MidAtlantic City Scoop: Construction Starts in Philadelphia

City Scoop: Philadelphia — Total construction spending expected to slide by nearly 10% this year

The start date of this summer’s renovation work at the Wells Fargo Center depends on how deep into the playoffs the Philadelphia 76ers go.

*RENDERING COURTESY SCI ARCHITECTS*

Pennsylvania’s largest general contractor is completing the 140,000-sq-ft, $25-million LifeQuest assisted living center in Quakertown and is managing the $7-million, 18,000-sq-ft renovation of the visitor center at Valley Forge National Historical Park.

*PHOTO COURTESY OF PJ DICK*

City Grill

Dermid Kelly
Regional Vice President
Structure Tone Inc.

Although his firm posted revenue increases as high as 25% in each of the last five years, Kelly doesn’t foresee an immediate slowdown in Philadelphia construction. He says the firm has already met its volume goal for the full year and expects to surpass it by 20%. “We have a hefty backlog going into 2020,” he says. “That’s a good sign that the construction market and the economy are going to hold strong at least through 2020.”

Kelly says Philadelphia is benefiting from office tenants who are relocating within the city instead of doing phased renovations in their current facilities. Five Below, Entercom Communications Corp. and Aramark all recently moved their headquarters. Kelly says Wells Fargo and law firm Morgan Lewis also are seeking to move. “Everyone wants the new office layout, the co-working and collaborative areas,” he says.

Structure Tone is also working on the five-year, phased renovation at the Wells Fargo Center, home of basketball’s 76ers and hockey’s Flyers. This summer’s work includes a box-office addition and seventh-floor party deck, which have to be completed before the teams begin their 2019-20 seasons. The start date depends on how deep the Sixers go into the playoffs. “It’s going to be a condensed schedule,” Kelly says.

Firm in Focus

PJ Dick
740 Springdale Drive, Ste. 160, Exton, Pa.
Executive Chairman: Cliff Rowe
Employees: 150 (MidAtlantic), 20 (Exton)
Founded: 1979
What’s New: Pennsylvania’s largest general contractor is completing the 140,000-sq-ft, $25-million LifeQuest assisted living center in Quakertown and is managing the $7-million, 18,000-sq-ft renovation of the visitor center at Valley Forge National Historical Park. The firm is performing multiple projects for the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs in Coatesville and Wilkes-Barre, including renovation of the 18,000-sq-ft main kitchen facility in Wilkes-Barre. PJ Dick won the 2018 Construction Safety Excellence Award at the Associated General Contractors of America conference. Sponsored by Willis Towers Watson, the award recognizes companies that implement excellent safety and loss-prevention programs. Besides its Exton, Pa., office and Pittsburgh headquarters, PJ Dick has an office in White Marsh, Md. The firm provides general contracting and construction management services.