metro message - Metro Mechanical

METRO MESSAGE
October 1, 2013
Metro Mechanical, Inc.
Vol. 14 No. 4
Ringing up Sales,
Ringing in the Season
With a planned opening date of November, this new shopping
venue will provide a wide range of choices for the upcoming Christmas season. Outlets of Mississippi, a development
of Spectrum Capital will feature over 80 tenants with many
familiar names and some new to the Metro Jackson market.
The new mall will encompass over 325,000 square feet and is
neighbor to the Mississippi Braves baseball complex as well
as Bass Pro Shops.
Metro crews are putting finishing touches on many of the
shops that are soon ready for the merchandise stocking
phase. As of press time, we are completing Nike, Claire’s, Banana Republic, Johnston & Murphy’s, Journeys, Loft, Rue 21,
Adidas, Cole Haan, Under Armour, and BCBG Max Azria.
This new center is an encouraging sign of economic growth
and will boost tax revenues and the employment picture for
the area. Very good news for the market!
Featured Projects
Lakeview Medical Pavilion – Covington, LA
Donahue-Favret Contractors is well underway with the
construction of a 3-story 57,000 square foot medical office
building on the main campus of Lakeview Regional Medical
Center. Near the intersection of Highway 190 and I-12, this
facility will be provide more convenient access for a number
of physicians and other medical specialties.
Hunter Engineering – Raymond, MS
As one of the largest manufacturers of automotive service
equipment, Hunter is expanding its Raymond plant by an additional 40,000 square feet. Laws Construction is the general
contractor for this expansion. We are in the plumbing roughin phase for this project that will finish in early 2014.
Acadian Village – Baton Rouge, LA
Similar retail growth is happening along the I-10 corridor in
Baton Rouge. Located in the Perkins Road area, this new strip
center is almost complete with a number of well-known tenants. This is our first project with Buquet and LeBlanc, Inc.
who is the general contractor for this development. Acme
Oyster House, Trader Joe’s and Petco are just some of the
tenants almost ready for opening.
Arkansas VA – N. Little Rock, AR
There are air handlers and then there are really giant
AHUs. Our piping and sheet metal crews are in the process
of changing out the second of three units for the Eugene
Towbin Healthcare Center in North Little Rock. These units
measure 66 feet by 25 by 13 and projected labor per unit is
approximately 2,000 man-hours. Babcock Construction is the
general contractor in charge of this renovation.
Fabrication – Yes, We Can Build It
Gone are the days when our fab shop just built basic ductwork.
The variety of materials just during 2013 has continued to expand.
We are on track to produce about 500,000 lbs. of fabricated duct
for 2013 and well over 15,000 linear feet of spiral duct. But, that
is only part of the story.
assortment of aluminum, stainless steel and carbon steel products,
we are able to fabricate almost any conceivable item for the mechanical industry. We just completed a custom metal fence for a
client who needed this quick and it also had to match an existing
structure.
Curbs and curb adaptors, equipment supports, roof accessories,
pipe supports, access ladders, and structural steel supports are just
a sampling of the specialty products we produce. Add to that an
For the ordinary or odd request, let us take a look at your needs.
For those emergency items where time is critical, we can fabricate
and deliver to your site much faster than normal factory deliveries.
My View
by Rick White
A Wild and Crazy Ride
Looking back over the last five years of business, it has been
an interesting but somewhat unexpected cycle of events. 2008
was the previous high-water mark for that period of time
where we considered new projects relatively easy to book.
Construction by its very nature runs behind normal economic
waves due to the time it takes to plan, design, and construct
a project. We found ourselves working on a full “pipeline”
while the rest of the world was screaming recession. Reality
finally started to sink in early 2011 and it became obvious that
our estimators were going to have to get much more aggressive in order to maintain sufficient backlog.
Late Summer Rush
on Replacements
Thank goodness, the times they are a’changin and we see opportunities on the definite upswing. No, they are not back
to the ’08 days but they do show promise of better things to
come. Adversity can be a great tutor and hopefully we have
learned some lessons well.
Summer seemed to come late for central Mississippi this
year. July proved to be muggy but temperatures were
cooler and with frequent rain, the service market slowed.
August and into the waning days of September have more
than made up for any lack of heat missed in July.
Nine months through this year, we are in a hiring mode and
need field personnel in several areas. Our project management staff continues to grow and we are poised and fully
prepared for a busier pace over the next few quarters. The
Hammond facility addition is complete and almost ready for
occupancy. The Louisiana region has seen a quicker return to
normal volume and we are working on a number of large projects currently.
Too many 97 degree days in a row tend to kill systems that
are already on the outer edge of useful life.Pictured here
is a replacement of five roof top units in early September.
Metro construction crews teamed with the service guys to
minimize downtime for this retail client.
From a financial perspective, smooth, steady, and predictable
is the easiest to manage. If things return to the frenetic “gotta
have it yesterday” pace, we are ready. The wild and crazy has
its rewards!
We have you covered for every type
of mechanical service:
For HVAC service, our direct
number is 601-398-2475.
For all Plumbing Services, our main
office number is 601-866-9050
Metro Mechanical, Inc.
P. O. Box 368
Bolton, MS 39041-0368
(601) 866-9050
Louisiana Office
P. O. Box 847
Hammond, LA 70404
(985) 340-2009
www.metromechanical.net
Metro Building SErvices
P. O. Box 3146
Ridgeland, MS 39158
(601) 398-2475
www.metrobuildingservices.com
Safety Corner
Metro offices will be closed
November 28 & 29
for the Thanksgiving holiday.
It’s Personal
An individual’s view of safety may range from focused and
engaged to just doing what I’m told. As a company, we
agree and promote that safety is personal. Yes, we watch
out for dangers evident on jobsites and perform necessary
inspections. Mentoring and watching out for the other
guy is a great tool for training those with less experience
in the trade.
But, the bottom line is that no one can
be more responsible for you than
you. It must be a personal value.
Listen and learn but most of all
practice personal responsibility.
www.metromechanical.net
I will give thanks to you, Lord
with all my heart. —Psalm 9:1