NEWS.
Latest & Greatest.
Whether it's a new project, construction industry updates, an employee teaming event or an opportunity to celebrate the best in our community - there's always something to talk about at McDonald Building Company.
Huge Kudos to Ed Swank, Superintendent, as McDonald Building Company attends Project HOME's Peg's Place Grand Opening!
McDonald Building Company was honored to attend the Peg’s Place Grand Opening on Monday morning. 🙌👷🙌 Featured on our Flyby Friday a few weeks ago, this 4-story 33,000+ square foot building provides 40 NEW affordable residential apartments to empower adults to break the cycle of chronic homelessness and addiction. MBC is proud to be part of another incredible Project HOME build. 🤝 We couldn’t have done this without the incredible team down at Peg’s Place, but we have to give huge kudos to our superintendent and the GOAT himself, Ed Swank! 🤩💪🤩 Ed was there rain or shine and brought his A game every single day. There was no problem too big or too small for him. We are so grateful to have Ed as one our amazing superintendents at MBC, he truly puts the Super in Superintendent! 🦸♂️ #buildingontrust#projecthomephl#grandopening#mbcbuilds#thanksed#edisthegoatProject HOMEKitchen & Associates
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MBC Goes to the Phillies Game for a Good Cause
Take us out to the ballgame! ⚾️🙌⚾️ McDonald Building Company had a great time this past Saturday at the Phillies vs. Pirates game in honor of Suicide Prevention Night at Citizens Bank Park. The weather was absolutely perfect, our seats were fun filled, jam-packed with action (holy foul ball, Batman!), and the crab fries were a nonstop staple in our section. Over 40 of our MBC family attended and no doubt everyone enjoyed the game, especially as the Phillies are in the running for playoffs! 🤩🏆🤩 And juuuuussssst to cover our bases, we should probably attend again next year… #mbccares#phillies#mlb#ringthebell#threestrikes#wereoutofcrabfries
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MBC is now hiring for multiple positions, apply today!
At McDonald Building Company, we are seeking incredible talent to become part of our fast growing team. 👷♀️🤝👷♂️ With several notable projects on the horizon, NOW could be the beginning of a rewarding career at MBC. Are you ready to build with us? Visit us @ mcdonaldbc.com/careers to learn more and apply today. 🦺🙌🦺 #buildingontrust#mcdonaldbuildingcompany#joinourteam#nowhiring
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MBC attends Virtual Cooking Class with Miss Allie's Kitchen for MBC/MAK Taco Night
Last night the MBC crew gathered over Zoom for a fabulous cooking class hosted by the one and only Allie Doran from Miss Allie’s Kitchen! 🤩 She walked us through making some delicious spicy margaritas and ground venison tacos all from scratch. 🌮🌶🍹 This tasty recipe was easy to make and a real crowd pleaser. The team thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it! In queso you’re interested in learning more about Miss Allie’s Kitchen or any of her deliciously well-crafted recipes, you can purchase her book Venison Every Day (it’s flying off the shelf!) or sign up for one of her virtual cooking classes. Taco bout one great treat! Thank you, Allie! 🙌 😍🙌 These tacos are a real GAME changer…#missallieskitchen#mbccares#cookingclass#venisontacos#spicymargaritas
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Lead Superintendent, Pete Perri, retires after 9+ years at MBC!
It’s a bittersweet day at McDonald Building Company. We have the great fortune to watch our very own, Pete Perri, move onto his next great chapter as he retires from MBC after 9+ years! 🥳🥳🥳 Pete served as our General Road Superintendent and Lead Superintendent on several projects (and part-time superhero) as one of our very first employees. Pete has worn so many hats day in and day out that it’s near impossible to sum up all his accomplishments at MBC throughout the years. Pete was our main man when MBC built our current Norristown office in 2015, and he is now vital in transitioning his lead on our office bunker expansion project here in just 6 weeks. Not only was he the “funny guy on campus” with his sarcastic humor, he always had his “Pete” way of making everyone feel part of the MBC family. ❤❤❤ We will miss seeing Pete in his MBC truck as he visits the jobsites and we will certainly miss his classic ugly Christmas sweaters. While we’re sad to see Pete go, we know that he’s going to enjoy retirement in the beautiful Kill Devil Hills of Outer Banks. We heard the Outer Banks may be a great spot for our MBC Vacation Home…right, Pete?!? 😂😅😬
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President, Paul McDonald said, “We will miss you so much, Pete! From the entire MBC family, we wish you all the best and enjoy everything that retirement has to offer.” #peteofalltrades#retirement#mbcfamily#mbccares#bestwishes
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MBC Celebrates recent Drexel Co-Op, Alex Torres, on all his accomplishments!
MBC is so proud of Alex Torres, our Drexel co-op who recently finished up his first year co-op experience last week...AND it just so happens to also be his birthday today too (Happy Birthday, Alex!). 🎉🎁🎉 Alex started his six-month co-op this past spring and was stationed full-time at our Hamilton II site. He spent the majority of his co-op supporting the team with various tasks including daily manpower reporting, Covid-19 & safety compliance, and field supervision support. Although his co-op is officially complete, we are thrilled to announce that he will be continuing with MBC at Hamilton II on a part-time basis while he continues his classes at Drexel. 🙌 How lucky are we?!? MBC’s partnership with Drexel University’s co-op experience offers the opportunity for undergrad students to balance classroom theory with practical, hands-on experience in the AEC field. Brian Cook, Hamilton II Lead Superintendent, says…“Alex is an integral member of our team. His growth from the start has been nothing but impressive. In today’s environment especially, his fearless approach to tackling the daily tasks has propelled him to the front line. The project runs better because of him.” Alex (or “Koala” as our hoist operators onsite like to call him) set the bar pretty high and we are so thankful to have him continue as part of the MBC team. Congrats to you, Alex! 🥳🥳🥳
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McDonald Building Company participates in National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction
At McDonald Building Company nothing is more important to us than Safety. We are proud to participate in this year’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction. First thing this morning, our carpenters from Wyatt Inc., over at Hamilton II took a moment to discuss the importance of Fall Prevention and how to recognize fall hazards. Many fatal falls that impact the construction industry are preventable and just a short toolbox talk can make an everlasting huge impact.
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Best of Luck to Frank Lewery, our 2017 co-op from Drexel
Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of welcoming Frank Lewery, a co-op from Drexel University for some exposure to the professional field of construction management. Frank joined us in the springtime to take on some responsibilities in the estimating department and assist in the bidding process for a handful of potential projects, some of which were awarded. Namely, Frank had the opportunity to work on the Holt Center @ Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem along with the S.T.E.M. Lab there as well. He played a vital role throughout the bidding process – evaluating the design documents, trade buyouts & scope evaluations, and daily interactions with our potential subcontractors.
Frank described the best part of his co-op was “the opportunity to experience the day to day operations of being an estimator and the daily responsibilities of working in the construction management field. Working with multiple projects from the time they were sent out to bid to the time of them being awarded helped create time management skills as well as how to work efficiently under a deadline. The responsibility I was given included delivering bids and receiving permits, among other critical tasks. Frank continues, “As a company, McDonald Building helped me experience the family type of workplace I hope to work in in the future. This co-op was extremely helpful for me to narrow down my career path and overall it was a great experience.”
This was Frank’s first co-op in a series of the required three and is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Frank is an avid ice hockey player and in addition to playing on the Drexel University team, he has served as Captain on numerous ice hockey squads in his hometown of Staten Island, NY and surrounding areas. Frank has volunteered for various organizations during his early college career including “Cook for a Friend” Soup Kitchen and relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy. He anticipates on graduating from Drexel in the spring of 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
Says Brad Springer, Lead Estimator, “It was a great pleasure for myself and MBC to have Frank with us during his co-op experience. The experience always provides a different perspective of our work in an interesting manner. Whether being questions about construction and associated drawings or just overall company processes, Frank was always interested in expanding his knowledge and role in projects. We wish him all the luck with the reminder years at Drexel and hope to see him back at MBC.”
MBC Sponsors Women Build Week for Habitat for Humanity of MontCo
Last week, the women of McDonald Building Company volunteered in Pottstown last Friday to “Build Like a Girl” and participate in Women's Build Week for Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity's latest project. This year the Women Build Week volunteers rehabbed a 3-story row home at 430 Walnut Street in Pottstown and McDonald Building Company was the main event sponsor. Led by several dedicated and knowledgeable Habitat volunteers, the MBC crew of 10 teamed up to sand and stain some interior doors, build patio stairs to the backyard and replacing exterior fence posts. The Thompson family of five plans to move in early 2017 and MBC is thrilled to contribute to the Pottstown community.
“We are currently rehabbing Beech Street Factory, also in Pottstown, only a few blocks away from the Thompson family home. To have the opportunity to participate with Habitat and help in a meaningful, impactful way to this family and community is what we love to do,” said Laura Clevenger, Director of Marketing. “And it's awesome watching women come who may not feel comfortable using power tools and learn by the end of the day how to use them. And use them well.”
McDonald Building Company is planning another Corporate Build Day for the entire staff in the spring to continue the support of Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County. To learn more about HFHMC, visit http://www.habitatmontco.org.
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Best Wishes to our Interns, Andrew & Mike
This summer, we had the pleasure of welcoming a co-op from Drexel University and an intern from Temple University for some exposure to the field of construction management. We wish them both the best of luck in their future studies, here is a little more about them.
Andrew Coleman (pictured left) joined us early summer to take on some responsibilities in the estimating department and assist in the bidding process for a handful of potential projects, some of which were awarded. Namely, Andrew had the opportunity to work on the Nicoletta Pizza Kitchen project, a new restaurant fit-out at the King of Prussia expansion corridor and see this restaurant all the way through the construction process - buyout, scope evaluations, and subcontract administration among other functions. Andrew’s favorite aspect of the Nicoletta project was identifying the job details, verifying them from the drawings and specifications, and then visiting the jobsite to see those actual details come to life. A highlight of Andrew’s co-op was a job visit to the Masonic Temple of Philadelphia’s Grand Ballroom renovations. Particularly the day a 13-foot bronze statue of Ben Franklin was installed and secured became an impactful experience for Andrew. “On that day, I was able to meet so many people involved in the project and statue install. I could see first-hand how important communication and logistics are within a project to execute such a detailed operation,” said Andrew.
Andrew began his third year this fall at Drexel University, majoring in Construction Management and a minor in Finance - he is anticipated to graduate Spring of 2019 in the five year program. He is a member of CMAA (Construction Management Association of America) as well as a part of the Drexel Concrete Canoe Team.
Mike Cinalli (pictured right) started his internship with us at the Elmwood Park Zoo Trail of the Jaguar project. Mike primarily assisted the carpenters on a daily basis performing light carpentry duties, general cleanup, concrete pour preparations, and offered an extra hand to subcontractors as needed. “Despite the elements of the summer heat and intense physical labor, learning about how construction projects flow in general and seeing how the trades work together is impressive. I had some solid training on how to safely operate carpentry tools and learned a lot about the industry from our Site Superintendent, Chris Pili,” said Mike. In addition to field exposure, Mike spent time reviewing architectural plans, engineering documents and shop drawings as part of his Project Engineer training. He was able to make the connection between the design documents and how they translate to construction details, means and methods.
Mike started his third year in the School of Architecture program at Temple University this fall and expects to graduate Spring of 2018. Mike participates in the American Institute of Architecture Students through Temple University as well as being involved in The Architecture Lobby.
“It was a pleasure having both Andrew and Mike on board these past several months, Paul McDonald added. “Andrew made great progress working with Brad Springer and understanding the fast-paced nature of the Estimating Department. Mike was also a quick learner and his hard work ethic ensured he was in high demand with the superintendents he was assigned to. Best of luck to Andrew and Mike and we look forward to hearing updates from them and their studies.”
Brad Springer joins MBC as Lead Estimator
McDonald Building Company is proud to welcome Brad Springer to our team as Lead Estimator. Brad joins us with over 10 years of estimating experience with an extensive concentration in the healthcare, institutional and pharmaceutical industries. In his current role, Brad will be taking the lead here in the Estimating Department.
Project highlights include an $82mm hospital expansion at Paoli Memorial Hospital along with their $13.5mm new parking garage addition. Brad also recently estimated and purchased a $3mm operating room renovation at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and the new $15mm Nursing School at Widener University.
Brad is a Civil Engineering graduate of Drexel University and is a LEED® Green Associate.