2013: A year of business in Southwest Washington

2013inreview

2013inreviewBusiness Growth Awards

Hundreds of business professionals from around the region joined the Vancouver Business Journal in celebration of Southwest Washington’s growing companies during our annual Business Growth Awards.

The awards, which recognized growth in 2012, were held on April 25, 2013 at the Artillery Barracks building on the Fort Vancouver National Site. Award recipients, and the categories they were recognized in, included the following companies:

Webfor (Fastest Growing Company 1-5 Years)

DiscoverOrg (Fastest Growing Company 6-10 Years)

HomeStreet Bank (Fastest Growing Company 10+ Years)

To read about the award recipients and other finalists in these categories, click here.

Top Projects

On July 24, the business community joined the Vancouver Business Journal in celebrating the accomplishments of local contractors, architects, engineers and other building industry professionals during the 2013 Top Projects & Building Excellence Awards, held at the Clark County Parade of Homes (5000 NW 129th Circle, Vancouver).

The area’s top projects – commercial, public and residential – were then highlighted in the July 26 print edition of the VBJ.

Here are the top two projects (ranked by construction cost) in each category:

Commercial projects

Millcreek Town CenterMillcreek Town Center, Battle Ground

 

Construction cost: $40 million

Construction of Millcreek Town Center began in May 2013. The project will provide approximately 195,000 square feet of community level retail and commercial facilities. It will be anchored by a Walmart Supercenter projected to open May 2014. The project will feature for lease and for sale opportunities with projected users to include fast food, financial services, medical and traditional retail/commercial users. Estimated completion date is June 2015.

General Contractor: McAlvain Construction

Project Owner: Millcreek of Battle Ground I LLC

Project Executive: T.J. Fontenette

Architect: Benner Stange Associates

Engineer: Olsen Engineering

Prestige Plaza

Prestige Plaza, Vancouver

Construction cost: $14 million

Construction kicked off in January of this year on the development of a new multi-use apartment complex in Vancouver. This full-block site is where the old Burgerville and Vancouver City Police Department were previously located between East 13th St. and East Mill Plain Blvd. Two separate but identical buildings are being constructed on the site. In all, these four-story structures will include 96 upscale apartment units, four Live/Work Studios and 5,000 square-feet of commercial space. The project includes a total building area of about 102,000 square feet of space and 70 off-street parking spaces located between the two buildings. Estimated completion date is January 2014.

General Contractor: R&O Quality Builders

Project Owner: Prestige Plaza LLC

Project Executive: Elie Kassab

Architect: Tiland/Schmidt Architects, Christopher Freshley 

Engineers/Planners: Associated Consultants, InSite Group, PBS Engineering and Environmental

Public projects

Salmon Creek InterchangeSalmon Creek Interchange Project, Stage 4, Vancouver

Construction cost: 43.4 million

The fourth and final stage of the Salmon Creek Interchange Project began in August 2012. The project aims to reduce collisions and improve traffic safety by reducing backups and freeing traffic flow in the fast-growing Salmon Creek area. The $133 million partnership project is administered by WSDOT and builds a new I-5 interchange at Northeast 139th Street. The interchange creates a new east/west connection over the interstates, lifting traffic congestion from Northeast 134th Street. The project is scheduled for completion in 2014.

General Contractor: Max J. Kuney Co.

Funding Source: 2003 Legislative Funding

Project Owner: Washington State Department of Transportation

Project Executive: Don Wagner

Architect: WSDOT

Engineers/Planners: WSDOT

NE-88th-St-1Northeast 88th Street, Vancouver

Construction cost: $11 million

This project encompassed the widening of Northeast 88th Street (Northeast Hwy 99 to Northeast St. Johns Rd.) from two to three lanes, including bicycle lanes and sidewalks, stormwater collection and treatment systems, retaining walls, water line and sewer line installations, traffic signal modifications and installations of street lighting. Construction began in June 2012 and the project was completed last fall.

General Contractor: Rotschy Inc.

Project Owner: Clark County

Project Executive: Bart Arthur

Residential projects

The Lakes Fisher LandingThe Lakes at Fisher’s Landing Phase II, Vancouver

Construction cost: $8 million

In the Lakes at Fisher’s Landing, Bella Villa teamed up with Boulevard Homes to create desirable floor plans and all of the top finishes. The project began in October 2012 and includes 50 attached unit lots in gated community featuring one- and two-level floor plans. The subdivision is nestled in a residential neighborhood just off 164th and SW 34th Street. Among the amenities are hardwood floors, travertine tile floors, slab granite countertops, built-in cabinetry and fully tiled showers. Estimated completion of the residential community is December 2014.

General Contractor: Boulevard Homes

Funding Source: HomeStreet Bank

Project Owner: The Lakes JV LLC

Project Executive: Patrick Ginn

Architect: Forgacs Designs

Engineers/Planners: SGA Engineering

Koesch-Communities-Hampton-at-Salmon-CreekThe Hampton at Salmon Creek, Vancouver

Construction cost: $5.4 million

The Hampton at Salmon Creek is a senior residential community that specializes in dementia and memory care by offering a continuum of services. The project, which kicked off during September of last year and was completed this fall, features space for 69 residents in a secured and home-like environment. A unique feature of The Hampton at Salmon Creek is the close proximity of two sister communities – Cascade Inn, offering independent and assisted living, and The Hampton, offering memory care.

General Contractor: Koelsch Construction

Project Owner: RJ Development Services

Architect: Wedgewood Architectural Services,  LJB Designs (Building Designer)

Engineers/Planners: Alpine Engineering, Olsen Engineering, Dumais Romans, Trindera Engineering

Healthiest Companies of Southwest Washington

Studies continue to show that good health practices at work create a more productive and efficient environment with less absenteeism, proving that the “daily grind” doesn’t have to be a grind.

After a call for submissions and subsequent selection process by an independent panel of industry experts, the following four organizations (two for-profits and two public sector entities) were recognized in the November 1, 2013 edition of the Vancouver Business Journal for making the 9-to-5 a happier and healthier experience for their employees:

Nautilus Inc. (Large Employer)

Cadet Manufacturing (Mid-sized Employer)

Washington State University Vancouver (Public Sector)

Fort Vancouver Regional Library District (Public Sector)

To read about these organizations and their wellness efforts, click here.

Accomplished & Under 40

Our look back at the year in business would not be complete without recognizing the Vancouver Business Journal’s Accomplished & Under 40 Class of 2013.

Honorees are selected each year by a panel of Accomplished & Under 40 alumni after being nominated by members of the community.

Click here to learn about this year’s honorees.

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