HONOLULU – August 20, 2020 – FIRST ONSITE Hawaii has won the General Contractors Association of Hawaii’s prestigious “Build Hawaii” award for Environmental Construction. FIRST ONSITE received recognition for its remediation, restoration and abatement efforts at the 568-unit Marco Polo condominium building following a significant fire. The fire, and the resulting water damage from firefighters battling the blaze, created extensive damage to all 36 of the building’s floors.
The “Build Hawaii” awards honor local construction companies for their outstanding work on specific projects. Judges evaluate nominees on criteria such as difficulty, project management excellence, innovation, sensitivity to the environment and surroundings, client service, and safety.
In presenting FIRST ONSITE with the award, the GCA noted, “Water had cascaded through every floor causing extensive damage and safety issues after the fire. FIRST ONSITE Hawaii answered the association management’s call for help and sprang into action. FIRST ONSITE coordinated and executed the entire mitigation and rebuild of common areas and units in the 568-unit building after a months-long assessment period by adjusters and environmental hygienists. Work finished three months early.”
Raymond Gould, president of FIRST ONSITE Hawaii, said the scale and logistical challenge of the project became clear when the insurance adjuster, the Marco Polo board members and building management representatives initially met. Hundreds of residents still lived in the building and needed ongoing access. Local regulations required FIRST ONSITE to provide notice about the exact timing of repairs for each unit. This enabled residents to arrange for other accommodations.
“When I look back on what made this project successful, what stands out the most is the strong relationships that developed over the course of the project,” Gould said. “Communication, collaboration and trust was essential and led to the successful reconstruction of those areas damaged by the fire. The Marco Polo board, the homeowners association, the subcontractors, the fire department, the insurance estimators, the insurance consultants and the FIRST ONSITE team all played a critical role in getting the project completed and residents back in their homes.”
About FIRST ONSITE
FIRST ONSITE LLC is one of North America’s largest and fastest-growing emergency response planning, property mitigation and reconstruction service providers. It works with commercial enterprises and residential clients to help them recover from fire, flood, water, natural and human-caused disasters. FIRST ONSITE is a subsidiary of FirstService Corp., and it has nearly 2,000 employees and more than 75 locations across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit firstonsite.com or call (800) 622-6433.
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