Newsletters
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…
Spring 2022 Newsletter
Featured Article:
An Extremely Aggressive Schedule For This Fire Restoration Project
On the evening of August 18, 2020, a large fire destroyed a good portion of Metro Auto Recyclers’ facility at 2155 W Lincolnway in Valparaiso. Firefighters from Washington Township, South
Haven, Boone Grove, Liberty Township, Union Township, and Morgan Township assisted Valpo with multiple tankers. On arrival, crews dealt with heavy smoke and flames that resulted in extensive damage to the company’s offices and part of its warehouse.
Owner Steve Dykstra contacted Metro’s insurance company, which obtained estimates from various contractors to begin the extensive reconstruction process. “Each contractor had items they
would do and items they would not.
After a few instances of ‘who is handling this?’ we asked our insurance company if we could get a quote from an all-inclusive contractor,” says John Leegwater, Operations Manager of Metro Auto
Recyclers. “They were hesitant at first, but after our meeting with Hamstra’s Project Manager, Kevin VanderMolen, and his confident answers of, ‘Yes, we will take care of that,’ and ‘Yes we can meet that goal,’ the job was awarded to Hamstra Group.
“The insurance company set a very aggressive three-month goal for completion,” notes VanderMolen. “Despite days of snow and sleet, we managed to meet the scheduled completion date— thanks to the teamwork of all our trades, especially our plumbing, mechanical, electrical and carpentry partners.” …
Winter 2022 Newsletter
Featured Article:
New VA Outpatient Clinic Completed
Hamstra Builders’ storied history of working with the Department of Veterans Affairs grew another chapter deeper recently with the conclusion of the twelfth Outpatient Clinic completed by
the company this fall in Missoula, Montana. Since our first VA clinic project in 1987, we have steadily participated in the construction of these facilities across the United States.
Our most recent project in Missoula was the culmination of a joint venture effort with Juliet Development, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. Working together with Chad Suitonu, CEO of Juliet, we were able to bring this new 57,000 square foot clinic to life for the Veterans of the Missoula region.
The facility will provide a multitude of services for Veterans including integration of the Patient-Aligned Care Team (PACT) service model which allows Veterans visiting to see multiple doctors to remain in one exam room while those doctors come to the patient. Additional services available include an on-site lab, radiology/ultrasound suite, tele-health exam services, mental
health consultation, audiology, and physical therapy facilities. Groundbreaking kicked off in June of 2020 during the start of the wave of construction material shortages related to the Covid-19 Pandemic…
Fall 2021 Newsletter
Featured Article:
New Millennium Mortgage Office Now Complete, Anchors Park Centre of DeMotte
The Hamstra Team has recently completed the new headquarters for New Millennium Mortgage in DeMotte, Indiana. New Millennium is one of the anchoring tenants at the Park Centre of DeMotte, a premier business park also constructed by Hamstra.
The 5,335-square-foot steel structure serves as the mortgage company’s new office, complete with a reception area, staff offices, a conference room, and a break room. The project suffered some set-backs due to long lead times on materials. The COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting the supply chain, and construction materials, especially the exterior siding and interior door industries, are feeling the brunt.
There were bright spots despite the delays, however. Hamstra’s Project Manager Curt Albertson said “it was great working with Cyndi and Jen on the design and finish selections. The end product is something that we can all be proud of and is a great looking building in the center of DeMotte.” Owner Cyndi Urbano was especially thrilled at the end of the project. “We absolutely love it! Thank you for all that you did to make our dream a reality!”
On being located in DeMotte since opening her business in 2000, Urbano says the best…
Summer 2021 Newsletter
Featured Article:
Hamstra Continues Longtime Partnership with Save A Lot Grocery Stores
The Hamstra Group recently renovated the Hammond, Indiana Save A Lot, a grocery store that the Hamstra team restored 20 years ago. The project was completed in the Fall of 2020 and included both interior and exterior improvements. The interior remodel consisted of painting walls, installing new coolers, freezers and ceiling tiles, and replacing the old linoleum, revealing the
store’s original concrete floors.
Save A Lot co-owners Tony Parker met Greg Hamstra nearly 30 years ago and resonated with “the principles that Greg’s company stood for and kept.” Parker and his business partner Todd Hinson hired the Hamstra Group to construct their first Save A Lot location—a partnership that has since involved the construction or renovation of 11 retail buildings.
Hinson explains that the Hamstra team “made it very easy to navigate the various challenges during the project. From start to finish, they kept close communication with all parties from the subcontractors to the team at the store level.” Organization and communication were key to ensuring this project’s success…
Spring 2021 Newsletter
Featured Article:
New Accommodations Underway At Sandy Pines Golf Club
The Hamstra Group is bringing five-star accommodations to Sandy Pines Golf Club in DeMotte, Indiana. Located at 10527 Bunker Drive, Sandy Pines offers one of the best 18-hole golf courses in
Northwest Indiana. Soon, the club will be able to offer overnight accommodations for their golf and wedding guests.
The Cottages at Sandy Pines are brand new, four bedroom, four bathroom cottages and are positioned along hole #9, across from the club’s driving range. The construction of two cottages is planned for Summer 2021 and two more cottages are slated for Spring 2022. These four-bedroom 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…
Fall 2020 Newsletter
Featured Article:
Got Milk? Robotic Dairy and Visitor Center Comes to Fair Oaks, IN
When you reach for that carton of milk in your refrigerator, do you know where it comes from? The Hamstra Group recently completed a state-of-the-art robotic dairy and visitor center in Fair Oaks, Indiana. This 116,000-squarefoot facility houses Fair Oaks Farms’ entire robotic milking line, which is visible to those in the attached 6,000-square-foot visitor center. This bio-secure center, sponsored by De Laval, gives visitors full visual access to the cows’ routines, whether they’re in the robots or roaming in the relaxation and feed lane.
The farm has twelve V300 De Laval robotic milkers, the most advanced iteration, allowing up to 75 cows to be milked per robot. Fair Oaks’ unique cow management system allows for the cows to choose when to be milked—or when to simply relax and eat. The facility features roof coverings from WeCover that provide ample natural light throughout. The ventilation system is also very specific for this dairy farm.
Through extensive analytics, Fair Oaks is able to provide the best living environment for the cows, all while studying feeding patterns, milk quality, and production. What the farm has found is their dairy cows are peaking higher in their milk production cycle by 5-7% and they’re also experiencing a 33% reduction in farm labor…
