Warfel Construction Company is excited to announce that the firm has been named one of ABC’s Top Performers 2023. This prestigious recognition given by Associated Builders and Contractors indicates a firm’s excellence in safety, quality, talent management, education, and community relations. Warfel’s inclusion in this list is a testament to the company’s dedication to its mission of Clients for Life.
“We are thrilled to be included among the top performers for 2023, and I think it speaks to the work that our employees do every day,” says President and CEO Matt Hartzler. “Through our company culture of innovation and our core values of Honesty, Integrity, Accountability, Initiative, and Teamwork, we’re able to be confident leaders in our industry.”
Warfel’s ranking in the top 100, top 50, and top 20 in three separate categories is a significant achievement. The company was ranked #78 in overall Top 250 Performers, #38 in Top General Contractors, and #16 in Top Healthcare Contractors.
One critical aspect that sets Warfel apart from its competitors is a focus on safety. To be considered for the Top Performers list each year, a firm must achieve ABC STEP Gold status or higher based on the previous year’s safety data. “Creating safer workplaces and limiting liability and risk are increasingly shared goals of not just Warfel, but that of our clients as well,” says Jason Beiler, Safety Manager at Warfel.
“ABC’s Top Performer program, in particular the STEP program component, gives us something tangible to show our clients that we are looking out for their interests as well. Participation in the STEP program ensures that we are continually evaluating and evolving our corporate safety program,” he notes.
A Commitment to Excellence
The Top Performers designation is based not only on safety, but also excellence in quality, talent management, education, and community relations. These four categories are outlined in the Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) program through ABC, which Warfel earned once again in December 2022.
“We believe that Warfel provides value in many ways that are outlined in the AQC program, and it’s evident in how we complete projects and treat our clients,” says Brett Calabretta, VP of Work Acquisition.
A commitment to quality and talent management often go hand in hand. Warfel has a reputation for delivering projects on time and within budget while maintaining the highest standards. A major factor in this achievement is ensuring that the right team is assembled for each project. By having a diverse mix of experiences, they provide a balance of knowledge and understanding from similar projects, along with new and innovative ideas.
The company also prioritizes educating the next generation of construction leaders while focusing on community relations. Through job shadowing and co-op programs with local trade schools, Warfel identifies talent early and helps create a path toward rewarding opportunities in construction. They also ensure that as each team member is brought on board, they receive the necessary training and support to perform their best. This focus on early and continued education is another major way in which Warfel provides values to their clients.
Warfel would like to thank its dedicated clients and employees for being the driving forces that set the firm apart as a construction leader across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Warfel Construction Company is pleased to announce that the firm has been named an Accredited Quality Contractor (AQC) by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Only 450 of the nation’s elite merit shop construction contractors earned the credential in 2021.
“We are proud to have had a presence in the AQC program for multiple years since the designation’s inception,” said Matt Hartzler, President & CEO. “This achievement is a testament to our employee’s commitment to serving our clients with honesty, integrity, accountability, and teamwork.”
Launched nearly 30 years ago, ABC’s AQC program provides recognition to world-class construction firms that have documented their commitment in five areas:
Quality
Safety performance
Talent management, and inclusion, diversity and equity
Craft and management education
Community relations
“Accredited Quality Contractors set the standard in the contracting community in safety, culture, workforce development, innovation, diversity and quality,” said 2022 ABC National Chair of the Board of Directors Stephanie Schmidt, president of Poole Anderson Construction, State College, Pennsylvania. “Congratulations to this high-performing construction company. Daily, the leaders and employees of Warfel Construction Company commit to the highest level of corporate and community achievement, exemplifying the best about ABC membership.”
In earning the AQC credential, each member company commits to world-class safety by achieving Gold, Platinum, or Diamond level in ABC’s STEP Safety Management System. Founded more than three decades ago, STEP dramatically improves safety performance among construction industry participants, with top performers achieving incident rates more than eight times safer than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average.
Earlier this month, several Warfel projects received Excellence in Construction awards from local Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) chapters. Six of the projects submitted received Excellence Awards (1st place in their category) and four projects received Merit Awards (2nd place in their category).
Pictured from left: Conlan Swope, Matt Hartzler, Aaron Moul, Sheila Snyder, Sean Cotter, Guy Kingree, Duane Troyer, Steve Davis, Rodney Severs, Rusty Hoffman, Jason Rineer, Tom Bortzfield, and Brett Calabretta.Pictured from left: Jose Lopez, Matt Hartzler, Nick Ciarrocchi, Brad Shulenberger, Aaron Moul, Guy Kingree
Scroll down to learn more about this year’s award-winning projects.
A joint venture between Acadia Healthcare and Tower Health, this 91,000 sf, 144-bed facility provides a full spectrum of behavioral health services. The hospital includes inpatient adolescent, adult, and geriatric psychiatric care, including partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient program services, outpatient counseling, physician professional services and consultation, and chemical dependency treatment.
Numerous site conditions including rock, sink holes and unsuitable soils created numerous challenges early on, however Warfel worked closely with the project owners and design consultants to minimize impact to the overall schedule.
Built to replace part of the campus that tragically burnt in 2017, the Preston Residence brings new life to the Barclay Friends community. This West Chester campus addition is designed to look like a group of townhouses, complimenting the residential neighborhoods in the surrounding area.
Encompassing significant sitework, this campus addition included complicated building tie-ins, advanced MEP systems, and high-end finishes throughout the building, all while maintaining existing operations. Exterior gardens and seating areas provide residents with access to controlled and beautifully landscaped outdoor spaces.
The Kendal Crossland Café Renovation consisted of the renovation of an existing dining room and café. Upgrades were installed in the dining room to the walls and flooring, unique trellis and chandelier lighting, an electric fireplace, and sound attenuation panels. The café was completely renovated with all new high end kitchen equipment, tile flooring and walls, new storefront entryway with pocket door, and a hearth pizza oven.
A center point of campus life, the Abraham C. Triechler Lodge on Masonic Village’s campus required a creative restoration process to remediate moisture infiltration, as well as provide aesthetic upgrade. Our client had originally priced the project through an engineering firm which quoted the price at more than $5 million, well over the client’s budget for this restoration process.
Through a lengthy and creative preconstruction process, Warfel and RLPS Architects team members with many years of experience on the Masonic Village campus collaborated to create a simpler and more cost-effective process for the restoration efforts. These efforts resulted in substantial savings for the client, allowing the landmark building to be restored for generations of residents to come.
The Masonic Village Lafayette Hill Renovation was broken up into two phases of construction, with Warfel being substantially complete at the end of January 2020. Phase 1 began in August 2019 and consisted of renovating their existing breakroom and creating a pub for the residents. It also included renovations to their main Dining Room, Bistro and Private Dining, along with corridor renovations. Upgrades to the Dining Room included a new front-of-house serving kitchen, with a new buffet style salad bar and serving line.
Phase 2 construction included renovations to the existing bowling alley, wellness center, main lobby, and apartment building corridors. Upgrades to the wellness center incorporated new pneumatic fitness equipment for residents, requiring floor trenching to run compressed air lines underneath each piece of equipment, providing a clean and safe finished product.
The need for additional administrative space drove Penn Medicine to secure two new locations to house more than 400 employees in Lancaster, PA. One of the two buildings procured, 1097 Commercial Ave, is very large but was vastly outdated for today’s class-A office space standards. Total renovated space between both buildings exceeded 200,000 sf. To create efficiencies in schedule and systems quality, Warfel initiated a design-assist approach on both projects for electrical and mechanical scopes of work.
A massive warehouse renovation process, Warfel was contracted to prepare the existing facility for a new tenant. Initial drawings provided during the estimating phase were not accurate to the current warehouse condition, prompting Warfel’s team to work creatively to meet the agree-upon turnover date while replacing 37 overhead doors, deteriorating dock levelers, and coordinating a variety of site improvements.
With a contract awarded in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Warfel’s project management team coordinated the entire project remotely, relying on a single field-based team member for project documentation and trade partner coordination.
This 240-bed facility consists of 66 private rooms and 87 semi-private rooms. The new, 2- and 3-story, 135,645 sf Centre Care facility consists of three main areas to serve patients: a high acuity area for patients with complex medical conditions, a memory care area, and another for short-term rehabilitation.
The new building includes enhanced food service areas in each separate area of the building. There is a chapel, multi-purpose room, large conference room, beauty/barber shop and spa area, as well as training and administrative areas. The new facility also includes a physical therapy area as well as a dialysis suite.
This two-story, 30,000 sf medical office building is owned by Concord Health and operated by Tower Health and features spaces for consult, exams, group rooms, conference space, and a shell space for future fit out. The 88-acre site also houses an adjacent joint-venture behavioral health hospital. Both buildings were constructed concurrently.
Numerous site conditions including rock, sink holes and unsuitable soils created numerous challenges early on, however Warfel worked closely with the project owners and design consultants to minimize impact to the overall schedule.
The need for additional administrative space drove Penn Medicine to secure two new locations to house more than 400 employees in Lancaster, PA. One of the two buildings procured, the Mill Building, is very large but was vastly outdated for today’s class-A office space standards. Total renovated space between both buildings exceeded 200,000 square feet. To create efficiencies in schedule and systems quality, Warfel initiated a design-assist approach on both projects for electrical and mechanical scopes of work.
East Petersburg, PA – Warfel Construction Company is pleased to announce that our 101NQ project received the distinguished Leadership Award from the Lancaster County Planning Commission. This award, which is Lancaster County’s highest project recognition, is specifically designed to honor planning projects that demonstrated leadership and effectiveness in implementing places2040, Lancaster County’s comprehensive community plan, during the last three years.
“This award is a testament to the hours of hard work and dedication that we put into this project,” said Fred Lohss, Project Executive for the 101NQ Project. “It has been an honor to be a part of Lancaster City’s revitalization, and I am proud to see that our Clients for Life mission has resonated with this initiative and earned us this recognition.”
101NQ is an extensive, block-altering redevelopment of the former Bulova building into a conglomeration of residential, commercial, and office spaces. This project has completely changed the face of downtown Lancaster, with the revitalized building attracting new residents and businesses alike.
On Thursday, December 10, 101NQ was recognized as the Project of the Year by ABC Keystone at the organization’s annual Excellence in Construction awards ceremony. Project of the Year candidates are selected for a project’s subjective ‘WOW’ factor in the following areas (in no particular order):
Community impact
Client satisfaction
Design features
Positive notoriety or high-profile of the project
“It is a true testament to each team members’ ongoing commitment to our Clients For Life mission and our core values that we are able to celebrate another successful milestone in what continues to be a challenging year,” said Vice President Brett Calabretta. “It is an honor to see our team and our trade partners recognized by so many in our community for their continued dedication and hard work.”
This extensive, block-altering redevelopment breathes new life into a formerly vacant four-story, 198,000 square foot windowless structure in the heart of downtown Lancaster. The building was in desperate need of a makeover to complement the surrounding neighborhood’s vibrant climate.
With the transformation of the Bulova Building to 101NQ, this project has completely changed the face of downtown Lancaster. The revitalized space brings news jobs and businesses into the city, driving the economic growth of Lancaster. Luxury condos provide additional housing, attracting new residents to Lancaster city.
Project Management team for 101NQ, l-r: Preconstruction Manager John Costalas, Project Engineer Rob Lenosky, Project Manager Dylan Keller, Senior Project Manager Robb Beiler, Project Executive Fred Lohss
Additionally, Warfel received Excellence and Merit awards for several projects from both ABC Keystone and ABC Eastern PA.
The 188,000 sf Building M consists of class-A laboratory and office space above a ground-level parking garage. Spaces are designed to accommodate large biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical lab areas, with offices and conference rooms.
A large-scale, technically challenging, and ever-changing project, Lancaster Labs tested the Warfel team to scale for project success. With advanced lab spaces and complex mechanical systems, the building required extensive planning, detailed management, and committed teamwork. An in-house MEP coordinator was instrumental in ensuring that the building’s complex systems were installed correctly.
Located on the edge of Masonic Village at Elizabethtown’s campus, the Whisk Cafe is in a restored commercial unit which the Warfel team converted into a unique, farm-to-table restaurant. Serving the Masonic Village and greater Elizabethtown Community, the renovated space features more natural light, new MEP systems, and commercial kitchen equipment. Extensive planning was required to keep the project on a tight schedule, and special care was taken to ensure utilities were appropriately coordinated in conjunction with another contractor working on Masonic Village’s busy campus.
Several years ago, Menno Haven embarked on a master plan project to rejuvenate their campus, including a centrally-located resident life center. Residents had very little space on campus to socialize, and desired a location to meet with their friends, enjoy a variety of entertainment, and access special services.
The new, two-story Life Center provides amenities that residents previously lacked, including a salt room, movie theatre, beauty salon, massage rooms, outdoor putting green, and more. Specialty finishes installed throughout the building required extensive coordination and consultation with vendors to ensure that materials were installed correctly. Our team worked in close virtual partnership with the architect, based in Nebraska, to ensure that design standards were met.
A creative restoration of a quickly-deteriorating parking lot, the LA Fitness Parking Lot Restoration required extensive planning to ensure that the gym could remain open while significant portions of its parking lot were renovated. During a multi-phased process, team members carefully evaluated existing conditions, used new construction methods to maintain costs, extensive safety measures to protect workers and nearby pedestrians, and communicated effectively to ensure LA Fitness’ business continuity.
Originally planned as a new building on Chatham Financial’s Kennett Square campus, this project was reimagined to re-purpose an existing vacant office building nearby. Through creative planning and close communication with stakeholders, the team transformed an outdated, 80s-era office space into a fresh, modern home for the growing financial services company.
The extensive interior renovation includes slab cuts in a second floor, integration of a large, eye catching staircase with new skylights above, advanced telecommunications and access control systems, special focus and conference room, and multiple break rooms and cafeteria spaces.
A Chambersburg, PA-based Life Plan Community, SpiriTrust Lutheran’s Village at Luther Ridge community provides care for all stages of senior living. To serve a rapidly growing community, the Village at Luther Ridge project encompassed a large addition to serve two skilled care neighborhoods and a rehab facility.
Built adjacent to existing buildings, the Luther Ridge addition required multiple tie-ins to allow residents to travel throughout the community more easily. Extensive planning was required to minimize disturbance to the community members, including coordination with utility companies to relocate existing systems that ran through the footprint of the new building. Additionally, winter weather made schedule adherence particularly challenging, as cold temperatures required additional measures to maintain the aggressive timeline.
Encompassing a total of six buildings, the scope of each renovation varied over each of the past five summers. Work ranged from extensive interior demolition and renovations to inside-the-box refresh of dorm rooms, corridors, bathroom stacks, HVAC systems, etc. Scope also included large-scale exterior renovations, such as roofing and new additions inclusive of elevators and stair towers.
Extremely important to student satisfaction, a main focus each summer included complete bathroom redesigns from traditional ‘gang’ hall baths to gender neutral common sink areas with private bath and shower rooms. Additionally, room upgrades focused on more efficient use of space with removal of unsightly MEP elements such as pipes, heating elements etc.
Cokesbury Village features a large apartment building that immediately faces the entrance to the community. Built several decades ago, the apartment building previously presented a stark, concrete-heavy exterior.
Through an extensive façade restoration that encompassed updated plumbing and the installation of dividing walls, Warfel Construction worked with the community to make balconies safer for residents. The new balcony separation walls provide additional privacy and security for each resident, enhancing their quality of life and provided much-needed secure access to fresh air during our current environment.
Built to replace part of the campus that tragically burnt in 2017, the Preston Residence brings new life to the Barclay Friends community. This West Chester campus addition is designed to look like a group of townhouses, complimenting the residential neighborhoods in the surrounding area.
Encompassing significant site work, this campus addition included complicated building tie-ins, advanced MEP systems, and high-end finishes throughout the building, all while maintaining existing operations. Exterior gardens and seating areas provide residents with access to controlled outdoor spaces, while two new commercial kitchens offer a variety of healthy meals for residents and staff.
Associated Builders and Contractors today announced Warfel’s work on the Rydal Park Stream Restoration project in Jenkintown, PA has earned a national Excellence in Construction® Pyramid Award, which will be presented during ABC Convention 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, on Aug. 18. The EIC awards program is the industry’s leading competition that honors both general and specialty contractors for innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects.
Located on an active Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) campus, the Rydal Park Stream Restoration project commenced primarily to stop significant erosion. The existing stream bank had eroded out, potentially risking the stability of high-usage walking trails that are frequently enjoyed by neighborhood residents. Through extensive preconstruction planning, careful site management, and detailed considerations of environmental impacts, our team reconstructed the existing stream, returning it to its natural state.
“The craftmanship of Warfel Construction and their hardworking employees continues to raise the bar when it comes to how we define excellence in construction,” said 2020 ABC National Chair Tim Keating, owner and president of R.C. Stevens Construction Co., Winter Garden, Florida. “It’s an honor to recognize these award winners for their respective commitments to building safely, on time and on budget, as well as contribute to the communities in which they work.”
The EIC award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect, and engineer. The winning projects, selected from entries across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety, and cost.
This year’s panel included representatives from Building Owners and Managers Association International, Smithsonian Facilities Construction Division, Construction Management Association of America, Engineering News-Record, Design-Build Institute of America and various construction-related firms nationwide.
Earlier this month, the 101 North Queen project received the “Commercial Catalyst” award at 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania‘s annual Commonwealth Awards. 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania is an advocate in Pennsylvania for responsible and efficient land use.
Project stakeholders for the 101NQ project accept the “Commercial Catalyst” award at 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Awards event.
The Commonwealth Awards celebrate visionary community leadership and catalytic development projects and initiatives that find new uses for vacant and underutilized land, increase opportunities for communities on the rise, and breathe new life into old neighborhoods.
Scroll down for more information on the 101 North Queen project.
101NQ
Located within the central business district, this formerly windowless 150,000 square feet department store and later defunct manufacturing facility sat vacant for nearly a decade before its successful transformation began in 2018. On the original concrete and steel structure, prominent windows now invite views into the once fortress-like structure with its re-imagined mix of street-level retail and upper-level office/residential uses. A catalyst for inspiring redevelopment within the failed Urban Renewal area known as “Lancaster Square,” 101NQ restores walkable public streetscapes, plantings, and lighting while accommodating approximately 500 new workers and residents along with their customers and guests.
Project Manager Casi Babinchak (center left) and Director of Facility Services Brad Shulenberger (right), accept the Excellence in Construction award for the Rydal Stream Renovation project with members of Rydal’s team.
Scroll down to learn more about this year’s award-winning projects.
Rydal Park Stream Restoration
Located on an active senior care campus, the Rydal Park Stream project commenced to stop significant erosion. Through extensive preconstruction planning, careful site management, and considerations of environmental impacts, our team reconstructed the stream, returning it to its natural state.
Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club Kitchen Renovation
Fiddler’s Elbow’s rapid growth during the expansion of their golf facility required the organization to re-examine the functionality of some of their original buildings. The original club kitchen was bursting at the seams, with kitchen staff and servers utilizing all the available space to prepare, cook, and serve food. Minimal space even required a walk-in freezer unit to be located outside the building, where staff needed to access it regardless of the weather. With these considerations in mind, Fiddler’s Elbow knew that a kitchen expansion and renovation were necessary to serve their growing membership.
Masonic Village at Burlington Cottage Development
With both organizations tracing their roots back to the early 1900s, Masonic Village and Warfel Construction have built a longstanding relationship based on numerous successful past projects. As Masonic Village continues to grow, they looked for new and different ways to differentiate their community and better serve their residents. The Burlington development is among the first to offer specialty “age in place” upgrade features, allowing residents to chose to remain in their homes longer, before moving into Masonic Village’s continuum of care.
On Monday, September 9, Warfel Construction Company was named the fastest growing business in Central Pennsylvania by the Central Penn Business Journal. Topping an impressive list of the 50 fastest-growing companies in the Midstate, Warfel’s revenues rose to $233 million in 2018.
“We are incredibly appreciative of our team and their commitment to our Clients For Life mission,” said Matthew Hartzler, President of Warfel Construction. “Their dedication to our core values – Honesty, Integrity, Accountability, Initiative, and Teamwork – enables us to run towards adversity. We thank our clients for their partnership and trust, which has driven the growth Warfel has experienced for the last 100+ years.”
(From left to right:) Vice President Brett Calabretta, President Matt Hartzler, CEO Ralph Simpson, and Vice President Don Banzhof
Warfel was named to the Top Fastest Growing Companies list once previously, ranking #25 in 2016.
Central Penn Business Journal’s Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies recognizes the growth of businesses headquartered in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, or York county. Companies must have a revenue of at least $500,000 in each of the fiscal years ending in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
PCAD project team pictured from left to right: Vice President Don Banzhof, Director of Virtual Design and Construction Rick Carter, Superintendent Allen Lyons, Project Administrator Tasha Lehman, Facility Manager Casi Babinchak, Field Engineer Josh Martin, and Vice President Brett Calabretta.
The C. Emlen Urban Award for Adaptive Reuse projects is presented for projects that reuse an historic structure, site or portion of a building for purposes other than it was originally built.
The PCAD project comprised the conversion of a 1913 tobacco warehouse into new student housing. The conversion involved an extensive modification to the open plan to provide all of the modern necessities and conveniences. A central staircase was installed, providing access to two apartments on each of the three floors. The defining features of the historic building were celebrated, preserved and maintained, including the wonderful brick walls that remain exposed throughout, as well as the heavy wood beams and columns typical of tobacco warehouses in the City. The main living spaces, kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms all have high ceilings and large windows, creating a generous sense of space within the compact units. The original wood floors were patched, restored, and refinished with care, providing additional character and warmth.
