The Scroll: Summer 2025 Newsletter
Countdown to 25 Years in Business...
9 Months to Go
In another installment of looking back on our nearly 25-year history, here's a memorable project from 2010:
George Auten received a phone call from a friend and property owner who was out of town on a skiing trip. "George, my neighbors are telling me my pool has slid into Lake Hickory. Can you stop by and check it out?” George did and you can see what he found. Atriax swung into go mode and dredged the lake to recover lost hillside, rebuilt and stabilized the hill, and designed a new retaining wall to keep the pool above the river for the foreseeable future. Reminiscing about the project, George Auten said, “Reminds me of my Air Force career when the Command Civil Engineer said to me…'George, if it was easy, I’d get someone else to do it! But this one’s yours!’”
Atriax wins contract for Warehouse & Police Services at York VAMC
The Atriax team was awarded a contract to design additional storage space for the Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) building at the Alvin York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, TN. The project will renovate approximately 30,000 GSF and add another nearly 2,000 GSF. This secured facility will also be home to police staff and services. The CMOP serves the Murfreesboro and Nashville VA Medical Center campuses. The Atriax team consists of Atriax as the prime contractor, and subcontractors TLC, Wold, OCMI, and Terracon. The project’s design should be completed by June, 2026.
ABS partners with Vannoy Construction to build a new Hickory High School
The Hickory Public Schools Board of Education recently selected Vannoy Construction as the Construction Manager At-Risk (CMaR) contractor to build and manage the City’s new $160M replacement high school. Vannoy has partnered with the Atriax Group to support the design development, lead quality assurance and control, and assist with the construction of the new facilities. The team is scheduled to break ground in Fall 2026, with an estimated completion date of August 2030. The project entails 216,000 SF of demolition, 210,000 SF of new construction, 35,000 SF of renovations to existing buildings, new tennis courts, parking and infrastructure improvements.
Project Updates
A very clogged pipe at Mountain Home.
Atriax completed the design on Replace Site Underground Sanitary & Storm Sewer Piping at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center in Mountain Home, TN; a project that evaluated more than 44,000 LF of stormwater system and more than 24,000 LF of sanitary sewer piping. The Atriax team designed and replaced 5,800 LF of failing or failed sanitary pipe, 27 failing or failed sanitary manholes and structures, and disconnected and re-routed a storm manhole connected to the sanitary system. They also designed and replaced 6200 LF of existing storm pipe, installed approximately 150 LF of new storm pipe, replaced 78 failing or failed junction boxes, catch basins and drainage inlets, and connected two new catch basins to the campus stormwater system.
In precautions taken after Hurricane Helene to help weatherproof the Franklin, NC Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), the Atriax team was retained to design fortified access to a new emergency power system, elevate the building’s IT racks to prevent water damage during flooding, and protect windows from the impact of high velocity flying objects. Design was complete in May and will result in a much more resilient facility to serve Veterans' health needs in Western NC.
Atriax has submitted final construction documents on the US Forest Service’s Sherando Lake Recreation Area Rehabilitation project, an area within the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virgina. Sherando Lake is part of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. The Atriax team recently finished renovation designs of two beach pavilion bathhouses, paths, picnic/barbecue areas and a boat dock plaza.
Other projects recently awarded to Atriax:
- Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery Study & Design, Section 23 Drainage
- Security & Fire Alarm Design at Baltimore National Cemetery
- Canteen Kitchen Renovation, Phase 2 at the Ralph Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC
- Great Lakes Consolidated Mail Order Pharmacy (CMOP) Automatic Prescription Fulfillment System (APFS) Site Prep Design at Hines, IL
Cajah’s Mountain EMS Base ribbon-cutting scheduled for early November
This design-build project is proceeding according to schedule and on budget, with zero change orders. The dramatically renovated former medical office will be on display during Caldwell County’s dedication event around the first week of November.
Personal Announcements
Atriax Welcomes
Marilee Lackey, ABS’s new Construction Accountant, who replaces Pam Hale, who recently retired.
"I’m originally from Upstate New York, 10 miles from Lake Ontario, but I moved to North Carolina in 1997. I have a BS degree in Accounting from Capella University and love working with numbers and financial data. I’ve been married for 22 years and have five children and 8 grandchildren. My hobbies include crocheting, going to the beach, and Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. Before coming to Atriax, I worked for more than 10 years as a freelance bookkeeper for a bicycle shop in Washington, DC.”
Saydie Bean, Atriax’s new marketing assistant.
“While finishing my student career with Western Carolina University in 2023, I settled back into my home in Valdese and began my career in writing as a journalist for a local newspaper. At the end of July, I began a new journey with my new Atriax Group family. Although these roles are different, I am applying my former experience and skills to the other side of the communication field. I have moved around the Caldwell/Burke County area, but can now call Morganton my home, where I now live with my partner, Landon, and our orange cat, Rocket. When I am not bringing words to life or creating content, I am trying new recipes, lost in a book, doing something with my hands, or spending time with my family (humans and various animals).
Atriax Congratulates
...Raymond Borel on passing his NC General Contractor exam.
...Stephanie Bulick, our new Director of Financial Management on her new title. She stepped into the role after the retirement of our long-time accounts manager, Sue Stegall.
Atriax Appreciates
…the time we spent with our summer interns—your enthusiasm for your chosen professions was infectious. We wish the best of luck to architecture intern, Anya McCourt, rising sophomore at University of Florida; interior design intern, Hannah Antworth, rising senior at Appalachian State; civil engineering intern, Jerry Garcia, rising senior at UNC Charlotte; and architecture intern, Caleb Berry, a rising junior at Appalachian State, majoring in Building Sciences with a concentration in Construction Management.
Happenings in the Atriax Community
Reviving
Atriax CEO, George Auten, Jr., PE, is resuscitating the Hickory Chapter of Professional Engineers of North Carolina (PENC). He’s scheduled a “reset” meeting for Wednesday, September 17 from noon-1pm at Atriax headquarters, 703 Main Ave. SW, Hickory.
The meeting will consist of assessing interest and brainstorming an initial plan for the year. To join PENC, you don’t have to be professionally licensed or a member of the national organization.
Contact George Auten if you plan to attend so we can get a headcount:
