Successful Resolutions to Unique Challenges

Beverage Distribution Facilities Benefit from Design-Build Collaboration
By Carrie Bui

Construction projects always have challenges, but beverage distribution facilities present a unique set of issues. In order to maintain the quality of the beverage, a distributor’s warehouse facility needs to meet a set of specific requirements. This complex construction requires an experienced team of people.

Jack Holleran, President of HDA Architects, has been designing beverage facilities for nearly 16 years. “They’re quite unique. It’s not ambient space. They’re very unique in requirements because of the product they’re storing and distributing.” He describes each facility as a “small business operation” that must meet specific criteria from suppliers regarding controlled temperature environments.

S. M. Wilson joined the distribution facility design-build team of HDA Architects, Murphy Company, Kaiser Electric, Alper Audi and Code Consultants to construct beverage facilities using the design-build approach. HDA, who initially suggested S. M. Wilson for a Standard Sales facility in Olive Branch, Miss., found that working with one general contractor eliminated the problem of having to train people unfamiliar with the complexities of building a distribution facility. Having a consistent design-build team can provide the owner with a more cost-efficient building and a team that places emphasis on project success instead of individual success. “They’re team-oriented, open and trustworthy,” Holleran said. “There’s a tremendous amount of cooperation, no self-interest involved. In our team, what design-build does, we put everyone together so we can look at engineered solutions for the owner’s needs and evaluate them from a cost perspective. We look at it for the best solutions for the owner, show him or her an engineered solution that actually has a return on investment.”

Beverage facility renovation projects not only pose the challenges of designing, but also complicate construction. Compared to other renovation projects, a distribution facility is unique in two ways, according to Ryan Perryman, Project Manager for S. M. Wilson & Co. When the construction team is renovating or expanding an existing facility, business operations are still continuing, and products are being shipped in and out of the facility every day. It’s also important for the construction site to not interfere with the quality of the product. The construction team has to remain vigilant about keeping the owner’s product clean from construction dust and debris. “It’s a construction site inside a distribution facility and a distribution facility in a construction site,” claims Perryman.

For the $6.5 million Standard Sales project, demolition and construction went on while the facility was still operating. The distribution center project included a 41,000-square-foot expansion to the controlled environment warehouse with 18 new loading docks and 8,200 square feet in renovations to increase the size of their draft cooler. Furthermore, office and sign shop point of sales area and the existing warehouse were renovated while the facility remained occupied. The construction crew had to ensure that the distributor was still getting beer shipped in and out of the warehouse as the expansion was being completed. The project included significant earthwork and site improvements on an extremely tight site requiring elaborate phasing and coordination to minimize disruption to the owner’s operation. This was especially difficult as the facility was going from a drive-through facility to an end load facility. Standard Sales Branch Manager James Lunsford said, “I thought they paid attention to what we needed as a distributorship, and I thought they were very good at incorporating our needs into their plans. I think that came from the engineers and also with the contractor.”

River City Distributing, a $4.2 million expansion project in Louisville, Ky., experienced a similar issue as the distributor’s trucks had to drive through the jobsite every day. Therefore, phasing and coordination were key to keeping the facility’s operations running smoothly. The project added a 40,000-square-foot expansion to the existing controlled temperature warehouse and included 30,000 square feet in interior renovations to increase the size of their warehouse, draft cooler and sign shop point of sales area. Another major issue for River City was the need to replace sprinkler mains throughout the existing facility, explained Perryman. Because the existing space was not sufficient to hold the piping, an alternative solution had to be found. They chose an uncommon, yet effective method of running the piping underground.

Determining solutions together gives everyone ownership in the project, while encouraging a focus on the end product. “We’re able to bring solutions to the project as a team, which eliminates a lot of questioning,” said Perryman. “We understand the success of the project is whether or not we’re going to get more work as a team, not as an individual.”

Making everyone part of the solution helped on the Standard Sales project when it was realized that the existing structure wasn’t equipped to handle new, heavier evaporators. As a group, they came up with a solution to fabricate some brackets and support the evaporators off the walls, explained Joe Krewson, Engineer with Murphy Company. “We’re all in it together so we all look for a common solution to any problems that come up. Everybody looks at it with the view of, ‘Here’s the problem. Let’s all fix it together.’”

The complexities of these projects and the design-build approach demands a high level of cooperation and collaboration. “It’s a true team environment,” said Kaiser Electric’s Executive Vice President Michael Compton. “It has people who’ve worked together for many years, who respect each other’s disciplines and are concerned about each other’s craft. The major concern is for the end product and what we deliver to the owner.”

Ultimately, achieving a successful end product is due to each team member’s ability to contribute to the project and work positively with others. “The give and take that’s involved to make things work in the best interest of the project is what’s refreshing about the (design-build) concept,” said Compton. “We’re not all fighting for the same space, same room. That portion of it has been, from the electrical standpoint, very much of a plus.”

Design-build projects allow each person to be involved in the process from the beginning, which brings potential problems to the surface earlier and provides all concerned with the opportunity to suggest solutions. Holleran said, “It takes a lot of front end work and everybody’s part of the decision-making.”

Having an experienced project crew who works well together provides peace of mind to the owner. “Once we got going on construction, we didn’t have to think about it. We got to do what we do best, which is sell beer. We didn’t have to worry if construction was going well or if it was going to impact our business,” said River City Distributing President John Harris.

“The whole (design-build) concept makes for a better end result and sometimes that’s lost in the competitive bidding side of our business,” said Compton. Beverage distribution facility owners are benefiting from the experience of S. M. Wilson, HDA, Murphy, Kaiser, Alper Audi and Code Consultants as well as the cost-efficiency of a design-build approach. A complex construction project may present challenges, but through experience and partnership, challenges are resolved, leading to a successful end product.