The $75 million wastewater treatment plant, constructed for the city of Chandler, is located near McQueen and Queen Creek roads and received the award in the Environment category for construction projects costing between $25 million and $75 million. The APWA presented the award to the project team at the association’s statewide conference held in Phoenix last week.
The award recognizes public infrastructure projects that exemplify excellence in management and administration, including safety performance, construction techniques, community relations and environmental stewardship.

“We’re honored that this project has been named ‘Project of the Year’ by the American Public Works Association, the oldest and largest organization of its kind in the world,” said Robert Knochenhauer, vice president and business unit leader of McCarthy’s Water Services team. “Our project team was able to stay focused on keeping the facility running throughout the entire expansion process and never once caused the plant to be out of compliance.”

The construction expanded the AWRF’s treatment capacity from 10 million gallons per day (mgd) to 15 mgd and included the installation of new treatment processes, equipment and reservoirs. In addition to increased capacity, the plant also boasts enhanced reclaimed water capabilities, which support the use of recycled/reused water for irrigation purposes.

The project team logged more than 650,000 man-hours over the 29-month-long project without a single lost time incident, a remarkable safety record.

Planning and pre-construction for the Chandler Airport Water Reclamation Facility began in March 2007 and the project was completed in November 2009.

About McCarthy
Ranked among the “Best Places to Work” by The Business Journal in Phoenix, McCarthy has helped define the Arizona landscape for more than 30 years. Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest and largest privately held construction firms in the nation. The Water Services team in the Southwest offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design-build services for wastewater and water treatment projects in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. The team also covers construction projects in the mining, solar, nuclear and fossil fuels industries. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. For more information, visit www.mccarthy.com.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., a Texas builder since 1980, was recently awarded a 2010 Distinguished Project Award for its work on the AT&T Performing Arts Center (AT&T PAC) Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. TEXO selected the Wyly Theatre as the winner in the category of commercial/educational projects totaling $30 to $75 million.

Judges based the selection of winning projects on construction techniques involved, special obstacles, personnel management, scheduling, quality control and safety programs. Each judge individually reviewed each of the 79 projects nominated. McCarthy and other winning firms were honored in April at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

“It is an honor to be selected as a winner among so many incredible projects,” said Mike McWay, president of McCarthy’s Texas Division. “The Wyly Theatre is a new standard for McCarthy’s future construction projects. We are thrilled TEXO recognizes the insistence on quality and dedication to hard work McCarthy contributes to all of its projects.”

Designed by REX/OMA, Joshua Prince-Ramus (partner in charge) and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas, the Wyly Theatre is the world’s first and only high-rise theatre and is one of two new venues in the AT&T PAC in the heart of downtown Dallas.  The 12-level, 80,300-square-foot multi-form theatre completely rethinks the traditional arrangement of a theatre’s parts. This vertically-stacked theatre houses unique materials from across the globe and boasts the capability to transform in to three different seating configurations –  thrust, proscenium and flat floor – made possible by a series of lift platforms that raise and lower. The Wyly Theatre officially opened in October 2009.

Winning TEXO’s local Distinguished Project Award now qualifies McCarthy to enter the Wyly Theatre and compete for the national Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Excellence in Construction Awards, the construction industry’s premier annual awards program. Winning projects will be announced February 2011.

McCarthy is currently working on the Dallas City Performance Hall, a 124,000-square-foot multi-phase theatre facility, and its accompanying garage in the Dallas Arts District adjacent to the AT&T PAC. Another striking arts project, the City Performance Hall is on track to be the first LEED Silver rated performing arts facility in Texas under the United States Green Building Council and will provide a new state-of-the-art home for small and medium arts groups, reflecting the diverse communities of the city.

McCarthy’s Texas Division also was recently selected as an Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)/Aon Build America Award 2010 winner in the New Building category for the Wyly Theatre. The division adds these awards to a growing list of other business and industry-based awards the firm has received, including being honored with the number three spot on the 2009 Top 100 Workplaces by The Dallas Morning News and the 2009 Contractor of the Year award from the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

NOTE: A photo of the completed AT&T Performing Arts Center Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre is available at:
http://www.mccarthy.com/ftp-at-and-t-performing-arts-center

About McCarthy
Celebrating nearly 30 years of building in Texas, McCarthy is the nation’s 10th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2010) and one of the nation’s oldest privately held construction firms.  An employee-owned company, McCarthy offers general contracting, construction management and design/build services for the following project types: parking structures, healthcare, educational, office buildings, bridges and highways, laboratory, biotechnology, entertainment, retail, microelectronic, and industrial facilities, tenant interiors, mixed-use and multifamily residential.  In addition to Dallas, McCarthy has offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and Newport Beach, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis and Atlanta.  For more information please visit www.mccarthy.com.

About TEXO
TEXO is the construction association representing commercial contractors in North and East Texas.  It has a membership of more than 1,900 commercial contractors.  TEXO was formed from the consolidation of the North/East Texas Chapter of the Associated General Contractors (QUOIN) and the Associated Builders and Contractors North Texas (ABCNT).  TEXO is one of the largest organizations affiliated, on the national and state level, with the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and Associated General Contractors (AGC).

More than a decade ago, McCarthy’s Green Team formalized its in-house green knowledge network to capture and build upon the best green practices on its projects and in its offices. Today, McCarthy employs over 400 LEED Accredited Professionals and the firm’s resume of sustainable projects is valued at over $4 billion. The company is also ranked among the Top 50 Green Construction Companies (Engineering News-Record, September 2009).

McCarthy encourages sustainable design and building practices on all of its projects, regardless of formal LEED goals. Through leadership from the McCarthy Green Steering Committee and active support from employees nationwide, the company has established an in-house green training program to ensure employees are able to provide clients and partners with the most up-to-date green construction solutions. Among other green initiatives, all McCarthy project sites are committed to recycling construction debris, encourage worker carpooling and are smoke-free. In addition, McCarthy has calculated its carbon footprint and is committed to a 5 percent reduction by 2013.

“McCarthy strives to maintain its reputation for being the one of the safest contractors,” said Bruce Fuller, safety director for McCarthy’s Texas Division. “This recognition from MD Anderson proves once again that our partners recognize our continuous efforts in keeping everyone safe and gives us a chance to thank the employees who make safety their priority every day.”

MD Anderson recognizes general contractors who maintain excellent safety records with gold or silver STEP awards. The honors are given out based on criteria requiring safety inspections; review of injury and claims records, both workers’ compensation and general liability; and overall safety management by the general contractor in all aspects of a Rolling Owner Controlled Insurance Program (ROCIP) project.

McCarthy’s Alkek Hospital expansion project has the lowest Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) of all six ROCIP projects currently in progress at MD Anderson.

The 510,000-square-foot vertical expansion is comprised of a 12-story addition above and a 24-story elevator tower next to the existing and continuously operating 12-level Alkek inpatient tower.  Constructed in three phases, the expansion is scheduled for completion in fall 2010.

McCarthy is one of the most experienced healthcare builders in Texas.  In addition to the MD Anderson Alkek Hospital expansion, McCarthy’s roster of healthcare projects includes work for United Regional Healthcare Systems in Wichita Falls, the Carillon Point Plaza in Lubbock, as well as numerous renovation and expansion projects at the Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco, including: a $25 million hospital tower expansion; a $5.8 million addition of a 28,000-square-foot emergency department; a $5 million conference center; and a $2.2 million 14,000-square-foot outpatient services renovation. 

Extending beyond healthcare projects, McCarthy places safety as a top priority on every project the firm completes. McCarthy’s Texas Division just announced that 2009 was the safest year on record for the company and the Texas Division has completed 400 days on the job site without a recordable injury.

McCarthy’s Texas Division adds the Gold STEP Award to a growing list of other business and industry-based awards the firm has received, including being honored with a 2010 Build America Award from the Associated General Contractors of America for its work on the AT&T Performing Arts Center (AT&T PAC) Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, the 2009 Contractor of the Year award from the Dallas chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in addition to receiving the coveted number three spot on the 2009 Top 100 Workplaces list by The Dallas Morning News.

About McCarthy
Celebrating nearly 30 years of building in Texas, McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest privately held construction firms.  An employee-owned company, McCarthy offers general contracting, construction management and design/build services for the following project types: parking structures, healthcare, educational, office buildings, bridges and highways, laboratory, biotechnology, entertainment, retail, microelectronic, and industrial facilities, tenant interiors, mixed-use and multifamily residential.  In addition to Dallas, McCarthy has offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and Newport Beach, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis and Atlanta.

“We’re honored that this project has been named Wastewater Project of the Year by the AZ Water Association,” said Robert Knochenhauer, vice president and business unit leader of McCarthy’s Water Services team. “Working in conjunction with Wilson Engineers and the city of Chandler, our project team was able to develop dynamic, responsive solutions to the increased water demands faced by the city.”

The construction expanded the AWRF’s treatment capacity from 10 million gallons per day (mgd) to 15 mgd and included the installation of new treatment processes, equipment and reservoirs. In addition to increased capacity, the plant also boasts enhanced reclaimed water capabilities, which support the use of recycled/reused water for irrigation purposes.

The project team logged more than 650,000 man-hours over the 29-month-long project without a single lost time incident, a remarkable safety record.

“McCarthy has been a great partner on this project,” said Kim Neill, utility operations manager for the city of Chandler. “The project team came to the city’s aid when a major sewer line leading into the plant burst beneath McQueen Road last August. Even though the problem was not caused by their work, they mobilized support immediately to resolve the flooding and bring the situation under control.”

Planning and preconstruction for the Chandler Airport Water Reclamation Facility began in March 2007 and the project was completed in November 2009.

About McCarthy
Ranked among the “Best Places to Work” by The Business Journal in Phoenix, McCarthy has helped define the Arizona landscape for more than 30 years. Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest and largest privately held construction firms in the nation. The Water Services team in the Southwest offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design-build services for wastewater and water treatment projects in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. The team also covers construction projects in the mining, solar, nuclear and fossil fuels industries. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. For more information, visit www.mccarthy.com.

Southwest Contractor

Entries were reviewed by an independent jury comprised of design and construction professionals in this year’s Nevada competition. After carefully scoring each project and engaging in intense discussion, the jury arrived at 19 winning projects in a variety of categories. McCarthy came away with two big awards in the Civil/Public Works and Engineering Design, and K-12 Education categories.

“The judges considered a variety of criteria for each project, from teamwork and safety to innovation and aesthetics,” says Scott Blair, senior editor of Southwest Contractor. “Several close contests were decided by which project provided the greatest social or economic benefit to the community.”

“What an incredible honor it is to receive not one, but two project awards,” said Randy Highland, president of McCarthy’s Nevada/Utah Division. “Collaboration and teamwork were the keys to success on both of these projects and the awards serve as further emphasis that when we focus on communication and collaboration our potential in this challenging market is unlimited.”

McCarran International Airport Terminal 3 Early Site Civil Package
Category: Civil/Public Works and Engineering Design

McCarran International Airport Terminal 3 Early Site Civil Package paves the way for the newest terminal at the nation’s sixth busiest airport. The project team displayed a great deal of teamwork and collaboration while working with the owner’s onsite construction manager and successfully met each construction milestones. In addition to delivering the project on time and under budget, McCarthy’s management, staff, and self-perform team logged approximately 190,000 man hours on the project with zero recordable incidents.

Veterans Tribute Career & Technical Academy
Category: K-12 Education

The Veterans Tribute Career & Technical Academy is a one-of-a-kind learning environment focusing on service career pathways. The high school features five different career and technical programs including: 911 dispatch training, law enforcement, crime scene analysis, EMT and computer forensics. As one of the first two schools to be completed using the construction manager at-risk delivery method, the 24-acre site includes a five building campus with separate buildings for the gymnasium, commons, administrative and resource facilities as well as sporting fields, courts and a public fitness trail throughout the campus.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has helped to define the Nevada landscape for more than 30 years. McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies. The firm is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

The annual Keystone Awards program honors the achievements of St. Louis construction firms and their employees in building the facilities that support and enhance the quality of life in Greater St. Louis.  Keystone Award recipients are judged on their excellence in providing solutions to unique obstacles and challenges specific to their project.

“We’re honored to be recognized among our peers for this project,” said Scott Wittkop, president of McCarthy’s Central Division.  “The keys to success were McCarthy’s ability to self-perform the structural concrete and structural steel, two critical components, and the team’s ability to implement state-of-the-industry construction techniques that were both efficient and cost-effective. We were presented with a number of significant challenges, including the need to tie in to an existing 80-year-old, occupied structure and then aesthetically integrate the new tower exterior to look like a natural extension of the original building. The team successfully met all of these with creative determination.”

Designed by Cannon Design of St. Louis, The Federal Reserve Bank expansion project included:  demolition of an existing parking structure; construction of a new 6-story tower; re-cladding the existing skin; interior renovations; MEP system upgrades; and new bridge connections for the north and south buildings on the third and fourth floors.  McCarthy Project Manager Lloyd Flowers commented, “Cannon Design’s timeliness to provide cost-effective design direction on unforeseen field conditions uncovered during the re-cladding portion of the project was key to assuring the appearance of the new structure would resemble the existing structure.”

This project is a study in how to construct a project on a tight urban footprint amid a bustling downtown business district. Bounded by tall, occupied buildings and narrow streets through which vehicle and pedestrian traffic continually flowed, construction of the expansion and renovation continued as unobtrusively as possible despite significant limitations.

Lean methodologies were among the many construction techniques used to solve some of the project’s challenges.  Mock-ups built on the project site were key to saving dollars, which could have resulted from unidentified design, constructability and aesthetic issues.  Especially effective was the mock-up built of the exterior wall system that included a limestone skin.

Because lay-down area was at a premium, just-in-time material delivery kept construction moving according to schedule. A 24-hour-a-day, 6-day-a-week detailed work schedule for each building elevation informed each trade when they could gain access to the five-foot wide working platform.  The schedule also provided information about when certain construction materials had to be moved.

Overhead, a 300-ton mobile crane relied on radio communication as its sole source of “eyes and ears” to hoist bridge connectors through a vertical areaway between two existing buildings and over an existing 100-foot-tall building.  Safety for pedestrians, traffic, workers and Federal Reserve employees was at the forefront of daily priorities.

Today, the appearance of the “new” Federal Reserve building blends seamlessly with the structure built in 1925.  In addition to the preservation of the Federal Reserve’s historic past, the new tower enhances the Bank’s standing as a major employer in St. Louis City and contributes to the vibrancy of the downtown community.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis was established in 1914, after the creation of the Federal Reserve System in 1913. The Bank building in downtown St. Louis was constructed in 1925. It is one of the 12 regional Reserve banks in the Federal Reserve System and serves most of eastern Missouri and southern Illinois.

About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies.  The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for office, education, healthcare, laboratory, biotechnical, resort and entertainment, parking and retail facilities; green buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; and bridges and highways.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee-owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com

The Contractor of the Year award is given to the general contractor that has advanced architecture through its achievement of the built environment.  Beginning with the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences and continuing to the completion of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, McCarthy was selected for this top honor as a direct result of its team of professionals who consistently deliver dedicated, quality work, constructing many buildings that have been a part of the redevelopment of downtown Dallas.

“We are delighted that AIA Dallas has chosen McCarthy as this year’s Contractor of the Year,” said Mike McWay, president of McCarthy’s Texas Division.  “It is an honor to win this award and to be recognized for all of our hard work that is helping spur the revitalization of downtown Dallas and its ongoing redevelopment initiatives.”

“AIA Dallas is proud to honor McCarthy Construction for the emphasis they place on the value of the architect in their projects,” said Todd Howard, president of AIA Dallas.  “McCarthy has been dedicated to the quality work they do, especially as a part of the urban renaissance of Downtown Dallas in the W Victory Hotel and the AT&T Performing Arts Center.”

McCarthy adds this prestigious award to a growing list of other business and industry-based awards it has received for its creative and value-oriented building solutions.  McCarthy will accept the award at the Celebrate Architecture 2009 Gala, sponsored by AIA Dallas, on Sept. 26 at Union Station in Dallas.  The proceeds from the gala will benefit public program development for the Dallas Center for Architecture.

The mission of AIA Dallas is to encourage, promote, advance and coordinate efforts to uphold the highest standards of the architectural profession in the community.  For more information about AIA Dallas visit www.aiadallas.org.

About AIA Dallas and the Dallas Center for Architecture
Established in 1924, the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects promotes activities that uphold the highest standards of the architectural profession in the Greater Dallas area.  Since 2008, the Dallas Center for Architecture (DCFA) has been home to the 2,200-member AIA Dallas. DCFA is one of the first such centers in the nation—devoted to uniting architects and allied professionals with citizens concerned about good design, community sustainability and other key living-environment issues for today and tomorrow.

Located at 1909 Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Suite 100—just north of downtown and the Dallas Arts District—the Center delivers public programming on architecture and urban design, art and architecture exhibits, an architectural film series, and other special events for the North Texas community.  For more information, visit DallasCFA.com.

About McCarthy
Celebrating nearly 30 years of building in Texas, McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest privately held construction firms.  An employee-owned company, McCarthy offers general contracting, construction management and design/build services for the following project types: parking structures, healthcare, educational, office buildings, bridges and highways, laboratory, biotechnology, entertainment, retail, microelectronic, and industrial facilities, tenant interiors, mixed-use and multifamily residential.  In addition to Dallas, McCarthy has offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and Newport Beach, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis and Atlanta.

The coveted Bronze “Constructor” sculpture was presented to McCarthy on April 4 during the AGCC Twenty-Second Annual California Constructor Awards program held at the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Spa in Newport Beach, Calif. McCarthy was one of six companies among 30 entries in six categories that received a Constructor Award. Over 280 California construction industry professionals were in attendance at the black tie affair, which recognizes “the best the best” AGCC members’ achievements for their skill, unique undertakings and ability to address the most difficult challenges contractors encounter.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room inside CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital extends the services provided by  the Orange County Ronald McDonald House^® (OCRMH), which offers inexpensive, and often free, lodging to families while their children undergo treatment for serious illnesses and injuries at nearby medical facilities.

The $300,000 project, which began on August 25, 2008, included demolition and reconstruction of two sleep rooms, a kitchen area and family room. Contractors gutted the space and installed new lighting, drywall, carpeting, ceiling tile, casework and paint.  Once construction was completed in December 2008, the renovated space was furnished with new chairs, couches, lamps, toys, books, artwork and an existing 42 inch flat panel television. McCarthy Building Companies also donated two new computers for volunteer and visitor use.

With architectural design by RBB Architects Inc. of Los Angeles and interior design provided by Correy Design Group of Huntington Beach, the renovated Family Room predominantly features wood cabinetry that divides the space into different areas for volunteer activity, dining, watching television, computer use, relaxation and children’s activities.

McCarthy volunteers helped with the project through the McCarthy Heart Hats Program, a volunteer community outreach effort that enables McCarthy employees to dedicate time and resources to community involvement on paid workdays.  Through its relationship with subcontractors and vendors, McCarthy was also able to secure additional volunteers and donations from companies such as Appolo Electric, ISEC Inc., PCI, Martin Integrated, Hasson Inc., Johnson and Turner Painting, Premier Tile and Minka Group. RBB architects, KPFF Engineering and Correy Design group also donated services for this project. Ronald McDonald House additionally received donations for carpet and installation services from Shaw Carpet and Universal Flooring. All of the audio visual and sound equipment were donated and installed by Genesis Audio.

Since 2006, the Heart Hats have provided construction and other services and donations to six Ronald McDonald Houses or facilities in California. McCarthy, as well as many of the contractors and consultants involved in the Ronald McDonald House Family Room project, is an experienced healthcare builder currently constructing the new four-level Mission Hospital Patient Care Tower in Mission Viejo.

About McCarthy Heart Hats
The McCarthy “Heart Hats” community involvement program is dedicated to encouraging, supporting and recognizing McCarthy employees’ volunteer efforts in a variety of causes to ensure real needs are being met in communities where employees work, live and play.  A 100 percent employee-owned company, McCarthy employees are as passionate about building better communities as they are about construction. More information is available on line at www.mccarthy.com.

The annual awards program recognizes the state’s construction projects that best epitomize the principles of partnering.  Honored in the hospitality and entertainment category, McCarthy was recognized for its teamwork and collaboration in completing the 605,000-square-foot expansion of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold.

“We’re incredibly honored to receive this award,” said Rich Henry, president of McCarthy’s Northern Pacific Division.  “The key to this project’s success was the willingness and ability of all entities involved to collaborate and work together.  We were presented with some challenges, including building the expansion tower in the midst of existing resort activity, but all were resolved through communication and partnership.”

The Excellence in Partnering Awards are presented annually by AGC of California for the purpose of identifying excellence in partnering, celebrating success and honoring stakeholders.  The nominated projects are judged on adherence to the principles of partnering, team building and effective communication, goals evaluation, conflict resolution, and delivery of a safe and quality project.

The Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino expansion project included a new 13-story hotel tower, full-service spa, indoor/outdoor pool, restaurant, arcade, administrative offices and a five-story, 814-car parking structure.  The hotel tower adds an additional 214 luxury rooms and suites to the resort’s existing 192-unit room inventory, for a total of 406 rooms and suites.  It includes numerous room upgrades and amenities, including larger-sized rooms, granite countertops and plasma televisions.  Its suites feature fireplaces, separate seating areas and jetted tubs.

Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino is owned by the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians.  The expansion project’s architect was  Thalden • Boyd • Emery Architects Architects of St. Louis.

About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies.  The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for resort and entertainment, education, healthcare, parking, entertainment, retail, laboratory, biotechnical, microelectronic, and industrial facilities; green buildings; office buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; and bridges and highways.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.