Holtsville, NY H.O. Penn, a 93-year old construction and industrial machinery sales and rental company, has completed the expansion and renovation of its parts and service departments, as well as a retail area. The 5,000 s/f renovated space is located on the first floor of the company’s 42,000 s/f, two-story building at 660 Union Ave. Stalco Construction served as construction manager and Rosebery Architectural Studio was the architect.
Established in 1923, H.O. Penn is one of the oldest Caterpillar dealers in the nation. The firm also sells, rents, and services Metso crushers and screeners, and Crane Carrier trucks. H.O. Penn operates six full-service facilities, including two on Long Island; the Bronx; Bloomingburg, and Poughkeepsie in the Lower Hudson Valley; and Newington, Conn. Its staff totals more than 400 employees.
“The renovation has significantly improved the quality of our customers’ experience and allowed us to upgrade the point of sale area. Equally important, the renovation improved the work environment for our personnel,” said H.O. Penn general parts manager Liza Katz.
Kevin Harney, Stalco Construction, Inc.“Stalco accelerated the project’s construction schedule to limit disruptions to H.O. Penn’s operations. For example, the service department was completely renovated during one weekend,” said Stalco principal Kevin Harney.
In addition to Stalco and Rosebery, the project team included: interior design and branding consultant, The Maude Group; electrical contractor, 2 Gang Electric; and KK Signs.
Jack Rosebery, principal of Rosebery said, “The old layout was very inefficient. It lacked a defined reception area, the retail section was hidden, and it didn’t allow for proper customer traffic control. Our design work focused on improving the functionality of the space, giving it a modern and open feel, and highlighting the firm’s affiliation with Caterpillar through branding, color, and materials selection.”
Following the renovation, visitors enter the retail and parts departments through the company’s main reception lobby, which received a new reception desk, finishes, and a stone feature wall. The new retail section is highly visible. It displays branded Caterpillar accessories, parts, and toys.
The stone tile wall, 9 ft. high by12 ft. wide, is installed behind the reception desk and serves as a background for a prominently displayed company logo. MSI International supplied the split face tile ledger panel of charcoal grey quartzite tiles in Coal Canyon color.
The scope of work in the parts department included the demolition of the preexisting offices and retail area, and the installation of a new storefront-type entrance, retail section, customer support counter, and a new office for the department manager. The renovated sales floor houses seven desks for sales staff and a private manager’s office. The finishes include textured vinyl floors in the parts and service departments and carpet tile flooring in the manager’s office. The rolled out Select Step G0007 vinyl floor in Barnwood Chestnut color and pattern imitating wood was manufactured by Mohawk Flooring. Philadelphia Mainstreet Carpet supplied the carpet flooring. The Armstrong Cirrus Ceilings, model 565, form a suspended acoustical tile ceiling, and the walls are made of gypsum board and Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU), painted in Benjamin Moore warm light grey.
“The construction team had to address several logistical challenges. For example, the service department, in charge of shipments, is crucial to the operations of the company. The service office could not be shut down during the regular operation hours. To accommodate H.O. Penn, Stalco performed demolition on Friday evening and completed the renovation and finishes of the entire service department on Saturday and Sunday. The shipping department resumed its operations on Monday morning without any interruptions,” said Jason Vasquez, Stalco’s project manager.
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