Gaughan Debuts New, Luxury, Multi-Family Property

This Fall, Gaughan opened Lighthouse Lofts Luxury Apartments, a new multi-family property in downtown Forest Lake, Minnesota. This 5-story, multi-use building is the newest luxury apartment community in the neighborhood. As General Contractor and Developer, Gaughan’s vision with Lighthouse Lofts and other developments is to bring new life and vibrancy to the core of the city. Investments like this are made to help fulfill a void in the market.

The first floor features a new location for Snap Fitness, to which Residents receive a complimentary membership with their lease. Mallards Restaurant has also opened their new, second location in the North corner retail space. Above that, Lighthouse Lofts has four floors of luxury apartment homes with several, additional walkout units on the first floor.

The modernity of this project is bringing a new atmosphere to downtown Forest Lake. The 8.5-foot ceilings and 6-foot windows in every unit allow natural light into nearly every room of the apartment, and the patios and balconies provide a beautiful lake view year-round. Residents can enjoy the rooftop patio, equipped with gas grills, in the summer. The adjacent clubroom provides a place to relax, gather in community, or reserve for private events in any season.

For more information about this development, visit www.lighthouseloftsmn.com, and stop in to experience these luxury apartments! The team at Gaughan can assist with your commercial real estate and construction interests. Contact us directly at 651-464-5700.

Gaughan Prepares for Multi-Family Development Project in Shakopee

The Shakopee City Council approved the 126-unit multi-family development for downtown Shakopee, proposed by Gaughan, at their July 3 meeting. Minnesota-based commercial real estate developer, Gaughan has an affinity for sites with the potential of the Shakopee project. Senior VP of Commercial Accounts Dan Hebert says, “[Gaughan’s] primary focus is redeveloping sites and revitalization of downtown markets.”

This piece of land on the north end of downtown faces the Minnesota River. The team at Gaughan has planned for an apartment community with five stories, underground parking, and a restaurant on the first floor.

Gaughan’s most recent multi-family development, Lighthouse Lofts Luxury Apartments located in the downtown community overlooking the lake, will open next month in Forest Lake, Minn.

Read the entire article from Finance & Commerce here.

Happy International Women’s Day!

The year 1908 began the journey for global recognition and celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The first International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated in 1913 when the women of Russia campaigned for peace on the eve of World War I. Today, it is often recognized by local activities, rallies, conferences, gifts, and the colors purple and green–symbolizing justice, dignity, and hope.
IWD also falls within Women in Construction (WIC) Week! This time is set aside, each year, to continue to raise awareness of the increased role and opportunities for women in the construction industry. We are proud of and thankful for the women at Gaughan and the hard work that they do!

Team Building Brings Big Thrills

Every year, Gaughan Companies hosts an annual team building event for all of its employees. This year, we took a day during the week to go to Big Thrill Factory in Oakdale with the whole company.

After an address from the company president, Patrick Gaughan, the attendees ate lunch and gathered into smaller groups in order to connect one-on-one with their coworkers. Our staff is growing, and with many of them at locations throughout the Twin Cities, it is important for us to take the time for these team building activities.

We participated in activities like go karts, laser tag, a ropes course, indoor zip line, and other events, like the Gaughan Jeopardy game. The atmosphere was filled with good spirits and friendly competition!

We appreciate our employees and all that they do for our company and our community. We are blessed to have a wonderful group to work with!

Winter Water Leaks

Do you have a water leak in your home? Is water dripping from your light fixtures or smoke detectors? If it is, one reason for this can be condensation.

As warm, moist air from inside the home rises up and comes in contact with a cold surface (like the underside of the roof deck), the air cools and moisture condenses out because cold air can’t hold as much moisture as warm air. That condensation forms a layer of frost on the cold surface.

When this frost builds up for weeks at a time and is followed by a warm day or two, it can melt all at once. Then, water will start running down the walls, out the bathroom and kitchen fans, through recessed light, out of door frames, etc.

People often jump to the conclusion that it’s a leak, even though it’s not raining and there isn’t too much snow to melt. But, what they are seeing is water that was already inside their home in the form of water vapor.

The best thing one can do to help this issue is control indoor winter humidity levels. If it’s 0°F outside, it’s best to maintain a humidity level of 20-25%.

WCCO recently released a story on this topic, too. Read more: http://cbsloc.al/2D6KxKi

MN Snow and Ice is Hard to Avoid!

Even with contracted snow removal service, we still experience freeze/thaw cycles that can wreak havoc on our sidewalks and driveways. But there are steps you can take to avoid a fall.
1) Walk slowly and carefully.
2) Ever heard of the Minnesota shuffle? Take small steps.
3) Keep both hands free to allow for better balance or use of handrails.
4) Step out of vehicles, don’t jump.
5) Walk as flat-footed as possible.
6) Wear appropriate footwear for conditions.
If you do fall, you may be able to reduce any injury by;
1) Rolling with the fall. Relax as much as possible.
2) Don’t protect what you’re carrying! Protect yourself and toss anything if you need to break your fall.

Residential Team Attends Local Conferences

This week, our residential team had the opportunity to gather more industry knowledge through the MN Multi Housing Association’s 2017 Fall Convention & Products Show and the HUD TODAY 2017 class taught by Mary Ross.
Everyone is excited to apply all they learned to create an excellent customer experience. We always welcome opportunities like these, which help us exceed customer expectations.

Compass Early Learning Celebrates Grand Opening

We would like to extend our congratulations and a warm welcome to Compass Early Learning, our newest tenant! Their grand opening was held on Tuesday, October 3, and was a great success!

Located in Coon Rapids, this is the first location for the early childhood education center. They are currently enrolling children from infants to preK. Each room at the center has a focus on a different subject, including Music and Movement, S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), Art and Dramatic Play. The children will rotate to different rooms for experience with each subject and will have a homeroom to come back to. By doing this, they will have a sense of routine and will be able to develop social skills and friendships with the others in their homeroom.

The owners, Amy Steiner and Ginger Olson, both have backgrounds in early childhood learning and are passionate about providing a stable and well-rounded learning environment for children. Both owners grew up in Coon Rapids, so this location is dear to their hearts. Amy said, “It felt like coming home.”

To learn more about Compass Early Learning, visit their website at www.compassearlylearningmn.com.

Snelling Ave. at I-94 Will See New Development in 2018

St. Paul, MN – July 21, 2017 – Gaughan Companies, Commercial Real Estate Developer and General Contractor, closed on the purchase of 304-308 Snelling Avenue in St. Paul on July 12, 2017. The final decision for the purpose of the new development is still being considered. Gaughan Companies is eager to develop in the city of St. Paul again.

Just off of I-94, the property is within walking distance of the Minnesota United FC Stadium and the Snelling Avenue Metro Transit Green Line. In addition to a new Whole Foods, this ideal neighborhood is also conveniently located near several major universities, including Concordia University, Hamline University, Macalester College, University of St. Thomas and St. Catherine University. Over 42,000 vehicles pass by this corner every day.

The current building was constructed in 1913, and the property has been owned by the same person for nearly 40 years. Gaughan Companies is looking forward to the opportunity to redevelop this site and build a new facility for the community.

For more information, visit www.gaughancompanies.com.