Choate Construction Company received the highest honor of Project of the Year from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of the Carolinas during the “Excellence in Construction” awards banquet at the Hilton City Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The project recognized was Clemson University’s SCE&G Energy Innovation Center, a wind turbine testing facility which houses the world’s most sophisticated and most powerful wind turbine drivetrain testing equipment.

“It is an honor to be recognized for this incredible project,” says Millard Choate, President of Choate Construction. “This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of every member of this team. The recognition belongs to Clemson University, our partners and staff at CURI,  the project team, and the subcontractors for their significant impact on earning this award.”

Located within a decommissioned U.S. Navy warehouse atop a rehabilitated brownfield site,  the 82,264-SF facility is designed by AEC and support the critical testing of next generation off-shore wind turbines by allowing businesses to simulate in mere months over 20 years of rigors faced by the turbine systems at sea. The facility is also home to the Duke Energy eGRID, a 15-megawatt hardware-in-the-loop grid simulator capable of testing and validating the impact of wind energy on the nation’s aging electrical grid without the real-world risks to the existing grid.

This project was also the recipient of an Eagle Award from the ABC Carolinas and the Best Energy/Industrial from ENR Southeast Best Project.

Choate was also given an Award of Merit in the commercial construction $25 to $50 million category for the Red Ventures campus construction.