Prior to forming Tungsten Corporation, David had to weigh staying in Myrtle Beach against moving to New York to be part of the historically significant Freedom Tower, later named One World Trade Center. Having made his choice, Tungsten Corporation, like others, had to tough it out during the lean post-2008 years. David said, “We got through the recession one job at a time. I would design it, manage it, and go in the field and supervise it. Things didn’t pick up around here until 2012 – 13 when we made our first hire, Chuck Cahoon.” Chuck is a former president of Chancel Builders and a former Regional Director for MB Kahn with a wealth commercial building experience. “He has been a blessing to the company and to us personally,” David said. At Tungsten Corporation, Chuck is the Director of Construction. There are now 11 employees including Angela Victoria who is the Vice President, two project managers, one admin assistant, and five superintendents.
Tungsten’s portfolio is diverse. It ranges from utilitarian aircraft hangars throughout the Carolinas, to a high school football stadium, large additions, small retail stores, and all manner of restaurant work. Tungsten Corporation recently broke ground on the Georgetown Center for Advanced Manufacturing.
Building Industry Synergy spoke with four of Tungsten Corporation’s clients and while their needs were different, their praise of Tungsten and David Victoria was uniform: creative and great to work with.
Michael Siniscalchi is the owner of 810 Billiards & Bowling. Tungsten Corporation did the renovation of 710 Billiards & Bowling in North Myrtle Beach and the design-build of the new 810 Billiards & Bowling in Conway, slated to open in December.
Michael said, “With new construction you can’t really anticipate what kind of things are going to pop up and cause delays and costs, but Tungsten did a great job managing that and communicating well with me. David addresses everything head on with direct communication.” Michael added, “We’re a pretty unique model, and David’s ability to take a concept and turn it into a functional design was really great. I could just tell him, ‘here’s how many lanes I want, here’s how our business works, and this is what we need to do to operate successfully.’ He took that and figured out how to make it happen on our budget. In Conway, we were able to recess the foundation slab when we poured it. The lanes actually sit down into the slab so there are no steps.” The Conway 810 center is a boutique indoor/outdoor entertainment destination with full food and bar service. The outdoor space includes a bar, patio and lounge seating. Bocce Ball courts and cornhole boards are available outside. Inside, there are 12 lanes for bowling, plus darts and other games.
Another entertainment venue that turned to Tungsten Corporation is Ripley’s Aquarium. David Hill is the Director of Design & Development for Ripley’s 96 attractions worldwide. He has a background in construction management. David said of Tungsten, “We have a very good relationship. They are a good group of guys. Dave always works with me whether it is on value engineering or cost issues; he always helps me out.”
Tungsten Corporation did the design-build for the Jellies Exhibit, and designed the Penguin Exhibit, which entailed specifications for a 6,000 square foot addition that will also house eight new tanks. This exhibit is projected to open in November 2019. David Hill said, “We do a lot of breeding programs with jellyfish and rays. All three Ripley’s Aquariums have to have housing for fish for acclimation and quarantine.” Tungsten Corporation has just finished the design phase of the Marine Science Building for that purpose, which they will also build. Construction of the 33,000 square foot center is underway.
Among the numerous attractions, the Grand Strand has a competitive restaurant scene. Erez Sukarchi said, “I’m a restaurant guy – I build restaurants and David and I did a few projects together.” Tungsten Corporation did the design for Good Time Charley’s and Rooster’s Restaurant & Bar, both located at Broadway at the Beach. Erez added, “I got to know David, his creative talent, and him as a person so that’s when I decided to use him A to Z for a bigger project.” Erez owns Wicked Tuna in Murrells Inlet and had plans to open a second one on Ocean Boulevard. David did the design work and had everything ready to go, “Beautiful design, he came up with,” Erez said. The project was subsequently put on hold by Erez, though he has other ventures in mind.
April Haskell is another person who appreciates David’s creativity. She recalled, “We had purchased a lot in Waterbridge in Carolina Forest, and David was recommended by the sales office. We met with David and didn’t look at anybody else; we liked David. He can think out of the box and that’s what I liked about him. I didn’t want what everybody else has in that community. I wanted something different without going way out there.”
While the majority of Tungsten Corporation’s revenue is from commercial work, David enjoys doing select residential design-build work. April said, “David is very talented, listened to what we wanted and came up with a great design. His style is very artistic as well. He’s not cookie-cutter – a lot of builders do well with that – but David’s designs are different, and he will collaborate to put something unique together.” David and his team also took the stress out of the build. April said, “He was easy to reach, you could discuss anything, and he made little details work. David never really said no to an idea.”
All told, the combination of having a licensed architect, licensed civil engineer, and experienced project managers and supervisors is unbeatable for client convenience and overall quality control.
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