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JOLIET The chairman of the Will County capital improvements committee pitched the idea of an office building in downtown Joliet that would consolidate several county departments under one roof.

The building could replace the current Will County Courthouse. County officials are pondering what to do with the building as the construction of a new courthouse is slated to begin in 2018.

County board member Ray Tuminello, R-New Lenox, who chairs the committee, gave some figures Tuesday on the demolition and renovation costs for the current courthouse based on research from Wight & Co., the architect of the new courthouse.

Repurposing and renovating the courthouse would cost about $42.8 million and demolishing it would be about $1.2 million, Tuminello said.

The cost of repurposing and renovating struck Tuminello as a bit out of touch and he favored the idea of demolishing the existing courthouse and rebuilding the structure as a county consolidated campus-style office building that would be in downtown Joliet and close to public transportation.

[It would be] not only able to house potentially our health department. But our clerk, the treasurer, the executive, land use, probation, the public defender, specialty courts all under pretty much one roof right downtown, Tuminello said.

The challenge with renovating the courthouse is that its not a pure office building and the basement is not functional, said Jason Dwyer, Wight & Co. vice president and senior project executive.

The shape of it is challenging, he said.

Nick Palmer, county executive chief of staff, said it may be helpful to revisit past discussions about consolidating county services in one location. He said the idea sounds great but there have been counterarguments in the past, such as traffic concerns.

There has been a lot of discussion. A lot of this ground has been covered before. Peoples opinions, the factors change, the board changes. We might want to pull some of those old studies in, some of those minutes, Palmer said.

Tuminello said he thought it would be nice to research the idea further and see whether it would be feasible.

He suggested that information would be used for further discussion among county board members, department staff and others.

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Will County board member proposes shared office building at courthouse site - The Herald-News

COLUMBIA Plans for two large buildings near Columbia Regional Airport on the 477-acre tract owned by MidWayUSA CEO Larry Potterfield will be considered by the Ashland Planning and Zoning Commission next Tuesday.

The buildings, with an estimated cost of $7 million, would be the largest economic development project in the history of Ashland, Mayor Gene Rhorer said.

Hummingbird Properties, a limited liability corporation owned by Potterfield, submitted plans for buildings of 55,000 and 22,000 square feet near Route H, Hardwick Lane and Rangeline Road. Potterfield said both would be spec buildings, meaning there have been no discussions with potential buyers, and the interiors can be renovated as the buyer sees fit.

Construction would start 30 days after the Planning and Zoning Commission grants its approval. Potterfield said he expects the construction to last three to four months.

In addition to the $7 million construction price, Potterfield said an additional $15 million to $20 million would be needed to extend utilities, infrastructure and roads surrounding the property. Companies will have the opportunity to expand on the 55,000-square foot building, Potterfield said, while the small building can be subdivided into multiple spaces.

Potterfield said he hopes the property attracts companies capable of making major contributions to the community. Specific companies wont be targeted until a more concrete strategy for the buildings is developed, but Potterfield used a storage warehouse with 12 employees as an example of something that wouldnt be good for the community.

Ideally, it would bring in some type of business that would bring in a lot of people on the building, he said. That could mean maybe some type of fairly intense distribution, maybe some light manufacturing. It might be a regional office building.

An open house for prospective companies to check out the buildings will be held in late June. A consulting agent is helping Potterfield collaborate with the projects stakeholders, including multiple city governments, Boone County and Regional Economic Development, Inc.

Rhorer said property tax revenue from the buildings would help finance bond issues for Ashlands public schools, with all three being expanded. Rhorer also said he hopes the projects combination of tax revenue and job creation further establishes the citys sovereignty.

We dont want to be the extension of Columbia, Rhorer said. Were the city of Ashland, and we want our own jobs and our own economy.

Potterfield has dubbed his property near the airport the Cartwright Business and Technology Park. He said that the name isn't based on anything in particular but that he likes it because it has no negative connotations.

"You could call it 'Blackhawk Business and Technology Park,' but Blackhawk has some connotations already," he said. "Cartwright really doesn't."

Potterfield said his family has done research on future projects in the park but it would be too preliminary to discuss them.

Rhorer said he's looking forward to watching Potterfield's plans unfold.

We would not be here on this development had it not been for the Potterfield family, thats for sure, Rhorer said, but I look for more in the future.

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Potterfield submits plans for construction near airport - Columbia Missourian

A Columbus, Ohio, developer is re-evaluating plans for a $65 million apartment complex on the North Shore, in part because of concerns about the dramatic increase in the number of units that have been built in or near Downtown over much of the past decade.

Continental Real Estate Companies is considering all options for the parcel adjacent to the Hyatt Place Hotel and PNC Park, said Barry Ford, president of development in Pittsburgh.

While Continental is not ruling out housing, other options it will explore include offices, a hotel, entertainment, and restaurants.

Were back to looking at everything for that lot, trying to figure out what works best, Mr. Ford said.

With construction of a seven-story office building on the Allegheny riverfront set to start in August, Continental now has more time to ponder other uses for the apartment parcel less than a block away.

Under an extension granted by the Pittsburgh Stadium Authority in November, Continental, which was hired by the Steelers and the Pirates in 2002 to develop the land between Heinz Field and PNC Park, has until May 31, 2018, to buy that tract, known as lot 4.

Mr. Ford said the surge in apartment building in recent years is one of 10 reasons Continental is re-evaluating its plans for the site, where it planned to build 250 residential units.

The market has changed the last couple of years. Were evaluating the right use, the right mix, he said.

In its 2017 State of Downtown Pittsburgh report issued last week, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership noted that nearly 2,000 apartment units have been added to the Golden Triangle, the North and South shores, the Strip District, the lower Hill District, and the Bluff/Uptown since 2010, with another 4,222 in the pipeline.

There are signs that all that building might be having a detrimental effect. In its report, the partnership found that apartment occupancy in and near Downtown dropped to 90.3 percent in the fourth quarter last year after staying at a flat 92 percent through the first three quarters.

And after peaking at $1.86 in 2015, the rental rate per square foot fell to $1.83 last year.

Continental hopes to submit a revised plan for lot 4, where the apartments were to be built, to the stadium authority this fall, Mr. Ford said.

Mary Conturo, the authoritys executive director, could not be reached for comment.

Were taking our time. With [the office building] in process, its given us time to re-evaluate lot 4 and, based on current market conditions, come up with the right plan for the lot, he said.

Were looking at multiple options that will have a long-term positive impact that will play off of PNC Park.

The developer has until Sept. 1 to take title to the land for the office building, which will be the headquarters for SAP, a German software firm. It hopes to start construction of that building in mid to late August, with completion set for late 2018 or early 2019.

Once the office building is finished, lot 4 will be the last major parcel on the North Shore Continental will be responsible for developing.

In the past 15 years, the firm has produced three office complexes, including one housing the Post-Gazette, a concert venue, and a variety of restaurants and nightspots between the ballpark and the stadium.

Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.

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Developer reconsiders its plan for North Shore apartment complex - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

May 02, 2017 00:00 ET | Source: Nordecon

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A consortium of Nordecon Betoon O (brand name NOBE), a Nordecon Group company, and Mapri Ehitus O entered into a contract with Ekerepol O for the design and construction of a 14 storey office and apartment building in WoHo quarter located Mustame tee 3, Tallinn. This building with 12,618 m gross space will have one underground floor and 14 floors above ground. WOHO 2 will be a multifunctional building with office and commercial spaces on floors 1 to 7, offices and guest apartments on floors 8 to 9 and apartments on floors 10 to 14.

The value of the contract is close to 11.7 million euros plus value added tax. The construction works will be completed in autumn 2018.

Nordecon (www.nordecon.com) is a group of construction companies whose core business is construction project management and general contracting in the buildings and infrastructures segment. Geographically the Group operates in Estonia, Ukraine, Finland and Sweden. The parent of the Group is Nordecon AS, a company registered and located in Tallinn, Estonia. In addition to the parent company, there are more than 10 subsidiaries in the Group. The consolidated revenue of the Group in 2016 was 183 million euros. Currently Nordecon Group employs close to 700 people. Since 18 May 2006 the company's shares have been quoted in the main list of the NASDAQ Tallinn Stock Exchange.

Andri Hbemgi Nordecon AS Head of Investor Relations Tel: +372 6272 022 E-mail: andri.hobemagi@nordecon.com http://www.nordecon.com

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Construction contract (WOHO 2 office and apartment building) - GlobeNewswire (press release)

The business case for sustainable design keeps getting stronger. Consider these takeaways from theWorld Green Building Trends 2016 Smart Market Report:

That second bulletthe operational savings over the lifespan of a buildinggets most of the attention when it comes to sustainable design. Yet what impact does sustainable design have on owners with a finite construction budget or developers who wont own the building after construction? Historically, this group has been told that a high-performing building will only cost themmoremoney to constructdollars that may not be available in project financing. But it is no longer true that sustainable buildings have to be more expensive.

We have delivered many deep green projects that came in below cost or at similar price points to what those same buildings would have cost without sustainable design elements. We did this by focusing on three tactics for improving sustainability: leveraging integrated design, employing energy modeling and programming for efficiencies.

Integrated design helped the LEED-Platinum DC Consolidated Forensic Lab come in 17 percent under budget.

With integrated design, all stakeholdersarchitect, mechanical engineer, contractor, preconstruction services consultant, cost estimator, building owner and operator, and other consultantscollaborate early and often to understand how building systems link to one another and then use that knowledge to find efficiencies and tradeoffs. While this approach requires more planning on the front end, it often leads to free or passive solutions that reduce system loads and building costs. Integrated design might reveal, for example, how a slight modification to a buildings orientation can reduce solar heat gain and increase natural daylighting, resulting in less expensive HVAC and lighting components.

Our work on theDC Consolidated Forensic Labprovides a real-world example of how integrated design can lead to first-cost savings. The LEED Platinum building in Washington, D.C., came in 17 percent under budget with much of the savings due to its sustainability. For instance, collaboration with the projects mechanical engineer, Vanderweil, resulted in outfitting the building with an active chilled beam system, heat shift chiller, enthalpy wheels and glycol energy recovery loops that reduced the mechanical load of the building and the number of chillers that would have been required with a traditional HVAC system. Because chilled beams are a hydronic system that do not require nearly as much plenum space as traditional air ducts, we were also able to reduce the floor-to-floor height of the building, which led to construction and material savings.

As part of the integrated design process, we knew that the building operator desired sustainable features to reduce long-term energy use and costs. This information allowed us to incorporate a dynamic glass louverwall along the buildings south facade. The glass louvers (featuring a 50 percent ceramic frit pattern) serve as a solar shield, automatically adjusting, opening and closing depending on sun angle, wind and barometric pressure. Unlike a true double-skin facade, the louversset three feet off the curtainwallallow the airspace between the exterior wall and sunscreen to vent without impacting air pressurization requirements in the interior lab space while at the same time mitigating solar heat gain and glare along the south of the building.

Energy modeling revealed how a passive cooling system could cut expenses at NOAAs Pacific headquarters.

Energy modelingsoftware simulation that provides detailed analysis of a buildings energy usehelps us understand long-term and short-term consumption costs. This crucial component of integrated design often leads to additional savings and helps justify the costs of sustainability features that might not be immediately apparent.

Energy and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Daniel K. Inouye Regional Centerin Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which was honored with anAIA COTE 2017 Top Ten Green Project award, showed how a passive cooling system would provide substantial operational and first-cost savings compared to other HVAC options. The novel cooling system we used on the building pumps cold seawater from a 1,300-foot-deep well to the buildings chillers where heat is rejected into the seawater, eliminating the need for traditional cooling towers. The seawater then flows into a series of chilled coils. The system takes advantage of the trade winds to drop chilled air passing over the coils into the building without using mechanical fans.

Deep seawater is pumped to the rooftop of NOAAs Inouye Center. Trade winds then send water-cooled air into the building.

Savings from the cooling system allowed the design team to outfit the LEED-Gold project with additional sustainable design features, such as increased daylighting. Designers used small-scale mockups to test the size and spacing of daylight openings to provide even daylight levels across office work areas. As construction proceeded, full-scale mockups fine-tuned the teams initial daylight studies, ensuring that interior workplaces took advantage of the maximum amount of natural light while also blocking direct sun exposure. Once in operation, the NOAA Inouye Regional Center achieved 33 percent annual energy savings in addition to its first-cost neutral sustainable design.

Energy modeling isnt just for building owners who care about sustainability or LEED certification. Energy modeling can often find savings that far exceed the costs of setting up and running the energy simulation software.

In Washington, D.C., we designed a multi-building commercial office project (Constitution Square Buildings 1, 2, 3) that achieved LEED Platinum status without additional building costs. For the final phase of that project, Constitution Square Building 4, the developer secured a full-building tenant and hoped to leverage building performance to position the structure for higher resale value without increasing first costs. Energy modeling on that project, however, revealed that by reducing the buildings window-to-wall ratio from 56 percent to 51 percent and improving the window glazing, the design team could reduce the number of chillers that service the building. In this case, the energy model ROI was dramatican investment of $24,000 to perform iterative modeling at all design and Value Engineering stages netted approximately $500,000 in first-cost reduction, bringing the mechanical system back into budget while maintaining 35 percent energy savings. The developer has since sold the building (still under construction) at a price that reflects its high-performance design.

A review of how employees would use NASA Building 20 allowed HOK designers to reduce its size by 11 percent.

Taking a detailed look at how many people will occupy a building and how they will use the space can help teams design for efficiencies.

HOKs work onNASA Johnson Space Center Building 20in Houston shows how using this planning strategy can both reduce costs and improve a buildings sustainability. In the RFP for the project, NASA specified it wanted a LEED-Silver building of approximately 93,000 square feet. In reviewing how the buildings 520 employees would use the space, our team was able to reduce the overall building size by 11 percent while still meeting the requirements of the agencys occupants.

In reducing the square footage of NASA Building 20, the design team was able to add other sustainability features, such as a sloped ceiling that allows daylight to penetrate deeper into the interior space.

Savings from the compact design opened the budget for additional sustainability featuresincluding exterior sunshading devices, advanced lighting controls, a building section optimized for daylighting and an underfloor air distribution (UFAD) systemthat ultimately earned the project 57 percent energy savings and LEED-Platinum status without going over budget.

The previous examples demonstrate how a holistic design approach can enable clients to build higher-performing projects for a lower cost than initially expected. But even if sustainable design does not lead to first-cost savings or neutral building costs compared to more conventional designs, there still are reasons to consider sustainable strategies.

Our internal research, for example, has found that if energy modeling doesnt pay for itself during design and construction, it almost always will within the first few months of a buildings operation. And, as theDepartment of Energy has reported, thats true regardless of building typebe it an office building, hotel, hospital or research lab.

The bottom line is sustainable design is more achievable than ever and no longer has to be more expensive to deliver. The key is getting all parties to invest the time and resources early onand throughout the processto fully explore the options and understand how they can improve a project.

Anica Landreneau, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, works out of HOKs Washington, D.C., office and is the firms director of sustainable design. In addition, she oversees HOKs efforts to achieve acarbon-neutral design portfolio by 2030.

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Green buildings don't have to cost more - Building Design + Construction (press release) (registration) (blog)

The first of three phases of window replacement is taking place at Haverhill Police Station, 40 Bailey Blvd. (WHAV News photograph.)

Black mold is appearing throughout the Haverhill Police Station as a result of leaks from low-quality, misfitting windows installed in 1999, police said. (WHAV News photograph.)

A mistake made 17 years ago when the Haverhill Police Station was constructed is not only proving costly today with the replacement of windows there, but made even more expensive by what, some officials term, a piecemeal approach.

The city, attempting to stay on budget and spread out costs over several years, is replacing a third of the windows at a time. Its an approach criticized by police officers because water leaks from remaining windows and resulting mold mean a delay in clearing air quality issues. Haverhill Purchasing Agent and Energy Manager Orland Pacheco confirmed the staged approach.

Right now, whats ongoing, based on the bids this office sent out, only does one-third of the windows. I think the concern is doing the project in phases will make the overall solution a lot more expensive, Pacheco said, paraphrasing police.

In an interview requested by WHAV last week, Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro explained the buildings original contractor improperly sized all of the window openings at the police station. This meant the originally intended, commercial-grade windows could not be used. Inferior, off-the-shelf windows were installed instead, did not fit properly and were placed without proper supports and insulation.

The full extent of the original poor installation was revealed when contractors arrived recently, opened the walls and found haphazardly installed shims supporting the older windows. Worse, the chief said, windows on both sides of brick columns cant be replaced at the same time because a whole column of brick between them would collapse. He summarized the 1999 building project as criminally negligent.

Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro said recent window replacement reveals the originals were poorly installed with no insulation and makeshift supports.

DeNaro said the first phase of installation costs $350,000, but replacing windows all at once would have cost $1.1 million. Now, he said, estimates suggest it will costs more than $1.5 million to complete the project.

Pacheco explained why replacing the windows in three stages, rather than all at once, could cause costs to rise.

Its a lot of scaffolding for that project that has to come up and come down. In addition, DeNaro said, replacement of the remaining two-thirds of the windows in the future likely means higher costs due to inflation and bond interests costs. Pacheco said, however, interest rates could go down.

As WHAV reported in 2015, a study by the state Department of Health found the police station requires substantial indoor and outdoor repairs because of chronic moisture infiltration and visible microbial growth.

Haverhill Police Patrolmens Association President Rick Welch said the union received a promise from Mayor James J. Fiorentini mold cleanup would take place continually until all of the new windows are in place. He said he accepts the offer, but believes it would have been better to change all of the windows and address mold all at once. Superior Officers Association President Robert P. Pistone agreed, saying, commonsense says why would you begin to waste money on mold remediation?

We cant get rid of the mold until we get ready of the water, the chief added. Pacheco said he agrees with the chiefs logic

Obviously, you want to mitigate water infiltration into the police department. That is the end goal, I think, because otherwise you havent really solved the problem, Pacheco said.

The building was constructed in 1999 at an initial cost of $6.6 million. Donham & Sweeney, Boston, served as architect; Palladium Construction Corp., Wakefield, was general contractor and DM Berg Consultants, Needham, performed engineering services. A subcontractor declared bankruptcy during construction, delaying the buildings opening a year and after concerns about leaking roofs and poor workmanship.

Link:
Phasing in Windows at Station More Costly; Slows Mold Cleanup - WHAV News

VIRGINIA BEACH

I've been seeing a lot of digging at Centerville Elementary School. Do you know whats happening there? - Walt Anderson

Geothermal wells are being installed at Centerville the first of four elementary schools that will be switched to a new heating and cooling system this year.

We are removing the older mechanical equipment and installing a more energy-efficient system, including a geothermal well field and new HVAC equipment, said Eileen Cox, schools spokeswoman. The work will be completed by September 2017.

The 220 geothermal wells each drilled 300 feet deep will use the nearly constant undergroundtemperature to heat and cool the school. The energy savings at Centerville will be equivalent to removing 142 cars from the road annually, according to Virginia Beach Public Schools.

Noresco, one of the nations largest energy service companies, is the contractor on-site at Centerville. The $6.4 million project also calls for Parkway, Ocean Lakes and John B. Dey elementary schools to switch to geothermal heating and cooling - among other energy-saving measures across the school system.

Sewell's Point Elementary in Norfolk was the first school in the area to install geothermal heating, according to a Virginian-Pilot story published Aug. 25, 2008. Soon afterward, Providence Elementary in Virginia Beach went geothermal.

Originally posted here:
Deep heat: Virginia Beach schools transfers underground temperatures into classrooms, saving energy - Virginian-Pilot

From frigid winters to blazing hot summers, staying warm and keeping cool are vital to our well-being.

Whether at work or home, maintaining a stable climate makes a big difference in productivity.

Throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley, there are many heating, ventilation and air conditioning companies that provide commercial, industrial and residential services. One company thats had a presence in the Greater Lehigh Valley for seven decades is Apgar Oil Energy & HVAC.

Here to answer this weeks Behind the List questions is Jim Apgar, owner of the energy provider in Allentown.

Lehigh Valley Business: How long has Apgar Oil Energy & HVAC been operating in the region and what are its primary services?

Jim Apgar: Apgar Oil Energy & HVAC is a locally owned third-generation family business dedicated to servicing Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and the Greater Lehigh Valley area since 1947.

For 70 years, Apgar Oil has provided a full-service approach to our customer service by offering an array of products and services such as residential and commercial heating oil delivery, heating oil price protection programs to help customers manage their fuel costs, performing HVAC home comfort tuneups and service support, equipment sales and installation of high-efficiency, energy-star rated oil, natural gas, heat pumps and central air conditioning systems, whole house air filtration systems, fuel saving energy management catalysts and oil tank installation sales and services.

LVB: What have been some of the biggest challenges and opportunities that Apgar Oil Energy & HVAC has encountered throughout its years in business?

Apgar: Our biggest challenges and opportunities are based on keeping up with the fast-paced, aggressive and ever-changing business landscape and the critical management of current regulations, while satisfying new compliance mandates and balancing escalating insurance costs that affect our profitability in a very competitive energy and HVAC marketplace.

Also, as an energy provider, we must constantly be attuned to daily worldwide geopolitical events that could affect our local energy markets. We offer heating oil price protection programs to our customer base and invest thousands of dollars each year in technical training.

In October 2009, our company had made a proud commitment to deliver a clean-green renewable bio heating oil product. Bio heating oil is a blend of low sulfur heating oil and renewable biofuel (soybean oil), making our heating oil an exceptionally cleaner burning fuel, emitting fewer particulates and greenhouse gas emissions, while increasing heating system efficiency. Today, oil heat is 95 percent cleaner than it was in 1970.

LVB: Now that the warmer weather is here, how is Apgar Oil Energy & HVAC preparing to take on the inevitable service calls for air conditioning services?

Apgar: We are preparing for a very aggressive summer HVAC season. The current weather forecast is warmer-than-usual temperatures and could be drier than normal across much of southeast Pennsylvania.

Spring is the air conditioning and heat-pump tuneup time, and with the phasing out of conventional R-22 refrigerant (the most common refrigerant used in older AC and heat pump systems), [it] should provide us with a positive outlook on HVAC service and installation sales going into late spring and early summer.

Our focus on communications and consumer education is our narrative this cooling season. Our service technicians can provide homeowners with valuable advice when it comes to making proactive decisions on upgrading versus repairing A/C-heat pump systems 15 years or older using R-22 refrigerant. Todays A/C-heat pump equipment with a SEER [Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio] rating of 16+ is energy-star rated and can qualify for utility rebates.

Extended parts and labor warranties are offered to provide the customer with up to 10 years of peace of mind, worry-free operation.

LVB: How does Apgar directly stimulate the local economy?

Apgar: Our mission statement is to buy products from locally owned Lehigh Valley vendors, keeping the money flowing into our community and increase our local tax base.

Our use of bio-heating oil supports local and Pennsylvania farmers, increases jobs throughout the entire production and distribution chain and improves total economic impact of our region. Cleaner air by using biofuel components will improve air quality in the Lehigh Valley and reduce health care costs.

We believe in energy efficiency and providing proactive advice on using high-efficiency energy-star rated HVAC equipment to our customers, saving them money year-after-year on annual energy consumption. Energy savings and managing energy costs are tax-free dividends, giving the consumer more spending power for purchasing other products and services throughout the Lehigh Valley.

LVB: What does the future look like for Apgar Oil Energy & HVAC? Does it have plans for growth?

Apgar: We are proud to be a part of the Lehigh Valley community where our customers showed us so much loyalty throughout the years. Our vision is a bright, clean and green future using bio-heating fuels and promoting energy-star HVAC equipment.

Supporting the growing Lehigh Valley economy, bio-heating oil is also used in commercial applications to provide heat, hot water and steam for apartment buildings, churches, hospitals, arenas, hotels and many other commercial and industrial applications.

Another flexible use of green renewable bio-energy is bio-diesel. With the increased traffic flow throughout the Lehigh Valley a greater demand of bio-diesel will be used commercially for fueling of trucks, railroad turbine engines, off-road highway equipment, cranes, generators and aircraft.

With the ongoing advancements and use of bio-heating fuels for residential and commercial applications, this renewable energy offers our company opportunity to grow with the expanding Lehigh Valley economy. If every household using conventional heating oil switched to bio-heat, it would conserve over 400 million gallons of regular heating oil, reducing our dependency on foreign oil.

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Behind the List with Jim Apgar of Apgar Oil Energy & HVAC - Lehigh Valley Business

The Top Workplaces annual lists are based solely on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by Workplace Dynamics, LLC, a leading research firm that specializes in organizational health and workplace improvement. Several aspects of workplace culture are measured, including alignment, execution, and connection, to name a few.

Bacho learned the business and direct sales at the side of his father-in-law, Joe and brought the first computer hardware and software to Kitchen Magic. As a mechanical engineer by trade, Bacho later developed the company's manufacturing operations. These combined disciplines have put the company in a unique position in the industry. As they approach forty years in business, the family owned sales, marketing and manufacturing organization has grown to serve eight states, and employ over 200 people.

"First, we have a talented, dedicated team of people. Just an awesome team. Ours is a pretty complicated business; a lot of people have to pull together to make it work. Clear communication is first. Then it's being accessible and sharing our vision and goals. Everyone should know where we are going and how we are doing along on the journey," Bacho said.

"We hope to be back next year and keep this run this tradition going! We'll keep doing the right things-- for our customers and employees," he added.

Kitchen Magic was founded in 1979 by Jost 'Joe' and Reine Fleck in Allentown, PA. The company focuses on kitchen remodeling-- primarily refacing-- as an affordable and permanent solution for homeowners wanting to update and transform their kitchen.

Kitchen Magic is indeed a family affair. Bacho runs the company with the three Fleck daughters, Lotte Bacho (his wife), Renate Sprung and Cindy Purcell. His brother Chad Bacho leads the IT arm of the company and nephew Josh Mamroud,- the first of the third generation of 'Kitchen Magic family' heads up Web Technology.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kitchen-magic-five-time-lehigh-valley-top-workplace-and-president-brett-bacho-twice-recognized-with-top-leadership-honors-300447895.html

SOURCE Kitchen Magic, Inc.

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Kitchen Magic: Five time Lehigh Valley Top Workplace and President Brett Bacho Twice Recognized with Top ... - PR Newswire (press release)

Morgan-Keller Construction received two Associated Builders & Contractors, Baltimore Chapter, Excellence in Construction merit awards on April 12 at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore.

Morgan-Keller Construction won awards for its work on the Brandywine Crossing Medical Office Building in Brandywine and Nymeo Federal Credit Union project in Gaithersburg.

The Nymeo Federal Credit Union project involved a 1,747-square-foot renovation to an existing branch bank to create a fully functioning financial services credit union.

The Brandywine Crossing Medical Office Building project involved the construction of a 65,330-square-foot, three-story medical office building using tilt-up structural concrete wall panels and interior steel column and beam framing.

Morgan-Keller Construction is a general contracting and construction management firm with offices in Frederick and Columbia. For over 60 years, Morgan-Keller Construction has completed custom home building and commercial building projects.

Follow Allen Etzler on Twitter: @AllenWEtzler

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Morgan-Keller Construction receives two honors - Frederick News Post (subscription)