Passersby might have noticed that the massive structure going up across the street from Mitchell High School (S.D.) looks a lot different than it did just one month ago. From a steel skeleton surrounded by dirt and heavy-duty vehicles has emerged a building coming to fruition—the Mitchell School District’s new performing arts center. With a target completion date of around Christmas, much of the work still remains on the sprawling facility, though the structure is taking shape.

Excavation began last June on the 65,000-sq. ft. performance venue, which is being designed by MSH Architects of Sioux Falls. Building features include a 1,200-seat, 3-tier auditorium, rooms for the school’s choral, instrument and performing arts programs, and a smaller black box theater. The predominant feature is the main auditorium—the largest high school theater in the state of South Dakota. The new theater is expected to boost the city’s music economy by bringing more state-sanctioned events and high caliber performers to Mitchell. A naming rights deal has yet to be announced for the venue, which will be connected to part of the Mitchell Career and Technical Education Academy. This location functions with the existing buildings on campus and allows for options without disrupting the existing high school building when a new high school is constructed in the near future. Gage Brothers has provided more than 21,000 square feet of insulated panels and 7,000 square feet of corefloor planks for the $15.3 million project. It took the company approximately 22 days to manufacture the precast in its Sioux Falls plant. The placement of steel and precast concrete is being completed by Mitchell-headquartered Puetz Corporation. Founded in 1952 by Clarence Puetz, the third generation company offers services ranging from architecture to crane rentals and construction management. Mitchell Performing Arts Center (In Progress) from Gage Brothers on Vimeo. Gage Brothers is no stranger to city of Mitchell. The century-old company has worked on more than 150 jobs in Mitchell, dating back to the old Armour Creamery in 1959. Other projects of note in Mitchell include the new Avera Grassland Health Campus, Joe Quintal Stadium and the DWU/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex. Gage Brothers also manufactured precast concrete products for the former Soukup & Thomas International Balloon & Airship Museum, which resided in Mitchell from 1992-2001 before being relocated to Albuquerque.

Work is steadily progressing on the facility. Puetz has installed the corefloor planks and the roof bar joists. Performance spaces like the black box theater and practice rooms have gone from dirt to concrete floors. Gage Brothers has been working with the Puetz Corporation since the mid 1960’s, when they manufactured concrete for school additions in White Lake and Alexandria, S.D. Gage Brothers has collaborated with Puetz on a total of 75 building projects since 1964—38 in Mitchell alone, including the DWU Graham Hall remodel (1967), Mitchell Country Club (1973), CorTrust Bank (2000) McGovern Library (2005) and Jackson Plaza (2007). Most recently, Puetz served as the general contractor for the new Dakota Wesleyan University/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex. DWU’s $10.5 million fieldhouse opened in February and was constructed with 87,000 square feet of Gage Brothers precast concrete products. "Puetz is a long-time South Dakota company, and we've done a lot of successful projects together over the years,” said Gage Brothers president Tom Kelley. “We were happy to learn that we would be working together because Puetz is a highly-respected company with consistently increasing capabilities.” Designing and building performing arts centers require a unique level of sophistication that often makes them incomparable to other projects, explained Kelley. The design of performing arts centers are influenced by many aspects ranging from size, acoustics and rigging to sight lines, backstage maneuvering space and rehearsal areas. “It’s a different animal because of the levels of complexities and one of those building projects where every square foot is thought over,” Kelley said. Gage Brothers brought a wealth of experience to this project. The company has produced precast concrete products for performing arts centers across the Midwest for more than a half-century, starting with Morningside College’s Eugene C. Eppley Fine Arts Building in 1965. Other performance spaces include Sioux Falls College (now USF) fine arts center (1968), the Washington Pavilion (1996), Brandon Valley Performing Arts Center (1999), South Dakota State Performing Arts Center (2000), the award-winning DeWitt Theatre Arts Center at Northwestern College (2002), Harrisburg Performing Arts Center, and the O'Gorman Performing Arts Center (2011). Project challenges for the O’Gorman Performing Arts Center included a winter construction start and the need to build while school was in session, which limited the space available for construction and demolition. In addition, one-hundred percent of the funding for this project came through donations, so the budget was limited and sticking to it was imperative. Despite these challenges, Gage Brothers was able to incorporate exceptional design elements that stayed within the budget and surpassed the owner’s expectations. By working closely with Puetz Co. and the design partners, Gage Brothers is committed to providing the highest level of project supervision and communication for the new performing arts center in Mitchell. "Everyone I have talked to is excited about it," Kelley said. "It's going to be a great venue."  

School officials recently approved a $4.7 million contract for renovations at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.

Gage Brothers Concrete has been awarded the precast contract for the new fieldhouse.

Construction is slated to begin this summer.

“We are proud to have won this contract and thrilled to continue our relationship with Howard Wood Field,” said Gage Brothers president Tom Kelley. “The facility is an integral part of the city’s fabric.”

He added, “Hundreds of former and current Gage Brothers employees have competed at Howard Wood or watched a football game from the stands, and I think that emotional investment goes a long way at our plant.”

Nearly a century in age, Howard Wood Field looms as one of the region’s best-known track and field venues. The birth of track and field at Howard Wood dates back to 1923. Marking its 90th running last year, the Howard Wood Dakota Relays regularly attracts more than 3,000 student athletes from the middle school, high school and college ranks.

For many years, all of the local high schools and both colleges (Augustana University and the University of Sioux Falls) played football there. Lincoln, Washington and Roosevelt high schools still claim Howard Wood as their home turf.

Named for a longtime coach at Washington, Howard Wood Field also served as the finish line for the 2015 Sioux Falls Marathon and Half Marathon.

There's a lot of tradition, a lot of history, and a lot of memories at Howard Wood—and Gage Brothers has been part of the venue’s foundation for more than a half-century. The stadium (current seating capacity: 10,000) has undergone significant improvements over the years, and Gage Brothers has been involved nearly every step of the way.

As it happens, Howard Wood Field was the company’s first significant foray into sports facility construction.

Built in 1957, the original Howard Wood stadium was designed by TSP founder Harold Spitznagel. There still exists footage of Albert and William Gage, Jr., sons of company founder William Gage, pouring concrete for the tread and risers.

In the decades that followed, Gage Brothers began to churn out precast for dozens of high school gymnasiums, pro arenas and college athletic facilities throughout the Midwest.

Howard Wood Field is owned and operated by the school district, which has continued to update the classic facility.

Gage Brothers also manufactured corefloor planks for Howard Wood’s 1980s remodel.

In 2012, Howard Wood underwent a major overhaul that included a new running track, grandstand seating and an upgraded press box. Gage Brothers poured more than 94,000 square-feet of double tees, beams and tread & risers for the $7 million renovation.

But expectations of what sports venues should be have increased lockstep with the needs of both athletes and spectators.

Sports facilities are built not only to be a place where athletes come to test their limits but to also contribute to the vitality of the broader community.

Howard Wood is no different and about to undergo more changes thanks to the approval of school officials.

The renovation will modernize the locker rooms and restrooms and also expand the athletic training areas. But the biggest part of the renovation project involves the fieldhouse, which has not changed since Albert and William Gage, Jr. provided materials for the original structure in 1957.

Fifty-nine years later and with a bolstered résumé that includes Target Field, TCF Bank Stadium and the Edward Jones Dome, Gage Brothers will fabricate almost 10,000 square-feet of wall panels and more than 100 precast pieces for the new fieldhouse.

“The fieldhouse renovations will do a great deal to enhance the historic site,” added Kelley. “And the fact that Gage Brothers has won four contracts for Howard Wood over the past sixty years is a testament to our corporate endurance and ability to innovate our products to meet changing market demands.”

Founded in 1915, Gage Brothers has manufactured concrete products for several athletic venues in recent years, including South Dakota State’s Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Kirkeby-Over Stadium, Dakota Wesleyan University/Avera Sports and Wellness Complex and the University of South Dakota Sports Performance Enhancement Facility.

Sioux Falls-based Beck & Hofer Construction submitted the lowest of seven bids and was named the project’s general contractor. Beck & Hofer will contribute its vast building experience from previous athletic facilities, including GreatLIFE Malaska Golf & Fitness Club at Bakker Crossing, Thunder Road and the Tomar Park tennis courts.

This will be the 30th building project that Gage Brothers has worked on with Beck & Hofer since 1988. Previous collaborations include the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire, Elmen Park and Big Sioux Power Sports.

“Gage Brothers has developed a great relationship with Beck & Hofer over the past 20-plus years,” said Kelley. “We think of our relationship as more of a partnership.”

The renovations will not be complete in time for 91st edition of the Howard Wood Dakota Relays, but should be ready by the 92nd running in 2017.

Gage Brothers has been awarded the precast contract for a new, dual-branded hotel development in downtown Denver. The development features an AC Hotel by Marriott hotel as well as a Le Méridien Hotel, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The 18-story development is scheduled to open by late summer 2017.

The two hotels will add close to 500 rooms to the heart of the Mile High City’s business district, just one block from the Colorado Convention Center and within walking distance to Denver's famed 16th Street entertainment district. Mile High Stadium (Denver Broncos), Coors Field (Colorado Rockies) and the Pepsi Center (Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche & Colorado Mammoth) are also nearby.

The hotels will be designed by HKS, an international architecture firm which specializes in resorts and sophisticated hospitality projects, while Swinerton Builders and AECOM-owned Hunt Construction have been selected as the joint general contractors.

Gage Brothers will fabricate more than 18,000 square-feet of architectural precast panels (121 in all) for the Le Meridien/AC Hotels. It will take approximately three weeks for the panels to be manufactured in Sioux Falls.

“This is an attractive, highly visible project for Gage Brothers in the Denver market,” said Joe Bunkers, Vice President of Preconstruction. "We are thrilled to provide the precast for a hotel development as unique as this in the heart of downtown Denver."

Precast concrete can be adapted in many ways to meet a wide variety of hotel design challenges and the Le Meridien/AC Hotels are no exception. Each hotel will have its own distinct entry, lobby and bar led food and beverage outlets.

Le Méridien will feature 272 luxurious rooms and a full-service restaurant as well as a 24-hour fitness facility, business center and meeting space. Other highlights of the design-led hotel include a 5,000-square foot ballroom and the Le Méridien Hub, a lobby with traditional elements cast aside in favor of a gathering place with heavy emphasis on social interaction and the growing demands of coffee lovers at every Le Méridien hotel worldwide.

Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts is a Paris-born hotel brand that was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in 2005. Le Méridien is currently represented by nearly 100 properties in more than 40 countries. Recent portfolio additions in the U.S. include new hotels in Atlanta, Charlotte, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Chicago and Tampa.

Newly introduced to the U.S., the AC Hotels Denver will be the lifestyle brand's first property to open in Denver. The brand originated in Europe in 2011 as a joint venture with Spanish hotelier, Antonio Catalan and presently boasts a portfolio of 77 hotels in Spain, Italy, Portugal and France.  The AC Hotel Denver will have design elements that embody the city’s one-of-a-kind character.

The Le Meridien/AC Hotels will be managed by White Lodging Services Corporation of Merrillville, Ind. White Lodging’s current portfolio consists of more than 160 mid-to large-scale hotels in 20 states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands:  Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Preferred Hotel Group and InterContinental Hotel Group.

“Precast concrete was a critical aspect of White Lodging’s strategy to build a superior quality hotel that will serve the city of Denver for decades to come,” said Bunkers.

Gage Brothers has provided precast solutions for more than two dozen hotels and resorts over the years, including: the Holiday Inn Rapid City-Rushmore Plaza, Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort, Holiday Inn Resort Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel and the Westin Edina Galleria Hotel.

This is not Gage Brothers’ initial foray into the Denver market. They were the precaster of note for the Fairmont Hotel (1978), Tamarac Plaza office complex (1981), Denver International Airport (1992, 2012), Pinnacle at City Park South (2005) and the renowned Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center (2012).

Gage Brothers is also producing extensive precast for SkyHouse Denver, a 25-story, 354-unit high-rise development with ground-floor retail that is situated at the corner of Broadway and East 18th Avenue.

"Over the years, Denver has provided Gage Brothers with many opportunities that have aligned well with what we do as a company," added Bunkers. “We look forward to working on many more sizeable Denver projects in the future.”

Gage Brothers has secured job contracts in seven of the fifty largest cities in the U.S. in terms of population: Chicago, Colorado Springs, Denver, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha and Tulsa.

BohLand Development has awarded Gage Brothers Concrete the contract for a highly anticipated hotel development in Wayzata, Minn. The Landing, which is the final block to be constructed as part of the Promenade of Wayzata, will include condos, as well as a spa, restaurant, 89-room boutique hotel and 15,000 square-feet of retail space.

The scope of the project includes constructing a portion of the multi-million dollar structure over a pond. Gage Brothers is tasked with providing the floor system to make the semi-buoyant structure a reality.

Gage Brothers is manufacturing 1,030 linear feet of beams and 14,000 square-feet of solid slabs for the development. They will also produce 9,000 sq. ft. of 8” solid plank precast slabs for both the east and west side of Engel Street.

The Landing will be situated in the Promenade of Wayzata’s east block and marks the return of a hotel to Lake Minnetonka for the first time in 50 years. The city of Wayzata first approved the general plan for the Promenade of Wayzata in 2008 – the largest redevelopment project in the city’s 161-year history. The 14.5-acre Promenade demolished the old Bay Center Mall, a 1960s-vintage shopping center on swampland near Lake Minnetonka.

In the 1800s, upscale resorts and hotels dotted the shores of Lake Minnetonka, but the last of these closed/shuttered in 1964.

Architects from the Cunningham Group and city officials spent a great deal of time discussing how the Landing could harken back to Wayzata’s rich summer resort history. As a result of those conversations, the exterior of the Landing is designed as a throwback to an earlier era and pays homage to former resorts that were on the lakeside.

The Landing’s design elements include clapboard siding, stone, metal accents, two levels of verandas, dormers and fabric awnings.

Connecticut-based Hay Creek Hospitality will oversee operations of the hotel and restaurant. Many of their hotels are in quaint small town lakefront communities like: Kennebunkport, M.E.; Charleston, S.C.; Steamboat Landing, N.Y.; and Exeter & Wolfsboro, N.H.

The precast materials will be delivered by Gage Brothers by the end of January 2016. Construction is expected to begin by summer, with a soft opening anticipated for December 2016 and final completion in early 2017.

The construction industry is facing a critical shortage of young workers. By 2017, it is expected that the shortage will be over 2 million people. According to the Construction Labor Market Analyzer Report, one-sixth of construction workers will retire over the course of the next decade.

Gage Brothers Concrete is acutely aware of this problem and has committed to helping a local technical college create a talent pipeline of qualified construction workers in South Dakota.

The Architectural Design and Building Construction program at the Mitchell Technical Institute (S.D.) is one of the school’s original two-year programs, offered since MTI’s founding in 1968. The program has 100% placement and an average starting wage of about $14 per hour, according to data gathered from 2014 graduates.

The most notable feature of the program is the two annual house construction projects carried out by the faculty and students each year. Since 1969, the program has built 98 houses that have been sold to Mitchell area residents.

The program also includes a robust CAD component, ensuring that each graduate gets construction as well as design experience. The philosophy of the program is to create builders who understand design and design technicians who have a full grasp of construction techniques.

The most recent addition to MTI’s renowned curriculum is a commercial construction module.

Each day during their final semester of education, students will engage in classroom instruction to learn the principles of some facet of commercial construction, and will then move on to their lab portion of the day where they will actually work on a project related to that day’s lecture.  This combination of classroom learning and hands-on experience is very beneficial both to the student and to the student’s future employer.

The module will be built with more than 1,300 square feet (16 pieces) of Gage Brothers concrete. Gage Brothers has given a gift-in-kind of $20,000, knocking down the structure’s price tag to approximately $16,000.

Puetz Construction has also been invaluable to this new endeavor; as Mark Puetz and Doug McCune have designed the structure and “have their fingerprints all over it,” according to Mark Gerhardt, Vice President of Industry Relations and Development for MTI.

Partnerships such as the one with Gage Brothers will ensure that MTI graduates experience a variety of commercial construction methods including design, documentation, welding, concrete and finish work in a dedicated commercial construction lab course.

“Without Gage Brothers philanthropic role in this project, we would not be able to introduce this new curriculum to our students this year,” added Gerhardt. “In addition to its generous donation of the precast panels, our students will benefit from the on-site technical expertise provided by Gage Brothers personnel.”

This project will ultimately provide MTI students with a level of exposure to commercial construction that was not possible in the past.  Gage Brothers quickly recognized the mutually beneficial nature of this collaboration and was more than willing to help.

“The commercial construction module is a shining example of how the precast concrete industry can collaborate and partner with technical schools to provide students with excellent opportunities for career exposure and hands-on learning that engages and excites them about future career possibilities,” said Joe Bunkers, Gage Brothers Vice President of Preconstruction. “We were thrilled to help make this hands-on career exploration possible through an in-kind donation of precast concrete.”

MTI graduates find employment with lumberyards, building contractors, architectural firms, and commercial construction companies.

Gerhardt added, “MTI is grateful to Gage Brothers; it’s this kind of industry participation that is so critical to the success of technical education.”