The restoration project proved to be both opportunistic and challenging as NBBJ was driven by the need to restore the structure and preserve its historical character while integrating the mission, vision, and culture of Resource Marketing, a technology marketing and communications company.

Resource Marketing occupies three of the floors and has its main reception area on the third level, which sets the stage for the culture of both the clients and employees of the firm. The basement is the home of Buca di Beppo, a well-known Italian family-style restaurant. The first floor is awaiting occupants.

In addition to maintaining the building's integrity, NBBJ also was faced with designing adequate workspace for Resource Marketing around the numerous large concrete columns throughout the building.

This was accomplished by departing from the conventional open office cubical concept and creating custom workstations that rotate around the columns. The columns provide for turn-in-place workstations that allow three associates to work individually or to merge their workstations for team interaction.

Collaboration and presentation ledges run the length of the south wall on each floor. These 150-foot-long ledges provide areas for associates to use for casual meetings, impromptu presentations, and project storyboarding.

Other interior aspects-walls, floors, ceilings, and original wood paneled offices-were restored and left exposed. Original wood paneled offices, with pivoting transom windows and wood floors in the front area of the second floor, were restored and are now utilized as Resource Marketing's conference center.

Many of the walls still reveal flaking paint and dents, and the foot-thick concrete floor retains its chips, indicators of age and use. However, a walk-in vault, originally used by the plow company to store business records, was converted into a private client lounge. The vault is a must-see for any visitor to the building.

Resource Marketing's reception area is highlighted by a custom designed reception desk, a dynamic and active space that serves as a focal point that showcases the firm's work on curved display surfaces, and is open to an adjacent kitchen/café. Smaller kitchens were installed on floors two and four.

A sky-lit staircase of steel reinforced bars and glass functions as a communicating element for all three floors. This central stairway acts as a conduit of light and lightness in contrast to its surroundings of concrete floors and heavy structure. The delicate glass treads allow the natural light from the skylight to penetrate all levels of the office.

Conference rooms furnished in keeping with associates' tastes and needs for creativity are located at the ends of each floor. The conference rooms' walls and tables were kept neutral to minimize visual impact on the work in process, yet each room features a custom area rug of dynamic pattern, texture, and color. Furnishings range from overstuffed couches and chairs to beanbags in one room on the second floor.

Renovation began in September 1997 and was completed in March 1999. Cost of the $4.3 million project was shared by Nationwide ($2.8 million) and Resource Marketing ($1.5 million).

NBBJ also has receive three awards for its renovation of the building: AIA Ohio Honor Award Interior Project, Reconstruction Project of the Year Award from Building Design and Construction, and Physical Planning and Design-Small Scale Project Award from PlanIt Columbus 2000.

Next month members will have an opportunity to pay tribute to the chapter's sponsors and associate members. Sponsorship/Associate Night will be August 8 at a location to be determined. Festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. Members should check the Web site on a regular basis for additional information about the event.

Meet The Member Sally Gardner Chemical Abstracts Service

It was the persistence of Thomas W. Ruff & Co.'s John Cleland that brought Chemical Abstract Service's Sally Gardner to the central Ohio IFMA Chapter.

It was also Cleland who introduced her to "folks such as Jim Yankle, Craig Thomas, Bob Pulsfort, Angie Castner, Molly Ranz, Vicki Simons, and the many, many others (IFMA members) who followed.

"I learned more from them about facilities management in a few short months than I learned from my many years of experience and class room work," Gardner said.

(Gardner also said she "learned a lot of personal things, but that's another whole article.")

Cleland, senior vice president-marketing for Thomas W. Ruff & Co., is credited with being the founder of the central Ohio Chapter.

"He was involved and very dedicated to building the membership for this new chapter," Gardner said, "and he kept calling and calling to get me to come to the monthly meetings. Finally, the light came on as I realized I was looking for ways to learn new things."

Since becoming a member several years ago, Gardner has served as co-chair of the Membership Committee, assisted the Community Services Committee with the Adopt-a-Family program, attended annual conferences, and urges "every IFMA member to get involved and to develop as many relationships with other members as possible.

"There is a wealth of knowledge and expertise within our group, and our members are just waiting to lend a hand," she said.

Gardner is manager of CAS's Office Services Department and responsible for its cafeteria operations; travel; printing; distribution services; product fulfillment; and publication, printing, and distribution of its printed, microform and computer disk products.

CAS is a division of the American Chemical Society. CAS employs 1,200 in Columbus who index and abstract patents and articles from some 8,000 scientific journals, conference proceedings, and other documents pertinent to chemistry.

Gardner is also a "true Buckeye:"

"I was born at Grant Hospital, attended Whetstone High School, and after graduation moved on to The Ohio State University for about two years. My father owned a restaurant in Clintonville for 33 years called Warren's Sandwich House. It was there in the restaurant and in his catering business that my two brothers and I learned what customer service was all about."

Gardner's 33-year career at CAS began in the summers of 1967-68 when she was employed as an index clerk in Editorial Operations while a student at Ohio State.

"I interrupted my academic studies in November 1968 to return to CAS full-time in a series of clerical indexing positions, culminating in a promotion to a supervisor of a Central Files operation. I also continued my course work toward a bachelor's degree at Franklin University, and in December 1980, I graduated with a bachelor of arts in business administration."

After graduation, as Gardner was thinking of exploring other employment opportunities, she was promoted to a professional position in the Business Management Division. Here she gained entry-level business experience, researching and preparing responses to various business topics, developing and implementing company administrative business policies and procedures, and preparing a variety of purchase and lease contracts.

"I was promoted in July 1982 to the Facilities Operations Department as a facilities coordinator," she said. "I managed a multi-year CAS remodeling program and was responsible for the selection, purchase, and installation of new furnishings. In addition, I developed and monitored the department's budget, managed the CAS offsite storage and recycling programs, and disposed of surplus furniture and equipment."

In January 1994, Gardner was selected to manage the Facilities Planning & Services unit within the Facilities Operations Department. Here she managed the administrative and facilities coordination staff and was also responsible for preparation and monitoring of the CAS building budget; facilities, planning, renovation, and enhancements; building service's contract negotiations and performance; the business continuity planning program; and departmental support functions.

Four years later she took on the additional responsibility to manage the renovation and new-build project for Columbus CAS. Gardner handled the day-to-day coordination of the renovation and new-build activities, serving as the liaison between architects, engineers, construction professionals, and a CAS steering committee.

However, this role was short-lived and in October of that year, Gardner became manager of the Office Services Department, her current position. Gardner resides in Westerville.

Sponsor Spotlight Frank Messer & Sons Construction Co.

When an organization such as Frank Messer & Sons Construction Co. maintains publicly it is a "true corporate citizen in all our markets," you know someone will eventually ask the Cincinnati-based builder to prove it.

For Messer, the proof comes easily.

The employee-owned company operates in five major markets-Columbus and central Ohio, Dayton, Lexington, Louisville, and Cincinnati-and has been dedicated since its founding in 1932 to providing the best in construction management, design/build, and general building construction in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Just as evident as its hundreds of major construction/renovation projects throughout the tri-state area in the past 70 years is the company's numerous financial contributions and gifts of service to more than 100 groups and organizations.

Jim Hess, a senior vice president for the company, who explained the company's strong community involvement, heads Messer locally. He said:

"It is important to Messer as a company to return something to the community. We view it as part of our corporate obligation to be in partnership with each community where we work. Both must work in concert with each other to continuously improve our collective quality of life. And our partnerships with local community organizations mean more than financial contributions, they include active participation at board, staff, and volunteer levels."

Messer's involvement includes assisting many high schools and colleges, healthcare institutions, community groups and organizations, professional associations, and social service agencies such as United Way, American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America, Christmas in April, and the YMCA.

You name it, and Messer probably has built it, renovated it, or contributed to it.

If additional, "true-corporate-citizen" evidence is required, Messer would only have to point to the many awards of excellence in construction/renovation and safety the company has received over the years, including the 1990 AGC Build America Award, Build Ohio Awards in 1993 and1996, two 2000 Kentucky Builders Awards and two 2000 Central Ohio Builders Exchange Safety Awards.

With such credentials, it's fair to say Messer works constantly to maintain a company goal of "improving our environment through community involvement, support of education, participation in industry groups, and promotion of teamwork."

And with more than $328 million worth of construction put in place last year, and an estimated $350-360 million underway or planned for this year, Messer can successfully argue, if necessary, that it is "a leading force in our construction market areas year after year. We are a company of builders who lead construction projects to successful completion on time, on budget, and safely."

The Columbus and central Ohio office with its 65-70 employees was opened in 1993 and operates from 3600 Fisher Rd. on the city's west side. The opening here followed by one year the company's move into Lexington. The Louisville and Dayton offices were opened in 1999.

Hess related the Columbus office is responsible this year for $40-45 million worth of construction or renovation projects ranging from buildings for commercial and industrial use to healthcare, institutional, and laboratory facilities.

Major projects include:

The $20 million State Farm Insurance operations center under construction on State Rt. 161 near Hamilton Rd. This four story, 150,000-square-foot building will be ready for occupancy in early 2002.

A $60 million, major renovation of the Ohio Courts Building, 65 S. Front St. The company is renovating all 16 floors of the 450,000-square-foot building and is expected to have it ready for occupancy by the Ohio Supreme Court in late 2003.

Three projects totaling $4-5 million at Riverside Methodist Hospital that include a new center for treatment of kidney stone problems, and renovation of areas within the hospital proper. The kidney center will be completed by fall, but the renovation projects will take about 12 months to complete because of the necessity of moving hospital departments while the work is being done.

A $3-4 million renovation of Doctors Hospital West that should be completed by the end of this year.

Though the Messer office here is less than 10 years old, Hess said the company has had a strong central Ohio presence for more than 50 years, "working on a target basis and bringing people in and out of the area for each project. However, a fundamental change in corporate growth strategies led to the decision of a greater presence in each community within which we work. This change in strategy to fuel long-term corporate growth has worked well for us."

Hess, who has been with Messer since 1975, said the company became a sponsor of the central Ohio IFMA Chapter about five years ago.

"We work and live in a people-oriented business, and being connected is important to us. We rely on relationships such as IFMA to carry us forward. To be involved with such an organization is very important to us."

Sponsor Spotlight The Trane Company

The Trane Company, one of the world's largest suppliers of indoor comfort systems for new and existing buildings, has an immense presence in the commercial market in Columbus and central Ohio.

Working from offices at 810 W. Third Ave., Trane Columbus, a fixture here since 1960, has 75 employees and "owns" some "60 percent of the commercial market in equipment sales and is growing a service business to match," according to Bill Whitmeyer, existing building sales engineer.

Trane, headquartered in La Crosse, WI, is a division of American Standard, Inc., and serves both residential and commercial markets. On the commercial system side, nearly 6,000 of the industry's most highly trained, experienced sales engineering and service professionals serve Trane's global market.

(Residential and light commercial heating and air conditioning products in North America are sold throughout a network of independent distributors and company-owned offices serving nearly 6,000 independent dealers.)

Whitmeyer said, "In addition to selling and installing heating and air conditioning systems, we also provide a lot of solutions related to energy; the life-cycle costs of what is involved in maintaining and operating an air conditioning system; and design, installation, and maintenance of equipment; and we have a well-stocked parts and supply house available to anyone in the industry. We can take it from the cradle to the grave."

Trane Columbus, headed by John Conover, district manager, boasts of "28 service technicians, one of the largest and best-trained service teams to perform heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) maintenance. We will do anything from repairs to a full-service maintenance agreement," Whitmeyer added.

Trane Columbus proclaims itself the industry leader in installation of direct digital controls for HVAC systems in new construction throughout central Ohio. The controls are mounted on the equipment at the factory, reducing field installation time. The controls can be serviced locally.

Whitmeyer said the company has been in the "building automation and controls business for 22 years," and because of this experience can give a builder or owner a specifically designed system that is usually more cost-effective to install, and a single point of reference if problems should occur.

In addition, Trane Columbus provides training programs throughout the year for contractors, building owners, property managers, and others involved with HVAC systems and issues.

The one-day classes for as many as 30 persons per class cover a wide range of topics, including the different types of HVAC equipment, regulatory issues, and indoor air quality. Once a year the company offers a 10-week clinic on air conditioning to "go over the operation, theory, and design of the equipment and to help consulting and mechanical engineering firms learn more about how air conditioning works," Whitmeyer said.

These programs are not new at Trane Columbus; the day classes have been offered since 1995, and the 10-week course dates to 1970. "The classes are very popular and well attended, "Whitmeyer said, "especially the air conditioning clinic."

Trane Columbus provides systems and services to such major employers and facilities as The Ohio State University Hospitals, Honda, Columbia Gas of Ohio, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, The Mall at Tuttle Crossing, Wendy's, and Abercrombie & Fitch, and is also involved with numerous other large business offices, schools, and institutions throughout central Ohio.

Of the five Trane commercial sales offices in Ohio-Cleveland/Akron, Cincinnati, Toledo, and Dayton--Trane Columbus covers the largest territory, says Mary Crespy, marketing director. The company's service and parts departments are both on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week when critical problems or emergency situations develop, she said.

Trane Columbus has enjoyed a 10-year relationship with the central Ohio IFMA Chapter as a sponsor and in providing associate memberships. Whitmeyer, the current associate member, cites the networking and educational opportunities that membership offers.

"Our association with IFMA gives us an opportunity to meet with professionals in the Columbus area and enables us to gain an insight in how best to serve our customers," he said.

James Trane, a steamfitter and plumber, started the Trane Co. in 1885. His son, Reuben, joined him after receiving a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin and the company began producing a new type of low-pressure steam heating called Trane Vapor Heating.

By 1916 the Tranes had said farewell to the plumbing business and were focusing on manufacturing heating products. Nine years later, Reuben Trane conceived the idea of the convector radiator, the product that launched the company on its road to success. Trane's first air conditioning unit, the Trane Unit Cooler, was developed in 1931.

It blew air past coils through which cool well water was circulated. This unit was designed for offices, restaurants, shops, department stores, and factories. The first commercial applications were movie theaters in Louisville and Indianapolis.

The company today is truly global with manufacturing facilities and sales and service offices throughout the United States and in many foreign countries, including England, France, China, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia, and Taiwan, and in the Middle East.