The Around The Clock Freightliner Group Debuts New Buildings in Dallas by General Contractor Bob Moore Construction

Online, December 4, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Following four years of double digit sales growth in the Dallas market, The Around The Clock Freightliner Group, LLC (ATC) needed larger facilities to serve their over-the-road and local fleet customers. Their solution was to build a new 200,308 SF complex along Interstate 20 in south Dallas.

Bob Moore Construction was the general contractor and Phil Fitzgerald with Fitzgerald & Associates in Oklahoma City was the architect for ATC's dramatic 24+ acre campus.

"From the beginning of the planning process, our focus was on providing a customer friendly environment coupled with a facility designed to maximize overall operational efficiency," said John Miciotto, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for ATC. "The most important features for our customers were ease of entry and maneuverability while on the premises, and then unparalleled amenities inside of the facility."

The site features extra wide driving lanes, several hundred truck parking spots and more than 30 trailer parking slots, along with a pet park with ten kennels for customers' four-legged traveling companions.

The 183,088 SF Building A includes the retail, service area, parts sales and warehousing, training facilities and administrative offices. Building B is 17,220 SF and houses the truck sales department. Originally designed entirely as pre-engineered buildings, the project ultimately featured a blend of steel and concrete; the structures and roofs are pre-engineered steel systems from Varco Pruden Buildings, and the two-story walls were created with tilt-up construction. Each building features large entry towers, finished with a stone veneer. Fabric awnings cover all office windows and the buildings are surrounded in accent lighting.

On the interior, the two Service areas include sloped floors with 80 work bays and a fully equipped technician training facility in the west service wing. Additionally, the two Service areas feature the Matrix Total Fluid Management System that provides tracking and monitoring plus state-of-the-art wireless dispensing for complete control of fluid inventories. The entire Service Department is fully heated and air conditioned to provide a comfortable working environment. There are also two wash bays, one in each wing, and an 8' deep cast-in-place 120 foot drive-through lube pit finished with liner panels.

Also on the first floor is the Parts Sales department, with 65,000 SF of warehousing space. Between Service and Parts Sales are a customer break room and large shower / locker rooms with washers and dryers for drivers. Also in this area is a large television lounge for drivers with theater-styled seating and wireless internet access. At the end of the first floor is a 3,500 SF retail store, selling a variety of OEM truck parts and accessories.

Executive and administrative offices are located on the second floor. The executive common areas feature wood-covered floors and textured walls finished with a fine brown glaze, with wainscoting, chair rails and crown molding in luxurious wood. This decor carries into the offices, which feature the wood floors, wainscot and crown molding over textured glaze patina; the tray ceiling includes recessed lighting and faux beams. The executive conference room is carpeted and the walls are covered with a combination of wood wainscoting / textured glaze, wood crown molding and floor-to-ceiling beveled wood panels.

The dealership administrative area features open bays with modular furniture, carpeting, built-in office cabinetry and a variety of break facilities. A conference / training room finished in rich colors and large stone tile flooring supports up to 40 students in a classroom setup, with a small kitchen attached.

Building B features two floors of offices for sales and financial representatives and department management, customer waiting areas and a large conference room. The building is finished with large stone tile and carpeting.

Mr. Miciotto is pleased with his company's new home. "It exceeds all of our original expectations," he said. "The feedback we have received has been nothing but overwhelming praise from customers, vendors and employees. Our customers tell us there's not another commercial heavy-duty truck dealership like ours anywhere in the U.S."

"This project features some remarkable interior finish-out work, and is a showcase for us as well as for ATC," said Curt Hellen, Senior Project Manager for Bob Moore Construction. "Superintendent Steve Barrons and assistant superintendents David Splawn and Larry Langford managed a very fluid and complex project and did a stand-up job of subcontractor management and collaborating with the owner. This was crucial because the pace of this project required the design team to work very closely together. ATC's John Miciotto and Project Development Manager Freddy Stephens were some of the most fair, responsive and understanding owner representatives I've ever worked with. Their active leadership and involvement made it possible for us to meet the project schedule."

"There were many variables under consideration in our decision as to which General Contractor we would end up doing business with," said Mr. Miciotto. "While the total project cost was important, cost alone did not drive us to do business with Bob Moore Construction. It was also about our comfort level with the professionalism, knowledge and experience of the entire team at Bob Moore Construction plus the time frame in which they committed to complete the project. Our architect, Phil Fitzgerald, who has designed and built truck dealerships, bowling allies, and office complexes all over the U.S., said that he has never seen a General Contractor as structured and organized as Bob Moore Construction. I was most impressed with Curt Hellen's and Steve Barrons' ability to make quick and accurate decisions on the spot with limited notice. If we were to ever build another facility, there's no question Bob Moore Construction would be a general contractor of choice."

For print sized photos of the ATC Freightliner Office / Service / Retail Store / Warehouse project, go to http://www.generalcontractor.com/photos/ATC Freightliner/