鲸鱼传媒 won the Outstanding Project of the Year in the Under $20 million category for its construction of SUL4R-PLUS. This project sets a new benchmark for industrial construction by pairing a bold vertical manufacturing design with advanced digital tools, strong safety leadership, creative problem-solving, and sustainable solutions.
鲸鱼传媒 partnered with SUL4R-PLUS as General Contractor to bring a full-service fertilizer manufacturing facility to Marissa, Illinois, helping the company meet growing sales demand. This project鈥痳epresents鈥痮nly the second facility of its kind, constructed around a patented manufacturing process鈥痽et to be implemented at this scale or configuration.
“鲸鱼传媒 was an outstanding partner throughout the development of our Marissa facility, and their professionalism was evident at every stage of the project,鈥� said Charles W. Price, Executive Vice President of SUL4R-PLUS. 鈥淔rom early planning through execution, their team demonstrated exceptional communication, coordination, and attention to detail, ensuring the project stayed on track while meeting our high standards. Poettker approached this complex, large-scale facility with a collaborative mindset and a clear commitment to safety, quality, and schedule. Their ability to align seamlessly with our internal teams and engineering partners made them a trusted extension of our organization. We are proud of what we accomplished together and would strongly recommend 鲸鱼传媒 to anyone seeking a reliable and capable construction partner.”
Innovation
Poettker used cutting-edge digital tools to solve complex, real-time challenges. To manage evolving equipment requirements, Poettker leveraged鈥痑dvanced 3D scanning and modeling technology to digitally capture existing conditions and collaborate with its mechanical partner to fabricate complex systems, including more than 20鈥痗ustom鈥痗hutes鈥痺ith varying geometries and angles,鈥痑chieving millimeter-level accuracy, thus eliminating鈥痗ostly field modifications and keeping the project on schedule.
Safety
Poettker鈥痗ombined site-specific planning, technology-enabled hazard discovery, and stakeholder alignment to produce measurable risk management gains.鈥疐rom day one, the team recognized that working within an existing structure introduced dynamic variables, including access routes and designated storm shelter locations. Poettker instituted a living planning process: As conditions changed, so did the plan. These updates were communicated in real time through weekly safety meetings that included both Poettker personnel and SUL4R-PLUS employees, ensuring the owner鈥檚 team received the same information and expectations as the construction workforce.
Equally important, Poettker鈥檚 safety culture extended beyond the鈥痡obsite. The SUL4R-PLUS management team has since adopted Poettker鈥檚 safety program, with Poettker delivering site-specific onboarding and safety orientation for SUL4R-PLUS employees beyond the contractual scope.
Sustainability
The project鈥痠ntegrated鈥痑n existing on-site solar鈥痜ield鈥痠nstalled by the鈥痯revious鈥痮wner just a few years prior, allowing the team to avoid the environmental impacts associated with manufacturing, transporting, and installing new solar panels. The鈥痯roject鈥痶eam worked with utility providers and electrical engineers to bring the array back into service and integrate it into鈥痶he client鈥檚鈥痭ew electrical infrastructure.鈥疶he solar array generates鈥痑pproximately 62鈥�75 kW of renewable energy, thereby requiring less than 3 months to recuperate the investment of reactivating the system.
Through innovation, collaboration, and adaptability, 鲸鱼传媒 delivered a high-performance facility that creates lasting value for the client, community, and environment.
