Category: Fort Wayne News

Gary “JR” Hunter – 2020 Robert M. Weigand Award Recipient

Posted on February 25, 2021

Presented by Larry Weigand, Chief Executive Officer –

The Robert M. Weigand Integrity in Construction Award was started in 2006 as a way to honor my father. Bob’s career spanned over 50 years at WCI serving the roles of Superintendent, General Field Superintendent, Vice President, and finally President & Owner from 1984 through 1993. He was a third-generation leader of our company, started by his grandfather in 1906.

From now on, handing out this award will be bittersweet. I’ll miss standing next to my father and watching him congratulate the much-deserving recipients in person. My dad constantly reminded me that the WCI Holiday get-together and award ceremony was his favorite night of the year. It is hard to believe it’s already been over a year since his passing. I still miss him each and every day, especially when I walk by his “old office”.

Due to Covid restrictions, we were unable to have the annual Holiday dinner, but that couldn’t stop us from this tradition! I am so pleased to announce the 2020 RMW award recipient… Gary “JR” Hunter!

JR has been a leader in our company since 1999. He was one of the first masons to come on board when we decided to start-self performing masonry again. JR has consistently stepped up and done a great job making our masonry department what it is today.

The criteria for the RMW award are the following: Unwavering Business Ethics, Humility, Hard work, Integrity in actions, Always doing the right thing, Lives the mission statement in actions.

These were all characteristics of the man for which the award is named, and JR definitely exhibits each and every one of these every day. So please join me in congratulating JR!

Weigand Construction appreciates you.

** An excerpt from our Q1 2021 Newsletter **

Electric Works Construction Begins

Posted on January 19, 2021

LARRY WEIGAND, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER – With 2020 firmly behind us, we look forward to an exciting and hopeful 2021. We are so proud of our team for the many successes and achievements they accomplished this past year, despite the changes and the challenges. Our team completed lots of notable projects this past year for a variety of industries. These projects are helping us live our “Weigand Why” – building landmarks that impact the lives and communities we serve.

As we look to the future, we are encouraged by a very strong backlog of projects. We currently have major projects lined up for all kinds of markets. As I’m sure you know, the largest of those projects is none other than the long awaited (and highly anticipated) Electric Works.

This adaptive reuse of the old GE campus offers 700,000 square-feet of corporate offices, innovation, retail, and healthcare space. Construction has just begun, and will wrap up in 2022. We’re so excited to be involved in a project that will impact our community for generations, and we can’t wait to share this beautiful new space with everyone soon!

I look forward to working with all of you in 2021!

** An excerpt from our Q1 2021 Newsletter **

Electric Works In The News

WPTA21 – Machinery is moving on old GE site; construction on Electric Works project launches

Northeast Indiana Public Radio – Developers close on Electric Works financing, construction can begin

Inside INdiana Business – Electric Works financing deal closes, Construction to begin

WANE15 – Developers close on $286 million Electric Works deal; construction to begin

Inside INdiana Business – Developer Calls Electric Works Milestone ‘Rewarding’

Our Take on Tech

Posted on October 2, 2020

BISHOP BROWN, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER – At Weigand, we understand the importance technology plays in Building Landmarks That Impact The Lives And Communities We Serve. We always seek to leverage technology to improve the construction process and continually exceed client expectations on each and every project. The technology department helps Weigand reach their goals by providing IT support to employees, subcontractors, and customers as well as adopting and implementing innovative technologies to help Weigand serve better.

Some examples of our use of technology include:

Using our Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach to coordinate complex projects using state of the art software
Our three FAA licensed UAV pilots using our professional-grade drones to capture compelling project visuals
Our use of project management software, like PlanGrid, to collaborate with all project stakeholders in real-time

Construction Scheduling

COVID-19 reinforced the principal at Weigand that to be effective, our employees must be able to effectively and efficiently work from anywhere. For several years, we have been equipping our field and office leaders with mobile-first hardware and software to enable this principal, such as cellular-enabled laptops and iPads and cloud-first applications like PlanGrid and Zoom. These investments allowed Weigand to pivot overnight into an entirely remote workforce with no disruptions or impact to operations. The entire office staff was able to work from home as effectively as if they were still in the office, and use our prior investment in Zoom to continue the high level of collaboration we expect. While we all endure the hardships and adversity that COVID-19 has wrought, I am thankful for our foresight into enabling a remote workforce and our ability to protect the health and safety of our employees.

****An excerpt from our Fall 2020 Newsletter***

The Rescue Mission – New Lifehouse and Restoration House Reveal

Posted on August 16, 2020

Changing Lives for Good

The Fort Wayne Rescue Mission serves a variety of displaced individuals in the Greater Fort Wayne area, and was in need of a larger facility to meet their goals of creating a safe haven for the homeless and a larger restoration program to help graduates restart their lives. Their new facility is nearly 4 times the size of the previous location, giving them the ability to house 3 times the amount of residents and expand critical services by partnering with up to 16 local agencies to help those in need merge back into society smoothly. They’ve also partnered with local businesses and colleges to create jump start programs and classes to help displaced people get the education and skills they need to hold lasting jobs. Weigand Construction is so proud to have been the Construction Manager on this project, one that is such an important asset to our local community.

The Rescue Mission FW – New Lifehouse & Restoration House

The Rescue Mission Honors Donor With Naming Rights

Posted on June 1, 2020

As our project at The Rescue Mission in downtown Fort Wayne finishes up, they’ve got an announcement to make – A major donor was honored today with the reveal of his name on the side of their building! With a longstanding history in relations with The Rescue Mission and a heartwarming story to go along with it, the W. Paul Wolf Rescue Mission was shown off with pride. The new facility is just about ready for move-in, which will take place later this summer. We can’t wait to show this space off to the public – a much needed asset to our downtown community. As things finish up over the next couple of months, keep an eye out as we’ll be showcasing the vast differences between the old space and the new. Congratulations!

The Rescue Mission Donor Announcement

Byron Wellness Community Nearing Completion: Drone View

Posted on May 1, 2020

Check out those neighborhoods!

The residents and staff at Byron Wellness Community will be moving into their new digs next week! Take a look at that beautiful campus, where residents will have their OWN rooms, with their OWN bathrooms (something many of them have never experienced!) and even their own green spaces allowing them to spend time outside without needing a staff member to accompany them.

We are so excited for the increased quality of life for the whole Byron Health Center family, as they finally move into the state-of-the-art facility they deserve, to match their state-of-the-art quality of care they provide. Congratulations!

Take a peek inside the Sweetwater Sound Office & Warehouse Expansion

Posted on February 18, 2020

In early 2020, production began in Sweetwater’s new $52.5 million dollar state-of-the-art distribution center. The facility has 480,000 square feet of usable space – nearly quadrupling the size of the previous warehouse – and has a footprint of more than 7 acres. In addition to more space for increased inventory, new technology that was custom-built by Sweetwater’s IT team will allow orders to be processed and filled faster, resulting in shorter delivery times.

The distribution center saw its first day of use on February 18, 2020, with news crews hoping to get the first look at the action as semi trucks began to unload inventory and stack the shelves sky high. The new warehouse also includes signature amenities that the Sweetwater campus has been known for, such as a large new cafeteria and “Downbeat Diner” where employees can get grab and go snacks as well as scratch-made meals on their breaks. Ample locker room space and an office suite round out the new facility.

Weigand is happy to be a continued partner with Sweetwater as their campus grows by leaps and bounds, and older buildings on the campus are refreshed for different uses. The new distribution center is now also home to Sweetwater’s Guitar Gallery and Guitar Shop as well as electronics repair, installations, product photography, and more. Congratulations on the much needed campus expansion!