Gilbane and construction partners on University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center Phase 2 project exceed DEI goals


University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center Phase 2 project exceeded the project’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center Phase 2 project exceeded the project’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals

“We understand that decisions we make today will open new doors of opportunity tomorrow for minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as for veteran-owned and small businesses,” said Kyle Merrill, Gilbane’s senior business leader in Cleveland.

Gilbane Building Company, together with Regency Construction Services, Inc., Next Generation Construction, and Adrian Maldonado & Associates, Inc. (AMAINC), today announced that the University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center Phase 2 project exceeded the project’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

“We understand that decisions we make today will open new doors of opportunity tomorrow for minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as for veteran-owned and small businesses,” said Kyle Merrill, Gilbane’s senior business leader in Cleveland. “We take this responsibility seriously, not just in what we say, but in all the ways we advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at every level in the construction industry.”

The project, which celebrated its grand opening on June 9, 2023, not only adds a new Trauma Level 2 patient bed pavilion, a sports medicine building, and an expansion of health care services to the community, it also has prioritized using diverse and local suppliers on the landmark project.

The project exceeded all business and workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, as reported by a third-party, minority- and female-owned consulting firm, The Euell Group. “Partnering with Gilbane on the UH Ahuja Phase 2 project was a win-win and a great experience for The Euell Group,” said President Veronica Cook-Euell. Project goals included contracting with diverse firms, including 15% minority business enterprise (MBE), 8% small business enterprise (CSBE), and 7% female business enterprise (FBE). MBE participation stands at 16.09%, CSBE is at 10.75%, and FBE is at 11.41%.

Similar successes were achieved in workforce participation goals. Cuyahoga County residents worked 46.73% of the hours on the project, more than double the 20% target. 17.71% of the hours worked on the project were performed by minority residents, besting the 15% goal; and women performed 5.95% of the hours worked on the project, beating a 5% goal.

“For more than a decade, UH has prioritized working with a diverse range of suppliers for construction projects,” said Percival Kane, Jr MHA, Chief Operating Officer, UH Ahuja Medical Center. “UH Ahuja Phase 2 continues these efforts.”

Three local, diverse firms were tapped to serve as associate construction management partners on this transformational project. Regency (Female-owned Business Enterprise), Next Generation (Minority-owned Business Enterprise), and AMAINC (Minority-owned Business Enterprise) provided staff in key project management roles, including superintendent, project manager, and project engineer. Their staff has been critical to the project’s success in meeting the planned completion date in June 2023.

“Our partners – Regency, Next Generation, and AMAINC – are a critical reason why this project stayed the course through significant challenges,” said Merrill. “Their leadership in field and management staff positions helped maintain the schedule and budget while ensuring safety was the highest priority. Gilbane is proud to work with diverse-owned and small businesses as our valued construction partners, and we look forward to continuing this path together on future projects throughout Cleveland.”

The University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center Phase 2 has been more than just a healthcare project. It provided an opportunity for the three construction partners to grow in a hands-on fashion on a major project in the market.

“It has been a wonderful opportunity for our small family-owned business to have been a part of this unique healthcare project that allowed our staff to develop their management skills beyond bricks and mortars,” notes AMAINC’s President Adrian Maldonado. “We are truly grateful to Gilbane and University Hospitals for allowing us to learn and grow from this experience.”

Regency’s President, Tari Rivera, stated: “The partnership with University Hospitals, Sodexo, and Gilbane has had a positive impact on my firm. Working on a large hospital project like this helped us build capacity as a firm and provided an opportunity for our employees to grow.”

In addition to providing staff for professional services, Next Generation and AMAINC executed bid packages for the project that resulted in increasing capacity for the firms. Next Generation provided much of the enabling work, trailer work, doors, frames, and hardware; while AMAINC provided cleaning services for the trailer and sports medicine institute.

“Our partnership with University Hospitals and the Gilbane team was a huge success for Next Generation Construction,” said Next Generation’s President Shakorie Davis. “It was an anchor point project, showing us what we could do as partners and subcontractors. Next Generation self-performed our largest doors, frames, and hardware package to date. We were awarded a $3.6 million project and came in on time and within budget. This project allowed us to showcase what we can do with this scope of work and project size.”

About Regency Construction Services, Inc.

In the nearly three decades since our founding, Regency Construction Services, Inc., a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), has completed hundreds of projects for public and private clients across Ohio. With offices in Brook Park and Columbus, our goal is to create environments that provide opportunity while ensuring quality, building trust, and fostering relationships — both for our clients and our team. Regency serves the commercial, healthcare, higher education, PK–12, library, nonprofit, park, and civic markets by specializing in Construction Manager at Risk, Design- Build, General Contracting, and Owner’s Representation services. We also offer standalone estimating and scheduling services, and we self-perform rough and finish carpentry scopes of work. What started as a three-person firm in 1994, has grown to a team of a diverse group of nearly 80 professionals, carpenters, and laborers. Learn more at: http://www.regencycsi.com.

About Next Generation Construction

Next Generation Construction (Next Gen) supplies a robust roster of construction services in the Greater Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio markets. Founded in 2009, Next Gen is a multi-faceted, minority-owned business, established to provide carpentry, laborer, and general contractor services initially, and growing into plumbing, metal stud framing, acoustical ceilings, hardware, development, and consulting support services over the last fourteen years. Next Gen strives to build an inclusive and diverse group of construction professionals and has become one of the leading minority-owned construction companies in the Northeastern Ohio market, with over $30 million in revenue annually. For more information, visit http://www.nxtgc.com.

About Adrian Maldonado & Associates, Inc.

Adrian Maldonado & Associates, Inc. (AMAINC) was started in 2007 as a small post-construction clean-up operation and provided consulting services for diversity and inclusion reporting for various clients in the government sector. Over the last 10 years, the company has evolved into providing highly trained and qualified project engineers, safety officers, and superintendents on some of Northeast Ohio’s largest projects. In addition, AMAINC is a trusted partner in providing preconstruction and associate construction management Services. AMAINC has a diverse staff which is bi-lingual as well. AMAINC is a signatory company. More information can be found at http://www.adrianmaldonadoandassociates.org.

About The Euell Group

The Euell Group is a full-service strategic supplier diversity education and consulting firm with expertise in construction outreach, engagement, community liaison, and minority business development, reporting, and monitoring. Professional services in the area of diversity and inclusion training, as well as drug-free safety programs and training, are also our specialties. We are committed to our clients, their business strategies and delivering excellence in partnering on short-list presentations and representation at the highest caliber to bring home the contract. Learn more at http://www.theeuellgroup.com/.

About Gilbane Building Company

Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services – from preconstruction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build, and facility management services – for clients across various markets. Founded in 1870 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 45 office locations worldwide. Gilbane is one of the most established and leading construction managers in the Northeast Ohio market and averages more than $500 million in revenue in the state annually. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com.

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