Judy Audette - Core concepts of teamwork, diversity and dedication is key to past and continued success

Here we are well into the summer of 2011 and the construction outlook here at J.K. Scanlan (JKS) remains positive. We are all very cognoscente of the recent downturn and the unsteady economy as a whole, but our firm has weathered this storm nicely. I believe diversity has been key for our firm. We are organized into teams, each headed by a project executive. Each team oversees a different sector within the construction industry, public, private, healthcare, renewable energy, etc. Our eggs, so to speak are never in one basket. At JKS, the renewable energy market continues to be strong. We have already installed over 11MW of wind energy for various clients in Massachusetts and Minnesota. New wind turbines are currently being installed in Scituate, Mass. and at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth, Mass. The Wind group has received rave reviews on their performance as construction manager on the Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Mass. Ed Terceiro, the executive vice president and resident engineer on the project commended the JKS Wind team for their work on the 4MW wind turbine installation project at the college. Terceiro referred to their performance as "outstanding". The healthcare division at J.K. Scanlan Co. is recognized as one of the premier healthcare construction managers in the region. We have successfully completed the construction and delivery of every type of healthcare project in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. We have extensive experience in projects that range from multi-phased ground up construction on very restrictive hospital campus sites to interior renovations in sterile clinical environments. I believe our success is in our expertise at minimizing impacts of construction on occupied facilities, patients, and staff. Our firm's success can also be attributed to our embracing the construction industry's continued movement towards sustainable building systems and products. In response to this demand, we have aggressively sought to incorporate "green" training at all levels of our professional staff. Our firm has completed many LEED certified projects, achieving Gold, Silver and Platinum status, the highest level according to the LEED rating system. Our staff includes 10 LEED accredited professionals at this time. As I mentioned in a previous article, multi-family housing has been very strong for us over the past few years. It is worth mentioning again due to the magnitude of success it has brought to our firm. We believe the uncertainty in the future direction of home prices, potential home purchasers waiting on the sidelines and former homeowners losing their homes to foreclosure and underwater mortgages has created a demand surge in rental housing. At J.K. Scanlan, construction is underway in Newburgh, N.Y. of a 128-unit, one and two bedroom apartment community, and 132 two and three bedroom town home units, spread over 29 buildings. The 50 acre site will include a clubhouse, outdoor swimming pool and many other amenities. This project is on track to be complete this fall. Closer to home, we are constructing the Veteran's Park Apartments, a new residential facility in Falmouth, Mass. This project includes two residential buildings and a single story office building. The project is schedule to be complete by November 2011. In addition to these two ongoing projects, JKS recently completed an affordable housing project in Wareham, Mass. and a luxury apartment complex in Lloyd. N.Y. Over the past few years, we have constructed a total of 1,200 rental units. Lastly, but most importantly, customer satisfaction and repeat clients are the linchpin of J.K. Scanlan's success. Recently on a busy weekday afternoon, the driver of a car crashed into the Roche Brothers Supermarket in Mashpee, Mass., our client of many years. Our firm along with dedicated loyal subcontractors worked through the night in order for the supermarket to be able to open again at 7:00 am on Saturday morning. No small feat considering the severity of the damage caused to the storefront. This type of dedication and loyalty is key to our firm's past and continued success. Teamwork at J.K. Scanlan has proved to be an invaluable asset to the firm. We are very proud of each and every employee who by pulling together in these very tough economic times helped JKS to achieve our recent listing in the Engineering New Record list of top 400 contractor's in the country. This achievement coupled with our receipt of the AGC's safety award for the 5th year in a row is a testament to the value of teamwork, dedication, loyalty and very hard work. Judy Audtte is the marketing director for J.K. Scanlan Company, Inc., Worcester, Mass.