High-Profile recently interviewed Jim Grunwald, president of Sci Tech Builders, a division of J. Calnan & Associates, and asked him to describe the unique needs and demands of his company’s clients. Here is his response:
“We work in a number of vertical markets including; Life Sciences, Advanced Technology, Cleantech, Healthcare, Data Center and General Manufacturing. Our clients include Genzyme, Lonza Biologics, Selecta Biosciences, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, BMS, Lantheus Medical Imaging, L.S.N.E., Aspen Aerogels, Strem Chemicals, Percivia, etc. which range from venture backed startups with minimal staffing and experience in planning capital projects, to multi nationals with planning, engineering and project management departments. And while each project will have a very specific program, budget and schedule requirements, there are a few common needs / demands that carry over to all of our projects.
Grunwald added,
Clients of all sizes are looking to reduce risk associated with approval of capital programs prior to significant development of design elements. A response to this need, which may be a direct response to need for budget certainty early in the project, is the development of strong teams, consisting of real estate, design, construction management and project management professionals that are brought together early in the process to leverage expertise among cross functional teams. The other big driver is technology. Technology drives this sector on both sides of the table. We need to understand and translate the clients operating environments into program and budget while utilizing the latest technological tools to communicate the program, budget and project duration. This is one of the biggest areas of change we see.”
“Running a business is full of unplanned opportunities and challenges. Being able to balance the short term priorities while staying on track with the long term strategic goals would be among the biggest challenges faced,” Grunwald said.
He pointed out that “SciTech Builders has developed its project teams, project controls and technical expertise to meet specific client requirements associated with the industries we serve. Our understanding of these requirements translates into our ability to go well beyond speaking the language. Being technically focused, while maintaining a flexible approach to our business service platform and continually developing our teams are success factors which contribute to our brand and how we are perceived as a leader in our markets. Meeting project goals, working with great clients and having the opportunity to grow SciTech Builders, while providing opportunity for our employees and their families is very rewarding and important work.”