by Ryan Kring | Mar 13, 2018 | Ancon News
With over 25 years of experience in the construction industry, Doug VonGunten is one of Ancon Construction’s many valuable project managers. Doug’s responsibilities as a project manager begin long before construction actually starts, leading the design-build team in programming, design, budgeting, and cost estimating. The project manager continues his leadership role throughout the construction process until the project has been completed and handed-off to the customer. Doug has managed a wide variety of projects including industrial projects, manufacturing facilities, streetscapes and infrastructure, zoo animal exhibits, ice skating parks, educational facilities, and more.
Some of Doug’s accomplishments include awards for Excellence in Merit Shop Construction for a new TLCU Financial building and a multi-purpose center at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Additionally, Doug’s Eddy Street Commons Streetscape project won an Associated Builders and Contractors Merit Shop Image award and the North American River Otter Exhibit project he managed at the Potawatomi Zoo earned an ABC Award of Honor. Through all of the projects that Doug has managed, he is most proud of making a client’s ideas and dreams about their project a reality.
Onsite Making Sure Projects Run Smooth
Aside from his work at Ancon, Doug finds many ways to serve and give back to the community. He is a member and Past President of Goshen Noon Kiwanis, serves on the Apprenticeship Committee for the local chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors apprenticeship program, and is an active member of his church, Walnut Hill Mennonite in Goshen. Doug also serves on the Board of Directors for Ryan’s Place, a not-for-profit organization that provides grief support to children, teens, and families who have experienced the death of a family member or loved one. Most recently, Doug has been serving on a committee with the Goshen Parks Department that is designing a playground for children of all ability levels.
Doug lives just North of Goshen with his wife of 21 years, Jolene, and their three children: Jack (16), Garrett (13), and Molly (9). In his free time, Doug enjoys attending his kids’ sporting events and music programs and being active outdoors, including cycling, running, camping, and hiking. Doug and his family also enjoy spending time at the beach in North Carolina with their extended family.
Doug says about his work, “I really enjoy the construction industry and the challenges that it brings. There are new challenges every day and no two projects are ever the same.” Doug is an invaluable part of the Ancon team. Both Ancon and its customers greatly benefit from his vast experience and tireless work.
by Ryan Kring | Feb 17, 2018 | Ancon News
February 15, 2018
South Bend, IN- Ancon Construction, premier design build construction firm, held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open their new downtown South Bend office. Located inside the newly renovated mixed use building The LaSalle the office has premiere corner street level visibility set inside the historic LaSalle building. Although the office is inside a historic building the design is ultra modern and minimalistic. Matt VanSoest, Designer, researched office spaces like Tesla and Google and used that for design inspiration. Local artists have donated some sculptures and historic photos of downtown South Bend have placed them throughout the office.
Why downtown South Bend? For over 40 years Ancon Construction has served South Bend, Mishawaka and the entire St. Joseph County region. Nearly everyday there is an Ancon Construction employee in the region working on projects. “We have a known presence and excellent reputation in this region….now we have the physical location to match. The revitalization of the downtown corridor is exciting. Many of the projects that started the downtown revitalization Ancon Construction were a part of, so South Bend seemed like the natural choice when we looked at potential locations.” noted Ryan Kring, Vice President of Business Development. 
Kring went on to say, “This space is a communal area which our employees can use to give our clients a comfortable place to meet and have a great experience. Having this space allows our customers a closer place to meet and plan out our projects together. We use a team approach to project design and delivery in which our clients are involved heavily throughout the entire process. The office is designed to be a living showroom of various types of materials so our clients can see them in actual space. Periodically we will change out the furniture and flooring to highlight the latest available designs and materials.”
Ancon Construction is not the only tenant in the building, recently The Hideaway opened. The Hideaway is a 1920’s speakeasy steampunk whiskey bar that was designed and built by Ancon Construction. South Blend, a new coffee house, is also under construction and will be opening its doors in the next few months.
We have been building this region for over 40 years and we look forward to the next 40.
Are you ready to start your project? Click HERE and let’s get your project started….together.
by Ryan Kring | Jan 29, 2018 | Ancon News
Goshen, IN-Don Carrico serves as the Operations Manager and Safety Director at Ancon Construction. Don spends countless hours making sure that all of Ancon’s jobs are adequately staffed and running smoothly – ensuring the best overall product for our customers in the shortest time possible. He also helps ensure the safety of Ancon’s field employees by monitoring job sites and conducting safety training when necessary. Don holds OSHA 10-hour certification relating to scaffolding, forklifts, scissor lifts, trenching & shoring, confined spaces, and many other areas of construction. During Don’s 20 years with Ancon Construction he moved from sweeping floors to working as a journeyman steel worker and foreman, eventually taking on his current role of Operations Manager and Safety Director. Don takes great pride in completing a job on time and under budget, knowing that the finished product is second to none.
Don Preparing a Safety Program for an Upcoming Project
Even outside of his work at Ancon, Don is active in our community. He works part time as an on-call fire fighter for Southwest Central Territory in South Bend, filling in when full-time employees take time for vacation and when the department is short on manpower. When he isn’t working, Don also enjoys riding ATVs and his Harley touring bike, camping, and spending time working around the yard and house.
Don has two children. His son, Don Jr., is a junior at Mishawaka High School and his daughter, Taylor, is a Purdue grad who lives and works in Chicago. Don and his wife, Shauna, have been together for 12 years and married for 5. They live in South Bend. Don looks forward to the next 20 years and retiring to a warm climate!
Don is a huge asset to Ancon, its customers, and the community and we are glad to have him as part of our team.
by Ryan Kring | Jan 16, 2018 | Ancon News
South Bend, New Carlisle, Mishawaka, Plymouth, Goshen, Elkhart, Bristol, Middlebury, Bremen, Niles, Nappanee
Matt VanSoest serves as designer for Ancon Construction. Matt is a Ball State grad where he earned his Bachelor of Architecture in 2008 and his MA Architecture in 2010 with a concentration in Educational Architecture and Urban Design.
As a designer for Ancon Construction Matt prides himself on listening to the owner’s specific needs to develop early concept building concepts and unique design ideas. Matt uses the latest CAD software to prepare renderings including site feasibility plans, site plans, floor plans, elevations, details and utilizes 3D computer modeling to help our customers visualize their project. Matt works in partnership with our project managers and estimators during the pricing phase to provide alternative details and value engineering to keep the project on budget and reduce change orders. Another part of Matt’s job that is seldom mentioned but plays a crucial role in the success of a project is performing building code reviews. By starting a project knowing the requirements it makes the project much smoother through final construction documents and state/local permit submittal processes. Matt has over 12 years of experience in the construction industry and has been with Ancon since 2006. In 2008 Matt was able to implement many design principles from his participation in a three year research initiative at Ball State into a state-of-the art charter school project in South Bend, IN. Other notable projects include a 100,000 square foot lean designed trailer manufacturing company, Inovateus Solar, multiple church projects and a large regional science center with an added children’s museum component. The picture to the left shows Matt engaged in some 3D modeling for a client and the pic on the right shows some of the foam board models Matt builds by hand to help clients better visualize their project.
Matt is married with one child and a second on the way. When not in design mode Matt is active in our community serving with YPN (Young Professionals Network) of Elkhart County, Chamber of Commerce, Bremen Kwanis Club and member of the Indiana Redevelopment Commission (Bremen). Outside of work and service Matt enjoys spending time with family at their lake house and cheering on Notre Dame and Ball State
We are proud to have Matt on our team.
by Ryan Kring | Dec 29, 2017 | Ancon News
Ancon Construction, premier design build construction company, in northern Indiana & southern MI is growing and looking to add a variety of new positions to our team.
Architect
Full-time job
Ancon Construction, an established and growing Commercial Design Build Construction Company, is looking for a dynamic individual to join our architectural division. Candidate must have 3-5 years experience with commercial design with knowledge of PEMB’s and traditional build methods. Licensed architect is preferred. Ability to use RevIt and 3D modeling is required.
Compensation
We offer stable employment and a great compensation package including:
• Competitive base salary plus profit sharing
• Complete health and dental plan
• Paid vacations and holidays
• 401k plan & ESOP company stock program
• Team based environment, with a culture set for positive dynamic growth
• Incentive pay
Superintendent
Full-time job
Ancon Construction, an established and growing Commercial Design Build Construction Company, is looking for a dynamic individual to join our superintendent’s team.
Superintendent Qualifications:
• Five (5) proven years as a true lead supervisor
• Willingness to be a “working” superintendent on small jobs as needed
• Knowledge on concrete, form work and high end interior finishes
• Experience working with pre-engineered metal building construction methods
• Ability to read plans and high level communication skills with project managers
• Experience working/coordinating with area subcontractors
• Ability to control a job site and communicate to project managers and client
• Proven track record successfully completing large complex commercial projects
• Experience running projects ranging from 2-15 million dollars in size
• Proficiency with safety procedures
• Strong interpersonal, communication and conflict resolution skills
• Proven and effective management skills over contracted trades as well as provide leadership to carpenters, and laborers
• Basic computer skills
• Must have clean DMV and be able to pass background and health checks
Compensation
We offer stable employment and a great compensation package including:
• Competitive base salary plus profit sharing
• Complete health and dental plan
• Company provided truck & gas card
• Paid vacations and holidays
• 401k plan & ESOP company stock program
• Team based environment, with a culture set for positive dynamic growth
• Incentive pay
Project Manager
Full-time job
Our Project Management team is growing and we are looking to add a new project manager. 5 years experience estimating and project managing is required. All of our project managers estimate their own work so the ability to estimate is required for this role. Other skills include high end communication, ability to multi-task, computer skills and integrity. Experience with PEMB (Pre Engineered Metal Buildings) and traditional building method knowledge is required. Ancon works in a team environment and the qualified candidate must be able to work with others and solve complex problems.
Compensation
We offer stable employment and a great compensation package including:
• Competitive base salary plus profit sharing
• Complete health and dental plan
• Paid vacations and holidays
• 401k plan & ESOP company stock program
• Team based environment, with a culture set for positive dynamic growth
• Incentive pay
Concrete Finishers/Form Carpenters
Full-time job
Concrete Finisher/Form Carpenter Job Posting
Ancon Construction Inc.,leader in the commercial construction industry, is seeking qualified concrete finishers/form carpenters with the ability to smooth and finish surfaces of poured concrete floors, walls, foundations to specified textures using combinations of hand tools, power tools, including floats, trowels and screed. The majority of projects will be located in central northern Indiana & southern Michigan. Candidates must have a minimum of 3-5 years of experience working on larger commercial concrete projects with references.
Requirements:
• Current valid driver’s license is required
• Pre-Employment Drug Screen and Physical
• Reliable transportation
• Ability to work in teams with good interpersonal skills
• All team members are required to provide their own basic concrete tools
• Ability to problem solve in the field
• Good communication
• 3-5 years’ experience working on larger commercial projects (references required)
• Punctual, reliable and willing to work longer if a job requires extra time
• Flexibility to work on a variety of jobsites
• Emphasis on job site safety & following Ancon safety program
Compensation:
• We offer stable employment and a great compensation package including:
• Competitive base salary plus profit sharing
• Complete health and dental plan
• Paid vacations and holidays
• 401k plan & ESOP company stock program
• Team based environment, with a culture set for positive dynamic growth
