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Sweetwater Continues to Ride Multifamily Wave – According to Dodge Report, for the first half of 2018 NY Metro Commercial and Multifamily Construction is #1 in US, and multifamily housing, in particular, is up 22% from 2017. Sweetwater is presently engaged in the construction of 470 units in 3 locations around New Jersey.
With another 2 in preconstruction, and 3 others finished recently, Sweetwater’s general construction teams have been busy with multifamily development all over New Jersey. The latest project completed is a bank of 8 faculty townhomes for the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
In Evesham, Sweetwater is engaged as Construction Manager for the construction of 5 apartment buildings totaling 433,000 square feet of living space. The Residences at Renaissance Square is a development that includes the renovation of an adjacent shopping center with more than 950 parking spaces for residents and retail.
In Jersey City, a 5-story structure containing 4 stories of residential units, a grade level of amenities and underground parking is being built by Sweetwater. The Pine Street Lofts apartments will boast a mix of unit types and a roof terrace.
The Cobalt Apartments in downtown Somerville were completed in 2017 by Sweetwater and client, Weiss Properties. This was the 2nd multifamily project Sweetwater has completed for Weiss. With a focus on the revitalization and redevelopment of Somerville as a transit village, a third project – The Davenport – will break ground in October. It will have 60 units and multiple amenities in a 5-story building with 68 underground parking spaces.
“We expect the boom in Sweetwater’s multifamily construction business will continue for the next several years”, says Gary Coopersmith, Sweetwater’s EVP of Business Development and Preconstruction. “A January 2017 ruling by the NJ Supreme Court states that townships can no longer reject applications from developers to build affordable housing. The towns had successfully fought this requirement for several years, creating a backlog of needs for more affordable housing. Now they are compelled by the courts to allow new construction of multifamily complexes. With 20 percent of apartment units needing to be designed as affordable, there is a multiplier effect on the total backlog for some years to come.”
See NJ.com’s article, N.J. Needs to Build 155,000 Affordable Housing Units, for more information on this subject.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Releases 2018 Safety Performance Report
The ABC report is created from data submitted by participants in the 2017 Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) which uses OSHA 300A figures and self-assessment of leading indicator safe practices. That data is processed with specific U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) information to produce the report which substantiates the success of commitment, and the deployment of leading core indicators.
The ABC STEP program promotes better safety and risk management by analysis, best practices, and benchmarking year after year. Sweetwater has been an avid STEP participant for 28 years and has attained Diamond Level status. Our deep-rooted culture of safety is anchored with a dedicated Environment, Health & Safety department, layers of safety and risk management oversite, collaboration with our insurance company, and buy-in from our employees and subcontractors.
ABC’s report shows that STEP Diamond contractors are 670% safer than the BLS average. To review this report, click here. For more on Sweetwater’s program, visit our Safety page.

Sweetwater Has Right Ingredients for Technology Client Renovation. Sweetwater’s expertise in laboratory and technology construction aided in the successful relocation renovation for Phoenix Chemical, a chemical technology company that develops products for the cosmetic, personal care and OTC pharmaceutical industries. 14,300 square feet of space resulted in offices, warehouse and process areas (organic synthesis lab, polymer lab, kilo lab, instrument lab, wet lab, applications lab, sample lab, raw material storage and pail-off room). Lab requirements included 3 RTUs, lab case work, 9 lab hoods and exhausts, and lab gases (nitrogen, hydrogen, helium and vacuum) accessible from all lab benches and lab hoods.

The Cobalt Wins Somerset County Land Development and Planning Award! In step with Somerville’s commitment to revitalization and redevelopment as a Transit Village, Sweewater Construction built this new 4-story, 175,000 square-foot multi-family development for Weiss Properties. The building contains studio, one and two-bedroom apartments in a downtown section that was vacant for 20 years. An attached 2-story parking garage holds 109 parking spaces. The project, within walking distance to the train, included a complete site development plan. For more on the award, go to the Tap into article at http://bit.ly/2CoBPm9.

Sweetwater annually supports the Rock’n Bowl-A-Thon benefiting Make-A-Wish NJ. The event, in its 4th year, was held at Sea Girt Lanes and is organized by Encon Mechanical of Ocean, NJ. Sponsors enjoy bowling, music and food, while funding upcoming Wishes for children diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. The Sweetwater guys bravely came out to play on the eve of the first March 2018 nor’easter!

Stimulating Design for L’Oreal USA’s R&D Facility. Constructed by Sweetwater, this 67,000 square-foot interior renovation began with 2 demolition phases to accommodate employees remaining on site. Our team provided cost control and value engineering during this period in preparation for construction of five work areas distinguished in design by countries where L’Oreal has headquarters. The space is primarily open work, with conference, training and huddle rooms, pantry, informal meeting areas, and lockers in each “country”. There is a 7,000 square-foot testing lab and 3-D printing room for this R&D site. Highlights include the mix of finishes, open ceiling, textile clouds, live moss embedded in ceiling fixtures and wall panels, and custom murals by well-known street artists. View more stunning images of this space on our Commercial Interiors page.

Stunning Renovation for Lowenstein Sandler LLP Completed. Sweetwater, as construction manager, delivered the quality and innovative space this national client had envisioned for its relocated headquarters. A new sophisticated exterior facade and vestibule announces the impressive interior space of 160,000 square feet, spanning 3 floors. A team of ten – management, architects, engineers, and consultants – collaborated successfully to provide the design, function and application. Architectural wood wall panels, high density shelving system, and custom stainless steel railing and cable staircase, are a few of the highlights within. Click here for more information and photos.

Hilton Garden Inn Hotel Conversion in Springfield! Sweetwater reconstructed a drab 4-story existing building for this successful hotel conversion resulting in 170 rooms and additional square footage from 119,000 to 130,000.
A restaurant and bar now enhance the lobby, as well as a large fireplace and gift shop. The multiple banquet areas have a separate entry point from outside of the hotel. A well-appointed bridal suite is accessible from the grand staircase in the largest banquet room. Other amenities include an indoor pool and spa, in addition to a fitness center. This total renovation included the replacement of the roof. The reconfiguration of the parking lot and new landscaping completed this impressive project. For more images, click here.

Sweetwater has earned the Associated Builders & Contractors of NJ 2017 Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) Award at the highest level, Diamond! According to ABC, Diamond Level companies have a TRIR rate that is 770% safer than the construction industry average. Other achievements include:
-2 consecutive years of incident-free OSHA reports
-EMR at .800
-no fatalities
-no OSHA violations
-comprehensive safety program
-pledged drug-free workplace
-insurer endorsement

SWEETWATER CELEBRATES ANOTHER PRODUCTIVE YEAR, TEAMWORK, AND REFLECTS ON A MAJOR LOSS. The entire company met last week to hear Ron Witt Jr., President & CEO, speak to the current state of Sweetwater and review the past fiscal year. The passing of Ron Witt Sr. was extremely difficult emotionally, but the team “persevered to put $78 million dollars of profitable construction in place”, said Ron Jr.
“As we embark on our 2017/2018 fiscal year, the outlook is strong and robust. We have a diverse sector backlog, with ongoing and committed projects totaling $111,000,000. Of this total, we expect to put 80% of this volume in place, which would equate to a fiscal year total of $88,000,000”. “Building on this success requires continued effort, cooperation and teamwork”, Ron stated and asked everyone to remember to choose positivity and personal accountability.
Luke Metz, EVP of Field Operations, also remembered Ron Sr. to all and congratulated Nancy Witt on her 28 years of hard work for the company.