Portage, Ind. – Despite the inaccurate perception that imported construction materials are less expensive, American builders are making the commitment to designing quality, U.S.A.-made construction projects. Establishing a facility that incorporates only U.S.A-made construction materials into its design may seem like an impossible feat, but it’s actually as simple as declaring ones intentions to do so; and the added costs are miniscule.
When the Construction Advancement Foundation (CAF) of Portage, Indiana, unveiled its brand new Safety Training Institute – a one of a kind facility built using only domestically-made construction materials – many people were surprised to learn that creating the facility was as easy as adding the stipulation of U.S.A.-only into the construction documents.
Totaling roughly $1.6 million, the 7,000 square foot building will house state-of-the-art safety technology that will be used to instruct individuals across both a classroom setting and a hands-on workspace environment. Construction materials came from a variety of U.S.A. manufacturers, including: Steel Dynamics & Nucor-Yamato, Marshfield, Design Tanks, Smith Ready Mix and many more.
The Pangere Corporation, general contractor for the project, ensured that all of the construction materials came from American factories. In one case, they had to change suppliers when it was learned that one of the roof systems had been made in Mexico, but that was the only small obstacle that the project encountered.
“We thought that designing an all-U.S.A. made building was going to be difficult,” Jim Arendas, Environmental Safety & Health Director with the CAF said. “But it was as easy as adding what we wanted as a stipulation in the construction documents. Everything in the building is U.S.A.-made; from the lights to the floors, the steel, the doors, windows, everything. It was easy, and it only cost us roughly 1 to 2% over what we would have spent otherwise.”
“We believe this is the first 100% made-in-the-U.S.A. facility dedicated exclusively to safety training for safety professionals and field personnel,” according to Dewey Pearman, CAF Executive Director.
Caption for Building Photo: Photo of the Construction Advancement Foundation’s new, 100% made-in-the-U.S.A., Safety Training Institute. The building incorporates only American-made materials into its design. The new facility is located at 6050 Southport Road, Portage, IN 46368.
Caption for Ribbon Cutting Photo: From left to right: Jim Arendas, CAF Environmental Safety & Health Director, Dan Szany, Architect, Steve Pangere, President and CEO of The Pangere Corporation, James Snyder, Mayor of Portage, IN, Joe Coar, Northwest Indiana Business Roundtable Executive Committee Chairman, Brad Niebert, CAF Board Member, Shawn Kelly, CAF Chairman, Dewey Pearman, CAF Executive Director, celebrate the unveiling of the 100% U.S.A.-made CAF Safety Training Institute.
About The Construction Advancement Foundation
The Construction Advancement Foundation (CAF) represents Northwest Indiana union contractors that work on commercial, industrial and civil projects. CAF is a construction industry trade association, affiliated with over 500 contractor companies working in Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton, Starke, and Jasper Counties. CAF’s goal of promoting the long-term health of the union construction industry is accomplished via resources in education, workforce development, training, and certification. The CAF is headquartered in Portage. For more information about the Construction Advancement Foundation, visit www.cafwin.org.
About Building Indiana News
Building Indiana is the largest statewide business-to-business magazine in Indiana, reaching 60,000 readers six times a year. In each issue, the award-winning publication chronicles business and economic development throughout the state, covering topics as diverse as construction, tourism, real estate, finance, human resources, business management strategies and much more. www.buildingindiananews.com.