In just six months, McWhorter and Co. Inc., Anniston, AL, is transforming 28 acres (11.3 ha) in Middletown, DE, from a cornfield into a shopping center called Middletown Commons.

General contractor McWhorter and its subcontractors, who operate nationwide, specialize in fast-track construction of small shopping centers such as Middletown Commons. However, except for the site grading and utility contractor, Corrado American Inc. of New Castle, DE, they are from out of the area. So for equipment needs they turned to Ransome Rents, the Cat Rental Store, also of New Castle, DE, for a turnkey rental package.

Ransome Rents, a division of Giles & Ransome of Bensalem, PA, provides equipment to be on the spot, as needed, when necessary, with same-day pickup and delivery:

• As many as 30 Genie and JLG scissor lifts, headed by a 26-ft. (8 m) reach Genie rough-terrain model;

• Caterpillar TH63 and TH 83 telehandlers;

• Cat 318 and 315 hydraulic excavators;

• Cat 416 and 426 loader backhoes and Cat 426 integrated toolcarriers;

• Cat 226 skid-steer loaders; and

• New models of Genie light towers.

Other equipment includes cement mixers, welders, a storage trailer and a job cart to get contractors’ people around the site.

Jeff Parsons, superintendent on the Middletown Commons job for McWhorter, said, “We are putting up a single-level, masonry block/steel roof building with 152,000 sq. ft. for the main unit in the shopping center. In addition, we are grading and paving five parking lots. When we came here there was only a 15-ft. high knoll. The rest of the site consists of fill material transported from a site a mile away. That’s why Corrado American used as many as 13 Caterpillar scrapers to build our pad in just 28 days.” Corrado American also put Cat D9, D8M, D6 and D5 crawler dozers and Cat 300 Series and 200 series hydraulic excavators to work.

Parsons explained that to optimize the site’s drainage, especially with the large parking lots, “We had to go 15 to 22 ft. underground for the drainage work, and then build a 5-acre holding pond for drainage. Some of the manholes are 8 ft. around and 17 ft. deep.”

Currently walls are mostly up and the roof trusses are in place. Crews are finishing the insides preparatory to pouring the floors. Parsons said, “Work started at the end of July and we expect to be done by February, so tenants can start moving in.”

According to Dave Meechan of Ransome Rents, “The key to supplying a job like this is moving equipment into and out of the job on short notice, and servicing it to keep it operating for the duration of the project. Once the site pad was in place, the masons started at a fast pace and we had to be on call if they needed any additional equipment. If the contractors want something, anything, we find it.”

This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.

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