— By Jim Arabia — How facility managers of multi-location maintenance projects can benefit from an automated, single source heavy equipment rental provider. Every project manager and maintenance director knows the importance of having the right construction equipment delivered at the right time to ensure a job runs smoothly and cost-effectively. The last thing you need is to have workers standing idle waiting on machines, or sending staff home due to the incorrect equipment being delivered. It means wasted time — and time means money. One headache in particular …
— By Aaron Hartung — Developing a maintenance plan for your facility’s carpet, LVT, VCT and ceramic floors. Flooring maintenance protects your initial investment, paying dividends when compared to ripping and replacing every 5 years. And here’s an insider tip: It typically doesn’t cost anything to have a flooring contractor build a custom maintenance plan for your facility because their contract is for the actual maintenance work. Plus, they’ll add value by tailoring your daily cleaning and periodic maintenance procedures to your facility’s budget — and how your facility …
Jackson, Miss. — Newk’s Eatery has reopened all seven locations in its home market of Jackson, Miss., with a new restaurant prototype inspired by the brand’s ‘Project Strive’ initiative. At the milestone of 15 years since the first unit opened in Oxford, Miss., the brand took pause to seek feedback from guests on what’s important to them. “The purpose of Project Strive is to build from what our guests love about Newk’s and evolve the brand to be more aligned to their lifestyles. It stems from our brand mission to …
Bonita Springs, Fla. — GATES Construction has added Ben Haynie as senior superintendent. Haynie is responsible for daily onsite supervision of GATES’ projects, including quality control, safety, security, project closeout and transition planning. Haynie has over 37 years of construction experience with a wide variety of project types such as commercial, industrial, hospitality, retail construction and much more. Haynie will be based out of GATES Construction’s headquarters in Bonita Springs, Fla. For over 25 years, GATES Construction has provided award-winning construction management, general contracting and design-build services throughout the southeastern …
— By David Dawdy — Alternatives to elevator lobbies are a game changer for the retail and hospitality industries. In 1980, a kitchen fire tore through the casino floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The inferno sent plumes of toxic smoke through the sprawling complex — including elevator shafts and stairwells to the floors above. Of the 85 people killed that day, 61 deaths were on the upper floors of the hotel — nowhere near the fire. These victims, as well as the other fatalities, died of …
— By Rusty Amarante — The future looks bright for service-based franchises. Providing specialized and on-demand services, service-based businesses currently represent a large portion of the franchise establishments in the United States. For almost a decade, service-based franchises have been on the rise because of the nation’s high demand for services that require technical skills and expertise, and those that cater towards commercial and residential upkeep are most prevalent. To maintain the proper safety standards that these properties are expected to meet, the expert teams that provide maintenance services …
Calabasas Hills, Calif. — As previously announced in August, The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has closed the acquisitions of North Italia and Fox Restaurant Concepts (FRC), including Flower Child, for $308 million. The company previously invested $88 million in the North Italia and Flower Child concepts over the last 3 years in anticipation of their purchase. North Italia turns a modern lens on Italian cooking in the upscale, casual-dining segment. All dishes are handmade from scratch daily. The concept currently has 21 locations in 10 states and Washington, D.C. North Italia’s …
Minneapolis — Saint-Gobain’s SageGlass, manufacturer of the world’s smartest dynamic glass, has completed an energy study done in partnership with SCHEELS, a sporting goods and entertainment chain with 27 stores in 12 states. The study compared electricity usage at two SCHEELS locations and found that the store featuring SageGlass, in addition to enhanced building automation HVAC controls, better insulation and LED lighting, benefitted from a 73% decrease in electricity consumption. This reduction resulted in $487,193 in energy cost savings in the store’s first year of operation. In 2017, approximately 24,500 …
Roseville, Minn. — Fifty years after it first opened, Rosedale Center plans to significantly expand the center by redeveloping a part of the property to create new housing, a hotel, a grocery store and other new retail space. JLL, Rosedale’s management team, will soon submit formal plans to the City of Roseville, Minn., to begin the process of review and permits for the proposed expansion. The company hopes to begin initial construction work next year on what will be a phased project. “Rosedale Center is a very successful shopping and …
Houston — Plano, Texas-based MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes, a fast-casual, “better burger” chain, is planning to add 26 locations across greater Houston by 2021. It is specifically scouting out real estate in Galveston, The Woodlands, Cypress, Spring, Conroe, Baytown, Pasadena, Pearland, Friendswood, Sugarland, Richmond, Rosenburg, League City, Deer Park, Bellaire, Greatwood, Katy and Tomball, Texas. “We are laser focused on expanding our presence across our home state of Texas,” says Tony Darden, COO and president of MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes. “This is where we are born and bred. …