message from Ron Hux:

In December we started on the interior build-out of our offices. Since December we’ve made significant progress on the infrastructure including welding new roof trusses where HVAC units will be sitting, installing a new roof on the showroom area to meet LEED requirements and placing sky lights and a new roof structure in a small area in the showroom. I made a decision early on not to use the existing plumbing so all new pipes had to be put in the floors. In addition, we removed a block wall to expand the accounting area and installed the fire sprinkler system.

 

interior views highlighting build-out and the glass enclosures of our 4000 sq. ft. addition

With all this behind us now, the crews are concentrating on framing and building out the space. We expect this to progress rapidly.  By mid-March framing should be complete and drywall should begin to be hung.

 

left to right: the delivery of drywall has begun, new roof trusses, interior view looking northeast

 

Finishing the year strong

Years ago I used to participate in long distance running races and olympic distance triathlon's.  My training regiments included "track work-outs" with like minded individuals.  I'll always remember the coach would bark out commands offer encouragement as we crossed the finish line on every distance set. " Finish strong. Don't slow down. Run all the way through the finishline."

Well, here we find ourselves at the end of 2012 and we have multiple crews working hard.  One crew works at finishing off the main entrance (left) while another crew works at setting the side entrance (right).  Simultaneously, window and door frames are being added to the addition.

Hard and persistent work does lead to noticeable progress. Commenting on my running days: after each set, we'd get 15 seconds rest and do it all over again.  It amounted to quite a workout during that 1 hour and in the end we all turned out better, stronger and faster.  Not surprisingly, one of the participants was a part of the 2000 summer Olympics team.

Beginning in the new year, these crews will continue to work hard on this 2nd phase of our project.  Follow our progress regularly as we share stories on the transformation of this once aged building into our new corporate campus with state of the art features, a beautiful showroom and designer center, LEED certification, and  more.

Building Progression

 

Significant advances have been made in the past five weeks.  The addition that will house part of our design and sales team now has a roof.  The floor is currently being prepared with sufficient subflooring and the installation in floor level electrical and data conduit, thereby avoiding having to use floor to ceiling power poles. 

  What is not seen is that we have begun using parts of the 60,000 square foot warehouse to manage the distribution of large projects and to begin storing product that will eventually become part of our showroom and offices. 

These are exciting times.  Multiple trades are working simultaneously. One such example is that the window and glass company has carefully measured each window and installed energy efficient glass in all window openings - which will serve as another contributing factor in our planned LEED certification.

Constuction  continues with progress on our 4000 square foot addition and the front entrance.  The footers were poured and walls were erected.  Earlier this week the trusses were placed and the front entrance was beginning to take shape.

 

The more this project comes together, the easier it is to imagine what the exterior will look like.

Meanwhile, the warehouse which was completed months ago is now being used to warehouse product that will be used in our offices and showroom.

This week we started phase two of our new corporate campus.   During this stage we are removing two exterior walls in order to open up the area for a 4,000 square foot office addition. We will also replace all exterior windows and construct a new entrance where the old outdated front door used to be.

When I was compiling these images I was impressed by the complete transformation I've witnessed over the past 6 months, causing me to reflect on the value of adapting.  Business, like people, need to adapt to the current and projected environment in order to excel.  Darwin wrote books about this, explaining the value of certain species adapting to their environment in order to continue to survive. Business journals frequently discuss change and how to adapt to the evolving marketplace.

This is Douron's story - and why we can do things better and smarter, while providing ever expanding and greater value to our clients.

6 months ago, work began at 10 Painters Mill Road to transform an old and outdated building into a world class corporate campus and distribution facility.  Images below show the progression of the warehouse component from the early stages. Last week the main warehouse which measures 400' long x 100' wide  received its much anticipated floor re-finishing which reflects our commitment to "best practices" and to providing our employees with the best work environment.

Image # 1: warehouse preperation (March 14, 2012 )

Image # 2: after some concrete replaced (April 1, 2012)

Image # 3: after floor treatment (July, 23, 2012)

With the demolition of the interior office and warehouse space now complete we are moving forward with the reconstruction process. We will be starting the addition mid to late August and do anticipate moving in most likely early spring. As most of you know I worked very hard to recycle the materials that came out of the building. Not only does this make good business sense, it makes a significant impact on our local resources. I wanted to share with you the amount of material that has come out of the building and how much has been recycled. Attached are the final statistics of this phase of our reconstruction. These numbers absolutely amaze me. I hope you are as impressed as I am. 

• Total Recycle:  1,265.86 tons - that's over 2 1/2 million pound, including:
• 233,780 lbs. of steel
• 6,069 lbs. of aluminum
• 4,464 lbs. of stainless steel
• 2,351 lbs. of copper
• Total of 91% construction waste diversion.

Ron Hux