Archive

0

NH Union Leader’s Front Page Midterm Election coverage photo captures TFM’s Dylan Cruess and daughter Cate

TFMoran’s COO, Dylan Cruess’ daughter Cate, captured the eye of Thomas Roy, a Union Leader photographer, at the Governor Chris Sununu victory party on election night. The caption read “A smiling Gov. Chris Sununu shows a photo of his cat to 5-year-old Catherine Cruess of Bedford, who attended Sununu’s election night party at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Manchester with her dad, Dylan.” The photo appeared on the front page of the Wednesday, November 7, 2018 edition under the large headline “Midterms draw big crowds in NH”. The story “Sununu
captures second term” was written by Dave Solomon of the New Hampshire Union Leader.

To view the story, click this pdf link NH Union Leader Front Page Nov 7 2018  

0

The Glen House featured in NHBR’s October “From the Ground Up”

One of TFMoran’s Structural Engineering projects is now complete, just in time for leaf peeping season! Located at the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road in Green’s Grant, The Glen House, a 68-room new hotel is welcoming visitors. The October issue of New Hampshire Business Review, features the project in a special section “From the Ground Up”. TFMoran is proud to be a part of the project team with Martini Northern and BMA Architectural Group. We invite you to check out the article by clicking this pdf link NHBR_From The Ground Up_Oct 26-Nov 8 2018 issue or by reading the text below. Congratulations to the new Glen House!

New Hampshire Business Review From The Ground Up

The Glen House

Martini Northern constructed a nearly airtight hotel with the functionality to withstand Mount Washington’s winds in a classic New England design to which visitors have become accustomed.

The Glen House, a newly constructed 68-room hotel at the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road, may technically be one of the newer structures in the region, but its roots run deep in the White Mountains.

The new hotel, built by construction management firm Martini Northern, of Portsmouth, is the fifth iteration of The Glen House to stand near the site of the original, which opened in 1852 to visitors flocking to the Northeast’s highest peak. The new, stately structure, which opened to the public on Sept. 12, pays homage to its predecessors by including aspects of its previous incarnations, offering a classic look in a bucolic setting.

The overall design is similar to the previous Glen House featuring clapboard siding and a front porch that evokes a traditional New England look, much like the grand hotels of New Hampshire.

While it may have the feel of a hotel that has been in place for generations, Martini Northern used an innovative approach to construct an energy efficient, sustainable, self-sufficient carbon neutral building. Thirty geothermal wells provide heating and cooling while future offsite hydro and solar will provide further energy generation.

Additionally, The Glen House has four inches of rigid and spray foam insulation on all exterior walls and eight-inch insulated hunter panels on the roof. The result is a very tight envelope for the building that sits in an area prone to excessive wind and cold.

At the heart of the three-story hotel is its expansive great room, which extends from the lobby to a welcoming sitting area featuring a towering stone fireplace. Massive windows reach up to the cathedral ceilings framing expansive views from the west-facing rooms and lobby overlooking a network of trails as well as spectacular views of the Presidential Range.

Step further inside and visitors will discover walls adorned with vintage photography that illustrates the long and storied life of the Mount Washington Auto Road, and The Glen Houses that came before — a touch that carries some of the historic DNA from its previous life. The reception desk and bar incorporate boards salvaged from an old barn on the property.

“The wall coverings and recycled timber highlight what it looked and felt like here all those years ago,” notes Martini Northern President Peter Middleton. “There are images of a car race heading up to the summit and scenes of everyday life in the North Country.”

The guest rooms feature comfortable Shaker-style designs — providing a traditional feel — and yet guests can take advantage of amenities such as a gym, several dining options, an indoor salt water pool and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout.

Planning and design for the project began in earnest in 2015. Construction began in April of last year and was completed in September. As with any project, there were challenges — not the least of which was the location. Though beautiful, the setting presented a few obstacles that needed to be overcome. First and foremost was the weather which shortened the construction season and impacted workers every day.

Building in Pinkham Notch, located well north of most population centers, the project started with a sense of urgency as it progressed through the spring and summer of 2017.

“Obviously, with the winter coming, we built our schedule to get the building up and enclosed so we could work all winter inside,” Middleton says. “Then we could start to finish the outside in the spring.”

Nearly 20 days were lost during the long winter months as conditions made getting workers and material to the site, through the snow and ice, extremely difficult. It was just one of several elements that made the project unlike any other.

“The location was definitely a challenge but the owner involvement really offset it,” says Middleton. “The owner involvement was substantial and helpful — from design through construction.”

Owned by the Mount Washington Summit Road Company and managed by Olympia Hotel Management, The Glen House sits near the base of the Auto Road — a landmark that Middleton is coincidentally quite familiar with.

“My grandfather was close friends with the father of the owner of the Auto Road,” he says of his personal history with Mount Washington. “So there’s some history there. My grandfather ran Pinkham Notch for almost 40 years. There’s a proprietary connection there.”

It’s also a return to earlier projects for the Portsmouth-based firm. Middleton has now worked on projects at the summit and the base of the 6,288-foot mountain.

“For me personally, [overseeing construction of The Glen House] was very rewarding,” Middleton says. “When I was at the University of New Hampshire, studying to be an engineer, I worked with Harvey Construction on the summit building [the Sherman Adams Building] for two summers. It’s nice to have worked at the top and at the bottom of the mountain.”

In addition to Martini Northern, the project team included BMA Architectural Group of Amherst and Bedford-based design firms Stibler Associates and TFMoran as well as HEB Engineers of North Conway and Yeaton Associates of Littleton. Martini Northern’s onsite team was led by superintendents Ray Michaud and Roger Davis, and assistant superintendent Ben Middleton.

Key subcontractor partners on the project included GB Carrier Corp., of Conway; Chestnut and Cape, Inc., of Northwood; as well as Granite State Plumbing & Heating of Weare, Ray’s Electric, of Berlin, and Superior Fire Protection Inc., of Hooksett.

All of our key partners were so critical to the project’s success and we had great participation from everybody,” Middleton says. “It was not an easy project — everybody had to drive a couple hours to get there with many of the workers staying overnight. They were all outstanding people to work with.”

Established in 1999, Martini Northern is a Construction Management/GC firm that oversees building needs throughout New England on institutional, corporate and healthcare markets.

0

NH Business Review “From The Ground Up” features Saint Anselm College’s new Student Center Complex

One of TFMoran’s civil engineering projects was recently featured in New Hampshire Business Review’s “From The Ground Up” section. TFMoran is proud to be a part of the team for the new Saint Anselm College’s Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex in Manchester, NH!

To view the story, click on this pdf link NHBR From The Ground Up Sept 14-27, 2018 issue

Or, read the story below:

New Hampshire Business Review – September 14 – 27, 2018

FROM THE GROUND UP:
Saint Anselm College’s Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex

Eckman Construction took a vision and transformed it into a community and intellectual meeting space for future generations of Saint Anselm students to enjoy.

When Eckman Construction began work on the new Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex on the campus of Saint Anselm College in the fall of 2016, there were a few unique challenges — not the least of which was creating a space that reflected the long and respected traditions of the Manchester college.

“One of the things that was great about the project is the architect brought a fresh look to the building and yet still honored the Benedictine tradition which is reflected in so many buildings on campus,” Eckman Construction Vice President Preston Hunter says. “But it also introduced contemporary design elements which are more in keeping with the interests and needs of today’s students.”

Completed this past spring, the Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex is a 53,280-square-foot building in the heart of the campus, on the site of the former Cardinal Cushing Student Center, which was built in 1960. The new student center is now home to a variety of organizations, including the health center, mail services, student government, the internship office, career services, the study abroad program, the Meelia Center for Community Engagement and an academic resource center. It also now includes a new book store, a 260-seat auditorium, a Starbucks café, study areas, gathering spaces and a game room — all illuminated by natural light, thanks to the expansive windows looking out across the campus and providing one of the best views from the Hilltop.

“It was outdated, but highly utilized by the college,” Hunter says of the old structure, which had undergone only minor renovations since 1967. “There were a lot of different organizations and programs in the building. It really was the hub for all student activities on campus, but it didn’t really reflect the way the college was using it, and it didn’t provide the spaces the students were looking for these days.”

The project — part renovation and part new construction — involved demolishing nearly half of the old student center and then building around all four sides of what was left. The remaining 20,000 square feet was gutted and stripped down to the original structure in preparation for the rebuild of the new complex.

“In the 1960s, the structures were very robust, so it was worthwhile to save the bones of the portion of the building that could be repurposed or adapted to meet the new program and the new use,” Hunter says.

That portion of the process involved saving a central piece of the structure, which had a historic slate tile hip roof. Eckman then began new construction of roughly 25,000 square feet around the remaining portion — a process that involved technical challenges. High-wall basements, which were necessary due to the sloping site, and working right up against the occupied Stoutenburgh Gymnasium meant ensuring continued egress.

Additionally, as with any renovation project, there were unexpected discoveries that necessitated creative solutions.

“We discovered there was a data hub for the campus network located in the corner of the basement portion of the existing building that was scheduled to be demolished,” Hunter says. “This was a mission-critical piece of equipment for the campus, so we built an entire concrete bunker around this equipment and kept all of the wiring and the fiber optics live throughout the demolition and construction process.”

Eckman brought a lengthy relationship with Saint Anselm to the project. The student center was the 15th project the Bedford- based construction company has completed for the college. It marked the fourth Saint Anselm project for Senior Project Superintendent Mike Tremblay and it was the seventh that Project Manager Brian Baroody helped lead on campus. Project Executive and Eckman Vice President John Deloia was responsible for seeing the entire project through, from pre-construction through cost estimating, technical support and finally construction. It was also his seventh project at the Manchester campus.

“This was certainly an enjoyable, fun project for our team because we always enjoy working with clients with whom we have a strong relationship,” Hunter says. “You know what the college wants, you know what the expectations are, and there’s a lot of trust there. When you’re working with a client who you have a long track record with, there’s a lot of trust right off the bat and it makes it a smoother process.”

Hunter also credits the many subcontractors and design professionals who worked on the project with helping to bring it in on time and under budget.

“We couldn’t get the job done without them,” Hunter says. “The success of projects like this often hinges on the performance of the subcontractors we hire to do the work — it’s very important.”

Partners on the project included civil engineering firm TFMoran, of Bedford (“Like Eckman, TFMoran has been working on campus for decades and their experience and knowledge of the campus was really instrumental to the project, as well,” Hunter says); JSN Associates, of Portsmouth; Design Day Mechanicals, of New Ipswich; Hampshire Fire Protection Co., of Londonderry; Longchamps Electric, of Manchester; and Ace Welding, of Merrimack, among others. Since project architects, BHDP Architecture, is based in Cincinnati, Eckman helped with investigating existing conditions and coordination during the design phase.

Funding for the project came in part from a $6 million contribution from Roger and Francine Jean — for whom the complex is named. “They were very involved from the beginning,” Hunter says.

“They recognized the importance a student center like this would have for the college in pursuit of its mission. They were really wonderful to work with. Mr. Jean toured the building several times and was very supportive and complimentary of our work. We were thrilled to successfully deliver this new, beautiful facility with their name on it.” Shortly after the ribbon cutting in May, the complex again became the focal point of campus life on the Hilltop.

“It’s just a great place for the entire student body to come and hang out,” says student James Bloor ’19. “This is such a modern building now. The amount of work that everyone has really put into making this such a dynamic and fulfilling environment for everybody on campus – I think it’s amazing.

0

TFM Structural Engineering project featured in New Hampshire Union Leader

One of TFMoran’s structural engineering projects, the Glen House hotel, is in the news! On Monday, September 10, 2018 the New Hampshire Union Leader featured an article on the front page about the opening of the Glen House hotel, completing the 25-year master plan for the Mount Washington Auto Road in Green’s Grant, NH. TFMoran provided structural design services this new 3-story, 68-room hotel for project architect BMA Architectural Group of Amherst, NH. Stibler Associates of Bedford, NH provided interior design, and Martini Northern of Portsmouth, NH was the general contractor.

Congratulations to The Glen House!

To view the pdf of the printed article, click this link: Union Leader Article 09-12-18_Glen House

Or read the text below:

Opening of Glen House hotel completes 25-year master plan for

Mount Washington Auto Road

Howie Wemyss, general manager of the Mount Washington Auto Road, stands on the third-floor balcony of a room in the new Glen House hotel, which is opening soon. The hotel has 68 rooms, about half of which have balconies looking west at the Auto Road and the tallest peak in the Northeast. (JOHN KOZIOL/CORRESPONDENT)

GREEN’S GRANT — When it opens this week, the fifth Glen House will become the newest lodging establishment in the White Mountains and will fulfill a 25-year master plan for the Mount Washington Auto Road.The 68-room, three-story structure is on the site of the former Great Glen Ski Lodge on the western side of New Hampshire Route 16, north and across from the Base Lodge of the Mount Washington Auto Road.

In addition to meeting a need for rooms in the Mount Washington Valley, the Glen House will also boost the economy with the hiring of up to 40 full- and part-time employees.

In 1861, when what was then known as the Carriage Road opened, the first Glen House in the area of the current Base Lodge was already nine years old. That Glen House was destroyed by fire, as were the next three after it.

In 2001, fire also claimed the Great Glen Ski Lodge, a fact not lost on Auto Road officials in the construction of the new Glen House, which is outfitted with sprinklers and other safety measures.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Glen House will be held at the hotel at 11 a.m. Wednesday, followed by a soft opening soon thereafter and a grand opening sometime in October.

The year-round hotel will be operated by Olympia Hotel Management and is owned by the Mt. Washington Summit Road Company, which itself is owned by four families, with the Libby family being the majority owner.

While overseeing the finishing touches at the hotel last week, Howie Wemyss, who is the Auto Road’s longtime general manager, said the Glen House is the culmination of a process that began in the 1990s. It was then the Libby family, who are the descendants of Elihu Libby, initiated a master plan for the extensive Auto Road property.

At the turn of the 20th century, Elihu Libby bought the Glen House and in 1906, he also purchased the Auto Road. Since that time, Wemyss said the ownership group led by the Libbys has worked to develop a comprehensive vision for what is called the oldest manmade attraction in America.

Beginning in the 1990s, that vision became a master plan which included building the Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center in 1994 and a new Glen House. The Auto Road’s proposal to build the hotel in 2007 was stymied by the 2008 recession but brought back in 2015 when it was approved by the Coos County Planning Board.

Ground was broken on the hotel in April 2017. Despite some weather-related delays, the structure, which was estimated to cost upward of $14 million, is now ready for guests, said Wemyss.

As they come into the hotel, guests will immediately be drawn to the first and most significant of the “wow” elements built into it: a lounge at the back of which is a soaring wall of glass. It offers unparalleled views of Mounts Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison. About half of the hotel’s rooms have balconies.

Moving back from the glass wall, visitors can visit the bar or sink into a cozy seat in the lounge, which features a fireplace topped by a faux moose head. “It’s made of cloth,” explained Wemyss, and is intended to be a conversation starter.

Also on the hotel’s first floor is The Notch Grille, a full-service restaurant that will be open to guests and the public seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It offers cuisine billed as “North Country favorites with a modern twist;” a pool; a thoroughly wired multi-purpose conference room; and a fitness center.

Wemyss concedes that the pool is small. And given the number of trails just outside the hotel, the adjacent fitness center filled with high-tech work-out machines seems a bit redundant.

Sustainability

Nonetheless, all the amenities, as well as Wi-Fi both inside and outside the hotel, have been provided to enhance the overall guest experience, said Wemyss, who added he is equally proud of some of things that are less visible.

For starters, the Glen House is built with sustainability in mind. It is believed to be the only hotel in New Hampshire to have a geo-thermal system for heating and cooling, said Wemyss, adding that part of the hotel’s current energy needs are being met partially from an existing hydro project at the Auto Road Base Lodge.

In several years, once the hotel’s energy consumption has been clearly defined, Wemyss said a solar array would be built to augment the power coming from across the street.

The hotel’s Otis elevators are also kind of neat, he said, because not only are they fast and quiet, they regenerate electricity in going up and down. He noted that waste heat that is generated in the hotel’s kitchen by walk-in refrigerators is captured and put back into the geo-thermal system.

That system reflects the Auto Road’s commitment to stewardship, said Wemyss. He noted that such a system, because of the larger upfront cost and longer break-even time, has often deterred other hotels in northern New England from using it.

“If you want to break even in seven years, you don’t go geo-thermal,” he said, but the Auto Road and the Libby family are firmly behind it.

“Everyone wants it (the new Glen House) to be profitable,” said Wemyss, “but after 112 years of family ownership, they (the Libbys) have the luxury of taking a longer view on the investment.”

0

High-Profile’s September issue features a story on TFMoran’s 50th Anniversary

We invite you to check out High Profile‘s September issue featuring a story entitled “TFMoran Celebrates 50 Years”. Click on this pdf link High-Profile September 2018 Pages 30-31

Or, read the text below:

TFMoran Celebrates 50 Years

Bedford, NH – The year 2018 marks 50 years of service for TFMoran, Inc., a leading consultant to the land development industry, offering Civil, Structural, and Traffic Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Construction Support, and Environmental Permitting services. Originally a local firm based in southern New Hampshire, TFMoran’s practice area now extends throughout the state and into Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Since its inception in 1968, TFMoran has been a leader in bringing innovative land planning and smart development practices into the marketplace. According to the firm’s president, Robert Duval, “TFMoran has been designing sustainable sites long before it became a buzzword. By their very nature, good designs reduce impacts to the natural environment, harmonize with their surroundings, make more efficient use of infrastructure, thereby saving our clients hard costs, as well as simplifying the approval process.”

The current ownership team has been in place since 2013, including President and Chief Engineer Robert Duval, PE; Chief Operating Officer Dylan Cruess, and Senior Vice Presidents Jeff Kevan, Paul Sbacchi, PE, and Corey Colwell, LLS, all long-term employees with decades of hands-on experience. Dylan Cruess comments, “The shared goal of the new ownership team has been to build on the strong corporate brand that TFMoran has created over the past fifty years, delivering best-in-class client service. We must be doing something right, because in 2016 we were named Business NH’s Business of the Year in the Real Estate, Construction and Engineering category, and we have also earned a statewide “Best of Business” award for the last six years in a row.”

Duval points out that TFMoran has built a strong reputation for successful redevelopment of under-utilized urban and industrial land: “We have played an integral role in many of the region’s most significant redevelopment projects, among them the SNHU Arena and the NH Fisher Cats Stadium in Manchester’s urban core; redevelopment of the Bedford Mall, Wayfarer Hotel, and former Macy’s properties in Bedford; the GE Aviation Plant expansion in Hooksett, conversion of several mill buildings in Lowell and Lawrence to residential/commercial use, and a new 1,700-car parking garage at the south end of Manchester’s historic millyard, currently under construction. Just these few projects alone provide hundreds of millions of dollars of new tax base and revenues to the local community,” says Duval.

In 2014, TFMoran acquired MSC Civil Engineers and Surveyors, a well-established civil engineering and surveying firm in Portsmouth, NH. Subsequently, in 2015, TFMoran expanded its structural engineering department by acquisition of Steffensen Engineering Associates with a solid 30-year history. “We have experienced strong growth over the past few years, to better serve our clients”, says Paul Sbacchi, Chief Structural Engineer. “They have their own tight schedules to meet, and we want to help them succeed.” The TFMoran team now comprises over 65 individuals, including licensed land surveyors, civil and structural engineers, landscape architects, wetland scientists, LEED professionals, and erosion control (CPESC) specialists.

Jeff Kevan, civil engineering group manager, points out that one of TFMoran’s primary strengths is taking on large projects with aggressive schedules. “Our team has demonstrated time and again the ability to meet challenging deadlines through teamwork and an innovative approach to the unique needs and opportunities for each project. Our reputation is built on our track record, and our record is evidence of the pride we take in what we do.”

How would you summarize the TFMoran philosophy? According to Duval, “We want to be leaders and innovators in our industry, taking on projects that have a positive impact on their surroundings. Every day, we are grateful for the opportunity to provide all these things while providing superior value to our clients, too.”

###

 

0

TFMoran attends Groundbreaking Ceremony for NBCUniversal Boston Media Center

On Thursday, August 16, 2018 a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Needham, Massachusetts at the site of the future NBCUniversal Media Center. Attending this exciting event was TFMoran Project Manager, Jason Hill, PE who provided civil/site design, permitting and construction administration services for the project. TFMoran’s Massachusetts licensed landscape architects also provided landscape design services. The redevelopment of the former General Dynamics facility will house the 170,000sf NBCUniversal Boston headquarters. This project is located in the Needham Crossing office park, in the newly zoned N-Squared Innovation District. The facility will combine the NBC group, which currently occupies four separate locations, into a single media center which will be the new home of NBC Boston, Telemundo Boston, NECN, and NBC Sports Boston. The project architect is Gensler of Boston, MA and the general contractor is Lee Kennedy Company of Quincy, MA.

For more information click on this link: Press Release NBC10 Boston – Groundbreaking NBCU Boston

0

NH Business Review focuses on Engineering Firms designing for NH’s Future

New Hampshire Business Review’s June 22- July 5, 2018 issue features a special section on Engineering. The article entitled “Engineering firms design for New Hampshire’s future” is a Q & A format with a panel of four NH firms participating, including TFMoran. To view the 3 page article, click on this pdf link TFMoran featured in NHBR Engineering Article

See below for TFMoran’s president Robert Duval, PE answers to NHBR’s questions:

In what ways have TFMoran projects helped
advance the ongoing expansion of New
Hampshire’s infrastructure?

Robert Duval: “One of the most important
skills that TFMoran has developed over the
years is the successful redevelopment of
under-utilized urban and industrial land. We
have played an integral role in many of the
region’s most significant redevelopment
projects, among them the SNHU Arena and
the Fisher Cats Stadium in Manchester’s
urban core; redevelopment of the Bedford
Mall, Wayfarer Hotel, and former Macy’s
properties in Bedford; a major expansion of
the GE Aviation Plant in Hooksett, conversion
of several mill buildings in Lowell and
Lawrence to residential/commercial use,
and designing a new 1,700 car parking garage
at the south end of Manchester’s historic
Millyard, currently under construction.
These few projects alone provide hundreds
of millions of dollars of new tax base revenues
to the local community. In addition,
they are bringing vibrancy and prosperity
to our historic urban centers, and helping
restore the charm and character that makes
New England such a great place to live and
work.”

What does TFMoran do differently
that makes it stand out as an
engineering firm?
Robert Duval: “What makes TFMoran
different is our corporate culture. In addition
to being leaders and innovators in
our industry, we are also active members
of our communities. We strongly encourage
all employees to become involved
outside the workplace in professional and
community organizations. We believe an
involved person is a caring person, and a
caring person will create better designs —
designs that have a more positive impact
on their surroundings, and designs that
save our clients time and money. This
is why TFMoran is known for providing
superior value to our clients at competitive
rates.”

What has been your firm’s biggest
challenge and how did you
overcome it?
Robert Duval: “One of the biggest challenges
we face in today’s development
world is intense schedule pressure. All
across the industry, we are seeing a
demand for delivery of a project in the
shortest possible timeframe. Owners and
developers are finding it difficult to wait
for projects to wind their way through the
approval process as their users are looking
for immediate results. Meanwhile, the
regulatory process is becoming ever more
complex and pervasive. Over the past few
years, understanding the unique needs
and opportunities of each project, we have
found many innovative and creative ways
to navigate the new regulatory environment
within our clients’ aggressive schedules.
We have worked hard to develop our
reputation for meeting these challenging
deadlines, and we are proud of our impressive
track record.”

0

Kyle Roy, PE, Senior Structural Engineer rejoins Structural Engineering Team

TFMoran announces that Kyle Roy, PE has rejoined the firm serving as a Senior Structural Engineer in the Bedford office. He has over 20 years of experience in structural design and analysis, including the evaluation of existing or damaged structures for commercial, industrial, institutional and residential building types for a variety of public/private clients. Mr. Roy’s experience also includes the evaluation of existing structures for rehabilitation and adaptive re-use. Additionally, he has extensive federal healthcare engineering experience and is a member of the New England Healthcare Engineers’ Society and New Hampshire Society of Healthcare Facility Managers. Mr. Roy has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts.

0

TFMoran featured as “Company of the Month” in June issue of New England Real Estate Journal

TFMoran is very excited to be selected as New England Real Estate Journal‘s Company of the Month in the Retail Trends & Development section of the June 22-28, 2018 issue! The full page article focuses on the Company’s 50 years as a leading consultant to the land development industry, and features the staff of nearly 70 professionals, plus current high-profile projects in southern New Hampshire. And, we made the NEREJ cover, check it out TFMoran on NEREJ Cover June 2018 To view the printed article click on the following pdf link TFMoran is NEREJ’s Company of the Month for June 2018 or read the text below.

 

June 22-28, 2018       New England Real Estate Journal

Retail Trends & Development

Company of the Month

PRACTICE AREA EXTENDS THROUGHOUT N.H., MASS., MAINE, VERMONT, N.Y., PENN. AND N.J.

TFMoran celebrates 50 years as a leading consultant to the land development industry

BEDFORD, NH The year 2018 marks 50 years of service for TFMoran, Inc., a leading consultant to the land development industry, offering civil, structural, and traffic engineering, land surveying, landscape architecture, construction support, and environmental permitting services. Originally a local firm based in southern New Hampshire, TFMoran’s practice area now extends throughout the state and into Mass., Maine, Vermont, N.Y., Penn., and N.J.

Since its inception in 1968, TFMoran has been a leader in bringing innovative land planning and smart development practices into the marketplace. According to the firm’s current president, Robert Duval, “TFMoran has been designing sustainable sites long before it became a buzzword. By their very nature, good designs reduce impacts to the natural environment, harmonize with their surroundings, make more efficient use of infrastructure, thereby saving our clients hard costs, as well as simplifying the approval process.”

The current ownership team has been in place since 2013, including: President and chief engineer, Robert Duval, PE; chief operating officer, Dylan Cruess; and senior vice presidents Jeff Kevan, Paul Sbacchi, PE, and Corey Colwell, LLS, all long-term employees with decades of hands-on experience.

Cruess said, “The shared goal of the new ownership team from the outset has been to build on the strong corporate brand that TFMoran has created over the past fifty years, always seeking innovative ways to deliver best-in-class client service. We must be doing something right, because in 2016 we were named Business NH’s Business of the Year in the Real Estate, Construction and Engineering category, and we have also earned a statewide ‘Best of Business’ award for the last six years in a row.”

Consistent with its focus on sustainable development, Duval points out that TFMoran has built a strong reputation for successful redevelopment of underutilized urban and industrial land.

“We have played an integral role in many of the region’s most significant redevelopment projects, among them the SNHU Arena and the N.H. Fisher Cats Stadium in Manchester’s urban core; redevelopment of the Bedford Mall, Wayfarer Hotel, and former Macy’s properties in Bedford; the GE Aviation Plant expansion in Hooksett, conversion of several mill buildings in Lowell and Lawrence to residential/ commercial use, and a new 1,700-car parking garage at the south end of Manchester’s historic millyard, currently under construction. Just these few projects alone provide hundreds of millions of dollars of new tax base and revenues to the local community,” said Duval.

In 2014, TFMoran acquired MSC Civil Engineers and Surveyors, a well-established civil engineering and surveying firm in Portsmouth, NH. Subsequently, in 2015, TFMoran expanded its structural engineering department by acquisition of Steffensen Engineering Associates with a solid 30-year history of their own. The TFMoran team now comprises over 65 individuals, including licensed land surveyors, civil and structural en­gineers, landscape architects, wetland scientists, LEED professionals, and erosion control (CPESC) specialists.

Jeff Kevan, manager of the civil engineering group, points out that one of TFMoran’s primary strengths is taking on large projects with ag­gressive schedules. “Our team has demonstrated time and again the ability to meet challenging deadlines through teamwork and an innovative approach to the unique needs and opportunities for each project. Our reputation is built on our track record, and our record is evidence of the pride we take in what we do.”

“We have experienced strong growth over the past few years,” said Paul Sbacchi, chief structural engineer. “But growth in itself is not our goal; we plan our growth to better serve our clients. Our clients have their own tight schedules to meet, and we want to be there to help them succeed.”

Cruess is quick to point out that TFMoran is also a great place to work. “We have numerous employees with young families, and so we encourage a ‘family-focused’ culture, with accommodating work schedules, with the opportunity to work from home when need arises.”

Another pillar of TFMoran’s culture is employee safety. Cruess said, “We have made employee safety a top priority. We have a strong safety committee, with a comprehensive and up-to-date Safety Handbook, and field employees receive OSHA 10 Construction Site Safety Training.”

TFMoran strongly encourages its employees to become involved outside the workplace in professional and community organizations. “An involved person is a caring person, and a caring person fits in well at TFMoran,” said Cruess. “We strive to provide all employees the flexibility they need to serve their communities.”

Many TFMoran employees focus their outside energies in state and local government, serving on advisory committees, planning boards, zoning boards, and as elected officials. In this way, TFMoran can use its experience to help shape the regulatory environment to protect the environment and foster economic prosperity.

How would you summarize the TFMoran philosophy? According to Duval, “We want to be leaders and innovators in our industry, and active, responsible members of our communities. We want to take on projects that have a positive impact on their surroundings. And every day, we are grateful for the opportunity to provide all these things while providing superior value to our clients too.”

0

Union Leader covers Reeds Ferry Sheds proposed expansion

In the Business section of June 15, 2018 issue of the New Hampshire Union Leader is one of TFMoran’s civil engineering projects, Reeds Ferry Sheds. The article covers the planning board meetings in Hudson and Londonderry regarding the proposed campus expansion. To read the article click on the link  or read text below.

Reeds Ferry Sheds growing in Hudson and Londonderry Expanding campus:

Shed maker plans to build addition, expand parking at site off Route 102.

LONDONDERRY — Reeds Ferry Sheds is expanding its shed-making and distribution operations and is proposing changes to its property to better accommodate that growth.

The company now owns three adjacent parcels off Route 102, and has proposed a use change to the newest property, the construction of a 2,000-square foot addition and an expanded parking and driveway system to connect the three buildings.

Reeds Ferry Sheds previously operated solely out of 3 Tracy Lane in Hudson. In the spring, the company purchased 7 Tracy Lane and most recently bought 5 Tracy Lane, which was previously the New England Gymnastics Training Center.

While the street addresses are in Hudson, the properties are bisected by the town line with Londonderry. Most of 7 Tracy Lane is in Hudson, but 3 and 5 Tracy Lane are primarily in Londonderry.

In a scheduling fluke, representatives from the company met with both the Hudson and Londonderry town planning boards at the same time Wednesday night.

Co-owner Tim Carleton and Jason Hill, an engineer with TFMoran, met with the Londonderry board for a conceptual review, while Director of Operations Laurie Blanchette and engineer Robert Duval met with Hudson’s board.

Hill told Londonderry planners the company intends to move forward with plans to build a 2,000-square-foot expansion to 5 Tracy Lane that was alreadyapproved by the planning board in the early 2000s for the previous owners. The permitted use of the building needs to be changed to light manufacturing and construction.

“They want to build this thing this year,” Hill said.

The estimated six-month-long project will also include additional parking for 18 trucks and 12 spots for employees.

At the Hudson meeting, Duval said the company plans to hire an additional eight to 10 employees. Growth from there is projected to be gradual, with an additional truck per year added to the 10 trucks in use now, Blanchette said.

More of the shed production will move to the middle building at 5 Tracy Lane, and the company hopes to build more driveways to interconnect the three buildings so its trucks won’t have to use Tracy Lane to travel between them. There will also be more storage space.

The company also wants to create more outdoor displays in front of 5 and 7 Tracy, similar to what it already has at 3 Tracy. Some board members in each town expressed concerns about setback requirements.

Some septic system relocation would be required to accommodate some of the new driveways, and a stormwater drainage pond will need to be installed near 7 Tracy Lane.

George Thebarge, interim town planner for Hudson, said the impetus for the proposed changes is to make it easier to expand production.

“It’s growth in their business,” Thebarge said.

The company declined to comment for this story.

Hill said he hopes to return to the Londonderry board with a full application by Aug. 1.

[email protected]