Schwing

One of the most ambitious building projects currently underway in the United States is construction of the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center in Chula Vista, California. The project, a partnership between RIDA Development Corporation, Marriott International, and Ares Management, aims to create a world-class destination in the South Bay area of the greater San Diego region.  Read more

The city of Glendale, Arizona will be giving resort goers the ultimate experience in 2024. The VAI Resort will be the largest resort in the state of Arizona once construction is complete. This massive getaway destination is planned to have 1,200 hotel rooms and suites with potential for a licensing partnerships with the premium room product.  Read more

Traffic congestion is a major pain point of cities anywhere in the world. Denver, Colorado is no exception. In the city there is a 10-mile stretch of highway, Central I-70, that separates several communities and is known as one of Denver’s economic backbones. This stretch of highway is aligned with over 1,000 businesses, provides a connection to the always buzzing Denver International Airport and carries roughly 200,000 vehicles per day.  Read more

The demolition of Qualcomm stadium in San Diego, California marked the end of an era of memories for the Pernicano family. It also meant the race was on to build the new home of the San Diego State Aztec football team for the 2022 season. Although getting rid of Qualcomm stadium left a hole in the city, this made way for the state-of-the-art Snapdragon Stadium that will hold 35,000 cheering fans. Snapdragon stadium is centered in the heart of San Diego’s Mission Valley.  Read more

When working on two combined-cycle power plants, it is important to get the equipment necessary to finish the job efficiently, effectively, and safely. Located in Illinois, Jackson Generation Energy Center and Three Rivers Energy Center have both required several specialized pieces of equipment to complete the jobs. Read more

Risking overstatement, there’s not much that FA Wilhelm Construction cannot do. The contractor’s list of capabilities is seemingly endless, encompassing everything from carpentry to HVAC to plumbing to electrical to structural steel to, of course, concrete. It makes perfect sense then, that the Indianapolis-based company was called upon to head up a hotel project that, when complete, will be part of a casino — a casino that they’d also built several years back. Currently wrapping up the concrete facet of the job, Wilhelm has had outstanding success, utilizing a number of truck-mounted pumps as well as a Schwing S 39 SXD detachable unit which has served as the placing boom for the majority of the structure. As Wilhelm prepares to transition from the role of self-performing concrete contractor and begin tapping its other areas of expertise, they acknowledge that, despite pandemic-related setbacks, things could not have gone any smoother.

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Five years ago, in the pages of this very publication, readers were introduced to Allen Concrete and Masonry, Inc. (ACM), a family-owned, full-service concrete contractor based out of Naples, Florida. At that time, the company was just embarking on a massive gulf coast development called Kalea Bay that, when complete, would complement upscale condominium living with a wealth of available amenities. Read more

The importance of a good relationship between the concrete contractor and the pumping contractor cannot be overstated. Everything from pump type selection, to scheduling, to equipment positioning and movement is predicated on cooperation and collaboration between these two key parties. Nowhere is that more evident than on a project called Drivetrain currently taking place in the River North (RiNo) district of Denver. There, faced with a number of unforeseen circumstances, representatives from McClone Construction and the Denver branch of Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping worked together to formulate a plan that flew in the face of conventional pumping logic. The net result of doing so, however, was a minimizing of costs, a streamlined overall workflow and a successful outcome. Communication — it’s a beautiful thing. Read more

As it is in most major U.S. cities today, real estate in downtown Minneapolis is at a premium and is generally developed as quickly as an existing structure can be cleared. However, in the heart of the city, two blocks from the fabled Mississippi River, a full city block plot of land relegated to service as an at-grade parking lot since the early 1990s is getting its just due. There, work has begun on a 37-story tower that, when complete, will house the world headquarters of RBC Wealth Management, a Four Seasons hotel (the city’s first 5-Star hotel), several companies, 33 private residences, street-level retail and a public outdoor plaza. To accommodate the Twin Cities’ notoriously-tough winters, the new development will also be incorporated into the city’s 11 mile-long skyway system. Using truck-mounted boom pumps as well as a pair of Schwing 35-meter and 37-meter detached placing booms on self-rising forms, locally-based general construction firm McGough Construction is helping turn this once mundane site into what’s sure to be one of the city’s premier mixed-use developments. Read more

It was one of those projects where size — or the lack of it — really mattered. And ultimately proved to be a case in which good things really did come in small packages. Tired adages aside, on a project to repair a 55 year-old bridge in South Carolina, general contractor TIC -The Industrial Company (Savannah, Ga.), needed a pump that would meet newly-instituted bridge weight restrictions, fit into a setup profile that was little more than a car-lane wide, and yet be versatile and compact enough to reach down below the decks to the pier caps where the repairs were taking place. Enter Cherokee Concrete Pumping and a Schwing S 20 pump which met all the challenging criteria above, turning what could have been a nightmare project into a study in efficiency. At the risk of citing yet one more axiom: it truly was “the right tool for the right job.” Read more

There’s little denying that concrete pumps are adept at delivering massive volumes of concrete to huge, sprawling projects — it’s in their DNA. However, a pump’s value is perhaps even more keenly felt on job sites in which size constraints, difficult access and ongoing trades work regularly conspire to make a contractor’s life miserable. It is in that latter scenario that Ryan Companies US, Inc. has found itself, as it heads up construction of a project called “Eleven,” a high-rise condominium in downtown Minneapolis. Wedged between three existing structures and a parkway, the project has thrown Ryan its share of concrete delivery challenges, most of which were answered with equally innovative pump solutions. Approaches that, on a scale of one to ten, might rate . . . an eleven. Read more

Almost everyone in concrete pumping today has their share of captivating stories about their most challenging projects: the biggest pour, the highest pour, the longest pour, the most intense mix design, their most demanding client, and so on. Thanks to a project just south of St. Paul, Minn., Cemstone, working as a concrete pumping subcontractor to Northland Concrete and Masonry (NCM), will now be able to add “lowest overhead clearance pumped” to their list of bragging rights. On a plant expansion project in Cottage Grove, Minn., the company pumped beneath structural steel beams a mere 10’ overhead. To put that in perspective, 10’ is also the regulation height of an NBA basketball hoop, it’s the ceiling height of most new homes, it is shorter than a vintage VW Beetle standing on end — you get the picture. They did so through the use of a pair of Schwing pumps with four/five-section Double-Z booms and were able to deliver an impressive 1,000 cubic yards in less than six hours. Obviously, when these companies get down — they get down. Read more

To paraphrase a time-worn adage: there are three things in life that are certain: death, taxes and development in Texas. The latest proof of that is a 35-story, nearly 800,000 square foot architectural gem taking shape in downtown Austin’s blossoming Waterfront District. When complete, the Pelli Clarke Pelli-designed structure will house more than 5,000 office workers, ground floor retail space, and enough parking to accommodate it all. Bringing the concrete and steel structure to life is the focus of general contractor DPR Construction (Redwood City, Calif.) and its pumping subcontractor, the Austin branch of Western Concrete Pumping (Vista, Calif.). Utilizing truck-mounted boom pumps in the project’s initial phase, then shifting gears to a Schwing S 39 SX pump with detachable placing boom powered by a Schwing SP 8800 stationary pump, the new structure is well on its way to dramatically altering the Capital City skyline. Read more

Brad Jensen founder and owner of , Jensen Concrete Pumping & Services, sees himself as a traditional concrete pumping professional. And the tagline of his company: “Serving All 10,000 Minnesota Lakes’ Concrete Pumping Needs,” reflects that. However, during one particular week — one full seven-day period — Jensen puts on his specialty concrete pumping hat and does so in a huge way. During that challenging week, Jensen CPS becomes the concrete pumping company of choice for the X Games which, for the last three years, have originated from US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Shotcreting with a Schwing SP 1000 trailer pump and using a skill set that continues to grow with each annual session, the company played a key role in transforming the Minnesota Vikings’ home turf into what, for four days, became the center of the skateboarding, BMX and Moto-X world. Jensen’s work helped bring the event to life — and score big points for “cool” with the teenage children of some of his employees. A medal-winning performance, indeed.

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