Superior Bowen paves way for growth and diversification with new HQ, hires

Superior Bowen is capping off its 70th year with new Crossroads digs and a flurry of projects in the pipeline.

The third-generation asphalt and paving contractor is growing its SiteWorks portfolio, recently winning contracts for Metro North Mall’s redevelopment and Johnson County’s new Indian Creek Library, while building its bread-and-butter business of large paving projects such as the Ford Claycomo Assembly Plant and Cerner Corporation's Innovations Campus.

“We’ve been incredibly busy and continue to diversify into business ventures necessitated by expansion and growth,” said Brian Johanning, Superior Bowen vice president of business development. “We are continuing to beef up our corporate resources and strengthen our foundation for growth.”

Superior Bowen doubled its footprint when it consolidated operations into a 30,000 square feet office in the historically renovated McQueeny Lock Building, 520 W. Pennway. Previously, staff had been cobbled together in a workshop and three mobile trailers adjacent to one of the company’s six asphalt plants at Manchester Trafficway and I-70.

The makeshift campus embodied Superior Bowen’s trademark grittiness and offered clients an up-close view of the plant and equipment, but Owner Trey Bowen recognized that the company needed a change of scenery to grow. After searching unsuccessfully in the West Bottoms for new digs with plentiful parking, Bowen opted to join Centric Projects and Inspired Homes in the century-old brick building.

“When it came to recruiting and retaining the next generation of talent, we needed to be where that talent wanted to be, and that is here in the Crossroads,” Bowen said. “This is an established, vibrant area.”

Superior Bowen also added four positions to its leadership team in 2018, hiring new vice presidents of marketing, human resources and business development, as well as a new safety director. Each hire is more than just an employee; they’re an investment in Superior Bowen’s future.

“When people come here, they don’t leave. During the Great Recession, nobody was laid off,” Bowen added. “We have room to grow here, which is purposeful.”

After Action Network plans community campus in Crossroads Arts District

CTK Real Estate is partnering with After Action Network to open a new community campus serving veterans and their families in the Crossroads Arts District. Located at 512 Southwest Boulevard, the campus will include The Garrison Café powered by The Roasterie and is the first physical location for the charity founded by Joey Williams, a local marine whose military career suddenly ended after a serious injury.

“My recovery was long and difficult. Although it was a dark time, my recovery ultimately led me into the Arts, which added a new purpose and direction to my life,” Williams said. “I founded After Action Network to help other veterans find their passion as well.”

Williams began his outreach with a website designed to bring Veterans and the community together, but the high level of traffic generated by the site led him to begin dreaming of opening a physical gathering place where veterans and civilians could make meaningful connections through a variety of programs and events. Williams shared his vision with Chris Kamberis, founder of CTK Real Estate, and the team worked together to bring the project from concept to campus.

“It has been gratifying to work with Joey as he takes After Action Network to the next level with a physical location,” said Kamberis, a national commercial and multifamily real estate developer based in Kansas City. “After Action Network will help countless veterans regain confidence and purpose as they assimilate back to civilian life.”

The Garrison Café powered by The Roasterie will serve the Reveille specialty blend coffee roasted exclusively for After Action Network. The Reveille blend will be sold by local retailers and online at TheRoasterie.com, with 10 percent of proceeds going directly to veterans and their families.

“The Roasterie is honored to be part of this very special collaboration,” said The Roasterie Founder Danny O’Neill. “Meaningful community involvement has been an integral cornerstone of our company since we opened in Kansas City 25 years ago. When I met Joey and heard his story and vision, I knew instantly the After Action Network campus aligns with our passion for serving a city we dearly love. The Roasterie Team is proud to have our coffee served in The Garrison Café.”

For more information, visit afteractionnetwork.org. To learn more about CTK Real Estate, visit ctkrealestate.com.

Fogel-Anderson will manage Mission Gateway construction project, timetable

Fogel-Anderson Construction Co. has been named Construction Manager for the long-awaited Mission Gateway redevelopment project at Johnson Drive and Shawnee Mission Parkway, marking a departure from the typical General Contractor model.

“The complexities of Mission Gateway and our determination to use the best in class contractors led us to utilize a construction manager over a single prime general contractor,” said Tom Valenti of The Cameron Group, which is co-developing Mission Gateway with GFI Development Company. “We believe that Fogel-Anderson Construction, with their more than 100 years of experience in the Kansas City market, will enable us to deliver a development that residents of the area will be proud to live, work, play and stay in.”

Emery Sapp & Sons began site preparation in September, setting the stage for the first phase of construction that includes apartments, building pad sites and public road improvements. Future phases include a hotel, office building, 40,000-square foot food hall, and destination entertainment venue, all slated for delivery in 2021.

“Mission Gateway has a number of moving parts that are interrelated. Fogel-Anderson’s role as Construction Manager is to build and maintain the master budget, schedule, and plan the logistics of the entire development,” said Roger Summers, Fogel-Anderson vice president. “As construction ramps up on the separate buildings, our team will coordinate the activities of dozens of prime and subcontractors working on site.”

Neighbors Construction will serve as General Contractor for Mission Gateway’s first vertical construction, a multifamily-over-retail building adjacent to a parking garage. Located on the development’s north side along Shawnee Mission Parkway, the residential portion of the project is targeted for a spring 2020 completion.

Kansas City-based architecture design firm El Dorado, Inc. designed the overall master plan.

Rosin Preservation savors winning streak despite tax credit uncertainty

Rosin Preservation will close out 2018 with a string of high-profile projects despite uncertainty surrounding Missouri’s historic tax credit program. In October alone, four of the firm’s Downtown Kansas City historic preservation projects will open, beginning with Foutch Brothers LLC’s $39 million redevelopment of Kemper Arena into HyVee Arena, a youth and amateur sports hub.

With $1.6 billion in completed projects over the past 20 years, CEO Elizabeth Rosin said that securing a historic designation for the 1970’s-era venue was among the most challenging projects the firm has undertaken. Although construction took about a year, it took over three years to secure the arena's place on the National Registry of Historic Places.

“The building is less than 50 years old, so we had to figure out why it was historically significant other than its architecture and engineering,” Rosin said. “We ended up talking about its importance as a cultural and social icon for Kansas City because of the wide range of events held there for an entire generation. Everybody has a memory of Kemper Arena, whether it’s Big 12 Basketball, the American Royal, a concert, circus, convention or some other sporting event.”

The redevelopment of the iconic and beloved Savoy Hotel into the 21c Museum Hotel, replete with curated gallery spaced and art installations, was equally challenging. Rosin said the Savoy, which reopened in July, was in much rougher shape than most people realized.

“There are always surprises when you get into a building, and this one-- because of its age-- had a few more surprises so there were plenty of questions to deal with on the fly,” Rosin said. “A big part of our job was making sure that the elements that contributed to the Savoy’s sense of history and the character of the building were preserved.”

The hotel was constructed in five stages between the 1880’s and 1917, which meant it had several types of molding and doors that needed attention and preservation.

“The challenge was helping people understand what all those elements were and what needed to be protected and why-- and then figuring out how to meld that into the building,” Rosin said.

Additional Rosin Preservation projects completed this month include the renovation of the former Brookfield Building into Hotel Indigo, the former Pabst and Pendergast Buildings redeveloped into the Crossroads Hotel, and the old Jensen Salsbery Lab transformed into the new headquarters of Centric Projects and Superior Bowen.

This fall, the old Downtown Lee’s Summit Post Office reopened as the Bridge Space co-working facility, and Rosin also is working on renovating and restoring the Longview Mansion and barns. 

The good news for Rosin and those in the business of preserving historic buildings is that although lawmakers have scaled back funding for Missouri’s historic tax credit program from $140 million to $120 million a year, it remains intact for now. However, it’s unclear how new guidelines will affect the program.

“The bill also included a requirement that DED (Missouri Department of Economic Development) evaluate the ‘net fiscal benefit of applications,’ and we are still waiting to find out what that means,” Rosin said.

Rosin Preservation has completed over $1.6 billion in historic tax credit construction nationwide. Additional noteworthy projects include the Oklahoma State Capitol and the Empire State Building in New York City.

Photo Credit: Brad Finch, f-stop Photography

Delaware Street Project developer adds Plexpod, promises more announcements

The addition of co-working concept Plexpod to the Delaware Street Project in the River Market is central to Epoch Developments’ overall strategy as it builds a walkable, creative district along the KC Streetcar line just north of I-70.

“Plexpod’s unique collaborative co-working community is exactly the type of tenant we’re hoping to attract,” Epoch Developments Founder Craig Slawson explained. “You can’t just lay products on the table and expect someone to be sucked into the space. You have to have something interesting to help curate a better experience for everyone.”

Co-working is one leg of a three-legged stool required for successful community activation and livelihood, according to Slawson, who lives in Denver but has long-standing family ties to the River Market area. The other legs of the stool are bars/restaurants and merchants.

Epoch owns 10 of the 18 street-facing buildings on historic Delaware Street and is about halfway through the redevelopment process. Slawson expects to make several new announcements by the end of the year-including an occupant for a streetcar donated by the City and tenants for existing storefront space and new construction.

Plexpod's new 8,000+ square foot space located on the first and second floors of 510 Delaware will open in December and be the company's fourth metro-area location, according to a release. 

“We see River Market and namely Delaware Street as one of the leading emerging hot spots of amenities, which is ideal for our Plexpod member community,” said Gerald Smith, founder and CEO. "This new facility will be another great collaboration location for Plexpod member-companies across the metro to access and enjoy.”   

Plexpod facilities in The Crossroads, Westport and Lenexa offer 16 types of work styles ranging from open desks and collaborative workspaces to private offices and team spaces. The concept features meeting rooms, photography studios and performance theaters as well as personal amenities including outdoor space, social events and fitness options.