McCarthy was recently honored with the number three spot on the 2009 Top 100 Workplaces by The Dallas Morning News. McCarthy was also selected as the top winner in the category for Best Company Direction. McCarthy was named the emerging leader in this category based on its employees’ confidence in the leadership of the company and the belief that McCarthy operates ethically with strong values during difficult times while continuing to progress in the right direction.

Put on by The Dallas Morning News and its partner, Workplace Dynamics LLC, this is the inaugural year of the Top 100 Workplaces award. Companies eligible for participation included public or private companies, as well as for-profit and nonprofit organizations with more than 50 employees in the DFW metroplex. The award seeks to recognize big and small companies and organizations that excel at creating a dynamic, supportive and inclusive workplace.

Each entry was judged based on an employee opinion survey, rating employers in different categories such as business operations, values, policies and facilities. More than 33,000 employees in the DFW area were surveyed, and based on that 100 companies made the top 100 list.  McCarthy, along with Southwest Airlines and The Richards Group took home the top three coveted spots on this lengthy list of the Top 100 Workplaces.

“We are honored that McCarthy’s Texas Division was recognized as one of the top three workplaces in Dallas by The Dallas Morning News.  It is exciting to be a part of the inaugural award,” said McCarthy Texas Division President, Mike McWay.  “McCarthy is 100 percent employee-owned, so we strive to create the best working environment possible for our family of employees.  It is encouraging that our employees recognize our commitment to excellent business operations and company values.  I’m also proud that our employees agree with and support the direction McCarthy is taking as a company.”

One McCarthy employee surveyed stated McCarthy should be considered a top workplace, “because the company puts it employees first above all else.  Safety, quality and doing a job right.” Another McCarthy employee gave this response in the survey, further reiterating why McCarthy was chosen as the company with the Best Company Direction: “We are continually looking for new and exciting business opportunities to stay positioned to weather any economic storm.  We are employee-owned and personally reap the benefits of our performance.”

McCarthy adds this award to a growing list of other business and industry-based awards the firm has received recently in the region, including the 2009 Contractor of the Year award given by the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The 2009 Top 100 Workplaces awards were featured in the Nov. 8 issue of the Dallas Morning News. For the complete list of this year’s winners, go to http://www.dallasnews.com/business/bestplacestowork/.

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: healthcare, educational, office buildings, parking structures, 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.

CCIP vs. OCIP: Which Comprehensive Insurance Program is Right for You?
by Bill Sharp, Vice President, Risk Management
With the size and scope of projects becoming larger every day, program sponsors (owners and contractors) are seeking alternative ways to address insurance needs, both from a coverage standpoint and a cost standpoint.

When the Hospital Board Says, “Build it Green!”
by John Kreidich AIA, LEED AP, Manager, Healthcare Services
Building green in the healthcare environment is here to stay. Well-chosen green building investments will yield benefits with either no additional cost or with a return on investment well within a hospital’s internal rate of return over the life of the improvements.

5 Questions to Ask Your Contractor About SAFETY
An Interview with Gary Amsinger, CSP, Corporate Vice President, Safety
In addition to simply keeping workers healthy and productive, strong safety execution reduces exposure for owners. Amsinger suggests that owners should ask, at the very least, these basic five questions of their prospective contractor.

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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.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has introduced its new ‘green’ client newsletter, Insights That Build^SM.  It’s all part of the company’s goal of Leaving Green Footprints^®, a 10-year old program aimed at reducing McCarthy’s carbon footprint.  The first electronic edition includes valuable thought-leading content including:

How to get the best final cost on your next project
by Mike Bolen, Chairman and CEO
‘Conventional wisdom’ says that owners can’t have it all. In fact-by taking the right approach-you can turn an old saying into a smarter strategy: ‘Good, fast and cheap: pick all three.’

Design management – why owners get a better result
by Jim Mynott, Director of Design Management
In this economic climate, execution time from proposal to start of construction can be a deciding factor for project funding. A design management approach can help—and it maximizes other owner advantages.

Five things you should ask your contractor about quality
by Chad Dorgan, Vice President, Quality
There are few words in construction that are more used – or more misused – than the word “quality.”  To understand what it means to YOUR construction project, you and your contractor need to talk.

See the National Edition now.

Readers can also view region-specific content by selecting from the drop down menu titled ‘Other Regional Editions’.  These include Southern California, Northern Pacific, Southwest, Nevada/Utah, Texas, Central, and Southeast editions.

“After nearly 30 years of doing great work in Texas coupled with our sustained growth, McCarthy’s Dallas office was charged to find a new home in a building large enough to accommodate our rapidly growing family of employees,” said Mike McWay, McCarthy Texas Division president. “Our new central location is a functional space that meets all the needs of McCarthy’s workforce. This move would not have been possible without help from our advisors at Jones Lang LaSalle.”

Lance McIlhenny and Josh White, senior vice presidents with Jones Lang LaSalle’s Dallas office, represented McCarthy. Nathan Durham, senior vice president with PM Realty Group, represented the landlord.

“McCarthy builds some of the most recognizable real estate in the country,” said McIlhenny. “We are very pleased to have helped this long-time client find a new Dallas location that not only helps facilitate their growth but will give them great visibility as well as monument signage facing North Central Expressway.”

Upon moving in to its new home, McCarthy’s team can look back and attribute its success to the many prominent projects the firm has worked on in the DFW landscape including the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences, the AT&T Performing Arts Center, The Headquarters for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Dallas County Institute for Forensic Science and the Dallas County Detention Center South Tower, to name a few.

About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2008 global revenue of $2.7 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 60 countries from 750 locations worldwide, including 180 corporate offices.  The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 1.4 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company’s investment management business, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse in real estate with more than $41 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit our Web site, www.joneslanglasalle.com.

About McCarthy
Celebrating nearly 30 years of building in Texas,  McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held construction firms.  The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for healthcare, education, parking, entertainment, retail, laboratory, biotechnical, microelectronic, and industrial facilities; 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.

“This ceremony marks our progress toward the successful completion of a hospital expansion for a facility that has a rich tradition of continually working to find a cure for cancer,” said McCarthy’s Texas Division President, Mike McWay.  “We are excited to surpass this construction milestone as we top out the Alkek Hospital Expansion, which will have a lasting impact on the area.”

“As the demand for inpatient beds continues to rise, we are seeing occupancies in excess of 100%.  Achieving this milestone resonates with everyone at M. D. Anderson as we seek to meet the needs of our growing patient population,” said M. D. Anderson Cancer Center ‘s Project Director, Janet Sisolak.

The Topping-Out ceremony marked the completion of the highest point of construction on the job site.  Instead of the traditional Topping-Out ceremony of placing an evergreen at the highest point of the structure, M. D. Anderson faculty, staff and patients had the opportunity to sign their names and write messages on three steel beams to be used in the construction.

The 500,000-square-foot vertical expansion will be completed in multiple phases.  The first phase prepared the existing Alkek Hospital for the vertical expansion and included selective demolition, temporary waterproofing activities and the installation of a tower crane and a personnel/material hoist.  The second phase consists of the core and shell construction.  The third phase will include the construction of the first three inpatient floors and is expected to be complete in 2010.  Five additional patient floors will be built as shell space in addition to the construction of a mechanical floor and the renovation of several areas within the existing building, including level 12, which contains special air filtering systems dedicated to patients with compromised immune systems.

McCarthy is one of the most experienced builders of healthcare facilities in Texas.  In addition to the M. D. 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 renovation of 14,000 square feet of outpatient services.

The M. D. Anderson Alkek Hospital expansion began in January 2008 and is scheduled for completion in 2010.  The architect for this design-build project is HKS, Inc. of Dallas.

About The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Celebrating more than six decades of Making Cancer History^®, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is located in Houston on the sprawling campus of the Texas Medical Center. It is one of the world’s most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.   M. D. Anderson Cancer Center was created by the Texas Legislature in 1941 as a component of The University of Texas System. The institution is one of the nation’s original three Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971, and is one of 39 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers today.  In 2009, U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” survey ranked M. D. Anderson as the top hospital in the nation for cancer care. M. D. Anderson has achieved the top ranking six times in the past ten years and has ranked as one of the top two hospitals for cancer care for 18 years, since the magazine began its annual survey in 1990.

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.

McCarthy Senior Project Manager Rick Lester thanked attendees who were then invited on an insider’s tour of the new facility to check out the state-of-the-art space. The Dallas County Institute for Forensic Science is a $45 million, 112,000-square-foot project replacing an existing forensic facility and will include a three-story forensics laboratory, a two-story administration area and a one-story autopsy and morgue facility. The forensic facility will combine a family environment for visitors with enhanced security for emergency operations and top-of-the-line teaching and conference capabilities. This is McCarthy’s second project for Dallas County. Construction on the project began in June 2007.

“This ceremony marks our progress toward the successful completion of one of the area’s largest development projects,” said McCarthy Texas Division President, Mike McWay.  “We are excited to surpass this construction milestone as we top out the headquarters for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, which will have a lasting impact on the region.”

“Job site safety has always been a priority at KDC,” said Steve Van Amburgh, CEO of KDC.  “The celebration is to not only recognize this key time in the construction process, but to also honor the individuals who have safely constructed and achieved success during this initial phase of construction.”

Today’s top out ceremony marks the completion of the highest point of construction on the job site.  Attendees watched as a ceremonial evergreen was lifted in to place to commemorate this accomplishment.

Located on 34 acres of land in the Galatyn Park area of Richardson, and comprised of architectural precast, glazed aluminum wall systems and natural stone, this facility will help consolidate multiple Dallas-area locations into one convenient campus.  The campus will serve as the headquarters for BCBSTX and will include office space, a full-service kitchen and servery, as well as indoor and outdoor dining areas. The new headquarters will provide space for roughly 4,000 BCBSTX employees, about 1,500 more than at its current location.

McCarthy is one of the most experienced commercial builders in Texas.  In addition to the new headquarters for BCBSTX, McCarthy’s roster of commercial projects includes work for Sally Beauty, Nortel Networks and Cisco Systems.

Construction on the headquarters for BCBSTX began in January 2008 and is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2009. Corgan Associates, Inc. of Dallas is the project architect.

About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held construction firms.  The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for healthcare, education, parking, entertainment, retail, laboratory, biotechnical, microelectronic, and industrial facilities; 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.

TRANSPORTATION

“McCarthy is a construction company in a class all their own. They have been instrumental in our billion-dollar construction program at the Bayport marine terminal.”

- Jim McQueen, P.E., chief construction manager, Port of Houston Authority

Construction is underway on the 1,332-foot Phase I Wharf extension of the Port of Houston’s Bayport Terminal.

This project, valued at over $100 million, will allow for substantial increases in containerized cargo traffic at the terminal, providing capacity to accommodate two additional standard size freighters and one new class E super freighter, which is more than double the size of most cargo ships. The concrete wharf extension will utilize more than 30,000 cubic yards of concrete and sit on a foundation of over 900 cased piers, including rail track to support three mobile gantry cranes. After 16 years of working with the Port of Houston Authority, and completing more than $130 million in construction projects, McCarthy’s team is well prepared to overcome the challenge of performing two-thirds of the foundation work for the wharf extension from cranes positioned on barges. The project broke ground in September 2008 and is scheduled for completion in June 2010. Engineer: Dannenbaum Engineering, Houston, Texas.

“We are genuinely honored to be recognized by both organizations for our work on the UTSW Laboratory Research and Support Building project,” said McCarthy Texas Division President Mike McWay. “We strive to attain excellence in all of our projects, and our work on UTSW spotlights McCarthy’s strong background in building medical research facilities.”

The UTSW Laboratory Research and Support Building is a $25.4-million, four-story, 78,000-square-foot facility providing research and laboratory space to further medical education and research for the 4,200 medical, graduate and allied health students who participate in UTSW graduate programs.

The ABC of North Texas annually recognizes and promotes the outstanding projects built by ABC members on both a local and national level with its Excellence in Construction Awards. McCarthy was awarded the Excellence in Construction Award of Merit in Higher Education in the category for projects valued between $25 million to $100 million. This is the fifth time that McCarthy has received an Excellence in Construction award from ABC of North Texas.  Texas Construction selected the UTSW project as a  “Best of 2008 Award” winner in the higher education category. The “Best of 2008 Awards” is an annual event that celebrates and honors the building teams that create the best projects in Texas.  Winners are selected by an independent jury of industry experts.  The “Best of 2008 Award” winners will be featured in the December 2008 issue of Texas Construction.

About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held construction firms.  The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for laboratory, healthcare, education, parking, entertainment, retail, biotechnical, microelectronic, and industrial facilities; 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.