Barr & Barr: A MAJOR PLAYER In New Jersey

New Jersey Business, Oct 01, 2003

Barr & Barr, Inc., the prominent construction manager building throughout the Metro area and the entire Northeast, has had a significant presence in New Jersey for more than 20 years. The firm's position in the Garden State was strengthened even more in 2000 with the purchase of a long-time New Jersey success story, Albert P. Schmidt Construction Co. of Franklin Lakes.

Despite the lagging economy last year and for 2003, Barr & Barr has dramatically increased its New Jersey project volume. A number of future contracts are also on board.

One flagship project is the Mahwah world headquarters of Howmedica Osteonics Corp., a global leader in orthopedic products and services. This remakes an ordinary-looking 167,000 square-foot warehouse building into a striking 245,000 square-foot manufacturing/lab facility, plus a 215,000 squarefoot office addition now under construction. Both phases amount to an $80 million construction job. Project Manager Chuck Tatosian notes that work on the second phase addition on the 48-acre site off Route 17 will be finished this year.

Joseph Greco, Barr & Barr vice-president, is project executive, while Seyffer & Sklar Architectural Group, Glen Rock, is the designer.

Some of the more unusual jobs have been the assignment roster for the Barr & Barr Franklin Lakes office under the direction of Senior Executive VicePresident Glenn Kiefer and piloted by Vice President Rick Lepre, previously construction director for the McBride-owned Schmidt firm.

Earlier this year, they completed construction of the $12million, 36,000 square-foot Oradell Animal Hospital. With a staff of 200, the hospital has facilities such as 20 exam rooms, five operating rooms, an MRI lab, dental suites, an isolation ward and a critical care unit.

Last year, the firm transformed a run-down gymnasium from the 1920s into a contemporary student fitness center on the Teaneck campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University. The building has served as a gym since the 1940s. It had been acquired in pieces from a military base, then reassembled. The complete restructuring for the new 20,000 square-foot center cost $3.6million.

An 82,000 square-foot, two-unit ice arena has just been completed in Wayne for Worldwide Athletic Recreation of New York. It's a $6.2-million project. With so-called "two sheets," the arena can accommodate two hockey games at the same time.

A four-story, 49,000 square-foot ambulatory care building next to Hackettstown Hospital is near completion for MedDevelopment of Kansas City. With the interior fit-out as well, this is a $13-million assignment. At this same time, the company is also handling the contruction of a major renovation/addition for the hospital.

Apart from that, Barr & Barr's New Jersey Division has a work load in excess of $100-million generated for 2002-2003 on behalf of educational and health care institutional clients. A host of additional contracts are in the house for the future as well. Executive Vice President, Keith Stanisce happily runs through some on the list, which includes several jobs for longtime client Princeton University. To be completed this year at Princeton, for example, is the three-story, 100,000 squarefoot building to house Genomics for integrated Studies labs. A glass atrium is the centerpiece. Outside the glass walls is a series of 40-foot high louvers that move to track the sun and create shade for the atrium. World-renowned architect, Rafael Vinoli is the architect for the $48-million building.

Last year, Barr & Barr finished the renovation of Princeton's Guyot Museum where precious artifacts were exhibited. While constructing administrative offices and mezzanine, crews had to safeguard a 25-foot dinosaur on display. Pre-construction studies are in progress for the complete renovation of Clio Hall, distinguished by Gothic columns and a limestone and marble exterior. It is one of the university's oldest buildings.

Next on the agenda for Princeton is the adaptive re-use of a historic, obsolete powerplant building, which will be transformed into a contemporary office environment for university administration use.

In Toms River, the firm recently launched construction of a new emergency department at Community Medical Center. It will be the largest in the Northeast. Improvements are planned for other departments and two parking structures are being built; the lobby is being upgraded as well.

Barr & Barr will conclude another renovation project this year at Centrastate Medical Center in Freehold. The firm has also been engaged to perform pre-construction studies for several medical centers throughout the state, paving the way for future work.