Sioux City Journal, IA
12-15-07
Construction firm gets excellence in concrete award
WINNEBAGO, Neb. -- HCI Construction, a subsidiary of Ho-Chunk, Inc., has
received a 2007 Excellence in Concrete Award for its work in the state of Iowa.
The awards, hosted by the Iowa Ready Mix Concrete Association as part of Iowa
State University's Better Concrete Conference, were announced last month in
Ames, Iowa. The award recognizes outstanding projects from throughout the
state in several categories.
HCI Construction was named in the Commercial Above-Grade Building category
for its construction of the Alliance Concrete Ready Mix Plant in Sergeant Bluff,
which opened in June. The company was nominated by its customer and
supplier for the project, Alliance Concrete, of Orange City, Iowa.
Lite-Form Technologies and KC Engineering Co. were also cited for their work on
the project for their form system and engineering, respectively.
The plant uses a tilt-up wall panel system from Lite-Form Technologies to create
panels that are up to 60 feet tall and 12 feet wide, weighing 88,000 pounds. The
roof system uses ''Lite-Deck,'' a foam form with steel embeds to anchor to the
wall panels.
''I believe the greatest factor in making this project an award winner, is the
uniqueness of the construction of the building,'' said Keith Kilpatrick, construction
manager for HCI Construction. “The on-site construction utilizes new tilt-up panel
technology pioneered by Lite-Form, which makes it possible to produce panels
during the winter. Casting on-site also saves on delivery cost and eliminates
scheduling problems.''
HCI Construction currently has 90 employees, with headquarters in Winnebago,
Neb. and offices in South Sioux City and Bellevue, Neb.
The Excellence in Concrete Awards recognize outstanding projects from
throughout the state of Iowa in several categories. Entries are judged on criteria,
including: architectural design, project complexity and individuality, engineering
challenges, difficulty of construction, workmanship, and use of ready mix
concrete.