Category: Commercial News

1 Thing to Do When You Visit EW

Posted on December 13, 2022

The Campus Hub

One of the first sights that welcomes you as you walk through the entrance of Electric Works is a vast, open space with dedicated offices, meeting rooms, a coffee shop, a taproom, and much more! Weigand Construction was responsible for revitalizing this space for future use! In short, this atrium is known as The Forum. From here, you can access all the various shops, markets, restaurants, boutiques, and other outlets that Electric Works has to offer! It’s located just north of the visitor parking lot, sitting behind the Amp Lab STEAM School and the GE Club.

Where Do I Go from Here?

If you go through the second set of doors towards the back of the Forum, you will step right onto the center of Dynamo Alley. This is, in fact, the main walkway connecting you to the rest of the campus! Perhaps you want to get some lunch at one of the many eateries. In addition, maybe you need to pick up some local produce at the farmer’s market. Which band is playing at the live music venue this week? What about going on a nice stroll through the beautiful gardens on display, afterwards?

Up to You

Whether you go left or right, you’ll have access to all kinds of goods and services, both local and national! After all, just depends on which way you turn. Come explore and discover what’s here for yourself!

A Landmark Built to Serve Generations – Electric Works Opens to the Public

Posted on December 13, 2022

An Excerpt from Our December 2022 Newsletter

As we have secured our Certificate of Occupancy permits for over 700,000 square-feet of core and shell construction and are starting to move-in tenants like Do It Best, Medical Informatics, BSW Work Ready, Parkview, Carr Co-working, and Ferguson Advertising at Electric Works, I can’t help but think about the tremendous impact that this project has already had on our company, our community, and how it will affect the region well into the future.

Through historic preservation, a mix of uses, and full-time active program management, Electric Works created an atmosphere where talent and businesses want to locate, stay, and grow. This environment, unique in the Midwest and the nation, is why EW is projecting over 1600 new and retained jobs in the first two phases.

I am proud to say that over 90% of this project was performed by specialty contractors, vendors, suppliers, architects, engineers, consultants, and of course the hardworking tradesmen and tradeswomen from our Fort Wayne and surrounding communities. This represented 3,637 jobs during construction and the payroll to go along with it. The direct and indirect financial impact was $463 Million during construction and will be $548 Million annually. It is such a win for us locally knowing all these dollars stayed in our community and will be reinvested in some way.

The campus will be a vibrant part of our downtown with innovation space, office space, retail, Union Street Market with over twenty-five food vendors, restaurants/brewery, live entertainment and much more. I am so proud that our company was an integral part of the success of this redevelopment project because it is truly a “Landmark that will impact the lives and communities we serve.”

Larry Weigand
Owner and CEO

Medical Informatics Engineering Brings State of the Art Technology to EW

Posted on December 13, 2022

Making the Move

A tenant that has a history in Fort Wayne going back to 1995, Medical Informatics Engineering (MIE) has been a resource for healthcare information technology for years. They were one of the first developers to create software that could store and deliver patient information in the cloud. With a new location on the 5^th floor of Building 19, MIE now provides state-of-the-art solutions in medical data management on the Electric Works campus! Their new section in Building 19 features office space, and a Virtual Presence Training Center. This area is dedicated to collecting data and developing software for future projects.

Room Renovation

Our teams performed several updates to the new office area:

Added Overhead Roughs
Built-in new Framing
Installed Drywall
Primed and Painted walls
Put together Ceiling Assemblies

These additions made the space feel fresh and new! It was completed just in time for MIE to set up their offices, move in furniture, and prepare their Virtual Presence Training Center for opening day. We can’t wait to see how MIE pushes more boundaries in the world of tech!

Do It Best Moves Out

Posted on December 5, 2022

Moving Day

With roots in northeast Indiana that go back more than 75 years, Do It Best continues its legacy of service, growth, and long-term improvement at its new world headquarters at the Electric Works campus in Fort Wayne, IN. Weigand served as the construction manager on this restoration project, renovating more than 200,000 square feet of the facilities to make room for Do It Best’s base of operations. The corporation is the anchor tenant of the EW campus, but it is only one of many different businesses that are transitioning offices to the Fort’s downtown district.

Amenities for Better Collaboration

Do It Best employees have access to the on-site parking garage that serves workers, residents, and campus visitors. Not only that, but they can walk right next door to the Union Street Market, filled with local vendors and restaurants, to grab meals, drinks, and more. The headquarters occupies three floors, featuring:

Large Conference Hall.
Class spaces with walls that can be converted into additional rooms.
Modern office layout.
Large windows that match the original buildout and create natural lighting.
Open-concept collaboration areas.
Flexible workspaces.

Do It Best staff are also able to go up to their own personal rooftop space, complete with gardens and a beautiful view of the Fort Wayne skyline.

Continued Growth and Development

The move was brought on by a desire to look to the future of the company and the region. By relocating their team to the heart of Fort Wayne’s innovation, the leadership sees opportunity to strengthen themselves for the years ahead.

“Being at Electric Works will help us be an employer of first choice, retaining and attracting top multi-generational talent not only from here in Fort Wayne, but also on a broader scale. It enables us to keep our roots in the community we’ve called home for 75 years, while at the same time positioning us for a bright future.” – Dan Starr, CEO, Do It Best Corp.

Ironworks Plaza Opens in Downtown Mishawaka

Posted on December 5, 2022

Something’s Stirring Downtown

Residents of downtown Mishawaka are gathering for several new attractions that have arrived with Ironworks Plaza! In this third building phase, with Weigand serving as construction manager, there are three primary new additions.

These include:

An Ice Rink,
The Ironworks Café
An Events Center

However, these are not the only new expansions that have made a home downtown. They will be joining other recent developments like The Ball Band Biergarten (a food event hub) and The Mill (an apartment complex).

More Interest in the Princess City

“This is just an opportunity for us to bring activity to our downtown all the months of the year,” says Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood. “…Another added amenity that will help us to attract people; to fill shops, restaurants, and other things.”

Bringing the Community Together

Residents from all over Mishawaka can now enjoy all the offerings that Ironworks Plaza has! Whether that’s taking a walk through the Biergartens, ordering a warm drink at the café, watching a concert at the event center stage, or skating with friends on the ice rink, there will be plenty to see and do! We’re excited to work alongside the city in this season of growth. We look forward to seeing more municipal projects come together in the future!

New Expansion – The Huntington County Jail

Posted on August 2, 2022

“The group at Weigand have been fantastic to work with, I couldn’t imagine working with a different provider.”
Chris Newton (Huntington County Sheriff)

More Space to Serve

The Huntington County Jail is now equipped to better impact inmates, families, and the community at large through the completion of its new expansion and renovation! With Weigand operating as the general contractor on this project, the county sheriff commissioned development of the prison to fulfill the need for more space.

The 30,000 square foot expansion includes:

Enough rooms and bunks to host 233 people.
Sleeping and communal areas.
A tower for monitoring security with efficiency.
A vehicle port to improve transportation and processing.
A kitchen overhaul to account for the influx of staff and inmates.
Classrooms for rehabilitation programming.
Space for indoor and outdoor recreation.

With these additions to the jail, the sheriff’s department will be able to move forward with several different initiatives:

Provide a safer environment for inmates and staff.
Implement GED programming.
Facilitate rehabilitation care.
Host Church gatherings.
Teach spiritual classes.

The objective is to create an atmosphere that fosters growth in learning, skills, and overall welfare. In this way, the jail can set up inmates for success in the real-world, making their first offense their last offense.

Everything in its Right Place

Because this project involved renovation and expansion, we helped with rearranging some of the equipment in the old and new spaces. As a result, it took some extra planning and teamwork with the Sheriff’s Department to make sure everything got placed in the right spots. By doing this, we were able to keep on track with our project schedule!

We were honored to work alongside the Sheriff’s Department and help give a new lease on life to their facility!

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The Noble County Annex Building – New Construction Project Reveal

Posted on June 24, 2022

Delivered On Time

As of this June, the Noble County government began transitioning many of its offices into the newly complete Noble County Annex building! Serving as the construction manager for this project, the Weigand team worked with Noble County commissioners to ensure that task planning was completed as intended – even with the global pandemic shaking things up throughout the process. By regularly reworking and sticking to the plan, we were able to finish this 40,000 square foot project on time. In spite of the disorder caused by the pandemic, we executed on our commitments!

The new building consolidates 16 different county offices into one area, improving the interconnection between departments. It holds rooms such as:

Dispatch call center
Conference rooms
Multipurpose space
Commissioners’ meeting room
Event plaza
Mixed-use sections
Employee lounge

See what it looks like on the inside!

Plenty of Room

The building houses spaces for a majority of the county departments including:

The Treasurer
The Public defender
The Prosecutor
The Auditor
The Recorder
Deputies
The Investigator
Caseworkers
The Assessor

The annex sits just across the street from the historic Noble County Courthouse, which will be receiving its own set of renovations in the coming fall months. So, soon enough, the whole campus will be ready to serve the needs of the region for years to come!

All in the Family

We had a chance to chat about the job with Jason Schoeff, our superintendent on this project. For him, this building held some special history. The annex is in Albion, IN, which is where he lives. “This is a pretty important job for me as this is my hometown; it had a lot of significance to me,” said Schoeff. His family has been pouring into this town for many years now. In other words, this makes him the third generation to carry on the legacy. “The building that stood here previously was the old prosecutor’s office, which was built in part by my father and grandfather.”

We love to see our team members from all over making a difference right where they live. Great work Jason!

Weigand is thrilled to support Noble County by providing a landmark designed to impact the community for the better!

New Build – The Henry County Jail

Posted on June 17, 2022

“When…building a new jail, the first thing that comes to mind is how in the world am I going to be able to oversee this and make this work? And I can tell you, Weigand took care of that for me.”
Ric McCorkle (Henry County Sheriff)

A New Location with More Room

The Henry County Jail functions as an expanded space that facilitates rehabilitation for inmates in the surrounding region. With Weigand serving as construction manager for this project, the team went to great lengths to create a facility that could fully house the operating staff, inmates, and administrative team all in one structure. Part of a relocation effort, the jail was moved from its original spot off North 12th Street in New Castle. As a result, it now shares its campus with the New Castle Correctional Facility.

Check out the Detention Center Here!

The jail now includes additions such as:

Space for 246 inmates
ADA cells
Interview rooms
Refitted kitchen
Laundry facilities
Weight room
Armory
Expanded garage space
Special security observation deck
Brand-new educational section

In the teaching area, instructors host classes on substance abuse. This is part of a new program that was requested and backed by many of the residents in Henry County.

This updated build brings with it some considerable enhancements. All of them intend to improve the quality of life for everyone in the facility. Hence, officers, healthcare workers, and office staff can effectively perform their work. Not only that, but it also strengthens communication within internal channels between the staff. The sheriff’s department at Henry County Jail is well-equipped to impact its community for the better. By focusing their resources on in-house development, they can help inmates reclaim their lives through security, education, and recovery.

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New Build – The Miami County YMCA

Posted on March 19, 2022

“If there’s a time when we ever needed a new YMCA in Miami County, this is it…”
Mark Demchak (YMCA Director)

Residents of Miami County walked through the doors of their newly operational community YMCA location for the first time in February of this year. Weigand handled the project between all the parties involved as the construction manager. In helping to establish this new landmark, locals of Peru, IN can gather and grow together! Built just east of Peru West City Park, the new facility sits along the Wabash River.

It houses a number of features:

Basketball courts
Indoor track
Pool
Weight-room
Treadmills
Racquetball
Rooms for groups and classes
Lockers
Office space

Take a tour of the YMCA right here!

A New Home for the Practice

In addition, the 65,000-square-foot structure is also part of a relocation project for the Logansport Memorial Peru Medical Center. The rooms designed for the new location provide more adequate space for updated labs and equipment. As a result, the onsite practitioner and staff are enabled to offer several types of services. These include:

Dermatology
Podiatry
OB/GYN
Orthopedics
Injury screening

Moving to the new YMCA allows the medical center to attend to a greater number of people and better care for the needs of the community. With the facility now up and running, locals can enjoy all that it has to offer!

Sweetwater Sound – New Retail Expansion Reveal

Posted on July 1, 2021

a rapidly expanding campus

If you haven’t seen the new retail store at Sweetwater then what are you waiting for? What was once their first warehouse, is now the largest music store in the US!

This new space on the Sweetwater corporate campus covers a sprawling 40,000 square feet, with separate showrooms, demo spaces, and unique experiences (like piano keys made from light fixtures in the piano showroom) for each musical style.

The new front entrance makes more of a statement and moves the main doors to the center of the building for easy access to the main concourse of the building. Check out the images below of the final product, or take a virtual tour of the whole campus!

Phenomenal job, Sweetwater team!