the chris telegram · 2019-05-23 · chris-tel construction has expanded our footprint to make more...
TRANSCRIPT
July 2017
Chris-Tel Construction Wins
Excellence in Construction Award
In March of this year, we sub-
mitted four projects to for the
Excellence in Construction
Awards presented by the As-
sociated Builders and Contrac-
tors Gulf Coast Chapter. On
May 5th, some of our associ-
ates traveled up to Tampa to attend the awards
gala hoping to bring home the hardware. We suc-
ceeded and the eagle has landed! Chris-Tel Con-
struction was presented with the Excellence in
Construction Award for Somero Enterprises, Inc.,
Headquarters and Training Facility. Eric Schnei-
der, Project Manager for Somero, accepted the
award on behalf of the firm. We were also pre-
sented with Merit Awards for the Martin Pool Pa-
vilion, Spicer Cottage Historic Restoration and
Eastern Metal Supply (Fort Myers). This was the
first time that Chris-Tel Construction submitted
for this caliber of award and were thrilled with
the results. These awards are presented every
two years, so we are hoping to repeat a win in
2019. Thanks to all of our associates for making
the Somero HQ a safe, successful and award win-
ning project!
THE SUITES AT THE WESTIN HOTEL AT TARPON POINT WILL UNDERGO EXTENSIVE RENOVATIONS
AWARDS GALA TAMPA-L TO R: EARL GILL, BRANDI SCHULTE, ERIC
SCHNEIDER, MOLLY SCOTT, HOWARD WHEELER & DONNIE SINGLETON
Chris-Tel Awarded Westin Hotel Renovation Chris-Tel Construction was recently award-
ed an extensive renovation project at the
Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village.
The resort hotel currently has one, two and
three bedroom suites that range in size
from 445 square feet to 3,500 square feet.
These suites will receive an extensive make-
over that will convert the thirty (30) two-
bedroom suites into thirty (30) one-
bedroom suites and thirty (30) studio units.
Construction is slated to begin July 5th and
will take approximately three months to
complete. The AAA, 4-Diamond waterfront
resort is no stranger to construction howev-
er, as construction continues on the 35,700
square foot conference center and bridge
located on 1.6 acres of the property as well
as a new parking area on a separate 3.25
acre site. The conference center is a con-
crete block / steel frame structure that will
include a ballroom that can accommodate
up to 1, 250 guests and can be divided up
into six distinct meeting spaces, a 4,700
square foot pre-function area and a 1,700
square foot terrace overlooking the Caloosa-
hatchee River Estuary. Coupled with the
2,000 square foot porte cochere, the $13 mil-
lion dollar conference center project is slated
to be completed in early 2018, will be a wel-
come addition to the resort property and will
serve the community and groups from out-
side Southwest Florida as a premier confer-
ence destination. There is a live, crew cam
website which shows construction happening
in real time as well as a time lapse from the
onset of construction to the present that can
be accessed from the main page of our web-
site at www.christelconstruction.com.
Both the conference center construction and
the hotel suite renovation are being complet-
ed in conjunction with Christopher J. Lee Ar-
chitects.
The Chris Telegram
Kudos Korner
Volume Eight
JULIE DePIRO
Vice President Finance & Administration
Chris-Tel in the Community
Julie has been with Chris-Tel Construction since October 2006 where
she started as the Receptionist. Shortly after she started, it was appar-
ent that her skills and tenacious work ethic afforded her more respon-
sibilities and she became an Assistant Project Manager working with
project documentation, billings, contracts and submittals. In 2010, Ju-
lie began assisting the accounting department on more financial docu-
ments and pay applications. In July of 2011, she became the Chief Fi-
nancial Officer for Chris-Tel and subsequently Vice President of Fi-
nance and Administration. Julie has an amazing way of mentoring and
managing others coupled with an approachable and dedicated spirit.
Sometimes we have no idea how she gets everything accomplished, but
she does...and she does it well! Julie has a quiet confidence, is a dedi-
cated, capable and honest leader, is results driven, quietly competent,
professional, even keeled, detail oriented, thorough, nurturing, helpful,
selfless, a “Mama Bear”, loyal and an all around perfect fit for Chris-Tel
Construction. Her history with the firm, experience and knowledge is
an invaluable asset to Chris-Tel Construction and we couldn’t be more
lucky to have a phenomenal leader in our ranks! Thank you Julie for
being our “go-to” and putting forth the amazing effort that you do on a
daily basis (including some nights and weekends). We can’t stress
enough how important you are to Chris-Tel!
www.chr istelconstruct ion .com
CONSTRUCTION IS BOOMING!
CHRIS-TEL CONSTRUCTION IS PROUD TO HAVE
SPONSORED THESE EVENTS IN SWFL!
TOP LEFT: JOE PRESSLER @ ASSOCIATED BUILDERS &
CONTRACTORS GENERAL CONTRACTORS TABLETOP
BOTTOM LEFT: FRED McCUISTION, RON MARRA, ERIC SCHNEI-
DER AND EARL GILL AT THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF LEE
COUNTY ANNUAL TEXAS HOLD ‘EM POKER TOURNAMENT
BOTTOM RIGHT: EARL GILL, MOLLY SCOTT AND JOE PRESSLER
ATTENDING THE SEMI-ANNUAL STATE OF THE SCHOOLS
BREAKFAST FOR THE LEE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
VOLUME EIGHT—2017
Projects - In -Process Update
Estero Blvd. Improvements— Segment One is completed.
Estero Blvd Improvements Segment 2—Roadwork begins July 17th, Forcemain extension through Segments 3 and 4 continues.
Bay Harbour Marina— Staff re-recommends approval, will be forwarded to Planning Board and Planning Examiner
Ransom Street/Sunset Place Improvements—Final restoration ongoing
MY Shower Door: Construction will begin late July/Early August
Westin Conference Center: Construction ongoing, finish date slated for Early 2018.
Westin Hotel Rooms Renovation: Demolition and renovation project begins July 5th
Sanibel Library Renovation—Demolition complete, renovation work has begun on Phase I
Gasparilla Inn Renovations—Preconstruction contract awarded, working on preliminary budget
Somero HQ Expansion—Design drawings are in process currently, construction to begin 3rd Q 2017
Cape Coral 47th Terrace Streetscape— Design is currently at 30% and the preliminary budgets are being worked on
Various Commercial Construction: We have a handful of other projects totaling tens of millions that are currently in the pipeline and are in
the preconstruction and preliminary design stages. They will be coming online further into 2017.
Special Projects Group—Hendry County Courthouse historic work recently awarded, Arby’s Port Charlotte continuing, Langford Kingston
Home renovations, Global Motors work continues, Fort Myers Beach hotel renovations in discussion and recently awarded project with Lamar
for Welcome to Cape Coral electronic signage
Lee County School District—Summer projects include: Fort Myers HS Science Labs, Riverdale HS Kitchen, Allen Park Kitchen, Bonita Middle
Kitchen and Bayshore Elementary Cabinetry work.
Lee County Port Authority—work continues on multiple projects for the LCPA via the continuing contract for the Maintenance Division
Collier County Government—Recently awarded North Gulf Shore Wall Replacement, Immokalee Road and Bridge Building and Immokalee Jail
Glass Replacement. Multiple other projects currently in the bidding phase.
D i d Yo u K n o w . . .
We have a “Word of the Week” on our Facebook page? Thanks to our fabulous intern, Emily Papa, we now have a social media campaign that coordi-
nates with our weekly billboard that we have on US 41 in North Fort Myers. I urge you to check out the videos each Wednesday on our Facebook page
and share it with your friends and colleagues! (www.facebook.com/ChrisTelConstruction.com).
www.chr istelconstruct ion .com
An Insider’s Look: Chris -Tel Of fice Expansion
C h r i s - T e l C o n s t r u c t i o n W e l c o m e s N e w A s s o c i a t e s : N o w 3 4 F u l l T i m e E m p l o y e e s
We are currently working on a corporate video! In conjunction with our photographer, we are working diligently on a corporate video that showcas-
es our firm’s talents, services and staff to be used in presentations, on social media and here in our office.
Sean Smiley joins Chris-Tel Construction as Project Manager for the $2M and over group. He will be managing projects such as Sanibel Library, Acumed and MY Shower Door. Sean has a de-gree in Building Construction Management from the University of North Florida, Jacksonville.
Chris-Tel Construction has expanded our footprint to make more room for our growing
firm. The Special Projects Group has relocated to a newly renovated building in the back of
the property on Edison Avenue. The new space consists of five offices, a conference room,
kitchen, plan room and storage space. The addition houses Donnie Singleton, Executive
Vice President, Dan Good, Manager Special Projects, Kevin James, Project Manager, Emily
Kinsey, Assistant Project Manager and Brandi Schulte, Bid Coordinator/Assistant Project
Manager. There is also an office for all of the field superintendents from our Special Pro-
jects Group (Bob Morgan, Brian Slowinski, Felipe Amaya, John Radtke and Mike Bolebruch)
to review plans and have a home base. With this expansion, comes more space in the main
office for our new associates. Since 2015, we have more than doubled in staff. This
growth is controlled and purposeful, but at the same time exciting. In the past 2nd Quarter
alone, we have hired seven new full time associates bringing our total number of employ-CHRIS-TEL CONSTRUCTION NEW OFFICE SPACE
HOUSING THE SPECIAL PROJECTS GROUP
Joe Filkowski joins Chris-Tel Construction as Superintendent for the $2M and over group. He will be working on projects such as Sanibel Library, Acumed and MY Shower Door. Joe is OHSA 30 hr. Certified, a Qualified Storm Water Management Inspector and received his education from Edison Community College.
Joe Gill joins Chris-Tel Construction as an Assistant Superinten-dent for the $2M and over group. Currently, he is working on the Westin Conference Center project but will be floating be-tween other vertical projects as they begin.
Emily Papa joins Chris-Tel Construction as Marketing Intern for the summer (and possibly Fall 2017). She is a double major at Florida Gulf Coast University in Business and Marketing. She has been assisting with social media, corporate video produc-tion, our construction app and writing blogs for our website.
Tricia Hennessy joins Chris-Tel Construction as Public Infor-mation Liaison for the Estero Blvd Improvements project as well as the 47th Terrace Streetscape project in Cape Coral. She will be assisting the civil group on both projects as well as de-veloping our internal Public Information services.
Rachel Comerford joins Chris-Tel Construction as Front Office Administration. Rachel will be administering all subcontractor pre-qualification and licensure, assisting with subcontracts and project documentation as well as providing overall front office coordination.
Our website has had a small makeover. We have added a “Crew Cam Live Link”, reorganized our team page and will soon be finalizing our “What
We Do” section. Please remember to share our website with your friends and colleagues. It is our online business card!
Chris-Tel recently became members of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce! We are thrilled with the work we have recently been awarded by the
City of Cape Coral and are doing in the City of Cape Coral. We look forward to being more engaged with the business community in the Cape!
Brandi Schulte has been promoted! Brandi will be the new Bid Coordinator/Assistant Project Manager for the Special Projects Group. Brandi has
worked with Chris-Tel for almost two years and started out as Front Office/Receptionist. Congrats Brandi! We are so proud of you!
VOLUME EIGHT—2017
www.chr istelconstruct ion .com
Special Edition: From the Helm
There is no “I” in TEAM, however there is an “I” in WIN.
The word win is defined as being successful or victorious in
a contest or conflict; to acquire or secure as a result of a
contest, bet or other endeavor. More often than not, when
we think of the word win, we correlate that to a game, pro-
ject or bid. But do we ever stop to think that we want to
“win” daily at work? Being part of team (be it a sports
team, organization or corporation) is a role that most of
us have had at one time or another. At Chris-Tel Construc-
tion, our team as a whole is bigger than its parts, and the
parts and individuals that make up our team are our big-
gest asset. Having the inclination and desire to win each
and every day creates an atmosphere of positivity and pro-
ductiveness that will constantly propel Chris-Tel forward.
Many times we hear the old adage of “you are only as
strong as your weakest link”. There is an “I” in LINK and
that “I” represents the individual. The word link is defined
as a ring or loop in a chain; a relationship between two
things or situations especially when one thing affects the
other. Each link at Chris-Tel Construction has a definite
effect on the other and when one is weakened, the entire
chain can become unproductive. When we do hire a new
individual for the team, we want to be sure they have the
experience behind them to fulfill the responsibilities of
their role, the enthusiasm and want to be here as well as
the notion of understanding the bigger picture. This not
only creates harmony in the office and on the job site, it
instills confidence and cohesiveness in the eyes of the cli-
ent as well as asserting our ethics and values into every
project.
A strong group is also comprised of employees that fit
within the organizational culture. The “I” in FIT represents
the individual. The word fit is defined as of suitable quali-
ty, standard or type to meet the required response. We
strive to consider how a potential employee would fit with-
in our culture. What attributes do they possess that would
benefit our organization? Do they have the desire to do
what is necessary in order to pursue the common goal of
winning? Good talent is more than just experience and
knowledge, it is an individual commitment to a group ef-
fort is what makes a team work and will ensure the growth
and success of Chris-Tel.
We have nearly doubled in size since 2015 and currently
employ thirty-four full time associates. This growth is a
direct result of each individual putting forth their efforts
to WIN at work each day. The LINKS that make up Chris-
Tel Construction FIT together seamlessly in order to create
a successful construction management firm providing the
best service, expertise and quality to our clients. So if we
continue to fit, link and win as individuals through our at-
titudes and commitments, we will facilitate our teams’ ef-
fort to advance and Propel Chris-Tel.
Thank you all for what you do and continue to do on a dai-
ly basis, our team is stronger for it.
Laps of Luxur y: Mar tin Pool Pavil ion in Grandeur Magazine Spotlight The Martin Pool Pavilion project, which was completed in May of this year, has been in
the public eye in more ways than one. First, Chris-Tel submitted this project to the As-
sociated Builders and Contractors Gulf Coast Chapter (ABC) Excellence in Construc-
tion Awards back in March. At the May ABC Awards Gala in Tampa, we received a Mer-
it Award for this one-of-a-kind residential expansion. Shortly thereafter, the editors of
Grandeur Magazine (published by the NewsPress) featured the project in their June
issue with at title called “Laps of Luxury”. The story, written by Andrea Stetson, de-
picted an open door feature on the owners, Gary and Erica Martin and discussed in
detail the specifics of the expansion as well as the home and the couple. The 4,700
square foot recreation and entertaining space sits on Peekins Ranch Cove and in-
cludes a 38,000 gallon, Myrtha style lap pool, complete with a Colorado timing system
and diving blocks on the top floor and a 25 yard gun/archery range below the pool.
Also included in the expansion is an indoor/outdoor living area, a yoga room, luxury
bathroom, billiards and table ten-
nis, outdoor decking and walk-
ways, staircase, pavers, a new roof
on the entire structure (to include
the main house) and landscaping.
All in all, the $3 million renovation
took eighteen (18) months to com-
plete and created a cohesive look
on the entire property. Already the
home has been enjoyed by the
owners, residents of the communi-
ty and the Martin’s family mem-
bers. The Martin Pool Pavilion pro-
ject truly is one of the most
unique projects our firm has ever
completed and we are so proud of
the finished product that the own-
ers can enjoy for years to come.