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| 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.
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| 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.
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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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