit, a city where Barton Malow was founded by Carl Osborn Barton in 1924, and with which it has a long building history. (Its first contract was interior renovations for Michigan Bell Telephone Company.)
The company’s 100th anniversary exhibit, which includes special artifacts and interactive displays, is contained within a 42-ft truck, on the side of which reads Barton Malow’s tagline: “Building Today for a Better Tomorrow.”
(It takes about an hour to set up the stage and stairs to access the exhibit, says Eric Fish, a company spokesman.)
Through the end of October, the truck is scheduled to make about 30 stops that will include 20 at Barton Malow projects and jobsites.
Celebrating employees and the Motor City
Ryan Maibach, the company’s fourth generation President and CEO, said in a prepared statement that Barton Malow’s anniversary is meant “to celebrate the contributions of the team members on our jobsites.” The Legacy Tour, he added, will “give team members the opportunity to experience this initiative.”
Barton Malow re-emphasizes its connection with Detroit on its website, which features a nearly 10-minute video where Maibach and three other team members—Kara Martini, Detroit office manager; Kevin Zeleji, Senior Director of Field Services; and Dannis MItichell, Senior Director-Community Engagement—single out Detroit-area projects that Barton Malow built, including the historic restoration and rebuilding of the 130-room Shinola Hotel, which took two years to complete; and the construction of Little Caesars Arena, on which Barton Malow worked with Hunt and White Construction. Three-fifths of the contractors on the $862 million arena project were Detroit-based, said Mitchell.
“With every project we do, we’re partnering with the community,” said Keleji on the video interview. Maibach, who has been the company’s president since 2011, also emphasized the importance of market diversity and expansion. Barton Malow launched its Mid-Atlantic operations in 1989, and is now building in 16 states nationwide and the Canadian province of Ontario. It serves nine building types.
Related Stories
| Dec 2, 2010
GKV Architects wins best guest room design award for Park Hyatt Istanbul
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, PC won the prestigious Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design for best guest room, Park Hyatt Macka Palas, Istanbul, Turkey. Park Hyatt Maçka Palace marries historic and exotic elements with modern and luxurious, creating a unique space perpetuating Istanbul’s current culture. In addition to the façade restoration, GKV Architects designed 85 guestrooms, five penthouse suites, an ultra-hip rooftop bar, and a first-of-its-kind for Istanbul – a steakhouse, for the luxury hotel.
| Dec 2, 2010
U.S Energy Secretary Chu announces $21 Million to improve energy use in commercial buildings
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that 24 projects are receiving a total of $21 million in technical assistance to dramatically reduce the energy used in their commercial buildings. This initiative will connect commercial building owners and operators with multidisciplinary teams including researchers at DOE's National Laboratories and private sector building experts. The teams will design, construct, measure, and test low-energy building plans, and will help accelerate the deployment of cost-effective energy-saving measures in commercial buildings across the United States.
| Nov 29, 2010
Data Centers: Keeping Energy, Security in Check
Power consumption for data centers doubled from 2000 and 2006, and it is anticipated to double again by 2011, making these mission-critical facilities the nation’s largest commercial user of electric power. Major technology companies, notably Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, and International Business Machines, are investing heavily in new data centers. HP, which acquired technology services provider EDS in 2008, announced in June that it would be closing many of its older data centers and would be building new, more highly optimized centers around the world.
| Nov 29, 2010
New Design Concepts for Elementary and Secondary Schools
Hard hit by the economy, new construction in the K-12 sector has slowed considerably over the past year. Yet innovation has continued, along with renovations and expansions. Today, Building Teams are showing a keener focus on sustainable design, as well as ways to improve indoor environmental quality (IEQ), daylighting, and low-maintenance finishes such as flooring.
| Nov 29, 2010
Renovating for Sustainability
Motivated by the prospect of increased property values, reduced utility bills, and an interest in jumping on the sustainability bandwagon, a noted upturn in green building upgrades is helping designers and real estate developers stay busy while waiting for the economy to recover. In fact, many of the larger property management outfits have set up teams to undertake projects seeking LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EBOM, also referred to as LEED-EB), a certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
| Nov 23, 2010
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.
| Nov 23, 2010
Honeywell's School Energy and Environment Survey: 68% of districts delayed or eliminated improvements because of economy
Results of Honeywell's second annual “School Energy and Environment Survey” reveal that almost 90% of school leaders see a direct link between the quality and performance of school facilities, and student achievement. However, districts face several obstacles when it comes to keeping their buildings up to date and well maintained. For example, 68% of school districts have either delayed or eliminated building improvements in response to the economic downturn.
| Nov 16, 2010
Brazil Olympics spurring green construction
Brazil's green building industry will expand in the coming years, spurred by construction of low-impact venues being built for the 2016 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee requires arenas built for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro meet international standards for low-carbon emissions and energy efficiency. This has boosted local interest in developing real estate with lower environmental impact than existing buildings. The timing couldn’t be better: the Brazilian government is just beginning its long-term infrastructure expansion program.