Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Englewood Construction Restaurant Group Completes Project in North Dakota


Williston Brewing Co. restaurant and lounge, Williston, ND
              
 CHICAGO (September 25, 2013) – Englewood Construction, one of the country’s leading commercial construction firms, has announced its restaurant group has completed Williston Brewing Co., an upscale restaurant and lounge in booming Williston, N.D.

William Di Santo
 “Williston Brewing Co. provides a much-needed dining and entertainment option for oil field workers and their families,” said William Di Santo, president of Lemont, Ill.-based Englewood Construction. “We’ve been fortunate to take part in the area’s commercial construction boom sparked by North Dakota’s oil rush.”
                                                                                                             In addition to serving as the general contractor, Englewood Construction also assisted in the value-added design of the $5.2 million interior build-out to create a modern Western-themed dining destination.

The 12,000-square-foot space is attached to the 92-room El Rancho Hotel and features wood floors, stone fireplaces and exposed brick. The owners’ big game trophies mounted on the walls and cow-hide leather chairs enhance the western decor. A large, open kitchen allows customers to see the chefs preparing steaks, ribs, pasta and pizza.

“This project helps fill the area’s urgent need for quality dining and entertainment venues to serve the workers that have flocked to this remote town,” Di Santo said. 

“We were able to quickly put our construction team in place to deliver the project on time and under budget.”
                                                            Owned by Williston Holding Co. and designed by Minneapolis-based Studio M. Architects, the restaurant, which opened in mid-September, seats approximately 335 people in a variety of unique spaces.



A huge bar with 40 beers on tap in the center of the restaurant features an artistic counter made from a giant redwood tree and 24 televisions including three with 90-inch screens. A 21-and-over section houses a stage, mechanical bull and gaming tables.

The restaurant’s Buffalo Room provides an intimate setting with leather chairs and sofas, and showcases a glass-enclosed wall with a 3,000-bottle upscale wine selection.

An abundance of jobs fueled by the oil boom has led to a sudden spike in Williston residents.

 The U.S. Census bureau estimates Williston’s population has grown from 14,700 in 2010 to 26,700 in 2012, and a North Dakota State University study stated the number could be as high as 33,000.

 According to Di Santo, such rapid growth can present many labor challenges. Local commercial contractors are back-logged with work for two-to-three years, so commercial construction developers in North Dakota are turning to national commercial construction companies like Englewood Construction to see their projects come to fruition.

 “The owners of Williston Brewing Co. had previously worked with national commercial general contractors to develop Kona Grill restaurants across the country, so it was natural for them to turn to us,” Di Santo said.

“Also, because 67 percent of our work is outside of Chicago, we were able to tap into our extensive network of 20,000 subcontractors around the country to alleviate major labor issues that would hinder other general contractors.”

 On the Williston Brewery Co. project, Englewood tapped contractors from Chicago, a millwork vendor from Indiana and mechanical contractors from Minnesota, Colorado and Utah to complete the commercial construction project.

With Williston boasting 100 percent hotel occupancy rates and hard-to-find one-bedroom apartments renting for $2,300 a month, many workers share space in a trailer and some even sleep in their cars. In fact, Englewood’s project superintendent for Williston Brewing Co. travels and sleeps in his own motor home, which he parked at the jobsite.

 Di Santo noted that this high-profile restaurant project has helped the firm initiate several more projects in the North Dakota market.

 “As Williston city officials scramble to provide adequate services and housing for its burgeoning population, they also have to sift through a multitude of fly-by-night contractors arriving to grab quick profits and then head out of town,” Di Santo said.

 “That’s where Englewood has a significant advantage. Our reputation as a stable nationwide general contractor with a long and successful history of delivering quality work differentiates us.

" In a fast-moving, rapidly changing city, both developers and trades people have confidence in working with us.”

 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Mark Thomton
312-267-4523


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