The Gillespie Group, a leading provider of commercial flooring in the United States has recently completed a 300,000 square foot installation in a six-floor new construction building used by students at Rowan University. The Gillespie Group was hired by Nexus Properties, one of the largest property development companies in the United States with more than 30 years in business. Their first project with Nexus, and its largest to date, The Gillespie Group was chosen for their high level of quality work combined with an ability and commitment to meet tight deadlines. Understanding the college campus setting, work had to be completed before the students returned in September. With extensive experience in the campus environment, including an installation at Rutgers University in three seven-story buildings, The Gillespie Group was the ideal contractor to work within the Rowan University time parameters in a very structured and fast paced situation.
Ecore™ brand flooring was chosen for the installation, as the selection of materials was a key factor in completing the project successfully and on time. The Gillespie Group has worked with Ecore for more than 20 years and are experts in every facet of the material, including using it for the Rutgers project. An eco-friendly “green” product, Ecore is made of recycled rubber, has a wood grain look and is less expensive than real wood. It is a high quality low maintenance product, is easy to work with, and is known for its versatility, durability and style. Visually appealing with fresh and hip colors, Ecore is perfect for a college dormitory setting. Pre-set planks were used for fast-track construction with Ecore underlayment throughout the entire project. The specific product used was Expona® Commercial Wood, in Grey Ash. Designed for heavy use in residential areas, Expona is noise resistant, slip resistant when wet, comfortable and resilient.
Experts in managing large-scale projects, The Gillespie Group attribute their success to knowing their product and their craft. For the Ecore project, quality work and the ability to deliver were crucial. Challenges included extended lead times to acquire materials and necessitating an accelerated installation timeline before the semester started. Providing a full service operation for Nexus, The Gillespie Group offered “one-stop” shopping, with no need for separate contractors. In keeping with the time constraints, The Gillespie Group installed the planking and the underlayment, as well as carpet and tile throughout, saving time and budget.
“We typically work on a large scale, and were chosen for the Rowan project based on our quality of work and knowing we could more than satisfy the client’s concerns for the short timeframe”, says John Gillespie, Vice President of Operations at The Gillespie Group. “It was a big job and Nexus knew we could handle that. Any time we’re working on a college campus, there is a hard deadline. So, timing is critical and everything needs to be done right the first time. You don’t want to have to go back in and re-do anything. We focused on fine-tuning our installation schedules to ensure the new floors were ready for students arriving back on campus in August.”
The Gillespie Group’s ability to meet the challenge was rewarded with happy customers. They are currently working with Nexus on three more buildings as a result of the success of the Rowan Ecore project, including commercial tenants on the first floor of the Rowan dormitory buildings.
About The Gillespie Group
The Gillespie Group, with headquarters in East Brunswick, NJ, has been a family-owned New Jersey-based business since it was founded in 1985. A leading nationwide commercial flooring and carpet company, The Gillespie Group offers a unique combination of consultation, product knowledge, industry experience, technical expertise, responsive service, and proven reliability. All company representatives have a deep knowledge of carpet and flooring materials and their performance characteristics. The company offers one of the strongest carpet warranties in the industry. The Gillespie Group team of expert technicians and installers are trained and certified by major manufacturers to ensure the highest quality workmanship.
For more information on The Gillespie Group, please visit: www.thegillespiegroup.com.