Skillman currently has the privilege of working with Earlham College on an addition to an existing science building on their campus in Richmond, Indiana. The facility will add the needed space to bring physics and math classes into the building, as well as a new science library. Expected to reach completion in June 2015, all phases of the project will pursue LEED Gold Certification or above.

Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with Darrell Shepherd, Capital Projects Manager at Earlham, about his experiences with the unique challenges of higher education building projects.

As Capital Projects Manager, what’s your typical workday been like on this job?

I try to stay out of the day-to-day running of the project and leave it up to Skillman. I speak with the Skillman team probably three days a week, stop by the project, talk with the site manager. The communication has been open and I know I can trust them.

What concerns are unique to this kind of higher education project?

At a small college like Earlham, the professors have a substantial amount of influence as to what the project looks like. We had several design meetings before the final drawing, which is typical for any project, but ours was to an even greater extent.

The possibility of student protests is another challenge that’s unique to higher education. We did have a group protest a certain subcontractor we were looking to hire. Skillman helped us by researching the issue and the group’s claims and delivering all of the information to me so I could present a swift and thorough response. 

What else can a Construction Manager (CM) do to make your job easier?

I look for CMs who are big on schedule. We’re a school, we open at a certain time, students are here, and we have to occupy that building on that date, or we have numerous issues. I also look for someone who can come on campus and make it so I don’t have to worry about quality, safety, or the budget. Skillman has a guaranteed not-to-exceed CM at Risk contract, and I know Skillman is aggressive in maintaining the budget.