Author Archives: Sharon Landau
Topping Off Ceremony at United Hospital Center
On June 14, 2021, Marks-Landau Construction held a “Topping Off” ceremony to celebrate the placing of the final beam of the United Hospital East Addition. This is a milestone in the construction of a 6 story, 40,023 SF addition to United Hospital Center located in Bridgeport, WV. Michael Tillman, Chief Executive Officer and President at United Hospital Center, gave a short speech. Following tradition, the beam was signed by stake holders and staff then an evergreen tree and the American flag was placed on the beam to be lifted.
Project Manager Doug Brenneman, Project Engineer Lindsey Bernazzoli and Superintendent Jonathan Muzina began the project in March 2021. Construction is anticipated to be complete in 2022. Nashville architectural firm Gresham Smith is the designer.
Chet Beres Promoted to Senior Estimator
Landau Building Company is pleased to announce the promotion of Christopher (Chet) Beres to Senior Estimator.
Chet has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh with a Certificate in Transportation Engineering. He began his career at Landau in 2011 as a project engineer and assisted in the construction of more than 30 MedExpress facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, West Virginia, Michigan, and New York. In addition, he was the project engineer for several ground-up construction projects including the Richard G. Snyder YMCA Campus in Armstrong County, PA and the new automotive dealership, CarSense in Cranberry Township, PA.
In 2013, Chet joined Landau’s estimating team. His previous experience has given him a strong understanding of the labor and management aspects of construction as well as how a project should proceed. Chet is also an integral participant in the preconstruction process and uses his knowledge of construction means, methods and materials to keep the project within budget while achieving the desired results.
Originally from Johnstown, he now calls Pittsburgh home. In his spare time, Chet enjoys working with his hands refinishing antique furniture and building new things. He also plays a few instruments and is most accomplished at the guitar.
United Hospital Center East Addition
On August 21, 2020, Marks-Landau was awarded the contract for a six-story addition to the United Hospital Center in Bridgeport, West Virginia. The project will be substantially completed in March 2022. To prepare for the addition and immediately provide the community with additional imaging services, a temporary modular building with a new MRI is being installed. Marks-Landau provided foundations, utilities and site improvements for the project. Once the addition is ready, the MRI will be moved to its permanent location. The modular structure will be removed and replaced with a new temporary imaging canopy for future use.
Designed by Gresham Smith out of Nashville, the 40,023 SF addition will add much needed space and the ability to offer more services on the growing UHC campus. The basement level or Garden Floor will be storage space for the pharmacy and clean linen. The first floor will become the new home for the MRI, and two new operating rooms will be built on the second floor. On the third floor, there will be space for mechanicals. On the fourth floor there are 14 exam rooms, a waiting area, doctors’ offices, nurse’s station, and staffing areas. Finally, the fifth floor will accommodate educational needs with new classrooms, a skills lab and offices.
Vincentian Schenley Gardens Renovation
Landau Building Company is in the process of renovating Vincentian Schenley Gardens located on Bigelow Blvd., in North Oakland, a residential senior living community for those who require a little help with daily living. Vincentian Schenley Gardens, a part of Vincentian Collaborative System, is a 5-story building with 164 one and two-bedroom apartments, meals, and a variety of social activities to ensure a pleasant living environment.
Work on the facility has been completed in phases with the first phase being a refresh of the dining room, a private dining space and an enclosed porch. Areas received new flooring, paint, lighting, ceilings, and comfortable new furniture. Phase 2 included a renovation of a staff area including restrooms, kitchenette and lockers and is awaiting new appliances. Phase 3 will include an updating of the 1st floor corridors and will be completed sequentially to minimize disruption to residents.
As always, safety of the residents is our utmost priority. All infectious control measures are in place such as airtight barriers, negative air pressure machines and industrial air scrubbers to keep residents safe.
Residents have been enjoying the updated look of their living spaces. To see more of the amenities available at Vincentian Schenley Gardens click here: https://vcs.org/vincentian-schenley-gardens/
We Have a Winner!
The WVU Medicine Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Center for Innovation addition and renovations won the MBA Renovation Construction Over $10 Million Award! The awards were presented at the annual Master Builders’ Association Evening of Excellence at Heinz Field, which is always a fantastic night for our industry to come together and celebrate another great year.
The Innovation Center is a beautifully constructed state-of-the-art research and treatment facility for neurological conditions. As a result of dedicated teamwork and collaboration under the face of a seemingly impossible deadline, it is truly a deserving award winner.
The teamwork on the project was unmatched. Project Manager Jen Landau, Superintendent Jonathan Muzina, and Project Engineer Doug Brenneman made themselves available days, nights, and weekends. WVUM hand-selected Landau for this project because of this team and the relationships established during previous projects. It was a level of trust that is not often seen on the jobsite, and it extended to the architects and subcontractors as well. Jen and Jonathan inspired the level of dedication on the job, always finding a quick solution to changing scope, material, and deadlines.
WVU Medicine Children’s Annual Gala
The 2020 WVU Medicine Children’s Annual Gala was hosted on Saturday, February 8th at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place Hotel. The annual black-tie fundraiser, featuring the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Ryan Shazier as the emcee, was an evening to celebrate the achievements of the patients and staff. This year the money raised will go to the new children’s hospital being built, which is scheduled to open June 2021, as well as the “Grow Children Campaign” to support programming for children and their parents. Landau sponsored a table for this worthy cause and had a wonderful evening.
The Season of Giving
The holiday season is a time to spread joy and cheer to your family, friends, and community. A little generosity can go a long way, especially during the holiday season. This year Landau participated in the Wexford Healthcare Center’s Adopt a Resident program, providing holiday gifts to residents in need. Gifts were collected and assembled in our front lobby from December 2nd-19th and delivered to the nursing home on December 20th. We hope the residents enjoyed their gifts and that we could make their day a little brighter.
2019 Customer Appreciation Shoot
The annual Landau Building Company Customer Appreciation Shoot was held on Friday, September 20th. For the 15th year in a row, we had sunny, beautiful weather and a great turnout. The Oktoberfest lunch was a hit, thanks to Waterfall Catering. This year we were able to raise $2,345 for the Passavant Hospital Foundation. We are lucky each year to receive very generous donations from our subcontractors, including: Architectural Interior Products, Automated Entrance Systems, Construction Tool Service, Blumling & Gusky, Carl Taylor & Sons, EHD, PPG Paints, Ida Yeager Sales, Chapman Corporation, Fallon Electric, Dan Taylor Interiors, Infinity Electric, DeWalt, Miller Information Systems, McKamish, Paul Lumber & Supply Company, Triad Engineering, DeFinis Mechanical Contractors, Seubert & Associates, AIS, and Ruthrauff Sauer.
Check out some of photos below and our our Facebook page, including a guest appearance from our resident T-Rex and Superman, selling those 50/50 tickets hard!
New Hires: Brian Kessler and Brad Knapik
Landau would like to welcome Brian Kessler as Project Engineer and Brad Knapik as Project Manager!
Brian Kessler has worked as a site manager/project manager for over 20 years, mainly on projects such as schools and steel mills. He served 5 years in the United States Marine Corps and is a Desert Storm veteran. Brian is a member of the VFW, American Legion, and Marine Corps Legion. Brian is from the North Hills area and has two kids. In his spare time, he enjoys shooting sports and everything and anything that has to do with cars.
Brad Knapik previously worked for Landau Building Company for 10 years. He worked his way from being a Project Engineer to a Project Manager, having been involved in some of Landau’s largest projects at the time, before switching to an engineering firm near his home in Grove City. In his spare time, Brad enjoys coaching youth sports and spending time with his wife and 2 boys.
Welcome, guys!
WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Dedication
On Wednesday, May 16th, a dedication ceremony was held for the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Center for Innovation, located in Morgantown, WV. The institute was founded by Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia senator 1985 – 2015, who was one of the speakers to perform the dedication, which was also the commencement of the inaugural WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Summit. Other speakers at the dedication included E. Gordon Gee, President of West Virginia University; Albert L. Wright, Jr., President and CEO of West Virginia University Health System; Ali Rezai, M.D., Executive Chair, WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute; and Clay Marsh, M.D., Vice President and Executive Dean of WVU Health Sciences.
Landau Building Company’s team completed an addition to the atrium of the RNI Center for Innovation and other interior renovations, working hard to meet the dedication ceremony deadline. It took a heroic effort from all involved to make this happen, eliminating five weeks from the construction schedule to be ready for this event.
The renovations, which prepared for the arrival of Dr. Ali Rezai, a world-renowned neuroscientist and neurosurgeon, included 1,448 SF on the first floor, 2,331 SF on the second floor, and 3,527 SF on the third floor. The scope of work included the Human Performance Research Center, including a state-of-the-art fitness center, floatation recovery rooms, cryostimulation therapy room, light therapy rooms, a mind gym that uses Virtual Reality for research, and sleep pods to study Circadiam rhythm and sleep. The LIFU MRI suite allows transcranial magnetic stimulation that is being used to treat disorders ranging from Opioid addiction to fighting Alzheimer’s disease. The building addition houses a grand entrance with a 30’ mural entitled “The Boundless Brain” created by Dr. Greg Dunn and Dr. Brian Edwards, which is a hyperdetailed representation of a quarter million neurons of a sagittal slice of the human brain.
WVU Medicine created a great video highlighting the institute’s story, which you can watch here.