neighboring area's retail stores and commercial occupants, as well as the nearby church. The task was entrusted to Lemoine Company, LLC, of Lafayette, Louisiana. Founded in 1975, Lemoine Company has grown from a small construction company to a signifi cant, full- service contractor. It has experience in building complete commercial, public and industrial projects and has built an enviable reputation for delivering on time and on budget. The company lays out its commitments clearly and upfront; its Web site claims it will " never be late" in construction. That's a pretty exacting commitment to make. The unforeseen happens; unanticipated problems arise; things go wrong. Hurricane Katrina is an example of that. Its aftermath generated the public funds for reconstruction that gave rise to II City Plaza and other large construction projects, but it threw a lot of schedules out as well. Lemoine feels able to make its promise of on- time delivery because it commits to getting involved early, through pre- construction planning, fi nal estimate review, cutover, and internal pre-construction process. It uses its experience to help build cohesive teams out of people who may never have worked together before— clients, architects, engineers and craftsmen. The core, Lemoine believes, is understanding the client's philosophy, defi ning the project goals, developing the strategy and establishing strong collaboration. This requires integrating the company's organization with that of its clients and their consultants, thus erasing the barriers between disciplines. If you know in advance what the lay of the land is, have thoroughly analyzed the site, understood and reviewed the plans, and put in place the infrastructure necessary before turning the fi rst piece of turf, then the unexpected is far less likely to happen. Client relationships are, of course, vital. Clients pay the bills, which makes them special people. The point of contact between Lemoine and its clients is with the men who founded the company and the leadership team. Project team members are master builders, and experienced team managers are dedicated to providing the highest level of service. To achieve it, they apply close attention and diligence to scheduling, operations and project close- outs. it extends to more than 240,000 square feet of offi ce space. As much of downtown Baton Rouge is relatively low- rise, II City Plaza makes a visual impact by its sheer size. The other thing that catches the eye is the external treatment. This is defi nitely not another anonymous, bland glass-and- concrete slab. It is multicolored, with natural-style granite facings to the lower levels and white fascias higher up. Faceted windows extend outward from the building on the north elevation, which faces St. James Episcopal Church, and beyond, Capitol Park. The faceted windows extend downward in the center third, visually relieving the elevation and breaking up any potential monolithic inclination. The west elevation, facing onto North Fourth Street, has an even more dramatic appearance, with a central bay- window effect, reaching from just above the atrium entrance to roof level, where it feeds into a tall spire that echoes the spire on St. James' Church. The roof is also home to a glass-fronted penthouse, which houses the building's mechanical and electrical equipment. II City Plaza sits next to the original City Plaza building, which was completed in 1986 and was built and operated by the same organization, Wampold Companies, Inc. The opening of II City Plaza in early 2009— less than two years after ground was fi rst broken on the project— will mark the regeneration and unifi cation of an entire city block in downtown Baton Rouge. The building is an important landmark, and it had to strike the right note for the area, both in terms of access under the city's pedestrian- friendly code and in terms of its size. The exterior design presented some construction challenges, and the project had to be completed with minimal disruption to the Lemoine Company LLC ROBO Dock & Door was founded in 1993 as a material handling service provider with strong ties to local manufacturing and distribution clients. Our company has since grown to be one of the largest and most respected distributors of loading dock equipment, doors, and in- plant products in the Gulf South. Our success has always been in our employees. Our philosophy is aligning our workforce with business objectives and turning human capital into a competitive advantage. ROBO Dock & Door strives to provide outstanding customer service and satisfaction from the fi rst handshake to the fi nal punch-list. We measure our success by how well we manage longevity with our customers and employees. We've been working with The Lemoine Company since the start of our business and understand all too well that it takes excellent results every time in order to be an extension of their team. ROBO Dock & Door April 09 www. bus- ex. com 95

96 www. bus- ex. com April 09 Lemoine Company LLC Unusually, in an age where activities regarded as non- core are routinely contracted out, Lemoine maintains a strong team of craftsmen and will, typically, undertake activities like site work, concrete, masonry, carpentry, metal framing and gypsum board systems itself. These are all critical areas; the company believes that keeping such activities in- house leads to better quality, reduced costs and improved control. Communication is key, also. Lemoine undertakes regular informed reviews to ensure cost- effective construction and uses state- of- the-art project control systems to enable all team members to see the status of the project, item by item and day by day. It's as close to real time as you can get. Lemoine began small, but its vision and dedication to excellence have enabled it to grow into one of the region's leading construction fi rms. It was Lemoine that built the University of Louisiana Art Museum in Lafayette; Performance Contractors' building in Baton Rouge; Winn Parish medium- security prison in Winnfi eld; the Opelousas General Hospital ER Tower and Parking Garage; and the Department of Justice building in Baton Rouge. Lemoine has become part of the Louisiana landscape. – Editorial research by Greg Petzold ADG provided the MEP/ FP design services for Wampold on the II City Plaza project, as they did on other marquee projects of the Baton Rouge skyline, such as Shaw Group World Headquarters. The impressive project joins other notable ADG facilities in Baton Rouge such as Claiborne State Offi ce Building, LSU Tiger Stadium West Expansion and the recently opened LSU Women's Softball Facility. Associated Design Group