Newsletters
Spring 2025 Newsletter
Featured Article:
New Expansion and Remodel in Lowell
According to a recent Deloitte report, there are two things grocery store shoppers want most—convenience and fresh food. The report also found that “53% of consumers surveyed said that figuring out ‘what’s for dinner’ is one of their major pain points, while 44% of shoppers would regularly buy from a grocery store that could help them with meal planning.”
As the leader of the grocery store industry in Northwest Indiana, Strack & Van Til knows what customers want. In 2024, the company selected The Hamstra Group to deliver a multi-million-dollar
upgrade and expansion at its Lowell, Indiana store with the goal of providing more convenience and to showcase Strack & Van Til’s fresh food offerings.
Strack & Van Til bought the Lowell store—the former Wilco Supermarket— in 2010. At that time, only minor upgrades were made to a building that was constructed decades earlier. By 2024, it was time for a complete makeover….
Winter 2025 Newsletter
Featured Article:
This Project Was All Smiles
Thirty-five years ago, Dr. James Castor, a native Hoosier, graduated from Indiana University and moved to Remington, Indiana, with his wife and one-month-old daughter because he wanted to raise his family in a small community. There, he founded Remington Family Dentistry, a full-service dental office providing family, restorative, and cosmetic dental care. Over the years, he welcomed Dr. Alex Veach, Dr. Jason Sanders, and Dr. Stuart Amick to join his dental practice. They made a great team because they all shared the same mission— to treat their patients like family by being open, direct, and honest.
The Hamstra Group recently completed a renovation and expansion at Remington Family Dentistry’s 510 Wellness Way location. The Hamstra Team repurposed a 4,500-square-foot former gym adjacent to the dental office, which resulted in doubling the size of Remington Family Dentistry. The remodel added eight operatory rooms for a total of 21….
Fall 2024 Newsletter
Featured Article:
A Project As Good As It Gets!
Understanding and meeting the customer’s needs is a goal most businesses strive for. Some companies excel at it. Take Good Oil Company, for example. Back in 1941, Good Oil was founded by Don O. Good to provide farm and home heating customers with petroleum products. When Don retired in 1980, his sons Don and Dean assumed the operation of the company. They quickly realized the gasoline service station business model was changing and that customers had a need for more convenience and one-stop shopping, so they adopted the gas station/convenience store model.
Today, there are 17 Good To Go Stores across Indiana and Illinois, and Good Oil Company still provides gasoline, diesel, and bio fuels to farms, homes, construction sites, and retail locations throughout Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and Illinois.
Last year, Don Good reached out to The Hamstra Group to construct a new retail store at 7701 W. SR 28 in Frankfort, Indiana. This store would be constructed behind the smaller, existing store, but there was a challenge. The project would need to be constructed in phases to keep the store and the fueling islands in operation at all times. The electrical service in old building would need to remain to power the gas pumps until the new facility was constructed. There were lots of moving parts….
Summer 2024 Newsletter
Featured Article:
Hamstra Group Helps DeMotte Christian School Manage Growth Using Design-Build
In 2022, Demotte Christian School saw a 33% growth in enrollment with the addition of nearly 150 new students. They knew they needed to create a plan to significantly expand their existing high school to accommodate the increase in growth. Several board members had worked with The Hamstra Group previously, so the school reached out to see how we could help them.
After listening to their needs and wants, and discussing the budget, the team created a plan to design and build two additions to the existing high school—an east addition and a west addition.
The new east addition consists of a 14,000-square-foot pre-engineered metal building with split-face concrete masonry walls and metal sheeting roof. It includes nine new classrooms, a laboratory,
and restrooms. The west addition is a 24,000-square-foot pre-engineered metal building with matching split-face concrete masonry walls and metal sheeting roof….
Spring 2024 Newsletter
Featured Article:
Stay and Play at Sandy Pines Golf Club
Back in 2021, The Hamstra Group began construction on The Cottages at Sandy Pines — two brand new, four-bedroom, four-bathroom cottages positioned along hole #9 at Sandy Pines Golf Club in DeMotte, Indiana. Construction of the cottages was completed in the Spring of 2022.
The cottages provide a centralized living room, kitchenette, and outdoor patio for guests to gather and unwind. This central space is winged by four private bedrooms, providing guests a quiet place to retreat. Each suite is equipped with its own private bathroom with generous vanity space and walk-in showers. Golfers and wedding guests have enjoyed the five-star accommodations at Sandy Pines so much that Sandy Pines invited The Hamstra Group to return in the Fall of 2023 to build two more cottages. Since the first two cottages were completed, Sandy Pines has been able to give golfers the best “stay and play” value for the money.
The two new cottages, completed in May 2024, share the same design of the original cottages and differ slightly in that they are furnished with eight twin XL beds, rather than the four king-size beds. According to Tricia Donnelly, Cottage Director/Pavilion Director for Sandy
Pines, “These will help accommodate a group of eight golfers that want to stay in the same cottage. Our wedding guests are booking them, as well. It is ideal for anyone who wants to put eight people in one cottage with their own bed.” …
Fall 2023 Newsletter
Featured Article:
Transforming An Old Bank Into A New Town Hall
In 2019, the Town of Remington acquired the former Regions Bank building on the corner of S. Ohio and E. South Railroad Streets with plans
to convert the older structure into a new Town Hall. The bank had been closed for many years before town officials approached Regions Bank with the idea of purchasing and renovating the building. The 5,812-square-foot, single- story building would enable the Town to
combine all its offices under one roof and to provide for future growth.
The Town hired KJG Architecture to provide a feasibility report and to prepare preliminary designs of the building’s layout. The old bank building had been built in 1939 and had undergone two additions over the years. Older buildings can pose challenges because you don’t
always know what’s behind the walls, floors, and ceilings until you uncover them. “Our biggest challenge was keeping the project under budget. Due to the age of the building there were a few unknowns,” says Jonathan Cripe, Remington’s Town Manager.
The Hamstra Group was chosen to perform the renovations. Demolition began in October of 2022. Hamstra already had a very good working
relationship with the Town of Remington, having built the new fire station as well as the Remington Library addition and renovation. Our team was eager to get started…
Winter 2023 Newsletter
Featured Article:
A Challenging Project for Kentland Bank
Construction is a partnership. When The Hamstra Group is selected to build or renovate a facility, we develop a strong relationship with the Owner. After all, a construction project is a months-long process where many critical decisions need to be made together. We build trust by listening carefully to the Owner’s needs and wants. We use our many years of experience to anticipate potential issues that could arise throughout the stages of construction and to deliver projects on time and within budget. Our goal is to meet or exceed expectations. So, it’s no surprise we have enjoyed a lot of repeat business.
One of our more recent projects was for Kentland Bank. We have performed several projects for the bank in the past—we built the new branch office in Rensselaer, we remodeled its Roselawn branch, and we also remodeled its corporate office in Kentland.
This project was a bit more challenging. After Kentland Bank acquired a new facility for their main office and operations center a few blocks away from the original Kentland Bank site, they approached The Hamstra Team with the idea to build a new 5,160-square-foot bank branch with three drive-thru lanes on the original bank site, then tear down the old structure, and convert that area to the front parking lot for the new branch….
Fall 2022 Newsletter
Featured Article:
The Hamstra Group Remodels and Expands New Store for Strack & Van Til in DeMotte
In September of 2021, Indiana Grocery Group, which operates Strack & Van Til, purchased the former Tysen’s Country Market in the DeMotte Plaza on State Highway 23 in DeMotte. Jeff Strack, company president and CEO of the grocery store chain, said the company is poised to grow throughout Northwest Indiana after undergoing a major reorganization.
“After four years of rebuilding our company, we are now looking for the right opportunities to grow our brand,” Strack said. And, Strack’s team knew the DeMotte Plaza was the perfect place for this 93-year-old grocery store chain to grow. As it turns out, The Hamstra Group owns the DeMotte Plaza—a busy 75,870-square-foot retail center. So, when Strack & Van Til decided to purchase the old Tysen’s store, The Hamstra Group was ready to help rebrand, renovate, and expand the store.
Construction began in the Fall of 2021 and consisted of remodeling the existing space and expanding the store from 35,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet. Crews opened up an adjacent storefront in the plaza and expanded the rear portion of the building to create more space. The renovation included giving the space a new, modern look with polished concrete floors, exposed painted ceilings, and new, efficient light fixtures…
