Amazon expands into Nebraska, breaks ground in Papillion

Amazon is bringing its newest robotic fulfillment center location, along with 1,000 jobs, to the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebr.

“We are thrilled to be opening our first fulfillment center in the great state of Nebraska and bringing 1,000 full-time jobs with industry-leading pay and benefits to Omaha,” said Alicia Boler Davis, vice president of Global Customer Fulfillment at Amazon.

Ryan Companies, the project’s developer and builder, began the new construction project last month (October 2020); the project is expected to be complete in mid-late 2021.

“Amazon leverages its scale for good and makes investments to support communities. We appreciate the strong support from local and state leaders throughout the process, and we look forward to supporting the Nebraska community with great delivery options,” Davis said.

“Amazon has invested more than $96 million into Nebraska since 2010. Exciting things are definitely ahead, and we are grateful to the many, many individuals who worked together to make today happen. We are beyond enthusiastic about the many great opportunities Amazon’s growing presence in Sarpy County offers,” said Andrew Rainbolt, executive director at Sarpy County Economic Development Corporation.

Economists at the Greater Omaha Chamber evaluated the economic impact of the proposed site, noting the 1,000 jobs catalyzed by the project would help support an additional 603 workers in the community, according to an IMPLAN Trade / Flow analysis of the seven Eastern Nebraska counties served by the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership.

Additional analysis of the project suggested the facility, when fully operational, will add $203.9 million to the local economy each year.

 “It’s no coincidence why Amazon chose Greater Omaha, and Sarpy County specifically. This is a region that works together and aspires to more,” said David G. Brown, president and CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber.

Papillion Mayor David Black said many hands made Amazon’s decision to build their newest robotic-fulfillment center in Papillion possible, not the least of which was the city and surrounding area’s ability to meet both the rigorous demands of the facility’s build-out, as well as satisfy Amazon’s need for highly-skilled workers.

“We are proud of the spirit of collaboration that brings new business to our community; and, we are equally proud of the talented workforce we have at our disposal to fill the technical positions Amazon provides,” Mayor Black said.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts echoed Mayor Black’s remarks.

“Today’s announcement by Amazon is exciting news for Nebraska. Our state’s wonderful people and welcoming communities continue to attract major investments to the Good Life. Winning the project demonstrates our state’s resilience and economic vitality despite challenges,” Ricketts said.

“Sarpy County is the fastest-growing county in the state, and that doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a team effort that requires commitment from the state, the county and the economic development community. We’re proud to partner with Amazon and so many great organizations to bring Amazon’s newest robotic fulfillment center to Sarpy County,” said Sarpy County commissioner Don Kelly.

McCarthy moves into new Nebraska headquarters

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has moved into its newly constructed office building and warehouse that serves as the national construction company’s new Nebraska headquarters.

The 15,000 SF industrial-flex office development includes a single-story office building, warehouse and adjacent construction yard. It was developed by McCarthy and Tetrad Property Group, LLC and designed by DLR Group.

“We’re exceptionally pleased with the new office, which not only supports McCarthy’s local growth and expansion, it also underscores our company’s long-term commitment to Omaha,” said Ryan Sawall, vice president of McCarthy Building Companies and a resident of Omaha.

Located at 4201 S 130th Street, at the intersection of 132nd Street and I Street in west Omaha, distinctive features of McCarthy’s new Nebraska headquarters include high-tech conference capabilities, as well as flexible gathering spaces to encourage collaborative work among employees, clients and industry partners. 

The adjacent climate-controlled warehouse can accommodate the delivery and short-term onsite storage of construction materials and support offsite production, also known as prefabrication. This construction technique, which has become increasingly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, involves fabricating and assembling building components in a remote shop environment instead of at the jobsite. The process not only ensures quality and creates schedule certainty, it also gives teams the flexibility to add shifts or modify schedules to support social distancing because fewer workers and visitors are involved. 

The new high-tech conference facility is designed to support McCarthy’s state-of-the-art Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) technologies, which helps clients maximize budget and schedule efficiencies throughout the design and construction process. For example, at the VA Omaha Ambulatory Care Center, Building Information Modeling (BIM) enabled the McCarthy team to continuously review and compare design updates while laser scanning helped confirm as-built conditions with 3D coordination to increase layout precision and ensure project controls.

Since entering the Omaha market in 2001 as a builder of choice for local healthcare providers, the Omaha team has completed more than $1 billion in construction projects and grown into the fourth largest contractor in Nebraska according to ENR Midwest. 

McCarthy continues to expand its regional footprint by successfully delivering complex, challenging projects across a wide variety of market sectors and project types. Its core markets include healthcare, education, laboratories, pharmaceutical manufacturing, commercial, arts and entertainment, and industrial projects. 

In Nebraska, McCarthy is currently overseeing more than $200 million in construction work including the new Marriott Tribute Portfolio Hotel on the Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln, the recently completed VA Omaha Ambulatory Care Center and a new high school and middle school for Omaha Public Schools.

$87 million Omaha VA Ambulatory Care Center complete

McCarthy Building Companies has completed construction of the Omaha VA Ambulatory Care Center, a 157,000-SF, three-story outpatient facility for veterans. 

With nearly 40,000 veterans being treated in Omaha annually, the new facility includes seven primary-care units, an outpatient surgery suite and a specialty medicine unit allowing 400 additional outpatients to visit the clinic each day, as well as a dedicated women’s health clinic area. 

Located at 4101 Woolworth Ave. on the VA Medical Center campus, the new facility links to the existing 12-story hospital via a connecting corridor. The existing hospital, which opened in 1950, continues to be used for inpatient hospital stays as well as administrative offices and medical services.

The new $86-million facility was a trailblazing project for the Veterans Administration as the first in the nation to take advantage of the C.H.I.P.I.N. for Vets Act. This federal law passed by Congress in 2016 allows the VA to accept private donations to complete construction projects and requires the builder to use innovative delivery techniques that fall outside federally prescribed specifications and methods.

The project will save taxpayers roughly $30 million through a public-private partnership (P3) model that uses donations from the non-profit Veterans Ambulatory Center Development Corporation (VACDC).

McCarthy’s approach included innovative construction delivery methods that enabled this complex, one-of-a-kind project to meet its ambitious budget and schedule expectations, as well as ensure the project would be viewed as a success by the Veterans Administration, veterans and their families and the surrounding Nebraska region.   

Initiatives such as subsurface utility mapping, virtual design and construction and other advanced technology, as well as using a design assist subcontracting approach instead of a hard-bid approach, enabled the complex project to not only meet its budget, but also to be completed more than four months ahead of schedule.

“Breaking from the traditional design-bid-build delivery format allowed for creative solutions, more efficiency and functionality, a shorter timeline and ultimately, greater value for the VA,” said Ryan Sawall, vice president, McCarthy Building Companies, based in the company’s Omaha office.

Project challenges included a tight timeline, maintaining ongoing communications with multiple partners and stakeholders, upholding VA construction standards, building on challenging topography and avoiding interruption of services to adjacent to the fully operational hospital. The many unusual and one-of-a-kind design elements also required McCarthy’s team to build with the utmost of precision and craftsmanship. 

“We were able to take advantage of the technical and economic innovations commonly used in private sector projects, including performance specifications, modern quality assurance and quality construction processes and strategic partnerships,” Sawall said.

Advanced Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) technology applications throughout the design and construction process facilitated collaboration and enabled the team to maximize budget and schedule efficiencies.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) was used to continuously review and compare design updates and adjust the cost model accordingly. Conceptual cost modeling aligned the project’s budget and program early in the design. Laser scanning confirmed as-built conditions with 3D coordination to not only increase layout precision, but also ensure project controls for scopes such as self-perform concrete.

Designed by Leo A. Daly, facility’s design promotes patient-centered environments throughout to focus on the relationship between the physical environment and the patients’ overall experience. The design creates a healing environment that integrates spaces of escape and refuge, positive distractions, access to views and nature and abundance of natural daylight.

Most prominent is the north façade, representing freedom and sacrifice, featuring a 12,000-SF folded glass curtain wall (over 50-ft. high and 235-ft. at its widest) designed to resemble an American flag rippling in the wind.  Around the corner, the western façade, representing honor, is lined with 9,000-SF of differently hued glass panes that evoke ribbon bars awarded to service members.

Building the folded glass curtainwall that changes planes multiple times was particularly challenging. In addition to being a one-of-a-kind build, the design, fabrication and construction also were custom processes, requiring special engineering to meet structural, blast and energy code requirements.

The new facility will open to patients this month (August 2020).

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About McCarthy Building Companies – Omaha: Since 2001, the Omaha team has completed more than $1 billion in projects and continues to expand its regional footprint by successfully delivering complex, challenging projects across a wide variety of market sectors and project types.

The company is currently overseeing more than $200 million in construction work throughout Nebraska, including the VA Omaha Ambulatory Care Center, a new high school and middle school for Omaha Public Schools and the conversion of an abandoned brewery into a state-of-the-art headquarters and manufacturing facility for Elliott Equipment Company.

McCarthy recently expanded its Nebraska presence through the construction of a new 15,000-SF office building, warehouse and adjacent construction yard in west Omaha. The office includes a state-of-the-art conference facility and collaboration space for demonstrations and hosting students interested in learning about careers in the building trades.