IMPACT Strategies Inc., Dick’s Sporting Goods, Fairview Heights

By RITA DUCKWORTH
    IMPACT Strategies Inc. was the original builder of Fairview City Centre in Fairview Heights, and is doing construction there once again. Kimco Realty contracted the firm to do the buildout for a new Dick’s Sporting Goods store. It is replacing the 50,000-square-feet of retail space vacated by Sports Authority in July 2016.
    “We started by gutting the entire interior of the building,” explains Project Manager Scott Manning. Since large retailers like Dick’s have their own corporate identity and style, nothing was salvaged from the prior tenant. “We reframed all interior walls and will be putting in all new fixtures and finishes.”
    Manning explains that a major part of the project was the entryway. “We had to demolish the old entrance and open up the entire front of the store,” says Manning. “We reframed the front to match Dick’s signature entryway. It includes two brick piers standing about 50 feet tall, framing a large sign with the company’s logo. We added new doors, storefront and glass.”
    The store is part of a strip shopping center, and shares walls with a neighbor on each side. “The area is extremely busy at all hours of the day, and we wanted minimal impact on those other spaces,” Manning explains. “Our biggest challenge has been the exterior traffic flow. Our construction activities needed to be separated for the public’s safety.”
    Construction on this project started in April 2017 and wrapped up in mid-September. A soft opening was scheduled for Oct. 10.
    “Retailers usually only open a certain number of stores during a season. This one wasn’t scheduled to open until 2018” says Manning. “We were ahead of schedule, and Dick’s made the decision to bump it up in line for a fall opening. We were able to put a push on things to make that happen.”