| Thank you for joining us here again as we look back over the past six months here at Metis. Last edition we shared an update to our geographic footprint, which at the time featured all of Ohio and projects with strategic partners in other states as well, that included KY, NY, PA, IL and MI. We have since added Missouri and Delaware! We are honored that our development partners have taken us on the road with them into other markets, with same or additional product brands. As much as I despise the word unprecedented there is no other way to describe it. We are still facing unprecedented times in our industry due to tight material supply and pricing inflation. I thought it would be helpful to update all of you on the current situation with major product categories that we use in our industry. Drywall – We have seen lead times get quite extended particularly on all specialty items. All drywall including the standard 1/2” and 5/8” items remain in short supply. We expect this tight product availability will be extended well into 2022. We just received our third price increase in June of 2021. We anticipate two more price increases by the end of 2021. We have asked for our drywall suppliers for guidance on 2022 pricing and multiple manufacturers have indicated that we should anticipate a price increase quarterly from now through 2022. Joint Compound – The winter storm that devastated the Texas area has created chemical shortages in many industries. Joint compound raw materials have been impacted by the petroleum chemical plants in Texas that were destroyed in the storm. Latex is in very short supply due to these plants being shut down. The manufacturers believe this problem may be resolved by the end of June 2022. Steel Framing – We have received a price increase every month since October 2020. Steel remains in very short supply. Our manufacturers have given us guidance that the extended lead times and short supply will continue throughout 2021. Acoustical Grid – Much the same story as steel studs. Grid is made from similar gauge steel as steel studs. We expect supply will remain tight and price inflation will continue through 2021. Insulation – Lead times are extended out as long as six months on some insulation products. Mineral wool is a bigger problem than fiberglass but both are operating in short supply and with extended lead times. Manufacturers believe this situation will continue throughout 2022. EIFS – This product category is experiencing the same chemical issues as joint compound. This category should be more stable by the end of 2021. In addition to the pricing and product availability issues detailed above, many markets in North America are experiencing a shortage of freight carriers which is driving costs up. We will continue to encourage our suppliers to try to find creative solutions to be in position to satisfy the product needs of your project. Thank you for your understanding as we navigate these industry obstacles. Can’t fail to mention – if you are considering a project of any size, we can help! Please reach out by email to jbrandle@metisconstruction.com or direct at 330.858.6672. I hope you enjoy this issue. All the best to you and your team, Julie Brandle, President Metis Construction Services |
| Metis Makes a Difference Project Shine  Project Shine is a basic home improvement ministry in Akron. Project Shine paints houses, decks, and completes yard work for those in the Akron area who cannot do it themselves. Our work is accomplished by local youth volunteers eager to work and serve.Metis Construction Hands Food Distribution  Amanda Senn, Marketing Specialist, volunteered with Kent Rotary, Habitat for Humanity of Portage County and the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank to distribute food to those in need. Amanda is pictured here with Dominique Bollenbacher, of Habitat for Humanity of Portage County. What’s Been Happening at MetisNew Website  Patio Parties   Metis Construction Team  Look at us grow! We were able to get the whole Metis team together this summer to update our company photo. Every person in this photo plays a critical role in our company. Golf Outings Blues Fest  Metis was able to host our annual Blues Fest Patio Party in July. Fun was had by all with great food, company and of course Blues music! |
| Metis Project Highlights Chimney Swift Chimney – Kent, OHMetis Design’s Paul Romanic, Architect, worked with the city of Kent to design a new roost for Chimney Swifts. Construction began in late spring and was completed in early July. These Chimney Swifts, an endangered species, have a historical connection to Kent. After large colonies of Swifts breed in Kent, migration to South America for the winter occurs. The traditional nesting sites of Swifts, brick chimneys, are not typically included in modern construction. Swifts are in dire need of nesting sites following the demolition of former habitats, including the former police station, the Gougler Industry, and RB&W stacks. With the construction of the new chimney roost, the city of Kent is hopeful that Swifts will be flying in and out of their new roost in no time. If the first Chimney Swift tower is successful, the city hopes to place additional towers around Kent.    Blue Heron Preserve – Burton, OHMetis Construction is currently working on improvements at the Blue Heron Preserve in Burton. Work includes constructing a pavilion, an office and restroom building, and a structure at the overlook. The project seeks to transform the preserve and provide more areas to gather as guests enjoy being surrounded by nature. Metis is excited to see this project wrap up in the coming months as these beautiful structures near completion.  Firestone Complete Auto Care – Middletown, DEMetis is in Delaware! Yes, you read that right; Metis is wrapping up a Firestone Complete Auto Care in Middletown, Delaware. This will be the second Firestone completed by Metis but the first project completed in Delaware. Thank you, Firestone Complete Auto Care, for allowing us to travel with you to the east coast as you expand your location portfolio!  Dollar General – Oregon, MOMetis is also expanding west, with the groundbreaking of this new Dollar General location in Oregon, Missouri! Dollar General is a valued client of Metis, and we are happy to add Missouri to the list of states in which we partner with Dollar General.  The Knight House – Akron, OHThe restoration of the Knight House in Akron continues for the Summit County Land Bank. This house has come a long way from a run-down structure to look like a brand new building. A new garage has been constructed, the site has been reworked to allow for parking and the exterior has been given a facelift with new stucco. In addition, the interior has been gutted and rebuilt to allow for proper safety measures. The Summit County Land Bank plans to move in this fall.  |
| Leadership Akron Class 37 – Resilient 37 With our August graduation, Resilient 37 wrapped up its Leadership Akron experience. Although our class had never participated before, we all knew we were in for an unusual experience undertaking the signature program in the middle of a pandemic. Boy, were we ever! To update our readers on the experience since last time, we got back together in January for Justice Day via Zoom and February we met 1/2 the day in person(masked) and 1/2 the day virtually. By March for Appreciative Inquiry, April’s Health Care Day, and May’s Education Day we were back in person, though masked. We finished our year with our Class Retreat in June. I’m sharing some of these experience days in photos. (Thank you, Janis Worley, First Congregational Church, Akron; Shirley Smith, Planned Parenthood; Leadership Akron; and Annie McFadden, City of Akron, for allowing me to borrow your photos to add to mine for this article.) But I thought to try to capture everything we experienced inside and outside the proverbial classroom, I will share my paraphrased remarks from graduation to offer a window into our experience. On behalf of Resilient 37, virtually the best class ever…I want to thank the board and staff of Leadership Akron, as well as the program day committees for working tirelessly to provide us with a class experience in the middle of a pandemic! Through the class selection process, Leadership Akron masterfully convened a diverse class of community leaders. Non-profit, for-profit; c-suite level executives and business owners; county and city government officials. Like so many classes before ours, our directory reads to many like a who’s who of our region. I remember reading the original announcement of our class participants list and being blown away by who were then only names selected, and who I now consider among my closest friends and colleagues. I truly have been so honored to learn alongside each of you on this leadership journey. While our program year may not have been a traditional one, I like to think we made it even more rewarding with the out of the box thinking and the intentional efforts to forge friendships and open lines of communication on some tough topics. We hiked, we biked… we maybe had a few cocktails. We talked, we laughed…oh we had a ton of laughs….one of my very favorite parts. But something that I feel stands out over all of these is the compassion I saw time and time again between our classmates towards each other… and our community. This class has a special collaborative heart for doing good in our world. We volunteer, serve on non-profit boards, and we support each other’s organizations whether it be through one’s employer or one’s passion which we have found are usually one in the same. I cannot wait to see what we will accomplish through our philanthropy project! It has been a difficult year, a year filled with uncertainty and stress…and through it all I learned and experienced that we truly care about each other…it might have been checking in on one another with a brief phone call or text, meeting for coffee, and even aiding classmates in their BUMBLE selections, or deletions more often than not. We have been here for each other in the middle of a pandemic! Did I mention that? A PANDEMIC! I feel that alone helped us build unbreakable bonds. I sought out other class president opinions on where their classes have gone from here. The most thought -provoking question I received from Kemp Boyd, Marquee 33, “what do you want from your class moving forward?” What I want, is what we have right now, though I’m a realist, with all of these A type personalities… life and work will be filled with responsibilities in no time flat, you know they probably already are! So maybe the question should have been, what do you HOPE FOR from your class moving forward? That’s easier to answer…continued friendships… collaborative community involvement…impactful differences being made…TOGETHER. To my classmates reading this – again, thank you all so very much for memories made that will last a lifetime. I wish each one of you great success and happiness. Congratulations Resilient 37!!  Thank you for reading this newsletter. If you know someone who would like to receive the newsletter, have them send their name and email address to marketing@metisconstruction.com |