Congratulations to the 2021 Awards of Excellence Winners!

On January 27, 2021, the Minnesota Construction Association (MCA) honored its members for outstanding recently completed construction projects. The awards were presented virtually at the 26th Annual MCA Awards of Excellence Gala. Congratulations to all of the awards recipients!

Maverick Cutting & Breaking won in the New Project Total Value Under $15,000,000 category for the Minneapolis Airport 2019 Baggage Claim/Ticket Lobby Operational Improvements. An ellipse opening was a renovation to the existing slab of a corridor to create an opening to the lower level at the Minneapolis Airport. The ellipse was carefully cut using a variety of different saws to finish off the precise cut.

In the New Project Total Value Over $15,000,000 category, Kraus-Anderson won for the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel project. The Omni Viking Lakes Hotel is the mainstay of the Viking Lakes mixed-use development project that includes the TCO Performance Center for the Minnesota Vikings. The 14-story, 320-key hotel features an event space, spa, fitness center, three dining options, and other luxurious amenities.

Ryan Companies US, Inc. won in the Renovation, Expansion or Tenant Improvement Project category for the Rand Tower Tribute Hotel. Rand Tower has been a Minneapolis landmark since 1929. By the 21st century, this National Registered Historic office tower was outdated compared to its modern downtown neighbors. In 2017 the process began to convert Rand into a Marriott Tribute Hotel and restore its local prominence. The hotel opened December 2020.

In the Government Construction Project category, Terra Construction won for the Bemidji State University Hagg-Sauer Hall project. This project involved the demolition of the existing 82,500 sf Hagg-Sauer Hall and construction of a new 27,739 sf academic learning center. The new Hagg-Sauer Hall provides flexible teaching spaces, active learning classrooms, upgraded faculty offices, multipurpose labs and collaborative spaces impacting 14 different college programs.

Atomic Recycling won in the Research, Innovation or Use of Technology category for the Fire Prevention System Installation with Fire Rover. Atomic Recycling and the C&D recycling facility worked with Fire Rover to install an innovative fire prevention system that detects and extinguishes potential fires before they start. The benefit of this technology is that Fire Rover monitors 24/7 so that the building is protected even when no one is around.

Each year, the Minnesota Construction Association recognizes a project that was completed as a result of resourceful blending of construction techniques and professionals. The 2021 recipient of the MCA Choice Award is RJM Construction for the HERO Center project.

The HERO Center (Health & Emergency Response Occupations) training center in Cottage Grove is a 47,000-square-foot facility that will be a magnet for federal, state and local law enforcement officers. The center has training areas for all types of personnel including first responders, fire fighters and police. The center also includes a 2-acre training area for police dogs. The center has areas that can be easily changed (walls, doors, or windows) for officers to see different situations.

This was a B3 Sustainable Project that had requirements for the project to have a minimum of 75% waste divergent which was achieved.

The project was unique in the way it brought two different cities (Woodbury & Cottage Grove) and the state of Minnesota for its funding needs. The project had multiple city representatives heavily involved in the project that displayed great teamwork.

With the building having two different shooting ranges, there will be a lot of ballistic material present which requires a specialty HVAC system.

MCA also honored outstanding companies and individuals at the Awards of Excellence Gala. These awards acknowledge the exemplary work and dedication to quality construction by our members.

General Contractor of the Year – Greystone Construction
Subcontractor of the Year – Rachel Contracting
Service Provider of the Year – SitesForBuilders.com
Design Professional of the Year – BKBM Engineers
Member of the Year – Patrick North, SitesForBuilders.com

Click here to view 2020 winners.