The Daily Dig
ARCO Design/Build held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 17 for a new manufacturing facility for OPW, a Dover company. OPW produces retail fueling equipment, containment, and dispensing products. The 143,940-square-foot, two-story plant will sit directly next to OPW's existing Smithfield, North Carolina operation. Completion is slated for Q2 2027.
The procurement path is worth noting. The opportunity initially followed a more traditional guaranteed-max-price path before ARCO's design-build approach was selected. ARCO says that approach gave OPW a more integrated delivery model, with the price certainty and schedule advantages needed to support its growth goals. One Four Two Architecture designed the facility.
OPW leadership framed the investment as a vote of confidence in Smithfield and Johnston County. Executives tied the expansion to rising customer demand and long-term growth plans. ARCO's Mike Moriarty said the design-build solution gave OPW greater confidence around cost, schedule, and overall project delivery.
ARCO was selected for its technical expertise, quality, and ability to deliver an accelerated schedule. The firm also brings a long track record in the county, having completed 22 ground-up projects there totaling more than 4.4 million square feet.
Snapshot:
Project: OPW Manufacturing Facility
Owner/Client: OPW, A Dover Company
Builder: ARCO Design/Build
Architect: One Four Two Architecture
Location: Smithfield, North Carolina
County: Johnston County, NC
Sector: Manufacturing (retail fueling equipment, containment, dispensing products)
Size: 143,940 square feet
Building Type: Two-story facility
Delivery Method: Design-build (originally pursued as GMAX)
Groundbreaking: July 17, 2026
Projected Completion: Q2 2027
ARCO's Johnston County Track Record: 22 ground-up projects, 4.4M+ square feet
TheJobWalk Thoughts
A GMAX opportunity converting to design-build is a signal worth reading closely. It usually means the owner prioritized price certainty and schedule control enough to change the delivery approach mid-process. GCs pursuing similar industrial expansions should be prepared to make that case early, before a procurement path gets locked in.
The adjacency to OPW's existing plant adds real weight to how this job gets planned and priced. Building beside an operation the owner is actively investing in calls for tighter coordination than a standalone greenfield site. Subs bidding similar work should account for that in their approach to sequencing and staging.
ARCO's 22 completed projects in Johnston County point to sustained activity in one submarket, not a one-off win. For subs and suppliers, that kind of repeat presence is often a stronger signal of near-term bid volume than any single project announcement.
Source: ARCO
Source: ARCO
