The new press might have come from Japan, but more than a dozen local companies benefited from the construction of the Fort Wayne Newspapers press building.
Weigand Construction was selected as the contractor for the new building and was involved in the process early on, said Aaron Lybarger, Weigand project manager. The company has been a Fort Wayne business since 1906, according to its Web site.
“This was a great job for Weigand in terms of community involvement, job size and uniqueness,” Lybarger said.
The project was good for the local economy because almost all of the subcontracting and material work for the building was done by Fort Wayne-area companies, Lyberger said. Because the building is on Main Street near the historic neighborhood West Central, he said it should also help with the revitalization of downtown.
Henry Electric Inc. installed the electrical system and lighting for the new press building.
“I think the building is beautiful and fits in perfectly,” said Chuck Henry, president of Henry Electric.
The press building contract that Henry Electric received kept the company busy for about a year and was probably the fourth- or fifth-largest contract the company has done, Henry said. While working on the project, the company got extra work not in the original contract. For example, his workers were part of the team that put together the new press, Henry said.
“It was good for our company, it’s good for the economy and it’s a good showcase at that end of downtown,” Henry said.
Central Indiana Hardware Co. in Fort Wayne helped the architect and contractor design some of the unique doors for the building in addition to providing the doors, hardware and bathroom stalls for the new building, said Scott Erler, project manager and salesman for Central Indiana Hardware.
While Erler said the project was rather small for the company, he said it was nice to see that the out-of-state architects used a contractor and other companies from the area, which he said doesn’t always happen.
Almet Inc. in New Haven built the steel framing for the new building, project manager Scott Greer said. While the contract was about average in size, Greer said it was one the company wanted.
“We enjoy working on high-profile jobs inside Fort Wayne,” Greer said.
Rob Young, president of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance, said he was impressed with how many people and organizations united to make the project happen downtown, where economic development is so important.
“A number of parties had to come together to make the project happen, and we should all be proud that it did happen,” Young said.
kpeterson@jg.net
