Archive

Archive for June 2019
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TFMoran’s President, Robert Duval in Panel Discussion at NEREJ Summit

TFMoran President Robert Duval recently attended The New England Real Estate Journal Nashua/Manchester/Bedford N.H. Summit at the Courtyard Marriott in Nashua. Robert was included in a panel discussing engineering, construction costs, and architecture. Check out the article in the pdf link NEREJ May 2019 Issue NH Summit  or read the text below.

New England Real Estate Journal Hosts Nashua/Manchester/Bedford N.H. Summit

by Jennifer Tempesta, New England Real Estate Journal

NASHUA, NH The New England Real Estate Journal held their Nashua/Manchester/Bedford N.H. Summit on April 25th at the Event Center at the Courtyard by Marriott Nashua, 2200 Southwood Dr. Over 100 people were in attendance.

The first panel was held from 9 – 10 a.m. and was moderated by Chris Norwood of NAI Norwood Group. Speakers included: Patrick Brady of Cornerstone Realty Capital; Megan Prieto Giokas of Granite Commercial Real Estate; Melanie Sanuth of the Manchester Economic Development Office; and Greg Bryant of Bedford Cost Segregation.

Topics for this panel included: Development of opportunity zones, new development updates and cost segregation.

The panel began with Sanuth speaking about new developments that are up-and-coming in Manchester. She mentioned how this will be the year of hospitals. Other new developments include the Red Oaks Apartments and The Factory on Willow, a mixed-use development.

For the Bedford area Giokas mentioned the new Market and Main, which is a 16-acre, class A mixed-use retail development.

On the private side of development, Brady spoke about the challenges with return on equity. “The high cost of land and the high side of construction is certainly the reason why there isn’t as much deal flow as maybe there was in 2014 and 2016,” he said.

In regards to the challenges regarding identifying properties that are available and have appreciation opportunities, Giokas said, “People are trying to identify opportunities, but until the final regulations come into place, it is difficult to tell their investors ‘let’s do this’ the way the rules keep changing.”

Bryant spoke on the finance side of appreciation. He mentioned the Tangible Property Regulations as of 2014. “What those regulations did was they gave you some guidance in terms of whether you are able to capitalize or expense certain incoming assets.”

Norwood asked the panel what they are seeing for pricing on new construction. Brady responded, “The only way to make money in this market is to be adding value.”

Sanuth is seeing more opportunities in public/private partnerships, and feels positive about the future in New Hampshire.

The second panel was held from 10 – 11 a.m. and was moderated by Philip Hastings of Cleveland, Waters and Bass, P.A. Speakers included: Greg Stewart of Jewett Construction Co.; Robert Duval of TFMoran; and Laura Homich of Prellwitz Chilinski Associates. Topics for this panel included: Engineering, construction costs and architecture.

Hastings opened the panel mentioning how financing and land is available, but the cost of construction is so high. Duval expressed how there are challenges, especially in the wetlands areas. He said, “There is going to be a tightening down of regulations, to the point where it will become increasingly difficult to develop sites.” He notes to get involved early and do your homework upfront to help with the process.

Next, on the topic of construction costs, Stewart noted that one of the biggest factors is the shortage of labor. “Right now what is driving all costs is the shortage of labor, whether it is construction, manufacturing or technology,” he said.

Stewart mentioned the need to start educating the youth, schools and parents, because there is a high level of opportunity in the construction field.

Another factor for construction costs is the weather, living in New England. Need to start planning for the trends away from the typical calendar of seasons.

The panel agreed the way to value engineering and save on construction costs is to use everybody’s skill set throughout the design process, including the construction, design, engineering and owner’s teams.

On the topic of new innovations to help manage these costs, Stewart spoke about prefabrication. “Prefab systems allows for a less skilled labor. All the components are being built in a shop, which is a team environment. It also cuts down on waste at a job site, so innovations, such as prefab is something that I can see as a real future to cutting costs down the road.”

Homich discussed the innovations she sees on the structural side includes cross-laminated timber.

Duval noted that structural systems are always evolving. There are composites being used now. “Hire professionals that are keeping up with the market.”

Software innovations include: • 3-D modeling such as Revit, which helps with seeing conflicts in projects; • Virtual reality; and • Procore for construction management.

These all help owners and developers in the design process and with permitting.

At the end of the panel, Duval said, “In any sizeable development, consider mixed-use if at all possible. You are making much more efficient use of the space, you can increase the density of development and you can reduce the traffic, because there are multi-purpose trips.”

Homich said, “Ultimately, what we are trying to do on any circumstance, especially when it comes to mixed-use in the town and master planning, is to create a place where it enables people to have a great time.”

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Breaking Ground at Uni-Cast

TFMoran recently attended the groundbreaking ceremony at Uni-Cast held on Monday June 24th.

In attendance (left to right) were Dan Boisvert- Boisvert Electric President, Paul Berube- Uni-Cast, Andrew Murray- SADCO, Dave Fuller- SADCO, Nick Golon- TFMoran Sr. Project Manager, Henri Fine- President of Uni-Cast, Jeremy Belanger- TFMoran Sr. Project Engineer, Peter Flynn- Flynn Construction Corp., and John Turner- Team Engineering President.

The project is set to involve an expansion of the existing facility located on Industrial Drive in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Uni-Cast is a manufacturer of sophisticated aluminum castings known for their strict quality control and capability to produce some of the industry’s more challenging applications.

Henri Fine, President of Uni-Cast

The proposed expansion includes an over 9,600 sf manufacturing, and 900 sf office addition to the north side of the building, as well as another 2,700+ sf manufacturing addition on the south side of the building. Additional improvements include parking lot expansion and the rebuilding of their stormwater detention basin to current Town and State standards.

TFMoran provided Site Design, Civil Engineering, Permitting, Survey, and Landscape Architecture services.

Architectural elevation plans courtesy of Team Engineering.

Congratulations to Uni-Cast!

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New Hampshire March of Dimes Names Dylan Cruess to Board of Directors

The Boston-Manchester Market of the March of Dimes recently announced that Dylan Cruess has been elected to the organization’s Board of Directors. Dylan is the Chief Operating Officer and a Principal at TFMoran, a regionally recognized land planning firm specializing in engineering and surveying services. “Being involved with the March for Babies 3-mile walk event held in May at the SNHU campus was very inspiring”, said Dylan. “An amazing $104,000 was raised through this event alone to support research, advocacy and programs for the health of moms and babies.

Dylan also serves on the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors (GMC), the New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts Board of Directors (NHBCA) and is a member of the 40 Under Forty Class of 2018.

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TFMoran Welcomes Nolan Filteau to the Surveying Department

Nolan Filteau has joined the Surveying Department as a Summer Intern. Nolan attends Norwich University and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He also has an interest in learning more about land surveying.

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TFMoran Contributes to the NH Children’s Scholarship Fund

In TFMoran’s support for New Hampshire schools, we recently contributed $5,000 to the New Hampshire Children’s Scholarship Fund, an Education Tax Credit Scholarship. This financial assistance is available to New Hampshire children of low- and moderate- income families to attend K-12 schools that best fit their needs. These scholarships can apply to private schools, out-of-district schools, and homeschooling, which make these options more financially available.

According to their website, since 1998 the nonprofit national charity organization Children’s Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $789 million in scholarships to the families of over 174,000 low-income children. Education Tax Credit scholarships have been available to New Hampshire children since 2013, after the New Hampshire legislature passed the Opportunity Scholarship Act in 2012.

Thanks to Kate Baker, Executive Director of Children’s Scholarship Fund New Hampshire who visited our office for a fun photo op!

TFMoran contributes to Children's Scholarship Fund
L to R: Paul Sbacchi – TFM Chief Structural Engineer; Kate Baker – CSFNH Executive Director; Dylan Cruess – TFM COO; Jim O’Neil – TFM Chief of Survey

 

 

 

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Congratulations to 603 Brewery and Beer Hall, now open at Woodmont Commons!

On June 15, the new 603 Brewery and Beer Hall opened its doors at Woodmont Commons in Londonderry, NH. The new 18,000sf brewery and 200-seat restaurant with indoor/outdoor dining is the first building to be completed at the new mixed-use development. TFMoran provided civil and structural engineering services for the brewery which was designed by McHenry Architecture and built by Harvey Construction. Congratulations and best wishes to the owners of 603 Brewery on your beautiful new facility! To read more about the opening, link to this pdf  Union Leader June 23 2019 Sunday News

The second building of Phase 1 at Woodmont Commons is nearing completion. Located on Main Street next to the 603 Brewery is a new four-story, 87-unit apartment building with 23,000sf of retail space on the ground level. TFMoran provided civil and structural engineering services for this project which is being constructed by Performance Building Company.

Woodmont Commons is a new mixed-use development designed to be an urban village-style, walkable community in the rural countryside on over 600 acres. This unique multi-phased development is located off of I-93 Exit 4 and will include housing, retail stores, restaurants, office space, and amenities. TFMoran is working with Pillsbury Realty Development in providing civil and site engineering services, which included Michels Way, a new road connecting Garden Lane, and Pillsbury Road. The architect of record Shook Kelley of Charlotte, N.C., helped prepare the planned unit development (PUD) overall master plan. Attorney Ari Pollack of Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell provided legal work for permitting and contracts for the development.

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TFMoran Hosts NHCIBOR Annual Awards Cookout

TFMoran hosted the Annual NH Commercial Investment Board of REALTORS (NHCIBOR) Awards Cookout on June 13th at the Bedford office. Though the weather was cold and rainy, nearly 150 NH CIBOR members, TFM staff and families turned out for this special night. “Take a short break from the Economic BOOM” was an added theme to this fun event, all were in favor of this well-deserved break from their busy work.

Attendees enjoyed a buffet-style dinner catered by The Flying Butcher of Amherst, NH which included delicious steak and turkey tips, assorted salads, burgers and hot dogs. After dinner, The Inside Scoop gals from Bedford, treated us to Richardson’s ice cream flavors, Purple Berry Chip and Campfire S’mores. Mmmmm good!

Afterwards, the awards for Realtor-of-the-Year and Affiliate-of-the-Year were announced and raffle prizes were given out. The traditional Congratulatory Cake was presented featuring the names of the winners, photos were taken, and cake was served to top off a great evening.

(L to R): Tom Riley and Jeff Bouffard

 

Congratulations to Tom Riley of Riley Enterprises for receiving the 2019 Realtor-of-the-Year Award, and to Jeff Bouffard of Boyd & Boufford Insurance Agency, LLC for receiving the Affiliate-of-the-Year Award!

 

 

And, a big “Thank You” to the TFMoran staff for helping to make this another successful event!

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TFMoran Welcomes Three Summer Interns

TFMoran’s Bedford office has some new faces! We are excited to welcome (pictured left to right) Nolan Filteau, Julia Chartier, and Jacob Woodard to the TFM team as 2019 Summer Interns.

Nolan attends Norwich University and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Nolan is working in our Surveying Department.

Julia attends Keene State College and is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Julia is assisting the Marketing Coordinator and is tasked with keeping up social media accounts including Instagram and blog postings, as well as photography and graphics.

Jake attends the University of New Hampshire and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with a focus in Structures. Jake’s coursework includes Structural Design in Steel, Structural Analysis, Soil Mechanics and Project Management. He is a member of American Society of Civil Engineers. Jake is working in our Structural Engineering Department.

TFMoran welcomes mentoring students each summer from our local colleges and universities. Having student interns creates a form of engagement between young people and their future professional careers. The hands-on experience in the workplace allows students the benefit of knowing what to expect after graduating. And, we all appreciate the extra assistance that our interns offer TFMoran.

We wish Nolan, Julia and Jake the best of luck and a great summer of learning!

 

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TFMoran Participates in Nashua PAL’s 2019 Golf Classic

TFMoran’s Dan Blais recently participated in Nashua Police Athletic League (PAL)’s 2019 Golf Classic held at Overlook Golf Club in Hollis, New Hampshire.

The annual event held last Wednesday funds the PAL Program of Nashua which provides recreational, academic, athletic and other enrichment opportunities for children in the community. PAL’s mission includes these opportunities and reaches out to at-risk youth by eliminating violence and substance abuse to encourage academic and athletic achievement.

Dan’s team included Kaitlyn and Mike Lutinski, and Jack Moloney. Kaitlyn and Jack are both students at Southern New Hampshire University and are recent interns at Nashua PAL.

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Phillip Houston joins TFMoran’s Civil Engineering Department

Phillip Houston has joined TFMoran as a Civil Project Engineer in the Bedford office. Phill has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with a minor in Architecture from Syracuse University. He has six years of work experience which includes design of residential and commercial subdivisions, utility and drainage plans, permitting, septic design, and stormwater management. Phill is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.