José Marques, APR
Media Relations Manager
513.629.1448
Mailing Address:
Western & Southern Financial Group
Media Relations
Mail Station 90
400 Broadway Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
José D. Marques
Media Relations Manager (513) 629-1448
Eagle Realty Group Advances Diversity and Inclusion for Queen City Square Project
Construction companies Turner and Jostin sign agreement to leverage expertise
CINCINNATI — July 9, 2009 — Eagle Realty Group, a member of Western & Southern Financial Group and developer of the Great American Tower at Queen City Square, has committed to the goal of having a diverse work group for their downtown project.
"One of Eagle’s key objectives for the Queen City Square project is the involvement of an array of companies to include small- and minority-owned and women-owned businesses," said Mario San Marco, president of Eagle Realty Group.
Toward the objective, Eagle Realty Group has engaged and worked closely with Turner Construction Company, Ellington Management Services, and the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority to advance economic inclusion. Eagle Realty Group and Turner Construction Co. announced today that Jostin Concrete Construction, Inc., of Cincinnati, has joined the project as a subcontractor. The agreement was signed this morning between Turner Construction Co., the project’s construction manager, and Jostin Concrete Construction, Inc.
The nature of the Turner-Jostin partnership on the Queen City Square project is a mentor/protégé agreement for the general trades construction portion of the project. The agreement will allow Jostin Concrete Construction, Inc. to increase its business capabilities with the full support of Turner Construction Co.’s industry experience in the construction market segment.
"This partnership is a great example of capacity-building through a mentor/protégé relationship," said Albert C. Smitherman, owner of Jostin Concrete Construction, Inc. "We are excited about building a long-term partnership with Turner, which will support us as we grow and deliver even more expertise to the construction industry as a seasoned subcontractor."
"This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to increasing diversity in the construction workforce and helping our local community grow and prosper," said Ken Jones, vice president and general manager of Turner Construction Co.’s Cincinnati operations. "This type of workforce development and participation program is rather unique for a real estate project, but it will greatly benefit this project and the construction industry."
The scope of work encompasses general trades contracting services for the 41-story high-rise office tower. Specifically, Jostin Concrete Construction, Inc. and Turner Construction Co. will co-manage and perform various activities such as base building doors and hardware, safety and protection, temporary enclosures, specialties, and construction clean-up. The general trades package for this project begins this month and will continue for the duration of the project with an expected completion date of January 2011.
About the Great American Tower at Queen City Square
This latest phase of the master-planned Queen City Square complex will be a landmark building known as the Great American Tower at Queen City Square. Named after its lead tenant, Great American Insurance Company, the building will rise 41-stories above Third Street, and contain 800,000 square feet of office space over a 1,700-car parking garage. The spectacular design and dramatic tiara, at 660 feet above street level, will significantly enhance the city skyline. Registered for LEED certification, the project will be the most environmentally sensitive building in downtown Cincinnati.
Designed by Gyo Obata, founding partner of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), one of the world’s largest architectural firms, the building features an inviting entry plaza and grand rotunda at Fourth and Sycamore, and a spacious promenade extending to the office tower lobby located on the southerly portion of the site. The position of the office tower on the site, and its predominantly glass exterior, is intended to maximize the views from the office floors, which are unobstructed in all directions.
Interior amenities include floor-to-ceiling windows and 9’6” ceilings, which provide abundant natural light in office areas. State-of-the art heating and cooling systems save energy and promote a healthy environment with generous amounts of fresh outdoor air. Column-free floors of up to 26,000 square feet allow for efficient space planning and flexibility for future office reconfigurations. Advanced technological infrastructure offers users the opportunity to take advantage of the latest in communications and high-speed data transmission.
Queen City Square is a development of Eagle Realty Group (a member of Western & Southern Financial Group), and is co-sponsored by its funding partners, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and the City of Cincinnati. Construction is under the responsibility of Turner Construction.
About Jostin Concrete Construction, Inc.
Jostin Concrete Construction, a certified minority business enterprise and a certified small business enterprise, is a Cincinnati-based corporation providing self-performed concrete construction to construction managers, general contractors, developers and owners across the United States. Under the leadership of Albert C. Smitherman, Jostin’s mission is to provide quality concrete construction with safe and on-time performance. Jostin’s local clients include Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Beacon Orthopedic, Harrison Memorial Hospital, Orien Academy, Indian Hill School District, and Macy’s Department Stores. For more information, visit Jostin’s website at www.jostinconcrete.com.
About Turner Construction Company
Turner is recognized as the leading general builder in the U.S. The company’s 5,200 employees perform work on more than 1,500 building projects each year. During 2008, Turner completed $10.6 billion of construction nationally and internationally. Turner is the only builder offering clients a nationwide network of 46 offices across the U.S. Turner also operates national segment groups, which focus on a particular building type, to complement the firm’s geographical network of offices.
Founded in 1902, the firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF, a publicly traded company and one of the world’s leading international construction service providers. For more information, visit Turner’s website at www.turnerconstruction.com.
About the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority
The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority was formed in 2001 to stimulate growth of the regional economy as an economic development organization for Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati. Since its inception, it has focused its efforts on brownfield redevelopment and economic development financing projects, which have resulted in 155 acres of environmentally contaminated property being recycled to new uses and more than $440 million in revenue bond financing of local development projects. The Port Authority is committed to the growth of small and minority and women owned businesses. The Port Authority’s Economic Inclusion Policy has been a model of leadership in the industry and has created opportunities for many business owners.
About Eagle Realty Group
Eagle Realty Group offers a comprehensive range of services covering three core real estate areas. Investment Management offers asset management and investment advisory services. The company’s expertise in real estate development and management are documented by an array of successful ventures ranging from hotels to shopping centers to low-income housing to senior housing and office buildings. In addition, Eagle Realty Group’s Multi-Family Property Management Division serves apartment communities and Eagle’s Commercial Property Management Division provides property management services. The organization oversees investment portfolios consisting of over 32 million square feet of all types of real estate located across the United States and valued in excess of $2.7 billion.
About Western & Southern Financial Group
Western & Southern Financial Group (Western & Southern), a Fortune 500 company, is a Cincinnati-based diversified family of financial services companies with assets owned, managed and under our care in excess of $42 billion as of Dec. 31, 2008. For more information, visit www.westernsouthern.com. Western & Southern is the title sponsor of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women’s Open tennis tournaments.
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