Fans are pouring in from all around the world and filling hotels, restaurants and the Super Bowl Village. Tours of Lucas Oil Stadium, free live music, The NFL Experience and a zip line installed over Capitol Avenue are but a few of the many exciting attractions in downtown Indianapolis this week.

Hunt Construction Group has been an integral part of making this experience possible. Starting with the Indianapolis Air Traffic Control Tower in 2005 and Conrad Hotel & Residential Tower in 2006, Hunt began its span of project construction that would change the face of the city. The years to come brought Lucas Oil Stadium, Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal at Indianapolis International Airport, JW Marriott Indianapolis and the new Georgia Street and Cultural Trail.

As you can see from the photos, fans are packing into the city every day to experience all the festivities have to offer. Indianapolis should be proud to be a city that now draws events like the big game. From hospitality to aviation to infrastructure to sports; Hunt laid the groundwork for this exciting opportunity for the City of Indianapolis.

Be sure while watching the Giants and Patriots face off this Sunday to remember all the hardworking men and women who made this event possible. On behalf of Hunt, we thank you all.

The center requires 550 units of blood daily to supply the more than 60 Indiana hospitals they serve. The donation bus, or “Bloodmobile” as the center calls it, helps local businesses host drives without employees having to venture from their place of employment.

The Indiana Blood Center operates under a simple yet powerful mission:

We believe blood is life. Therefore, Indiana Blood Center shall provide a continuous, safe and adequate supply of blood products and biological services first to people of our own communities, then wherever our blood products and biological services are needed.

Kelly Hickey, Hunt marketing coordinator, helped pull the event together as part of Hunt’s 2012 community service initiative. She noted, “It’s always good to see people coming together. It’s even better when you see them coming together to help save lives. People are always saying I wish we could do more. Donating blood is that chance. It’s free. It’s easy. It’s simple. And it saves lives.”

A big thanks goes out to everyone who donated. Our representative estimates we saved 39 lives with the 13 units donated. If your company is interested in hosting a blood drive, you may contact the Indiana Blood Center at 317.916.5150 or visit DonorPoint.org.

With three boys, items such as Nike shoes, video games, remote controlled cars and a bike were popular requests on the family’s wish list. Other practical items such as toiletries, a rug, winter coats and clothing made up the adult side of the list. Numerous volunteers came together to wrap the gifts so they would be ready for their place under the family’s Christmas tree.

Jessica Howard, Hunt Database Coordinator and Marketing Assistant, secured a family through the UCS program and was present at the gift delivery. The outpouring of generosity from everyone involved impressed her. “Beyond grateful doesn’t even begin to describe the sentiment from this family. It was truly a touching experience to see their faces light up as we brought the gifts into their home,” she added.

United Christmas Service (UCS) became a program of United Way of Central Indiana in 1952. Each year, UCS helps those in need during the holiday season. In 2010, more than 28,500 people received food, clothing and toys thanks to your generosity. Without the Indianapolis community’s involvement through monetary donations and adopting families, this program wouldn’t be the success it is today.

Hunt Construction Group recently completed the transformation of Georgia Street as part of numerous upgrades to the city for the upcoming Super Bowl XLVI in February. Located near Lucas Oil Stadium and in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, the new Georgia Street allows for fans to enjoy food, drinks, shopping and more. This weekend’s test run shows the project’s vision was a success with the street packed with Wisconsin and Michigan State fans enjoying everything the local businesses had to offer.

Hunt is no stranger to the numerous facilities that will serve a key role come the big game in February. Lucas Oil Stadium, the Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal at Indianapolis International Airport, JW Marriott Indianapolis and Conrad Hotel name just a few projects completed by Hunt that will ensure fans have an unforgettable Super Bowl XLVI experience.

Georgia Street Big Ten test a success: wishtv.com

This designation makes IND the first airport in the nation to earn LEED certification for an entire terminal campus. Additionally, measuring in at 1.2 million square feet makes IND one of the largest projects to be awarded LEED certification.

LEED is a third-party certification program and nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction and operation of environmentally friendly, or green/sustainable, buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) manages the program.

Among the long list of details that qualified IND for LEED certification are natural light in 75 percent of the building, energy-efficient equipment and building heating / ventilation controls. Extensive recycling programs were in place during construction and material specific receptacles have been placed throughout the facility for employees and patrons. Finally, deicing chemicals are captured and consumed by microorganisms in detention ponds.

Although the features recognized by LEED certification provide an enhanced experience for visitors and employees while supporting their well-being, they also add great value through measurable efficiency gains in energy, fuel and water usage. Airport spokesman Carlo Betolini noted annual savings from the LEED features are estimated at $2 million a year.

“On the third anniversary of the Midfield Terminal opening, we are reminded of the decades-long foresight and strategic planning that were required to create the award winning, internationally recognized airport we now enjoy,” said John Clark III, executive director and CEO of the IAA. “Practicing sound sustainability processes helps us improve the quality of life in our community while becoming more competitive.”

Hunt is at the forefront of sustainable construction setting the standard in numerous industries. Completed in 2010, Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, MI earned LEED Platinum certification and Amway Center in Orlando, FL became the first LEED Gold certified NBA sports facility. Earlier that same year, CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA became the first LEED Gold certified sports facility. 2008 marked the opening of Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. as the first LEED Silver certified sports facility and Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell, WA became the first LEED Gold certified correctional facility.

The Robert C. and LaVern Hunt Staff Cabins will expand the number of cabins on site. Two will be used to house assistant rangers year-round. The other two cabins will be used by summer staff during Cub Scout Day Camp and will be available for special events and weekend programs at other times of the year. Each cabin includes two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and living area.

“Even though Camp Belzer is a day camp during the summer, it needs staff there 24 hours a day, seven days a week to run smoothly,” said Scott Clabaugh, Scout Executive, Crossroads of America Council. “We’re grateful for Hunt’s generosity in building these cabins.”

Located on the northeast side of Indianapolis, Belzer is easily accessible from I-465 and is adjacent to Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park. During the summer, this camp serves as the flagship Cub Scout Day Camp, has three swimming pools and eight program shelters. There are five year-round cabin facilities with bunks, which can accommodate up to 24 people each. Camp Belzer is ideal for large group events and primitive camping with plenty of parking and restrooms available. The camp is fully wheelchair accessible, with paved trails.

The camp, which opened in 1918 as Camp Chank-tun-un-gi, has a rich history. It was re-named for the first Indianapolis Scout Executive, Francis O. Belzer, who started serving in 1946.

Boy Scouts of America is a youth development organization that’s designed to prepare young people to make ethical and moral decisions throughout their lifetimes.  The goals of Scouting consist of citizenship training, character development and personal fitness.  Throughout the Boy Scout program, young people are encouraged to advance through ranks by fulfilling requirements in the areas of leadership, service and outdoor skills.

Hunt would like to personally thank all the firms who dedicated their time and resources to making this happen. It is always a great thing to see a community come together and help make a difference.

There are four entities to SAMMC: the Central Energy Plant, which is 50,000 square feet; the Consolidated Parking Structure, containing 5,000 parking spaces; the Consolidated Tower, coming in at 750,000 square feet; and the renovation of the existing hospital, which is now 350,000 square feet. The project team also built a new helipad on top of the consolidated tower. During construction, the existing hospital and helipad remained fully functional, and Clark/Hunt made it a priority to coordinate their work around what was happening with the in-use hospital.

One of the most incredible components of the hospital is the burn unit. It is one of the largest in the United States, and when construction is completed, it will be among the top burn units in the world. Military patients come to the medical center from the war, and the majority of soldiers that have been burned are patients at the existing hospital, and will be patients at SAMMC. The project team re-vamped the existing burn unit, increasing the square footage by 82,000 square feet.

For this project, all coordination was done with BIM. MEP was coordinated with BIM as was all structural from the start. The team used an As-Built BIM model, and made changes throughout the project. The project team also incorporated a multitude of sustainable elements, and the facility has set a goal of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver.

During construction, the Clark/Hunt team ran into a few obstacles. For example, while the elevator pit was being dug, the project team ran across bones in the ground, and later found that the bones were considered to be that of a Mastodon. The area was under surveillance by the government for about three weeks, and the team worked around the area during that time.  Each obstacle caused some complication for the team, but they worked diligently and overcame the challenges.

SAMMC is complete and the past two years have consisted of workers utilizing their skills and talents to get the project finished on time and with the highest quality. The team has been diligent in their safety measures, and has logged five million plus man-hours without a lost time incident. With about 138 staff members, communication was a constant, allowing for each member of the team to do their job effectively. SAMMC represents a job done right and the Clark/Hunt team should be proud of their hard work and dedication.

The concept is straightforward. There is a small registration fee for access to the banquet, t-shirt, food and festivities. The added twist – the crabbing tournament. The individual who brings in the dozen heaviest crabs wins the prize pool of nearly $9,000; they then select the destination of the winnings.

This year’s winner, with over nine pounds of crab, was JC Jones. He set out on September 24 with coworker, Chad Hale for a relaxing day of fall crabbing. When he returned in the late afternoon for the weigh-in, Jones got a surprise. “They weighed my crab and said, at the time, I was in the lead with only a few people still out,” Jones said.

Once it was official, Jones split his winnings of almost $9,000 evenly between four charitable organizations.  The local Humane Society, a local construction worker whose young son was killed in a four wheeler accident, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Help Save One of Our Own – an organization helping out a Vietnam veteran with Multiple Sclerosis.

After the crabs were collected, attendees enjoyed the haul in a low country boil. The post-tournament banquet featured crabs, hamburgers, hot dogs, live band and other activities and entertainment.

“I had a lot of fun at the event and it felt good to be able to give back,” Jones said. “I wanted to make sure everything was local. It was important to me that the money stay in the community.”

Jones works at Hunt Construction Group as the superintendent on the Chatham County Detention Center project in Savannah. He was joined by project engineer Chad Hale, known now around the job as Crabby Chad for his part in the successful crabbing excursion.

Construction for this massive facility is being managed by Holder-Manhattan-C.D. Moody-Hunt, A Joint Venture. Atlanta Gateway Designers serve as the architect for the new terminal structure. All related posts on this project may be found here.