Warfel Breaks Ground on Friends House Expansion

Warfel Construction Company recently broke ground on the $9.5 million Friends House expansion and renovation project in Sandy Spring, Maryland. Encompassing nearly 18,000 square feet, the project includes renovations to the existing Commons building, which will feature a new kitchen, dining area, bistro and administrative offices. Site work and infrastructure for the new addition to the campus are also included in the scope of the project.

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Friends House groundbreaking participants celebrate the commencement of their expansion/renovation project.

 

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The Friends House Project Team, left to right: President Matt Hartzler, Preconstruction Manager Judd Foelker, Project Executive Fred Lohss, Superintendent Bud Kravchuk, Project Manager Donald Stahlnecker, Project Engineer Ryan Taylor.

Local news coverage of the project is available here.

Photo credit: Michelle Silberberg, Lepaver Photography

Warfel Receives Five Excellence in Construction Awards from ABC Keystone

Warfel Construction is proud to share that six projects were recognized at the 2018 ABC Keystone Excellence in Construction gala. Five of the projects received the coveted Eagle Award, the top prize for excellence in each category. Scroll down to learn more about this year’s top projects!

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Acts Retirement-Life Communities, Granite Farms Estates Building E Renovations

Excellence Award Winner, Category A-6D: Residential Multi-Unit Renovation

Nearly a year in preconstruction, this project encompassed the complete interior and exterior renovations of a mid-1980s senior residence, creating state-of-the-art, neighborhood-style assisted living on the first two floors and 20 lux­ury, custom independent living apartments on the upper two floors. With only the shell of the four-story building standing, Warfel shored multiple areas throughout, supporting the existing structure before new members were installed and others removed to create an open, more contemporary floor plan within the 85,000 square foot facility.

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Aerzen USA Expansion

Excellence Award Winner, Category A-1: Commercial $2-10 Million

A 21,000 square foot addition to its Coatesville, headquarters, the Aerzen USA expansion included office, manufacturing and warehouse space designed to accommodate the company’s expanding product range. Originally built to LEED Gold standards, the expansion included an upgraded and expanded geothermal system. Tight site restrictions created logistical challenges and required critical planning to complete the building construction without damaging the geothermal well field, four large underground storm-water R-Tank systems and two bio-retention basins, all of which had to be completed prior to the actual construction.

Foulkeways at Gwynedd Abington House North Addition

Excellence Award Winner, Category A-6B: Residential New Multi Family

This three-story 60,000 square foot addition, tightly nestled within the heart of the existing senior care community, is comprised of 30-units, offering home-like, personal care suites. During the nearly year-long preconstruction process, a great deal of time and effort was spent on site logistics, and determining the best approach to erecting the building while minimizing disruptions to ongoing operations in the adjoining building and throughout the campus. Five small renovations within the adjoining structure, totaling over 10,000 square feet, were also completed.

Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Headquarters Building Renovations

Excellence Award Winner, Category A-5: Renovation Over $5 Million

Extensive renovations to a 30,000 square foot building created a new headquarters for the Lancaster Chamber that functions as a contemporary, multi-functional community hub. This major design-build project in an urban setting required creative logistical planning, complete interior and exterior building upgrades, façade removal and reconstruction, and coordination with local government entities to maintain pedestrian and vehicular traffic without interruption. The modern design with references to Lancaster’s history respects the city’s past, while signaling that the Chamber is looking forward as an organization.

Lancaster Catholic High School New Stadium Complex

Excellence Winner, Category N-1: Miscellaneous/Special Projects

Initially conceived simply as a new turf field and upgraded lighting, this project eventually resulted in the complete demolition and reconstruction of the entire 1950’s era stadium complex, and rotating the football field 180 degrees to a north/south orientation to provide better sight-lines for the players.  Schedule challenges including unsuitable soils, extreme wet weather and sinkholes threatened the fast-track, short-term project, but creative adjustments and plain old hard work ensured a ‘Field of Dreams’ completion for the first home game of the season.

Mennonite Home Communities Woodcrest Villa Bluebird Wing Renovations

Merit Winner, Category A-5: Renovation $1-5 Million

Sequenced in three phases in an effort to keep food service areas open throughout the duration of construction, this reno­vation project posed many challenges to achieving the owner’s fast-track schedule. Warfel devised creative ways to maintain progress despite the many long-lead items and unexpected structural modifications. Altering the sequence of work proved an effective solution in keeping job progress moving. Communication and constant coordination with the trade-contractor team was key in maintaining this flip-flop schedule.

Meet New HR Director Amanda Adams

Warfel Construction is pleased to introduce our new HR Director, Amanda Adams! We sat down with Amanda to get to know a little bit more about her. Read on to learn about Amanda’s past experience, advice for potential employees, and what superpower she’d most like to have.

Name: Amanda Adams

Position at Warfel: HR Director

Where did you go to school?  Immaculata University in Malvern, PA

What did you do before you came to Warfel?  I was a Global HR Manager at TE Connectivity in Middletown, PA.

What is your favorite part of your job so far? Definitely the people and the culture! Everyone has been so nice!

Before working at Warfel, what was the most unusual or interesting job you ever had?  I’ve had quite a few interesting jobs. Probably the most interesting would be working in a flower shop / movie rental store throughout high school. I haven’t enjoyed flowers the same since then…

What is your most exciting accomplishment? Hands down, my son. No question.

What advice would you give someone applying to Warfel? Be yourself and take advantage of the interview process to learn as much as you can about the people you’ll be working with and the culture we value.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career? Two things… 1) Be as transparent as possible. More frequent and open communication – where possible – fosters a better work environment. 2) Hold yourself accountable. If you commit to something, follow through – every time.

What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now? I think it’s all pretty cool. But I’m most excited about my introduction meetings – getting to know the structure, the teams, visiting some of our sites… understanding what makes Warfel successful.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? My dogs. No joke. What is an alarm clock?

If you could switch jobs with someone (within or outside of Warfel), who would it be/what would you do? I would love to run a non-profit!

What did you want to be when growing up? Parole Officer or Case Worker

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Flying!

What is your personal motto? Simple…Life is what you make it.

What’s the one app or website you can’t live without? It’s embarrassing to admit this, but probably Facebook… it’s how I keep connected with our family.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? We’re doing a lot of home renovations, so I enjoy that… reading… spending time outside with my son, who does not understand the meaning of “calm.”

What’s a fun fact about you that we might not know? When I was in college, I worked on the production floor at a local manufacturing company putting together medical devices for surgeons to use during open heart surgery!

I’m happiest when… I’m eating.

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HR Director Amanda Adams (right) with her son Eli and husband Andrew.