LANDAU BUILDING COMPANY
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Landau News
Five Generations in Pittsburgh Construction
Landau Building Company was recently featured in the Pittsburgh Business Times as an outstanding family business in the Pittsburgh construction industry. The article, “Helping Pittsburgh take shape for 125 years,” by Tim Schooley, covers Landau’s family history in the Pittsburgh region, from Henrich Landau in 1879 to the current Landaus in the business – Tom, Jeff, Sharon, and Jen. When approached by the Pittsburgh Business Times, Landau was humbled and proud of the business and reputation they’ve worked hard to build and maintain. MBA Director of Industry Relations Jon O’Brien kindly remarked in the article, “They have one of the most friendly and energetic offices. And it’s a very close-knit group that they have working together. They have a good thing going.”
Schooley’s article highlighted the family and business timeline. Landau has a long history in the construction industry of Pittsburgh, beginning with Henrich and his sons in the late 1800s. His three sons, Jacob, Fred, and Albert, formalized the family’s work and incorporated it as Landau Brothers Construction Company, with Jacob as the first president. The company continued to grow and secured its place as a respectable member of the construction region, as demonstrated through long ties with the Master Builders’ Association of Western Pennsylvania. As mentioned in a previous news post, CEO Tom Landau discovered the original 1922 MBA charter certificate from the MBA, as his family has also been active on the MBA board for generations. “It shows you how much influence of how much of a long-standing relationship they have with us that they could hold on to important documents like that,” O’Brien said to Schooley. When Tom’s father Roy was president, Landau was known mainly for retail building, like Kroger, A&P, and Shop ‘N Save; before that, his grandfather focused on interior build-outs for offices. More recently, as Landau grew under Tom and Jeff’s presidencies, the company developed a solid reputation for work in healthcare and higher education, as well as commercial and community buildings.
The current generation of Landaus in the business are siblings: Tom, CEO and past president; Jeff, President; and Sharon, Marketing Director who is also a trained architect. Joining them is Tom’s daughter-in-law Jen, a Project Manager who has also worked in various positions throughout the company. Like any small, family-run business, Landau has struggled to balance family ownership with bringing in outside talent, but, as Jen reasoned in the article, being a family-run business is what resonates with the employees. Whatever the case, Landau is proud to be recognized for its family values and growing success throughout the Pittsburgh region.
Check out the full article at the Pittsburgh Business Times website: http://bit.ly/1cApKgu
Or visit the “History” section under the “About Us” tab to see our company timeline
New Hire – Mike Bartoldi
Landau Building Company would li
ke to welcome back Mike Bartoldi as Project Engineer. Mike worked for Landau from 2012-2014, and he is returning to our team. He graduated from Penn State University in 2012 with a B.S. in Structural Design and Construction Engineering Technology. His responsibilities as a project engineer include submittals, scheduling, and coordination with project managers and superintendents.
Attic Discovery
Landau’s CEO and former MBA president Tom Landau recently made an interesting discovery while cleaning out his attic. Tom came across the MBA’s original Association of General Contractors (AGC) charter certificate from 1922. The Landaus have been members of the MBA for many years, and several individuals have served as president. During the January 16th MBA Regular Membership Business Meeting, Tom returned the certificate to the MBA, giving a special presentation about the discovery and revealing another great piece of history as well. In addition to the charter, Tom found a photograph from the very first AGC national convention. The picture shows attendees and spouses on the White House lawn, with President Calvin Coolidge standing front and center!
According to MBA meeting minutes, Jacob Landau, Tom’s great-grandfather and former member of the MBA Board of Directors, attended the first AGC national convention and reported back that it was a great event. At this convention, he attended a seminar devoted to the need to repeal the multiple prime delivery system law, which was in effect in every state across the country. The mention of this seminar being held almost a hundred years ago is quite ironic given that the MBA participated in a seminar on this exact topic in 2015.
UHC Ribbon Cutting
Marks-Landau Construction recently completed United Hospital Center’s Bruce Carter United Orthopaedic and Spine Center. The $15 million dollar project encompasses 57,000 SF and was completed in less than twelve months. Marks-Landau president Jeff Landau presented UHC CEO Michael Tillman with a customized plaque to commemorate the event at the ribbon cutting ceremony held on April 2nd.
The new Center combines the Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery, Pain Management, Spine Care, and Rehabilitation departments into one main building, which allows for better communication between departments and specialists. It also includes two hundred rooms and a therapy pool. United Hospital Center requested that the new building match the existing hospital facade, so careful attention to detail was required when selecting the brick. Mock-ups of the facade were fashioned and approved by the owners. The HVAC system was highly specialized, and a new program was written in order for it to operate successfully. Project Manager Jeremy Bowlby and Project Engineer Doug Brenneman worked closely with architects Gresham, Smith & Partners and UHC to complete a beautiful project under budget and on time. Recently, Marks-Landau was awarded additional work at UHC and will renovate the Physician’s Office Building fourth floor.
And the Winner Is…
We have some exciting news to share!
Landau Building Company is the winner of two crystals from the 2014 MBA Building Excellence Awards! This is the first time Landau has taken home two awards in one year, and we couldn’t be more proud of our team. The Jefferson Oncology and Women’s Health Centers won for Best Project over $10 million, and the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers won for Best Project under $10 million. Project Manager Skylar Van Soest and Superintendent Keith Kalmbach, who worked on both projects, accepted the awards on Landau’s behalf, along with architect David Wells from Radelet McCarthy Polletta and representatives from the owners. Our other superintendents on the job were Emory Lukacs, Dave Prata, Jonathan Muzina, and Larry Massung.
The Evening of Excellence is one of the biggest construction industry events of the year, and it did not disappoint. More than 1,000 professionals attended the event at Heinz Field to honor or be honored by the MBA. The Trib Total Media wrote a great article about the event, featuring the “big winners” of the night. You can read the article here: http://bit.ly/1wEIcyc.
Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners of the 2014 MBA Awards. It is always very competitive. Everyone deserves to be recognized for their hard work and the quality of projects produced. For more photos, check out our Facebook album: http://on.fb.me/18WxffO
New Lincoln Exhibit at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library
The Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall is opening a new permanent exhibit featuring 100 portraits of Abraham Lincoln taken from 1847 – 1865. 
The exhibit commemorates the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and Lincoln’s death. They were first shown five years ago after the Captain Epsy Civil War Room was restored – by Landau Building Company. The Captain Epsy Post is an actual location where Civil War veterans would meet during the early 20th century to house their collection of flags, books, prints and relics.
The Lincoln Gallery opened February 16th and will be open to visitors during regular library hours at no cost. The Captain Epsy Civil War Room is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Construction Forecast 2015 & 2016
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Burd: Region’s construction industry expected to break out in the next two years – Pittsburgh Business Times
Things are looking up for the construction industry! Tim Schooley, writer at the Pittsburgh Business Times, published an article featuring Jeff Burd’s construction outlook for the next year. Jeff Burd, publisher of Breaking Ground magazine, presented his construction forecast to the MBA with the prediction that 2015 & 2016 will be break-out years for our construction region. Pittsburgh construction has been awaiting industry growth for a few years now, since about 2009. So why now? According to Burd, there is an improving commercial market, strength in the local energy industry, and favorable demographic trends. Commercial building is now being driven by supply and demand, not only by what can be afforded. He also predicts, however, an increase in apartment development but a decrease in housing as well as labor, due to baby boomers’ retirement and replacement.
Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/1xJd0bK
MBA Awards – We’re Shortlisted!
We have exciting news! Landau Building Company is shortlisted for two MBA Building Excellence Awards! Our Jefferson Regional Medical Center project is the finalist for Renovations Over $10 Million, and the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers is a finalist for Renovations Under $10 Million. Jefferson’s $15 million project transformed existing office spaces into a beautiful new cancer treatment center and women health centers. Our project team worked tirelessly to complete this project as scheduled, putting great detail into the finishing touches. While working on the Lemieux Center, we collaborated with the Mario Lemieux Foundation to produce a stunning area where patients can feel relaxed and at home during a time of uncertainty. And thanks to additional donations from the Lemieux Foundation, a striking rooftop terrace, complete with putting green, was added as a focal point for the treatment center.
So come join us on Thursday, February 26th at the MBA’s Evening of Excellence to find out what happens! This annual event celebrates our hardworking industry members and showcases some of the best work in the region. We are honored to have been selected, and we are so proud of our Landau team. It’s sure to be a great night!
Jefferson Regional Medical Center
Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers Terrace
For more information about the MBA’s evening of Excellence, click here: http://bit.ly/1wJrYgk
New Project: Bayer 1000
Landau Building Company finished the new Bayer 1000 project, located in Indianola, PA. This 15,000 SF interior renovation installed new acoustical sound paneling in the overhead ceiling and created new conference centers and new restrooms. The existing 2×2 and 2×4 light fixtures were upgraded to new LED lighting.
Construction began after the holiday season and finished last month. Bayer asked for the project to be completed within two months, and Landau agreed to fast-track the project in order to meet the owner’s needs accordingly.
Bayer Medical Care Area 200 & 400 Renovation
Landau Building Company finished renovations to Bayer Medical Care areas 200 & 400, located in Indianola, PA. The 14,000 SF interior fit-out transformed the existing research labs into executive offices. The project began May 2014 and finished October 2014. Labs were demolished to create space for offices as well as cubicles and new bathrooms. High-end finishes, like quartz countertops, were used in the bathrooms and showers, and a new canopy entrance was constructed to service the new office areas.
Landau expedited construction in just five months by maintaining a full-time superintendent on site. Particular attention was given to not disrupting ongoing operations at Bayer. Normal construction concerns, like noise, debris, material deliveries, and subcontractor management, never became an issue. The project incorporated Bayer material science products and had mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design-build features to streamline construction and adaptability to the existing systems.
Throughout the past two-and-a-half years, Landau has completed five projects with Bayer. Bayer’s project manager awarded Landau with an excellent rating for professionalism, quality, and value. Safety considerations continue to be a fundamental concern for everyone involved. Landau partners with trusted and qualified subcontractors to deliver quality and safe work repeatedly for Bayer.
