Harry and David’s new building is part ofa $50 million expansion at Bear Creek Corp.

Harry and David call center operators are making the most of their new hive of activity in the heart of Bear Creek Corp.’s south Medford campus.

The 35,000-square-foot, 600-seat call center is inside a $12 million 75,000-square-foot structure erected by S&B James Construction Co. of White City. The building, completed earlier this fall, was the second phase of a five-year, $50 million expansion.

Construction was completed in September before the seasonal build-up, but the benefits of the new office have come into play in recent weeks. On Monday, Bear Creek anticipated taking 100,000 calls at its Medford, Eugene and Hebron, Ohio, call centers as holiday shoppers zero in on their penultimate round of purchases.

Harry and David’s peak order activity has moved incrementally later every year, largely thanks to technological changes. Busy people overwhelmed by activities during the gift-buying period find themselves staring at a shopping list and little time.

"We’ve allowed ourselves to be procrastinators," says Bear Creek Corp. spokesman Bill Ihle. "All of a sudden we turn the calendar and it’s two weeks to Christmas or nine days to Christmas."

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The rise of the Internet has inspired last-minute orders that can be overnighted via FedEx, UPS or the U.S. Postal Service for next-day delivery in many parts of the country.

That plays right into Harry and David’s hands.

"Each year, we’re prepared for this week," Ihle says. "The peak ordering day seems to be moving back about a day a year.

"But there’s a double-edged sword. Each year there’s a huge mountain we need to climb."

First S&B James had to scale its own obstacles in a rapid-fire construction schedule.

The general contractor couldn’t begin tearing down the 50-year-old warehouse on the new call center’s site until last year’s gift season ended in January. Working with architectural firm Bruce Abeloe and Associates and the engineering firm of Marquess and Associates — both of Medford — James avoided many of the pitfalls that hamper major projects.

"It was very helpful to have a local team," S&B James Executive Vice President Tom Hall says. "So much of the day-to-day communication depends on what your eyes see going on versus e-mails or phone calls."

The floor, supporting columns, beams and roof were all made of pre-cast concrete. The first columns, supplied by Morse Bros., of Harrisburg, were placed on April 8. By Sept. 8, call center employees began occupying their new digs, which sport 500,000 feet of data wiring.

"Originally, they wanted to be in by Oct. 1, but half-way through the project they asked if they could get in a few weeks early," Hall says. "We had to make sure we had the right people at the right time to pull it off. The most important thing was coordination. Essentially, we were working seven days a week, but we didn’t quite work around the clock."

The night before Bear Creek employees moved in, crews were installing windows.

"It was tight," Hall says. "Because we were waiting for the glass to arrive."

The entire structural shell was up within six weeks, before roofers, painters and electricians went to work. Hall says he was dumbfounded when the entire phone and data system moved with only a single line damaged.

"We’ve done buildings of this size, but never on the timeline we were asked to do," Hall says. "Bear Creek is very seasonal and it was important to be up and running prior to the new season."

Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail business@mailtribune.com