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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!

01 Jul

Posted at 06:00h in News, Project Milestone, United Team

Summer has arrived in full force, and with it will come completion of the brand new gym at Swope Middle School as we bid the existing gym goodbye.

“The new gym taking the place of the old gym as it becomes demolished marks a significant milestone for Swope,” said Casey Gunther, Operations Manager for United Construction. “As our team continues to make strides towards a finished, new-and-improved school, we are thrilled to see all of our hard work come to fruition for the students.”

Finishes to the new gymnasium, including interior framing and drywall, are continuing strongly. The roof top HVAC units have been set, and the on-site construction team is powering on the system for the first time

Demolition of the existing gym will commence this month, which marks a major landmark as the school prepares for students to enjoy the new gym facilities. Additionally, site workers are preparing to demolish the library to construct the new kitchen, and they are gearing up to demolish and remodel the band and choir rooms.

Work on the interior of the existing school and installation of the Solatube daylight and ventilation systems has also begun and will continue through the following weeks.

Residents should be aware of the increased truck traffic over the next four weeks as site workers haul off material from the existing gym. We urge neighbors to exercise caution when traveling around the school. Please note: due to ongoing construction and demolition, two of the basketball courts on the west side of the school will not be available this summer.

Photo Credits: Ryland Sweigard

25 Jun

Posted at 13:16h in Community, News, United Team

Yeehaw! United Construction had a blast at this year’s Reno Rodeo. Employees were all smiles in Grandstand 5 on Wednesday, June 23 – Wolf Pack Night. We were thankful for the opportunity to attend as a company, especially after the rodeo was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. What a great time we had!

23 Jun

Posted at 08:37h in Community, News, United Team

On International Women in Engineering Day, we are proud to celebrate our very own Project Engineer, Kelsie Hieber. Kelsie is a highly-experienced professional engineer with a diverse set of skills in civil design, construction assistance, geotechnical laboratory management, material testing, and field inspection. She began her career at United Construction as a project estimator and is now happy to be in the field overseeing Project Zephyr, a planned 997,000-square-foot distribution facility in Reno.

From geotechnical to civil construction, Kelsie has overseen engineering site work for a wide variety of clients, including public agencies, environmental projects and distribution facilities. She is immensely committed to delivering high-quality products for every client while maintaining excellent relationships with all partners.

We thank you, Kelsie, for the amazing work you do for United and our community!

21 Jun

Posted at 10:38h in Community, News, United Team

United Construction is thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in and sponsor several Northern Nevada nonprofit and professional association golf tournaments this summer. With the pandemic cancelling nearly all events last year, our team is excited to “get back out there” as restrictions continue to lift.

 

So far, Team United has participated in two golf tournaments:

  • CREW NAIOP Charity Golf Tournament on Friday, June 11 at Lakeridge Golf Course
  • AGCPAC Golf Tournament on Friday, June 18 at Washoe Golf Course (United was also a sponsor)

 

Kelsie Hieber, Mark Davis, Nick Crawford and Brad Richter golfed for a cause at the NAIOP Golf Tournament, as the event benefitted both the commercial real estate industry and the Give Hope Foundation, which helps families in children in Nevada battling chronic disease and illness.

Mark Davis grabbed his clubs yet again for the AGC Golf Tournament, joined this time by Mike Clements, Mark Byars and Kerry Brock. Team United came in 3rd place at this popular industry tournament! We sponsor this event every year, and this year we sponsored Hole #7. Along with golfing, we also had great fun managing our booth and connecting with all of the teams that stopped by for some drinks, our branded sunscreens and koozies, and much-appreciated shade.

Looking forward to even more golf tournaments this summer to benefit wonderful organizations in our community!