Case Studies April 2021

For some, customer service is a hassle of the job, but for Chuck Griffith, it’s an act of faith. Now a regional facilities manager, the former minister says that operating a church and counseling parishioners is very similar to his current work at Bluegreen Vacations, a timeshare club headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, that operates […]

In 2009, while working as a senior project manager for a Pennsylvania-based engineering firm, Brian Horton remembers flying over Maine in a helicopter, in awe of the vast wilderness while seeing nothing but trees for miles. For Horton, it was hard to believe that this rural state was a placed visited by terrorists in advance […]

Usually when a school gets new lockers, it’s not that exciting. Students at Fort Wayne Community Schools, however, are ecstatic about theirs. That’s because they’re involved in the locker renovations, along with a host of other school upgrades, from design to completion. Darren Hess, director of facilities for the Indiana school district, and his team […]

For Alabama native Kevin Hudson, instilling value in every encounter with his team has become a hallmark of his career in construction—a way of giving southern hospitality a new meaning. After graduating from Auburn University in 2008, Hudson got his start working with a small contractor out of Nashville, Tennessee, before pursuing opportunities back in […]

For many businesses in the U.S.—especially franchises—the pandemic has posed considerable challenges, from reduced store capacity to employee health and safety. But while some companies have had to scale back operations, others have found new opportunities for growth. One business that’s managed to thrive is Restore Hyper Wellness, a retail provider of services such as […]

According to David Owen, by 2030 the number of skilled trade employees in upstate New York factories is expected to dwindle—if not disappear completely. It’s information gleaned by Owen, the director of corporate maintenance and facilities at LiDestri Food and Drink, a contract and private label manufacturer of food and beverages based in Fairport, New […]

To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of the retail industry’s death have been exaggerated. Perhaps even greatly exaggerated, according to the construction director of a company that’s bringing new life to tired properties from the mid-Atlantic states into New England. “Retail has always been a dynamic subject,” Eric Kelly tells Blueprint in February from Paramount Realty […]

So what do you do when rain ruins a day in the sun on South Padre Island in Texas? Start a chain of self-storage facilities. That’s how StorageMart was founded by Gordon Burnam, recalls his grandson, Weyen Burnam. While exploring the island with his family, Gordon struck up a conversation with the owner of a […]

Though not a plant scientist by training, John B. McQueeney has garnered much knowledge on the job. Every day can be a learning experience for this young man who pivoted from solar energy to cannabis in 2018. Director of facility development for California-based grower, processor and retailer MedMen, the 29-year-old McQueeney oversaw the company’s assembly […]

Classic diners, like the ones you’d find in New York City, are known for 20-page menus with everything from scrambled eggs and toast to lobster and filet mignon. Tommy Jones is a fan of diners, but he says his role as the director of corporate manufacturing for Stanley Martin Homes is different from that of […]