Lawrence Paper – American Packaging
Rain or shine, Crossland delivers business expansion
South Hutchinson, KS
In the grand scheme of projects taken on by Crossland Construction, the expansion of the American Packaging facility in South Hutchinson, Kansas, seemed simple enough.
The business, a division of the Lawrence Paper Company, just needed more space to work. Adding an additional 95,000 SF of elbow room would allow them to automate their processes and install machines that increase production output. The plans called for a somewhat standard metal building.
Of course, there was also a mezzanine for offices, restrooms, shop space, and a storage area. We also built space for the owner’s process equipment and added seven new docks to the site. All told, it’s $7.1 million of practical, usable space.
But what you see in the final product is just one-half of the story. As anyone in this industry knows, even the most standard of projects can face unusual challenges.
The project kicked off in December 2020, and the Covid-19 pandemic was in full swing. If that was the only challenge, it would have been more than enough. But just a couple of months after the project got underway, the Midwest was hit with a vicious winter storm.
As the weather pros call it, the polar vortex led to more than two feet of frozen ground just as Crossland was beginning to install footings for the building. In a time crunch from the jump, a major delay to wait for the ground to thaw wasn’t an option. So the team got innovative. The project superintendent decided to build small tent-like structures over the footings and burned charcoal in them so the team could dig through the frost the next day.
That spring, during slab pours, the weather struck again, and the rains came. And came. Crossland had to cancel seven times on the first pour. There was just too much rain. In fact, Crossland had to remove all of the rebar and vapor barrier in a 40,000 SF area, and replace the aggregate layer, just to be able to place the slab two days later. Without that audible, the project could have been delayed for weeks.
Through it all, Crossland pushed through and met the deadlines for the major project milestones.
Working with Crossland proved fruitful for the business owner in many ways. Because Crossland’s price quote was lower than the owner had budgeted, he could add many additional items for an even better facility.
It may have been a simple project, but it wasn’t easy. In the end, Crossland came through, and now American Packaging is set up for business growth.
Project Facts
Industry Sector: Industrial
Cost: $6,527,153
Size: 94,950 SF
Delivery Method: Construction Management
Self-Perform: Steel Erection, Concrete
Owner: American Packaging Corporation
Architect: Jones Gillam Renz
Engineer: Manley Structural Engineers P.A.
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