$45 Million Project Once `Vail Field'; North America's Largest Chemical Distribution Facility...

Business Editors

CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2001

A historic site six miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles in City of Commerce that once provided the first commercial air service from Southern California, has

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Built by Oltmans Construction Co. of Whittier, Calif., the 22-acre project located just north of the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) at 2600 Garfield Ave., transformed a 1950s vintage former Vons grocery warehouse into a totally re-classified, state-of-the-art chemical distribution facility, according to John Schwind, project manager for Oltmans, along with Chris Bell.

The strategic site once served as "Vail Field" where the first commercial air service from Southern California was launched by Western Airlines 75 years ago.

With headquarters in Kirkland, Wash., VW&R is the leading chemical distributor in North America. A subsidiary of Holland-based Royal Vopak, the company provides more chemical products and related chemical distribution services than any other company in the marketplace, according to VW&R officials.

Mark Dobrinen, director of engineering for VW&R, said the company's new flagship chemical distribution facility represented a major re-development, construction and compliance challenge aimed at transforming the property from a former grocery distribution center into what he said is "a one-of-a-kind facility in terms of volume and variety of chemicals handled."

Noting that the massive project was accomplished in just 14 months, well under schedule by months, including nearly two months of demolition and grading, Dobrinen said:

"Early on, the people at Oltmans Construction Co. sat down with us and genuinely sought to understand our business and management. This enabled them to become part of the overall team early in the project, advising us throughout about how to better execute the project. It was the most important step in the process."

Oltmans Project Manager Schwind added that preliminary challenges included the removal of over 40,000 cubic yards of dirt, extension of existing utilities, demolition, re-grading and paving of the site, and associated hardscape and landscape improvements.