St. John's named SCA's top developer of 2003

The 2003 Springfield Contractors Association Developer of the Year has had a healthy dose of construction projects spring up in the past two years more than 1 million square feet and about $100 million worth, to be exact.

Such grand numbers earned St. John's Health System the Developer of the Year honor, announced Nov. 6 at the annual Salute to Construction banquet.

"If you look across the Springfield skyline, you're going to see a lot of action going on over at St. John's," said Kris Evans, chair of the 10-member Developer of the Year Committee that selected St. John's.

St. John's Vice President of Facilities Bill Syler accepted the award on behalf of the health system.

"It's a great award," Syler said. "It tells me that it's a partnership that's working."

The partnership is between the health system and local contractors, something Syler said St. John's emphasizes in construction projects. He estimates that between 85 percent and 90 percent of all contractors hired are local.

"We decided early on that we were going to support the local community as much as possible," Syler said. "These are the same folks that have supported us over the years, and they've done good work for us."

St. John's is two years into a six-year master plan valued at $326 million. With 1 million square feet of new construction or renovation and $100 million paid out in construction costs, Syler said the aggressive plan is on schedule. Local firm DeWitt & Associates, in partnership with J.E. Dunn Construction of Kansas City, has handled most construction management services.

St. John's projects completed within the past 18 months are:

an ambulatory surgery center, parking garage, energy center shell, convent and infrastructure and renovations within the existing hospital on the main campus;

renovations to the Fremont Medical Building;

infill at Smith-Glynn-Callaway Medical Building; and

facility expansions in Strafford, Nixa, Cassville, St. Roberts, Lebanon and Aurora.

Among the projects under way or on the books:

a 218,000-square-foot, $30 million outpatient diagnostic center;

a 325,000-square-foot, $60 million inpatient tower; and

a 60,000-square-foot, $7 million Nixa super clinic.

"They're putting a lot of money back into the local economy," Evans said, citing one of the deciding factors in the Developer of the Year judging.

Other factors considered are location of developer, size of projects, quality of development, years of service to the community, and fair and honest construction practices, Evans said. The winner is decided based on a point system.

Although Syler could not give a specific amount, he figured about half of the $100 million spent in construction thus far is in labor, and about 90 percent of the work is done locally.

"Bill Syler just has a wonderful reputation with the construction industry," Evans said. "He has been so reputable and honest and fair in all of his dealings. It was almost unanimous."

St. John's also won the award in 1988. The SCA has named a Developer of the Year every year since 1983, when John Q. Hammons was recognized for his development of University Plaza & Convention Center.

Architect of the Year

The Nov. 6 Salute Banquet also carried a bit of history: the first-ever SCA Architect of the Year Award went to Ed Waters of Marshall-Waters-Woody Associates Inc.

"It's time to recognize the good architects in town," said Sheryl Letterman, SCA executive director.

Letterman said the SCA accepted nominations from general contractors and subcontractors that emphasized quality of design, working relationships with contractors, fair and honest business practices, and service to the community and SCA. "Ed fit all of the requirements," Letterman added.

Waters is a founding partner of Marshall-Waters-Woody Associates Inc., which formed in 1962 under the leadership of Waters, Bob Marshall and Bill Woody.

Waters, a registered architect since 1955, credited his partners for the firm's success. He also thanked the contractors with whom he works daily as the architectural construction administrator for his firm. His current project is the new Ozark High School.

"An award from a contractor's organization is a compliment for me and my company and our working relationship with the construction community in southwest Missouri. Normally, recognitions are given from peers. The heart of this award is acceptance onto this grand scale by the contractors with whom we work. Without the contractors, our drawings and specifications are just so many pounds of paper. Until they are nailed together, or brick and mortared together, or welded together, these things around here, which we call buildings they wouldn't be.

"We collectively are all creating a little history. It's great to be recognized as being a part of that."

Letterman said the SCA is planning to add an Engineer of the Year Award in the near future.

AIA awards

Other awards there were more than 20 awards and scholarships in all went to Walton Construction Company Inc.'s Oren Edmondson, Superintendent of the Year, and Tim Burrows, Craftsman of the Year.

Edmondson was superintendent of the Springfield Exposition Center, which was completed 30 days ahead of schedule, according to Benjamin Alexander, Jordan Valley Park project manager.

Burrows was recognized for his craftsmanship of hand-forged iron security gates in the form of tree branches at a private residence in Branson.

The American Institute of Architects- Springfield presents the Superintendent of the Year and Craftsman of the Year awards.