Installnet

As we celebrate 30 years, here’s a look back at a project that highlights what experience, attention to detail, and strong partnerships make possible.

We partnered with a longtime customer, a leading manufacturer of school and library furnishings, to transform the historic Main Street Library in Newport News, Virginia. The project involved removing aging shelving, installing 272 new bookcases, and carefully relocating 24,000 books.

For a partner taking on this type of project for the first time, the stakes were high. Maintaining order without disrupting the system required careful planning, constant coordination, and a team that could execute quickly.

Our project manager, Kelli French Dietrich, brought prior experience with similar projects and understood exactly what it takes to remove, track, and reshelve thousands of books without missing a step. That experience brought clarity to the process and confidence to the entire team from day one.

Over the course of two weeks, our team worked section by section. Books were removed and organized, existing shelving dismantled, new bookcases installed, and every book returned to its precise location. An eight-person crew showed up every day, tackling long commutes, tight timelines, and mentally and physically demanding work without missing a beat. All existing shelving—some more than 50 years old—was recycled, making way for a modern, more functional space.

Teams worked in sync, using specialized carts to keep materials organized as they moved through each section. At the same time, while our team progressed through each section, separate crews simultaneously refreshed the space, painting walls and upgrading a staircase. Maintaining sequence and order while working alongside other trades added another layer of complexity that the team navigated seamlessly.

This is where our people made the difference.

From early planning through on-site ex*****on, we worked side by side with our customer to solve challenges in real time and deliver an exceptional result with the precision they rely on.

Newport News Public Library