< All News February 21, 2018

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Superintendent Troy Clinger Named a National Finalist for the ABC Craft Professional of the Year

Did you know? Clinger is the second Kent Companies Superintendent to earn this national recognition in the last three years.

The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recently announced the finalists for the 2018 National Craft Professional of the Year Award. Kent Companies General Superintendent Troy Clinger was named one of four finalists in the national competition. He is one of two national finalists from West Michigan this year. In 2017, Clinger was also named a Finalist in the Craft Professional of the Year competition by the Western Michigan Chapter of the ABC. Clinger will travel to Long Beach, California March 18-22 to participate in a round of interviews with judges during ABC’s National Workforce Week 2018. He will also serve as a judge for the National Craft Championships.

Clinger is the second Kent Companies Superintendent to achieve national recognition in the Craft Professional of the Year competition in the past three years. General Superintendent Mike VanBemden was awarded the inaugural Craft Professional of the Year by the Western Michigan Chapter of ABC in 2015, and he placed as a finalist on the national level in 2016.

Clinger began his career in concrete construction working as a general laborer during his summer breaks. In addition to his 10+ years of experience at Kent Companies, he also worked for small concrete contractors and owned his own concrete business for a few years. He is highly specialized in massive foundations and flatwork projects. Over the course of his career, Clinger led teams that won four ABC Awards of Excellence.

Kent Companies Executive Vice President Matt Fennema shares, “Troy brings the merit shop philosophy to life on our job sites every day. He leads by working alongside his team members, and he has made a clear impact on recruiting and retaining the next generation of construction industry talent.”

Kent Companies CEO Jeff VanderLaan concluded, “Troy brings our Four Hallmarks of Safety, Productivity, Quality and Customer Service to every job site. We’re incredibly proud of him, and we’re proud of the exceptional craftspeople throughout Western Michigan for earning recognition on the national level.”

Click here to read the official story on the Kent Companies website.

Photo Gallery: Recent Division 110 Projects led by Troy & His Team

601 Bond (2017-2018)

Recent topping off of the parking deck in downtown Grand Rapids.

Embassy Suites – Downtown Grand Rapids (2017-2018)

Form-setting in tight spaces for the elevator and stair cores for the seven story hotel property (May 2017).

Skyvue – Lansing (2016)

A nine story, mixed-use property with 4,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor and 338 apartments. Our scope of work included foundations for the main building and pre-cast parking deck, concrete elevator and stair cores, slabs on grade, slabs on metal deck and shear walls. Our team placed over 600 tons of rebar and poured over 10,400 cubic yards of concrete throughout the course of the project.

February is American Heart Month 

Kent Companies is a sponsor of Hard Hats with Heart, a construction industry initiative to help raise awareness of cardiovascular disease and stroke among those in our industry. Heart health and overall wellness is an important component of safety on our job sits. Check out the latest facts from the American Heart Association.

If you have questions about the health benefits available to you, please contact the Human Resources team for assistance.

• Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer in America.
• Every 40 seconds an American dies of cardiovascular disease.
• Adults in the construction industry have a slightly higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease compared to all industries.
• The construction industry has an obesity prevalence of 26.9%.
• Smoking is more prevalent in the construction industry (27.3%) compared to all industries (16.7%).
• The construction industry is more likely to get no physical activity outside of work (22.6%) compared to all industries
  (18.2%).

An Easy Heart Health Resource: MyLifeCheck.org

The American Heart Association offers a checklist called Life’s Simple 7.  These seven steps have one unique thing in common: any person can make these changes, the steps are not expensive to take and even modest improvements to your health will make a big difference. Start with one or two. This simple, seven step list has been developed to deliver on the hope we all have–to live a long, productive healthy life.

Kent Companies Southeast 

Momentum on Major Projects

Submitted by COO Dave Schoonbeck

Our Charlotte team is doing all the right things to get the Rail Yard and Promenade off to a great start. The Rail Yard in particular is a big job site. Kudos to the entire team for making a commitment to keep these sites are clean and efficient in their operations. Planning and communication will translate into productivity and quality for our customers.

 

Kent Companies Texas – Commercial Division

Project: CentrePort Building 4

Submitted by Tait Langston, Project Manager and Victor Marshall, Operations Manager

General Contractor: Hillwood Construction Services

CentrePort is a master-planned 1,300 acre business park adjacent to DFW International Airport.

CentrePort Building 4 By the Numbers:

• 48,000 Man hours
• 25,500 Cubic yards of concrete
• Over 397,000 square feed of paving
• Approximately 495,000 square feet of slab
• 183 tilt-up concrete panels

What’s interesting about Hillwood Construction?

Based in Dallas, Texas, Hillwood is ranked as one of the top industrial, commercial and residential real estate developers in the country. Ross Perot, Jr.  founded Hillwood in 1988. Hillwood is a very entrepreneurial organization with large, signature projects in real estate development, investments and public-private partnerships. You may have heard about their most notable development, AllianceTexas.  CentrePort 4 is a solid opportunity to showcase our team’s expertise and commitment to the Four Hallmarks from the ground up.

Division 3010 Contract Awards:

Submitted by Division Manager Matt Brozowski & Territory Manager Zach Richmond

• ADAC – Muskegon: 45,000 square feet of concrete polishing.
• Ventra Ionia: Approximately 40,000 square feet of concrete polishing.
• Ventra Ionia – Trench: A multi-division project for Divisions 1810 and 3010 for the renovation of and existing containment pit, with new concrete walls and protective coatings.

 

Kent Companies Texas – Multi-Family Division

Submitted by Keith Collinsworth, President, Multi-Family Division

We are excited for the number and complexity of projects awarded to our team in the last few weeks. We’re looking forward to a busy spring season! Our recent contract awards include:

• Harbour Urban Center: This is a three-story podium project for Spring Valley Construction in Rockwall, Texas.
• Dominion at Mercer Crossing: A project for NE Construction in Dallas, Texas.
• Rocklyn Trinity Bluffs: A precast wrap style project for Carleton Construction in Fort Worth, Texas.
• Stags Leap and Austin Ranch 7/Windhaven: Two projects for Billingsley Construction in The Colony, Texas.

We know that rain causes some seasonal delays, but our field leaders do a remarkable job planning, communicating and maintaining productivity with our team. We recently had the opportunity to express our appreciation for our crew at The View of Fort Worth. Thank you for your hard work every day and for your commitment to the Four Hallmarks of Safety, Productivity, Quality and Customer Service.

Go RED!