Case Studies Building for the Future

They built it and people came. But more importantly to Dan Mitchell, when they reopened Chicago’s Navy Pier in March, people came back. Pre-COVID-19,  Navy Pier drew more than 9 million visitors annually—people coming to shops, restaurants and attractions Mitchell helped develop in a career that’s brought him back to the pier repeatedly over the […]

In 2014, Boulder Valley School District passed the largest school bond in Colorado history. According to Molly McLoughlin, the district’s director of facilities, the historic funding led to upgrades for each of BVSD’s 56 schools, impacting over 30,000 students and 11 different communities across 500 square miles. As part of the education facilities master plan, […]

It’s not too far from the famous Las Vegas Strip, though Summerlin can feel like a much different place. Here one can find some quietude as well as liveliness in a very walkable and progressive master planned community on the outskirts of Sin City and into unincorporated Clark County. How the Spring Mountains and Red […]

Ferris Batie isn’t interested in putting Band-Aids over problems. When the cooling tower and chiller broke at Chicago City Hall in 2016, he opted to replace and upgrade it instead of fixing it. And while that was more expensive up front, it cut the system’s operating costs in half. The project, as well as other […]

The police building in Mooresville, North Carolina, had plenty of space in 2001 when it was built, comfortably housing its staff of 50. Now more than double that number cram into the offices each day—but not for much longer. The new police headquarters are a necessary upgrade, says Christopher Wyckoff, director of facilities for the […]

Justin Moss didn’t go to law school to become a lawyer, but he still uses his degree every day, most recently in his role at Fairfax County Public Schools, where he managed many difficult contractors. Moss knows his degree is unusual for a director of facilities management, but he says it’s made him better at […]

Like most students, Andrew Hartnett couldn’t wait to graduate high school. He imagined that whatever awaited him in the “real world” would be more interesting than going to Brentwood High School every day. Little did he know, he’d find his way back there 15 years later, this time by choice. “Clamoring to come back” when […]

Although an industry heavyweight in Canada, Magil Construction needed a tech upgrade a decade or so ago. The same held true for the industry itself. To be sure, Magil was capably managing construction of notable projects in Canada and elsewhere, but here it was, the mid- and late-2010s, and Magil had yet to replace its […]

When Rick Fox saw kids using a bike park recently, he couldn’t help but feel proud. As they raced around the colorful tracks, the kids showed Fox the impact of his work with their laughter and smiles. The director of facilities management for Timberland Partners likes knowing the features he adds to apartment complexes are […]

As the 2020-2021 academic year neared its conclusion at The Peck School, Mike Zulla could give his facilities department and himself more than passing grades. For it had been education as normal as much as practically possible at the prestigious K-8 school in Morristown, New Jersey. Most pupils were on campus from September through June, […]