LEXINGTON, KY Gray Construction announces it received a distinguished national design-build award. The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) announced that Champion Petfoods Kentucky DogStar® Kitchens, designed and built by Gray, is the recipient of a National Design-Build award in the Industrial, Process and/or Research Facilities category.

Canadian-based Champion Petfoods LP selected Gray to design and build its first kitchen in the United States with the purpose of advancing its Biologically Appropriateâ„¢, Fresh Regional Ingredients, Never Outsourced (BAFRINO) mandate.

Situated on 85 acres of farmland, the 371,000-square-foot facility named DogStar®, is located in Auburn, Kentucky, and was purpose built from the ground up. The DogStar® Kitchens were designed to make the best and safest dog and cat foods on earth, exceeding the regulatory requirements of a human food facility.

DogStar®, which also includes a distribution center, offices, and meeting spaces to support kitchen operations, was designed, constructed and commissioned within 14 monthsfrom 0 percent design to 100 percent testing of new innovative foods.

"We feel honored to receive this national award," said Stephen Gray, President and CEO of Gray. "The Champion Petfoods project has been exciting from day one based on our strong relationship with Champion, the way the team came together to ensure success, and the innovation that was developed and integrated specifically for this project. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Champion as it furthers its vision to be trusted by pet lovers worldwide."

According to DBIA, the 2016 competition was the most rigorous to date. All project submissions were evaluated by a distinguished panel of industry experts tasked with selecting winners that showcased exemplary collaboration and integration in design-build project delivery.

"The Champion Petfoods Kentucky DogStar® Kitchens is an excellent example of Design-Build done right in the industrial sector," said Lisa Washington, CAE, Executive Director/CEO of DBIA. "The design-build team worked hard to blend the owner's personality and brand into the kitchen to lessen the industrial feel. This was only achieved because design-build allowed owner participation and streamlined communication between all of the co-located team members."