KBE Building Corp. Completes Second Commissary Project

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — KBE Building Corporation has completed its second project for the federal Defense Commissary Agency — the new Commissary and Navy Exchange project in Annapolis, Maryland.

KBE served as general contractor for the $27-million project, which included the renovation of the 51,000-square-foot Joint Commissary and the new construction of a 98,000-square-foot Navy Exchange with a 10,000-square-foot garden center.

The Joint Commissary and Navy Exchange is a one-story building of brick and block exterior, steel frame and white membrane roof.

The project is eligible for LEED Silver certification for the unique way it captures onsite rainwater. Roof pipes direct water under the parking lot into water-holding rock beds, then ground technology channels the water to bio-retention areas. KBE's construction team had to adhere to strict environmental controls during construction to protect the fragile Chesapeake Bay watershed area.

The Defense Commissary Agency is handling the interior fit-out, with the grand opening scheduled for September 2014.

The Commissary will host a retail sales area; storage for nonperishable and refrigerated foods; a bakery/deli; produce, meat and dairy departments; administrative areas; operational support areas and staging/receiving areas.

The Navy Exchange will host a barber shop; beauty salon, optical shop, jewelry store, main retail sales area, food court, administrative areas, operational support areas and stock room.

Annapolis is just one city in which KBE is building commissaries. The $300-million commercial construction firm completed the $14.5-million, 57,000-square-foot commissary in Groton, Connecticut. KBE also recently started the $2.5-million, 53,000-square-foot renovation to the Navy Exchange in Millington, Tennessee.      

“For years we were the go-to builder for major retail projects, but we"ve expanded our scope of work to include government projects at the municipal, state and federal levels,” said KBE's CEO and principal owner Mike Kolakowski. “I"m proud that our construction projects are benefitting military families across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.”

In addition to construction, KBE serves military personnel and their families through its corporate philanthropic program 50 Ways to Make a Difference. Established in 2009 to celebrate the firm's new ownership, name change and five decades in business, 50 Ways has helped KBE donate more than $1.2 million and 5,000 volunteer hours to benefit military veterans, children and seniors in Connecticut and Maryland.

Photos courtesy of Paul Burk Photography.