Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County Broke Ground on New Homeownership Training Center and Main Office

Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County Broke Ground on New Homeownership Training Center and Main Office

by | Oct 18, 2024 | ANCON News

Pictured left to right: Andy Place Sr., Place Builders President; Matt Krause, Ancon Construction Superintendent; Matthew VanSoest, Ancon Construction Lead Project Designer; Jim Williams, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity; Doug VonGunten, Ancon Construction President; Mayor Dave Wood, City of Mishawaka; Jeff Rea, South Bend Area Chamber of Commerce President; Tim Schrock, Ancon Construction Project Manager.

 

Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County Broke Ground on New Homeownership Training Center and Main Office

Ancon Construction is proud to partner with Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County on its new Homeownership Training Center and Main Office, located at 524 E. McKinley Ave, Mishawaka. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Thursday, October 17.

The project involves an 11,500-square-foot adaptive reuse of a former medical office building, featuring a complete interior overhaul and a transformative exterior renovation. The redesign aims to restore the building’s original 1961 architectural features while modernizing its exterior with new entrance canopies. Inside, the two-story facility will include offices, open workspaces, conference rooms, lounge areas, a board room, an outdoor patio space, and a 60-person training room.

“Ensuring all interior work and communal spaces have access to natural daylight is achieved through the building’s ribbon window features on both the north and south facades,” explained lead project designer Matthew VanSoest. Habitat for Humanity’s national branding and color palette will be incorporated into the interior, alongside unique wood screen walls and feature walls that symbolize the non-profit’s work in building homes.

Doug VonGunten, President of Ancon Construction, which is leading the renovation, expressed the company’s appreciation for the opportunity to partner with Habitat for Humanity: “On behalf of all the Employee Owners at Ancon Construction, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to partner with Habitat of Humanity of St. Joseph County to design and renovate their new corporate office. Habitat’s mission closely aligns with our core values here at Ancon, and it has been a true privilege to be entrusted with this project. We look forward to transforming this building so that Habitat can continue to transform St. Joseph County.”

The new Training Center is expected to serve 750 to 1,000 community members annually, offering educational programs on budgeting, credit improvement, fire and home safety, estate planning, and home maintenance. “This 75-person Training Center reflects our commitment to empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills needed for successful homeownership,” said Jim Williams, President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County. “With the generous support of donors like Key Bank and the Judd Leighton Foundation, this debt-free facility will allow us to focus on building more attainable workforce housing.”

The building is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2025 and is strategically located adjacent to the new fire station, making it a prominent addition to the ongoing improvements along the McKinley Corridor, which will include the widening of McKinley Avenue.

For more information, please contact Amy Self, Ancon Construction’s Marketing Manager, at 574.533.9561, aself@anconconstruction.com, or visit anconconstruction.com.

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About Ancon Construction: 
Ancon Construction is a leading commercial design-build contractor offering services such as planning, architectural design, construction, remodeling, and maintenance. Headquartered in Goshen, Indiana, the company is 100% employee-owned and has been a cornerstone of the Michiana community’s construction and architectural landscape since 1975.

For media inquiries or further information, please contact Amy Self, Ancon Construction’s Marketing Manager, at 574.533.9561, aself@anconconstruction.com, or visit anconconstruction.com.

Get to Know Doug VonGunten, Featured In This Week’s Ancon Staff Spotlight!

Get to Know Doug VonGunten, Featured In This Week’s Ancon Staff Spotlight!

by | Mar 13, 2018 | Ancon News

With over 25 years of experience in the construction industry, Doug VonGunten is one of Ancon Construction’s many valuable project managers. Doug’s responsibilities as a project manager begin long before construction actually starts, leading the design-build team in programming, design, budgeting, and cost estimating. The project manager continues his leadership role throughout the construction process until the project has been completed and handed-off to the customer. Doug has managed a wide variety of projects including industrial projects, manufacturing facilities, streetscapes and infrastructure, zoo animal exhibits, ice skating parks, educational facilities, and more.

Some of Doug’s accomplishments include awards for Excellence in Merit Shop Construction for a new TLCU Financial building and a multi-purpose center at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Additionally, Doug’s Eddy Street Commons Streetscape project won an Associated Builders and Contractors Merit Shop Image award and the North American River Otter Exhibit project he managed at the Potawatomi Zoo earned an ABC Award of Honor. Through all of the projects that Doug has managed, he is most proud of making a client’s ideas and dreams about their project a reality.

Onsite Making Sure Projects Run Smooth

Aside from his work at Ancon, Doug finds many ways to serve and give back to the community. He is a member and Past President of Goshen Noon Kiwanis, serves on the Apprenticeship Committee for the local chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors apprenticeship program, and is an active member of his church, Walnut Hill Mennonite in Goshen. Doug also serves on the Board of Directors for Ryan’s Place, a not-for-profit organization that provides grief support to children, teens, and families who have experienced the death of a family member or loved one. Most recently, Doug has been serving on a committee with the Goshen Parks Department that is designing a playground for children of all ability levels.

Doug lives just North of Goshen with his wife of 21 years, Jolene, and their three children: Jack (16), Garrett (13), and Molly (9). In his free time, Doug enjoys attending his kids’ sporting events and music programs and being active outdoors, including cycling, running, camping, and hiking. Doug and his family also enjoy spending time at the beach in North Carolina with their extended family.

Doug says about his work, “I really enjoy the construction industry and the challenges that it brings. There are new challenges every day and no two projects are ever the same.” Doug is an invaluable part of the Ancon team. Both Ancon and its customers greatly benefit from his vast experience and tireless work.

Ancon Construction Opens New Office in Downtown South Bend

Ancon Construction Opens New Office in Downtown South Bend

by | Feb 17, 2018 | Ancon News

February 15, 2018

South Bend, IN- Ancon Construction, premier design build construction firm, held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open their new downtown South Bend office.  Located inside the newly renovated mixed use building The LaSalle the office has premiere corner street level visibility set inside the historic LaSalle building.  Although the office is inside a historic building the design is ultra modern and minimalistic.  Matt VanSoest, Designer, researched office spaces like Tesla and Google and used that for design inspiration.  Local artists have donated some sculptures and historic photos of downtown South Bend have placed them throughout the office.

Why downtown South Bend?  For over 40 years Ancon Construction has served South Bend, Mishawaka and the entire St. Joseph County region.  Nearly everyday there is an Ancon Construction employee in the region working on projects.  “We have a known presence and excellent reputation in this region….now we have the physical location to match.  The revitalization of the downtown corridor is exciting.  Many of the projects that started the downtown revitalization Ancon Construction were a part of, so South Bend seemed like the natural choice when we looked at potential locations.” noted Ryan Kring, Vice President of Business Development.  

Kring went on to say, “This space is a communal area which our employees can use to give our clients a comfortable place to meet and have a great experience.  Having this space allows our customers a closer place to meet and plan out our projects together.  We use a team approach to project design and delivery in which our clients are involved heavily throughout the entire process.  The office is designed to be a living showroom of various types of materials so our clients can see them in actual space.  Periodically we will change out the furniture and flooring to highlight the latest available designs and materials.”

Ancon Construction is not the only tenant in the building, recently The Hideaway opened.  The Hideaway is a 1920’s speakeasy steampunk whiskey bar that was designed and built by Ancon Construction.  South Blend, a new coffee house, is also under construction and will be opening its doors in the next few months.

We have been building this region for over 40 years and we look forward to the next 40.

 

Are you ready to start your project?  Click HERE and let’s get your project started….together.

ANCON’s Latest Hire!

ANCON’s Latest Hire!

by | Dec 16, 2016 | Ancon News

Construction Team Grows!

Ancon Construction is excited to announce that the employee owned company has added an additional team member, Mark Groshans.  Mark joined Ancon in November as a project manager and will focus on the cost estimating and project management process of concrete work and will also assist with Ancon Building Services (ABS) Department.

Experienced in South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen, Mishawaka Regions.

Mark has been in the construction industry for many years in our region and has a large list of existing relationships that he hopes to bring with him to Ancon.  When asked about his new position Mark said, “Being hired by Ancon is a great opportunity to work with a company that is well known for quality work and is well respected within the community and industry.  I am honored to work with such a great group of people that know the importance of family.”

Ancon is continuing to enjoy growth as a company and adding Mark to our team will only serve to enhance the great relationships we have with our customers and increase our speed to market.  Welcome aboard!