ARCO Construction Co., Inc. Building 82,500 SF Mixed-Use Living/Retail Space

ST. LOUIS – ARCO Construction Co., Inc. is building a new senior living community for Provision Living, a St. Louis, Mo.-based assisted living company. The $18 million Provision Living in Webster Groves, Mo. assisted living community will debut in summer 2012 and feature 80 living units plus on-site conveniences including medical, rehabilitation, wellness and retail space.

Emerging at 45 E. Lockwood, the four-story, 82,500-square-foot structure will offer a range of assisted living options including studio, one-room and two-room apartments. It will feature 18 units that are uniquely dedicated to assisted memory care and memory care programming. Other amenities include underground parking for residents and a wellness center, spa, beauty/barbershop and a theater. The facility will employ 60 people.

“We are passionate about helping area seniors receive the services they desire right in the heart of the community they love,” says Todd Spittal, chief executive officer for Provision Living.

ARCO’s turn-key service is creating first-floor amenities – such as an attached café and wellness center – that will be both accessible and appealing to the public, helping unite the facility and its residents with the Webster Groves community. Its exterior will mirror the rich architecture of nearby buildings, which also encourages engagement and blends the new residence with the existing streetscape.

Senior adults living with memory loss best maintain their quality of life in an environment that is safe and encourages regular group interaction and purposeful activities. Hence, the memory care neighborhood features a common dining area; a spacious and flexible activity room; a greenhouse; and a sitting room with a large fireplace. In addition, common areas are designed to accommodate a wide variety of interests and activities.

Joining ARCO on the project are ACI Boland, architect; Stock & Associates Consulting Engineers, Inc., civil engineer; KPFF, Inc., structural engineer; Habco Partnership, Inc., electrical contractor; Degenhardt Heating & Cooling, mechanical contractor; Ahern Co., fire protection contractor; and Beetz Plumbing Co., plumbing contractor.

Founded by Todd Spittal and David Weiss, Provision Living operates 14 communities in eight states – Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. More is online at www.provisionliving.com.

ST. LOUIS – Bill Schneider, MHA has joined ARCO Construction Company, Inc. to lead all facets of healthcare business development. Schneider has 15 years experience in healthcare construction services and information technology (IT) infrastructure. He is responsible for growing ARCO’s design and construction services with hospitals, healthcare systems, medical office building developers and operators of senior living facilities.

Schneider has delivered construction and IT solutions to several nationally prominent healthcare clients, including Baylor Health Care System, Iowa Health System, RehabCare Group and Kaiser Permanente.

Schneider has served as a board member for the Midwest Gateway Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). He volunteers with the mentor program at the Epworth Children’s Home and coaches a variety of youth sports teams.

Schneider earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his master’s degree in health administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo.

ARCO Construction and Paddy O’s Host Opening Day Charity Event Benefiting 5 Local Charities

If you’re going to “schmooze” on the Cards opening day on March 31st, why not do it for a massive good cause benefiting five charities at the newly refurbished and expanded Paddy O’s south of Busch Stadium. There you will find the gang from ARCO Construction Co., Inc. hosting a charity event, benefiting The BackStoppers, Ronald McDonald House Charities, the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, Habitat for Humanity, and St. Vincent DePaul Parish. ARCO completed Paddy O’s $2 million renovation and expansion more than quadrupling its size with the addition of a combined 16,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, including an 8,000-square-foot rooftop deck.

Festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. ARCO team members will be selling raffle tickets for nifty Paddy O’s memorabilia and bar signage, plus other cool giveaways. Fans may also purchase a t-shirt in support of the causes, featuring a cardinal and baseball.

Major Brands, Missouri’s highest volume distributor of premium wines and spirits, will be on site. Also broadcasting from the celebration will be five Clear Channel stations: Z107.7, with on-air personality Curt Copeland; 93.7 The Bull; GenX 100.3; Rewind 103.3; and Majic 104.9.

The store can only operate through donations, so please raid your closets, your friends’ closets, etc. to help support this great organization!

The FACC has created a new retail space [RE]FRESH to provide clothing & accessory options for those in foster care between the ages of 13 – 22. Surprisingly, the clothing allowance for a child or teen in foster care is a mere $200/year. This extremely limits their clothing options.

The [RE]FRESH store will be open on Thursday’s exclusively to those in foster care. Teens will able to purchase any item of clothing in the store for $1! On Friday – Sunday the store will be open to the general public and clothing will be available at resale prices.

ARCO Construction Co., Inc. Building 85,000 SF Office/Manufacturing Facility for Growing Electric Vehicle Market

ST. LOUIS – Growing demand for electric vehicles has energized business for Italian battery maker Bitrode Corp., which is expanding its operation in St. Louis, Mo. ARCO Construction Co., Inc. is targeting an April 2011 completion of a new $4.3 million U.S. headquarters for Bitrode in South St. Louis County.

Currently based in Fenton, Mo., Bitrode is a leading manufacturer of electric vehicle (EV)/hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) battery testing equipment. The company was founded in St. Louis in 1957 and currently leases 27,000 square feet in Fenton, Mo. The new, expanded headquarters primes the company to meet growing demand for plug-in electric and hybrid cars. A survey released by Ernst & Young in June 2010 reports that 25 percent of drivers would consider purchasing the new technology and that demand for the vehicles could exceed near-term supply. (http://www.ey.com/US/en/Newsroom/News-releases/Global-demand-for-electric-cars)

“We’ve grown 60 percent in the last two years, and we anticipate growing 20 percent in the coming year,” said Paolo Canova, chief executive officer of Bitrode. The company currently employs 100 locally and plans to add another 10 to 20 employees in its new facility.

Emerging at 9787 Green Park Industrial Dr., Bitrode’s new headquarters will have 54,000 square feet of manufacturing space, 12,000 square feet of office space and 19,000 square feet for future expansion. The building features load-bearing, tilt-up concrete panels over a structural steel frame.

ARCO’s turn-key service will integrate more than 50 individual pieces of equipment that Bitrode uses for operations – each impacting the design and construction of plumbing, electrical and heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. ARCO will also install multiple bridge and rail cranes, requiring highly coordinated engineering to accommodate compressed air and high-voltage electrical feeds.

Joining ARCO at Bitrode are ACI Boland, architect; Civil Engineering Design Consultants, civil engineer; McNealy Engineering, structural engineer; Aschinger Electrical, electrical contractor; C & R Mechanical, mechanical contractor; and Parkway Construction Services, plumbing contractor. Bitrode is represented by Keenan Properties.

Founded in 1957, Bitrode was acquired in 2000 by St. Louis entrepreneur Ronald Schaefer, who transformed it into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of battery testing and conversion systems. It was then acquired in 2008 by Sovema S.p.A. of Verona, Italy, the world’s largest manufacturer of battery production equipment. The company contracted with General Motors to supply test systems for the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle released in 2010. More is online at www.bitrode.com.

Paddy O’s Downtown Looks to ARCO Construction to Perform a $1.5 million Expansion

The Cards didn’t make the playoffs, but that hasn’t stopped the iconic Paddy O’s downtown from making offseason moves to expand its presence south of neighboring Busch Stadium. Chris Dorr, an owner of Paddy O’s, has signed ARCO Construction Co., Inc. to perform a $1.5 million expansion. Come opening day 2011, the place to be on game day will be more than quadrupled in size with the addition of a combined 16,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, including an 8,000-square-foot deck.

ARCO Construction Co. Inc. Transforming Unused Warehouse Space To Accommodate 20 Percent Growth of Venerable Youth Ice Hockey Club

ST. LOUIS, MO – With industrial vacancies still high, St. Louis, Mo.-based ARCO Construction Company, Inc. has developed a creative way to fill warehouse space – convert part of it into an ice hockey rink. ARCO is advancing a $1.5 million design/build renovation to create a new home in South St. Louis County for the venerable Meramec Sharks Hockey Club – one of the largest youth ice hockey clubs in St. Louis. ARCO is converting 30,632 square feet of vacant warehouse space to create the FSI Shark Tank. The move primes the club for a projected 20 percent expansion in 2010. The rink will also permanently house the Lutheran South and Illinois Frontenac Junior B hockey clubs. Work is slated for completion this June – in time for the 2010 fall hockey season.

“The club has experienced an unprecedented growth the past few years, and the new rink launches the Sharks to the next competitive level,” says Vic Amato, president of the Meramec Sharks. “ARCO’s innovative renovation of existing space offers an affordable solution to advancing our facility needs.”

Located at 6297 Lemay Ferry Road, the 55,149-square-foot, multi-tenant warehouse is owned by Meramec Bottom Development, LLC. Completed in early 2008, the space being converted by ARCO has never had a tenant.

Adaptive Reuse of Space

“Before the recession, this space, like many others in the region, was developed with a single user in mind,” explains Matt Sanders, project manager for ARCO. “Today, economic realities require solutions that are win-win for owners and tenants to fill space. In fact, we’re noticing a lot of interest from the sports industry in the creative use of space.”

The design/build firm is renovating the vacant space to include a state-of-the-art, 85-foot by 200-foot ice rink, four team locker and shower areas, two referee locker and shower areas, one 2,500-square-foot concession and warming area on a 14-inch viewing platform, and a bleacher section that seats 350.

Particularly challenging for ARCO is the conversion of four 40-foot by 40-foot warehouse bay areas to accommodate the ice rink placement. ARCO designed (NUMBER) long-span joist girders to provide structural support for a 90-foot-long area over the ice rink.

The design/build project also requires unique infrastructure upgrades including a refrigeration piping network to chill the ice, complex plumbing for locker rooms, and an under-floor heating system to protect the existing warehouse floors from the formation of frost. A modern heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and dehumidification system is also being installed.

Joining ARCO on the project is GMA Design Group, Inc. as architect.

Meramec Sharks Club Primed for Expansion

To boost its competitive level, the Meramec Sharks sought a modern, year-round facility to help attract, develop and retain talented players. Since 2007, membership in the club has grown more than 30 percent. The club projects an additional 20 percent growth – to 30 teams – by the end of 2010. The Sharks have played at the All American Sports Mall in South St. Louis County since 2003.

Founded in 1970 by Harry Bayens, the Meramec Sharks Hockey Club is a nonprofit youth hockey organization located in South St. Louis County. The group has more than 350 skaters (ages 3 to 17) forming 25 hockey teams, and its HIP/Learn to Play program trains 150 new skaters each year. It draws players from South St. Louis County and northern Jefferson County, as far south as Festus, Mo. and as west as House Springs, Mo., as well as Columbia, Ill.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., ARCO Construction Company, Inc. is a general contracting firm dedicated to providing clients with the complete design/build package. ARCO Construction specializes in the design and construction of office buildings, warehouse/distribution centers, cold storage facilities, data centers, bio-science laboratories and research facilities, retail centers, multi-family buildings, and healthcare facilities on a local and national basis. The firm aims to make the construction process both enjoyable and beneficial for its clients and to exceed expectations through successful planning, design and construction.

Bio-Chemistry Laboratory Consults Design/Build Firm for Second Project in Three Years

COLUMBIA, MO – Analytical Bio-Chemistry (ABC) Laboratories has tapped St. Louis, Mo.-based ARCO Construction Company, Inc. for a $4.2 million laboratory renovation and expansion for its chemical division at its original campus in Columbia, Mo. The project is slated for completion this June.

The project is the second major assignment ABC Laboratories has awarded the design/build firm in three years. In 2008, ARCO completed a new 90,000-square-foot pharmaceutical development facility at the University of Missouri’s Discovery Ridge Research Park for ABC’s pharmaceutical division.

“ARCO’s ability to understand our design needs, provide competitive pricing, and meet a very rigorous timeline on this project made them a great choice,” said Byron E. Hill, president and CEO of ABC Laboratories. “We also value that they hire local subcontractors, which benefits our local economy and shows our commitment to the Columbia community.”

ARCO is updating the exterior finish of the 25-year-old building, redesigning and modernizing 27,000 square feet of laboratory and office space, and crafting a 10,000-square-foot addition, which includes a 2,000-square-foot walk-in freezer and a 5,000-square-foot sample prep area. The sample area uses durable clean room finishes with walk-in exhaust chambers for the testing and analysis of chemical compounds. From the lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and electrical systems, the entire facility is being designed to be more energy efficient.

All laboratory space is being completed to the highest regulatory standards for drug and chemical analysis. The sample prep lab will circulate 100 percent outside air and have six walk-in exhaust chambers with high-efficiency particulate-absorbing (HEPA) bag-in/bag-out filtration systems as well as four exhaust wash-down stations.

Additionally, ARCO is installing new fire protection, communication and building management systems; bringing underground plumbing up to code; modifying the existing heat pump system; adding new high-efficiency chiller and boiler systems; expanding the electrical system and adding back-up generators; and renovating the IT area and computer room air conditioning units.

Together, ARCO and ABC Laboratories have planned and sequenced the construction work to allow ABC to operate at full capacity throughout the entire project. “Our ability to dig deep and understand ABC’s day-to-day operations gave us the capability to aggressively meet completion deadlines by multi-sequencing the work flow, which allowed ABC to occupy and resume work much sooner than expected,” said Hank Bellina, director of ARCO’s Technology Division.

Established in 1968 and headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, ABC Laboratories provides contract development services to the pharmaceutical, animal health, crop protection and chemical industries. Since 1968, ABC has delivered expert scientific support to companies working to develop environmentally safe products that improve human and animal health. The company currently employs approximately 330 scientists and support personnel.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., ARCO Construction Company, Inc. is a general contracting firm dedicated to providing clients with the complete design/build package. ARCO Construction specializes in the design and construction of office buildings, warehouse/distribution centers, cold storage facilities, data centers, bio-science laboratories and research facilities, retail centers, multi-family buildings, and healthcare facilities on a local and national basis. The firm aims to make the construction process both enjoyable and beneficial for its clients and to exceed expectations through successful planning, design and construction.

Lab ABCs

St. Louis-based ARCO Construction Company, Inc. is headed back to Columbia, Mo. for the second time in three years to handle a $4.2 million renovation/expansion totaling 37,000 square feet at the original campus of Analytical Bio-Chemistry (ABC) Laboratories, Inc. The design/build assignment, which primarily involves industrial lab space, will wrap up this June according to Kyle Darnell, ARCO project manager. ARCO completed ABC’s new 90,000-square-foot pharmaceutical development facility at the University of Missouri Discovery Ridge Research Park in 2008.  The project gets ARCO off to a good start in 2010.  The firm is projecting more than $35 million in revenues in Missouri projects for 2010.