Manhattan Mechanical Services has announced that work on the Reichhold R-7TT-7 Tank Expansion in Morris, Illinois, has earned the company a national Excellence in Construction Eagle Award, presented during ABC Convention 2023 in Orlando, Florida, on March 16.

The EIC awards, presented to 82 of the nation’s top construction projects in 2022, are the construction industry’s leading national competition that honors general and specialty contractors for world-class, safe and innovative construction projects from across the country.

“The successful completion of this job relied on a continuous balance between being schedule-driven, cost-balanced and quality-focused,” said Manhattan Mechanical Services CEO Mike Uremovich. “We are extremely proud of our crew, who completed the work safely, while also surpassing our client’s expectations despite being faced with many obstacles.”

The Reichhold project involved the removal of one large tank within a process building, salvaging some attached equipment for future use, and placing three large tanks, all associated piping valves, instruments, walkways, platforms and stairways in the indoor tank farm, all without disrupting the plant’s production process.

The Manhattan Mechanical team faced many unexpected schedule challenges, such as a pushed start date due to logistics, equipment delays, and backlogged material. In addition, manufacturers the client usually relied upon to supply material were experiencing logistics issues, further pushing the schedule to the limit.

Through open communication channels with weekly meetings, setting achievable expectations and priorities, and proactive time management, the team was able to maintain efficiency and productivity.

The team’s knack for thinking outside the box also ensured the successful installation of the new large tanks by removing the side of the building and using advanced rigging techniques to move the tanks horizontally. This method allowed temperatures to maintain a tolerable level, avoiding any interruption of production.

Not only was the project completed with safety at the forefront, but it was also completed on time despite an especially tight schedule.

“The Excellence in Construction Awards are the cornerstone competition in our industry, honoring projects like Reichhold because the work by the team at Manhattan Mechanical Services exemplifies the best of the best in construction,” said 2023 National Chair of the ABC Board of Directors Milton Graugnard, executive vice president, Cajun Industries LLC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “This world-class construction project shows the diversity of what the merit shop construction industry builds and how we build projects safely, on time, and on budget. It is an honor to congratulate Manhattan Mechanical Services for showcasing construction excellence.”

The EIC Awards honor every member of the construction team, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects are judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, innovation and safety.A panel of industry experts served as the competition’s judges. This year’s judges included representatives from At Home, the Design-Build Institute of America, Engineering News-Record, Marriott, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Building Sciences, T-Mobile, the University Research Institute and various construction-related firms nationwide.

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A full list of EIC winners is available on ABC’s website.