Burns & McDonnell pumps up design-build presence with veteran hire

Burns & McDonnell is aiming for a bigger slice of the Kansas City commercial construction market, hiring KC architecture and design veteran Trevor Hoiland to lead its growing commercial design-build team.

In the newly created position of Design Manager, Hoiland brings 20 years of experience designing some of Kansas City’s most visible projects, including the world headquarters of H&R Block and AMC Entertainment.

“My world has been the corporate office environment and office campus master plans. I think now as I'm designing, it is a faster speed-to-market that I find intriguing,” Hoiland said. “Adding engineering and construction to the whole process really makes a lot of sense to me.”

According to Burns & McDonnell Senior Vice President Mike Fenske, having the entire team under one roof saves time and money while boosting collaboration, creativity and productivity.

“Our integrated design-build method is attracting top talent in our industry, like Trevor, because they are passionate about working on a project from concept to completion,” Fenske said. “This approach, common in the era of master builders a century ago, is now disruptive to tradition.”

Hoiland plans to bring a unique “inside out” conceptual design approach to a wide range of commercial projects within Burns & Mac's Global Facilities Group, from office to multifamily and even industrial facilities.

“The ultimate is to create something that we don’t know we need or want-- and finding those things in projects is what gets me excited,” Hoiland said.

Veteran KC architect Trevor Hoiland will help Burns & McDonnell boost its design-build presence. 

Five minutes with JE Dunn MW President Paul Neidlein

Paul Neidlein stepped into the role of Midwest region president for JE Dunn Construction on January 1. The 22-year veteran of the Kansas City construction industry succeeded Dirk Schafer, who retired from Kansas City's top construction company in December. 

MetroWire Media caught up with Neidlein to take his pulse on the 2018 market and beyond:

MWM: What do you expect from the market in the next 18-24 months?

Neidlein: We feel good about 2018. In Kansas City, as well as in every market that we have an office, the arrow is pointed straight up. It will be a record year and 2019 will be as well. I'm not smart enough to predict after that.

MWM: Where does JE Dunn see the most short-term growth potential?

Neidlein: We feel bullish about federal work because we have done a fair amount of it, and JE Dunn has even started a separate federal group to manage those projects. Government facilities are a growth area for us. Part of that is strategic from a diversity standpoint because public work can help balance things out when the corporate side slows down. Anything and everything related to health care has been steady, including medical office. 

MWM: Historically, public projects have been JE Dunn's bread and butter. Do you expect that to continue?

Neidlein: Public projects remain a leading area for us. We still think there is a fairly large program being planned in Missouri with construction of state prisons and county jails. Municipal work on civic centers and community centers still looks pretty positive for us too.

MWM: What do you see as a market headwind?

Neidlein: There is a healthy skepticism about how long this boom is going to last. We will see major players get into trouble and get overextended. It goes back to the capacity side of things. Creditworthiness becomes more important when you think everything is good. 

MWM: What is the impact of all this activity on the trade contractors?

Neidlein: Contractor supply and workforce issues are real. The biggest issue is the capacity of individual companies and labor and what that does to pricing and availability.