Matthew Higgins Joins The Douglas Company Orlando as Project Manager!

The Douglas Company’s Orlando, Florida office, welcomed Matthew Higgins to its team of capable Associates earlier this month.

Higgins, who boasts 14 years of experience in the construction industry, will be the new project manager for the upcoming Hillel Faith Center project on the University of Central Florida campus.  With a Bachelor of Science degree in Building Construction from the University of Florida, Higgins excels in the area of operations management. Higgins also brings to the table an OSHA 30 Hour Certification and USACE Quality Control Certification.

Having developed a unique skill set from experience working on Design-Build federal construction projects, Higgins is a welcomed addition to The Douglas Company team.

Groundbreaking Celebration!

We are all set to break ground on a new office addition on Friday, May 3, 2013 at 11:30 am! The invitation-only event will be held on our office property and will include a groundbreaking ceremony, luncheon and blessing by Fr. Ronald Olszewski, President of St. Francis de Sales High School.

The new addition will add 43 much needed offices to the building, and a total of 10,000 square feet of ready-to-use space. Along with office space, we will add new conference rooms to both the first and second floors. Within the existing basement, a fully functional training room will be constructed along with a recreational room for employee use. The basement will also feature a new locker room with showers and dressing areas to go along with a fitness room for employee convenience. As a part of the expansion, the parking lot will be completely redesigned to accommodate an additional 30 parking spaces.

The reasoning behind the addition, according to Senior Director of Business Development, Marty Larnhart, is that “the company has doubled in size over the past ten years, and the current building poses restrictions on our ability to hire due to lack of space.  We’ve managed our space well, but now it’s time to move forward with an expansion.”

The million dollar plus office expansion is scheduled for completion by October 2013.

Mary Rose Estates opens doors to seniors in Northeast Ohio

The Douglas Company recently completed construction on the new Mary Rose Estates senior living apartment complex in Willoughby Hills, Ohio.

The project, which commenced in early April 2012, was completed in less than one year and has since opened its doors to local seniors. The 40-unit facility offers residents one-bedroom apartments complete with full kitchen and a community laundry center.

The 34,500 square foot, $4.1 million facility is owned by Mary Rose Estates Apartments, L.P., and incorporated an energy-saving Geothermal heating and cooling system into its configuration. The architectural design for this project was provided by CC Hodgson Architectural Group.

The Douglas Company Achieves ‘Excellent’ Contractor Rating

The Douglas Company has been dubbed ‘Excellent” by Contractor Score. This ranking places the company in category of contractors considered financially stable with low risk of default. Contractors scoring in this range usually have significant lines of credit, top 25 percent operating ratios and are in positions to earn greater returns on their invested equity in the firm.

The Contractor Score ranks contractors based on empirical, verified data that includes the analysis of financial statements, current lines of credit, backlog, work in progress and management capacity.  Scores range from zero to 2500, with any score over 1000 considered Excellent.

Owners and developers can use the Contractor Score for pre-qualification of contractors or refinement to a contracts terms and conditions. Financially weak contractors often contribute to delayed projects and blown schedules. Additionally, contract defaults are costly, even when secured by bonds or insurance. The Contractor Score better communicates the company’s financial position and risk potential, in advance, to help owners and developers avoid these unfavorable situations.

We are proud to have earned such an exceptional score and hoped that it can be used as further indication of our past and future successes!

The Douglas Company Begins Renovations on Century-Old Building

Longstanding hotel to become affordable apartments for seniors

The Douglas Company has begun extensive renovations on the historic Hotel Rieger in Sandusky, Ohio! The updated facility, Rieger Place, will house 37 affordable apartment units for area seniors.

Built in 1912, the five-story Hotel Rieger is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been the subject of various paranormal investigations over the past few decades. Construction commenced on the 65,000 square foot restoration project at the end of February, and when finished will include four efficiency units, 16 one-bedroom apartments and 17 two-bedroom apartments, along with first floor retail space and a third floor community deck.

The $5.5 million project is owned by Buckeye Community Twenty Two, LP with design services provided by Sandvick Architects, Inc. When completed, Rieger Place will fill a need for affordable senior housing in the Sandusky area.

Grand Palms Assisted Living Welcomes Residents

The Douglas Company Orlando’s recently completed project makes great home for seniors!

Grand Palms Assisted Living and Memory Care Community, built by local general contractor The Douglas Company, has opened its doors to the aging community of Central Florida.

Grand Palms, located in Orlando, is comprised of 36 units with 45 resident beds totaling 39,000 square feet. The new facility includes amenities such as a beauty salon, bistro, screened in porches, country kitchens and greenhouses that are sure to appeal to the aging community. Architectural design called for features like high framed corridors and extensive landscaping to give the facility a spacious and luxurious feeling.

The $5.4 million project, owned by Grand Palms Assisted Living, LLC, took only ten months to complete and was intended to de-institutionalize care by eliminating the often large sterile venue and replacing it with an engaging, home-like setting.  This new facility has something for everyone and is certain to appeal to the ever evolving tastes of the Boomer Generation.

Crane’s Landing Opens Doors to Northwest Ohio Seniors

Residents are currently settling in at Crane’s Landing, an affordable senior housing community built by local general contractor The Douglas Company. The facility opened its doors in early 2013 and targets local seniors ages 55 and older.

The 46,621 square foot building features a mixture of cultured stone, brick and Hardie plank siding and houses 40 separate resident units, each with their own kitchen and walk-in closet.  Crane’s Landing, named with its close proximity to the Manhattan Marsh Group in mind, sits on the site of the former Chase Elementary School and offers occupants amenities such as a library, community room, media room, and second story balconies that provide incredible views of local wildlife. The two-story building was designed with energy savings as a clear goal and includes a state-of-the-art, water-based Hydronic heating and cooling system along with energy efficient windows.

Crane’s Landing was developed by Toledo’s own United North organization and features the architectural design of The Collaborative and Berardi & Partners.

A warm welcome to John Nobles, new Director of People Development!

The Douglas Company has added John Nobles to its team as the new Director of People Development.

In his new position, John will focus primarily on developing and managing a long-term strategic human resources plan that reflects the staffing, hiring, training and promotional requirements needed to meet the company’s growth objectives. With skillset in areas such as training needs assessment, coaching and counseling, leadership development, performance management and planned change, Mr. Nobles is a welcomed addition to the staff.

What does this new Director of People Development have in mind for us? Some goals for the next year include ensuring the recruitment process delivers required talent, developing a refined and effective on-boarding and orientation process, continuous development and implementation of the TDC Strategic Leadership Development Program and Associate Learning and Development Program, and conducting the Associate Survey.

These initiatives, which support the our Core Purpose of contributing to the success of our clients and Associates, will ensure that The Douglas Company has the right people, with the right skills to meet future growth targets.

John brings over 30 years of experience in the human resources field to the table, including that from his most recent position as Corporate Director of Talent Management and Organizational Development at Owens-Illinois. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Tiffin University and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development and Analysis from Case Western Reserve University and will head both the Orlando and Toledo Associate development endeavors.

From Pete’s Desk – January 2013

Happy New Year! It’s exciting to think of the opportunities that 2013 brings after the successful conclusion to 2012. In Toledo, we are preparing to start five projects, four for repeat clients, in the next 90 days. In Florida, we have one project to start for a new client. With proper focus and execution, these will give us a great start to the new year. Focus and execution are critical throughout the organization now, as we wrap up the details from 2012, and set in place all the metrics to guide us through a successful new year. Lights are burning late and early, as they always seem to be this time of year.
The new year is a great time to look back, reflect and be thankful. Clients and friends have helped us greatly, and the trust they have put in us is the basis of our ongoing progress. And our dedicated, able, hard working Associates have made it all happen. It was good to see most of them at our January Guerilla Conference, and the sacrifice of giving up most of a weekend to come to Toledo in January is noted. Mike Wallor put together a great conference, with a full day spent on enhancing our customer service abilities, and a half day thinking deeply about quality and the systems integration required to have a comprehensive program.
January brings a new Director of People Development, John Nobles, who will help us. John most recently was Director – Talent Management and Organization Development at Owens- Illinois, and his academic background includes a Masters in Organizational Development from Case Western. More importantly, he brings thirty years of focus, along with insight and enthusiasm to help us move forward. Also joining us are three new co-ops, please join me in welcoming all of them!
Let’s have a safe and successful 2013.

Orlando Welcomes David Mills to the Team!

On January 2, 2013 David Mills joined The Douglas Company as project manager to help ease the bolstering workload due to an increase in new projects forecasted for the Southeast region.

Mills, whose first assignment will be overseeing construction of the Melbourne Terrace facility, brings nearly 13 years of industry experience to the project team which includes his most recent position as project manager with a local production landscape company in Alpharetta, Georgia. Mills holds a bachelor degree in construction management from Louisiana State University and will be based in the general contractor’s Orlando, Florida office.

For information on how you can join The Douglas Company Team, please visit http://www.douglascompany.com and choose the “Join the Team” tab in the top right corner.