There’s a brand new sign on the wall behind the desk of Wohlsen’s VP of Innovation, Ed McCauley: “The Best Building Experience - Let Our People Prove It.”
The significance of that statement?
The current construction environment is challenging, Ed says. “With low margins and increasing economic headwinds, we need to find ways to disrupt the ways we do business and bring big new efficiencies to our clients.”
While Ed admits that tech fatigue is real and that getting people to try new things is hard, he says that Wohlsen is a refreshing exception for a few reasons:
- A Historical Focus on Results:
“Our clients don’t want to hear marketing messages; they want to see results,” says Ed. “My job at Wohlsen is to help our people provide an exceptional client experience and deliver predictable project outcomes through the most powerful tools and technologies available. Our teams are open to exploring new systems and processes–while managing the associated risks–if they think they can provide better results for our clients.”
- Employee Ownership:
Wohlsen is employee owned, which Ed says contributes to the company’s culture of personal accountability and focus on client outcomes: “As employee owners, we understand the importance of innovation, continuous improvement, and driving new solutions for our clients.”
One of the newest solutions Wohlsen has deployed is Join, whose tagline is “the collaborative project delivery platform for the built environment.” Wohlsen first used Join on a high-stakes, ground-up, student housing replacement project at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Due to a tight 8-month schedule, a locked-in budget, and a new construction method (the project was the first at Bucknell to employ modular construction), the Wohlsen/Gensler/modular contractor team had to arrive at a GMP fast.
“We used the Join platform to work together on educated decisions to drive the project forward as quickly as possible,” says Bob Liberato, Vice President of Preconstruction and Estimating.
Adds Preconstruction Manager Dan Millard: “Since there was so much work being done off-site, we had to have a place to track anything that changed with the modular vendor and how that would impact the site. Join was instrumental in helping us keep track of the ins and outs.”
The Bucknell team was trained on the easy-to-learn platform in near-record time and arrived at a GMP within three months.
See the Wohlsen Bucknell University + Join case study here.
Wohlsen Construction is an ENR 400 general contractor and construction manager operating in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut and beyond. Our core markets include senior living, healthcare, commercial, community, and higher education. With more than 130 years in operation, a focus on hyper-local support, and a proven commitment to innovation and continuous improvement, we have built a reputation for delivering reliably strong project outcomes. Visit us at wohlsenconstruction.com to learn more.