On the Job with Tradewinds Construction
Construction Connection September 2015 – Tradewinds Construction is a 28-year-old, multi-service company, functioning as both general contractor and subcontractor. “We offer a type of consolidated, one-stop shopping rarely seen in the construction industry,” said Tradewinds owner, Jeff Vilkin. One of Tradewinds’ primary specialties is commercial wood framing. They also have divisions in design-build tenant improvements and wall and ceiling systems, including metal-stud framing, drywall, paint, and acoustical ceiling work.
Tenaya Creek Brewery
Known for their award-winning Bonanza Brown Ale, Tenaya Creek is a craft beer brewery owned by a Las Vegas family. Looking to expand their operation, they bought this facility, originally built in 1954, for their new taproom, manufacturing and distribution center. The owners brought on Tradewinds Construction to help them achieve their vision of keeping the old, industrial look of the building while adding new, state-of-the-art systems. “This project involved civil work as well as renovation of an existing building in an old part of town that hasn’t seen a new piece of construction in over two decades,” said Vilkin. “We did the entire project designbuild, so we were the architect and the designer. We prepared all the working drawings and went through all the permit processing.” This project faced many civil engineering challenges in dealing with the sixty-year-old building and infrastructure.
At the front of the building is a 2,540-square-foot bar and lounge, and the rest of the building houses the 10,630-square-foot brewing operation. Heavy 10-inch by 16-inch distressed timber was used on the front elevation to support the facade. Special, one-inch thick glass separates the bar from the brewing area, allowing visitors to view the brewing process while tasting the finished product. The glass had to be made to conform to the roof’s unique shape.
“We had to fully re-support an existing barrel roof to meet the current codes,” said Vilkin. The old roof trusses were left in place and fully exposed, and the trusses were strengthened in order to support new HVAC equipment. The current brewing operation allows for 80 barrels of beer to be brewed in a 24-hour period. “This is a fully functioning brewery with all the various tanks and process pipes, grains and hops,” said Vilkin. “We put in about 25 taps, and Tenaya will have music and other entertainment.” The brewery and taproom will be fully operational and open to the public this fall.
Tivoli Village
When completed, Tivoli Village will be a unique, mixed-use, outdoor lifestyle mall and office space center. Tradewinds was contracted to construct the exteriors on two of the 90,000-square-foot buildings. “This was a very unique project in Las Vegas to be involved with,” said Vilkin. Overall construction is being completed in multiple phases with a multi-hundredmillion-dollar budget. Tradewinds work in phase two involved the installation of heavy-gauge, metal stud framing. They also installed DensGlass, plywood sheathing and fire proofing. “The real challenge of this project was constructing the three-story, exterior metal framing with a lot of work high in the air, utilizing high-reach equipment,”said Vilkin. “We completed it with a perfect safety record.”
Tivoli Village is located on the corner of Rampart and Alta in the Summerlin area and will house many restaurants, offices and retail stores. Tenants are still being secured before completion of the interior work.
