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
Office Buildings | May 4, 2023
In Southern California, a former industrial zone continues to revitalize with an award-winning office property
In Culver City, Calif., Del Amo Construction, a construction company based in Southern California, has completed the adaptive reuse of 3516 Schaefer St, a new office property. 3516 Schaefer is located in Culver City’s redeveloped Hayden Tract neighborhood, a former industrial zone that has become a technology and corporate hub.
Mass Timber | May 3, 2023
Gensler-designed mid-rise will be Houston’s first mass timber commercial office building
A Houston project plans to achieve two firsts: the city’s first mass timber commercial office project, and the state of Texas’s first commercial office building targeting net zero energy operational carbon upon completion next year. Framework @ Block 10 is owned and managed by Hicks Ventures, a Houston-based development company.
Market Data | May 2, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending up 0.7% in March 2023 versus previous month
National nonresidential construction spending increased by 0.7% 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 $997.1 billion for the month.
Hotel Facilities | May 2, 2023
U.S. hotel construction up 9% in the first quarter of 2023, led by Marriott and Hilton
In the latest United States Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE), analysts report that construction pipeline projects in the U.S. continue to increase, standing at 5,545 projects/658,207 rooms at the close of Q1 2023. Up 9% by both projects and rooms year-over-year (YOY); project totals at Q1 ‘23 are just 338 projects, or 5.7%, behind the all-time high of 5,883 projects recorded in Q2 2008.
Multifamily Housing | May 1, 2023
A prefab multifamily housing project will deliver 200 new apartments near downtown Denver
In Denver, Mortenson, a Colorado-based builder, developer, and engineering services provider, along with joint venture partner Pinnacle Partners, has broken ground on Revival on Platte, a multifamily housing project. The 234,156-sf development will feature 200 studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments on eight floors, with two levels of parking.
Mass Timber | May 1, 2023
SOM designs mass timber climate solutions center on Governors Island, anchored by Stony Brook University
Governors Island in New York Harbor will be home to a new climate-solutions center called The New York Climate Exchange. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), The Exchange will develop and deploy solutions to the global climate crisis while also acting as a regional hub for the green economy. New York’s Stony Brook University will serve as the center’s anchor institution.
Market Data | May 1, 2023
AEC firm proposal activity rebounds in the first quarter of 2023: PSMJ report
Proposal activity for architecture, engineering and construction (A/E/C) firms increased significantly in the 1st Quarter of 2023, according to PSMJ’s Quarterly Market Forecast (QMF) survey. The predictive measure of the industry’s health rebounded to a net plus/minus index (NPMI) of 32.8 in the first three months of the year.
Sustainability | May 1, 2023
Increased focus on sustainability is good for business and attracting employees
A recent study, 2023 State of Design & Make by software developer Autodesk, contains some interesting takeaways for the design and construction industry. Respondents to a survey of industry leaders from the architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, and entertainment spheres strongly support the idea that improving their organization’s sustainability practices is good for business.
Codes and Standards | May 1, 2023
Hurricane Ian aftermath expected to prompt building code reform in Florida
Hurricane Ian struck the Southwest Florida coastline last fall with winds exceeding 150 mph, flooding cities, and devastating structures across the state. A construction risk management expert believes the projected economic damage, as high as $75 billion, will prompt the state to beef up building codes and reform land use rules.
AEC Tech | May 1, 2023
Utilizing computer vision, AI technology for visual jobsite tasks
Burns & McDonnell breaks down three ways computer vision can effectively assist workers on the job site, from project progress to safety measures.
