THE MAGAZINE FOR leading CONSTRUCTION EXECUTIVES
USBuildersReview
Expert Construction Managers J. Vinton Schafer & Sons, Inc.
Spring 2010
www.usbuildersreview.com
Expert Construction Managers Produced by Hanim Samara & Written by Kellie Ducharme J. Vinton Schafer & Sons (Schafer) has been providing construction management services to the BaltimoreWashington metropolis since 1919. The company was originally founded as a home builder and entered into industrial/governmental construction during the 1940s war effort. By the mid-’80s, Schafer started offering construction management services to a select group of customers, eventually expanding services to include design-build, cost estimating and additional coordination of new construction, renovations, additions and restorations. The company has developed a reputation as one of the area’s leading project management firms, particularly within the educational sector. Schafer also works within the healthcare, institutional, industrial, commercial and government markets as well, offering various construction services. As a reputable construction manager, Schafer has worked on groundbreaking projects, including the U.S. Naval Academy, Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland School for the Blind. Schafer is the on-call construction manager for several K-12 school districts in Maryland and Virginia, as well as for institutes of higher education. Recently, the firm completed the new John S. and James L. Knight Hall. As home for the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, one of the nation’s leading journalism schools, this project has brought the company into the construction industry’s growing sustainable building movement. Educational Expertise Colored Green Upon certification, John S. and James L. Knight Hall will become the first “green” building on the College Park campus. On track for Gold certification, the project required extensive coordination by Schafer to meet the sustainable-design requirements.
The project, which began in June of 2008, was located on a former parking lot and was finished in November of 2009. Wayne Gutermuth, project manager for the LEED effort, explains that, “On the construction end, our responsibilities included purchasing the materials within a 500-mile radius … materials with a certain recycled content.” In an environmentally conscientious vein, the University wanted to minimize the distance that materials traveled, in order to conserve energy, gas and manpower.
“As far as construction waste management goes, we were required to recycle or divert 75 percent of the waste from going into a landfill,” Gutermuth continues. “We actually did very well in meeting that goal.” Gutermuth says that Schafer encountered very few obstacles in completing the project, despite the fact that it was his first LEED job as a project manager and once certified by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), the company’s third LEED-certified large-scale project. All together, Schafer has eight LEED Accredited Professionals to fortify its sustainable building efforts.
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other projects on campus include a dining hall, an addition to an engineering lab and two sorority house renovations.
LEED-certified projects are gaining momentum, “Suppliers are geared up for getting you what you need, so we really didn't find any major challenges,” Gutermuth says. “One small challenge that we had was getting stain for the wood, because there was a very limited amount of stains that would meet the LEED requirements; if that’s your biggest challenge than it’s not too big of a problem.”
Juggling Many Hats As a construction manager, Schafer can have up to 25 trades working on one project and must have mastered the art of coordination and scheduling. The company’s project managers and superintendents are in constant communication with one another and with the client, and they draw upon the resources of dozens of local and
For the project, the company coordinated 19 different trade packages, most of which were provided by contracting firms in the local metropolitan area. Schafer’s
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national trade associates, including the AIA and ABC. Communication and access to the latest in specifications are the keys to implementing a smooth, on-time and onbudget process. Schafer’s project managers know what it takes to accomplish these goals. “We have detailed schedules and we hold meetings on a regular basis and constantly review where we stand day-to-day,” explains Gutermuth of managing a project. “It’s a challenge to do that, but we have a cost-loaded and resource-loaded schedule, and that’s one of the tools that we use to monitor progress and make sure we are meeting the milestones.” Milestones are important to the
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company, and it has been surpassing them for nearly a century. With over 91 years of experience, J. Vinton Schafer & Sons, Inc. understands that a company’s ability to juggle costs and schedules is crucial to its success. The company works intensively to build long-term relationships with clients founded on trust and reliability, increasing its repertoire and already noteworthy reputation. “We bid jobs and then [finish] on time and under budget, and the owner takes notice of the service that we provide them,” Gutermuth says. These qualities ensure that J. Vinton Schafer & Sons, Inc. will have the opportunity to use its expertise to see many more projects through to clientsatisfied completion.•
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J. Vinton Schafer & Sons, Inc. 1309-A Continental Drive Abingdon, MD 21009 United States
www.jvschafer.com