Tips to Selecting a Reputable, Trustworthy and Dependable General Contractor

Are you looking at constructing a building remodel, addition, or new building? A construction project is a huge task and investment so you want to make sure you choose a General Contractor that will fit your company’s needs. The following tips can help you choose a reputable, trustworthy and dependable General Contractor.

In this blog article, you will:

  • Learn tips and techniques for searching for a reputable Commercial General Contractor
  • Check out links to additional blog articles on commercial construction
  • Meet our construction team – from architectural designers to project managers to our administration team members

We hope you enjoy this helpful summary!

Where to start searching for a reputable and trustworthy general contractor:

checklist– Start by determining your company’s building service needs – Check out our helpful new building checklist

– Compile a List of Possible Contractors

– Conduct Interviews – Meet our team

– Research Contractors Current Construction Projects & Past Commercial and/or Industrial Projects – do they have the necessary skills and expertise to work on your specific project?

– Check References – learn about completed projects from references provided. Did the project come in on budget? Was the project completed on time?

– Remember the Lowest Quote Isn’t Always the Best Quote – at APPRO, we competitively bid our projects, but there are many factors to take  into consideration in addition to cost – ability to deliver and complete their portion of work on time, ability to work into the overall schedule, compliance with insurance requirements, relationships (e.g. maybe you as the building owner have close ties with a particular vendor or subcontractor). 

About APPRO

With more than 30 years of experience in providing commercial land development, design build and project management services , we have the knowledge and talent to make your goals a reality. Whether your project is small or large, we have a dedicated team designed to work with you.

At APPRO Development, Inc., we work with you, the owner, to provide competitive bids for your projects and share that information you need to make an informed decision. By having our sister company, CERRON Commercial Properties, LLC, involved in the process, we streamline the construction process for those who choose to work with both of our companies. Those who choose only one or the other of our two companies, also benefit from our expertise and understanding the steps needed to bring a project to successful completion.

We hope you will choose to work with the team at APPRO Development, Inc. as you consider all of your construction options.

Whatever you choose, please feel free to reach out to our team with any questions you may have!

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Additional Articles and Links you may like:

 

Drones in Commercial Real Estate and Industrial Construction

Drones in Commercial Real Estate and Industrial Construction 

Drones in Commercial  Real Estate and Industrial Construction? They’re talked about everywhere and their benefits are sometimes far reaching or yet to be tested (I am curious to see how a drone can deliver a package during a MN snowstorm without plummeting to its death due to the added weight of the snow). Naturally, the popularity of drones made us ask; how can drones benefit those of us in the commercial real estate or industrial construction fields? 

(Click on photo at left for more information about this Warehouse Addition and to see more aerial photography taken by a drone.)

 

We (at APPRO Development and CERRON Commercial Properties) decided there could be some benefit to utilize drones, so we embarked on a mission to learn more. Upon doing some research, we learned it’s important to find someone who is:

  • Qualified to operate a drone, especially in metropolitan areas or near airports
  • Knowledgeable of regulatory laws and keeps current with the changes
  • Carries insurance for the operation of their drone
  • Educated in photography and has the needed equipment to provide high quality photos

 

After finding a “pilot” whose skills we were confident in, we were able to utilize drones in numerous ways over the past year to:

  • Capture stunning images of buildings post-construction as part of construction photos file.
  • Obtain unique perspectives on commercial buildings and office suites for marketing purposes.
  • Investigate issues with joints, roofs, HVAC and other systems that normally require rooftop access, a bucket lift or a REALLY tall ladder.

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Commercial Real Estate Marketing photo – CLICK Here for the VIDEO!

Click HERE to learn more about this Lakeville Commercial Land for sale!

 Why use drones???

The benefits in utilizing a drone allowed a significant cost savings over other methods, such as aerial photography completed by a pilot and a photographer. In fact, we may have just done without the wonderful photos had it not been for the savings using a drone.  In addition to our company having a drone pilot that we hire for imaging, some of our subcontractors also have access to a pilot to provide insightful feedback on existing building conditions.

Structural engineers have learned to utilize drones for inspecting hard to reach places, such as under bridges or high in the air to view windmill or cell towers, smoke stacks and other tall buildings. Interestingly, drones are also being used to assist in mapping of rail lines.

While there is much debate surrounding the use of drones, some practical applications, which are non-obtrusive to the general public, are indeed beneficial to the Commercial Real Estate and Industrial Construction industry.

 

 

 

 

If you have an existing property you would like to market for sale or lease, or have a commercial building in need of repair or expanding, please contact our team to assist you. Perhaps we may incorporate the use of drones into your next project!

 

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For more information on Commerical Real Estate and Construction,

please visit our “Industrial building construction process” page for additional information on how the construction process works and may benefit you and your company as you consider your future space needs.

 A drone was used to view the roof and parking lot of the APPRO Development and CERRON Commercial Properties building. The aerial perspective helped determine maintenance needs and cosmetic improvements to enhance the aesthetics of the property.

 

 

Related Articles:

Choosing a reputable and trustworthy general contractor 

Industrial Building: Construction Process in MN

The industrial building process has a variety of considerations and steps to navigate. The team at APPRO Development seeks to simplify the construction process in MN by sharing some insight for local business owners considering this construction option.

In this blog article, you will learn about:

  • Considerations for buying vs. building
  • The timeline involved in constructing an industrial building
  • Access to a current list of industrial sites for sale

 

one.pngFirst, once you have determined that your space needs require a change, you will want to consider if buying an existing building or building a new facility is the best choice for your business. Our team created a “Buy vs. Build” checklist to help with some of these key considerations. Once you have reviewed this chart and have decided construction may be your ideal solution, you will want to consider the time it takes to construct a new facility.

two.pngThe next consideration is the overall timeline for constructing a new facility. Our “Project and Process Timeline” takes into consideration all of the steps along the way – from site selection, to development and city process steps, to design work, through to the completion of construction. This insightful map helps you navigate the entire process.

three.pngFinally, once you decide that you want to move forward with constructing a new industrial building, you will want to start your site search as soon as possible. Our team has a few options to help you with this part of the process. You may search our site for the properties we currently have actively listed. Additionally, you may request a site search and our team can expand the search to additional properties available.

Hopefully, this information is helpful for you and your team as you consider constructing a new industrial facility. Our team is available to help assist you wherever you are in the process. We have many additional tools, checklists, worksheets, and more to help you as you go.

This is an exciting time for your team! Our team would be honored to help you – we can be reached by clicking on the following link:

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Related Articles:

Choosing a reputable and trustworthy general contractor

Mid-Winter Commercial Property Roof Maintenance

The Team at APPRO Development would like to share some commercial property roof maintenance information with you and your team. Commercial and industrial property owners, beware! At this time of the year, it is important to check on the status of your roof. We have had a lot of freeze/thaw activity in the past few weeks, and it may have taken its toll on your roof.

“Lack of maintenance and SNOW REMOVAL can raise the risk of STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE/WATER ENTRY” according to B.L. Dalsin Roofing, a roofing subcontractor with whom we have worked for many years.

According to the same roofing subcontractor, in a recent newsletter:

  • If rain falls on a snow-loaded roof, the weight of the roof snow will increase rapidly.
  • Ice dams that are undetected and hidden under snow drifts increase snow load dramatically.
  • Ice buildup on gutters and downspouts cause weight and pulling that encourage structural damage to your roof.

All of these activities need to be addressed in order to avoid damage to your roof.

We would be happy to help connect you with a local reputable service provider for snow or ice removal and remediation, and to prevent further damage due to the thaw/freeze activity, common during this time of year.

Please contact our team at APPRO for additional details on getting help for your roof and/or your commercial or industrial building.

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You may also have interest in the following article:

 

http://blog.approdevelopment.com/commercial-building-maintenance-roofing

 

 Image Credit: by jnaithani via flickr (orignal, no alterations made)

Industrial Workforce Staffing & Team Solutions

Industrial workforce staffing and team solutions were a couple of topics covered at a recent seminar I had the privilege of attending. This event, hosted by MRCI WorkSource at the Rosemount/Senior Living at Steeples Center in Rosemount, Minnesota, is one of eleven planned “Lunch ‘n Learn” seminars with the goal of sharing some of their successes in workforce solutions, while introducing their organization to area businesses. A win-win…you’ve gotta love it!

the rosemount -igniting a spark-JAN-2018

(Photo credit: Nick Cachiaras, Communications Specialist for MRCI)

This seminar was conducted by Rhonda Kalal, Business Development/Marketing Coordinator (shown above, first row left) for MRCI WorkSource. The focus of the talk was how to “Ignite Spark” within your organization. While citing multiple staggering statistics (e.g. 72% of employees are disengaged, many undermining fellow co-workers and the mission of an organization), Rhonda offered multiple solutions to address the majority (95%) of employees’ desire to be part of something GREAT. Rhonda expertly shared multiple ideas for creating “spark” and creating an engaged workforce. Something as simple as implementing a Recognition Program to highlight and recognize employee contributions can increase motivation and productivity by 12-23%. Recognition might come in the form of a thank you from a fellow team member, or recognizing an anniversary and dedication to the organization. There were many, many more examples shared for ways to both understand employee motivation and opportunities to “ignite spark” within your organization.

I would highly recommend attending these events. The presentation included opportunities to network with other organization representatives, enjoy a light lunch (maybe even with a dessert with a “sparkler”), and learn about the MRCI mission & ways those in attendance may be able to become involved further.

So, why is APPRO highlighting MRCI? As an architectural designer, builder and broker (CERRON) of industrial, manufacturing and warehousing facilities, we have 30 years of history, working with many amazing companies who may find that the mission of MRCI speaks to their organization’s needs for industrial workforce staffing and team solutions. We hope you will consider learning more about their great group of people and opportunities to create some synergies. If you are interested in learning more about workforce solutions through MRCI, CLICK HERE. Also, if you are interested in learning more about attending upcoming Coaching Capacity events (like the one described in this article), CLICK HERE.

MRCI Background: MRCI has multiple locations, including nearby Rosemount and Shakopee, where (according to the MRCI website), they “partner with employers to meet business needs and serve as an ongoing resource in diversity integration. Recruiting processes, technology enhancements, access to education and training, along with financial incentives are making it easier for employers to hire workers with disabilities or disadvantages, especially in partnership with MRCI WorkSource.”

Thanks also to Shelly Krueger and her team at The Rosemount – Senior Living at Steeples Center for their hospitality for this Lunch ‘n Learn “SPARK” focused event!

Feel free to contact our team for commercial or industrial property solutions – we provide services covering: designing, developing, building, buying, selling and leasing activities.

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Lean principles in business

Lean principles in business have had a significant impact for our team. APPRO and CERRON have long respected our manufacturing clients and their processes that lead to quality and efficiency. For this reason, we adopted a Lean Model tailored for us as a service organization.

In this article, you will learn:

  • The definition of Lean
  • Five Lean Principles
  • One Example of our Lean Success
  • Links to helpful Resources

Lean principles are at the core of how APPRO and CERRON work together to streamline processes, while keeping our customers’ best interests paramount in all we do. According to the Lean Enterprise Institute, “The core idea [of lean] is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste. Simply, lean means creating more value for customers with fewer resources.”

Here is one example of our successful use of the Lean process:

Lean Example #1 – Competitive Bidding

Challenge: In order for our clients to make an informed decision regarding a new commercial construction project, they need to have facts and figures in a timely manner.

Solution: Our team created a streamlined bid process, in which we efficiently turn around an accurate, competitive bid request in less time. We created a standardized bid sheet and proposal format. Additionally, we created a list of pre-screened vendors and subcontractors, who comply with our strict safety compliance and insurance requirements.

Benefit to our Customer: The benefit to our client is that we provide a precise bid in shorter time.
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Our team has has summarized our experience utilizing the Lean principles. We have published a page to our website which includes two examples of the impact Lean has made for our design-build and brokerage businesses.

This full summary, including examples and links to additional resources, may be found on our Lean Principles page:

 

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If you are interested in additional helpful resources for your business, you might find the following pages helpful:

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LED Lighting in Commercial and Industrial Buildings

The APPRO team has some exciting information to share with our readers. New options for LED lighting are available to the commercial and industrial market. In an effort to assist our clients with lighting selections for office and warehouse spaces, we have installed a variety of different options available throughout our office. The following is a summary of the new lighting available, applicable energy rebates, and information about this manufacturer.

In this blog article, you will learn about:

  • Lighting types
  • Resources for installation
  • Resources for rebates
  • Local company providing a variety of lighting types

LED Lighting-1-159438-edited.jpgHIGHBAY LED LIGHTING

This is the new 200 watt HighBay LED Light for warehousing, factory, retail stores with 16’ ceiling heights or higher, or garage space.

HighBay Lighting:

· Very efficient versus Fluorescent or Mercury Halide HighBay

· Brighter and cleaner light for any work including retail space

· Reliable with a 5-year warranty, all fixtures are fully UL approved and DLC 4.0 or higher tested for efficiency

· Most workers prefer 4,000k Color Temperature (White) versus older (Yellow) lighting; people are more productive with a whiter light and can see better

· Installations are quick and only require a receptacle to plug into or can be hardwired

· Fixtures include an acrylic hood for diffusion and a Motion sensor to automatically turn lights off when not present further reducing energy costs (Motion Sensor can also be used as a daylight sensor for security lighting).

ENERGY REBATES FOR LIGHTING: Local Xcel Energy offers Rebates for each 200 watt HighBay installation, local utilities around the country may have a different rebate program. A local manufacturer, ThinLight, will work with the local utilities to support the rebate program which includes verification testing, installation and documentation.

THINLIGHT WARRANTY: ThinLight Warranty Program is a 5-year warranty and is a replacement warranty, meaning that if any light is defective within the warranty period they will replace the fixture. The defective fixture is to be returned to ThinLight so they may determine issue and work toward zero defects.

Information on down lighting and troffer lighting available upon request.

About ThinLight Technologies:

ThinLight Technologies has over 7 years of LED Light experience and many of their manufactured LED Lights are installed at some of the largest retailers and corporations in the USA and Canada including: Apple Computer, Verizon Wireless, Home Depot, The US Bank / Vikings Stadium, Wells Fargo Banks, Casinos and signage to illuminate logos at Corporate Headquarters.

Request more information, or schedule a tour of our office to view available options, or to inquire about options for your building.

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Learn more about architectural design considerations:

Architectural Design Innovations

Architectural Design and Commercial Building Design

 

Financing Commercial Real Estate

Financing Commercial Real Estate?

Good news is just out from the National Association of Realtors in a recent article, “Lenders Return to Commercial” by Lawrence Yun, written for the nation’s largest association for real estate professionals (NAR) publication, REALTORmag. 

According to Yun, “The improving economy and an improved lending environment are the primary reasons for the gains. But it is the second factor—lending—that is making the biggest difference. In our latest survey of commercial practitioners, 42 percent said they’re seeing credit easing.”

Yet, there are still hurdles to overcome, states Yun, including the requirement to put at least 30 percent down on commercial real estate purchases. The reason for these tight restrictions, according to Yun, is that the majority of commercial transactions are under $1 million and are most often funded by small community banks. Without the backing of federal programs like FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, as in residential lending, commercial lenders have reason to be additionally cautious.

At CERRON Commercial Properties, we are indeed seeing an increase in commercial transactions, due in part to the community banks lessening some of their requirements. If you are considering purchasing a commercial real estate property and need to choose a lender, our team recommends you review our “How to Choose a Commercial Lender” checklist, as you make this important decision.

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Related Links:

Property Solutions Tools

Industrial Building Construction Process

MN Commercial Property Search Now Available at CERRON.com

MN Commercial Property Search Now Available at CERRON.com

Lakeville based, APPRO Development and CERRON Commercial Properties, are pleased to announce we now have an added feature on our website! You may now search not just CERRON’s active commercial property listings, but ALL commercial properties in MN (publically listed). CERRON has been working hard with our web developer to include this feature on the APPRO and CERRON website and are excited to unveil this added feature this week.

We have made it very easy to search commercial properties on our website. When you land on our home page, you will find a couple of search features on the left side of the page:

1. By clicking on the “Search Our Listings” tab, you are able to search all of CERRON’s active commercial listings posted to our website.

2. By clicking on the “CERRON Commercial Properties” tab, you will be able to search all commercial property listings (available to the public).

We have created an easy search form for you to use. Once you have entered your search criteria and click on the “Search” tab, you will see all active commercial listings meeting your search criteria.

Whether you are looking for industrial, warehouse, retail, office or land listings in Minnesota, for lease or for sale (or both!), you will be able to search these commercial property types quickly and easily with our new commercial listing search feature.

Once you find a property(-ies) meeting your criteria, feel free to contact us using the Contact Form on the listing page to schedule a showing or find out more information. You may also easily pull up the same listing by keeping the unique listing # handy to include for future reference or in the Contact Form.

APPRO and CERRON are pleased to be able to offer this added feature on our website!

Learn more about commercial and industrial building construction and properties process at the following LINK. 

Addition Construction Complete: Lakeview Bank

Addition construction is now complete for Lakeview Bank located just off of CR-46 (160th Street). The completion of the addition was celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, October 10, 2017. 

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Attendees at the celebration from Lakeview Bank included staff, board members and shareholders. Tom Mork, the bank’s President, spoke about the gratitude he has for his dedicated team, who patiently worked through the construction phase as they anticipated the increased office space.  Additional attendees of the event included representatives and members of the Lakeville and Burnsville Chambers of Commerce. Members of the APPRO and CERRON team were also in attendance to help celebrate this momentous occasion.  APPRO’s CEO, Jack Matasosky, said a few words at the event, and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with Lakeview Bank, not once, but twice! APPRO built the original bank building and was fortunate to be the builder of choice for this addition project as well.

You may learn more about this project by linking to the following Project Summary for Lakeview Bank. 

 2017-10-9 Lakeview Completions (10).jpg Interested in learning more about the construction of an addition for your business?  Check out this link to more information on the process for commercial and industrial building construction here.

Contact the team at APPRO Development, Inc. today…

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Feel free to check out some of our other addition and expansion construction projects HERE.