Blue Rock's Continued Growth with Specialty Retail
At Blue Rock Construction, Inc., specialty retail is a popular topic.

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Since 1995, Blue Rock has enjoyed tremendous success with commercial and industrial construction, and has recently expanded its business to include specialty retail projects for industry leaders such as Urban Outfitters, Starbucks, Anthropologie and Old Navy.

"Specialty retail was not a niche market that we heavily pursued," said Stephen J. Kettelberger, president of Blue Rock. "Due to Blue Rock's past successes, we've been given the opportunity to get into specialty retail with existing clients."

Within the last seven years, Blue Rock's specialty retail business has grown to the point that it now employs an in-house retail construction group.

"We made the business decision to bring in more expertise on specialty retail," said Kettelberger. "We recently hired people that have experience working with upscale retailer Cabela's and lifestyle centers including The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley."

Ten years ago, Blue Rock constructed its first specialty retail project for The Ballpark in Springfield, N.J., a unique project that converted an old warehouse into a high-tech youth athletic training facility. The 15,000-square foot Ballpark features batting cages, three AstroTurf fielding areas, a running track, weight room and food court.

As an owner and operator of various establishments within the entertainment industry, Frank Ricciuti, general manager for The Ballpark, said he had never seen a retrofit project that involved the complexities of The Ballpark.

"Fortunately, the project was supported by Blue Rock Construction," said Ricciuti. "Blue Rock's professionalism and expertise provided the necessary ingredients for an extremely successful project. From an owner's perspective, not only were the construction requirements met, they were greatly enhanced through Blue Rock's involvement."

Since The Ballpark, Blue Rock has delivered numerous specialty retail projects stores for Urban Outfitters in PA, NJ, NY, VA, and DC and are completing an Anthropologie store, which will open for Black Friday in Skokie, IL. Blue Rock has also delivered a variety of ground-up specialty retail buildings including, B&E Jewelers (Southampton, P.A.), Aquatic Gardens and Koi Company (Eastampton, N.J.) Projects with many clients even tie in with historic restorations.

"The exciting part is we're working very closely with the client and designer in a team-oriented design build process," said Kettelberger. "We enjoy being intimately involved with the design process. Details with specialty projects can be ten-fold from what standard construction involves."

Kettelberger added, "Our repeat business with specialty retail is largely attributed to our great track record with meeting aggressive schedules without sacrificing quality."