The Challenge:
With the Country’s second largest annual Airshow, the Sun-in-Fun Fly-In, to the south, and the corporate Headquarters of Publix Supermarkets immediately to the north, Beechwood Development set out to seize the opportunity for a new multi-function hotel on-site at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. However, building a new multi-story facility on site at an airport would require coordination and approval with the Federal Aviation Authority, and the project property would require a complicated lease deal with the City of Lakeland. Finally, the project needed to be completed in less than one year in order to be open for guests in time for the next Sun-N-Fun Fly-In. With no prior experience in the Central Florida market for developing or building a commercial Project, Beechwood knew they needed expert assistance to get the project done, so they looked to Rodda Construction to help lead their development team.
The Solution:
After complex discussions and negotiations with the City of Lakeland on the lease terms and the site development requirements and plans, Rodda was able to secure agreements that were acceptable to all parties, and get the project off and running. In order to save time and money, Rodda contracted with several subcontractors to complete the planning and construction of their scopes of work on a design-build basis. Rodda also managed the construction effort into four different phases, even bringing in different crews to complete the work simultaneously to reduce the length of time needed to complete the building. Utilizing private inspections, the workers proceeded in several shifts, seven-days-a-week, with completing this beautiful facility.
The Result:
After only eight months of construction, Rodda had completed the project. This enabled the Owner to begin enjoying a revenue stream faster than expected, and left the new hotel staff several months to train and get used to their new facility before the huge rush of visitors came in for the Sun-N-Fun Fly-In. Through a dedicated bidding effort, and the successful implementation of design-build subcontracting, Rodda was able to save Beechwood almost $750,000.00 from their conceptual program budget. The project is one of the few in Lakeland to combine first class hotel rooms with a restaurant, bar, pool, meeting rooms, and banquet facility. It is also the only facility in the City to include an observation deck overlooking the runways at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, a perfect vantage point to take in the amazing Fly-In show every year.
Client Testimonial:
When our firm began investigating the idea of building a new hotel at the Lakeland Linder Airport, we knew there would be many challenges along the way, so we turned to Rodda Construction to help lead us through the process. They were an integral part of the project team on everything from building design ideas, to permitting, negotiations with the City on leases and requirements, all the way through construction completion.
In the end, Rodda Construction completed the project in record time, and saved us an amazing amount of money. The building is beautiful, and we couldn’t be happier with our decision to trust Rodda Construction for our project!
Tom Arnot
Managing Member
Beechwood Development
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