10/16/2026
Behind the Build Pt. 4
For the next few weeks, we're going Behind the Build to share the stories you don't see when you look at a finished building. This week, we're talking concrete, a little problem solving, and what happens when you need to get the job done.
At Toray Composite Materials of America, we needed to pour a step-down freezer slab, but concrete availability was tight. After checking with several suppliers, we finally found one that could get us what we needed, but the schedule didn’t work for our usual concrete finishers, and bringing in another crew would have nearly doubled the cost.
So instead of waiting around, we decided to roll up our sleeves and handle it ourselves.
Four Merit Superintendents, one Merit Project Manager, and one Merit apprentice/journeyman carpenter.
The pour itself also had to be incredibly precise. The finished slab had a tolerance of just 3/16" over 10 feet because an insulated floor system for the new freezer and chiller units would be installed directly on top of it.
It wasn't our typical concrete pour, but that's construction. We are fortunate that when a curveball is thrown our way, we have the type of team that figures it out and puts the project and client first.
