Wayside Waifs celebrates new campus additions

A virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this morning (October 28, 2020) to celebrate the opening of the new Wayside Waifs Campus, located at 3901 Martha Truman Rd in Kansas City, Mo.

The campus additions include a new, 9,000-SF Canine Behavior Center and an 8,000-SF Education & Training Center expansion.

"We are honored to be the building partner for Wayside Waifs, the largest pet adoption campus in Kansas City. These state-of-the-art facilities will help to bring solutions to our community for both pets and people, " said Phil Thomas, president of A.L. Huber, who partnered with SFS Architecture on the project.

The Canine Behavior Center was built behind the existing, main shelter building and includes 21 indoor-outdoor kennels, three real-life rooms, indoor and outdoor play and training areas, a dedicated medical exam room with grooming space and a training classroom for visiting animal welfare colleagues.

The behavior center will serve 21-42 dogs at a time in a quiet and controlled environment. This building and program will be the second of its kind in the nation.

The Education & Training Center expansion, built on the northeast corner of the current shelter, will serve 15,000+ people annually.

The expansion includes three indoor multipurpose rooms that can be combined into one large room for hosting large group and events, indoor dog training classrooms, collaborative meeting space, office and work space for education staff and volunteers and 3,500 SF of storage and facilities offices​.

In 2018, Wayside adopted more than 5,600 animals into “loving, forever homes.” Wayside Waifs has served homeless, abused and abandoned animals for over 75 years.

Regnier Family Wonderscope Children's Museum adds final touches, opens today

Final touches are complete on the new, $15 million Reigner Family Wonderscope Children's Museum, which is set to open today at 433 East Red Bridge Road in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City’s newest 30,000-SF children’s museum features ten dynamic exhibit spaces focusing on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) activities, birthday party rooms, classroom spaces and a half-acre of outdoor educational fun.

Western Specialty Contractors’ Great Plains Roofing and Sheet Metal Branch of Kansas City, Kan. installed the “cherry on top” of the eye-catching building, which included the colorful, metal wall panels above the museum’s exterior entrance, along with Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) roofing.

A crew of six workers installed the .125 aluminum plate wall system, manufactured by Northclad, which consisted of 210 brightly colored, angled panels that averaged 7 feet tall with widths ranging from 2 inches to 6 feet. Western used a series of subgirts to attach the metal panels to the building’s façade and also installed 800 SF of Firestone fully-adhered TPO roofing over the top of the panel area. The installation was completed in twenty days.

Western branch manager Rod O’Bannon said installing the panels in the complex pattern, which were designed by the Dimensional Innovations, posed the greatest challenge on the project.

“The museum will be recognizable by its unique façade, so we had to make sure we had it right. Each panel had custom angles, so aligning them correctly with equal spacing was a challenge, but our experienced crew did an outstanding job,” said O’Bannon.

General contractor, McCownGordon Construction began construction on the musuem in March 2018. Other project partners included Haizlip Studio, MIG Portico, Paul Orselli Workshop and CBRE.

For the past 30 years, the museum has resided in the former Flint Elementary School building in Shawnee, Kan.

Read previous, related MWM story here from June 2020: Construction progressing at Wonderscope Children's Museum

Green light for Blue River Commerce Center at former Bannister Federal Complex

The first of seven modern warehouse and industrial buildings is slated to begin this month at the former Bannister Federal Complex, once the site of a massive World War II airplane engine plant and later as the manufacturing hub for America’s nuclear security program.

Bannister Transformation & Development LLC (BTD) made the announcement yesterday (Oct. 22) at the 225-acre site in the heart of south Kansas City along with Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, Sen. Roy Blunt and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

BTD is the private owner and also managed the three-year demolition and clean-up project in preparation of the $135 million redevelopment plan. When complete, the fully-restored property, located at Bannister Road and Troost Avenue, is expected to create more than 1,500 permanent jobs and new economic vitality for the surrounding community.

NorthPoint Development plans to construct a modern industrial park - named Blue River Commerce Center - with 2.6 million SF of new buildings, including a logistics and supply-chain career training center for local job seekers.

“This project is a great example of what can happen when federal and state government work together with private industry. The transformation of this dormant property into a hub of activity will benefit Missouri and south Kansas City for decades to come through new jobs, economic development, and increased commerce and revenue," Gov. Parson said.

The disposition of the site was a collaborative effort between federal and state agencies and private development to guarantee the property would be redeveloped, contribute to the economic resurgence of South Kansas City and save taxpayer dollars.

“This project is transforming an historic site into a modernized manufacturing and distribution hub, which will support new permanent jobs and encourage additional economic development in the Kansas City region. I appreciate the great work Bannister Transformation & Development, and all of their dedicated employees, have done to reach this point. I was proud to support this project and I will continue working with local, state, and federal officials as the redevelopment moves forward,” Blunt said.

A fixture of the economic landscape of South Kansas City since 1942, the obsolete and contaminated former federal manufacturing plant was shuttered more than five years ago when NNSA and the General Services Administration relocated to new facilities. Local and state officials worried that the abandoned site would quickly become blighted and dangerous. But steady community pressure, and leadership from key federal and state stakeholders and the private sector led to a comprehensive plan to raze the more than 3.7 million SF of old buildings and clean up the environmental problems that had accumulated over the long history of the former manufacturing plant.

“This modern industrial complex will eventually yield over 1,500 new jobs. And, for me, that kind of job creation is not just encouraging as I look to the future of our city – it’s also personal. It was at that former plant where I got my first job after moving to Kansas City back in 1968. It is my hope that we can not only continue to grow and transform this vital area of the city, but also that young professionals and future leaders across our community can plant those same roots that have allowed me to make this remarkable place my home for over 50 years,” Cleaver said.

In addition to BTD, the private companies that participated in the demolition and environmental clean-up project include national engineering firm, Olsson Inc.; locally-based construction companies Superior Bowen and Kissick Construction; the Maryland-based environmental firm of S.S. Papadopulos & Associates; and the Chicago demolition firm of Brandenburg Industrial Services.

More than $300 million of new capital investment and several hundred new construction jobs will be generated during the rebuilding period.

CBRE's Shamberger shares KC CRE springboards

As a broker with CBRE, one of the largest commercial real estate services companies in the world, Brice Shamberger shares how anticipating opportunities, seizing competitive advantages and executing the best possible real estate strategies has served as a springboard for him into the Kansas City commercial real estate scene.

RT (Rachel Treanor): What was your lightbulb moment to get into commercial real estate?

BS (Brice Shamberger): My lightbulb moment occurred in college, once I began to appreciate professionals who exhibited a higher level of personal accountability and responsibility. I knew I needed to dive headfirst into something that would require those traits, help me develop as a person, and give me unlimited earning potential. For those reasons and others commercial real estate seemed like a perfect fit. 

RT: Who is your mentor and why?

BS: There are a number of people who deserve credit for how I’ve grown as a professional. As everyone in the industry can attest to, there is no starter manual. However, I look to Brian Bacon within CBRE as a major resource in helping me develop as a brokerage professional. I came on board a few years ago and teamed up with Brian and it’s really been a springboard for me in learning the ins and outs of the business and what it takes to get deals across the finish line.

What gets you excited to get to work every day?

BS: Really, I think just the thrill of not always knowing what’s going to happen next. Whether it be with an ongoing deal, business development, or the little things that we have to proactively take on. That coupled with knowing that the little things I do today are helping to build towards my longer-term goals makes it easier to get up and go to work every day.

RT: How do you keep your skills sharp in this competitive climate?

BS: I really make a point to always be learning new skills and pushing beyond my comfort zone as much as I can. As one progresses through their career I think this is one thing that many of us start to slack on. It’s just as important to work hard on yourself as it is on your job. Both need to happen simultaneously to stay sharp and competitive.

RT: What deal do you wish for in your future portfolio?

I wouldn’t say there is a specific deal I wish for, but with that said, a compilation of multi – market deals for a company looking to expand into other markets beyond Kansas City would be fun to facilitate.

RT: What does a Kansas City CRE Comeback look like to you?

Kansas City has the right fundamentals for companies looking to grow and expand. I think if we can continue to nurture the start – up ecosystems we have and promote the importance of in – person collaboration then the entirety of Kansas City’s CRE scene will be headed in the right direction.

RT: What leads do you look for?

BS: Building owners who are looking to liquidate, exchange, or free up capital. Also, organizations who are looking to create more flexibility and save time and money in what is often times their largest expense, their lease and associated office costs.

RT: How can prospects contact you for more information?

BS: Anytime by phone or email! 816.968.5810 or brice.shamberger@cbre.com.