By Stephanie Kohl
Marketing

I have a confession. I know my upstairs neighbor much better than he probably thinks I do. I have lived in many apartments in my life, but this is the first time I have ever lived on the first floor - meaning it is the first time I have ever had someone living above me. And let me tell you, I can hear EVERYTHING.

I can say with absolute certainty that there is no precast separating my apartment from the one upstairs. If there were, I certainly wouldn't know what time he got up each morning or that he vacuums his entire apartment every Saturday morning, or that (I'm assuming) he has an entire home gym in his living room and focuses on deadlifting every afternoon when he gets home from work. There is no precast between my apartment and the one next to mine either, and that guy snores.

Acoustics play a vital role in the design of a building, and the designer's selection of materials to build with. The building partition (floors, walls and ceilings) of each space offers a measurable level of privacy from outside noise and from physical impacts against the floors, walls, and ceilings themselves.

Due to its density and its ability to absorb sound, precast is an ideal choice for your latest construction project. Precast acts as a natural sound barrier, preventing neighbors from hearing into each other's units. As a building owner, assuring your residents they will not hear the footsteps of their upstairs neighbors or their neighbor's bass on Friday night are big selling points. I know I would agree to a higher rent if I did not have to hear my current neighbors.

When all is said and done, the common goal of architects, builders, and building owners is to acquire as much acoustical performance for the money as possible. Precast can help provide that value. Precast concrete provides high mass and insulation and Mid-States can transform this natural material into a variety of configurations, shapes, patterns, colors, and styles to meet almost any creative and functional vision.

Had my apartment been built using precast, I wouldn't be starting my apartment search all over again. However, my neighbors still got the raw end of the deal. After all, I have a preschooler.

What makes a good project partner?

According to organizations we have worked with, a good project partner encompasses a few things, like open communication (whether it is good or bad news), flexibility, reliability, quality, early involvement/upfront coordination/design assistance, problem solving skills, looking out for the best interest of the client, and, of course, fair price.

Mid-States Concrete Industries strives to be the best partner possible on all your projects. In addition to our Face-to-Face Solution – which includes project assessment and planning, project strategy, single source installation, and completion confirmation – we have also focused on the customer experience we provide to each of our partners, and have set expectations for what we deliver at every point of contact with you, our customers.

”Mid-States really helped us all the way through design to get the project within budget,” said Adam Cohen, Co-owner of Keller, Inc. Mid-States Concrete worked on their Ellaretee LLC project in Germantown, Wisc.

”Mid-States helped us secure a date for their factory,” Cohen added. “We had some financing troubles with land closings and things that didn’t pertain to Mid-States, but they took ownership with the project and helped us meet the dates for the project… It all came together and Mid-States walked with us.”

Adam Hahn, director of Construction Services for Watts Group, said he really likes to get Mid-States involved early for concept and design.

“The ease that I see is that I like to get the precast team involved during design so that I know the people who are making it and installing it are the ones who are helping design it,” Hahn said.

Tom Quinn, Director of Preconstruction of Russell Construction, agreed that bringing in Mid-States early to help with preliminary design and budget makes a big difference, as does having one point of contact within a subcontractor.

“I prefer to have one person because I know I can call one person and get what I need,” Quinn said. “It’s kind of nice to have one single source of responsibility.”

Customers like Cole Payne, project manager at Encore Commercial, value the honesty and upfront attitude Mid-States has provided. He said Mid-States helps him put together a good game plan and sticks to what is promised.

“They’re never false about their information,” Payne said of team members he has worked with (including Matt Keith, Manager of Design Services; Jeremy Olivotti, Vice President of Preconstruction; and Brian Blum, Senior Project Manager). “So, if it’s going to take them seven weeks to install, they try and better it, but it’s around that timeframe.”

Another thing important to Customers is the quality of the people they are working with. Steve Austin, VP & Project Manager for Krupp General Contractors, said there are a handful of “really good subcontractors” his team works with, and Mid-States Concrete is among that group.

“The number one thing for me is the quality of the people you have,” Austin said. “Jeremy [Olivotti] is a great guy and your field guys are very good, too. They communicate well and they are easy folks to work with. I get good comments from my field guys about your staff.”

Does Mid-States sound like the right partner for you? We’d love to contribute to your next successful project. Please contact us at sales@msprecast.com to learn more.