PROCON & ASSOCIATES

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Procon & Associates, Inc.When Robert Gallagher took over a construction company, he had no idea he would one day be the fi rm chosen to renovate the landmark Seelbach Hotel.

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2 Summer 2011

The American DreamWhen Robert Gallagher took over as head of Procon & Associates, Inc., a small specialty construction company out of South Carolina, he had a few ideas as to how he would grow the company -- he had no idea that Procon & Associates would one day be one of the top repair and renovation companies in the southeast.By Paige L. Hill

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Construction Leaders Today 3

PREVIOUS PAGE: The exterior of the landmark 110-year-old Seelbach Hotel after an exterior overhaul renovation project.

BELOW: The entrance of the Seelbach Hotel during renovations. The scaffolding had to be removed during the week of the Kentucky Derby as is town ordinance in Louisville, Ky.

In June of 2008, Procon & Associates, Inc. was hired to restore the exterior façade of the 110-year-old Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Ky.

The historical landmark and hotel has hosted every president at one time or another since President William Taft and a slew of other famous faces, as well. Procon was initially hired to do some exterior restoration work; but the hotel, so impressed with both the quality of work and the pace at which it was being completed, kept extending that order.“The Seelbach Hotel knew our work from other

projects and knew that our team could solve any problem they presented us with,” Gallagher said.

“We pride ourselves on being experts in building envelope construction and being able to trouble-

shoot why existing wall cladding systems are failing. This is the reason we were hired.”

Repairs included brick and limestone restoration, tuck pointing of mortar joints, concrete repairs, lead paint abatement at the window frames and new perimeter sealants and painting of the win-dow frames. The Seelbach asked Procon to assess what else could be done to bring the building into modernity without losing their place on the National Registrar of Historical Buildings. “Because of the age of the building, energy loss

was a big concern,” Tom Amore said, Vice President of Procon. Traffic noise was also a real dilemma for the hotel because it was relentlessly disturbing the guests. Additionally, the energy loss through

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4 Summer 2011

748 window units was exorbitant. Procon knew how to correct these problems, but the restora-tion plan had to be approved first by the local Louisville Historical Society which consequently meant that replacing the guestroom windows was out of the question. “We had to figure out a way to make the structure

as energy-efficient as possible without losing the original aesthetics,” Amore said. After consulting with the historical society it was determined that the best solution would be to install magnetic storm windows on the interior of each guestroom window. This resulted in significant noise reduction and considerable energy savings; and consequently, the aesthetics of the building were maintained.

Next, Procon was asked to address the skylight above the main lobby area made up of French glass panes six inches square -- measuring half radius approximately 20 feet from side to side and 45 feet long. It was in dire shape and at one point the skylight had also been roofed over.“When we checked out the skylight to see what

options we had, we found it was in such poor condition that we were worried it could potentially give way and hurt someone in the lobby,” Amore said. The Procon team acted quickly in securing the skylight and repairing the roof over it, but the question of whether the hotel could have a skylight again over the lobby persisted. “We gave them the option of this incredible

ABOVE: Elevator sitting area on one of the floors of The Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Ky. Following Procon’s extensive exterior renovation, The Seelbach Hotel hired them to also revamp the interiors including carpet, lighting, fixtures and even furniture.

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before&after

THIS PAGE: Procon & Associates, Inc. did a complete interior renovation of all the guest rooms floor by floor with subcontractor Interior Construction Services on The Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Ky. The renovation included new carpet, lighting, fixtures, painting and furniture. Above, the finished product of one of the Seelbach’s suites. Inset, the former interior of the same suite.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Above right, the commons area of The Seelbach Hotel after Procon’s renovation which included replacing the outdated window treatments. Inset, the same commons before the renovation.

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6 Summer 2011

INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION SERVICESInterior Construction Services is a full-service interior

restoration contractor specializing in hospitality renovations in the South Carolina area. ICS sources and installs interior coverings needs such as carpet, tile, vinyl and trim for high-end commercial properties. ICS can handle renovations ranging from simple recovering to restoring and updating fire-damaged interior spaces. ICS has worked on several projects with Procon, most recently the historical Seelbach Hotel. For this job, ICS updated carpet, wall vinyl, paint and furniture in the guestrooms and corridors, as well as some public space. Currently, ICS is working with Procon on a major renovation at the Omni Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. renovating the interiors.

after

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THIS PAGE: Shore Crest I condo/timeshare project in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

OPPOSITE: An ocean-front view of the Shore Crest I condo/timeshare project in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. during rennovations.

RHINO DEMOLITION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Rhino Demolition specializes in asbestos abatement, mold remediation, lead removal and specialized demoli-tion in medium to large projects. All their workers hold certifications in asbestos removal and receive formal training for mold remediation. They adhere to the strict guidelines provided by OSHA, the EPA, and additional state and local agencies. For the many states they serve, like North and South Carolina and Florida, these ser-vices are key to maintaining a building’s health in humid climates.

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8 Summer 2011

LED lighting system that looks like the sky and they liked it,” Gallagher said. The lighting system simulates the actual outside conditions in real time and can simulate up to 125,000 different themes and color combinations. The new system was approved and installed and it has provided an exceptionally warm and inviting ambiance in the main lobby area.

The Seelbach asked Procon to stay on for an interior facelift, as well. The guest rooms were upgraded – the carpet was replaced, walls re-wallpapered, bathrooms were re-tiled, and hardware changed on the doors. Even the beds, televisions and dressers were replaced with newer models. The hotel closed down a floor at a time allowing

Procon enough elbow room to complete the interior overhaul, but even the hotel could not account for some of the challenges the construc-tion crew would face.“The city has very strict ordinances for the down-

town area during the week of the Kentucky Derby,” Gallagher said. “They will not permit staging or scaffolding equipment on any of the buildings; so, everything has to be clean and open access for the crowds. As a result, we had to disassemble our equipment on nine stories of the hotel and reassemble it later.“It was challenging, but the final product was

such high quality it really didn’t matter in the end. This is quite an extravagant hotel. When I

think about how far my company has come, it’s just really humbling.”

Gallagher came to work for Procon in 1989 as general manger just after hurricane Hugo hit and devastated the South Carolina coast. It was a time when the services of a waterproofing company were badly needed and over the next few years, Gallagher worked at growing the company’s circle of contacts and clients. At one point the original owner of the company decided to sell Procon to Gallagher and he purchased it over a number of years, finally becoming the official owner in 1996.“We were already very active in maintaining

exteriors and doing an expert job at it, but I wanted to expand our capabilities to include a

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BELOW: the Shore Crest I condo/timeshare project in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. during renovations.

RIGHT: Shore Crest II condo/timeshare project in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

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10 Summer 2011

more comprehensive approach to building repairs,” Gallagher said. “We were a ‘specialty contractor’ but we needed to evolve into something bigger if we wanted to be a leader in the industry.”

Over time, Procon expanded their services to include repairs and upgrades to the entire building envelope along with all of its construction assem-blies. This included concrete repair (structural and non-structural), caulking, various waterproofing systems for vertical and horizontal surfaces, framing and sheathing, stucco applications, roofing and mechanical systems. “As our reputation and customer base grew in

the hospitality industry the customers requested more services,” Gallagher said. Responding to that request, Procon added Interior Construction Services, Inc. and Rhino Demolition and Environ-mental Services, rounding out the “associates” in Procon & Associates, Inc. “I always knew that we needed to grow the com-

pany and now we are licensed in multiple states as general contractors which has allowed us to do a lot more and compete for bigger jobs,” Amore said. Through their relationship with various hotel groups they have established their company as a trusted member in the hospitality industry -- a place they maintain today.“Our work had traditionally been on coastal

condominiums, but that work can be seasonal and we needed to expand our customer base, working with hotels has been a good fit for our companies-focused services,” Gallagher said. The company has just completed exterior renovations on a combined condo/timeshare project called Shore Crest I and II. The company was brought in on Shore Crest II to replace exterior stucco, apply new sealants and waterproof the buildings. Procon acquired the bid for Shore Crest I and II in a strategic manner.“The current owners were suing the original

construction company in a construction defect case,” Gallagher said. “We were retained by the plaintiff council to assess the damage and the costs of repair. It was a very detailed scope. Once they settled the case, we were invited to bid on the project and I suppose our involvement in the litigation process helped us to win the contract.”

The company was hired, but only if they could complete it in seven months.“Nobody thought it could be done, but we knew

that project inside and out when we went in,” Amore said. Procon has been used as an expert witness on roughly 60 such cases, a side job that Gallagher said has helped the company understand the industry by studying the mistakes that others have made. He has strived to make the company a quality one. “I am thankful I had the opportunity to acquire

Procon, because owning your own business is the American dream.” Gallagher said. CLT

LEFT: Shore Crest II condo/timeshare project in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. after renovations.

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PROCON & ASSOCIATES, INC.108 Caste Court

Little River, SC 29566(843) 399-8918

www.proconglobal.com

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