The Associated Builders and Contractors NH/VT Chapter honored Eckman Construction with The Chairman’s Award for their work at the NH Job Corps Center, which recognizes “The Best of the Best” of construction projects throughout the region, during the organization’s annual Excellence in Construction Awards Ceremony held on October 27th at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford. Eckman qualified for this award by winning an Excellence in Construction Award in the Industrial/Public-Over $10M category for their work at the NH Job Corps Center. The Bedford-based firm also took home a Sustainable Building Award.
“Our team is incredibly grateful to win the Chairman’s Award for the NH Job Corps Center, which faced competition from a number of fantastic projects throughout the region,” said Preston Hunter, Vice President, Eckman Construction. “It’s a great honor for the judges to recognize The NH Job Corps Center, which brought work to many New Hampshire-based subcontracting firms and now serves as a valuable resource for the Manchester community.”
The NH Job Corps Center project was contested multiple times for having a project labor agreement (PLA) attached to its solicitation. After multiple iterations and protests, the project was bid out without at PLA and Eckman put together the winning bid, which was roughly $6 million less than the winning bid of the previous PLA-mandated solicitation. Now, the NH Job Corps Center provides educational programs and career training in disciplines that include advanced manufacturing, electrical, nursing, clinical medical assistant, facilities management, hotel and lodging, culinary arts and security for up to 300 students ages 16-24 that often come from challenging backgrounds.
The seven-building campus is situated on the west side of Manchester on a 25-acre site. When sitework began at the sloped location, over 80,000 cubic yards of ledge had to be blasted, then crushed, and ultimately either repurposed or removed safely from the site. Other challenges included two historically cold and precipitation-laden winters and the use of a unique mix of construction materials designed to achieve both a distinctive look and a high-performance campus that would stand the test of time. By overcoming these challenges, Eckman was able to deliver a state-of-the-art training center that provides young people in the Granite State the tools and support they need to become employable, independent and successful.
The United States Department of Labor was the project owner and the architect was Miller Dyer Spears of Boston, MA.
