Case Studies Best of the United States

Craig Carpenter says he is not the jack-of-all-trades, he’s the master of one—and that suits him just fine. On the cusp of celebrating a 30-year anniversary in the home remodeling business, Carpenter remembers starting up Custom Remodelers in Lino Lakes with brothers Kevin and Chad and older sister Corinne. Back in the early days, growing […]

It’s said that locks are only for honest people, but that might be more for the basic door. For the specialty wares furnished and installed by J.S. Archer Co. Inc. in Ashland, Virginia, keep more than burglars out. There are also the fires, explosions, floods, storms, vehicular crashes or whatever else that must be withstood. […]

There aren’t many such enterprises still in existence, not when the competition is the big-box store. But here in and around central Michigan, the Self Serve Lumber & Home Center chain isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving—seemingly unfazed by the ubiquitous Home Depots and Walmarts. Then again, it preceded the gargantuan retailers by decades. It also […]

He’ll tell you about how in 2012 Hollingsworth Pack helped rebuild Haiti after the earthquake of two years earlier, when the rule of law crumbled along with so much infrastructure. Or about how the U.S. Air Force dormitory in Greenland needs an innovative approach to address everything from melting permafrost to Arctic gales. Or about […]

As far as Victor A. Mirontschuk is concerned, it’s one thing to draw up fanciful designs with nouveau buildings and all the latest trends from “Architectural Record”—which tend to end up behind a frame, in a portfolio, or delegated to a drawer. It’s altogether different to craft buildings that exceed a client’s specifications while satisfying […]

You could say the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino placed a safe bet in the hands of Thomas Falvey and the T.N. Ward Co. team headed up in Atlantic City by Executive Vice President John Devecchio. A large one, to be sure—the resort chain entrusting them to wager $1 million per day over the span […]

In-demand finished lots for homebuilders are on the drawing boards, a busy Kelsey Stone tells Blueprint in late 2018. Lots that will be ready for construction, and have water, sewer and road access. Homebuilders, Stone explains, don’t always develop their own land. Here, in and around the Texas Hill Country, many have shifted to a […]

At first glance, the wooden wares offered by Houston-based Building Products Plus (BPP) might not seem like the stuff of glossy magazine spreads. Yet, you’ll see them on a golf course in Da Nang, Vietnam, supporting sand-trap embankments and water-retaining walls to the tune of 2,000 linear feet. They withstand the traffic of thousands of […]

Carly Bonora is proud to say that “plumbing is in my blood.” It makes sense for Bonora, who grew up around plumbers, and is the fourth generation of her family to run 72-year-old Ackerman Plumbing Inc. Bonora worked her way up to vice president and co-owner from humble beginnings in the family enterprise, mowing lawns […]

The grass is only greener over the septic system if it’s been designed and installed properly, which is why a lot of lawns are lush in and around the community of Canyon Lake in the foothills of Texas Hill Country. Since 1981, many homeowners and small businesses in the area have come to rely upon […]