Author: Shelby Cox

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08 Sep

Posted at 16:04h in Community, News

United Construction’s site crew at Hamilton Reactor Way welcomed 3rd and 4th graders from neighboring Nevada Sage Waldorf School this morning for a short, educational field trip.

Superintendent Chuck Brown first took the children through a visual timeline of the site’s construction milestones with several photos showcasing the project’s start to its near-finish. He then showed the children the different aspects of the site and explained them more in detail, from the pavement and trench to the pump and culvert. To finish off the trip, the kids put on a hard hat and high-vis vest, hopped into the seat of an excavator (under close and careful supervision) and each posed for a photo safely and with a smile.

We thank Chuck for sharing his wealth of knowledge with the children and teachers of Waldorf, and we also thank our subcontractor Sierra Nevada Construction for specially placing the excavator and other surrounding equipment for this fun purpose.

27 Aug

Posted at 13:41h in News, Project Milestone

As WCSD settles into the beginnings of the 2021-2022 school year, United Construction and their subcontractors are hard at work making way for more new and remodeled classrooms and buildings at Swope Middle School.

“It is exciting to see the students and staff at Swope begin to use the new-and-improved facilities this school season,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “We are all beginning to see a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ in terms of the phased construction process, and we look forward to continuing the remodels and moving forward with work on the new building wing.”

The aforementioned building wing will be a new two-story classroom building in the location of the former gymnasium, which has been completely demolished. It will house a new resource center, math and science classrooms, a technology lab, a new teachers’ lounge and workspace, social science and language classrooms, a group room for various activities and a hub space.

In the new gym, the hardwood flooring is complete. On the floor, students can enjoy the revamped basketball hoops, volleyball courts and a scoreboard. The new fitness center will be also be ready to use in the near future.

Band and choir students will soon be able to take advantage of the new music practice rooms, as site workers near completion on the remodels. Additionally, the remodel on the kitchen facilities are now underway.

Up next for the construction team are excavations, followed by the installation of underground utilities directly after excavations are complete.

23 Aug

Posted at 10:05h in Community, News, United Team

Several of our Reno team members had a wonderful time celebrating The Children’s Cabinet at the Art of Childhood fundraising gala, which took place at The Club at Rancharrah on Friday, August 20. The Children’s Cabinet is heavily intertwined in our culture at United Construction, with Michael Dermody founding the nonprofit in the 1980s and Michael Russell sitting on the Board of Trustees for over a decade. We love to support such a vital organization for children and families in our community, and we were honored to be a Bronze Sponsor. The Children’s Cabinet was able to raise $517,000 at the event alone!

Please enjoy these photos of the event, including a photo of our handcrafted rocket ship playhouse sitting on display for the live auction.

 

05 Aug

Posted at 09:03h in News, Project Milestone, United Team

United Construction recently commenced the installation of culvert along Reactor Way at the Hamilton campus. As United and their subcontractor Sierra Nevada Construction were hired to make roadway and infrastructure improvements at Hamilton, they also began realigning the surrounding roadway along Reactor Way this week. The realignment process, which is slated to continue through the end of September, includes demolition, road grading and the use of heavy equipment.

Upon project completion of the Hamilton Reactor Way site, Waldorf School and High Sierra Industries will enjoy additional parking spaces. Hamilton will have new sidewalks, parallel parking, crosswalks and landscaping along Reactor Way.

Culvert installation photos courtesy of Jeff Dow.

02 Aug

Posted at 07:30h in News, Project Milestone

The third and final phase of United Construction’s work at Swope Middle School is in full swing. The start of this phase is marked by the demolition of old facilities and the building of the new, making room for a strong future for the students at the school.

“As we begin our last phase of construction, I reflect on all the hard work we’ve done alongside our talented subcontractors, architect partners and Washoe County School District,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “We are anticipating more incredible changes as we work our way through Phase 3 and finish out the new-and-improved school.”

In mid-July, the former gymnasium was completely demolished, which can be seen captured in the photo to the left. Regarding the demolition, Gunther reports that “all went well, and we are excited to continue bringing the new gym to life.” The bleachers and center court logo have been transferred to the new gym, and the construction team is moving forward with more interior and exterior finishes.

Beyond the gym, the band room has been expanded after the successful demolition of a wall. The team is also gearing up to remove and replace the hallway carpet as well as replace a structural support in the cafeteria this summer.

Students from Swope who opted to attend summer school are doing so at Reno High School. While there, the library is being temporarily moved from its current location that will eventually become the kitchen for the cafeteria. It will be housed in the activity room of the gym until construction of the new library is complete in the two-story building.

01 Aug

Posted at 09:00h in News, Project Milestone

United Construction’s design-build work on the 10,978 sf, two-story expansion at Dassault Falcon on Rock Blvd is complete! The expansion, which sits on the Reno-Tahoe International Airport grounds, features a storage room for parts and equipment, break room, full locker rooms with bathrooms and showers, conference room, avionics work room, new stairways and a quality assurance room overlooking the main aviation work floor.

Dassault is a French based aircraft manufacturer of business and corporate jets. The United Construction design-build team also delivered the existing building used by Dassault. United delivered it in 1996 as an aircraft maintenance hangar for Reno Air.

We credit Superintendent Pete Brunner, Assistant Superintendent Justin Brunner, Project Manager Rob Felstead, Project Administrator Glady Robinette and Operations Manager Casey Gunther for managing this project to success.

 

28 Jul

Posted at 12:03h in Community, News, United Team

Thanks to the leadership of Tenant Improvement Manager Mike Clements, Assistant Superintendent Justin Brunner, Estimator Jami Evenson, our subcontractors and our architect partners, renovations to the Community Health Alliance health center at 2244 Oddie Blvd. in Sparks have officially been completed, expanding the medical facility to serve more patients.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent need for increasingly accessible health care, a more comprehensive, one-stop-shop facility in the Oddie Blvd. neighborhood was a necessity. As KOLO (Channel 8 news in Reno) reports, “This facility opened about 5 years ago, but Mazzucotelli says within about 2 years they were already at capacity trying to serve patients.” In order to meet the needs of their growing clientele, Community Health Alliance hired United Construction last year as their construction partner for the remodel of their Sparks Health Center.

The facility tenant improvements, which includes an expansion into the adjoining tenant space, has brought improved patient exam rooms, a brand-new nurse’s station, an expanded waiting room, revamped blood laboratory space, a new pharmacy and a food pantry to service patients who are food insecure. United and their subcontractors installed several new-and-improved building aspects – including demolition; framing; mechanical, plumbing and electrical work; wall insulation; pharmacy windows; water line tie-ins; pantry cabinets; finishes and more – making for a fresh and comfortable space for all.

Throughout the remodel, we collaborated closely with Berger Hannafin Architecture, our engineering partner JP Engineering and Community Health Alliance leadership. The teamwork is evident in the revitalized finished health center. Justin Brunner was onsite daily through the success of the remodel with Mike Clements providing project management, overseeing the team members and subcontractors.

Renovations were completed as of June 15, 2021. Medical providers have officially moved into their newly constructed station, and patients are enjoying the improved, welcoming waiting areas and bright, sterile exam rooms. The pharmacy is stocked and ready to administer medications to patients, and the blood laboratory is poised to process patient lab results.

“We estimate that we will be able to see an additional 6,000 more patients per year in Sparks due to the Sparks Health Center expansion efforts,” said President of Community Health Alliance’s Board of Directors Melinda Mendoza. “Providing healthcare access for all ages in Sparks supports better health outcomes for our entire community.”

Community Health Alliance is accepting new patients whether individuals are insured, under-insured or uninsured. Please call Community Health Alliance at (775) 329-6300 to make an appointment for you and your family members.

Joe Mazzucotelli, COO of Community Health Alliance, spoke about the new expansion and additions to the CHA Sparks Health Center on Oddie Blvd. Enjoy the news clip and written story here: Sparks Health Center Receives Upgrades, Expands Services

26 Jul

Posted at 09:50h in Community, News, United Team

United Construction Superintendent Pete Brunner has been officially promoted to General Superintendent, following our tradition of promoting from within.

With over three decades of construction experience, Pete is a veteran field leader who focuses on communicating expectations and developing team rapport. He is also an asset in preconstruction, providing constructability insights and working closely with customers to meet needs. Pete steps into this role effective today, July 26.

“We had very qualified applicants to the position, which made the decision extremely difficult for us, and we are very excited about the capabilities that Pete will bring to the General Superintendent role,” said President Mike Whittaker.

Congratulations, Pete!

08 Jul

Posted at 11:14h in Community, News, United Team

Our CEO Michael Russell was a valued member of the expert panel this morning at the Northern Nevada Business Weekly’s Breakfast & Business on construction and development. This was the first NNBW breakfast program since the start of the pandemic, and the topic matters to kick off the programming were ever-relevant to the growth we’ve been seeing in Northern Nevada. Michael and the other panelists discussed how:

– The construction industry is rebounding from the pandemic and what the outlook looks like for summer 2021 and beyond,
– Supply chain issues, labor shortages and increased pricing on lumber and other materials are impacting timelines for commercial and residential projects,
– Northern Nevada’s booming population growth — both pre- and post-pandemic — in part due to the continuing California exodus is putting pressure on developers; and
– The region’s red-hot housing market is influencing both the region’s economic profile and builders’ ability to pump out affordable homes.

Michael spoke to attendees on the challenges our industry has seen in terms of worker shortages, rise of housing and labor costs, and consequent lengthened project turnaround times. Despite these challenges, Michael reiterated his optimism for our region, including beyond Reno-Sparks: the demand is there, as more companies stake their claim for industrial space, and therefore companies like United Construction have the opportunity to step up and continue meeting that demand.

Thank you to Michael and the rest of the panel for sharing your expertise with the audience!

06 Jul

Posted at 07:30h in Community, News, United Team

After more than 40 years in the industry as a professional architect, United Construction’s Dave Eckes will be retiring this Friday, July 9, 2021. Dave joined the United team in 2014, and since then, he has been a driving force within our design team. He has been an excellent mentor to the department and has been instrumental in improving our design standards. We are so fortunate to have had Dave’s expertise, bringing projects such as Project Zephyr, Berkley International, LUX Dynamics Assembly Building, LogistiCenter at Las Vegas Blvd, DP Sofidel and many more to success. He has more than earned a fruitful retirement.

“Dave has been an invaluable leader at United and is an outstanding architect,” said Mike Whittaker. “His bright personality, memorable dad jokes, design talent and unquestionable reliability will be truly missed. We wish him the best as he retires and plans his world travels.”

As we send off Dave to his retirement adventures, we are also thrilled to announce that one of our very own employees will be stepping up into his role. Keith Deutscher will officially be welcomed as our next Design Manager, effective next Monday, July 12, 2021. As many of us know, Keith’s story with United started long before his return to Reno in March 2021, and his promotion is well-deserved. He has decades of architectural experience, including hospitality, medical, retail, industrial, office and education. Keith is licensed in five states, is NCARB certified, and is a LEED accredited professional. He is a natural fit for the Design Manager role, especially as we honor our United tradition of employee succession.

“Keith is a phenomenal member of our design team, and promoting him to Design Manager was an easy decision,” said Paul Laird. “I am looking forward to working with him in this new capacity as we move forward in the future.”

Congratulations, Keith!