Catching Up with Griggs

Hello #TeamGMA!

What a start to the year! Q1 is in the books, and we are off to another banner year. We should all be both proud of the work we are putting in place, and excited about the work we have coming down the pipeline. GMA is growing in the best way; we are winning work with clients whose projects align with our mission: developing people and transforming communities.

Here are a couple of things I am thinking about as we wrap up Q1 and head into Q2:

GRE Ventures: I am proud to announce GMA has expanded the organization to include developer arm, GRE Ventures. We successfully submitted our first developer proposal for the INVEST South/West North Lawndale site, a community I have called home. Our proposal reflects the wants and needs of the community and the City’s intention for the INVEST South/West initiative. We look forward to presenting our ideas in the coming months.
Griggs University: We are hard at work reviving Griggs U in a robust way, beyond anything I have seen at other organizations. The program will help folks understand and master what is required to advance their careers in construction. We are borrowing from my course materials I developed for the Construction Management degree program at City Colleges. We are leveraging the knowledge of our Executive Team and Board of Directors. And at its foundation, we are pushing the GMA-way, with standard processes and procedures across all jobsites.
Projects Completing/Projects Starting: We have several projects headed into the final stretch including the Rauner Family Veteran Studios, J. Erik Jonnson Library Renovation, and the Pullman National Monument Admin and Clock Tower building. We are excited to cut the ribbon, welcome the end-users, and see the impact these projects make. We also picked up a lot of exciting work this quarter. Most notably, the National Museum of Public Housing. This project is near and dear to my heart having been a resident of public housing most of my childhood. The completed museum will feature the story and history of public housing residents across the country. This project really brings things full circle for GMA. We are also gearing up for our first project with the U.S. General Services Administration, a tenant improvement project, and the Auburn Gresham site for INVEST South/West.
New Faces: I am excited to welcome aboard several new faces. The nature of our growth and the projects we have won has allowed us to add additional talent to #TeamGMA. We are all excited to have you here, and we are looking forward to resuming company-wide socialization and employee engagement activities as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, please go above and beyond to welcome new folks into our organization. GMA is great because of the people we have working here. I am excited to announce we have a new Director of Human Resources joining our team. While Erica Kirkwood has done a tremendous job in managing our day-to-day efforts, we understand that, due to the growth of GMA, this role needs the 100% attention of a full-time Director. I look forward to unveiling our new hire in the weeks to come.
Awards and Recognitions: I am always excited when GMA and its staff is recognized for the great work that we do each day to Develop People and Transform Communities. In Q4 of 2020 GMA was recognized by ABC (Association of Builders and Contractors) for our work at Harrison Square (The Old Cook County Hospital). Congratulations goes out to Larry Johnson, Project Superintendent and Takeiya Hayes, Project Engineer, for seeing this project to the end. I would also like to thank Brandon Smrz, Project Superintendent and Jacinda Forester, Project Engineer, for assisting with getting the punchlist and closeout documents completed in record time. I am currently working to get this project financially closed so that we can issue some bonuses to our project staff to reward them for their hard work!

As we head into the next quarter, we need to really focus on delivering the work to GMA-standards. That includes actively managing our budgets and schedules, working together as a team, and ensuring our clients are informed, satisfied, and excited to work with GMA in the future. It takes all of us to get work done, and it is not easy. Our projects are not easy. Our clients are not easy. But the work we deliver really matters, and we have a lot to be proud of at the end of the day.

Thank you for being part of this team. Thank you for being part of this journey. I hope each of you and your families are happy, healthy, and safe. Until next time…