The general contractor Barton Malow is taking its centennial celebration on the road.
This Friday, the company will make the first stop on its “Legacy Tour” in Detroit, a city where Barton Malow was founded by Carl Osborn Barton in 1924, and with which it has a long building history. (Its first contract was interior renovations for Michigan Bell Telephone Company.)
The company’s 100th anniversary exhibit, which includes special artifacts and interactive displays, is contained within a 42-ft truck, on the side of which reads Barton Malow’s tagline: “Building Today for a Better Tomorrow.”
(It takes about an hour to set up the stage and stairs to access the exhibit, says a company spokesman.)
Through the end of October, the truck is scheduled to make about 30 stops that will include 20 at Barton Malow projects and jobsites.
Celebrating employees and the Motor City
Ryan Maibach, the company’s fourth generation President and CEO, said in a prepared statement that Barton Malow’s anniversary is meant “to celebrate the contributions of the team members on our jobsites.” The Legacy Tour, he added, will “give team members the opportunity to experience this initiative.”
Barton Malow re-emphasizes its connection with Detroit on its website, which features a nearly 10-minute video where Maibach and three other team members—Kara Martini, Detroit office manager; Kevin Zeleji, Senior Director of Field Services; and Dannis Mitchell, Senior Director-Community Engagement—single out Detroit-area projects that Barton Malow built, including the historic restoration and rebuilding of the 130-room Shinola Hotel, which took two years to complete; and the construction of Little Caesars Arena, on which Barton Malow worked with Hunt and White Construction. Three-fifths of the contractors on the $862 million arena project were Detroit-based, said Mitchell.
“With every project we do, we’re partnering with the community,” said Zeleji on the video interview. Maibach, who has been the company’s president since 2011, also emphasized the importance of market diversity and expansion. Barton Malow launched its Mid-Atlantic operations in 1989, and is now building in 16 states nationwide and the Canadian province of Ontario. It serves nine building types.
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | May 7, 2024
World's first K-12 school to achieve both LEED for Schools Platinum and WELL Platinum
A new K-12 school in Washington, D.C., is the first school in the world to achieve both LEED for Schools Platinum and WELL Platinum, according to its architect, Perkins Eastman. The John Lewis Elementary School is also the first school in the District of Columbia designed to achieve net-zero energy (NZE).
Healthcare Facilities | May 6, 2024
Hospital construction costs for 2024
Data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a three-story hospital across 10 U.S. cities.
MFPRO+ Special Reports | May 6, 2024
Top 10 trends in affordable housing
Among affordable housing developers today, there’s one commonality tying projects together: uncertainty. AEC firms share their latest insights and philosophies on the future of affordable housing in BD+C's 2023 Multifamily Annual Report.
Retail Centers | May 3, 2024
Outside Las Vegas, two unused office buildings will be turned into an open-air retail development
In Henderson, Nev., a city roughly 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas, 100,000 sf of unused office space will be turned into an open-air retail development called The Cliff. The $30 million adaptive reuse development will convert the site’s two office buildings into a destination for retail stores, chef-driven restaurants, and community entertainment.
Codes and Standards | May 3, 2024
New York City considering bill to prevent building collapses
The New York City Council is considering a proposed law with the goal of preventing building collapses. The Billingsley Structural Integrity Act is a response to the collapse of 1915 Billingsley Terrace in the Bronx last December.
Student Housing | May 3, 2024
Student housing construction dips in the first quarter of 2024
Investment in college dorms dipped slightly in the first quarter of 2024, but remains higher than a year ago.
Contractors | May 1, 2024
Nonresidential construction spending rises 0.2% in March 2024 to $1.19 trillion
National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.2% in March, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.19 trillion.
K-12 Schools | Apr 30, 2024
Fully electric Oregon elementary school aims for resilience with microgrid design
The River Grove Elementary School in Oregon was designed for net-zero carbon and resiliency to seismic events, storms, and wildfire. The roughly 82,000-sf school in a Portland suburb will feature a microgrid—a small-scale power grid that operates independently from the area’s electric grid.
AEC Tech | Apr 30, 2024
Lack of organizational readiness is biggest hurdle to artificial intelligence adoption
Managers of companies in the industrial sector, including construction, have bought the hype of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology, but their organizations are not ready to realize its promise, according to research from IFS, a global cloud enterprise software company. An IFS survey of 1,700 senior decision-makers found that 84% of executives anticipate massive organizational benefits from AI.
Codes and Standards | Apr 30, 2024
Updated document details methods of testing fenestration for exterior walls
The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) updated a document serving a recommended practice for determining test methodology for laboratory and field testing of exterior wall systems. The document pertains to products covered by an AAMA standard such as curtain walls, storefronts, window walls, and sloped glazing. AAMA 501-24, Methods of Test for Exterior Walls was last updated in 2015.
