News Release

Lori Tharp, Associate Dir., Business Development - Carolinas AGC
(704) 372-1450, ext. 5227; ltharp@carolinasagc.org

CAROLINAS CONSTRUCTION LEADERS RECEIVE TOP HONORS

Carolinas AGC Announces 2003 Pinnacle Award Winners

CHARLOTTE – February, 2004 – The Carolinas Associated General Contractors (AGC) announces the winners of its annual Pinnacle Awards for outstanding achievement in the commercial construction industry.

The 2003 Carolinas AGC Pinnacle Award winners are:

• Best Highway-Heavy Project:
  The Pedestrian Bridge Overpass over SC 277 in Columbia, South Carolina
  Contractor: Lee Construction Company of the Carolinas, Charlotte
  This new gateway into the City of Columbia incorporated a design never before used in South Carolina bridge construction, as well as other innovative construction techniques and extensive use of special materials. The bridge design blends into the city’s architectural history in a remarkable way.
   
• Best Utility Project:
  Bee Tree Dam & Burnette Dam Improvements in Buncombe County, NC
  General Contractor: Hickory Construction Co., Hickory, NC
  The existing 75-year-old spillway, situated on a 58% slope, was completely removed and replaced; Hickory Construction’s alternative techniques made the process faster, safer and more accurate. Meeting the environmental challenges was also a critical success here in two of the most pristine watersheds in the United States.
   
• Best Building Project:
  The Grove Arcade Renovation, Asheville, NC
  General Contractor: Weaver Cooke Construction, Greensboro, NC
  This renovation of a 75-year-old historic landmark that occupies a city block in Asheville retrofitted nearly 300,000 square feet for a public market, office space and luxury apartments, while preserving the building’s federal historic designation. The steep terrain also challenged Weaver Cooke with multiple floor elevations—78 levels on the first floor alone—in this highly public landmark project.
   
• Best Partnering Project: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Brenner Children’s Hospital, Winston-Salem, NC
  (honors not only the construction team, but also the owner and the designer)
  General Contractor: Bovis Lend Lease, Charlotte
  Architect: Gresham Smith and Partners, Nashville, Tennessee
  Owner: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
  This 12-story vertical expansion project added more than 400,000 square feet to buildings and parking garage facilities. While additional floors were being built right on top of them, all floors below remained operational. In regular partnering meetings of task teams and management teams, all stakeholders evaluated the other stakeholders’ performances, resulting in a successful partnering collaboration.
   
• Best Subcontractor: Gastonia Plumbing & Heating Company, Gastonia, NC
  This third-generation firm prides itself on blending old-fashioned reliability with cutting-edge technology. Judges noted exceptional commendations from general contractors as well as the firm’s generous employee benefits.
   
• Best General Contractor: T. A. Loving Company, Goldsboro, NC
  The Pinnacle Award judging panel of fellow contractors was especially impressed with exceptional commendations from subcontractors, as well as the firm’s outstanding commitment to safety, such as incorporating it into employee profit sharing initiatives.
   
• “Build with the Best” Award: SC Representative George Bailey
  Awarded to an individual outside the construction industry for his or her contribution to the region’s economic welfare.

Winners were selected by a judging panel representing a cross-section of the Carolinas AGC membership: general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and service companies. Judges have the option of giving no award in a given category.

As the largest AGC chapter in the nation with 3,200 member firms, Carolinas AGC builds its members’ businesses through workforce development, business development, profit management, and CompTrust AGC –a self-insured workers’ compensation trust for members. More than 75% of commercial and industrial construction (buildings, highways/bridges, utility facilities) in both North and South Carolina is performed or supported by Carolinas AGC members.