Builders HQ Features ‘Latest Technology and Materials’

VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — At about 4,000 square feet, the new headquarters for the Builders Association of Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania is about the same size as its previous building, if only slightly smaller.

That is where the similarities end, said Kevin Reilly, executive vice president of The Builders Association.

“There really is no comparison. This building is state-of-the-art,” he said. “It’s much more functional than the other building.”

The association showcased its new base of operations at 1372 Youngstown-Kingsville Road S.E. during an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday. It moved into the new building in June.

For some 30 years, The Builders – which represents commercial and industrial contractors, works with local apprenticeship programs and serves as management trustees on several pension funds – had operated in another building just west of the new structure on the same site.

As the former building began to show its age, The Builders began to explore options, including remodeling the existing structure or moving to another building.

After “much research,” the association elected to remain on the property and build new, using “the latest technology and materials that were out there,” said Jerry Zreliak, president of I.C. Electric in Sharpsville, Pa., and chairman of the building and grounds committee. Among the first things they did was go to the association’s staff to learn what they did each day and ask them how they would like the building to operate and flow.

“The actual construction didn’t take that long. We started last October and we moved in in June,” Zreliak said. “That’s one of the things we’re proud of with our membership is we’re skilled trades contractors and that’s one of the things we like to stress, that completion dates are important to us.”

Construction went “really smooth,” Reilly affirmed. The only problem was an issue with soil conditions that was quickly resolved.

“We started at probably one of the worst times to start a project,” he said. Despite that, the project came in ahead of schedule and at a cost of $1.4 million, about $100,000 below what was budgeted.

Axiom Architects, a collaborative of the principals of three local architectural firms – Strollo Architects Inc., BSHM Architects Inc. and Phillips Sekanick Architects Inc. – designed the building. The result is “a mix of something that is very contemporary but with an eye toward the future,” said Bruce Sekanick, principal at Phillips Sekanick in Warren.

“Is there a style to it? Not really,” he said. “It’s something that we’re working toward just providing them with a building that gives them both something that stands out well within the community but also that gives them the flexibility to be successful.”

The new building features large and small conference rooms, a kitchen area, monitors that can project material during meetings and teleconferencing capabilities.

“This building is state-of-the-art right now. We have technology here that we didn’t have in the old building, and this one allows us to do what we need ” Reilly said.

Also central to the project was incorporating materials and expertise of the Builders Association members, Sekanick said. General contractor on the project was DeSalvo Construction Co. Inc., Hubbard, which used 26 subcontractors.

“We tried to utilize all the trades and their expertise and products when we built the building,” said Joseph K. DeSalvo, DeSalvo Construction president. “We tried to include and show off all of the trades that are signatory with the unions here in town.”

That included using structural steel provided by nearby Amthor Steel and erected by Diamond Steel Construction Co. and Connell Inc. in Youngstown, as well as local contractors that provided terrazzo flooring and metal panes for the soffits and building panels, DeSalvo said.

“One of the objectives we had when we put this building together was to use the latest construction techniques and materials to better highlight what our membership does in their everyday jobs,” Zreliak said.

Pictured above: The Builders completed construction of its new headquarters in October 2018 and moved in June.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.