D&B Construction Group
Thursday, October 26, 2023 – D&B Construction, a construction industry leader in Berks County, is thrilled to announce that our renovation and expansion project for Stratix Systems new headquarters in Wyomissing was awarded building with the Building Berks Award under the “Commercial Offices” category. This recognition comes from the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) and acknowledges our commitment to excellence in construction and our dedication to preserving the heritage of this historic building.
Stratix Systems, situated in the heart of Wyomissing, marked an ambitious endeavor that involved the complete renovation and expansion of a 79,382 square foot building, giving it new life and purpose. The project was the transformation of the former Wyomissing Knitting Mills Building #5, a structure with a rich history that spans decades. Both Stratix Systems and D&B Construction recognized the significance of preserving the building’s heritage and set out to maintain its integrity and historical value while infusing it with modern amenities and state-of-the-art infrastructure.
As part of the renovation, the project team meticulously removed the entire interior to create a blank canvas for a modern and functional layout. The exterior facade was carefully restored to its framing, achieving a seamless architectural blend between the existing structure and new additions. The renovations also included the addition of a new north lobby entrance, featuring a stunning five-story glass-enclosed staircase, two elevators, and a dedicated service elevator for maneuvering their expansive business systems products.
A key focus of the project was upgrading the building’s infrastructure to meet modern standards, including plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and sprinkler services. This included robust networking capabilities to support the technological requirements of the IT company. The interior design created several open-concept spaces that encourage creativity and productivity, integrating comfortable breakout areas, spacious meeting rooms, and flexible workspaces.
One of the major highlights of this renovation was the transformation of the former low roof area into a magnificent 9,000 square foot office space with soaring 26-foot high ceilings. This not only maximized usable space but also flooded the area with natural light and provided breathtaking views of the surroundings.
This recognition from the GRCA serves as a testament to D&B Construction’s unwavering commitment to delivering excellence in the field of construction. The transformation of the Stratix building has played an integral role in the broader revitalization efforts of the Greater Reading area, breathing new life into a formerly vacant building, and adding to the allure of the region as it reclaims its historical significance.
We are extremely proud of this recognition. We took an existing building and transformed it from a compartmentalized floor plan into open office areas and functional workspaces while preserving the original design of this historic building. It ties in perfect with the recent redevelopment and revitalization of the former Knitting Mills and Vanity Fair properties.
About D&B Construction:
Founded in 2010 by Dan Gring and Brennan Reichenbach, D&B Construction has grown into one of the region’s most trusted construction firms. Headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania the company is driven by a commitment to quality and transparency. They have grown from the two founding members to over 50 employees with an additional office outside of Philadelphia to conveniently serve the Delaware Valley region. Today they are a full-service construction management firm offering a variety of services to commercial clients in the healthcare, multi-family, professional office, retail / hospitality, institutional, and industrial sectors. Delivering an individualized, superior experience to all of our clients, D&B is a team of genuinely good people who love to build and work hard, with their success built upon long-standing relationships anchored in honesty, trust, and fairness. Leveraging vast design and build experience, D&B is the conduit for business owners, corporations, and developers looking to enhance the places in which they work, grow, and invest. Completing projects safely, within budget, and on time to minimize any disruption to business is always top priority. For more information, visit online at: dbconstructiongrp.com.
Thursday, October 26, 2023 – D&B Construction Group, a leading commercial construction company, is thrilled to announce that our exceptional work on the Reading Orthodontic Group project has received recognition at the Building Berks Awards, organized by the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA). We are honored to have been acknowledged in the category of “Commercial Renovation” for our transformative efforts on this healthcare architectural masterpiece.
The Building Berks Awards, hosted by GRCA, serves as a platform to celebrate innovation, economic growth, and development through construction projects in Greater Reading, Pennsylvania. This recognition for our Reading Orthodontic Group project underscores our unwavering commitment to excellence and our dedication to the communities we serve.
In the heart of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, the Reading Orthodontic Group building represented a remarkable transformation that redefined the essence of healthcare architecture. A former financial institution was meticulously transformed into a vibrant realm of healing, where modern medical excellence seamlessly blended with architectural innovation.
The renovation was an orchestration of transformation, with careful deconstruction, reimagination of spaces, and attention to detail. Notable features include a 28-foot-high glass curtain wall at the entryway, natural light flooding the interior, an open ceiling concept, exposed ductwork, suspended lighting fixtures, and acoustic considerations, all contributing to a harmonious and soothing atmosphere.
The Reading Orthodontic Group project has not only set a precedent for transformative architecture but has also become a cornerstone in the Wyomissing community, symbolizing growth, revitalization, and community pride. As patients step into the facility, they experience care, empathy, and innovation in a space that bridges the past with the future.
D&B Construction Group extends its heartfelt appreciation to the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance for this recognition and to our dedicated team for their exceptional work in bringing this transformative project to life. We are committed to continuing to set new standards in construction excellence and innovation in the communities we serve.
We are honored to be recognized by the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance for our work on ROG’s Wyomissing location. This recognition is a testament to the entire team's dedication and unwavering focus on quality. Starting with the owners to the designers and our pre-construction and construction teams, everyone worked tirelessly to deliver this iconic building in the heart of Wyomissing.
About D&B Construction:
Founded in 2010 by Dan Gring and Brennan Reichenbach, D&B Construction has grown into one of the region’s most trusted construction firms. Headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania the company is driven by a commitment to quality and transparency. They have grown from the two founding members to over 50 employees with an additional office outside of Philadelphia to conveniently serve the Delaware Valley region. Today they are a full-service construction management firm offering a variety of services to commercial clients in the healthcare, multi-family, professional office, retail / hospitality, institutional, and industrial sectors. Delivering an individualized, superior experience to all of our clients, D&B is a team of genuinely good people who love to build and work hard, with their success built upon long-standing relationships anchored in honesty, trust, and fairness. Leveraging vast design and build experience, D&B is the conduit for business owners, corporations, and developers looking to enhance the places in which they work, grow, and invest. Completing projects safely, within budget, and on time to minimize any disruption to business is always top priority. For more information, visit online at: dbconstructiongrp.com.
As developers review new construction projects, a recurring decision must be made in the early stages of development: Should the project be design-bid-build or design-build? These are the two primary delivery methods utilized in the industry, both of which have benefits and weaknesses. We’ve taken the time to review what differentiates the two so you can understand them better.
This process is selected most commonly when pricing is the major driving force behind the decision, as the low bid usually wins. The delivery method starts by taking a project to a design team (which is comprised of consultants, architects and engineers) to create a set of documents that can be used to solicit bids from construction companies. Once design documents are completed the project is put out to bid in a process that is usually managed by the Architect or an owner representative. The objective of the bid process is to solicit the lowest price from a construction company for the specified work. Once the lowest bidder is identified, the owner will then enter into a contract to build what was designed. You can learn more about this process here on our website.
The Design-Build process utilizes one construction company to oversee all steps of the project from design to completion. This delivery method creates a turn-key solution for developers, as it can be customized to meet the needs of the developer. Developers can tailor what their Design-Builder will manager in the process from property acquisition and municipal approvals, to all design documents, submittals and construction. This framework provides a lot more freedom to developers who may be working on several projects at once. You can learn more about this process here on our website.
So which is the best delivery method?
Both Design-Build and Design-Bid come with their fair share of pros and cons. Next, we’ll review those pluses and minuses to see if there’s a clear winner.
Benefits of Design-Bid:
–Cost: Design-Bid is most often used when your project has a fixed budget. This process elicits the most competitive proposals from competent builders.
–Control: In this delivery method owners have much clearer control over pricing, design, and approvals.
–Transparent: Design-Bid captures a client’s upfront wants and needs.
If you ask D&B Construction’s Project Executive, Jim Aylmer, he’ll tell you that he prefers Design-Bid-Build for larger projects because it “creates an accurate pricing exercise as it relates to a client’s budget, it allows time for value engineering and more cost-effective budgeting, and the end product is mapped out.” Whenever he has been involved with Design-Build projects they have been for smaller-scale projects, as these designs tend to be more simplified and there is more involvement from the owner throughout the build process.
Negatives of Design-Bid:
–Disputes and Delays: When you do a competitive bid process you will only get pricing on exactly what is on your drawings. If your design team misses anything on the construction documents that were used for the bid, you will often end up with finger-pointing in the field and costly change orders.
–Time: It can take a long time to organize a design team, create documents, put the project out to bid, go through rebidding and post-bid value-engineering, identify a contractor, and enter into agreements all before you get a shovel in the ground.
–Disjointed: Due to the number of disconnected parties in a Design-Bid construction project, you may encounter communication issues as the owner, designers and builder, along with their trades, all act independently, worried about covering their own portions of the project instead of the entirety.
Drawbacks of Design-Build:
–Non-competitive: The non-competitive nature of this process doesn’t result in a lowest cost proposal from multiple bids.
–Trust: Due to the amount of control a developer is giving up to the Design-Builder, you need to have a lot of trust in the team you’ve selected.
Benefits of Design-Build:
–Efficiency: Consolidating the entire process in one entity allows the most coordination throughout the entire construction process from design to completion. The simplification of design-build allows developers to focus on multiple projects at once.
–Customization: This delivery method is great for projects that are unique in finishes and structures. Linking the construction and design teams from the beginning ensure constructability with real-time cost adjustments. This allows owners to effectively manage budgets before breaking ground.
–Flexibility: Both to the budget and final end product
–Value-Engineering: Throughout the process, developers can monitor and adjust various components of the design for substantial equivalents that can save time and money during construction.
–Enhanced Communication: Having one central decision entity (the design-builder) allows for free flow of information from the start of a project. All trades, designers, and owners are communicating through the contractor, which ensures unified messaging and vision through one cohesive team.
Tim Cox, President and CEO of Meister-Cox Architects, emphasizes how he “really likes how it is a team effort when doing design-build projects,” explaining that in these types of projects he works with D&B, the client, and at some point will bring in the subcontractors if they are going to do the design and the drawings for the mechanicals, electrical, and plumbing systems. “It’s a give and take and just part of the value-engineering process really, he explains.”
–Timing: Utilizing a design-build approach provides a project that is well scheduled and designed before the start of the construction. Having an early jump on a project’s components allows the builder to coordinate the trades further in advance. This allows the various stages of active construction to flow seamlessly.
Can We Declare An Ultimate Winner?!
In short, both construction delivery methods have their significance. As it is with any construction project, what you end up going with ultimately depends on your final usage. Timing and cost are generally the prevailing guidelines for making this decision. Ultimately, when choosing between Design-Build or Design-Bid a careful analysis of your needs and the points mentioned above should be considered in order to determine the best option for your project.
Jim, our Project Executive, typically would recommend Design-Bid projects for “any and all out of the ground projects.” The reason being? “The client and design team already have the plan in place. We as the construction team then need to execute based off of these design documents,” he explains. Kennett Pointe, Butler Square Apartments, Veterinary Emergency Group, Griswold Home Care, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Souderton ambulatory building are recent examples of Design-Bid jobs that he has played a vital role in.
“Typically, major developers will not likely be performing a project based off of Design-Build. If I had to choose, I would 99% steer a client in the direction of Design-Bid-Build,” he concludes.
Food For Thought:
-If you had to choose one over the other, which would you lean towards and why?
-Are there any pros / cons you would add to the list for either construction method?
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the above questions! Feel free to provide your feedback in the comment section below.
If you’d like to discuss what is right for your next project, we’d be glad to talk it through with you in more detail. Reach out to us today to learn more.
While it may be a timeless running joke that those working in construction are incapable of passing by a location they played a role in constructing without saying “I helped build that,” it also is a testament to all the heart, dedication and grit that goes into the industry.
If you are local to the Wyomissing area, you’ve likely heard – and are excited for – the new lifestyle retail center and outdoor promenade that will be opening this Spring. Leading the build is D&B Construction, a locally based full-service commercial construction company that has been trusted as the General Contractor by Project Developer, Brickstone Realty.
The project team behind the build is the definition of construction that cares. It is composed of a talented design team, D&B’s pre-construction team, D&B’s field team of Superintendents and Project Managers, and nearly 35 qualified companies that D&B trusts as an extension of their team as their Trade Partners. Collectively, they have been working tirelessly to juggle strained lead times, supply issues and more to keep the project running smoothly.
Team D&B started working with the original plans from 2008/2009, which were “cost prohibitive for the project to work from an economics standpoint,” according to Mark Keever, D&B’s Vice President of Pre-Construction. Mark and his department got to work value engineering the project and running through different design recommendations and ideas courtesy of Project Architect, Tim Cox, President and CEO of Meister-Cox Architects based in Wyomissing. These efforts allowed the project to move forward in a post-COVID world by making it more affordable to construct without losing character and style so the project could be successful for all involved.
“Anytime you are working with a building of that age and size, there will always be challenges and unforeseen conditions. D&B’s Pre-Construction Department, along with the Developers, Design Team and Trade Partners did a deep dive into the required due diligence for a project of this magnitude. Due to the upfront legwork, we were able to head off any major hurdles or obstacles before they arose,” reflects Mark.
Many of the individuals involved in this project have a motivation fueled not only by their dedication to the craft, but their personal ties to the community and love for the area. For D&B Team Member Josh Mazzo, who is also the Project Manager on the job, this rings true. “I grew up in the area, moved away, and came back. There’s something unique about Wyomissing, and to be able to have the opportunity to make physical imprints on the area means a lot. I brag about it to my family and friends. The excitement in my voice will tell you all you need to know,” he explains.
Such is also the case for Project Architect, Tim Cox. As a Wilson High School grad who still lives in the area, it has been “an honor to be part of a project that revitalizes the area, and it is truly humbling to be able to make a small contribution and an indelible mark in the history of Wyomissing.” Similar to how native Berks Countians will always remember the legacy of the Vanity Fair complex, Cox hopes that this transformation of the former Brickstone’s and Viva Bistro and Lounge will also “cement its place into the hearts and history of generations to come.”
John Connors, Principal / Master Developer for Brickstone, is confident that the 12 tenants moving into this space will do just that and become “Wyomissing’s living room.” He explains how the intention was always for this to be a first-class best in show lifestyle retail center. “That’s been our plan all along, and that’s what we’re getting. A nice mix of high quality national, regional, and local folks with tenants like Sola Salons and Vintner’s Table by Folino Estate Winery,” states Connors.
To learn more about spaces still available for lease, contact Brickstone Realty directly or reach out through their retail broker, MSC Realty.
From rendering to reality: All images below on the left are renderings courtesy of Tim Cox of Meister-Cox Architects. All images on the right were taken on-site in mid-February showing the progression. You can view more photos throughout construction here on our website.
Choosing Wyomissing:
The developer of this project, Brickstone Realty, has been in the large-scale rehabilitation business for many years in center-city Philadelphia. According to John Connors, when they saw this property – which was not only a very large warehouse building, but also 13 acres in the heart of Wyomissing’s Borough – it looked like a terrific opportunity for them to do a large multi-use project. They wanted to bring high quality retail right into the neighborhood so locals no longer have to get into their car to seek such services out.
“We think it’s going to be an outstanding market, and the response we’re getting now from tenants is really extraordinary. We could have taken shortcuts and filled this place up with Class B tenants, but we basically promised the Borough of Wyomissing something great. We think that this has been an extraordinary development and probably the catalyst for all the other development that’s followed. It’s been successful in every way: 248 apartments upstairs, 135 hotel rooms, another 100 apartments immediately contiguous, The Knitting Mills right next door. We expect this retail to be equally, and maybe even more so, successful. We think the new center of gravity for Wyomissing Borough is going to switch to right here, as we’ve tried to capture the best of everything there is to offer and deliver it right here,” explains Connors.
The Course of Construction:
In the late Summer of 2022, D&B Construction began demolition on this project. The beginning stages involved a lot of lead abatement work and demolition, including excavation and exporting approximately 1.5′ of existing material throughout the 30,000 square foot building footprint in order to lower the subgrade to achieve the desired finished floor elevation. It involved coordinating the removal of approximately 250 tri-axle loads of dirt from the interior of the building.
The construction schedule of this project was an aggressive one, but Team D&B credits each and every one of their Trade Partners for going above and beyond to keep the schedule and maintain the level of product D&B expects. Josh echoes these thoughts, explaining how the D&B team has been “working diligently with our Trade Partners to find ‘work arounds’ until we are able to land the equipment needed, as lead times are a huge issue in today’s world.”
Although it is the first time that Brickstone has worked with D&B Construction, John Connors credits Team D&B for having a good working relationship with the developer and “getting what we wanted to accomplish early on.” Connors explains how D&B and Brickstone have been working hand-in-hand for over 20 months now thanks to “a couple of pandemic-induced fits and starts.”
While no developer enjoys a value-engineering exercise, John Connors believes they were extremists coming out of the pandemic in every respect, so they had to deal with the realities of what the market place was. “I think all in all we worked together to get the best possible result given the conditions of the market place right now. We’re happy with our design. We’re happy with where it’s going. We’re looking forward to opening this place up in the Spring and making a difference in Wyomissing Borough and Berks County,” concludes Connors.
If you drive down Hill Avenue in Wyomissing today, you’ll see storefronts are nearly all installed behind the recognizable navy blue and white fence screening that is D&B’s. This is a pivotal turning point for the project because not only does the installation of all storefronts look nice, but it also allows heat to be kept in the suites so various interior work can be completed. While the exterior is being prepped for more earthwork changes with the promenade and retaining wall, drywall is being finished inside each future tenant’s space so painting can begin and permanent power and heat can be delivered to each unit.
“We have a good team working on this project – From the Trade Partners, to the owner, to the D&B Project Team. It’s been a team effort the whole way through, and you will want to stick around to see the final product this team can produce,” concludes Josh.
That’s the difference of a construction company that cares.
Stay tuned, Wyomissing. Stay tuned.
How Jay First Got Involved in Construction:
If you ask our Construction Supervisor, Jay, he’ll describe his exposure to construction throughout his youth as “generic,” noting that he would help his Dad or Grandfather build a shed, do deck repairs, or other things along those lines.
As time marched on, Jay “was confronted by a couple different opportunities to get into the business, and that kind of turned into a little bit more high-end trim carpentry, cabinetry, built-ins, libraries, things along those lines.” He defines his journey as kind of going backwards. “I started from the fine stuff and moved back into framing and things of the like instead of the natural progression where you would typically start on a framing type of issue or drywall hanging issue and progress into some of the finer stuff.” Jay’s experience in high end construction came during his time in New York and New Jersey. He mainly worked in the city in New York, so obviously there wasn’t a lot of room for ground-up construction. “There’s no grass, to be blunt,” he explains, “so we focused more on fit-out jobs – both high-end residential and commercial work.”
He spent quite a few years doing this work in the second to none hustle and bustle that is working in Midtown “before redeveloping, re-upping, and moving into the agriculture end with my company, GreatGrow, which brought us out here to Pennsylvania.”
GreatGrow, which develops soil and plant amendments that increase crop yields, improve soil structure, relieve soil compaction, improve soil oxygen, and promotes the use of water while suppressing foliage and root disease, has since turned into an Intellectual Properties firm, as Jay has been “basically selling his inventions off and things along those lines.”
Jay found himself back in construction – only on the other side of the table – as a Building Code Official and Zoning Officer for Kraft Code Services for six years. “From there, it felt like the natural progression was to move away from that and get back into what I spent so many years doing in New York on the construction side of things,” says Jay.
Jay Meets D&B:
Jay describes himself as a learner and a thinker. Although he had an element of sitework experience in the past, it wasn’t quite to the scale of the multi-family projects that he is leading with D&B Construction. “I like learning new things, so moving into the sitework and infrastructure work and these big parts of the multi-family is very eye-opening and exciting,” he explains.
“I’ve only been with the company for a bit over a year, and I have my hands in a bunch of stuff. I think just with as many moving parts that we have throughout all the different projects, that challenge to keep up with the Joneses and to make everything happen and keep everybody happy that’s pretty much what fuels the fire within me. You wake up and hit the ground running 100 miles an hour all day long.”
Jay Outside of D&B:
His main motivation that gets him out of bed in the morning? His family, of course, which he describes as “the most important part of my existence as a whole.” Jay and his wife have two children: Madeline and McLaen. Although his son is getting ready to go away to college soon and his daughter is about to enter high school – thus making things a lot less busy than when they were much younger – the Holmgren family is still very active.
Madeline is described by her father as a “brilliant dancer,” and McLaen, who played a lot of soccer growing up, has since transitioned over to music in his late teen years – following in his Dad’s footsteps. “He’s picked up a lot of my instruments that I held. Once COVID hit, and I told them they weren’t going to be on their screens 24 hours a day, he started running with it. He’s actually moving more towards playing the bass than the guitar like I did. That love for music has definitely been passed down there. He’s quite the guitarist, quite the bassist,” Jay says with a proud smile. A younger Jay used to write poetry and lyrics, and his son is also following in his footsteps in that regard, too, having put his first couple little pieces together, which Jay describes as “well thought out and well done.”
He describes his daughter, Madeline, as the same with her dance and her art – she draws a lot and things along those lines (just as Jay used to sketch and sculpt a bit).
“I like to think that a lot of the artistic stuff that I did when I was younger was passed down to the youngins,” he explains. Obviously – school’s always important. Jay’s wife, Suzanne, helps the kids with homework as much as possible. “It’s a day to day. You know – we’re just a family,” explains Jay, “but it makes it all worthwhile when you come home to a house full of issues – or not – to keep a smile on your face.”
Finding An Extended Family in D&B:
“I think D&B’s support structure overall is – not to throw the word / term ‘team’ around, but there is such a team structure to D&B. I’ve worked in companies and represented companies in the past where they were very fragmented. Everybody kind of worked on their own keel, not a whole lot of cross over. I do really feel at D&B you have solid relationships. If you need somebody to talk to about this, that or the other, there are people here that are genuinely interested and really nice shoulders to lean on here and there. I try to provide the same, but you know it’s definitely a family feel, a lot of support structure. If people need things, we’re there for each other.”
It’s no secret that demolition is a big part of the construction process, so we love when the opportunity arises for us to make good use of a property prior to demolition taking place. More often than not, this comes in the form of donating office supplies, such as filing cabinets, that we may find left behind when we get the keys to begin an office fit-out. Most recently, we were able to provide various hands-on training opportunities for Western Berks Fire Department.
This was all possible thanks to the thoughtfulness of our Superintendent, Jason Holmgren, and the Vice President of our client, The Commonwealth Group, Don Robitzer. Jason, who has a relationship with the department’s Fire Commissioner, Jared Renshaw, is leading this project on-site day in and day out. It just so happened that Jared was involved in the planning process with the developer awhile back. Jared and Jason were able to connect at the start of the project and coordinated the opportunity for the department to conduct training at the buildings at the former Village Greens golf course in Sinking Spring.
“I was happy and fortunate to be able to bring my past relationship with Western Berks Regional Fire Department in on a D&B project,” explains our Superintendent, Jason. “The training went great! Commissioner Renshaw and his crew were fantastic! We are very lucky to have such a professional department serving the region.”
Western Berks Fire has answered over 550 calls so far this year, averaging 78 each month and over 1,000 in a year’s time, so this training was invaluable to the department. Both career and volunteer members of the department took advantage of the training opportunity, which took place on multiple occasions over the last few weeks. Those in attendance fine-tuned their skills in the following area: Ground/aerial ladder deployment and placement, deployment and advancement of the 400-foot hose line, cutting garage doors with saws for forcible entry when necessary, and vertical ventilation, which involves using saws to cut through the roof.
“We are always training on these basic, perishable skills, but it’s so much more beneficial to do it at acquired structures, as it makes it more realistic,” explains Commissioner Renshaw. “Hands-on training like this allows us to be able to hone the skills that we will use on fire and other emergency scenes. We emphasize being proficient in the basics, as they are the building blocks to being great firefighters. The multiple trainings had a great turn out, with 24 people there one evening.
“We would like to thank the developer and also D&B Construction for working with us to facilitate this excellent training opportunity,” posted Western Berks Fire Department on their Facebook page.
Western Berks Fire Department was organized and placed in service in 2009. The department serves and protects over 18,000 residents and hundreds of businesses in over 32 square miles throughout Sinking Spring Borough, Wernersville Borough, South Heidelberg Township, and Lower Heidelberg Township. Learn more about their department here, and learn more about what is being constructed at the former Village Greens golf course here on our website.
Join us in wishing Luca continued success as he pursues his degree in Civil Engineering at Drexel University! We know he will accomplish great things.
How his days at D&B were spent:
“The majority of my days were spent on jobsites shadowing site superintendents. My responsibilities included communicating with my intern supervisor, site supervisors, signing in on jobs, wearing appropriate safety equipment on site, and completing weekly site inspections when needed.”
What he learned:
“A lot of valuable skills and information on how a construction management business runs both in the office and on the site. Some of the skills I learned was the importance of communication on the jobsite and in the office. I was able to sit in on meetings in the office and also saw communication take place on the job site through formal meetings, RFIs, and informal communication when the job superintendent talks with subcontractors onsite.”
Some of his favorite memories:
“Some of my favorite memories are coming back to my internship after Winter or Spring break. My supervisors were very excited to see me since they hadn’t seen me in over a week, and it was the best feeling. Another favorite thing to do is to look back at the old photos on Procore and see the progress that has been made on the sites I have been attending the company. I have seen rubble turn into an 8,000 SF home.”
What he is most proud of:
“Everything that I was able to accomplish from this internship within the past year. Looking back and seeing everything I have done and learned from this amazing experience has been great.”
How this internship impacted him:
“This internship has helped me influence my plans for the future. Before this internship, my plan was to attend college to study civil engineering, and although that plan hasn’t changed I owe the confidence I now have for this major to this internship with D&B. Being at a company almost every day now for the past year has helped me truly understand my passion. This provides comfort to me because I can finally say with confidence that I know what I am doing in my future. I am very thankful for both this internship program and D&B for providing me with this comfort.”
Q: What do most of your days look like on the job-site?
A: “I spend most of my days shadowing and working closely with the commercial Site Superintendent, Barry, at Stratix’s job site, as well as shadowing John, the residential Superintendent.”
Q: Tell us about a day / task that you enjoyed most at your internship so far and why?
A: “I enjoy looking over project submittals the most because I get to see how different applications on the job were approved.”
Q: What are some things you’ve learned throughout your internship so far?
A: “I learned the importance of safety on a job-site is by far the most important aspect. OSHA safety requirements are the guidelines for construction job-sites. I’ve also learned that everything must get approved before even starting and this can hold projects up for months. I’m learning about what is on the drawings and how to interpret what is on them. I also have been sitting in meetings and participating in weekly site inspections to really get a grasp of things.”
Q: What is one thing you’ve learned about yourself so far through your internship experience?
A: “That I know more about the construction industry than I thought I did.”
Q: What would you say is the most important skill you developed / strengthened at your internship so far?
A: “I learned the importance of listening.”
Q: What are your internship goals for the rest of your time with D&B?
A: “To continue to be able to complete individual tasks and be trusted at completing these tasks.”
Q: What were your responsibilities throughout this internship?
A: “My responsibilities included researching, writing, and editing articles for blog posts and newsletters. I learned about graphic design and how to create things in design programs like Canva and Adobe. I also learned how to navigate WordPress and the back end of a website, as well as MailChimp. I completed Benchmarking analysis and learned the differences between preparing copy for social media and blogs/newsletters.”
Q: Of all your responsibilities, which did you enjoy most and why?
A: “I enjoyed creating things for D&B on Canva. It gave me a chance to be creative and really understand branding. Besides that I also really liked coming up with research for articles and gathering information in general. I liked interviewing people and getting quotes and information. Interviewing people was a great way for me to learn more about some of the staff here at D&B.”
Q: How was your overall experience interning with D&B Construction?
A: “I was lucky to come into a business that was not only friendly and accepting, but that also had knowledgeable people who I could learn a great deal from, especially since this was my first internship experience. I rate my experience 10 out of 10 because coming into this, I had no idea what my internship was going to be like, but being here for a semester allowed me to learn more than I ever expected to about what goes on in a business. I also strongly believe that I gained a lot of hands on experience, from having my own computer and my own documents to work on in the office, to being able to go out to the job sites and take photos.”
Q: Do you feel this internship enabled you to apply knowledge and skills to prepare for college?
A: “Yes! Since I am in high school, I don’t have a focused major just yet, but my internship coordinator, Angela, went through a list of different tasks at the start of my internship. I was able to voice my opinion on what I thought I would be good at, what interested me, and what I wanted to learn more about. This allowed me to use my skills to the best of my ability throughout the internship. For example, I took Honors English all four years of high school, so I was able to write a lot of blogs and articles during this internship. I was given support and encouragement throughout training during my internship. If I didn’t know something, that was alright because then I was taught it, and that allowed me to learn new things and gain new skills. I really feel that this internship confirmed that I am on the right path. Through this internship experience I even realized that I would like to do some sort of marketing in my future career.”
Q: Do you feel this internship helped prepare you for your future career?
A: “Going into my internship I knew I wanted a business career, but I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do in the business world. This internship helped me gain knowledge about the business world and what really goes into marketing. It not only gave me an idea of what I want to go for in college, but I also gained experience and have a leg up compared to to my peers since I have an internship on my resume already. Not a lot of high school kids get this experience. This experience is valuable because it not only looks great for future jobs but will help me with getting into college.”
Q: What did you learn throughout your internship that you did not expect would be so important?
A: “I learned many things at my internship, but one thing that I didn’t think would be that important is branding and how we have the same colors and logos for everything. Another important thing I learned is the importance of having your business being a thought leader in the industry, not just as a company that does construction. I learned so many workforce skills that a classroom can’t teach me.”
Q: What are you most proud of from the work you produced throughout your internship and why?
A: “I am most proud of the blogs I wrote and posted with the help of my internship coordinator. It is something that I can say I worked on from start to finish and can add to my portfolio.”
Q: How would you describe D&B Construction’s company culture in three words?
A: “Innovative, thought-leaders, and welcoming.”