Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma

Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma Expansion

Tulsa, OK

The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma’s mission to end hunger received a major boost in 2023 with the completion of its $24 million expansion project, doubling the facility’s size. Crossland Construction is proud to have partnered on this impactful project, which added over 76,000 SF of new and remodeled space to help the food bank better serve its community.

The project featured several major components:
• Area A: A 12,000 SF walk-in freezer, 1,500 SF cold dock for deliveries, and nearly 20,000 SF of warehouse storage space to support food distribution.
• Area B: A new agency shopping center with a walk-in cooler and freezer where partner agencies collect food for delivery to those in need.
• Area C: A complete remodel of the existing office spaces on the first and second floors, including new walls, paint, bathrooms, flooring, ceilings, doors, and glazing. The east side of the building was expanded to add four executive offices and four standard offices.
• Area D: A new addition featuring a state-of-the-art kitchen, a teaching kitchen, and a shell space on the second floor for future use.

The project also included extensive exterior upgrades, such as custom-colored steel and metal panels, precast panels, concrete paving, two additional parking lots, and a new visitor entry with signage. Interior features included a state-of-the-art kitchen, check-in stations, massive freezer and cooler units, and custom floors. A unique component was the Bally Walk-In Freezer, along with Growtainers initially planned for growing lettuce in controlled environments.

Challenges & Solutions
This complex project faced several challenges:
• Food Service Equipment: Submittals included additional items not accounted for in the original scope. Crossland used project contingency funds to cover these needs, ensuring nothing was overlooked.
• Client Point of Contact Alterations: During construction, the food bank experienced changes in leadership, which required our team to adapt and ensure consistent communication and project continuity while meeting the evolving needs of the organization.
• Tax Challenges: The project was originally bid as tax-exempt; however, it was determined that the food bank’s tax exemption certificate could not be utilized by subcontractors. Crossland and its subcontractors collaborated to manage the tax requirements, gathering invoices and ensuring payments were handled on behalf of the food bank.

Despite any challenges that arose, Crossland’s project team provided solutions. They delivered the project on time and with exceptional quality. We went above and beyond by repricing items multiple times to accommodate the food bank’s needs, working long days and nights, and providing thorough training to staff to ensure they could operate new equipment effectively.

A Lasting Impact
Knowing this facility will help the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma feed even more people in need made every challenge worthwhile. Crossland is dedicated delivering community-focused construction.

Project Facts

Industry Sector: Community
Cost: $20,867,976
Size: 76,800 SF
Delivery Method: Design-Bid-Build / Hard Bid
Self-Perform: Site Utilities, Earthwork, Steel Erection, Concrete, Pre-Cast
Owner: Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma
Architect: GH2 Architects, GH2 Architects, LLC
Engineer: Wallace Engineering