FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT March 15, 2017 Gretchen Waters, (734) 662-2570

PRESS RELEASE

RECIPIENTS OF 2017 PYRAMID AWARDS ARE ANNOUNCED The Washtenaw Contractors Association (WCA) announced the recipients of its 20th annual PYRAMID Awards Friday night before a group of the county's leading contractors, architects, construction project owners and labor leaders. Each of these prestigious awards represents exceptional effort in the areas of teamwork, service or innovation. To be chosen as a recipient of a PYRAMID Award, a nomination had to be truly outstanding. The recipients were selected by an independent jury composed of industry experts in the Washington D.C. area. The PYRAMID Awards was a hallmark evening because it is the only event for which virtually all sectors of the construction industry in Washtenaw County gather together to celebrate the great achievements of the past year. Major sponsors of the event were Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 2, Laborers Local 499 - Employers’ Cooperation and Education Trust Fund, Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, and the Washtenaw Industry Advancement Program. The Washtenaw Contractors Association has been serving the commercial and industrial construction industry in Washtenaw County since 1949. Members of the Association include contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and professional service providers. WCA member services include business development, education, labor relations, workforce development, legislative advocacy and The Plan Room. All WCA programs are designed to improve both the success of individual member firms and the construction industry in Washtenaw County as a whole. The recipients of the 2017 PYRAMID Awards, and the other nominees, are provided on the following pages.

BEST PROJECT TEAM AWARDS To be selected as a recipient for a Best Project Team award, the project had to involve an extremely high level of cooperation between the Owner, Architect and Contractor, resulting in true synergism between these three entities. This cooperation and synergism must have resulted in an improvement in some critical aspect of the construction project (e.g. quality, budget, completion time, safety record etc.) Best Project Team - Projects under $3 Million RECIPIENT: The Ark Renovation (Ann Arbor)

This renovation required an unsurpassed level of teamwork and coordination because the team had just four weeks to complete the project, and only 1,200 sf in which 15 different trades had to work. It had to take place during the holidays and The Ark remained operational for two of the four weeks. The renovations included a new concession and bar area, new lighting, new food service and beverage service areas, and upgraded finishes throughout the space.

➢ Architect: Mitchell Mouat Architects (Ann Arbor)

➢ Contractor: Phoenix Contractors (Ypsilanti)

➢ Owner: The Ark (Ann Arbor)

(Representing the team L-R: Chris Love from Phoenix, Emily Jo Ross and Marianne James from The Ark, Mark Hiser from

Phoenix)

OTHER NOMINEES:

Baker College - East Hall Dormitory Renovation

➢ Architect: Tower Pinkster (Grand Rapids)

➢ Contractor: Spence Brothers (Saginaw)

➢ Owner: Baker College (Flint)

LCC Center for Manufacturing Excellence (Lansing)

➢ Architect: Harley Ellis Devereaux (Southfield)

➢ Contractor: Braun Construction Group (Farmington Hills)

➢ Owner: Lansing Community College (Lansing)

Best Project Team – Projects between $3 Million & $25 Million (Southfield) RECIPIENT: Dürr Group New Headquarters Facility

Through a 90,000 sf, two-story office facility renovation and 100,000 sf high bay addition, this project completely repurposed a

functionally obsolete and abandoned office building into an ultra-modern, energy efficient center for engineering, research and

equipment testing. The project allowed Dürr Group to consolidate operations that had been located in three different Michigan

communities; bringing over 450 engineers and support staff onto the new campus in just twelve months.

➢ Architect: SmithGroup JJR (Detroit)

➢ Contractor: The Christman Company (Detroit)

➢ Owner: Dürr Group (Southfield)

(Representing the team L-R): Sam Ruegsegger and Keith Berry from Christman, Patrick Wong and Rahul Bhatnagar from

Dürr)

OTHER NOMINEES:

Interlochen Center for the Arts - Dennison Recreation Center

➢ Architect: Cornerstone Architects (Traverse City)

➢ Contractor: Spence Brothers (Saginaw/Traverse City)

➢ Owner: Interlochen Center for the Arts (Interlochen)

M1 Concourse - Phase 1

➢ Architect: InFORM Studio (Northville)

➢ Contractor: George W. Auch Company (Pontiac)

➢ Owner: M1 Concourse LLC (Pontiac)

U of M Eda U. Gerstacker Grove

➢ Architect: Stoss Landscape Urbanism (Boston)

➢ Contractor: J.S. Vig Construction (Taylor)

➢ Owner: University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

U of M Hospital Level 1 Operating Room Expansion

➢ Architect: HKS (Northville)

➢ Contractor: A.Z. Shmina (Brighton)

➢ Owner: University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

USA Hockey Arena Addition & Renovations

➢ Architect: Andrus Architecture (Plymouth)

➢ Contractor: Spence Brothers (Saginaw)

➢ Owner: USA Hockey (Plymouth)

Best Project Team - Projects over $25 Million RECIPIENT: Polk Penguin Conservation Center (Royal Oak)

When this new facility opened, it became the largest penguinarium in the world. The design was inspired by the harsh Antarctic world,

with the dramatic exterior resembling an iceberg. A 326,000-gallon, 25-foot-deep aquatic area allows visitors to watch penguins deep

dive, something that is otherwise impossible to observe. Two acrylic underwater tunnels provide guests with views above and below

as birds dive and soar. The building is a virtual life support system for the 80 penguins it houses.

➢ Architect: Albert Kahn Associates (Detroit)

➢ Contractors: DeMaria Building Company/Wharton-Smith (Novi)

➢ Owner: Detroit Zoological Society (Royal Oak)

(Representing the Team L-R: Jesse Powell, Nick Annoni, Pankaj Patel, Darren Murray, Mike Draper, William Mazzola; all are

from DeMaria Building Company except P. Patel who is from Albert Kahn)

OTHER NOMINEES:

Pinnebog Wind Park (Huron County)

➢ Design Build Contractor: Aristeo (Livonia)

➢ Owner: DTE Energy (Detroit)

U of M GG Brown Laboratory Building Renovation (Ann Arbor)

➢ Architect: Integrated Design Solutions (Troy)

➢ Contractor: Granger Construction Company (Lansing)

➢ Owner: University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

BEST SUBCONTRACTOR AWARDS To be selected as a recipient for a Best Subcontractor Award, the subcontractor must have provided an exceptional level of service that resulted in a significant improvement in some critical aspect of the construction project (e.g. project quality, design, budget, completion time, safety record, etc.) The improvement must have been documented, and the exceptional level of service supported in writing by the project owner, architect, general contractor or construction manager. Best Subcontractor Award - Contracts under $500,000 RECIPIENT: Edwards Glass Company (Livonia) for Polk Penguin Conservation Center (Royal Oak)

Edwards Glass was fortunate to have come on board the project team a year before their work actually began because of the unique nature of the glazing work required. Together with the other team members, they were able to work through many of the challenges in advance. Their project scope included three areas of complex curtain wall installations, automatic entrance doors integrated within the system, five sloped glazed skylight systems, and an all-glass custom handrail.

(Representing Edwards Glass L-R: Bob Maxwell, Ryan Thomas, Ross Winiemko, Erick Giovannini)

OTHER NOMINEES:

Shamrock Floorcovering Services (Ann Arbor) for Bank of Ann Arbor Renovation & Addition (Ann Arbor)

TEL Systems (Ann Arbor) for Bank of Ann Arbor Renovation & Addition (Ann Arbor)

United Mill & Cabinet (Willis) for The Ark Renovation (Ann Arbor)

Best Subcontractor Award - Contracts over $500,000 RECIPIENT: John E. Green Company for U of M MSRB II Chiller Replacement & Chilled Water Interconnect The project involved replacement of three absorption chillers and pumps with new 1,250-ton centrifugal units and associated pumps

located on the 2nd floor of the Medical Science Research Building I. In addition, four double-cell cooling towers were replaced with new

towers on the 8th floor of MSRB II. The project connected MSRB II with MSRB III to create a central chilled water system in a phased

critical shut-down schedule that was performed to maintain temperatures in these sensitive research facilities.

(Representing John E. Green L-R: Jeff Daman, Levi Smith, Kirk Fischer)

OTHER NOMINEE:

Acoustic Ceiling & Partition - for U of M Ross School of Business Phase 2

Best Innovation Award RECIPIENT: Administrative Controls Management for Transition of the City of Detroit’s

Public Lighting Department

The City of Detroit Public Lighting Department (PLD) is in the process of transferring all of its customers to the DTE Energy electrical grid through a contract with a consortium of experts including, Administrative Controls Management. During the multi-year project, tracking, maintenance and repair of the PLD grid will be continued while decommissioning progresses. They have already replaced 467 wood poles, trimmed 125 miles of trees, replaced of 3,177 cross-arms, mitigated copper theft, and completed 11,426 work orders.

(Representing ACM L-R: Craig Larson, Chris Krebs, Phill Bunnell, Kathy Ambrosi)

OTHER NOMINEE:

Spence Brothers for Emmet County Headlands Waterfront Event Center - Timber Truss Roof