News

  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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By: Eileen Sien The beginning of the year is a time for new starts, focusing on the things we can do to be better!  So how can you make your partnering process better?  Here is a solution that is simple and easy to apply to any size partnering team, and will add a depth and a sense of celebration to the collaborative partnering process – Celebrating your partnering “Champions.” It is that simple. But to be

Creating an environment among the project team where outside the box thinking is encouraged and innovative ideas flourish is a key component of Construction Partnering. During one of the partnering sessions for the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Earthquake Recovery Program projects, the team came up with a novel idea to use this $2.7 billion recovery program as a training opportunity for Navy Seabees. Called the Seabees Skills Mentoring Program, this unique training program

The Sound Transit Lynnwood Link Extension project team celebrated a major milestone in Nov. 2021 when it reached fifty percent completion. Upon opening in 2024, the new Seattle metropolitan area light rail extension will alleviate heavy highway congestion in the area and provide quick, reliable and environmentally conscious transportation service between south Snohomish County, the University of Washington, downtown Seattle, the Eastside, Sea-Tac Airport and Federal Way. The extension includes four new stations serving Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline

By Neal Flesner Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. We all witnessed this firsthand during the pandemic when old innovations were reimagined and new ones were created so essential businesses, like construction, could continue to operate. Many of these innovative ideas have improved the AEC industry for the better and will remain part of our normal course of business once the pandemic subsides. One of the biggest hurdles Construction Partnering companies overcame during the

Fostering innovative ideas is among the many benefits Partnering brings to project stakeholders. Facilitated by Neal Flesner of VELO Group, the project team at the recently opened Mauka Concourse at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu, Hawaii developed various innovations, including the extensive use of construction drones, to meet the project’s goals established during the initial Partnering session. General Contractor Hensel Phelps conducted the initial drone flight to map the entire site before

By Neal Flesner If there is one key lesson the construction industry learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the importance of cultivating a resilient project team who can pivot with changing circumstances. Deemed an essential business that needed to continue operating despite the impending spread of a deadly virus, construction companies had to quickly implement new safety processes on their construction sites and adapt to a host of other changes in response to evolving

Having experienced success using Construction Partnering strategies on a prior challenging aviation project together, the team on the Baltimore/ Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI Marshall) Airport Taxiway B Reconstruction Project was already ahead of the game when they embarked upon their new endeavor together. Learning Partnering strategies to create a high-functioning team on their previous BWI Marshall project, all stakeholders were confident they could tackle any new challenges coming their way by following a

Congratulations to the Sound Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility East (OMF East) project team on completion of the new light rail base in Bellevue, Washington. Velo Group is pleased to have facilitated Partnering on this important public transportation project. The new 165,150-square-foot facility, which accommodates the service, maintenance, storage and deployment of 96 light rail vehicles, is a key component of upcoming Link extensions to Northgate, Lynnwood, Federal Way and Redmond. The OMF East boasts