Great work: Bomel’s Architectural and Site Concrete Division earns rave reviews for Great Wolf Lodge and Great Park projects
November 3, 2016––Professional is a word frequently mentioned when general contractors evaluate the performance of Bomel Construction’s Architectural and Site Concrete Division. Such is the case with two Orange County projects, one completed and the other ongoing.
“They were great, very professional, one of my better contractors,” said Juan Hernandez, Turner Construction’s project manager for Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove, a $250-million, 105,000-square-foot indoor water park and 603-suite hotel that opened earlier this year.
Bomel’s scope of responsibilities for Great Wolf included three areas: the porte-cochere––stamped concrete with multiple shades of brown and a boardwalk finish; a 5,500-square-foot, seeded aggregate sidewalk along Harbor Boulevard with the city’s signature Alicante design; and the driveway entrances, also stamped concrete with a boardwalk finish.
“It was a big coordination effort to complete our work while many other trades were working at the same time,” said Bomel Project Manager Brian Eshleman.
Hernandez, speaking from his current job site, the 73-story Wilshire Grand Center, a $1.2-billion mixed-use tower under construction in downtown Los Angeles, said Bomel put the necessary amount of crews on a particular activity to finish the Great Wolf job on time and was willing to work the required overtime to meet an aggressive schedule. Bomel’s desire and ability to quickly solve issues in a constructive manner was also appreciated.
“They way they handled our disputes was very professional,” Hernandez recalled. “We would sit down and discuss it and they would offer explanations as to why they did things a certain way. I think it’s very important to handle disputes quickly and come to a resolution quickly, and we were able to do that.”
Hernandez knew Bomel was facing a formidable challenge at Great Wolf since architectural and site concrete work is produced at the very end of a project’s construction schedule, often with a narrow window to get the job completed on time.
“I needed them to make up time fast due to other contractor issues and Bomel really stepped it up when we needed them. They were right there.”
Further south in Irvine, Bomel is working for BrightView Landscapes at Orange County Great Park, a 1,347-acre swath of land that was the former home of the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. Bomel’s work on the design-build project is focused on the 165-acre Sports Park, which includes a variety of athletic fields and courts; tennis and volleyball championship courts with stadium seating; and walking and bike paths.
“All our site concrete walls, terraced seating and walking paths will have an etched, exposed finish,” said Bill Rigo, Bomel’s project manager.
The build-out of the sports facilities section is so large and varied that three site concrete contractors have been hired. True to form, Bomel is creating a high-caliber product and delivering superb service.
“Subcontractors, in my mind, should be like partners on a job like this. That's how Bomel operates,” said Matt Mudek, BrightView’s senior project manager. “I don't have to chase them or argue with them. They do what we ask them to do and they do what they say they are going to do. I can't say enough good things about them.”
The design-build project includes a tight budget, demanding schedule and lots of design changes. “Bomel has been just fantastic, taking them all in stride, not having any excuses and getting the work done at a world-class level,” Mudek added.
Construction of Sports Park began about six months ago and will continue for another 12 months. Bomel will turn its attention to the construction of the pathways now that it has completed two rows of terrace seating, 18-inches high by 5-feet deep, for the championship volleyball and tennis stadiums. The two venues are considered the project’s centerpieces.
“We needed a contractor to make it perfect and, honestly, it looks like Bomel made them in a factory. It’s incredible,” Mudek recalled.
Rigo said the fast-paced project is appealing for a few reasons. “BrightView has been great,” he said. “The park is a great place to work; it’s a vast area and access is plentiful.”
About Bomel Construction Co.: Established in 1970, Anaheim Hills, Calif.-based Bomel Construction is widely regarded as the dean of parking structure construction in the West. The family-owned business generated $135 million in total revenue in 2014. Its other current high-profile projects include Del Amo Fashion Center (1,950 stalls), Cal Poly Pomona (1,800) and Plaza San Clemente (1,167), with several additional parking structures set to begin construction this year. Bomel Construction, a design-build concrete contractor, has completed major parking structures for developers and owners of many of the largest shopping malls, casinos, stadiums, high-rise office buildings, colleges and universities throughout the West. Bomel has regional offices in Carlsbad, Calif., and Las Vegas.
For more information, please contact Paul Napolitano at 626-852-9959 or paul@napolitanocommunications.com.
