Over the past 18 years, Forrest has established himself as a trusted and proven builder across many of JE Dunn’s markets. From Nashville, Tennessee, to Austin, Texas, he has led complex developer, healthcare, and commercial projects to successful completion – including Austin’s tallest tower, Sixth and Guadalupe.  Along with his expertise in delivering construction projects, Forrest has become adept at supporting clients through the lifecycle of a project. He advocates for the project’s goals and vision while also supporting the needs of the operation and construction teams.

“Forrest brings a robust portfolio of project experience and an expert level of knowledge from working on some of JE Dunn’s most challenging projects, but most importantly, he prioritizes supporting his team,” said Greg Lorei, President of the South Central Region. “We know he will do great things in Oklahoma.”

Jason Bishop, former leader of the Oklahoma offices, will now support JE Dunn’s mission critical pursuits and future work program within the South Central region in partnership with the company’s Advanced Facilities Group.

JE Dunn’s Oklahoma offices – located in Oklahoma City and Tulsa – opened in 2008 and 2021, respectively, with a commitment to building authentic partnerships that would add to the skyline while helping the state grow and flourish. Since then, the offices have completed a diverse portfolio of healthcare, public and higher education, and aviation projects including the BOK Park Plaza Office Tower, various projects on the University of Oklahoma campus, the Oklahoma State Capitol exterior renovation, numerous renovations to the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, and the Love Family Women’s Center on Mercy’s Oklahoma City Campus.

The offices’ backlogs are equally impressive, featuring high profile clients and projects like the AAR Aircraft Services Inc. Hangar Addition, the Oklahoma City Zoo Penguin and Sea Lion Exhibit renovation, and an array of healthcare scopes. The Oklahoma City team also recently moved into a new office space located at 1204 N Hudson Ave. Ste. 200, OKC OK 73103.

“I am so excited to get plugged in to everything JE Dunn is building in Oklahoma, from our project sites to our community involvement,” said Forrest Wilson. “We’ve had an incredibly strong, skilled team in Oklahoma for nearly two decades, and I am honored to be trusted as their leader while we continue to drive market growth.”

Forrest holds an MBA from Auburn University, which he earned while serving as senior project manager on the Sixth and Guadalupe project. He prides himself on being a client-centered builder who can utilize business acumen and unmatched communication to work with a diverse set of clients. He feels a resolute responsibility to the communities where we build– serving four years on the executive leadership team for the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball in Austin – and is looking forward to integrating his family into the Oklahoma community.

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Market Drivers

It’s a unique situation we are seeing in this part of the United States, and the nuances that created this amount of aviation construction include population growth, connectivity, and airport relationships with its city and local economy.

Population Growth

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is a prime example of airport capacity in relation to population growth. In May of 2023, Austin reached the top 10 most populous cities by the U.S. Census Bureau, which included Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. In 2022, AUS’ enplanements, or passengers that boarded at the airport, was 10.5 million. This is an increase of 55% compared to 2021.

Just recently at the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA)-SW Regional Conference AUS leaders stated that the airport’s 2040 master plan will realistically hit in 2030. Right now, the airport is operating outside of its capacity.

Connectivity

Where AUS is growing its capacity and role in aviation on a local and national level, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has been operating on a national and international level for decades. For the second year in a row, DFW was ranked the second busiest airport in the world, with 73+ million passengers in 2022.

Its need for construction isn’t tied to the growth of its surrounding cities – at least not how it was in its early years. Rather, the demand comes from being a major hub for airlines and connectivity to other airports. About 60% of its traffic connects to another flight. Modernization, efficiency, and traveler experience are all goals for its expansion and continued reputation in the aviation market.

Capacity

The explosion of aviation work in Texas and parts of Oklahoma does include a middle ground, where airports are naturally growing with their general areas and in response to future capacity needs. This includes San Antonio International Airport and Tulsa International Airport. These individual programs are in the billions of dollars and include large, complex work that will be managed and constructed over several years.

In comparison to AUS enplanements, Tulsa and San Antonio, have a more moderate trend – although still indicating increase in travel and passenger numbers for the future.

Cargo Services

Beyond travel, airports are building capacity for additional cargo services. This focus happened during the pandemic when demand for fast delivery of essential and non-essential goods exploded.

That level of demand has come down with recent global impacts, fuel prices, supply chain bottlenecks, and the ease of port congestion. But there still exists a need for goods to be delivered securely, fast, and in large quantities.

Boeing released its report on air cargo through 2040 and projects that North America will average a 4.3% increase over the next decade. This will be led by e-commerce and a rise in domestic manufacturing.

This is the type of work AUS is invested in, where air cargo totaled more than 310+ million pounds in 2022, up almost 30 percent from 2021. In the last year, JE Dunn completed excavation and foundational work for AUS’ new 99,000 square foot cargo warehouse. This was a fast-track design and construction effort to get the facility up and running as soon as possible.

This aviation boom will lead to incredible opportunities for firms in the AEC industry but will bring impacts to the following:

• Trade partner and overall skilled worker capacity
• Opportunities for Minority, Women, Small, and Disadvantaged firms that meet their current capabilities while helping them build work capacity and experience
• Competition for workforce, labor, and retention with other large projects and multi-year projects in the the data center, manufacturing, government and municipal markets

This is top of mind for JE Dunn as we look to purse work in the aviation sector. Aviation will continues to be a leading market for our South Central region and it’s our responsibility to deliver projects that are successful, provide an excellent experience, and support the growth of our industry for the future.

The post The Aviation Boom first appeared on JE Dunn Construction.

• Case Study 3

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The Benefits

Fast-tracked the design phase to start construction in phases - just four months after the start of design work

16-month schedule was achieved, including a $14 million scope that was added 8 months into the project and needed to coincide with the original schedule

“I have had experiences in the past where, as the Owner Rep, it was evident that the construction partner did not see me as an ally. But from day one at Cross, I felt I was part of the JE Dunn team.  Your team’s level of professionalism, transparency, customer services, and perseverance to always follow up on every single question or concern created a collaborative atmosphere. Your team re-set the bar in terms of what I should expect from design-build partners on all my future projects.”

David Vogt

Project Executive, Owner’s Rep

Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions

• Case Study 2

There is no changing the start date of a new school year. Even though JE Dunn and Clark Nexsen & Studio Architecture were onboarded later than the owner intended, the path to completion held. This project was a true testament to the effectiveness of design-build coupled with lean building practices. All work activities were measured against planned percent complete and reviewed daily with leaders of each trade partner involved in the scope of work. This afforded the design-build team real time schedule controls and corrective actions to maintain deliverables throughout the duration of the project. 

The post University of Oklahoma Cross Village first appeared on JE Dunn Construction.

The Benefits

Zero Change Orders issued during the first three years of this five-year project

Major design changes due to unforeseen conditions resulted in $0 cost to the owner (ie. early revamp of stone cleaning and window removal process)

“Time after time, when unknown conditions were encountered, the construction team and architects, in partnership with the state, were able to pivot and find new solutions. JE Dunn and their partners were always cognizant of our budget and sought solutions to ensure the project would stay within our means. Communication between the construction team and the owner team was prioritized throughout the process.”

Trait Thompson

State Capitol Project Manager

Oklahoma Office of Management & Enterprise Services

• Case Study 1

Trait Thompson of the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services said that in many ways the exterior restoration of the Capitol was one of the most challenging parts of the entire Capitol restoration. The design-build team (JE Dunn, Treanor HL, and ADG|Blatt) managed for five years:

• 21 miles of mortar joints repointed
• 477 steel windows restored
• 4,600 stones repaired
• A new copper roof installed
• Repair and restoration of original doors and lighting

The design-build team made this an experience to remember. They focused weekly communication on the owner’s concerns, interests, and decisions to be made. They worked closely with trade partners to build out a multi-phased design plan and schedule to accommodate a fully operational building. That plan was shared with the client. Work sequences and progress updates were also shared with those working inside the capitol and impacted by the construction.

 

Top to bottom, accountability and communication channels were established, leaving no room for issues to hide, or be forgotten. That included unknown conditions. No one likes to hear about unknown conditions, but on a 100-year-old, historic building, they were bound to surface.T

The post Restoring the Oklahoma State Capitol first appeared on JE Dunn Construction.

JE Dunn Construction’s Oklahoma offices know that design-build is a collective effort and these teams have years of experience bringing this value and success to a variety of projects.

When you look at Oklahoma’s construction growth today, it’s heavily influenced by demand for complex work in hospitals, public buildings, education facilities, and highway infrastructure. It all points to the rise of population growth and the need to build essential places that support vibrant cities and communities.

That need to build and the demand to have these places sooner than later is more apparent today than ever.

There is no room to look at construction projects as fractured teams, deadlines, and budgets that are working around each other. No matter a project’s size, or cost, or scope, it just won’t do.

“Collective. Shared. Related. That’s how we have to look at every project we build. There is no, ‘this is yours and this is mine and stay on your side.’ That kind of mindset damages a construction project. It’s what causes issues with schedule and cost. And especially when you’re trying to build trust.”

Jason Bishop

Project Executive 

Collaborative Project Delivery. That’s the term JE Dunn uses to frame this collective effort. In the industry, it’s better known as Design-Build or Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Whether a project is design-build, design-bid-build, or construction management-at-risk (CMAR), Oklahoma City and Tulsa projects are managed with Collaborate Project Delivery at the helm using behaviors based in lean principles and transparent work processes. Over the years that focus has allowed the offices to build a management culture influenced by the fundamental nature of these integrated delivery methods.

“Construction projects that are particularly complex and multi-phased need to be managed with the highest level of communication and alignment between design and construction activities so project teams can identify challenges immediately so they are corrected early. That one team approach brings all the best talent and resources to overcome the challenges that every project goes through.”

Chris Migneron

National Design Director

Design-build delivery seems to be gaining more traction in the Oklahoma market. Over the last two years the leadership team in Oklahoma City have identified more and more strategic design-build opportunities to pursue. They range in scope, size, and cost, and most are in the public sector– a significant jump from recent years.

What the team is seeing is what the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) has been reporting since 2021. Design-build has become the fastest growing construction method in the United States. Also, the West South Central United States – Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana – will represent the largest volume of design-build spending through 2025.

“Reduced schedule, faster delivery, better opportunity for cost control and savings – you’re going to hear people talk about that all the time with alternative deliveries, such as design-build,” said the Oklahoma leadership team. “We want to deliver that for our clients no matter the method. But when the owner chooses design-build, we know the partnership is already defined as a collective effort. Our Oklahoma teams have years of experience and success leading these types of projects with our owner, design team, and trade partners.”

Case Study

Restoring the Oklahoma State Capitol

Case Study

University of Oklahoma Cross Village

Case Study

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Liichkoshkomo Outdoor Exhibit

Industrial & Manufacturing

Dallas

Paris Baguette

Bakery Products Manufacturing Plant

Paris Baguette North America

• Completed

Burleson, Texas

Healthcare

Wichita

Wichita Biomedical Campus

Wichita State University

• Completed

Wichita, Kansas

Healthcare

Springfield

Citizens Memorial Hospital Expansion & Renovation

Expansion & Renovation

Citizens Memorial Hospital

• Completed

Bolivar, Missouri

Aviation

Houston

IAH - George Bush Intercontinental Airport

United Airlines Ground Service Equipment Maintenance Facility

IAH George Bush Intercontinental Airport

• Completed

Houston, Texas

Federal Government

Denver

National Laboratory of the Rockies EMAPS

Energy Materials and Processing at Scale (EMAPS) Facility

National Laboratory of the Rockies

• Completed

Golden, Colorado

Industrial & Manufacturing

Dallas

Paris Baguette

Bakery Products Manufacturing Plant

Paris Baguette North America

• Completed

Burleson, Texas

Healthcare

Wichita

Wichita Biomedical Campus

Wichita State University

• Completed

Wichita, Kansas

Healthcare

Springfield

Citizens Memorial Hospital Expansion & Renovation

Expansion & Renovation

Citizens Memorial Hospital

• Completed

Bolivar, Missouri

Aviation

Houston

IAH - George Bush Intercontinental Airport

United Airlines Ground Service Equipment Maintenance Facility

IAH George Bush Intercontinental Airport

• Completed

Houston, Texas

Federal Government

Denver

National Laboratory of the Rockies EMAPS

Energy Materials and Processing at Scale (EMAPS) Facility

National Laboratory of the Rockies

• Completed

Golden, Colorado

Corporate Environments

Omaha

Applied Underwriters Headquarters

Applied Underwriters

• Completed

Omaha, Nebraska

Cultural & Entertainment

Dickinson Williston

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation

• Completed

Medora, North Dakota

Industrial & Manufacturing

Portland

Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC)

Distilled Spirits Distribution Center

Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission

• Completed

Canby, Oregon

Education

Kansas City

Blue Springs R-IV School District

2018, 2021 & 2024 Bond Programs

Blue Springs R-IV School District

• Completed

Blue Springs, Missouri

Mission Critical

Austin

Meta Temple Data Center

Meta

• Completed

Temple, Texas

Advanced Industries Industrial & Manufacturing

Santa Clara

Confidential Semiconductor Tool Manufacturing Company

Bay Area Work Program

Confidential

• Completed

Fremont, California

Cultural & Entertainment Federal Historical Preservation

Colorado Springs Denver

United States Air Force Academy

Cadet Chapel Historic Repairs

US Air Force Civil Engineering Center

• Completed

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Aviation

Dallas

DFW - Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Stations

DFW Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

• Completed

Dallas, Texas

Healthcare

Atlanta

Wellstar Kennestone Hospital

Tower Addition

Wellstar Health System

• Completed

Marietta, Georgia

Aviation

Charleston

MYR - Myrtle Beach International Airport

Concourse Expansion and Modernization

MYR Myrtle Beach International Airport

• Completed

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The post The Benefits of Design-Build Principles first appeared on JE Dunn Construction.

As our project teams grow, we require more skilled workers onsite, and the speed of work tightens. No matter how fast we’re moving, we need to remember the priority of safety doesn’t change. What can change is how we behave onsite and our ability to identify and prevent safety accidents.

In our Texas and Oklahoma region, we’re focused on growing and evolving our safety culture. We are taking safety week (recognized in the construction industry from May 1 – 5) and turning it into a safety year so our team and our trade partners have the updated and current skills to master safety in today’s changing construction conditions.

This initiative kicks off May 1, 2023, and here’s what our Oklahoma and Texas project teams will be focused on:

Whole Team Training

In 2016, JE Dunn was intensely focused on sharing safety knowledge, outlining best practices, and shifting to a mindset of a true safety culture that is lived on and off the project site. It was such a successful push and I saw that on my first JE Dunn job at Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas in Austin.

We need to do that again, but this time we need to extend that mindset to our greatest allies: trade partners. We’re preparing training and resources to increase their safety performance as we increase ours.

Speak Up, Listen Up (SULU) training will be provided to all our project teams and trade partners with the goal of 85%+ trained up this year. SULU breaks the communication barrier between skilled workers and project personnel. It promotes skilled workers to speak up when they know something isn’t right or safe. SULU is one of the best starting points to strengthen alignment between these groups.

Deliberate Safety Walks

Going out to the project, understanding the work happening, and looking with a safety lens is a deliberate effort. It’s easy for a safety walk to turn into a conversation about production – what’s being installed, what is coming up in two weeks, what will be the final product.
To challenge that default, our local leadership and project executives will conduct weekly safety walks with not just JE Dunn employees, but the people doing the work, and that includes evaluation of the Job Safety Analysis (JSA) for work in progress.

The takeaway from these walks is not to tell people what to do or what not do. We want our field teams and project teams to be equal partners in creating and maintaining a safe project site.

Preventative Safety Management

One of the best ways we can strengthen our safety culture is to start thinking about how we prevent an injury rather than identifying a resolution to the injury after the fact. Training and safety walks will set a foundation for preventative safety, but so will the following.

• Attention to our frontline workers who are at the highest risk of injury It’s our job to ensure they are trained, supported, and can self-evaluate situations while also bringing it to JE Dunn’s attention.
• One-on-one time with trade partners so we can discuss their specific safety concerns and roles onsite. Teams in our Austin office have already started these efforts by hosting meetings with trade partner leadership and bringing them into meetings to give them more visibility of project goals.
• Focus on control plans that go beyond ensuring workers are wearing their safety gloves but rather identify and eliminate hazards before work is put in place. Think of it this way: If production requires a schedule, quality control requires mockups and first install preparations, then safety requires total project inspection.

With this initiative, we are building long-term behaviors that aim to prevent anything that puts our people’s safety at risk, and we’re bringing all our partners with us. Because knowing how to climb a ladder safely is just scratching the safety surface. Everyone needs to know how to inspect and identify the conditions of the ladder. Everyone needs to know how to inspect and identify the surrounding environment. And everyone should have the power to speak up for themselves and everyone on the project because they deserve to go home safely. That is the real depth of a culture of safety.

Marco Martinez is the Safety Director for JE Dunn’s Texas and Oklahoma region. Marco has been a part of the JE Dunn Safety Department since 2014 having worked on projects such as the Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, Covenant Health Hope Tower Addition, and Loews Arlington Hotel.

The post The Real Depth of Safety Knowledge first appeared on JE Dunn Construction.

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After a century of heavy use, harsh weather and inconsistent maintenance and preservation efforts, the building’s mechanical systems were failing, the exterior façade was crumbling and its prospects of meeting the state’s needs for another hundred years were fading. Recognizing the need to act, the Legislature enacted legislation providing funding for the Capitol’s first-ever comprehensive, top-to-bottom restoration.

There were over 21 miles of mortar joints on the Oklahoma Capitol. Due to the poor condition of the existing mortar, every single joint on the building had to be ground out and new mortar installed. It was a painstaking and time-consuming process in order to protect the building from water infiltration. JE Dunn tested various mortar types on the building to determine how well they weather Oklahoma’s climate and relate to the limestone, in order to deliver the best solution.

There were 240 locations on the Capitol where stone spalled and had to be repaired. Using the Dutchman Repair process, the damaged area was cut out and replaced with a new piece of stone. Stainless steel anchors were also installed. The repairs are barely visible to the naked eye and unnoticeable at higher elevations. The project was a 2020 AGC Build Oklahoma Award Recipient.

The post Oklahoma State Capitol Restoration first appeared on JE Dunn Construction.