ISC on the Road: 25 Stores, 25 Cities

 Between Aug. 11 and Sept. 11, ISC Contracting completed interior and exterior renovations on 25 Levi outlet stores in 25 cities across the country, from Florida to Colorado to Washington state. A project superintendent from ISC will work on-site in each of the 25 locations, with logistical and other support provided by the company's headquarters staff.

The $2 million project is a result of Levi's $72 million acquisition of 73 Levi and Dockers outlet stores that had formerly been licensed to Anchor Blue Retail Group. Completed July 13, 2009, the acquisition turns the outlets into company-operated stores.

"This isn't typical construction work," said Tom Stotts, the ISC project manager who manages ISC's work for Levis. "These are all ‘overnight remodels.' That means the stores remain open through the construction process, and we perform our work overnight while the store is closed. As morning approaches, we must make the store ready to open the next day."

"Prior to the acquisition, there was no uniformity in the outlet stores," said Nick Biddlecome, director of construction for San Francisco-based Levi's. "This construction program is designed to upgrade and bring them in alignment with our corporate branding." The work includes rebranding the exterior of the buildings, along with interior renovations and rebranding.

With 25 stores to renovate, ISC has been awarded the largest share of work of the four contractors selected to perform renovations, said Biddlecome. This latest contract follows on the heels of a just-completed assignment that gave ISC three weeks to renovate nine Levi's stores in nine cities. "It takes a special kind of contractor that we can rely on to work through issues quickly," said Biddlecome.

When a truck carrying woodwork to Levi's Flagship store in San Francisco broke down, twice, ISC arranged to have it pulled by tow truck.  "We couldn't get the truck moving, so we moved the truck," Green said. "That's the attitude you have to take to succeed in this business."

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