Room To Spare For ROOMS TO GO

Furniture World Magazine

In twelve short years, ROOMS TO GO has grown from two stores in Orlando, Florida to the largest furniture retailer in the U.S. The company markets full room settings of coordinated furniture and décor, and offers discounted pricing by selling in volume, to homes and businesses in 32 states. A key to ROOMS TO GO's success has been their distribution centers. At any given moment, these technologically advanced warehouses stock thousands of pieces of furniture, ready for quick, accurate shipment to their customers. By 2003 ROOMS TO GO had grown to the point where a new, larger distribution center was required to support the needs of the country's fastest growing furniture store chain. They hired Horton, Harley & Carter, Inc. as the architect and Bob Moore Construction as the general contractor for this major project. A year later, the result is an amazing 851,000 SF distribution center / office building in Arlington, Texas that was nominated for the Dallas Business Journal's 2003 "Best Of" award before ground was even broken. "It's hard to really appreciate the size of this building," said Bill Colello, Senior Project Manager for ROOMS TO GO. "You need to see the aerial photograph to truly get a perspective on just how big it is!" With almost 15 football fields of interior floor space, the facility houses massive, five-level shelving units to efficiently organize and store millions of dollars in inventory. Circling the facility are 126 separate loading bays, allowing warehouse employees to load dozens of orders onto 18-wheelers simultaneously. On the average, ROOMS TO GO expects to ship 2,000 to 2,500 pieces of furniture from the new distribution center each day. The new facility will provide employment for 185 workers initially; that number is expected to increase as the company continues its growth. "Our capable team met the challenge of delivering a successful project on all fronts: Quality, schedule, and budget, and maintaining positive client-relations," said Curt Hellen, Senior Project Manager for Bob Moore Construction. "The size of this building, along with an aggressive schedule for completion, required our construction crews to work simultaneously with the trades in a more collaborative approach. For example, we proceeded with interior finishes at one end of the building while still erecting the structural steel at the other end. This overlapping of skills and phases of the project required communication and cooperation by everyone involved, but it worked beautifully. It was an excellent example of what true teamwork can accomplish." Steve Barrons, project superintendent, was similarly as enthusiastic about the ROOMS TO GO Distribution Center. "This building is one of the best projects that I have been a part of," Barrons said. "Schedule, quality, and owner relations were all melded into a fine end-result." "This has been a long time coming," said Bill Colello. "We put in a lot of hours. Sometimes we were out here until 2 in the morning, getting it done. But I'm very pleased with the building. Bob Moore Construction had an excellent team for this project. Larry Knox, Curt Hellen and Steve Barrons were great to work with. Steve in particular was key to how smooth and successful everything went. This project was actually a pleasure." Building Address: ROOMS TO GO 3500 South Watson Road Arlington, TX 76010 High resolution images of this building may be downloaded at the following web address: Construction Facts: • The 6" concrete floor was poured in 32 individual pours, and the entire slab was water cured. • The building's walls are comprised of 194 separate concrete tilt-up wall panels. • Each tilt-up panel weighs 50,000 to 93,000 pounds. • The roof is a 4-ply un-ballasted Johns Manville system. • The property's irrigation system is fed mainly from rain water collected from the 19.5 acre roof, making the new facility friendly to the environment and the local neighborhood. • Over 300 skilled workers worked on this project. About Bob Moore Construction, Inc. Established in 1946, Bob Moore Construction, Inc. designs and manages quality commercial construction projects in Texas and across the United States. Bob Moore Construction has delivered a wide range of commercial and industrial building projects for some of the most recognizable companies on the Fortune 500 List. The company combines the latest innovations in construction technologies and practices with traditional values like customer service and integrity to deliver quality construction projects on time and in budget. This blueprint of success has made Bob Moore Construction one of the most reliable, largest volume general contractors in North Texas. For more information about Bob Moore Construction, visit www.bobmooreconstruction.com.