Lemoine Company LLC

Heart of the city┬áThe face and appearance of Louisiana is being renewed after the devastation of hurricane Katrina, and Lemoine Company is very much part of it, Ruari McCallion discovers. When Hurricane Katrina blew into town in August 2005, with 175-mph winds and a record storm surge, it devastated New Orleans and cut a swathe of destruction across Louisiana and west into Texas.  Quiet and calm Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana, was not as hard hit as its rambunctious neighbor, but it experienced power outages, some damage and a level of disruption and inconvenienceÔÇöincluding the impact of a 200,000-person increase in population as a result of the evacuation of New Orleans. The Federal-sponsored reconstruction of the hurricane-damaged areas led directly to the construction of the first private-sector office building in the downtown area in about 24 years.Announced in late 2006, II City Plaza offers 12 stories of office and retail space, with retail and banking outlets at ground level. Altogether, it extends to more than 240,000 square feet of office space. As much of downtown Baton Rouge is relatively low-rise, II City Plaza makes a visual impact by its sheer size. The other thing that catches the eye is the external treatment. This is definitely not another anonymous, bland glass-and-concrete slab. It is multicolored, with natural-style granite facings to the lower levels and white fascias higher up. Faceted windows extend outward from the building on the north elevation, which faces St. James Episcopal Church, and beyond, Capitol Park. The faceted windows extend downward in the center third, visually relieving the elevation and breaking up any potential monolithic inclination. The west elevation, facing onto North Fourth Street, has an even more dramatic appearance, with a central bay-window effect, reaching from just above the atrium entrance to roof level, where it feeds into a tall spire that echoes the spire on St. JamesÔÇÖ Church. The roof is also home to a glass-fronted penthouse, which houses the buildingÔÇÖs mechanical and electrical equipment.II City Plaza sits next to the original City Plaza building, which was completed in 1986 and was built and operated by the same organization, Wampold Companies, Inc. The opening of II City Plaza in early 2009ÔÇöless than two years after ground was first broken on the projectÔÇöwill mark the regeneration and unification of an entire city block in downtown Baton Rouge. The building is an important landmark, and it had to strike the right note for the area, both in terms of access under the cityÔÇÖs pedestrian-friendly code and in terms of its size. The exterior design presented some construction challenges, and the project had to be completed with minimal disruption to the neighboring areaÔÇÖs retail stores and commercial occupants, as well as the nearby church. The task was entrusted to Lemoine Company, LLC, of Lafayette, Louisiana. Founded in 1975, Lemoine Company has grown from a small construction company to a significant, full-service contractor. It has experience in building complete commercial, public and industrial projects and has built an enviable reputation for delivering on time and on budget. The company lays out its commitments clearly and upfront; its Web site claims it will ÔÇ£never be lateÔÇØ in construction. ThatÔÇÖs a pretty exacting commitment to make. The unforeseen happens; unanticipated problems arise; things go wrong. Hurricane Katrina is an example of that. Its aftermath generated the public funds for reconstruction that gave rise to II City Plaza and other large construction projects, but it threw a lot of schedules out as well. Lemoine feels able to make its promise of on-time delivery because it commits to getting involved early, through pre-construction planning, final estimate review, cutover, and internal pre-construction process. It uses its experience to help build cohesive teams out of people who may never have worked together beforeÔÇöclients, architects, engineers and craftsmen. The core, Lemoine believes, is understanding the clientÔÇÖs philosophy, defining the project goals, developing the strategy and establishing strong collaboration. This requires integrating the companyÔÇÖs organization with that of its clients and their consultants, thus erasing the barriers between disciplines. If you know in advance what the lay of the land is, have thoroughly analyzed the site, understood and reviewed the plans, and put in place the infrastructure necessary before turning the first piece of turf, then the unexpected is far less likely to happen.Client relationships are, of course, vital. Clients pay the bills, which makes them special people. The point of contact between Lemoine and its clients is with the men who founded the company and the leadership team. Project team members are master builders, and experienced team managers are dedicated to providing the highest level of service. To achieve it, they apply close attention and diligence to scheduling, operations and project close-outs.Unusually, in an age where activities regarded as non-core are routinely contracted out, Lemoine maintains a strong team of craftsmen and will, typically, undertake activities like site work, concrete, masonry, carpentry, metal framing and gypsum board systems itself. These are all critical areas; the company believes that keeping such activities in-house leads to better quality, reduced costs and improved control. Communication is key, also. Lemoine undertakes regular informed reviews to ensure cost-effective construction and uses state-of-the-art project control systems to enable all team members to see the status of the project, item by item and day by day. ItÔÇÖs as close to real time as you can get.Lemoine began small, but its vision and dedication to excellence have enabled it to grow into one of the regionÔÇÖs leading construction firms. It was Lemoine that built the University of Louisiana Art Museum in Lafayette; Performance ContractorsÔÇÖ building in Baton Rouge; Winn Parish medium-security prison in Winnfield; the Opelousas General Hospital ER Tower and Parking Garage; and the Department of Justice building in Baton Rouge. Lemoine has become part of the Louisiana landscape. ÔÇô Editorial research by Greg Petzold┬á