ST. LOUIS, MO — Tarlton Corp. won top honors in the 2021 Construction Keystone Awards from the Associated General Contractors of Missouri for two separate projects — renovations on two floors at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and its work on the Michael and Quirsis Riney Primate Canopy Trails, a first-of-its-kind immersive outdoor exhibit, at the Saint Louis Zoo.

For its work at St. Louis Children’s Hospital — widely considered one of America’s top children’s hospitals — Tarlton won in the General Contractor/Construction Manager/Prime Contractor Building Construction category for projects ranging from $15 million to $50 million for the complex expansion of the hospital’s Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units.

Working within fully operational, occupied spaces, Tarlton expanded the hospital’s care with 43 new rooms in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit and 24 rooms in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit on Floors 5 and 8, respectively. Throughout renovation, Tarlton paid careful attention to patient safety and care, managing the work to keep adjacent patient rooms and staff areas operational. Challenges included navigating complicated medical-gas utilities, steel support structures, pneumatics, and MEP systems within limited spaces. The Tarlton project team included Joseph Scarfino, Sarah Mangapora, Brian Julius, Blake Kreutzberg, and Jeff Peterson.

The 35,000-square-foot Primate Canopy Trails expansion at the Saint Louis Zoo is an immersive exhibit that brings lemurs, Old World monkeys, and New World monkeys into eight new outdoor habitats that encourage learning through play and exploration for the animals and zoo visitors. Tarlton won in the General Contractor/Construction Manager/Prime Contractor Building Construction category for projects ranging under $15 million.

Scope included the construction of a forest canopy, overhead mesh tunnels, and a winding steel boardwalk at treetop levels. On this technically complex project, Tarlton championed the management of delegated design, multiple items and systems, and coordination of multiple specialty contractors to meet cost-effective construction. The exhibit opened in July 2021. Tarlton project team members included Scarfino, Diane Grimsley, Gregory Sweeso, Peterson, Joseph Fredrick, and Jeffery Vogt.

“Recognition by the AGC of Missouri is one of the highest honors a general contractor can receive,” said Tracy Hart, President of Tarlton Corp. “We are proud of the skill, teamwork, and spirit of the Tarlton teams on these exciting projects that represent top innovation and quality construction in St. Louis.”

The AGC of Missouri Keystone Award competition began in 1998 and recognizes contractors who meet and successfully resolve challenges on construction projects through innovative methods and ingenuity. The AGC of Missouri represents approximately 550 construction and construction-related firms in the state that perform building, highway, and infrastructure construction. The organization provides a range of local and national services to help members build their businesses.