catching up with griggs
Happy New Year Team GMA! I am excited that we are officially launching our GMA Monthly Newsletter. The newsletter will allow us an opportunity to share our story, mission, vision, and successes with the entire company throughout 2020. As our Chairman Mr. John Hooker has stated “GMA is in a Renaissance Period and things are changing every day!” The “From the President’s Desk” section gives me the opportunity to share my perspective with all of you regarding where GMA is heading on a monthly basis, along with all the exciting new opportunities that are headed our way during this Renaissance period.
As many of you have seen, over the last few months, our staff has grown by nearly 15%! We have landed some extremely exciting new projects that include; two historic renovation projects at the Old Cook County Hospital, led by Scott Morrison, and the Old Pullman Administration Building led by Sam Jones. These are two great projects to add to our resume as we continue to grow our portfolio of Historic Preservation Work.
We’ve also seen our regional markets grow with new projects in Abilene and Dallas, Texas and Charlottesville, Virginia. In our Texas Market, led by John Adams (VP and Business Group Leader), we have landed a major multi-building renovation project at the Abilene Supportive Living Facility for the Texas Health System in Abilene, Texas. This 2-year project will provide supportive and assisted living to a community that desperately needs it. John has also been successful on the Jonsson Central Library Renovation Project in Dallas, Texas. This 20,000SF renovation will enhance the educational experience of children and adults throughout the City of Dallas. All tallied, John has landed nearly $10M in new work during the mere nine months he’s been heading up our Dallas Office. Kudos Mr. Adams! Now, we must deliver on our promise to “Develop People that will Transform Communities!”
In Charlottesville, VA, I have been leading up our new Crescent Halls and South First Street Projects. The two projects combined encompass roughly $28M in new work within the VA marketplace. These projects will serve the low-income community of Charlottesville by providing 105 newly renovated affordable senior units and 62 new open affordable units. There are 4 more phases of projects slated for Charlottesville over the next 3 to 5 years. This program could top out at nearly $60M.
We officially opened our New York City office in the 3RD Quarter of 2019 and pursued our first $75M affordable housing renovation project in the Washington Heights area. We were unsuccessful on our first pursuit; but we definitely made a statement as the only non-New York General Contractor to be prequalified in the pool. My hat goes off to our Capture Department, led by Kelly Kahn and Patrick Fitzgerald, as they led the pursuit to get us prequalified with the New York City Housing Authority. Kudos to our Legal Department, led by Erica Kirkwood (General Counsel), for getting our company set up in the State of New York and the City of New York in record time!
Our Estimating and Preconstruction Departments are constantly cranking out estimates and buying out projects each week. In order for us to keep the car moving we have to fill up the gas tank. Our estimating department is the engine that jump starts the company. We have several major pursuits on our bid calendar that include a 9,000SF renovation at O’Hare Airport, a large Elevator Modernization for the Chicago Housing Authority, and a 280,000SF renovation in Indianapolis for the GSA (General Services Administration).
These are just a few of the many great things that are happening at GMA! I want all of you to be proud of the company we are building, the people we are are developing, and the communities we are transforming. GMA Construction Group is not just another builder in the marketplace. We care about our people, our clients, and the communities that we serve. This is the reason why I started GMA. We all must share in that vision and mission!
I look forward to continuing with the monthly update! Until next month, Let’s go change some lives!
Griggs
