A local St. Charles county Missouri General Contractor,  Blanton Construction,  managed not just one, but two simultaneous miracles of construction in Joplin Missouri in the wake of the May 22nd tornado that devastated the area.  Blanton Construction went above and beyond in their response, reaction and management of production ~ making the perceived impossible task a reality on a grand scale.  When Blanton Construction was contacted, they were quick to respond and assess the situation.  Two Walgreen’s stores in Joplin needed immediate attention.  The Rangeline store required what was left of the store to be torn down and rebuilt from the foundation up while the other store on Main Street required the interior to be gutted to the exterior walls and renovated. 

Blanton Construction made it a top priority to insure their client’s expectations were not only met, but were far exceeded at both locations.  “As the city’s largest provider of pharmacy, health and wellness services and daily living needs,” Walgreen’s was “driven to restore full service to these communities as quickly as possible,” said district manager, Ryan Krugar.  As a trusted Walgreen’s general contractor, Blanton Construction and their project manager Mike Skornia, was immediate to respond and quick to take charge to get things done faster than any other store in the company’s 110 year history!  Skornia stated, “This never could have happened without the collective effort, dedication and hard work of all the city officials making the permit process efficient and the great group of sub-contractors we hired on the job”. Especially standing out in his mind was JDS Masonry and Sutterfield Electric as well as Walgreen’s own managers Ryan Krugar and Mike Flinchum.  

Blanton Construction’s role as general contractor coordinated management, scheduling and supervision for the work on the 15,000 square-foot store to its unprecedented completion in 83 days.  They utilized 10 to 12 hour shifts and employed at one point 25 masons from JDS Masonry working every side of the building to insure Walgreen’s was up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible.  The previous record for the construction of any Walgreen’s store, including over 7,700 locations in all 50 states, was 100 days.  Typical construction times have been roughly six months.

 If that wasn’t impressive enough,  Blanton Construction  coordinated the completion of the second Walgreen’s at 20th and Main at the same time, enabling a dual grand opening on the same day!    The Joplin Globe outlined, “Few businesses are rebounding faster than Walgreens.”  Mr. Ken Martin, president of Great Plain Federal Credit Union located at 2306 Range Line Road witnessed it all stating, “To me it’s unbelievable it has moved this fast.  I just didn’t see how that would have happened.”

Blanton Construction has been in business since 1970 starting out as a custom home builder and in 1974 transitioning to specializing as a general contractor  in commercial construction of  banks, churches, convenience stores, institutional, multifamily, and office buildings as well as many restaurants.  The Company has worked hard to foster a philosophy that integrity and excellence are the keys to a successful and profitable business.  Consistently focused on fulfilling client’s needs while striving to always exceed their expectations with expertise, competitive pricing and excellent quality.   Blanton Construction was honored to be a part of the reconstruction in Joplin and proud of the quality workmanship and dedication that was produced by all, in record time.

May 23, the day after the tornado devastated Joplin Missouri.

Walgreen’s Grand Opening August 22nd, 2011.

Nursing students visit at the open house for the new LU/SCC Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. Left to right: Dakota McNees of Wentzville (first year), Michelle Meyers of Warrenton (second year) and April Kuper of Foristell (second year).

SCC faculty members, including Cindy Meirink (left) and Amy Koehler, celebrate the opening of the virtual hospital on Aug. 15, located within the new LU/SCC Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences.

Guests attend the program at St. Charles Community College's open house on Aug. 15, at the new LU/SCC Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences.