PAGE 8 – February/March 2009 – The Charlotte/Triangle/Triad Construction News
Work Excellence, Team Approach Bring
BE&K Hospital Project Accolades
around people who know the program—
ELLISON CLARY –
The Charlotte/Triangle/Triad Construction News
know how to put a project together and
what it takes to get it to the finish line.“
Those involved with the construction of Another subcontractor who praises
a major South Carolina hospital aren’t sur- BE&K’s “very smooth and very coordi-
prised that BE&K Building Group, Inc. has nated” jobsite operation is Marsh Spencer,
won multiple awards for its performance executive vice president of the SteelFab of-
there. fice in Charlotte. With 350 employees, the
Work excellence and a team effort are a Charlotte SteelFab operation often works in
hallmark of the Charlotte-based general the Greenville area, and was involved with
contractor, several say. BE&K on Patewood Hospital.
“BE&K has lots of talent and they bring A challenge for SteelFab, which in-
that talent to bear on the job,” says John stalled the 860 tons of steel and miscella-
Mansure, president of Greer Medical Cam- neous metals in the Greer Memorial frame,
pus. “It was the team they proposed and was the facility’s elaborate skin system. It
they used throughout the project that really specified brick veneer panels. Coordinating
made the difference.” the veneer with exterior walls and the su-
He is referring to Greer Memorial Hos- perstructure was stringent and required
pital, a 181,000-square-foot facility for close cooperation.
Greenville Hospital System University
“I don’t think there’s any question but if budget.”
“We have a relationship with BE&K and
Medical Center in the Greenville, SC, sub-
someone is involved in a project in their re- Greer Memorial was designed with a
they have confidence in what we can do,”
urb of Greer
gion, they work very hard to make sure they higher finish – more attention to details
. Spencer says. “We certainly sat down
Mansure knows what he’s talking about.
have satisfied clients,” Rook says of the such as natural wood surfaces, polished
across the table from BE&K’s project man-
Before the hospital opened, he was admin-
various subcontractors involved. “They’re metal accoutrements and terrazzo tile floors
agers. We all were involved in those de-
istrator for facilities development and con-
more motivated to do a good job.” – than is typical for healthcare. Rook’s firm
tails.”
struction, overseeing the building process
Involving so many firms means break- and the hospital system listened to senti-
Employing a team approach is what
for the $61 million center
ing the job into smaller parts. This facili- ments of nearby residents. Greer Memorial
. BE&K was hired to do, says Stanton, who
At a November banquet at Greensboro’s
tates participation among smaller, actually replaced an older hospital in the
adds that his company typically subcon-
Grandover Resort, BE&K won two presti-
closely-held businesses as well as those same general location and the neighbors
tracts as much as 90 percent of a project.
gious awards from the Associated Builders
owned by minorities, Rook believes. preferred that it look like the older struc-
“We had subcontractors for our subcon-
& Contractors of the Carolinas for its work
Money from the project is more likely to tures, which featured an arts and crafts
tractors,” he smiles. “But what Greenville
on Greer Memorial. They are:
circulate throughout the community. style.
hired us to be was construction manager, to
BE&K established a track record with its BE&K and its subs and suppliers pro-
· The Excellence in Construction manage the subcontractors doing the
Eagle Award for a healthcare facility in the
participation in an expansion of another duced that appearance while dealing with a
work.”
$50 million and over category
hospital in the Greenville Hospital System fairly large number of changes along the
. Those subs on the BE&K team might be
network – the recent construction of a way, Rook and Mansure admit.
· The 2008 Free Enterprise Award easier to manage because many of them
for employing the largest number of ABC-
405,000-square-foot medical office build- Those changes produced what David
have taken advantage of ABC training pro-
member subcontractors, suppliers and as-
ing at the Patewood Campus just east of Stanton, the senior project manager for
grams. That, in turn, is why BE&K is a
sociate members working directly on a
Greenville. Earlier, BE&K built Patewood BE&K, calls his biggest challenge as he en-
strong supporter of ABC.
project.
Memorial Hospital. deavored to stay on schedule. He mentions
“ABC members share a lot of the same
“Most contractors are only as good as
So Rook and Mansure knew what they radiology changes and alterations in patient
beliefs in fair business treatment,” says
the people they bring to bear directly on
were likely to get when they picked BE&K rooms. Mansure acknowledges adding pa-
Mike Baumbach, senior vice president of
your job,” Mansure observes as he assesses
as the construction management general tient rooms during construction.
BE&K. He likes the way ABC-member
the outcome of the project that includes
contractor at Greer Memorial. They partic- “As technology improved after design
subs adhere to fairness from a bidding and
more than 1 million square feet of
ularly liked the firm’s participatory ap- was originally done, Greenville Hospital
payments perspective, he adds.
sheetrock.
proach. System wanted the latest and greatest tech-
“At the end of the day, it’s the tradesmen
Ben Rook picks up on that theme. He is
BE&K took scheduling and financial nology,” Stanton says. “That means the de-
and subcontractors that are producing the
chairman and chief executive of Design-
forecasting seriously, Rook says. He praises sign’s going to change, which means the
final product,” Baumbach says.
Strategies, the Greenville-based architect
the company’s “tenacity to try to achieve construction documents are going to change
BE&K has long tried to use as many
for the hospital. He started his company in
the architectural design that the owner as we try to implement those changes.”
subcontractors and suppliers as possible,
2002 and has grown it to 60 employees.
wanted to achieve within the appropriate DeWayne Goldberg, owner of Char-
says Jane Boland, marketing and commu-
lotte’s DSG Concrete Contractors, was
nications executive for BE&K, which em-
among the subs on the job and he recalls
ploys about 140 salaried workers in
“some waiting on design to catch up.” DSG
Charlotte.
worked on the foundation and poured con-
The ABC training the subs have put their
crete slabs at the building’s base.
workers through is the foundation of the ex-
A firm with about 50 employees, DSG
cellent work they produce, she adds.
has worked with BE&K before and is com-
This shows up in yet another award
pleting a collaboration with the firm on an
BE&K collected for Greer Memorial Hos-
addition to Carolinas Medical Center-
pital. That is the 2008 Award of Excellence
Pineville. Goldberg anticipated a large
from Southeast Construction, a McGraw
number of subs participating in Greenville,
Hill publication.
but says there were probably more than
Rook, whose architecture firm continues
usual on this project.
to work with Greenville Hospital System
That meant coordinating workflow was
on a main campus research institute, is high
a major consideration.
on the finished product at Greer Memorial.
Regardless, he liked the experience. “It
“We’re thrilled with it,” he says of the
was probably one of the better jobs we’ve
facility that Mansure and his staff have oc-
ever worked on, just from the professional-
cupied since August 24, 2008. “I think the
ism standpoint,” he says. “We like to work
owner is thrilled with it,” he adds.
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