Little Rock’s Robinson Center Reopens Following Renovations

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Little Rock’s Robinson Center Reopens Following RenovationsWhen the Robinson Center first opened its doors to the citizens of Little Rock, Arkansas in 1939, it was the largest air-conditioned auditorium in the state, with seating for up to 3,000 people. Featuring a theater, arena and several convention and lecture halls, the Robinson Center soon became the cultural center of life in Little Rock.

But after delighting audiences with a variety of musical and theatrical performances for more than 70 years, Little Rock city officials decided the Robinson Center was in need of a facelift. On July 1, 2014 the Robinson Center was closed so that the building could undergo an extensive renovation process that cost $70 million and took two years to complete.

Renovations included upgrades to the acoustics and audio/visual systems, an expansion of the loading dock and refinishing of the building’s iconic Art Deco style. During the course of the renovations, the Robinson Center was effectively gutted to its concrete shell so the interior could be completely rebuilt. City officials initially considered abandoning the building due to the expected cost of the renovations, but they were able to convince taxpayers to approve funding for the project with a vote in 2013. Now, four years later, it’s safe to say that the city is pleased with its decision to revive the aging building.

“This hall is not just our instrument as an orchestra, but it’s a place where Arkansans of all ages and every background can come together collectively and communally and share beautiful experiences together,” said Philip Mann, music director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra during the Robinson Center’s reopening ceremony.

The first performance in the newly-renovated auditorium took place in late November of 2016 when the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra took the stage for its annual Opus Ball.

At Construction Protection Systems, we’re proud to have had the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the rebirth of one of Little Rock’s oldest cultural institutions. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield—the original, reusable door protection system.

LA Lakers Prepare to Move Into Their New Training Facility

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LA Lakers Prepare to Move Into Their New Training FacilityThe Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the midst of an ambitious rebuilding effort that will not only involve changes to the team’s lineup, but to its training facilities as well. The team’s management felt that the Lakers had outgrown the recreational complex which has housed their training facilities since 1999, and this rebuilding period offered an ideal opportunity to establish a new home for the team. In late 2016, the team offered fans their first glimpse of the massive, $80 million training complex that’s currently under construction in El Segundo, California.

“A couple of years ago, we realized that as we grew, we needed to find a new facility,” said Lakers CEO Tim Harris in an interview with USA Today. “We wanted to build our own facility and have our own identity … We want players to treat this place like a second home.”

This new facility will feature a whole lot more than just practice courts and weight rooms. In the spirit of creating a home away from home for the players, it will also include a host of other amenities including a theater, lounge, barbershop, kitchen, three rehab pools and a cryogenics chamber.

Soon after the Lakers unveiled their new training facility, they announced a partnership with UCLA that provides the school with naming rights to the facility, and establishes UCLA Health as the exclusive in-game healthcare provider for players. Under the terms of the partnership, UCLA Health will also pay the Lakers $4 million per year for the next five years to help offset the costs of the training facility.

At Construction Protection Systems, we’re proud to have a played a part, however small, in this exciting new chapter of LA Lakers basketball history. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield—the original, reusable door protection system.

Summit Technology Academy Campus Prepares to Welcome Students

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Summit Technology Academy Campus Prepares to Welcome StudentsThanks to a $40 million bond issue approved by voters in 2015, students in the R-7 School District of Lee’s Summit, Missouri will soon have access to state-of-the-art STEM learning facilities at the Summit Technology Academy’s new Missouri Innovation Campus. The Summit Technology Academy offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to take college-level courses in science, technology, engineering and math in order to graduate with an associate’s degree before continuing their education at the University of Central Missouri. The school was established in a partnership between UCM and the Lee’s Summit School District.

After breaking ground in March, 2016, construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the Missouri Innovation Campus which is scheduled to open in August of 2017. Once open, the campus will serve as the new home of Summit Technology Academy’s industry immersion program.

Students participating in the industry immersion program will take college classes three days out of the week during their senior year, and work at local internships during the other two days. The content of these classes and internships will depend on the career field being pursued by each student. To qualify for the program, students must maintain high academic standards, and commit to a rigorous course schedule supplemented by hands-on experience in the workplace. For high school students interested in pursuing a career in STEM, Summit Technology Academy’s industry immersion program can provide them with a valuable head start as they prepare for college.

According to the Lee’s Summit Journal, the new campus is expected to reduce operating costs for the R-7 School District dramatically, saving roughly $9 million over the next 20 years. This is because the entire facility will be owned, rather than leased, by the district itself. UCM will pay a portion of the operating expenses through a rental agreement signed with the district.

Here at Construction Protection Systems, we’re proud to have had the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the development of Summit Technology Academy’s new innovation campus. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield—the original, reusable door protection system.

Baylor’s Penland Hall Reopens Following Renovations

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Baylor’s Penland Hall Reopens Following RenovationsAt Baylor University in Waco, Texas, residents of Penland Hall are enjoying a host of new amenities added during an extensive $19 million remodeling effort that was completed in late 2016. These include new study spaces and bedroom furniture, updated bathroom facilities, and a welcoming lobby featuring games and televisions. Since it reopened, Penland Hall has also become a co-ed dorm for the first time in its 56-year history.

Originally constructed as a male dormitory in 1960, Penland had fallen into disrepair in recent years, gaining a reputation among students as one of the less-desirable housing options on campus. Now, however, the residence hall offers some of the most modern and comfortable accommodations at Baylor.

The remodel of Penfield Hall is the latest in a series of residence hall renovations completed at Baylor University over the course of the past three years. Campus administrators plan to continue making improvements to one residence hall each year until every hall has been remodeled for the future.

“When we built East Village (residence hall) two years ago, what that did was it gave us an opportunity to take one dorm down a year and renovate,” said board Chairman Richard Willis in an interview with the Waco Tribune-Herald. “We’ll keep moving throughout the university to keep rehabbing the dorms for the students.”

Baylor plans to renovate seven additional residence halls by the summer of 2021. When all is said and done, the ongoing project is expected to cost about $140 million.

Here at Construction Protection Systems, we’re proud to have had the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the growth and development of Baylor University. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield—the original, reusable door protection system.

Best Practices for Temporary Protection of Finishes

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Best Practices for Temporary Protection of FinishesThe January issue of Construction Superintendent News featured an article by Kraus-Anderson Construction on best practices for temporary protection of finishes. It’s a very interesting read. Check it out to learn more about what construction crews can do to protect sensitive finishes during building and remodeling projects.

Construction Protection Systems manufactures and distributes 1-2-3 Door Shield—the original, reusable door protection system. Let us know how we can help on your project.

Clemson University Builds Residential Village for Students

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Clemson University Builds Residential Village for StudentsBy all accounts, it’s a great year to be a student at Clemson University in South Carolina. Earlier this month, the school’s football team took home a national title in a huge upset victory over the University of Alabama. This momentous win was the culmination of an intense five-year effort to restore Clemson’s football program to its former status as one of the best teams in the country following years of heartbreak and disappointment.

Soon, Clemson students will have something else to cheer about thanks to a new $212 million residential village that will serve as a gateway to the school’s east campus. It’s called the Douthit Hills Development project, and it is slated for completion in the summer of 2018.

The Douthit Hills Village, which will feature roughly 1,650 new beds for students living on campus, is divided into three zones. The west zone will consist of five and six-story residence halls for upperclassmen. The east zone will include more housing for freshman participating in the “Bridge to Clemson University Program,” which allows students to spend their first academic year taking classes at a local technical college before transferring to Clemson. The central zone will include a variety of academic facilities and amenities including a new dining hall, campus bookstore and fitness center.

According to Clemson’s website, “Development of Douthit Hills builds on a long residential history. It will continue to be home to students who dwell, study, play, rest and make lifelong friends and memories cradled in the protective campus environment.”

Here at Construction Protection Systems, we’re proud to have had the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the development of the Clemson University campus. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield—the original, reusable door protection system.

Apple Prepares to Open New Facility in Austin, TX

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Apple Prepares to Open New Facility in Austin, TXAffectionately known as “Silicon Hills,” Austin, Texas was ranked as the number 1 city for tech job growth in a report published by Forbes last year. Now, thanks to a huge investment from Apple Inc., it doesn’t look like Austin’s tech boom is going to slow down anytime soon.

On April 24, 2015 Apple announced that they had signed a lease for the seven-story, 215,000-square foot Capital Ridge office building in Southwest Austin. The building, which was already under construction when Apple signed the lease, is slated to open in 2017.

This is the latest effort in Apple’s push to establish Austin as the company’s business operations hub for the Western Hemisphere. Just a few weeks before signing the lease on the Capital Ridge location, the company purchased another 350,000-square foot office complex in Northwest Austin. These facilities might be pretty big, but they’ll both be dwarfed by Apple’s main attraction – a 1.1 million-square foot campus that will cover 38 acres in Northwest Austin.

The campus will employ workers in a variety of different positions including human resources, customer support, corporate sales, finance and accounting. Once the campus is complete, Apple will be the second-largest employer in Central Texas. As of the end of 2014, Apple employed about 4,500 employees in Austin. Once their new facilities are complete, they expect to employ 3,600 more people in the area as well.

Here at Construction Protection Systems we’re proud to have had the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the continued growth Austin’s technology corridor. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield – the original, reusable door protection system.

US Lacrosse Moves Into New Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland

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US Lacrosse Moves Into New Headquarters in Sparks, MarylandUS Lacrosse was formed in 1998 following a merger of eight national lacrosse organizations, most of which were run by volunteers. Since then, the organizing body of American lacrosse has made great strides in their efforts to bring the sport to a wider audience and provide young athletes with opportunities to try it for themselves.

The organization has grown quite a lot since it was founded nearly 20 years ago, but it still relies heavily on volunteer efforts from devoted lacrosse fans.  Currently, US Lacrosse employs more than 80 full-time employees, and works with more than 300 volunteers engaged in various administrative capacities. Until earlier this year, US Lacrosse had occupied the same facility on the campus of Johns Hopkins University for its entire history.

Now, thanks to a huge fundraising effort that generated more than $14 million in private donations, US Lacrosse has a new home in the Baltimore suburb of Sparks, Maryland. At the heart of the headquarters lies a three-story 45,000 square foot building that houses office and meeting space, an education and training center, and locker rooms. Adjacent to the building is the William G. Tierney Field which the US National Teams Program will use for training. Later this year, a new National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum will host its grand opening at the site as well.

Here at Construction Protection Systems we’re proud to have had the opportunity to play a part, however small, in this remarkable grassroots effort to build a new space for the sport of lacrosse to grow in America. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield – the original, reusable door protection system.

At UC Berkeley, Historic Bowles Hall Gets a New Lease on Life

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At UC Berkeley, Historic Bowles Hall Gets a New Lease on Life87 years ago, Bowles Hall became the first residence hall on the University of California, Berkeley campus. Founded on distinctly egalitarian principles, Bowles Hall was self-governed by the students who occupied it until the mid-1970’s. Residents lived there for the duration of their undergraduate careers. They ate together, learned together, and established time-honored traditions that remain near and dear to the collective heart of the campus.

By the 1980’s, however, Bowles had become much like any other dorm on campus. It was distinguished only by its elegant façade, which has been compared to Hogwarts by more recent students. In the latter part of the decade, under threat of demolition from the school, a fraternity of former residents known as the Bowlesmen petitioned to have the building added to the National Register of Historic Places. They were able to save the building, but not the tradition of self-governance. It became an all-men’s freshman dormitory, and gradually it fell into disrepair.

Then, last year, an alumni organization known as the Bowles Hall Foundation offered to purchase the building from UC Berkeley and maintain its operations as a student residence. Now they’re funding a $40 million repair and renovation project and restoring Bowles’ status as a self-governing institution. In the fall of 2016, 186 students, three graduate students and two professors will move in become a new generation of Bowles residents. This will be the first time in Bowles’ history that it has been a co-ed residence hall.

Here at Construction Protection Systems we’re proud to have had the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the restoration of this iconic feature of the UC Berkeley campus. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield – the original, reusable door protection system.

Navy Federal Credit Union Extends Its Presence in Pensacola

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Navy Federal Credit Union Extends Its Presence in PensacolaIn 2003, the largest credit union in the country opened a branch office in Pensacola, Florida with just 60 employees. Today, their Northwest Florida office employs more than 4,000 workers. By 2020, Navy Federal expects that number to reach 10,000. To accommodate this astounding growth, the credit union is building a new 1.5 million square foot facility in Pensacola. The first phase – a 400,000 square foot office building which will house 2,000 employees – is slated to open this summer. Once the second, 1.1 million square foot second phase is complete, the facility will have room for 7,000 employees. The entire project is expected to be finished in late 2018.

Navy Federal’s rapid growth began in 2008 when they relaxed their membership requirements to allow members of other branches of the U.S. Department of Defense and civilian contractors to join. Since then, they’ve opened about 12 new branch offices annually in places all across the globe.

“The reason for the expansion is for the significant growth in membership over the last several years,” said Debbie Calder Navy Federal’s executive vice president of Greater Pensacola operations in an interview. “We need to hire more people to take care of our members.” Calder then went on to say that the Pensacola branch is currently Navy Federal’s largest operation, and that they expect the bulk of their future growth to be centered in the Northwest Florida region as well.

This year, Navy Federal Credit Union ranked 44 in Fortune’s list of the 100 Best companies to Work For. This is the sixth time they’ve appeared on the list. Soon, thousands of people in Northwest Florida will have the opportunity to join the ranks of Navy Federal’s workforce.

Here at Construction Protection Systems we’re proud to have had the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the completion of this enormous undertaking. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 door Shield – the original, reusable door protection system.