Hillis-Carnes Celebrates Major Milestone for DrinkPAK’s $350 Million Philadelphia Investment
Hillis-Carnes recently joined DrinkPAK and fellow project partners in South Philadelphia to celebrate a significant milestone for DrinkPAK’s new manufacturing facility at The Bellwether District. Representing Hillis-Carnes at the event were David Harmanos, P.E., Vice President, Eastern Regional Manager; Andrew Hajec, P.E., Philadelphia Branch Manager; Sadeke Konte, Project Manager; and Michael Murray, Regional Business Development Specialist. The event recognized DrinkPAK’s $350 million investment in Philadelphia, which is expected to create 175 manufacturing jobs and contribute to the ongoing transformation of the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery site into a modern industrial and logistics hub.
Located on Lot 14 within The Bellwether District, the approximately 1.4-million-square-foot manufacturing and warehouse facility is a key component of one of Philadelphia’s largest industrial redevelopment initiatives. The facility features structural steel framing, precast concrete tilt-up walls, heavy-duty floor slabs, and specialized foundations designed to accommodate manufacturing equipment and storage tanks.
Hillis-Carnes has played an important role in supporting the project, providing comprehensive Geotechnical Engineering and Construction Materials Testing and Inspection services from initial subsurface investigations through ongoing construction.
The firm’s geotechnical engineering services included Standard Penetration Test (SPT) borings, Cone Penetration Testing (CPT), electrical resistivity testing, electromagnetic induction surveys, test pit investigations, and laboratory soil testing. These investigations were instrumental in identifying and evaluating challenging subsurface conditions associated with the site’s industrial history, including variable soils, undocumented underground utilities, and remnants of former foundations. Based on these findings, Hillis-Carnes developed engineering recommendations for site preparation, foundation design, soil remediation, settlement, floor slabs, and pavement construction.
Throughout construction, Hillis-Carnes has also provided materials testing and special inspection services for earthwork, foundations, concrete, reinforcing steel, structural steel, precast concrete, and pavements. Additional inspection responsibilities include structural steel connections, welding, high-strength bolting, and specialized steel components essential to the facility’s manufacturing operations.
DrinkPAK’s new facility represents a major investment in Philadelphia’s manufacturing future and marks another important step in the revitalization of this historically industrial site. Hillis-Carnes is proud to contribute its engineering and inspection expertise to this transformative redevelopment and to celebrate this milestone alongside DrinkPAK and the entire project team.
Read more about this exciting milestone: https://www.drinkpak.com/post/drinkpak-marks-350-million-philadelphia-investment-bringing-175-manufacturing-jobs-to-south-philadelphia