Welcome back!
It was fun to watch our team put this newsletter together for you and look back over the last few months here at Metis!
In this issue we’re sharing some project information on Akron Centre’s Ninth Floor Renovation for McKinley Management, Blue Heron Preserve in Burton, OH and the Dollar General in Richmond, IL. We’re also celebrating the completion and ribbon cutting of Kent Fire Department’s Station #2 and the John S. Knight House in Akron, OH, as well as the Ranpak Corp. Breakroom and our Design/Build project for Boy Scouts Great Trail Council’s Staff Row.
Of course, we also can’t help but share some of the fun times with our team and helping others…you’ll see the theme here with spring came plenty of planting and outdoor clean-up projects!
Here we are mid-year and reports continue to illustrate we are facing the same challenges we reported on back at the end of the first quarter though the industry remains strong and construction starts continue. We really appreciate the patience of our clients during this time as we continue to communicate updates as they arise. I’ve included industry update articles that I hope you find helpful.
If you are considering a project of any size, please contact us by email to jbrandle@metisconstruction.com or direct at 330.858.6672.
All the best from our team to yours,
Julie Brandle, President
Metis Construction Services
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/dodge-data-construction-starts-jump-pipeline-strong/624353/
Metis Makes a Difference
Main Street Kent: Adopt-a-Spot
A few members of our team spent Memorial Day Weekend participating in Main Street Kent’s Adopt-a-Spot program. Every year local businesses and individuals volunteer to plant the flower gardens you see around our downtown area. This year Metis Construction Services offered to undertake the large bed in front of Buffalo Wild Wings on the corner of Main and Depeyster. Stop by and check out our landscaping handiwork next time you’re in the area!
United Way of Portage County Day of Caring
Kent Social Services has been a very special project for Metis Construction Services over this past year. This organization does so much for our community, it was an honor to be able to help them achieve their goal of expanding their services with a renovated facility and in turn offer an enhanced experience for the underserved in the Kent area. Our own Michael Bruder is on the board of Kent Social Services, so it was only fitting he lead a team of volunteers in some final improvements during Day of Caring for the United Way of Portage County.
Akron Canton Regional Food Bank
The Rotary Club of Akron spent an evening assisting at the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank where they packed meals that would feed 5,773 members of the community in the Akron area. Metis has always valued our strong partnership with the ACRFB and all of the amazing work that they do!
Milkweed Planting
The Rotary Club of Kent, Portage Park District and Girl Scouts of North East Ohio met up to plant milkweeds one afternoon at various parks around Portage County. Milkweed is an important native plant to Northeast Ohio and critical to local wildlife.
What’s Been Happening at Metis
Employee “Holiday” Party
We were finally able to get together and celebrate on May 6th after postponing our Annual Holiday Party due to COVID concerns. The Kent State Hotel and Conference Center provided us with a festive Cinco de Mayo atmosphere and cuisine. PCI Entertainment provided fun gaming tables for blackjack, roulette and craps!
Metis & Girl Scouts of North East Ohio Camp Ledgewood Tour
Metis Construction Services and Girl Scouts of North East Ohio hosted a networking tour of Camp Ledgewood on June 1st. We invited partners from CREW (Commerical Real Estate Women), AIA (American Institute of Architects) and BOMA (Building Owners & Managers Association). We explored the existing facilities which Metis has been involved in the construction of and saw plans for the future STEM Center.
Tree City Coffee packed us camp inspired brown paper bag snacks with PB&J, chips and carrots and Fat T’s Cookies were the perfect treat with their S’mummer (s’mores) cookies.
Not even a ‘little’ rainstorm could stop our fun!
https://www.fattscookies.com/shop
www.gsneo.org
Metis Goes Wild!
Metis Construction Services employees enjoyed a beautiful Saturday afternoon with their families at the Akron Zoo. Complete with face painting, a cookout, carousal rides and train rides, a great time was had by all!
www.akronzoo.org
BOMA Happy Hours
Metis sponsored a networking Happy Hour with BOMA (Building Owners & Managers Association) in downtown Cleveland at Sausalito’s on Sixth and in Akron at South Point Tavern. Thank you to everyone who joined us!
Julie Brandle, inducted Into the Bowling Green State University School of Business Hall of Fame
Julie Brandle had the distinct honor of being inducted into the Bowling Green State University Schmidthorst School of Business, Paul J. Hooker Entrepreneurial Leadership Center Hall of Fame. This award recognizes BGSU graduates, honorary degree holders and members of the regional community who have achieved distinction for founding, leading or building a new business enterprise for five years or more. These individuals have demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit that has helped to shape our economies and improved our quality of life. So far, more than 50 world-class entrepreneurs have been inducted into this elite group of innovators. (Link to the video at the end of the newsletter).
Metis Project Highlights
Blue Heron Preserve – Burton, OH
Blue Heron Preserve is a beautiful 116-acre gem in Burton, OH. The western portion of Blue Heron Preserve was used as a sand and gravel mine before the Western Reserve Land Conservancy purchased it from Newbury Sand and Gravel, Inc. and reclaimed the mine, restoring the property to a more natural state. Metis has constructed restrooms, a park office, a large shelter with a fireplace, a stone patio and an extraordinary observation deck. This project is open to the public and a great place to take a hike!
Total Quality Logistics – Akron, OH
Metis Construction Services & Metis Design recently completed a design-build project of the entire 9th floor at City Centre Plaza in downtown Akron for Total Quality Logistics (TQL) new office space. TQL works with a network of more than 130,000+ carriers to create greater supply chain efficiencies for their customers. This network, combined with their industry leading technology and unmatched service, has been the key to our growth, plain and simple.
Ranpak Corp. Breakroom – Painesville, OH
Our work continues at Ranpak Corp. in Painesville. We’re currently wrapping up the employee breakroom as we move on to the next phase of office renovations. Ranpak creates innovative packaging solutions for protecting products in ways that benefit businesses, customers and the environment. And of course we appreciate their mutual love of Metis green!
Kent Fire Station 2 – Kent, OH
Metis had the privilege of working with the first responders in our community. The expansion and renovation of Kent West Side Fire Station, includes a remodeled kitchen that was increased from about 72 square feet to about 180, the additions of a gear room and an ambulance supply room, as well as a back patio. Prior to this, gear was either left on the floor or stacked and supplies for the ambulance were in a small closet. One of the biggest aspects of the project was overhead, replacing the former flat roof with a pitched one that allows water to better flow off of it. There was a ribbon cutting and open house on May 7th where the public could come in and tour the new space.
Dollar General – Richmond, IL
One of our latest Dollar General projects was recently completed in Richmond, IL. Richmond is located 46 miles northwest of Chicago and is considered a commuter village within the Chicago metropolitan area.
Metis Design in Motion
Boy Scouts Staff Row – Peninsula, OH
Metis Construction Services and the design team at Metis worked with the Boy Scouts to renovate “Staff Row”. Staff Row serves as the sleeping area, restrooms, showers and lounge area for the summer camp counselors. The existing facility was created by adapting an old pool house to provide a small lounge and open air showers and restrooms. The infilled swimming pool serves as the outdoor sleeping area. The existing facility was in poor condition. The design department at Metis worked with Camp Manatoc administrators and scout representatives to redesign the facility to provide modern, private restrooms and showers, a new air conditioned lounge space and replaced the existing deteriorating tent platforms. A key focus of the design was to provide a final project which would be easy to clean and maintain over time and provide privacy to staff members. Metis Construction Services completed the renovations in time for the 2022 summer camping session.
Metis Moment
John S. Knight House Restoration
The John S. Knight House was built in Akron, Ohio in 1922 by former longtime Akron Beacon Journal editor and publisher John S. Knight. It was designed by architects Good and Wagner as a six bedroom Tudor Revival home. Good and Wagner also designed Portage Country Club, another Akron landmark. After going through various owners over the years it had recently stood vacant for the past 15 years. That is when the Summit County Land Bank decided to purchase the property. They had outgrown their current office space and had a vision to retrofit this mansion as their new headquarters. The house now has five bathrooms, 15 offices and a meeting room. Maintaining the historical character of the original structure while making it compliant for commercial use presented unique opportunities. The rehabilitation was full scale, interior, exterior, site work and a new garage building.
This project was also recently recognized by the Cleveland Preservation Society with the Award for Outstanding Retrofit of a Historic Structure.
Check out the video at the end of the newsletter!
Metis is Hiring!
Contact Marcy Janus at mjanus@metisconstruction.com for more information on any of these positions.
Architectural Designer
Superintendent
Carpenter
Laborer
Painter/Drywaller
John S. Knight House Outstanding Retrofit of a Historic Structure Award Video