Making the decision to begin construction of a new $4.2 million headquarters in Okemos last fall just as this country was headed headlong into a full-blown recession might unnerve some people.

That old location, in Downtown Lansing at the corner of Ionia Street and Washington Square, served its purpose for the 5,600-member association since 1971. The association owned the 40,000-square-foot building.

The new headquarters, being built by Wieland-Davco Corporation on 3.1 acres of land along Okemos Road just north of Jolly Road, is expected to be ready for occupancy by August.

The MDA’s decision to move to Okemos was made following careful thought about leaving a building in the cozy confines of Downtown Lansing, which is typically regarded as the premium location for any professional association because of its proximity to the state Capitol Building, Eason says.

“We looked at many options downtown, both to build new and to lease. We looked at renovating our own building to meet our needs. In the end we found enough green space in Okemos to meet the needs of our employees and membership,” Eason says.

The abundance of class A office space in Downtown Lansing actually played a role in the Michigan Dental Association’s decision to move, he explained.

“We had been leasing out space in our old building and generating revenue from that. However, we found we could no longer compete with newer leased space now available to potential clients. We won’t have to be a landlord at the new location,” Eason says.

He added that the association is contracted with another party currently completing its due diligence to purchase MDA’s former headquarters at 230 N. Washington Square in Downtown Lansing.

The MDA, which was founded in 1856 and is the oldest professional association in Michigan, provides educational materials and services to its members to enhance their ability to provide quality dental care. It’s very committed to the public’s oral health, Eason added.

“The new Okemos headquarters will have designated space for our dental education seminars and other training initiatives. Our employees will enjoy a smoother work flow utilizing modern technology, and our ability to positively impact public health in this state will be enhanced,” according to Eason.

The MDA and its subsidiaries, MDA Insurance and MDA Services, have 49 employees.
The new MDA headquarters, with 26,675 square feet of office and meeting space, is being built with green in mind, according to a spokesman for Neumann Smith Architecture of Southfield, the architectural firm chosen to design the project.

The new building includes rooms equipped with occupancy sensors to turn off lighting when not in use, low-flow plumbing fixtures, high-quality insulating glass with a low E coating to minimize solar heat gain and on-site rain gardens to filter storm water before it reaches on-site wetlands, the spokesman says.

Eason credited real estate consultants Plante Moran CRESA with guiding the association through the exploratory process, which included finding the property and the eventual selection of an architectural firm for the project.

Wieland-Davco Corporation, based in Lansing, was selected to construct the two-story red brick building following a competitive bid process which included six pre-qualified general contractors.

“The bid process was very competitive. We were certainly happy to choose a local company to handle the construction. We wanted to stay local if we could and create as many local jobs as possible,” Eason explains.

Wieland-Davco, which also has regional offices in Florida and Louisiana, had recently completed the new headquarters for the Greater Lansing Association of Realtors in Delhi Township and was poised to serve as general contractor for the new MDA project, says Kevin Shaw, vice president of marketing and business development for Wieland-Davco.

“We love to work local and put our local subcontractors to work. From beginning to end, we’ll have over 150 laborers working on the MDA project representing over 15 subcontractors,” Shaw says.

The list of subcontractors on the MDA project includes Integrity Electric, Myers Plumbing & Heating, Van’s Excavating, Oneway Asphalt Paving & Excavating, Inc., Lansing Tile & Mosaic and Ritter Painting.

Subcontractors have handled everything from site preparation and excavation to installing the mechanical air and heat systems and doing the electrical work, Shaw adds.

Senior project manager Matt Getchell is leading Wieland-Davco’s efforts on the MDA project, while Scott Mason is serving as site superintendent.

Wieland-Davco, founded in 1958 in Bay City, Mich., has over 100 employees at a variety of locations across the United States. The commercial construction management firm has noticed a slowdown in the number of construction projects since last fall, Shaw notes.

“The economy is obviously very flat. We have seen a slowdown based primarily on the lack of credit for the types of projects we do. It does help that we are diversified and have projects going all over the country,” Shaw says. The company had 22 construction projects under way simultaneously this past spring along with the MDA building.
Once MDA moves into its new headquarters, Eason says the nonprofit association will be an economic boost to the Okemos area.

“We will work with the local hotels and restaurants in the area to make arrangements for our monthly board meetings and training sessions for our dental professionals when they are in town,” Eason says. “Everyone is looking forward to having a parking lot to park in.”