by Ryan Kring | Jul 23, 2016 | Ancon News
Prairie Street Mennonite Church and Architect/General Contractor Ancon Construction are excited to announce a building project has commenced at 1316 Prairie Street in Elkhart. The project will entail an extensive interior remodel and a building addition. “The project solution responds to the current and future ministry needs which Prairie Street Mennonite Church was trying to meet and achieve,” explains Ancon Designer Matthew VanSoest. The proposed building project accomplishes two main missions: improving the church’s ongoing ministry to current congregation members and extending outreach to the local community. The ministry solution perfectly dovetails the scope of work which includes: new ADA restrooms, improving the efficiency of circulation/seating/serving lines/aisle ways for church events, improved energy efficiency, improved daylighting, interior design upgrades, roof replacement, improved acoustics, and a building addition extending from the existing fellowship hall. In addition, a proposed patio adjacent to the fellowship expansion will allow events to be held outdoors, further strengthening connections to the exterior/nature and the surrounding residential neighborhood. “The proposed fellowship hall addition will act as a beacon to the surrounding neighborhood with large windows and patio access, creating both visual and physical connections between the interior and exterior,” VanSoest adds. “This solution responds to the church’s ministry intent by extending outreach to the local community.”
Another unique component of the project is a complete redesign of the main corridor which connects the fellowship hall to the sanctuary. The scope of work includes removing a 9’ tall ceiling and installing a new 48’ long Kalwall roof system. “The corridor, already a busy space for movement, will also be used as additional fellowship areas with movable kiosks. To open up this space to approximately 22’ tall and allow the stained glass windows of the existing church to be within the interior of the building will really create an inviting, naturally day lit space. Our team is very excited to see how this space will be transformed,” added VanSoest. Gerald Shenk, a building committee member, reflects on the committee’s experience thus far with Ancon and states: “Ancon has truly shown that they listen carefully before they start to design and build. We have had numerous sessions in planning together and each time they came back with a new version of the plan that captures what we were talking about. It is important when we are managing a complex process of decision making to know that we are all pulling in the same direction.” The project, overseen by Project Manager Doug VonGunten and Field Superintendent Steve Taylor, is anticipated to be complete in Mid-December.
About Ancon’s Church Design-Build process: Church specialists at Ancon form a Design-Build team who strives to listen and to understand a congregation’s unique ministry. We have found that no two churches are a 
like – so finding the appropriate solution to the current ministry needs or for the needs of the future must be strategically and thoughtfully examined. The team remains conscious by researching best practices – what issues congregations are facing and how they respond to those issues through building projects. It is our hope that by learning best practices in church-worship design, we provide a building and space to enable a congregation to reach and exceed their mission, vision, and purpose.
by Ryan Kring | Jul 5, 2016 | Ancon News
Ancon Construction & JTS Architects out of Elk Grove, IL have recently broken ground on a multi-tenant building being constructed on North Main Street, Mishawaka, IN. The property is next to the existing La-Z-Boy Furniture location. The shell of the building is currently underway and two tenants have already signed to fill the space. The tenants that will fill the spaces will each bring their unique food offerings to the Mishawaka region. Potbelly Sandwich Shop & Pie Five Pizza Co. have recently been announced as the new tenants for the space.
Bringing in new restaurants that are not familiar in our region helps increase the diversity of offerings for both local residents and visitors. These two new restaurants add to a growing “Foodie” culture in our region.
Potbelly and Pie Five Pizza Co. will fill two of the four available spots within the building. There are several other businesses currently in talks to fill the remaining two spots. The project is expected to be completed this September. Check out the article in the South Bend Tribune HERE to learn more! Ancon Construction is proud to continue to build our region and is excited to taste these new unique food offerings!
Ryan Kring|Problem Solver|Vice President of Business Development
by Sherrie Byler | Jun 24, 2016 | Ancon News
Rod-n-Reel Coffee, Inc., Cabin Coffee Company, and Architect-General Contractor Ancon Construction are excited to announce that work has commenced on a new Cabin Coffee Company franchise location in Goshen. The coffee shop will be located in the former Key Bank building on Lincoln Way East, just south of Goshen High School. The project, overseen by Project Manager Todd Stone and Field Superintendent Matt Krause, is expected to be completed in the Fall of 2016. The coffee shop will feature a Roastin’ House where patrons can watch fresh Arabica gourmet coffee beans being roasted daily. Other programmatic spaces include a large general dining area, conference room, and outdoor patio area.
Other Cabin Coffee Company locations can be found in Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The Goshen location, so far, is the only coffee shop in Indiana.
“The Ancon team and franchise owners did a remarkable job designing a façade retrofit of the former Key Bank building which was built in the 1970’s,” explained Ancon Designer Matthew VanSoest. “The new exterior façade will feature timber details, new entrance canopies, and brick/stone accents which will allow the building to appear more vernacular,” added VanSoest.
by Sherrie Byler | Jun 24, 2016 | Ancon News
Class A Chicago Cubs’ minor league affiliate, the South Bend Cubs, recently announced they have achieved a Top 10 status in nationwide merchandise sales among all 160 professional minor league teams. South Bend’s close proximity to Chicago and a loyal fan base to the Chicago Cubs were all factors when the Chicago Cubs and the South Bend Cubs became affiliated in 2014. The South Bend Cubs are now one of the “hottest” teams in Minor League Baseball and the national and international sales of merchandise are giving the team unprecedented exposure.
Ancon Construction salutes and commends South Bend Cub team owner Andrew Berlin and President Joe Hart for their compassion and commitment to the team, the fan base, the City of South Bend, and the Michiana region. Ancon is proud to play a small role in the success thus far with building projects such as the Tiki Hut, the Performance Center, and other numerous projects throughout the baseball campus.
Here is what South Bend Cubs President Joe Hart is saying about Ancon Construction: “We’ve worked with Ancon in the past; we knew they could get it done. They’re great communicators and are there every step of the way. I have nothing but great things to say about Ancon. I get a lot better sleep at night knowing that Ancon is on the project. When they said they were going to do something, they did it. Not only have I worked with them on projects from a business standpoint, I have become friends with people over there too. They are people I would go and socialize with outside of a project, which says a lot about their character. I felt like they were part of our staff because the understood how important this project was to us and the community. They wanted to make sure that they did themselves proud, us proud, and ultimately the community proud.”
