H. J. High was the prime contractor on the expansion of the production facility for Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc.^® in Valdosta, Georgia. Martin’s^® is known world-wide for their delicious potato rolls. When it came time to expand their operation, they found that they shared many cultural similarities to H. J. High. That made a partnership between Martin’s and H. J. High a perfect fit.

The 14-month project expanded their existing facility by 120,000 sf.

The addition consisted of both one- and two-story exterior and interior tilt walls, precast columns and beams, and precast roof planks. We utilized white concrete for the floor slab.  Interior areas included production, packaging, oven containment, and a cooling spiral.  We installed ten large rooftop HVAC units.  Site work included storm and sanitary utilities, asphalt paving, and an expansion of the loading dock. The project commenced in October 2017 and was completed in December 2018.The contract value was $17,900,000.

This project is both an example of intricate design for large-scale industrial construction as well as the management, delivery and set up of extremely valuable manufacturing equipment. In 2007 we were selected to design and build this substantial facility, one of Central Florida’s most significant construction projects completed in 2008 — the new industrial factory for Mitsubishi Power Systems, Inc. (MPS). KZF Design was responsible for architectural and structural design while H. J. High handled all electrical, mechanical, plumbing, civil, fire protection and solar design.

A subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), a diversified Fortune “Global 150” company and world leader in the design, manufacture, installation and service of commercial and industrial power systems, the company generates more than $25 billion in annual revenues and employs more than 40,000 people worldwide. The 111,500 sf, nine month project was chock-full of intricate design and scheduling facets that required a great deal of planning forethought as well as desig-build components to ensure project success.

Weekly design meetings, expedited design, and a commitment by all members of the team to maintain responsibility logs to establish cost effects were an integral part of this project. Because one of the biggest concerns to the owner was ensuring absolute precision in the handling of all the equipment details for MPS, we developed a detailed matrix for delivery dates, equipment dimensions, required utilities as well as their locations within the building, and all needed inspections.

In this particular project, the value of the equipment used for manufacturing was approximately 10 times the cost of the entire design and construction of the building. It was a significant part of our work to successfully coordinate our construction schedule with the delivery of this valuable equipment — ensuring timely arrival, proper set up and getting it operational right away. The result is a dynamic showcase building that is Mitsubishi Power Systems’ most modern and comprehensive manufacturing capability facility in the Western Hemisphere and allows the company to offer far greater manufacturing techniques, systems and productivity to its customers than ever before.

Due to our precise scheduling together with the effective coordination of their equipment delivery, we were able to hand over the keys to the owner one month early.

The joint venture of H. J. High Construction Company and Batson-Cook Company served as design-builders on the third phase of the Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas (MPSA) Savannah Machinery Works construction project. The team, which built the initial two phases of the facility, erected a 74,000 sf manufacturing bay for the new facility in Pooler, Georgia.

When you buy a plant from your local nursery, you likely don’t give much thought to the plastic pot in which it’s delivered. Well, neither did we. That is, until Nursery Supplies, Inc. (NSI), the largest supplier of plastic pots for the agricultural industry, approached us to expand their operations in Florida. As we discovered, plastic flowerpots are big business and this was a big project.

During a three month period in NSI’s home state of Pennsylvania, we met with the architect and NSI team to define the scope and cost of the project, which, as it turned out, was 15% over budget. H. J. High offered 78 value engineering suggestions to lower the cost to a point that made NSI comfortable. Our part of the project which included the design of the mechanical, electrical, and fire protection components, all proved to be the most complicated.

With a project schedule set at six months, we were allotted approximately 180 days to complete the facility. With a two phase approach — structural and MEP — we had to adhere to a precise schedule to ensure we hit the mark. Of course, the first 90 days were critical. And challenges arose, including a broken crane, heavy rainfall, and some high turnover among subcontractor management.

The second 90 days involved the added challenge of coordinating our work with the owner’s equipment. With multi-million dollar machines arriving on site and requiring mechanical and electrical feeds, we solved these issues through constant communication with NSI engineers as well as aggressive work on the machines once they arrived.

All the obstacles we encountered were addressed as soon as they happened and were critically managed through detailed planning and creative scheduling. Today the beautiful, fully air-conditioned NSI facility is a industrial example of modern efficiency and simplicity. Now, whenever we look at plastic flowerpots, we appreciate all that goes into them.

H. J. High was the design-build contractor for Bar Harbor Seafood’s new 18,000 square foot expansion to their existing 21,000 square foot facility in Orlando. The expansion included the latest in cold storage design and was completed in six months. The new addition featured a zero-degree freezer, new 40-degree cold dock, vestibule, receiving office and two state-of-the-art, live lobster float tanks in a separate holding room. The custom designed lobster tanks are two of the largest in Florida. The project also included four new dock pits/levelers with insulated doors. Sitework included 41 parking spaces, trucking area with heavy-duty concrete and asphalt pavement and new site lighting. Bar Harbor Seafood remained operational during the entire course of construction.

“This expansion helped us meet the growing needs of our customers with a larger product inventory, quicker loading and distribution, and new inventory management systems,” says Jeff Hazell, founder and president of Bar Harbor Seafood. “Coupled with H. J. High Construction’s expertise in food distribution and cold storage facilities, we were able to create a first-class facility.”

H. J. High served as the design-build contractor for Harvill’s Produce new Orlando headquarters. The project consisted of the renovation of an existing 71,800 sf milk bottling facility and construction of a new 14,000 sf, 34 degree cooler. H. J. High renovated the existing facility to include cold storage rooms, holding rooms, ripening rooms, evaporative coolers, dry storage areas, offices and future retail. Work also included a major upgrade to the ammonia refrigeration system, electrical and lighting upgrades, demolition of the existing cooler slab on grade, and reconditioning of fourteen dock doors and equipment.