Mount Juliet, Tennessee
Rockie Williams
Organization, experience, and communication were keys to the success of the project. Thorough pre-construction planning with the owners, designers, and engineers was essential to organize the complex site. Given the site difficulties and potential delays to the schedule it entailed, Carden Company employed weekly meetings with sub-contractors, owners, designers, and on-site supervisors to communicate plans, discuss problems or changes, and coordinate the various teams’ efforts. Experienced field supervision was also important, with day-to-day operations managed by veteran on-site supervisors who had key responsibility for quality control. Carden Company was able to build the unique and attractive dealership the owner desired at a price he could afford.
Every building project needs a firm foundation; this one required the removal of 7,000 truckloads of excess materials to make that possible. Carden Company’s management of this challenging project earned us the 2017 Eagle Award for excellence in industrial construction from the Associated Builders and Contractors organization.
Owner Rockie Williams wanted to expand and upgrade his vehicle business, which had been based in Lebanon, Tennessee. The City of Mount Juliet offered him an undeveloped lot the city owned in an excellent location for a large, new dealership. But the site was a challenge.
Previous commercial development adjacent to the site had used the lot to discard excess soil and it was not clear what site problems might be buried beneath it. Coming up with a cost-effective-plan for removing the debris and establishing a stable site was the most challenging aspect of the project.
Carden Company started work bull-dozing and grading the site during a challenging winter. With such extensive site-work in an already commercially-developed area, considerable coordination with the city was required for moving equipment, vehicles and the excess materials in and out of the site. In the end, 7000 truckloads were removed and a stable work surface was achieved.
With high-end finishes, numerous customer amenities and an extensive service area, the dealership facility itself demanded considerable organization of work crews. In particular, two distinctive features of the showroom, a 3000-gallon salt-water aquarium, and an impressive 2-sided stone fireplace required special expertise.