January 6, 2023 (Huntsville, AL) – The Highland Group, a real estate development and commercial construction firm, has completed renovations to Huntsville Utilities’ gas and water operations building on Triana boulevard in Huntsville Alabama. The renovations were to a previously unfinished raw space on the second floor of Huntsville Utilities Gas & Water Department that was mainly used for equipment storage and as a workout area for the department’s employees. The project scope for the newly renovated second floor included a new office suite, updated storage facilities for their equipment, a kitchenette break area, a conference room, and an improved fitness space to accommodate their employees.
“Huntsville Utilities has operated within the city in some shape or form practically since Huntsville’s founding in 1811,” said Highland’s VP of North Alabama, Michael Barnes. “We work extensively with Huntsville Utilities whenever we’re planning or undergoing any project in Huntsville or Madison County. They’re extremely cooperative when we start construction and it’s an honor to have paid that level of cooperation forward with these renovations,” said Barnes.
The Highland Group is privileged to have assisted Huntsville Utilities’ Gas and Water department update and renovate their operations building. The leading construction firm is underway on a variety of construction projects throughout Huntsville and its surrounding counties with no sign of slowing down. If you’re interested in working with The Highland Group to help renovate, relocate, or build your business from the ground up, schedule a consultation with their team today.
Huntsville Utilities (HU) was incorporated on May 7th, 1940, and is owned by the City of Huntsville. Huntsville Utilities is a public utility provider whose operations provide service to over 200,000 electric, 1,000 water, and 56,000 natural gas customers in Huntsville and Madison County, Alabama. The company today has about 179,400 business and residential customers and maintains more than 4,800 miles of transmission line. Huntsville Utilities is the 17th largest publicly owned utility service in the nation. In addition to electricity, natural gas, and water, Huntsville Utilities operates a citywide fiber-optic infrastructure to provide high-speed telecommunication coverage to their community. This network is used by Google Fiber, to provide its high-speed internet service to the residential and business community. As a Public Utility, Huntsville Utilities prides itself on its service to the famed “Rocket City” and on keeping the “Silicon Valley of the South” running as smoothly as possible. HU has a total of 715 employees, averaging out to around 1 HU employee for every 536 customers. The HU Facilities Department maintains 4 major buildings, 32 field sites, and manages a service footprint of over 800 miles effectively making it North Alabama’s primary source for utility coverage.
Huntsville Utilities is governed by three boards (Electric, Water Works, and Natural Gas). Currently, the governing duties for Huntsville’s Water Works and Natural Gas are combined into one board. The board members are appointed by the Huntsville City Council for three-year terms respectively. Each board member convenes once a month at the Huntsville Utilities Main Administrative building on NW Spragins Street in Huntsville to engage in a public forum to plan and review the needs of those in their service footprint. HU also offers construction services and prides itself on making it easy for contractors and builders to plan new lines of service or relocate existing service lines with an effective supply chain throughout Northern Alabama.
The Highland Group is a real estate development and commercial construction firm that specializes in real estate development, preconstruction services, general contracting, construction management, and design-build delivery. Their mission is to develop leaders committed to higher standards who have an impact on their firm and the communities in which they work and live by developing trusting relationships and building quality projects. The Highland Group has offices located in the Gulf Coast Region (501 South McKenzie Street, Suite 2, Foley, Alabama, 36535), the Tennessee Valley Region (415-H Church Street NW, Suite 201, Huntsville, Alabama, 35801), and the Florida Panhandle Region (130 Richard Jackson Blvd., Suite 104A, Panama City Beach, Florida, 32407). They have been proudly serving clients throughout the Southeastern United States since 2005. Learn more at www.HighlandGroup.org