Category: K12

HPM’s Justin Grant Promoted to Senior Field Coordinator

Posted on January 22, 2021

Whether on the job or on the Jiu-Jitsu mat, Justin Grant is dedicated in every sense of the word. As an HPM Field Coordinator, he manages multiple projects at one time, collaborating with his team members to keep each project on schedule. Justin was promoted to Senior Field Coordinator this month because of his immense dedication to both his projects and his team.  

“Justin is dedicated to the successful completion of each project he undertakes,” said Frank Marsac, HPM Vice President of Operations. “He has the ability to manage multiple projects at the same time while making sure each project is getting the appropriate attention it needs. Often this means he is working early, late or both. His attention to detail combined with his calming demeanor creates an atmosphere of cooperation and teamwork on all of his projects.” 

Justin joined Hoar Construction in 2004 and moved to HPM in 2011. He has managed multiple projects at the University of Alabama, Homewood City Schools and Round Rock ISD in Round Rock, Texas. Justin was the lead field coordinator on large projects at ADMH Psychiatric Hospital and at Landry’s Post Oak Hotel. He has always been willing to travel anywhere HPM has asked him to go, including Oklahoma City, Houston and, most recently, Round Rock. 

“Justin has done a great job of accepting the challenge of leading a team of field project managers on the Round Rock project,” said Mike Pitts, HPM Director of Field Operations. “This is the first time with HPM that Justin has been responsible for other field coordinators. He has done a good job of training his team for their role, as well as in the HPM way. Justin was and still is instrumental in the development and implementation of the Procore field coordinator field reporting module. He is always willing to help in any way he can. Justin is the field coordinator’s go to guy when it comes to Procore.” 

Preconstruction Success: C.D. Fulkes Middle School

Posted on December 17, 2020

Over the last nine years, HPM has consistently served the needs of Round Rock Independent School District (RRISD) in Round Rock, Texas, through the work of our Audit and Contract Services Group. When the district announced its $500+ million capital bond program in 2018, administrators knew they needed a trusted advisor with the experience and expertise necessary to lead them through such a challenging program. HPM was selected to serve as program manager, and our role with the district includes the three-year management of the planning, design and construction of several large projects, including a new elementary school, a new aquatics practice center, expansion of existing schools and the modernization of two high schools. From preconstruction to closeout, we provide strong advice and tangible cost savings at every step of the way.

As with any K-12 project, finding opportunities to save money is essential. RRISD’s bond program includes the demolition of several buildings to make way for the construction of a new three-story facility for C.D. Fulkes Middle School. Our Preconstruction Services team was brought in during the design-development phase and quickly jumped into analyzing the initial estimate provided by the general contractor, which was over the original budget. With an attention to detail that leaves no stone unturned, they discovered numerous areas to save the owner thousands of dollars through more accurate estimating.

“Essentially from the day we got involved, we were able to work with the GC and architect and brought it down by 8.5 percent,” said Jake Chapman, HPM Preconstruction Manager. “Unless an owner has the background and resources that we have, this is not something they would pick up on.”

Jake and others from the Preconstruction team connected with several subcontractors in Austin whose estimates brought the overall budget down significantly. Armed with our historical cost data and subcontractor outreach information, the GC and HPM were able to successfully reconcile the budget and ultimately bring down the price for the owner.

“There is typically always somewhere you can save money, but when we aren’t there to check it along the way, it might not happen,” Chapman said.

About Preconstruction Services
HPM’s Preconstruction Services set the table for a successful project and make the entire building process easier for the owner. We offer expertise in planning a construction project before the actual construction begins, including feasibility studies, cost analyses, estimating, master scheduling, and design team structure and selection.

Preconstruction Services

At Home in a New Classroom

Posted on November 30, 2020

When Homewood High School teacher Melissa Dameron-Vines heard the news that she would be moving into a brand-new classroom, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. A classroom becomes a sort of home away from home for a teacher, and Dameron-Vines had been in hers for 10 years. Plus, packing up a classroom while planning for the year ahead is a lot of work, and she wondered how different this new space could be. That all changed when she saw her classroom for the first time. 

“I actually walked in and just starting crying,” Dameron-Vines said. “It’s beautiful. The clean walls, the beautiful windows. I have not pulled my blinds down one time because it’s so pretty.”

Built in 1972, Homewood High School was expected to reach its full capacity of 1,200 soon, and news of a bond issue, a hastily assembled land use study and the hopes and dreams of many community members spun into grand plans for a new building. However, using a demographic study and a facilities assessment of each school, HPM determined that construction of a new facility exceeded the system’s needs and far outstripped its budget. Instead, we were able to draw up a plan for renovations, expansions and updates to all five schools in the district to anticipate population growth, provide newer and more functional facilities and address the top priorities laid out in community meetings and surveys—while staying within the available budget.

The high school received more than a dozen new classrooms, updated athletics and performing arts wings and interior renovations to modernize the overall facility. Improvements to building automation and access control will save the district maintenance time and money. 

For Dameron-Vines, a new classroom means updated technology, more storage along the walls and higher ceilings that make the room feel bigger. She said her favorite feature of the room, the large windows along one wall, seem to keep students engaged rather than distract them from their work, and everyone appreciates the natural light that pours in.

“The room has a good feel and it has truly been a joy to be in here since school started,” Dameron-Vines said. “Especially when things are so strange, it takes a little bit of that away and makes me feel really comfortable and happy.”

HPM’s Tracy Richter on Education Talk Radio

Posted on October 29, 2020

America’s public schools have long been confronted with financial challenges, but the need for proper funding has become even more apparent in the face of a pandemic and an aging infrastructure. HPM’s Vice President of Planning Services Tracy Richter recently joined host Larry Jacobs of Education Talk Radio to discuss the creative solutions he believes are key to solving these issues.

“The federal funding in the last 20 years has been about two percent of infrastructure improvements and that has come from FEMA when the federal government appropriately stood up and said we need to help rebuild,” Richter said. “But I don’t think we need to wait on natural disasters or pandemics to really pay attention to these issues.”

Instead, school districts should be in a constant state of planning, utilizing new program management technologies like Geographic Info Systems and cost-estimating software that strengthens transparency and provides a more accurate funding target.

“Good planning is the first step that must be taken,” Richter said. “When school boards are informed and reach out to their communities and involve them in a transparent way in every step of the data, the communities become informed from a bigger perspective than just ‘hey, we’re growing, our conditions are bad, or we need to consolidate,’ which ends up dominating the conversation instead of a holistic conversation about how one impacts the other.”

A recording of this episode of Education Talk Radio is available below. If you recognize that it’s time to update your facility plan or would like more information on how to do so, let’s work together on a customized approach.

Listen to the Podcast

Making Old Schools New Again for a Growing Student Population

Posted on October 29, 2020

 

Like many public school districts across the U.S., Homewood City Schools was faced with aging buildings and a growing student population. Administrators and school board members benefitted from a $55-million bond issue obtained through the City of Homewood and added to the monies the school district had in its reserves. However, like most, the needs outweighed the resources, and competing priorities of those needs required a hard look at the data.

“Starting with studies, surveys and assessments and working from the best available data, we identified a bubble moving through the school population and planned accordingly,” Project Manager Jeremiah Owen said. “No stone was left unturned when looking at options to address the needs and desires within the defined budget. We looked at many different options, and ultimately decided that upgrading existing facilities was in the district’s best interest.” 

Three aging elementary schools received classroom additions, renovations and upgrades, leaving room for growth as necessary. The middle school, which is just beginning to feel the effects of the bubble, is a newer building that benefitted from space planning and interior renovations to add classrooms.  

“The Homewood Board of Education, along with the Homewood City Council, began to envision a new and fresh update to our current educational space—a concept that would make best use of our original spaces while providing expansion and growth potential for the next 50 years,” said Dr. Bill Cleveland, Retired Superintendent of Homewood City Schools. “We hired HPM to work with us—to turn hopes into reality, to optimize an assortment of ideas into an amalgamated strategy. The HPM design team provided leadership and guidance that quickly lined up to our budget and often surpassed our scope of thinking.” 

Dr. Bill Cleveland, Retired Superintendent of Homewood City Schools

The 70s-era high school needed the most help, and received more than a dozen new classrooms, updated athletics and performing arts wings and interior renovations to modernize the overall facility. Improvements to building automation and access control increased security and allows for troubleshooting to be performed from any device, which saves maintenance time and money. 

Data-Driven Planning to Create a Community’s Dream School  

Built in 1972, Homewood High School expected to hit two milestones at the same time: its 50th birthday, and its full capacity of 1,200. News of the bond issue, a hastily assembled land use study and the hopes and dreams of many community members spun into grand plans for a new high school. When HPM first met with Dr. Cleveland, we outlined our extensive process that starts long before plans, grand or otherwise, are made. Our preconstruction team started with a demographic study to assess the community’s needs and a facilities assessment of each school to see what we would be working with. 

Working with comprehensive information, HPM’s team determined that construction of a new high school exceeded the system’s needs and far outstripped its budget. Instead, we were able to draw up a plan for renovations, expansions and updates to all five schools in the district to anticipate population growth, provide newer and more functional facilities and address the top priorities laid out in community meetings and surveys—while staying within the available budget. 

“We were able to address the needs of the district by putting together a renovation and addition plan for a fraction of the cost of a new build,” Owen said. “This also meant that the high school remained centrally located in the heart of the community.” 

Jeremiah Owen, HPM Project Manager

Facility Planning Tool: Demographics Studies

Posted on September 29, 2020

By Tracy Richter

Richter Tracy
Richter

A demographics study is one of the most effective tools organizations can use to plan for a capital expenditure program or to develop or update a comprehensive facility plan. Knowing who uses your facilities and how they use them makes choosing the right path for your company or organization’s future an easier decision. Demographic studies are a valuable resource to have in your toolbelt. 

Collecting accurate and relevant demographic information is useful to everyone — from large corporations to school districts and municipal governments. Regardless of industry, we use demographics analysis to help you answer the tough questions in facilities planning.  

  1. Where should you expand your facility footprint?
  2. Based on the local population, what services should you prioritize?
  3. In a post-COVID world, will the need for collaborative workspaces be as high as it was before or will building with social distancing in mind be more important in the future?

Planners evaluate many pieces of information when mapping out facilities, but demographics studies are essential to an effective approach. While a major reason that drives the use of this type of tool is market research that results in profit, demographic studies are hugely effective in enabling organizations to better serve stakeholders or constituents.

Example 1: From 2006-2010, a demographic study for one U.S. school district showed a 300% increase in autistic students. Guidelines and legislation necessitate that the classroom size for autistic students be limited to approximately eight individuals, while typical classrooms house about 25. Suddenly, the school’s building capacity shrinks from 500 to 450 classrooms (and this was in a period of growing enrollment). This example highlights that truly understanding what the statistic means is much more important than simply knowing what the statistic is. In this case, the demographic results triggered an immediate need for more space, as well as increased staff who specialize in teaching autistic students.

Example 2: Let’s say you are a corporate executive of a manufacturer that intends to build a new factory. What is the best location for this new facility to thrive? If the factory will be manned by people performing hard labor, it makes sense to build in a more rural area where the demographics show a heavy blue-collar workforce. If the factory will be designed with more automation and intelligent machinery, the best decision is to build in an environment filled with professionals trained in innovative technologies and robotics. Conducting a demographics study in each of the geographic areas you are considering will point you in the right direction.

HPM’s experts have decades of experience using demographic analysis to develop and implement strategic facility plans for our partners.

Contact us to see which tools are best suited for your project.

HPM Talks Webinar: Return to School During COVID-19

Posted on September 11, 2020

With so much uncertainty surrounding the return to school this year, administrators have been tasked with the tough decision of whether or not class should meet in person or virtually. During our latest HPM Talks on September 17, Vice President of Planning Services Tracy Richter was joined by Dr. Todd Freeman, Superintendent of Vestavia Hills City Schools, to discuss what school re-engagement looks like in his Alabama school system. They talked about the role communications played during the planning stages, the precautions Vestavia has implemented to keep students and faculty safe, and the challenges they have faced along the way. 

Speakers:

Tracy Richter

Planning expert Tracy Richter has recently joined the HPM team to lead our new Planning Services division. Tracy comes to us from a nationally recognized educational planning firm founded by Richter that specializes in developing quality learning environments through systematic processes that maximize the use of data and community participation. Tracy assumes the role of Vice President of Planning Services and will lead a team of specialists focused on providing a comprehensive approach to capital and operational building programs. Learn more about Tracy.

Dr. Todd Freeman

Todd Freeman, Ed.D., is the seventh superintendent of Vestavia Hills City Schools. He has served as superintendent since March 2018. Under Freeman’s leadership, Vestavia Hills City Schools developed new strategic goals and renewed the system’s accreditation in 2019. He and his leadership team have overseen the implementation of a comprehensive school restructuring and rezoning plan, including the opening of Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge and the new campus of Louis Pizitz Middle School. Learn more about Dr. Freeman.

 

Download Slides
View Recording
Learn More About the Vestavia City Schools Project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYozfU16C_Q

HPM Encourages Companies to Donate PPE to Local Schools

Posted on September 8, 2020

Back to school looks a little different this year. As schools across the country began preparing for the fall semester, HPM’s Community Service Committee saw an opportunity to lend a helping hand by donating personal protective equipment (PPE) to school districts with which we work or have worked. 

Thanks to employee donations and annual funds allocated to the Community Service Committee from the Hoar Foundation, the committee collected thousands of disposable face masks, individual hand sanitizers, and antibacterial wipe packets to be donated across four school systems in Texas, Arkansas, and Alabama. HPMers hand delivered the PPE to Round Rock ISD, Ft. Smith Public Schools, Chambers County Schools, and Homewood City Schools, and have received great feedback from school administrators, faculty, and parents.

Donate PPE

“We’re grateful for the partnership we have had with HPM over the years,” said Merrick Wilson, Communications Director for Homewood City Schools. “Not only have they helped lead us through the construction process at all our schools, they have also invested in our students and community. This donation will not only help provide our students with additional safety resources in the classrooms, but it will also serve our faculty and staff.” 

Donate PPE to Local School

Round Rock ISD Partners in Education Foundation tweeted, ”A special shout out to HPM for donating extra masks, sanitizer, and wipes for Round Rock ISD campuses. Thank you for your generosity and taking care of the needs during this school year! Your team is amazing.” 

HPM also donated supplies to the Chambers County Development Authority, who had previously expressed a need for PPE. 

“We have the BEST partners ever,” Executive Director Valerie Gray said. “They knew our staff members’ kids were starting back to school. Thank you HPM for your concern and care for our kids and teachers!” 

PPE donation

The community service committee hopes these efforts will encourage other companies to do the same.   

“For schools that are unable to provide PPE for every student, any donation, big or small, can make an impact,” committee member Kelsey Justice said. “This is an easy way to give back to the communities we live and work in every day.” 

HPM Hires Industry Veteran Tracy Richter to Lead New Planning Services Division

Posted on July 20, 2020

Planning Services will position company for next phase of growth.

Tracy Richter

Facilities planning expert Tracy Richter recently joined HPM to lead the new Planning Services division, a move that bolsters and expands our service offerings while extending relationships with clients representing more than a dozen industries.

As Vice President of Planning Services, Tracy leads a team of specialists focused on providing a comprehensive approach to capital and operational building programs. Planning Services combines a client’s strategic goals with the operations, practices, and procedures of their organization. The addition expands our reach through a variety of new talents and resources, including

  • – demographic analysis
  • – standards and specifications development
  • – strategic planning
  • – stakeholder engagement and client facilitation
  • – and facility master planning

 

This holistic scope enables HPM to both deepen and widen new and existing client engagements by offering a life cycle of services that begins with planning and carries all the way through implementation.

Tracy brings more than 25 years of experience as an educator and planner and has coordinated and directed facility planning campaigns totaling $11 billion for more than 1,000 school districts of all sizes across 23 states. He is among a small and elite group of private contractors invited to join the National Council of School Facilities (NCSF), a coalition of state K-12 public school facility directors that advocates for the delivery of buildings that support 21st-century learning and are sustainable and fiscally sound. Before joining HPM, Tracy owned and cofounded DeJONG-RICHTER LLC, a nationally recognized educational planning firm specializing in developing quality learning environments through systematic processes maximizing the use of data and community participation.

“It’s a great honor to join the team of talented professionals at HPM,” said Richter. “Our industry is at a key crossroads right now as higher costs and significant disruptions to the supply chain are pushing owners to find new avenues for more efficient long-term planning strategies that are equipped to meet the present challenges of our time. HPM has provided facility planning services to more than a dozen industries, and the know-how the firm has acquired in sectors like education or manufacturing can just as easily be applied for a client who needs innovative solutions for a new corporate headquarters or aviation facility they’re planning. That diversity of experience and breadth of best practices are true differentiators and will position Planning Services for future growth and success.”

Tracy’s proven track record of generating results through new technologies like Geographic Info Systems (GIS) and cost estimating software transfers well across HPM’s broad portfolio of clients. While these industries serve a variety of different interests, they are united by a shared need for highly functional facilities that will effectively serve key stakeholders while maximizing value over the long-haul.

“We are proud to welcome Tracy to our team and are confident in his ability to further develop and execute HPM’s long-term growth strategy,” said Mike Lanier, President at HPM. “We have always been a client-focused company rather than project-focused and have found that our clients are most fulfilled when we can provide a multi-phased approach to facility planning that helps safeguard their investments through a process that incorporates thoughtful counsel and sound deliberation. The addition of our Planning Services division significantly enhances these capabilities and will allow HPM to cultivate more opportunities for long-term relationships and repeat business, adding value to our clients at every step.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXuPWZBxwu0&feature=youtu.be

 

 

Soaring to New Heights with a Preconstruction Veteran

Posted on November 5, 2019
Del Buck

In an effort to maximize the company’s effectiveness and efficiency in its preconstruction services, HPM recently hired Del Buck as the Vice President of Preconstruction. In this position, Del is responsible for overseeing the preconstruction services of all HPM program management assignments.

Del has an extensive history of more than 30 years in the AEC industry, including both national and international leadership in preconstruction. His construction experience reaches to Africa, South America, Europe, Nepal, China, South Korea, New Zealand, and the Middle East. As a result of his work experience and attendance at both the American Institute of Estimating and the FMI Leadership Program, Del possesses the expertise to lead HPM in its preconstruction services.   

Buck’s extensive history in preconstruction services includes involvement in multiple real estate sectors. In his preconstruction experience, he has managed an annual project bid volume totaling more than $3 billion for assignments in sectors such as retail, higher education, industrial, multifamily, K-12, medical, and government.

“Del’s problem- solving skills, attention to detail, and organizational skills make him a fit leader in HPM’s preconstruction services,” stated Greg Ellis, Vice President of Program Development. Del stated, “The duties of my position match up well with the experience I gained throughout my career as a general contractor, and the ability to leverage that with HPM’s vast database of pricing technology will allow us to offer custom-produced services tailored for each owner’s budget and scheduling requirements.”

One of HPM’s core values is that each team member strives to be good stewards in terms of time, energy, and resources invested in projects. “Del’s breadth of knowledge and experience in the industry allows HPM to continue to strive to meet this goal in order to efficiently serve the company’s clients. His goal of relentless improvement and efficiency in preconstruction services will contribute to the company’s exceptional performance in program management,” stated Greg.  

“HPM considers Del to be an asset to the company, in terms of its growth and success. We believe Del’s ability to see through the GC lens combined with the advanced estimating technology and pricing databases at HPM will give us a competitive edge that cannot be replicated anywhere else.”

Mike Lanier, HPM President
Read about our other recent preconstruction expert hires

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