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.
MBC is tickled pink working with the Philadelphia Zoo for their Flamingo Habitat Upgrade!
The temperatures may be cooling down in Philly, but MBC is just heating up with several great projects on the horizon, especially with our new work at the Philadelphia Zoo. McDonald Building Company is proud to be working on a few major projects, including renovations to the existing aviary and upgrade to the Flamingo Habitat for our feathered flamboyance friends. The existing free-flight aviary has long provided guests with the joy of flocking to the Zoo to see this unique pink pack. Now, we’re good to flamin-GO with boots on the ground for the 17,996 square foot renovation expected to finish around the New Year. Thanks to the brilliant work of Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets, Inc. (PGAV Architects), guests will get to experience the habitat like never before with an all-glass enclosed space featuring walk-through paths for a chance to see these Phoenicopterus (say that, five times fast!) up close! The new habitat plans to expand the footprint of the flamingo wading pool and nesting area. Once construction is complete, the Flamingos will greatly benefit from the space by keeping them safe year-round from the highly contagious Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The habitat will also provide educational feeding experiences for guests through the Philly Zoo’s participation in the Flamingo Species Survival Plan (SSP). This program, established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, ensures the long-term survival of these fabulous flamingos through successful breeding – the winged residents will be simply tickled pink.
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Our newly formed partnership with the Philadelphia Zoo is invaluable and the start of a beautiful fur-iendship. 👷 🤝 👷♀️ We have lots of exciting updates including renovations to the South End of the zoo...we can’t wait to share what more we have in store – we’re so excited we’re standing on one leg. 🦩 😅 🦩 #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #buildingontrust #mbcbuilds #philadelphiazoo #phillyzoo #flamingos #pgav #zoolife #letsflaminGO #aza #projectannouncement
MBC Team Special Shout Out: Jeff Graef Ali Perkey, CHC Dylan Robertson Sam Cellucci John Weiland Regina Ennis
Procore’s Groundbreak 2024 was Groundbreaking Fun and Insightful!
Procore’s Groundbreak 2024 event may have just passed but we are still reeling from what an amazing event it was! Senior Project Manager, Jeff Graef ventured to the mile-high city to see what all the excitement was about. The two-day event at the Colorado Convention Center brought together innovative construction professionals worldwide to learn from insightful future-forward sessions and experience groundbreaking technology. In addition to all these incredible opportunities, we got to meet up with the greatest Procore Certified Consultant of all-time, David McDonnel, in person! Dave is a huge reason why Procore launched successfully at MBC and why Procore’s offerings are still a daily tool to help keep us mobilized and optimized. Dave has stuck with us since the very beginning of our Procore journey and we couldn’t have it without him. A big thank you to Procore for an inspiring event and constantly reinventing how we can all be groundbreakers. #buildingontrust #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #mbccares #groundbreaker #innovationandeducation #procore #procorepals #Contech #GBK24 #wegotdaveashirt
Friendsgiving Success - MBC traditional Thanksgiving Feast and Card Signing!
Nothing marks the start of the Thanksgiving season for MBC other than our tradition of Thanksgiving Card Signing and (of course) our Friendsgiving Feast Luncheon! November keeps the Norristown office busy and in the holiday spirit, with staff signing cards to express our thanks to our loyal partners and client and ending the week off right with a well-deserved Friendsgiving Potluck. Check out these friendly faces enjoying one of MBC’s favorite months - National Gratitude Month. Pecan hardly believe we are approaching the end of November but couldn’t miss the opportunity to express our thanks to all of you for being here during this grateful time of year. Let’s keep the good thymes rolling and enjoying the reason for the season. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Cheers! #mbccares #buildingontrust #mbcfriendsgiving #gourdtimes #thanksgivingseason #turkeyth
Groundbreaking for NewCourtland’s Clearfield Apartments marks the start of an incredible project to come!
We're now full speed ahead to begin building at NewCourtland 's Clearfield Apartments in the Allegheny West neighborhood of Philadelphia. This 48-unit new construction affordable housing community for seniors will energize the area and provide several supportive care services, including onsite healthcare offerings to its residents. MBC is proud to serve as the building partner once again for NewCourtland after the successful completion of St. Barts Phase II earlier this year - a 90-unit senior housing community in Northeast Philadelphia. Let's get going! Congrats to NewCourtland and all the building partners involved including Allegheny West Foundation , CBP Architects and MBC project team members Erick Tripp Ed Swank Iliana Limon Regina Ennis Matthew Kreft on a successful groundbreaking ceremony on Friday! Clearfield Apartments expects to open in Fall 2025; stay tuned for progress updates.#buildingontrust #newcourtland #newproject
Pennsylvania Conference for Women hosts the MBC Ladies for a fantastic Networking Outing
The lovely ladies of MBC enjoyed a jam packed day yesterday at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women in Philadelphia...a day full of inspirational keynotes & speakers, personal & professional development, networking & community. #pennwomen #powerinunity #mbccares #mbcladies
MBC STAFF: Iliana Limon Ali Perkey, CHC Kelly Giuliani (McGettigan) Beth Armbruster, MBA Laura Clevenger Danielle Terpoilli Michelle Tyler
Congratulations, Carpenters Company, on its 300th Anniversary! MBC sponsored and proudly attended their anniversary bash!
McDonald Building Company was proud to sponsor and attend The Carpenters' Company 300th Anniversary over the weekend! What a wonderful time celebrating a historical milestone in Philadelphia with fellow members, AEC colleagues and guests from The Carpenters’ Company of London. While 300 years is certainly a long time, The Carpenters' Company of London dates back over 700 years and both Companies remain the only two existing craft guilds in the world.
Formed in 1724, The Carpenters' Company is the oldest existing craft guild in North America and calls Carpenters Hall museum home, where the first Continental Congress meeting was held in 1774. Lots of history! #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #buildingontrust #carpentersco
MBC STAFF: Paul McDonald Tom McDonald Laura Clevenger
MBC attends the Fall Membership Meeting hosted by GBCA!
This Wednesday night, MBC was proud to attend the 2024 General Building Contractors Association (GBCA) Fall Membership Meeting. It was an excellent evening of networking, member awards and an interview with Jeremy Grey, EVP of HRP Group, to hear all about their ambitious land acquisition of Philadelphia's refinery yard and the vast development of the new Bellwether District. #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #buildingontrust #thegbca
MBC STAFF: Kelly Giuliani (McGettigan) Erick Tripp Laura Clevenger Jeff Graef
Thank you to our Drexel Co-Op, Michael Simankin, for a job well-done!
Shout out to our Drexel student, Michael Simankin, who has been working with us since the spring and will be wrapping up his 6-month co-op next month. Michael has been learning the ins and outs of the preconstruction department and it has been a pleasure having Michael assist MBC in the early building stages. He's been helping out with material sourcing and learning square footage takeoffs as well as drafting scopes of work, accompanying our crew on site visits, and interpreting architectural specs & documents.
We asked "What fascinates you about the construction industry?" Michael responded, "The construction industry requires the combined efforts of dozens of individuals with different specialties to work together in order to effectively complete projects. It is fascinating to me how well people can overcome their differences to build big infrastructure." We agree Michael!
Michael returns to Drexel in September and is pursuing a DUAL degree in which he will receive his Bachelors in Civil Engineering and Masters in Geotechnical Engineering AT THE SAME TIME in the Summer of 2026. Thanks for all your hard work Michael...we are here to support you in your AEC career ahead! #buildingontrust #mbccares
Suffolk Avenue Warehouse Project is now fully turned over to Holt Logistics Corp - check out the finished results!
The Suffolk Avenue Warehouse Project has officially been turned over to Holt Logistics Corp. and we are proud of the finished result. About 50k square feet was added to the already existing 100k+ square foot warehouse to make ample space to store and transport cocoa beans. It was a pleasure partnering with Holt Logistics on this project as well as PJA Architects. Congratulations to our MBC team - Sam Cellucci Erick Tripp John Weiland on a job well done. 👏 #mbcbuilds #buildingontrust #holtlogistics #pja_arch
Happy Fourth of July! Fireworks and fun - wishing you all a safe holiday to come!
Happy Independence Day from all of us at MBC!#buildingontrust
MBC Joins Together for Our Quarterly Staff Meeting
Last week, we gathered together for our Quarterly Staff Meeting...we had discussions surrounding the current construction market outlook, project updates, a sneak peak of our new website (stay tuned!), company happenings, and several staff celebrations over the last few months. Look at this fine crew!! #buildingontrust #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #mbccares
Spring Events are In Full Swing at McDonald Building Company!
Our folks were quite busy last week few weeks out and about supporting various industry organizations that are near and dear to MBC. Last week, we attended Project HOME's 35th Anniversary Gala as a Silver Sponsor and Atlanticare Foundation's 63rd Annual Gala as their annual Corporate Healthcare Champion sponsor, both fantastic organizations and ones we proudly support. And this week we were out on the golf course ⛳ to support the 25th Anniversary Matthew Koenig Memorial AIA Philadelphia Golf Outing as a Course Sponsor as well as the AMFP Greater Philadelphia - Association of Medical Facility Professionals Annual Golf Classic - also both exceptional organizations that we enjoy networking with those in the AEC community and markets we build in. 🤝 Whew...what a fun few weeks for us at MBC! Cheers! #buildingontrust #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #mbccares #buildingoncommunity #projecthomephl #atlanticarenj #aiaphiladelphia #amfp-philly
MBC Introduces our 2024 SQP Committee!
📢 A special shout-out today to our 2024 SQP Education Committee members - Erick Tripp Shawn Philipps Valerie Schell and Sam Cellucci. 📚 Our MBC education team this year is focused on providing monthly continuing education trainings to our staff with a focus on Safety, Quality, and Productivity. And this year the team will be instrumental in memorializing these trainings by further refining and documenting company procedures the "MBC way". In this month's training, the SQP team facilitated an "Insurance for Contractors 101" and partnered with American Global, our marvelous insurance and bonding partners. Thank you to Gerard Leib Anastasia Fleckser, Victoria Gorelick, and Stephanie Bitman for lending your time and expertise on the latest in the construction insurance world. 🙌 #buildingontrust #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #american_global
In Preparation of Project HOME’s 35th Anniversary Gala, Let’s Check in on Kates Place!
🏗 Progress is moving along at historic Kates Place on Sansom Street in Philadelphia - this 144-unit, fully-furnished, permanent supportive housing project undergoing extensive renovations and upgrades. Our construction team is halfway through room renovations and window replacements and the brick repointing on the exterior is now complete. Mechanical equipment was recently picked up to the rooftop with ease thanks to Thackray Crane Rental, Inc. and our team is preparing for lobby finish upgrades in the coming weeks. We are proud of our longstanding relationship with Project HOME and are excited to build for them once again on such an impactful project for the homeless and affordable housing community in Center City.
We look forward to next week where MBC will be participating as one of the lead sponsors in Project HOME's 35th Anniversary Gala to honor the retirement of founders Joan McConnon and Sister Mary Scullion. 🏬
Congrats to our project team on the excellent progress being made at Kate's as we reach the halfway mark! 👏 👏 Team Photo left to right: Project Superintendent Ed Swank, Assistant Project Manager Ali Perkey, CHC, Project Manager James Cameron, CHC and Carpenter Justin Lausch. #buildingontrust #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #projecthomephl #thackraycranerental
Timelapse Tuesday at 400 West Elm - Conshohocken, PA!
🕛 TIMELAPSE TUESDAY!! 🕦 The spectacular Madison West Elm is now complete and we are beyond proud of how gorgeous this property has turned out! 😍 Today, on Timelapse Tuesday, we're celebrating the results of 2 years of progress as we watched Conshohocken gain a beautiful new high-rise for residents to call home. 🏗 Situated along the Schuylkill River with breathtaking views, Madison West Elm boasts 348 apartments and ultra-luxury amenities including a sport simulator, a speakeasy, a turf dog park & grooming center, a resort-style pool, an onsite Starbucks cafe, a 3-level parking garage for all, and MUCH MORE. Stay tuned for stellar photos of the interior and beyond. We are so grateful to have partnered with the notable Equus Capital Partners, Ltd. on this project as the developer and JDAVIS as the trendsetting design team...your partnership has been a pleasure throughout this project. Madison West Elm has no doubt elevated Conshohocken living and we are thrilled to have contributed to such a monumental beauty! #buildingontrust #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #madisonwestelm #equuspartners #jdavisarchitects
https://lnkd.in/eWJt4-Cb
McDonald Building Company Celebrates Annual Opening Day at The Masters!
Opening Day at the Masters is an official holiday at MBC! We loved kicking off this tradition unlike any other last Thursday for the 14th year and commemorate by welcoming clients, colleagues, friends, and family. Always a tremendous celebration! ⛳ #buildingontrust #themasters #mbccares
Folks from MBC Enjoying Their Morning at HFMADV's 2024 Spring Conference
😁 All smiles this morning from the HEALTHCARE FACILITY MANAGERS ASSOCIATION OF DELAWARE VALLEY INC Spring Conference today, come say hello to our crew! 👋 Left to right: Blair Biggin Erick Tripp Andrew McDonald Stephen McDermott LEED AP, CHC
Construction Begins at Collingswood Department of Public Works Building
MBC was delighted to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Borough of Collingswood Dept of Public Works on Wednesday. The new facility will be a two-story, 12,000+ square foot office building along with a nearly 10,000 square foot five-bay equipment garage. The new modern design and additional space will meet the growing storage and equipment needs of the Collingswood community. Construction is anticipated to be complete in about 18 months. We are proud to partner with architect Thriven Design and Remington & Vernick Engineers on this project. We wish our project team a very successful build as construction gets underway... Valerie Schell Kelly Giuliani (McGettigan) Renee Ellick @Chris Pili Jeff Graef
#buildingontrust #groundbreaking #newbuilds
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Pictured (left to right): Geno Schiavo (Thriven Design), Cassandra Duffey (Borough Administrator) Steve DiOrio (Director of Public Works), Mayor Jim Maley, Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer, Collingswood Commissioner Rob Lewandowski and Jeff Graef (McDonald Building Company)
Pictured (left to right): MBC Team - Renee Ellick (Project Engineer), Kelly Giuliani (Assistant Project Manager), and Jeff Graef (Senior Project Manager).
MBC Ladies Enjoy a Day of Service with Habitat for Humanity in Lansdowne, PA
The women at MBC enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day last week spent on a cul-de-sac in Lansdowne to help lend a helping hand in support of Women Build Day for Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery and Delaware Counties. We secured attic insulation and attic framing, and the bulk of progress was outside building all the components of a perimeter fence surrounding the four homes. The day was uplifting, inspiring and GOOD FOR THE SOUL. A special shout out Patti Post and Paul Rihn, long-standing volunteers of Habitat who we've had the pleasure to partner with for several years now year after year at Women Build...these two are salt of the earth and are passionate about the communities they serve with their homebuilding skills. 🏡
Thanks to Kelly Giuliani (McGettigan), local Lansdowne resident Ali Perkey, CHC (baby Perkey too), and Michelle Healy for lending your heart and hard work to such a great cause. 👷♀️ 📐 💪 #buildingontrust #mcdonaldbuildingcompany #habitatforhumanity
McDonald Building Company Celebrates 14 Years!
McDonald Building Company celebrates 14 years this week, cheers to us! 🥂