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March 3-9 is Women in Construction Week (WIC Week), a time to raise awareness of the construction career opportunities available for women and emphasize their growing role in shaping some of the country’s most exciting projects. In celebration of WIC Week 2024, Velo Group is spotlighting Eileen Sien. A Professional Civil Engineer and a Certified Senior Construction Partnering Facilitator, Eileen’s career path gives her a thorough understanding of the unique issues project teams may face.
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by Neal Flesner In a recent Construction Partnering session, I was discussing the successes of a $1.4-billion mega project as they embarked on the last 10 percent of construction, commissioning and turnover. “What was the difference between this project and others,” I asked. One of the key leaders did not hesitate, “It is a Culture of Accountability.” Accountability is a key tactic born out of partnering sessions that project teams use to reach the project’s
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Effective communication is essential in any field, but in construction, where projects are complex and involve numerous stakeholders, the ability of project team members to communicate effectively is essential. While sharing your expertise and ideas is an important part of verbal communication, active listening may be even more crucial. In fact, mastering this workplace skill may even help manage your emotions, retain data and information better, and resolve conflict. Did you know that we hear
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Building effective partnerships on large-scale, complex public infrastructure projects that involve various stakeholders, span several years, and have major impacts on communities is often as daunting as the scale of the project itself. With collaboration across more than 50 organizations, including contractors, consultants, utilities, and federal, state, and local agencies, the $3.2-billion Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion Project in Fargo, North Dakota is no exception. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working in partnership with
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If you have been involved in the design and construction industry for even a brief period, you’ve likely witnessed contentious interactions between project stakeholders that far too often result in claims and litigation. Unfortunately, adversarial relationships such as these can lead to exorbitant legal costs for construction projects. They can also cause a great deal of anxiety and stress, quickly turning the vision of your dream project into a nightmare. The process of construction partnering
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Congratulations to the 1021 O Street Office Building project team on winning the International Partnering Institute (IPI) 14th Annual John L. Martin Partnered Project of the Year Diamond Award for buildings and public infrastructure over $250 million. Neal Flesner, Velo Group IPI Master Partnering Facilitator, joined with the project team to accept the award at the 2023 IPI Conference and Awards ceremony in May. At this year’s award ceremony, a total of 15 outstanding project
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Congratulations to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Regional Connector Transit project team on earning a 2023 Engineering News-Record (ENR) Best of the Best Project of the Year award! A total of 20 projects that represent the pinnacle of design and construction achievement from across the U.S. received the 2023 Best of the Best award for their respective categories in February 2023. Judges, comprised of industry experts selected by ENR editors to evaluate various
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Approximately two years after the project team’s construction partnering kick-off session, the nearly $70-million Naval Submarine Base New London’s Pier 32 modernization project in Groton, Connecticut was dedicated during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 21, 2022. Approximately 60 people, including Navy, submarine base and Coast Guard representatives, government officials, and project team members were in attendance to celebrate this momentous occasion. “It’s a proud day for every member of the Naval Submarine Base New
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Fifteen exceptional Caltrans project teams who have gone above and beyond what it takes to successfully deliver their highway projects through the fundamentals of Construction Partnering were recently honored during the Caltrans 22 nd Excellence in Partnering award ceremony. The Interstate-580 Rehabilitation/Roadway Improvement Project, with Partnering facilitated by Neal Flesner of VELO Group, was among the honorees and received a Gold Award with the Best-in-Class distinction. “Every project is unique, and the challenges are
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VELO Group is conducting Construction Partnering for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) SR 167 Completion Program Stage 1B project along Interstate 5. Located in Pierce County, the project is part of the Puget Sound Gateway Program, which also includes the SR 509 Completion Project in King County. Stage 1B, which entails construction of a 2-mile-long tolled expressway connecting I-5 to SR 509 near the Port of Tacoma, is the second of three-stages to
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While facilitating Partnering programs for project teams across the globe over the last 15 years, I have asked construction team members, “What is the key to great construction projects?” One of the most popular responses nearly everyone seems to agree with is, communication. It’s true. Communication, or how we express our positions, interpretations and requests is a key factor leading to success on construction projects. This is not theory. It has been proven. This Harvard Business
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The International Partnering Institute (IPI) recently recognized organizations and Individuals who have worked to make the industry more collaborative at its 13th Annual John L. Martin Partnered Project of the Year Awards Ceremony in San Francisco, Calif. Three exemplary project teams facilitated by VELO Group were among the award recipients honored. Part of a two-day event that included a golf tournament, conference and awards gala, the annual celebration recognizes projects and individuals who best exemplify
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Seeing is Believing How partnering done right is producing partnering advocates one project at a time. Many of our clients become life-long advocates of partnering after experiencing how powerful it can be when implemented correctly on their most challenging projects. Such was the case for Jim Pappas, Vice President of Hensel Phelps, Northern California and new Vice President of the International Partnering Institute (IPI) Board of Directors. After winning a Sapphire John L. Martin Partnered
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By Neal Flesner with excerpts from Jim Eisenhart’s project success guide, Turning the Problem Construction Project into Extraordinary Success. While many of us have mastered the art of emailing, texting, tweeting, Facebook Messenger and other electronic written communication, verbal communication is still the best way to effectively communicate on a construction project. A form of digital communication we try to discourage, especially when facilitating problem projects, is email. Although email is trackable and can deliver
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Congratulations to the Naval Base San Diego P-440 Pier 8 Replacement project team on receiving two 2022 Construction Risk Partners (CPR) Build America Awards from the Associated General Contractors (AGC). These accolades include the Marvin M. Black Partnering Excellence merit award and Federal & Heavy New category award. Presented on March 29 at AGC’s Annual Convention in Texas, the Build America Awards honor AGC members who build the nation’s most impressive construction projects ranging across