Category: South Bend News

Concord Unveils New Trades Building

Posted on December 14, 2022

Larger Learning Environment

Planned in lieu of the rising influx of students enrolling in trade programs, Concord Community School’s employed Weigand’s Construction Management services to build a brand-new trade school facility. This $3.9 million, 10,400 square foot education center houses more students, more resources, and more space for each trade discipline offering.

The Structure

The complex features various spaces designed to support classes such as:

Civil Engineering
Architectural Engineering
Manufacturing
Robotics
Design and Innovation
Construction Trades

These subjects are enhanced through learning areas equipped with the latest technology and training instruments so that students can get a hands-on education with real-world applications.

For the Future

“We are proud to support this investment that will have a direct impact on our students and their ability to increase their industry-ready skills while still in high school…In conversations with local industry leaders, it is clear that having this facility in place to support student learning will set them on a path to success in whatever career path they choose.” – Dan Funston, Superintendent, Concord Community Schools

With the mounting need for people well-versed in trades of all types across the nation, the Engineering and Construction Center will not only benefit the individual careers of students that pass through its halls but will also create value for all kinds of industries that require the skill and expertise of well-educated workers. This will have a lasting impact on learners’ careers, the community, and the economy as a whole.

Concord Engineering and Construction Center

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!

From K-12 to Construction: Dr. Diane Woodworth’s Story

Posted on September 30, 2022

An Excerpt from our Q3 Newsletter

My name is Diane Woodworth, and I serve as the Business Development Education Specialist at Weigand Construction. During my K-12 career, I was a high school mathematics teacher, school counselor, and principal. I also served in various roles in district offices, retiring as the superintendent of Goshen Community Schools. I enjoyed each of the roles I had in public education, as I believe good education can truly change the trajectory of young lives!

During my career, I oversaw over $100M in projects utilizing a wide variety of delivery methods. At Goshen, a referendum was passed to build a new intermediate school as well as an addition to our high school. We utilized the delivery method known as CMc (Construction Manager as Constructor) to build these projects and chose Weigand Construction as our construction manager. I became a big fan of both CMc and Weigand during that final construction project before my retirement. It was the most transparent, efficient, and pain-free of all the projects I have ever been involved in.

Every Weigand employee I met demonstrated high levels of honesty and responsibility. I was not surprised at all when I began working for Weigand to find that our company values integrity tremendously. I have greatly enjoyed being part of a team that continues to “Build landmarks that impact the lives and communities we serve.”

Dr. Diane Woodworth
Business Development Education Specialist

Building Contractors Association – Excellence in Construction Award 2021

Posted on April 30, 2021

BCA Excellence in Construction Award 2021

Weigand Construction was proud to take home the Building Contractor’s Association Excellence in Construction award for our work with Design Collaborative on the New Covenant Impact Center on the southeast side of Fort Wayne. This 13,200 square foot space now serves as a “beacon of light” to the local community. A plethora of services are being offered such as mental health counseling, ESL courses, a free café, parental and prenatal care education, and “restore and renew” programming to help mentor previously incarcerated individuals. This much needed resource will continue to expand their services as their capital campaign continues.

It was an honor in its own right to be part in giving such an important source of aid to the most diverse and in-need quadrant in Fort Wayne. One of our driving principles here at Weigand is that we strive for Building Landmarks That Impact The Lives And Communities We Serve. To us, these aren’t just words; but instead they are a promise to people like those in the southeast side of Fort Wayne that if we’re on the job it will be done right.

Focused on the Field

Posted on April 29, 2021

JADE PAINTER, DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS –

Spring has Sprung! We are looking forward to a great year in 2021 (Not that we have been in hibernation!) Behind the scenes, we’ve been getting started on the largest backlog in our company’s history. We’ve made a point to educate and cultivate our robust team to both tackle our current backlog and pursue new opportunities!

In a market where tradesmen numbers have decreased, it is completely vital that we maintain our manpower base. Internally, we have created educational programs at all levels, from Apprentices to Project Superintendents, that allow us to collectively share our practical knowledge and encourage professional development. Externally, we continue to have heavy involvement with our surrounding high schools trade programs. By partnering with the trades programs, we are able to provide pathways for students with interest in joining the trades. Weigand also has a program for students pursuing Construction Management degrees. Our program requires 2 summers of field internship, and 2 summers of office internship.

These programs have allowed us to build the largest manpower base in Northeast Indiana! Our base allows us to tackle large projects like Electric Works, fulfill secured projects and pursue all kinds of new opportunities!

Masonry

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 **

We’re Hiring! South Bend/Michiana Area Superintendents

Posted on December 22, 2020

We’re Hiring!!

Weigand Construction is looking to add an experienced Construction Project Superintendent that is comfortable managing multiple subcontractors and laborers simultaneously. This is a unique opportunity to have a massive impact on our local community with a fast growing company where relationships, trust, and quality are at the core of what we do. Our company provides services for a variety of markets and clients with a wide range of budgets from under $1 Million to upwards of $80 Million.

Think you’ve got what it takes or know someone that does?

Feel free to apply on LinkedIn

Or apply on our careers page!

The Superintendent serves as the on site project supervisor and is in charge of ensuring that daily schedule, budget, safety & the coordination thereof are executed with subcontractors. Superintendents are also responsible for managing our self-performance tradesman & coordination of suppliers/vendors.

Job Requirements:

5-8 years of experience in commercial construction
Ability to read and understand construction contract documents
Ability to develop and manage schedules and construction costs
Understanding of building design and construction terms
Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, MS Project and Outlook
Proficient in typing/word processing
Proficient in email management
Able to handle a fast-paced environment and is responsive to short duration deadlines
Organization skills
Good communication skills
Detail oriented

Preferred Skills/Experience:

5+ years of project superintendent
5+ years of managing self-performance, specifically concrete, carpentry and/or masonry.
Preferred, but not required, experience in:
MS Excel
Blue Beam
Construction Management Software

Compensation & Benefits Package:

To be determined upon experience aligning with company needs

Core Values:

Comradery
Teamwork
Continuous Improvement
Executing on our Commitments
Forward Thinking

The Weigand Why:

BUILDING LANDMARKS THAT IMPACT THE LIVES AND COMMUNITIES WE SERVE

Please include salary requirements with resume submission.

Weigand Construction Awarded Concord Community Schools 2021 Bond Projects

Posted on November 1, 2020

Weigand Construction is proud to announce that we’ve been selected for the Concord Community Schools 2021 Bond Projects in Elkhart, Indiana. This project will include numerous safety renovations, roofing repairs and interior upgrades to different schools throughout the district. Schools included in this project are Concord High School, Concord Intermediate School, East Side Elementary School, Ox Bow Elementary School, and West Side Elementary School. Preconstruction for these projects will start immediately, and the full scope of work should be completed by Summer 2022.

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***

Weigand Awarded New Mishawaka City Hall Project

Posted on September 4, 2020

Weigand Construction is proud to have been awarded the new Mishawaka City Hall project by the Redevelopment Commission in Mishawaka. The 100,000 square foot facility, previously owned by Liberty Mutual, is centrally located at the heart of downtown at Lincolnway and Main, right on the bus line, and right across from other government services, within a block of the library. The new plan includes space for City Hall, the Mishawaka Police Department, and City Utilities all under one roof, as all of the current buildings being used for those services need quite a bit of work, and are spread out all over the city.

The new City Hall should open in Spring 2021.