< Previous| 80 FEBRUARY 2023WRITTEN BY EMMA KILCAWLEY HEMANI M etcon is a general contractor that performs con- struction management risk, design-build and general contracting services for a variety of clients across both North and South Carolina. Primarily focusing on municipalities, and local and state government, the company also engage in private work for a range of clients. While the company has vast experience across numerous sectors and services, Metcon has developed a specialty in the education market. Angela Carter, Vice President of Business Devel- opment, Marketing, & Community Partnerships at Metcon explains that the company has done “a huge amount of work in the industry.” Carter goes on to describe how 85 percent of the work currently being done at Metcon is for the UNC System and K – 12 public schools. From humble beginnings twenty-two years ago, the company has experienced enormous success. For Carter, this is, in part, due to the foresight and investment that the company founder made and also due to the meticulous internal planning and strategizing that formed the company’s solid growth plan. “The company founder always believed in investing in the company and investing in good talent for the company. In addition to that, our plan has always been to grow in a very steady and well-grounded way so that we can continue to be successful and not have to have layoffs or anything like that.” Jones County PK-12 School | 81 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONThis steady growth has also had the added benefit of creat- ing a culture of sustainability and positive relationships. As Carter explains, relationships and serving clients does not happen by accident and it does not happen overnight either. “We put a lot of time and effort into our culture and into making sure that we are evolving with the times. We put a lot of emphasis on serving our clients and building relation- ships. We have spent the last ten years really working and focusing on that.” Some of the company’s standout projects include work on the North Carolina Central University residence halls, which, impressively consisted of three separate buildings. The designer on this project was Victor Vines of Vines Architec- ture, a 100 percent African American-owned design firm. This detail may be irrelevant for some people, but, as a 100 percent Native American company itself, it lies at the heart of everything that Metcon does. The project was all design built and featured a 100 percent minority design-build team. According to Carter, this is “the first time that this has ever been done in the state of North Carolina.” Alongside this, the company was able to provide 50 percent minority participation, and HUB participation (Historically “YOUR VISION BECOMES OUR MISSION” CAD Design | ACM Fabrication | Installation | Exterior Cladding Based on sound engineering principles, ECS is dedicated to the design, manufacturing, fabrication and installation of various types of aluminum and steel high-performance coated and natural and exotic finished metal wall panels, particularly ACM (Aluminum Composite Material) cladding systems. Eastern Cladding Services, Inc. 4337 Revolution Park Dr., Charlotte, NC 28217 704-398-3350 ecs-inc.net SEND ENQUIRIES TO: ESTIMATING@ECS-INC.NET NC Central Univeristy George Street Residential Complex | 82 FEBRUARY 2023Underutilized Business) which was important to the Univer- sity as it is a “historical black college and HBCU.” In addition to these positive and inclusive details, the project itself also showcased Metcon’s ability to work under intense demands. Carter describes it as a “very complex project” with a total of five construction projects ongoing on the campus at the same time. “Our team had to co-ordinate around other construction managers for deliveries and for all of the workers that were coming in. Logistically, it was incredibly challenging, but we were hugely successful, and we are very proud of the project.” Another standout project for the company was The UNC Pembroke School of Business. This project gave Metcon the opportunity to show its technical skills and work to highly exacting standards. According to Carter, the school contained very unique classroom spaces that included state-of-the-art technology and modern tiered classrooms. The project itself involved working on many “high-end finishes” such as acous- tical ceilings and “beautiful wood panels” along with polished terrazzo floors. For Carter, the design aspect of the job was “absolutely beautiful.” While the work was aesthetically joyful for the company, the project itself was somewhat challeng- ing due to external forces. It was a public bid project, which Metcon had to bid on and construct during the pandemic. As any business that has tried to navigate recent global events can attest to, this led to disruption and concerns. Despite issues such as supply chain delays and public health limitations, the project finished on time and has been nom- inated for several awards. In fact, the company is about to accept the Eagle Award, the ABC Excellence in Construction Award, on November 10th for this project. With experience and skill working on projects from the design phase onwards, Metcon has the ability to lower costs and work quickly for clients. Take for example the work that Metcon recently completed on the Concord Electrical Operations Centre. This unique building comprised of office space, learning space, training space, fleet management, a data center and a response center for the electrical opera- tions for the entire city of Concord. As a hugely successful project, it is an example of the multifaceted benefits that comes from working with Metcon. According to Carter, Metcon saved over $1 million of the budget and six months off the schedule by being involved early on with the design team. “We were able to mitigate and navigate through some of the challenges at the design phase. This meant that we could design the building in accordance with the materials that were available.” UNC Pembroke School of Business, Thomas Hall “The UNC Pembroke School of Business project gave Metcon the opportunity to show its technical skills and work to highly exacting standards.” | 83 APEIRON CONSTRUCTIONIn a post-pandemic world, the unfortunate truth is that the construction industry needs to maintain a balance between savings and sustainable practices. The difficulty being that these two ideals can occasionally be at either ends of the spectrum. To assist with this, Metcon has become involved in what Carter refers to as “energy positive” work. Through a combination of public-private partnership and grants, along with energy positive initiatives, Metcon can build its clients an affordable building that benefits from energy savings and sustainable technologies. Carter explains how the approach combines both cost effective and sustainability practices. “Not only is it financed affordably and has a lot of grant money and federal funding involved in it, on the back end there are not a lot of operational costs due to electricity.” The buildings are designed and constructed to deliver over 70 percent more energy than they consume through solar pan- els, geothermal heating and cooling systems, reduced ceiling height and the building envelope. “We use hollow metal, hol- low core concrete planking systems to move the air as a ther- mal conductor. This keeps both the heat and the cool air in for the building. We also have an incredible clean air system that's installed to make sure that the air is recycled and clean and offers a very clean environment.” Metcon has success- fully constructed twelve of these buildings, with many being schools. As Carter explains, this method is something that those at Metcon are striving to build on. “It is something that we are very proud of. Our Native American culture is about protecting Mother Earth, so we are very proud to have that.” With all this in mind, it is unsurprising to know that Metcon is likely to experience huge growth, with many new projects on the horizon. Excitingly, Carter notes that the upcoming proj- ects are “really unique.” For example, Metcon is working on the Cleveland County Courthouse in Shelby, North Carolina, and The Two Kings Casino and Resort in Kings Mountain. The company is also working on the Hope County Aquatic Center, and several schools for Guilford County in Harnett County, new schools in Washington, North Carolina and Pamlico County, North Carolina. UNC Pembroke West Hall Erwin Elementary School | 84 FEBRUARY 2023Outside of this, the outlook for the rest of 2022 is positive, with Carter acknowledging that the company’s books are close to full for the foreseeable future. “We do a lot of design-build work which is already under contract. That means that our pre-construction department and estimators are very busy working and finalizing the total budgets, and prequalifying subcontractors, and trade partners for the bidding process.” While this is certainly reason to be thankful, Carter believes that the company is now in a place where it needs to consol- idate, take stock and excel with its existing projects before it sets its sights on further growth. “In 2023 and 2024, we have little room for new opportunities. Most of the projects that we are going to focus on are the projects and opportunities that we've already counted in our pipeline.” With a growing track record of excellent services and projects, it is only a matter of time before Metcon grows ever further, proving that doing the little things well is always the best option. UNC School of the Arts - Artist Village | 85 APEIRON CONSTRUCTION| 86 FEBRUARY 2023WRITTEN BY GEORGIE DOWNES C onstructing a wastewater treatment plant is no mean feat. The scale alone is mind-boggling, the logistics end- less, the materials and equipment involved immense. All of the sciences; physics, chemistry and biology come into play and unlike other major construction projects, if done incorrectly, we jeopardize our health and the well-being of entire eco-sys- tems. The stakes are high. Reflecting this, the U.S. Water Treat- ment and Chlorination project that began in 1908 is hailed as one of the greatest American public health achievements of the 20th Century, and rightly so. Efficient wastewater treatment is an important business and one best left to the experts; people like Thieneman Construction Inc, enthusiastic problem solvers and specialists in this field. Vice president Jeff Chinn explains how he and his team relish a challenge. “We love to tease things out around here. We really enjoy science projects. Unravelling a mystery and finding solutions is very important to us.” Three years ago, for the purpose of rebranding the busi- ness, the company reached out to its clients and employees which, in Chinn’s words, turned out to be “a very wonderful experience.” After one hundred or so conversations, their clients were able to pinpoint what they considered to be Thieneman’s best areas of performance and those that could be improved upon. Their feedback deepened the company’s confidence in its own principles of problem solv- ing, strengthening their determination to find elegant ways through tricky obstacles. “Our clients told us that when we understand their challenge, we're very good at driving innovative solutions and that really helped us understand how clients see us because a lot of times in construction, low price is the determining factor. You have to have a fair market value for what you provide but it was nice to hear that clients recognized our endeavor to really solve their problems.” CONGRATULATIONS THIENEMAN CONSTRUCTION! Thank you for your continued partnership. From your Construction Insurance and Bonding Team. mjinsurance.com ROB BAUMGARTNER | P 317-945-3501 | E ROB.BAUMGARTNER@MJINSURANCE.COM ED MOURNIGHAN | P 317-805-7502 | E ED.MOURNIGHAN@MJINSURANCE.COM The results of the market research captured the Thieneman brand: they love puzzles. They love to understand their client’s needs and they love coming up with solutions. A case in point: In Lebanon, Indiana, with a growing population to consider, the Town accepted proposals for improvements to their wastewater treatment plant. The aim was to improve operation-costs and to future-proof the plant for treatment requirements down the line. However, construction-cost inflation put the project just beyond the Town’s allocated bud- get. Thieneman, who had submitted the lowest original price, understood the dilemma and worked jointly with Wessler Engineering in conjunction with the Plant’s operations staff to reconfigure their original proposal in order to meet the Town’s budget. The work resulted in over $710k dollars of savings to Lebanon Utilities. Win, win all round. “There are a number of projects lately that have experienced a ten to fifteen percent reduction in initial construction costs. We achieved that by just sitting down with clients and really understanding what features they actually needed and scoping and developing a concept around those particular features. Understanding is key.” Our video connection glitches and stalls but unphased, Chinn turns his camera off and continues explaining the company cul- ture. Despite this, the joy in his voice remains. He is relentlessly endearing. Democratic and egalitarian, he explains how things never go from the top down within the company but through the company instead. The people are its greatest asset. “Innovative solutions, brighter futures. This is our company tagline and our guiding principle.” | 88 FEBRUARY 2023“Innovative solutions, brighter futures,” he says. “This is our company tagline and our guiding principle. This is how you grow your career; this is where you can be in your career. This idea of a brighter future really is appealing. When you speak in a positive tone and tackle things with a can-do attitude, it makes everything an enjoyable endeavor. It motivates our employees. And our clients too.” Chinn’s enthusiasm is infectious. Established in 1999, Thieneman Construction Inc has steadily grown to become one of the top ten largest con- struction firms in the state. With 250 full-time employees and more than 220 jobs under its belt, generating over $400 million in revenue, Thieneman is no bit player. Over seventy percent of the services they offer are self-preformed, from earthwork, concrete piping to equipment placing. Every job is an opportunity to advance. Having honed their skills through experience the staff has accumulated the expertise and skills to tackle the most challenging and complex developments including the wastewater project for the Hard Rock Casino in Gary, IN, the wastewater treatment plant improvements in Yorktown, and one of Chinn’s personal favorites, the clear- well drinking facility at North-western University for the City of Evanston, IL. “This site was very challenging. It was in the middle of an active university campus and parents expect that to be a safe environment for their kids.” The work was also in the midst of the ongoing Athletic Cen- ter. Not an easy task with hundreds of people coming and going every day. “We really couldn't disrupt any of that. At the end of the proj- ect, the client was very happy with our behavior, how clean we were and how organized the job was. And it functions well. The project was designed by a major engineering company CDM Smith, and we've got a good working relationship, so I’d mark that as a very good endeavor on all fronts.” Empathy towards the environment is another of Thieneman’s striking merits. On their website, you’ll find a section entitled: Leave Job Sites Better Than We Found Them. The team rou- tinely replace torn-up grass and felled trees, staying behind days after the job is finished to nullify any negative impacts their project might have on the environment. This solid com- mitment was recognized by The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure early in 2022 when they awarded Thieneman the Envision Verified Award. Green issues, in fact, form a large part of the company’s growth plan for the future. The renewable energy market is a very good fit for firms like Thieneman. Natural gas is a by-product of the wastewater treatment process and Chinn is genuinely excited by the prospect of doing something positive for the environment. He explains the science behind it. “There is a fundamental process called anaerobic digestion where bacteria consume waste products, and they emit car- bon dioxide and methane. Methane is natural gas. So, we can take that gas and separate it and clean it up and it becomes renewable natural gas which is so valuable to our environ- ment. The process harnesses its sequester, those products that would be greenhouse gases, and it captures them and allows us to use them as an energy source.” Chinn ends by letting me in on one of the key indicators of Thieneman’s success; the fact that so many people request a keepsake with the Thieneman logo on it, be that a hat, a shirt, a license plate. “We show our team spirit by what we wear – just look at the World Cup. You wear the jersey of the team you respect most, right? It’s been humbling to see just how many people want to be associated with our team. To me, that’s a great statement of where our culture stamps.” Absolutely. I’ll expect my hat in the post, Jeff. 89Next >