New Leadership Guides DBIA in 2004

	Crawford

The Design-Build Institute of America has made some leadership changes. David S. Crawford, president and chief operating officer of Sundt Construction Inc., will serve as DBIA’s 2004 chairman. He follows Robert Daniels, executive vice president of Hensel Phelps Construction Co., who served as the 2003 chairman. Craig H. Unger has been named interim president, following the resignation of Jeffrey L. Beard who stepped down as DBIA’s president to pursue a Ph.D. in integrated project delivery at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

	Unger

In the 20 school districts stretching from Disney World south, the school market is estimated to be about $12 billion over the next 60 months, says Jose L. Murguido, vice president and leader of the education group at Miami-based Zyscovich Inc., a 90-architect design firm. Broward County alone has a $1.3-billion school construction program, Orange County $3.3 billion, Palm Beach County $1 billion and Miami-Dade County $1.1 billion. On Florida’s west coast, there also is tremendous growth in Collier, Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Building on Daniel’s’ outreach effort to major industry associations, Crawford will continue plans to collectively reduce barriers to alternative project delivery systems. Crawford’s goal is to place design-build on an equal footing with other approaches, thereby permitting owners to make an informed decision on which delivery system is best suited for a particular project. His second priority is to increase focus on qualifications-based selection in developing design-build teams, recognizing that the team is a provider of professional services and not just a commodity. QBS allows the owner to participate extensively during the design phase and it better aligns itself with the business model of architects and engineers.

Beard will complete his doctorate while teaching courses in design-build organization and management and advanced project management. He will also assist the Foundation for Integrated Services in developing and managing research projects.

Unger previously served as DBIA’s vice president of government affairs. He has been DBIA’s lead spokesperson and advocate for specific legislative, regulatory and other government actions at the national, state and local levels. Before coming to DBIA, Unger served for 26 years at the Dept. of Justice, including procurement executive for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Under his leadership, BOP moved from a single project delivery approach to one that embraced alternative delivery systems. Unger’s design-build experience provides DBIA with a renewed appreciation of the attitudes many public and private owners have about design-build delivery.

The DBIA board of directors, led by Daniels, has begun a nationwide search for a new DBIA president. For additional information or to nominate a candidate, please contact Daniels at (703) 828-3200 or by e-mail at rdaniels@henselphelps.com.

2004 Design-Build in Water/ Wastewater Conference

DBIA and its co-sponsors–the Water Environment Federation, the American Water Works Association and the City of San Diego–invite owners and practitioners to attend the 2004 Water/Wastewater Conference, "Smooth Sailing: Design-Build At the Helm." The two-and-a-half-day event will be held in San Diego, Calif., Feb. 4-6 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina.

This is the fourth annual DBIA conference on the water and wastewater market and the 2004 program will offer quality educational and networking opportunities for public utility owners and the water community. The conference format provides for a self-directed, facilitated learning environment with interactive forums. Educational sessions will focus on current issues, best practices and challenges facing professionals in the water and wastewater design-build market. The goal is to show how the application of integrated design and construction techniques can lead to the creation of a successful project.

Mayor Robert Young, City of Augusta, Ga., and Maj. Gen. Ronald Johnson, director of military programs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will deliver the keynote addresses. Other knowledgeable presenters will share their project experiences.

The 2004 program would not be complete without the increasingly popular "Town Hall Meeting." Facilitator Stephen E. Cordes, national marketing manager for design-build at Black & Veatch and chairman of DBIA’s civil infrastructure subcommittee, will lead this year’s panel of owners and allied professionals through a series of spirited discussions covering issues with global impact on the integrated design and construction community.

Please visit the DBIA Web site at www.dbia.org for program and registration information or call DBIA at (202) 682-0110.