Springfield Underground named Developer of the Year

A massive underground facility and an equally impressive hospital project were among the honorees Nov. 6 at the annual Salute to Design & Construction awards banquet.

The Springfield Contractors Association gave its Developer of the Year honors to Springfield Underground for its work turning underground space into energy-efficient, secure warehouse and office space.

In June, Springfield Underground completed its largest project to date: a 400,000-square-foot distribution center for Kraft, which was attracted to the northeast Springfield underground space because of its energy efficiency.

"(Kraft was) green before green was cool," Springfield Underground Vice President John Griesemer said upon receiving the award.

Springfield Underground President and CEO Louis Griesemer said many people may not consider Springfield Underground a traditional developer.

"We're extremely honored - when you look at the competition for this kind of award, there's a lot of folks doing a lot of building in the last year," he said, adding that he hopes the scope of the Kraft project will make people more aware of the specialized development that the company does. "We've got more space prepped and ready to go."

He said Springfield Underground has developed about half, or 2.4 million square feet, of the developable space at its current facility. The company owns another 500 acres on the west side of town that can be mined out for additional space.

Project of the Year honors went to St. John's Hospital for its south patient tower. The $101 million, 360,000-square-foot eight-story patient tower on the south side of the hospital's East Cherokee Street campus was completed in April.

Michael Mardis, a relative newcomer to the local architecture scene, was named Craftsman of the Year. The co-owner of theworkshop 308 LLC was honored for his work for The Coffee Ethic, which has environmentally friendly features including tabletops and a barista bar made from trees damaged during the 2007 ice storm.

The National Association of Women in Construction's local chapter presented its Vesta Award - for 10 or more years in construction - to Anna Mathis with Joe's Electric, and its Rosebud Award - for 10 or fewer years in the field - to Cindy Thompson of Walton Construction.