:: OEST Associates, Inc ::

archived stories

The Gateway/Cabela’s Breaks Ground at Scarborough Site

The Gateway at Scarborough, featuring a Cabela’s store, officially started construction during a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, July 16th. The Gateway is a mixed-use retail facility with retail facilities, restaurants, office space and a hotel with a 138,000 square foot Cabela’s retail store anchoring the site. OEST has been involved in the planning and design for two years with New England Expedition, LLC, the project’s developers. OEST has performed all of the site planning and permiting for this 75 acre site and has now moved into the design phase. The first retail store opening is anticipated for Spring 2008.

cabelas

OEST Announces Staff Additions

OEST has seen tremendous growth over the past year. We are continuing to add personnel to many of our departments. Since May, the following individuals have joined our team:

Brian Beaulieu
Brian Beaulieu of Topsham has joined OEST as a Structural Engineer. Beaulieu was previously a Structural Engineer at Olsen Engineers in Providence, Rhode Island and is a graduate of the University of Maine with a B.S. in Civil Engineering.

Paul Belle-Isle
Paul Belle-Isle of Batavia, New York has joined OEST’s Construction Management team as a Design Build Superintendent. He was previously a Project Manager for Curti Construction in New York and owned a General Contracting Business.

Jason Crowell
Jason Crowell of Biddeford has joined OEST as a CAD Operator. Crowell was previously a GIS/Microstation Mapping Technician for James W. Sewall, Co. in Old Town and attended the University of Maine in Orono.

Norma Grenier
Norma Grenier of Saco has joined OEST as an Accounting Associate. Norma was previously an Accounting Manager at Carthuplas, Inc. in Kennebunk and brings over 30 years experience in Accounting.

James Hoy
James Hoy of South Portland has joined OEST as a Cost Estimator. Hoy was previously a Cost Estimator for Ledgewood Construction in South Portland and brings over 14 years experience in concept design and cost estimating in construction.

Stephen Leonard
Stephen E. Leonard of North Waterboro has joined OEST as a Plumbing Designer. Leonard was previously a self-employed Plumbing and Heating Contractor for 14 years and is a licensed Master Plumber.

Matthew Lyle
Matthew R. Lyle of Portland has joined OEST as an Electrical Engineer. Lyle was previously a Test Engineer at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery and is a graduate of the University of Maine with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.

Gregory Norton
Gregory Norton of South Portland has joined OEST as a Civil Engineer. Norton is a recent graduate of the University of Maine with a B.S. in Civil Engineering.

Charles Ryan
Charles D. Ryan of Springvale has joined OEST as a Senior Electrical Engineer. Ryan was previously a Senior Electrical Engineer for BL Companies in Meriden, Connecticut and is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY with a B.S. in Military Engineering.

John Scheckel
John Scheckel of Gray has joined OEST as a Registered Architect. Scheckel was previously the owner of John Scheckel, Architect in Nutley, New Jersey and is a graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture.

Randy Underhill
Randy Underhill has joined OEST as a Construction Manager in the Structural Group. Underhill was previously a Mechanical Installation Supervisor with Metso USA in Biddeford and brings over 20 years experience in commercial and industrial construction.

OEST Employees Run in Doc’s Tiger Three Miler

Eight OEST employees competed in the Doc’s Tiger Three Miler in Biddeford, Maine in June. Bruce Goodwin, Calen Colby, Carly Desjardins, Christa Miller-Shelley, Jeff Evans, Justin Desjarlais, Matt Lyle and Steve Harding, all engineers at OEST, ran the Biddeford course. Bruce Goodwin came in 12th out of 154 participants with an 18:08 time. OEST employees have an informal “Lunch Bunch” running group and usually run 3-5 miles, three times a week which helped prepare this group for the race. The proceeds from the race, which has been in existence for over 15 years, support Biddeford High School’s Male and Female Track Teams.

OEST Employees Pitch in to Build a Wheelchair Ramp

Three OEST employees recently spent their weekend building a wheelchair ramp for a Maine family. Carly Desjardins, Calen Colby and Todd Lackey, all engineers at OEST, joined a group of ten volunteers organized by the Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA) to construct this ramp in a two day time span. All of the labor and many of the materials were donated. A local restaurant donated approximately 150 feet of wood from an existing wheelchair ramp on their property. Finding used lumber sources is a major factor in cutting ramp production costs.

This is one of eight ramp projects that OEST employees have worked on to support SMAA’s mission which is to assure that older people living in Southern Maine, especially those who are frail, living alone, or have low incomes, receive the support necessary to maintain their independence in the community. Other SMAA projects that OEST employees have supported in the past five years include roofing, snow removal, plumbing, siding and home winterization projects.

OEST Begins Work for the Vingtech in Biddeford

OEST has begun work with Vingtech, a manufacturer of optical devices for military equipment, in Biddeford, Maine. Our architects and engineers are currently designing a renovation to an existing 12,000 SF building. The plans for this facility include a clean room, manufacturing and office space. The electrical and fire protection systems will be also be upgraded. Additionally, Vingtech has hired OEST to act as the Construction Managers for this project and a Fall 2007 opening is anticipated. Vingtech is owned by the parent company Simrad Optronics ASA which is located in Norway.