In an effort to promote and strengthen the role of minority, women, and veteran-owned firms in the construction industry, Gilbane Building Co. recently convened its first-ever National Partners Council Forum at its world headquarters in Providence, RI. The Forum, the first of its kind in the construction management industry, brought together presidents and chief executives from more than 15 minority and women-owned firms from around the U.S., along with 10 members of Gilbane’s senior executive team. During the two-day event, attendees participated in a dynamic exchange of ideas on industry best practices as well as building and sustaining strategic partnerships that will extend beyond a single project focus.
“The Gilbane National Partners Council’s Forum was truly groundbreaking,” said Mark O’Luck, Chief Executive Officer of New York-based Spectrum Personal Communications Corp. “The great thing about the Forum was how frank and candid the discussions were. The knowledge gained and information shared by Gilbane and members of the Council is so important during this period of contraction in the construction industry. The sharing of information from the National Partners Council and Gilbane will only serve to foster stronger business relationships going forward.”
“Historically our industry places too much focus simply on winning jobs and often the decision to work together is centered solely on that goal,” explained William J. Gilbane, Jr., President and Chief Operating Officer of Gilbane Building Company. “We believe that not nearly enough time is spent growing the relationships between companies and sharing skill development that will benefit all of us in the industry. This Forum brought together an extraordinary array of industry leaders to discuss supporting the growth of minority firms to pursue, perform, and deliver client-focused opportunities.”
He added, “Some attendees have built a relationship with Gilbane over 50 years or more while for others, the Forum marked the start of what we hope will be a mutually beneficial relationship. The benefit of this shared knowledge will make all of our companies and our industry stronger.”
Commenting on the immediate, practical impact of the Forum, Rosana Privitera Biondo, President of Mark One Electric Company of Kansas City, MO, and a 37-year veteran of the industry, remarked, “I was stunned that Gilbane would be so kind as to invest the time and resources to bring minority and women-owned businesses together and to share so much information with us, as well as to learn of so many minority contractors around the country. It’s encouraging to see so many that have done well. There was a lot of teambuilding going on in the room and I look forward to reaching out to people in the Forum to potentially do business together.” BD+C
Related Stories
| Nov 2, 2010
Wind Power, Windy City-style
Building-integrated wind turbines lend a futuristic look to a parking structure in Chicago’s trendy River North neighborhood. Only time will tell how much power the wind devices will generate.
| Nov 2, 2010
Energy Analysis No Longer a Luxury
Back in the halcyon days of 2006, energy analysis of building design and performance was a luxury. Sure, many forward-thinking AEC firms ran their designs through services such as Autodesk’s Green Building Studio and IES’s Virtual Environment, and some facility managers used Honeywell’s Energy Manager and other monitoring software. Today, however, knowing exactly how much energy your building will produce and use is survival of the fittest as energy costs and green design requirements demand precision.
| Nov 2, 2010
Yudelson: ‘If It Doesn’t Perform, It Can’t Be Green’
Jerry Yudelson, prolific author and veteran green building expert, challenges Building Teams to think big when it comes to controlling energy use and reducing carbon emissions in buildings.
| Nov 2, 2010
Historic changes to commercial building energy codes drive energy efficiency, emissions reductions
Revisions to the commercial section of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) represent the largest single-step efficiency increase in the history of the national, model energy. The changes mean that new and renovated buildings constructed in jurisdictions that follow the 2012 IECC will use 30% less energy than those built to current standards.
| Nov 1, 2010
Sustainable, mixed-income housing to revitalize community
The $41 million Arlington Grove mixed-use development in St. Louis is viewed as a major step in revitalizing the community. Developed by McCormack Baron Salazar with KAI Design & Build (architect, MEP, GC), the project will add 112 new and renovated mixed-income rental units (market rate, low-income, and public housing) totaling 162,000 sf, plus 5,000 sf of commercial/retail space.
| Nov 1, 2010
John Pearce: First thing I tell designers: Do your homework!
John Pearce, FAIA, University Architect at Duke University, Durham, N.C., tells BD+C’s Robert Cassidy about the school’s construction plans and sustainability efforts, how to land work at Duke, and why he’s proceeding with caution when it comes to BIM.
| Nov 1, 2010
Vancouver’s former Olympic Village shoots for Gold
The first tenants of the Millennium Water development in Vancouver, B.C., were Olympic athletes competing in the 2010 Winter Games. Now the former Olympic Village, located on a 17-acre brownfield site, is being transformed into a residential neighborhood targeting LEED ND Gold. The buildings are expected to consume 30-70% less energy than comparable structures.
| Oct 27, 2010
Grid-neutral education complex to serve students, community
MVE Institutional designed the Downtown Educational Complex in Oakland, Calif., to serve as an educational facility, community center, and grid-neutral green building. The 123,000-sf complex, now under construction on a 5.5-acre site in the city’s Lake Merritt neighborhood, will be built in two phases, the first expected to be completed in spring 2012 and the second in fall 2014.
| Oct 21, 2010
GSA confirms new LEED Gold requirement
The General Services Administration has increased its sustainability requirements and now mandates LEED Gold for its projects.
