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Construction On Cannabis Dispensary Begins

Northbrook Patch | Jun 17, 2020 – Construction is underway on a new recreational and medical dispensary at 755 Skokie Blvd. in Northbrook. Cannabis Facility Construction, a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm based in Northbrook, announced the news Tuesday. The facility will be run by Greenhouse Group LLC.

The Northbrook location will be a national flagship location for the brand, according to a press release. The site, offering nearly 10,000-square-feet of finished space, is the former home the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The vacant Marathon Gas station at 430 Dundee Road will be consolidated into one lot.

“As their preferred design-build partner, CFC has delivered multiple dispensaries for Greenhouse over the past five years in various states across the country,” said Andy Poticha, principal at Cannabis Facility Construction, in the release. “We are now especially excited to have this opportunity to build their largest flagship location right here in our own backyard.”

Read more at Northbrook Patch

Cannabis Facility Construction Commences Construction on New Flagship Greenhouse Dispensary

NORTHBROOK, IL – Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC), a national, full-service, cannabis design-build construction firm based in Northbrook, Illinois, is pleased to announce the start of construction on a new recreational and medical cannabis dispensary for Greenhouse. Located at 755 Skokie Boulevard in Northbrook, IL, the new dispensary will be a national flagship location for the brand, offering almost 10,000 square feet of finished space.

“As their preferred design-build partner, CFC has delivered multiple dispensaries for Greenhouse over the past five years in various states across the country,” said Andy Poticha, Principal at Cannabis Facility Construction. “We are now especially excited to have this opportunity to build their largest flagship location right here in our own backyard.”

Construction commenced in May, revitalizing the site and its surrounding area that had been vacant for quite some time.

The location’s sleek, modern, industrial design will represent a new look for the Greenhouse brand. An open floor plan with high vaulted ceilings, skylights, abundant natural light, and easy-to-browse product displays will complement the wood and masonry structure. To create a differentiated and welcoming customer experience, careful consideration has been given to both customer traffic flow and the reality of social distancing. The design ensures all points of sale are six feet apart so transactions take place with proper social distancing in mind and create a sense of ease.

In addition to the retail space up front, there will also be back office space for processing, a secure, oversized vault for substantial inventory storage, and a highly advanced security system throughout.

CFC’s work complements exterior infrastructure improvements happening simultaneously to revitalize the surrounding area with the addition of natural landscaping, a retention pond, large parking lot, and new turn lane from Skokie Boulevard.

A leader in serving the construction needs of the cannabis industry since 2015, Cannabis Facility Construction has built more than 30 cultivation centers, processing laboratories and retail dispensaries customized for the needs of medical and recreational cannabis clients in nine different states.

For more information on CFC or to connect with principals Andy Poticha, Ira Singer, and Mike Frazin, please visit www.cannabisfacility.net.

Updates on our latest commercial builds

Our field teams have been very busy as they continue to make progress on several commercial renovations. Watching these projects come together has been an enjoyable experience; these behind-the-scenes pictures illustrate the complexity of the work that goes into making amazing spaces happen. We are looking forward to seeing these projects move towards completion throughout the summer.

Mosaic Construction Announces Launch of New Medical Office Project for TCA Health on Chicago’s South Side

CHICAGO, IL – Mosaic Construction, LLC, a full-service design-build commercial and multifamily renovation firm, is pleased to announce the start of construction on a new medical office renovation project for TCA Health, a medical clinic serving an at-risk community on Chicago’s far south side at 1029 East 130th Street.

The 2,700-square-foot, grant-funded project will update and transform the patient reception area, waiting rooms, private offices, counsel rooms, and connecting corridors in the East Wing to match an earlier renovation of the building. Demolition and renovation of the East Wing started in May 2020 and will feature new lighting, flooring, paint, acoustic ceiling tiles, stainless steel corner guards, and other finishes complementing the facility.

“We are proud to partner with TCA Health on their East Wing renovation and contribute to a bright, happy and positive environment for both patients and staff as they provide much-needed integrated primary care and behavioral health services to the Chicago south side community,” said Ira Singer, Principal at Mosaic Construction.

“This new project represents the continued expansion of our work in the healthcare sector including medical office renovation services, interior construction of assisted living and independent living facilities, ambulatory care centers and similar spaces,” continued Singer. “It’s also a great opportunity for us to work with new trade partners and to reinforce our partnership with Manske Dieckmann Thompson, an architecture firm that has been involved with the original building renovation since the beginning.”

“We appreciate the service excellence, ongoing communication, and neat professional workspace that the Mosaic Construction team has been maintaining thus far,” said Samantha Oliver Mitchell, Chief Operating Officer at TCA Health, Inc. As an essential service during this unique time of operating during COVID-19, Mosaic Construction has instituted unprecedented protocols to support workers and trade partners on all of their job sites, including providing personal protective equipment, using increased sanitation and signage, staggering trade partners’ presence onsite, and scheduling multiple shifts to promote social distancing.

Mosaic Construction offers commercial, multifamily and residential design-build services and is a brand affiliated with Design Construction Concepts and Cannabis Facility Construction. Led by Andy Poticha, Ira Singer and Mike Frazin, Mosaic’s teams deliver uncompromising customer service as they realize client visions in locations across the United States. For more information, visit mosaicconstruction.net, dcc-inc.net and cannabisfacility.net.

Increasing multifamily renovation ROI in a time of COVID-19 By Ira Singer, RE Journals

Our Principal Ira Singer shares his insights on how multifamily investors can achieve the greatest ROI on their properties through value-add renovations while ensuring that workers are practice COVID-19 protocol. With a recession looming, Ira discusses how choosing building improvement projects carefully is more important than ever before. For multifamily owners and investors, it’s essential not to over-improve a building; updates that reflect the asset class of the property are most advisable and should be designed to drive occupancy and increase rents.

Read more of Ira’s thoughts on RE Journals.

Ira Singer, Principal of Mosaic Construction, Featured on Making Money in Multifamily Podcast with Dave Morgia, Longview Acquisitions

Our Principal Ira Singer was featured on the Making Money in Multifamily Podcast, which focuses on topics related to multifamily real estate investment by providing high-quality information and practices to help businesses succeed.

On the podcast, Ira and host Dave Morgia discuss why the novel coronavirus should not prevent you from beginning work on your next multifamily project, and how Mosaic Construction is managing its worksites with our unique client service approach that has allowed the team to continue operating while following health and safety guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

You can listen to the podcast here.

Our Response to COVID-19

(Updated April 10, 2020)

As we continue our work as an essential industry, we are taking unprecedented precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19, and to support our workers and trade partners who continue to arrive on our job sites and work every day. Our job sites are all continuing to move forward, and work is being conducted with care, with an eye to social distancing on the job site as much as possible, as well as increased sanitation, signage and protective equipment. If you have any questions about our response, please contact us at info@mosaicconstruction.net.

(Updated March 16, 2020)

To our valued clients, friends and family,

We care deeply about the health, safety and business success of everyone in our community, and about the quality and timely delivery of our projects under management. We want to personally provide you updates on the actions we are taking as we strive to deliver the best possible service given the current COVID-19 pandemic and related economic factors.

As this highly dynamic situation evolves, we will continue to monitor and adapt our approach as new information becomes available and will post that information here on this page.

While many of our team members are working remotely to answer any questions you may have, our Project Managers, at this writing, are continuing to work on-site and in our office overseeing current projects.

Please take a moment to review our policy below. Updates will appear above this note as they occur; we invite you to bookmark this page for new updates.

We’re all in this together; thank you for being an important part of our community.

Ira Singer, Mike Frazin & Andy Poticha
Principals
Mosaic Construction
Design Construction Concepts
Cannabis Facility Construction

Coronavirus Workplace Policy (as of 3/16/2020, subject to change)

As our Company continues to monitor the local, national and worldwide incidence of the coronavirus and the illness it causes, COVID-19, We continue to plan construction activities and if the situation changes it will be addressed on an ongoing basis. Trade Partners are asked to review the following workplace policies and guidance while they continue to work on projects and provide necessary services. It is likely this information will change as the situation evolves and more becomes known. Questions may be directed to the Safety Board, Safety@mosaicconstruction.net.

Mosaic’s priorities in setting these workplace policies are to:

  • Maintain a safe and healthy workplace, including minimizing the transmission of contagious disease;
  • Encourage an ethos of fairness, open communications and concern for the wellbeing of all trades people.
  • Being extra vigilant and careful not to infect the jobsites, if possible.
  • Providing timely communication to keep everyone informed of the latest developments of policy changes.
  • Mosaic’s policy and procedures remain intact and all project operations and construction will be sustained until we hear otherwise from our clients or the government.

Most Important Actions to Take Now

  1. Create Contingency plans to continue jobsite activities by preparing for increased absenteeism by cross training employees to handle other functions, identifying alternative suppliers, and prioritizing activities onsite to keep moving forward to accomplish critical path items.
  2. Provide Mosaic Construction notice of any supplier or man-power issue that will affect the delivery or installation schedules.
  3. All trade partners are urged to take basic preventive measures to avoid exposure to or infection by the virus causing COVID-19.
    1. Simple measures can help lower your risk of becoming infected. We all have a responsibility to prevent the spread of flu, cold, and other illnesses. Dense social and public spaces can present an increased risk of contracting and spreading illnesses, and prevention is centered on good hygiene:
    2. Avoid hand to hand contact with others. NO handshakes.
    3. Provide ALL onsite personnel with alcohol-based hand cleaners (cover all surfaces and rub until dry).
    4. Cough/sneeze into a tissue. Dispose of used tissues immediately into a trash can. If you don’t have a tissue, cough/sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not your hands.
    5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, which accelerates the spread of infections.
    6. Avoid close contact with others who are sick.
    7. If you are sick, avoid contact with others, including parties, meetings, and events.
    8. Do not share glasses, eating utensils, water bottles, cigarettes/vapes/JUULs, lipstick/makeup, etc.
  4. Mosaic affiliates who have recently been in an area of high concern for COVID-19, which is being defined as a CDC Level 3 area, should Inform the Mosaic Safety Board and self-isolate until you receive formal advice from medical professionals.
  5. Prepare to shut down, if necessary, while maintaining jobsite safety and mitigating damage caused by a shut down.

Jobsite Policies

  • Well Employees: Tradesmen who are well are expected at work as usual, even if they have been in contact with or caring for someone who is ill with an ordinary respiratory illness (in which case, typical preventive measures are recommended for them as caregivers). Well employees are expected at work unless they have been:
    • caring for someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19, in which case they are required to self-isolate;
    • in a CDC Level 3 area of concern;
      • Note: If any of these situations apply to you, please confidentially self-report to the Safety Board at Safety@mosaicconstruction.net. The employee should be instructed to refrain from attending work as recommended by medical professionals or the public health board.
  • Sick Employees: Team members who have symptoms of respiratory illness must stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g., cough suppressants). A fever is defined as a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius taken by an oral thermometer. Those with concerns or questions about their illness or seeking advice about whether to come to work are invited to email the Safety Board at Safety@mosaicconstruction.net.

Aidan Baker Joins Mosaic Construction as Project Manager

Baker will also serve sister company Design Construction Concepts

 

CHICAGO, IL (March 2, 2020) Mosaic Construction, LLC, a full-service design build firm specializing in multifamily residential and commercial renovation, remodeling, and building services, announced that Aidan Baker has joined the company’s rapidly-growing team as Project Manager. Baker brings more than 20 years of experience as a skilled contractor to Mosaic in both New Zealand and the United States. He offers a proven track record of working with highly discerning clients and turning their visions into reality.

In his new role at Mosaic Construction, and its affiliated Design Construction Concepts, Baker will be responsible for daily project excellence, schedule management, working with trade partners, and successful close out of custom residential and commercial projects.

“Aidan brings top-quality service and craftsmanship to our team – qualities we value and know will make a great impact on our business,” said Ira Singer, principal of Mosaic Construction, LLC. “We’re looking forward to having Aidan on our team.”

Mosaic Construction and Design Construction Concepts have earned a stellar reputation for providing superior customer service in executing all elements of the design build process for more than 30 years. Principals include Ira Singer, Andy Poticha and Mike Frazin. The companies’ expertise includes design build renovation, remodeling and construction services for residential and commercial property owners who expect an elevated level of care, and where customer relationships are a number one priority. For more information, call 847-504-0177, visit www.mosaicconstruction.net or visit www.dcc-inc.net.

In 2020, Cannabis Construction Must Offer Security of a Bank, Compliance of a Pharmaceutical Company, Aesthetic of a High-end Retailer

Legal recreational cannabis is a new industry in Illinois—and it’s in dire need of customized facilities. The first month of recreational cannabis sales in Illinois amounted to nearly $40 million. Sales figures spell opportunity both for cannabis companies and for experts in building special-purpose facilities for the industry’s stringent regulations and experience-driven customers.

Andy Poticha, Principal at Cannabis Facility Construction (CFC) has been involved in more than 30 cultivation, processing center and dispensary projects in eight states since 2015. He’s leading renovation projects that offer Illinois more than 35,000 new square feet of cannabis cultivation areas and dispensaries customized for the needs of recreational cannabis customers.

“To become recreational cannabis users’ preferred dispensary, new cannabis license holders must prioritize both compliance and customers in their facility design,” Poticha observes. The design/build process must support two core objectives:

  • Prioritize compliance or suffer the consequences. To maintain product supply and operational retail sales, stick to strict protocols and carefully follow building codes related to the handling, storage and distribution of cannabis throughout the supply chain.
  • Offer a differentiated customer experience. Product commoditization and restricted in-state cannabis sourcing leads to stiff competition between dispensaries.

“Cannabis companies need to offer the security of a bank branch, the compliance of a pharmaceutical company, and the aesthetic of a high-end retailer,” said Poticha. “Designing for the customer experience, creating welcoming sales environments that are compliant with regulations, is where dispensaries can find true opportunity to differentiate themselves from the competition.”

For nearly five years, CFC has worked with numerous cannabis companies, including Grassroots Cannabis, a vertically integrated multi-state cannabis company. For co-founder Mitch Kahn, CFC has helped Grassroots embrace these seemingly competing objectives into a cohesive customer experience.

“Partnering with CFC, we have been thoughtful about connecting the design/build process with our customer experience and compliance objectives,” said Kahn. “Together, we identified and solved potential issues early in the design/build process, so that the build-out is supportive of sales, security, and being good neighbors in our communities.”

Stipulated Sum Agreements Make Us the Right Builder for You

Our goal as a design-build firm is to create value for our clients through outstanding service-delivery and building trusted relationships. One of the many ways we achieve our goal is how we structure our contracts. Our clients want to know what they’re paying for, and we are able to clearly spell that out by providing stipulated sum agreements.

What is a Stipulated Sum?

Also referred to as a lump sum contract, a stipulated sum requires a builder to agree to provide specified services for a fixed price based on labor and material costs. The builder is responsible for executing the job properly and will provide its own means and methods to complete the project. Specifically, we use stipulated sum agreements with our multifamily and commercial projects, and they allow us to better define the scope and schedule of projects.

“The Mosaic Construction way is to be a client-first company in which we anticipate needs and focus on relationship-building,” said Singer. “We’ve always led with this approach, and our clients understand the value of that.” – Ira Singer


Why We Use Stipulated Sums

Mosaic Construction uses stipulated sums so that our clients know what they’re getting, and we know exactly what we need to deliver. Our contracts are predictable and easy to manage and benefit our clients in the following ways:

No Hidden Fees

One of Mosaic Construction’s key differentiators is that we never stick our clients with hidden fees, compared to cost-plus-fixed-fee and other contracts. “Our fees are transparent compared to other contractors,” said Ira Singer, Principal of Mosaic Construction on the This is the Real Estate Investing for Cash Flow podcast. “We have no incentive to say, ‘Okay, it’s going to be this much money for cost.’ Stipulated sums are integral in forging trusted relationships with our clients.”

Predictability

Our clients value the predictability of stipulated sum agreements, especially since they reduce risk and give them more confidence. With an agreed upon sum in place, our clients are not liable for any cost overruns. “We formulate construction based on our time and our investment to manage that project and steward it,” added Singer. “Whatever the cost of the project, our timeframe for completion and our fees will remain the same. In this respect, both parties are incentivized to stay on schedule and finish the job on time.”


Better Collaboration

We find that stipulated sum arrangements foster a greater degree of collaboration between Mosaic Construction and our clients. We are able to execute tight project management and more efficient communication to ensure that both parties are adhering to the scope of work. “The Mosaic Construction way is to be a client-first company in which we anticipate needs and focus on relationship-building,” said Singer. “We’ve always led with this approach, and our clients understand the value of that.”

The design-build methodology supports our goal because it allows us to streamline the construction process, which ultimately benefits our clients and our management team. “We view our projects as investments in our clients’ growth and development,” added Singer. “We never think in terms of being one and done; rather, we create an atmosphere where our clients can focus on business development, while we do the best work possible for them.”