Mohammed Abu-Mhanna is so much more than a VPCS senior project manager. This multi-talented professional rounds things out with a valuable architectural perspective, international construction and design experience, and an affinity for a certain mode of two-wheeled transportation. Get to know a bit more about our friend Mohammed in this Q-and-A:
Q: When did you join Team VPCS?
A: I started with the company in May 2019 as a project manager. I was first assigned to the team at San Jose Unified School District, which is where I stayed until last year (when the bond ended). Since then, I’ve moved to the Hillsborough City School District, run by Eric Van Pelt, where I’m a senior project manager.
Q: And you’re a trained architect, is that right?
A: Yes. I started studying architecture in Jordan, where I’m from originally, then completed the bachelor’s program in architecture at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. I’m also certified as a LEED AP. I worked for several years in the Bay Area for a couple of big U.S.-based architecture firms. One of the biggest projects I worked on as a senior architect was the New Doha International Airport in Qatar, which was the largest construction project in the Middle East at that time.
Q: But you pivoted away from architecture after that?
A: Yes, at least away from working for architecture firms. I moved from California to Dubai in 2009 to work with a general contractor. It was the middle of the Great Recession, and everything everywhere seemed like it had just stopped – especially in construction – except in Dubai. There, things were booming. It might have been the only city in the world where things were still being built. I was assigned by that general contractor to manage a big project that happened to be going up in Jordan, right in my home town. So I stayed and worked on that in Jordan for a few years before coming back to the U.S. in 2017.
Q: How frequently do you draw on your architecture training in your work now?
A: Every single day! I just love architecture, so it’s fun to use that knowledge when I work with the designers and contractors on VPCS jobs. It’s really helpful to know how to read the drawings before construction begins; I can catch things early that we might need to adjust to help avoid change orders. I also like to think of myself as an expert in value engineering, which is really useful as a construction manager.
Q: What originally compelled you to come to the U.S. from Jordan?
A: Well, I first came here to finish my education. Having a degree from the U.S. is always preferable. And second, my sister had lived here for many years before I came, so there was also a family pull. It was such a privilege to be able to join her here; she helped me a lot when I first arrived.
Q: Is she your only sibling?
A: No, far from it. I’m the youngest of seven and the only son. My dad always wanted a boy to carry on the family name, so after six girls my parents got me. Then they stopped.
Q: Your dad got the son he’d been waiting for!
A: Yes. And it meant he could give me the name he’d been waiting to give. In Arabic, the tradition is to give sons middle names that match their fathers’ and grandfathers’ names. It goes like this: the son’s name to the father’s to the grandfather’s and then to the family’s. In my family, that meant I ended up with a pretty powerful name. I’m Mohammed, which is the prophet of Islam. My dad’s name is Moses, the prophet of Judaism. And my grandfather was Isa, which is the Islamic translation of Jesus. So I’ve got all three prophets of the world’s great religions in my name. Sometimes when I say my full name, people ask, “Are you joking?” And I just say, “No. That’s my real name!” But when people familiar with this tradition hear I’ve got six older sisters, they get it.
Q: Do you still have family in Jordan?
A: Yes – my other five sisters still live in Jordan. They’re all married with lots of kids. (Since I’m the youngest, I was an uncle starting when I was only seven years old.) It’s great, because there are a lot of relatives to see when we go back to visit, which I try to do at least every couple of years. My three sons have all gotten to know their cousins in Jordan.
Q: When do you get the opportunity to speak Arabic?
A: My wife and I speak Arabic with our children, so all three of our boys have been raised bilingually. Even though my younger two were born in Jordan, we came to the U.S. when they were only five and six. So they were in English-speaking schools from a very young age and they now speak it beautifully without any accent – unlike me! And of course I speak Arabic with my sister. It’s very important to my wife and me to keep the Arabic language familiar to our children’s ears.
Q: Tell us about this picture of you on the motorcycle.
A: I first started riding a motorcycle when I was finishing my degree at the California College of the Arts. I was working full-time for an architecture firm in the City and also taking a full class load. I’d worked it out with my employer to let me leave the office early to make it to my classes on time. And in San Francisco, the only way you’re ever going to get anywhere with that kind of tight schedule is by motorcycle. So I got myself one and the very first time I rode it, it just got into me. That picture was actually taken when I moved back to Jordan. You don’t need them there, but I missed having one so much that I treated myself. What can I say? I love riding motorcycles.
In our industry, this is the season of CASH – the Coalition for Adequate School Housing – and its annual conference, an important event for anyone connected to the school facilities sector in California. We’re eagerly gearing up for another powerful few days of inspiration, education and collaboration in Sacramento from February 28 to March 1.
As in years past, VPCS will serve as an enthusiastic sponsor of the 2024 CASH conference. We’re also a premium supporter of the Top Golf event, which is always a lot of fun. Plus, we invite all attendees to stop by our booth (#230/232) on the exhibit floor.
In addition, here are a few other ways VPCS will be involved in this year’s event:
Participating in Educational Sessions. Members of our team will serve as panelists at three different sessions.
Vice President Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson will round out a panel of industry veterans to introduce the basics of K-12 facilities leadership in “New to Facilities Leadership? Here’s a Guide.” “We’ll provide an overview for people who may have come to facilities leadership from the educational side rather than from the construction or facilities side,” said Jurgenson. “We want to help people be successful with all aspects of their jobs.” This session was so popular last year that it was brought back for this year’s attendees. Wednesday, 2/28 at 10:45.
Jennifer Gibb will help run a clinic on the advantages of the design-build methodology, particularly as applied to early educational facilities for pre-K and transitional kindergarten students. “As facility leaders, we need to be familiar with all delivery methods and the design-build model is a great option for these types of structures,” said Gibb. “In the clinic, we’ll use VPCS’s experience in the Lemon Grove School District to illustrate how this approach can be successfully implemented with Title 5 and Title 22 Regulations.” “Pre-K and Pre-School Educational Classroom Design and Title 5 and Title 22 Compliance” will be held Wednesday, 2/28 at 3:45.
Jennifer will be back on the agenda on Thursday, 2/29 at 3:00 as a panelist at “Wrapping up ESSER and What’s Next.” This clinic will address the nuances of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds as the program winds down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ll discuss the various questions that people have about how to support their districts once these one-time monies go away,” said Gibb. “There are other funding sources out there and we’ll explore them.”
Celebrating Another SFLA Graduate. Team Van Pelt will be on hand to cheer on our own Mary Fitzpatrick as she graduates from the CASH School Facilities Leadership Academy (SFLA) at a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon. Mary will be the fifth member of our company to complete this rigorous year-long training program – joining Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson, Jennifer Gibb, Brian Cameron and Minh Dao – with Jenny Choi joining the cohort that begins the program this year. (Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson and Jennifer Gibb also both serve as mentors for current and recent SFLA cohort members.) We’re so proud of these dedicated employees whose hard work and commitment to thought leadership help us better serve our district clients.
Supporting CASH Curriculum. VPCS employees help to shape the programs that make the CASH annual conference such a highly regarded source of professional education. For several years, Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson and Jennifer Gibb have both been integral to the development of CASH’s fiscal programming, which speaks to our firm’s depth of expertise that goes well beyond basic construction management capabilities.
We look forward to seeing our friends and colleagues in Sacramento!
January always delivers an opportunity for fresh starts. At VPCS, we’re kicking off 2024 from our beautiful new headquarters, where we’re gearing up for another year of service to a growing list of California’s K-12 communities. Here are just a few things we’re excited about as we look ahead:
A bigger, better home base. We recently relocated our central offices to a space that suits our growing firm. Still rooted in Fairfield, we’ve moved just up the road to the Busch Campus Business Park at 450 Chadbourne – easily accessible from I-80, I-680 and Highway 12.
Room to gather. The new office expands the opportunities for members of our team to spend time here – to meet, work, collaborate, visit and more. “Now that we have this space, it changes how we can do things as a company,” says Vice President Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson. “It gives us flexibility and keeps us all more connected.”
Access to co-working facilities. Our Busch Campus tenancy affords us privileges at a supplemental space called The Daily Desk, located right next door. This shared work facility essentially serves as an annex to our own offices, giving us access to additional individual workstations, enclosed offices and large conference rooms. “We can use it for staff training or larger gatherings for up to 100 people,” says President Mark Van Pelt. “Anyone in our company can use this space and when they do, they’ll have the latest presentation and collaboration technology right at their fingertips. It’s really amazing.”
A hub for service. Upgrading our headquarters gives us a stronger foundation from which to address all of our clients’ needs. “We’ve always been good at collaborating across teams but having a space that really encourages people to come together helps us serve every one of our districts better,” notes Kelli. “Some of our districts require only three-person teams and others need ten or more of us, but when questions come up for any client we harness the expertise of every single one of our employees until we find the answer. It’s an all-hands-on-deck approach.”
Thoughtful growth. Even as we steadily add new K-12 districts to our client roster and expand our reach into new communities around California, we carefully manage our growth. “We’ve grown both in terms of new districts and in employees over the past few years, but we’re still a family-run, service-oriented business,” says Director of Business Development Jennifer Gibb. “We’re capable of serving the state’s biggest districts but are still honored when asked to support its smallest. We deliver the same quality and integrity, whatever the size of the client.”
Staying true to our core values. Even after 28 years, we know how lucky we are to be in this business that we enjoy so much. Our industry has changed since we opened our doors in 1996, and we’ve enjoyed steady growth because we’ve adapted along with it. Still, we’ve never forgotten that we started out as two brothers with a desire to do things a little differently. Today, we’re a successful ~50-person company that’s recognized around the state as a leader in our field. But our fundamental ethos has never changed. That’s why we look at the start of each new year as a gift and vow, once again, to give all that we’ve got to our clients and their communities all year long.
The holiday season is here, bringing with it the simple joys of togetherness, reflection and gratitude. At VPCS, we believe one of the greatest gifts is the opportunity to work with and for a group of talented, dedicated people – and we couldn’t imagine better examples than our employees, our clients and our industry partners. Together, we have the great privilege of making a living doing important work: providing high-quality learning environments for students throughout California. We never take for granted how lucky we are.
To one and all, we wish you and yours a happy, healthy holiday season and we look forward to another year of achievements in 2024.
‘Tis the season for gratitude and we’ve got loads of it. Here, some of us share a few thoughts about what we’re thankful for and all that we have to look forward to. Everyone here at VPCS wishes our colleagues, family and friends a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
Patti Llamas: I am grateful for all the wonderful people I work with, including our amazing clients and consultants. It’s a pleasure to come to work every day. I’m also grateful for my health and for my family, who make me feel safe, appreciated and loved.
Ray Green: I’m immensely grateful for an abundance of work, great clients and incredible co-workers. I cannot overstate how strong our team is and how much fun they are to work with. I also feel lucky to have my dogs, my family, my dogs … and did I mention my dogs?
Melanie Griffiths: I appreciate everyone on my team for their mentorship, support, passion for learning, willingness to help whenever it’s needed and so much more. There are just not enough words to express how grateful I am to each and every one of them. I’m also grateful for my incredible husband, my brilliant daughter and my beautiful home in this amazing state of California. I feel lucky and blessed.
Kevin Wagner: I adore this time of year, marked by the scents of the season and a gentle chill in the air. In my professional life, I am very grateful to be working with wonderful people who truly care about each other and are committed to providing our clients with exceptional service. Of course, my deepest gratitude is reserved for my wife and children, who are constant sources of profound joy and inspiration. They are my greatest blessings.
Christine Scheffer: I’m grateful for all that the VPCS Executive Leadership Team has done to support my interest in honing my professional skills through classes, courses and conferences. They’ve put their faith in me, and I appreciate it. I’m also grateful for family – including our four-legged family members – and the time we get to spend together.
Daniel Stevens: I am grateful to work for a company that supports my professional growth and development. I’m also grateful for my wife; I could not ask for a better friend and partner. As I set my sights on 2024, there is a lot to look forward to but I’m especially excited to see the full solar eclipse that will happen in April!
Mary Fitzpatrick: Health concerns made this a demanding year for me, but I’m immensely grateful to my VPCS colleagues for their steadfast support through it all. Their continuous concern for my well-being is a kindness I will always cherish. I’m also deeply thankful for my wonderful husband, who demonstrated his attentive care and commitment, supporting me in countless ways as I got back on my feet.
Corinne Figuera: There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t appreciate this job. Every person on the VPCS team brings unique traits to the table and I’m grateful for the friendships I’ve made here. I’m also grateful for my family. My kids are my rocks; they’re healthy, thriving, happy and kind and what parent wouldn’t be grateful for that? And of course my dogs, who are always there to greet me when I get home.
Jennifer Kerr: I’m grateful to work with such a great group of people. The VPCS team makes coming to work every day so enjoyable, even when things can get a bit crazy.
Angie Ramich: I am grateful to work with such a wonderful team here at VPCS, to have such great relationships with our clients and to have the full support of the communities we serve. I’ve learned so much this past year from colleagues, partners and workshop leaders and I appreciate all those who have shared their knowledge with me. I’m also eternally blessed to have my spunky, crazy, lovely family as well as the friends who make up my chosen family.
Felicia Silveira: I’m so grateful to VPCS for all the mentorship and advice my colleagues have given me in my first year on this team. Outside of work, I’m thankful for the health of my family, having a warm home to come to at the end of a long day and for my amazing dog, Azula.
Brian Cameron: I’m grateful for our great clients and for my assistant construction managers – it’s fun to see them learn and begin to take on more responsibilities. Also grateful for my parents and close friends, who are so supportive. And for my health, which allows me to pursue the hobbies and outdoor activities that keep me happy and motivated.
Kelli Van Pelt Jurgenson: I’m grateful for our VPCS staff and their deep commitment to making schools a better place. I’m constantly surprised by our employees’ dedication and patience. I’m also grateful for my kids, my husband, my dogs, my very old cat, books, podcasts, burritos, wine … and Advil! In the new year, I’m looking forward to spending even more time supporting, training and problem-solving for all my great team members.
Mike Van Pelt: It never ceases to amaze me what a great crew we have. Our people work so hard to serve our clients and help strengthen VPCS and I’m proud to have such an awesome team. This is the time of year to celebrate with family and friends because that’s what it’s all about! I wish all of our employees, clients and partners a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to another great year in 2024.
Mark Van Pelt: This year, like every year since we opened VPCS’s doors, I’m grateful for our amazing clients, our talented employes and the opportunity to go to work every day doing what I love alongside my brother-slash-business-partner. I’ve also got the greatest wife in the world, and we’ve been blessed with a terrific family, which now includes goats, dogs, donkeys and even chickens that provide us with free eggs! I’m a lucky guy.
The Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) serves more than 14,000 K-12 students across 16 campuses. And, since 2019, VPCS has proudly served PUSD. The relationship we’ve built over the years with this client exemplifies the close connection we typically make with every district where we work. In Pleasanton, we’ve been given a fantastic opportunity to do what we’re famous for: bringing our A game; doing whatever it takes; doing more than what’s expected; delivering quality and integrity. Below are just a few of the elements of the fruitful connection between VPCS and PUSD.
Solid beginnings. Our relationship with PUSD began four years ago when the board approved our contract to serve as program manager (PM) and construction manager (CM) for the work associated with Measure I1, a $270 million general obligation bond passed by voters in November 2016. Our co-founder, Michael Van Pelt, remembers making the same foundational commitment to PUSD that we make with every client. “We stood in front of the PUSD board and assured them that we’d do everything they need and essentially become an extension of their family, which is exactly what we did,” says Mike, who serves as partner in charge for the PUSD assignment. “By keeping those projects under budget and on time, we were able to meet the needs of that bond and exceed the client’s expectations, which is a way to build trust not just with a district but also with a community,” he adds.
An expansion. The scope of our work with PUSD expanded this year when the district granted us the PM/CM contract for its most recent bond, Measure I, which will bring an additional $395 million worth of improvements to district campuses. According to VPCS Vice President Eric Van Pelt, who manages the PUSD engagement, this latest bond will fund marquee projects. “While Measure I1 mostly covered important infrastructure improvements, Measure I calls for significant deliverables – new theaters, athletic complexes, classroom buildings, transitional kindergarten centers and more – that will help bring the district’s facilities up to the same high level as its academic and athletic reputations,” says Eric. The work associated with Measure I, he notes, will serve the individual school communities as well as the community of Pleasanton as a whole, since the new performing arts and sports facilities will become local assets that everyone can enjoy.
A strong and consistent team. PUSD has come to rely on the VPCS employees who are dedicated to the needs of their district. Eric Van Pelt is at the helm and is very well supported by Senior Project Manager Mary Fitzpatrick, Senior Project Manager Minh Dao, Project Manager Jenny Choi, Project Manager Ben Kerr, Project Assistant Thida On and Administrative Assistant Merry Te. (Project Manager Edward Lee also worked on Measure I1.) It’s noteworthy that we have had zero VPCS team turnover since initiating our PUSD contract in 2019, which is extremely unusual in our industry – though not that unusual for Van Pelt teams. In the coming months, we will likely add to this roster to accommodate the increasing demands of the work brought on by Measure I. “I can’t say enough good things about the team we have in place in Pleasanton,” says Mike. “Every single one of them just does a fantastic job.”
A client commitment to collaboration. At the heart of our relationship with PUSD is a stellar team of professionals on the client side. We work very closely with every level of district leadership, integrating fully with their strategic and administrative operations. “PUSD is just a fabulous client with a very clear vision, which creates a solid platform for us to do what we need to do,” reports Eric. “It’s also a bonus that several people we report to are very knowledgeable about construction, which allows them to be even further engaged and adds to the collaborative spirit.”
An involved community. The citizens of Pleasanton are at the heart of what we do in their district. When they said yes to Measure I1 in 2016, it was the first time in 20 years that a local school bond had passed. Then they said yes once more to Measure I in 2022. The fact that VPCS is overseeing both of these bond programs is a responsibility we take very seriously because we understand the kind of impact facilities improvements can have on an entire city. Plus, we know the people of Pleasanton are counting on us to be good financial stewards of their bond funds.
Our legendary practice of going above and beyond. Every day with every client, we lean on our tried-and-true “whatever it takes” philosophy. One example of how we’ve applied that philosophy in Pleasanton occurred during the early months of COVID-19. We’d just begun our district-wide Measure I1 efforts when the pandemic forced school closures. “Since construction projects were allowed to continue, we took the closures as an opportunity not just to keep working but to accelerate our pace since we could work on totally closed campuses,” recalls Eric. “We really pushed the gas pedal and shortened the time frame on just about every one of our PUSD projects. That meant a budget surplus for the district, which allowed them to do a few more projects with the Measure I1 funds.” Eric is also fond of recounting the story of when data cables were inadvertently cut by a worker at one of PUSD’s schools two days before students were scheduled to return to campus in September of this year. “All of a sudden, there was no internet or phone connection; it would have been impossible to conduct school business,” Eric explains. “But our team rallied and we spent about 30 straight hours on Saturday and Sunday literally hooking up data cables and making sure they worked (which was not at all in our scope of business) – all so those students and staff could come to school Monday morning and find a functioning communication system.” All in a day’s work for the PUSD team. Eric sums it up best when he says, “It’s just about giving the kids what they deserve.”
Assistant Project Manager Felicia Silveira is one of the newest members of our company roster and is already proving herself to be an enormously valuable addition to Team Van Pelt. Beyond her professional skills, Felicia possesses a natural curiosity to learn – both on and off the job. Learn more about this rising VPCS star and some of her many talents in this conversation:
Q: Which VPCS projects are you working on these days?
FS: Right now I’m on our projects in Napa, Calistoga and Santa Rosa. As an assistant project manager, it’s my job to do a little bit of everything on any given day. I’m also directly involved with things like documentation flow, getting quotes and coordinating with our vendors.
Q:How have you adapted to the job since you came on board?
FS: It’s been great. Every day brings new tasks and new challenges; no two days are exactly alike and there’s always a lot going on. But it’s such a team-oriented environment that we all feel very well supported. Everyone just steps up to do whatever they can to help.
Q:Your degree is in business. How do you use that expertise in your role as an assistant project manager?
FS: I’ve always been interested in the STEM fields. When I was in high school, I even imagined a career in medicine, but the idea of all those years in school – and the student debt that would come with it – was a bit overwhelming. So by the time I got to college [at Sonoma State], I realized that a business degree would give me the flexibility to pursue a career in almost any industry. And the more I studied business, I found I really loved it. I’m fascinated by how organizations and systems work. Now, through my work at VPCS, I’m able to apply all that knowledge every day. Everything about construction and program management is process-oriented. Plus, I really rely on my accounting skills!
Q:Tell us about your family connection to K-12 facilities management.
FS: My dad is a facilities director; he’s been in facilities leadership roles in a couple of different Bay Area school districts for several years. He also used to work as a general contractor and I would tag along with him to job sites when I was a kid, so I’ve always been around construction. I think my early exposure to it made me naturally interested in it. I also really like the culture of the construction industry. Plus, my mom has always worked in accounting, so I guess you could say I’ve continued in both of their footsteps. Everyone always says, “I’m not going to be like my parents,” but then you grow up and realize … well, here I am!
Q:Did your parents gently push you toward this line of work?
FS: Not at all, but both of them pushed my sister and me toward getting college degrees. As immigrants, they felt strongly that we take advantage of the opportunities that were outside of their reach when they were growing up.
Q:Where were your folks born?
FS: They both immigrated from Portugal. They actually came from the same village on the same island, but they didn’t get to know each other until they were both in the U.S. years later. My dad came to the States with his whole family when he was three years old but my mom didn’t come until she was 19. She just came for a visit, but then met my dad and the rest is history.
Q:Did you speak Portuguese at home growing up?
FS: We did. My grandparents only spoke Portuguese and several of my older relatives still speak it, with only very limited English. So it’s a little awkward for my fiancé when we attend large family gatherings, because everyone will default to Portuguese – telling stories and laughing hysterically and he has no idea what’s going on. We’re getting married next summer, so he still has some time to learn a bit of the language before wedding toasts are made!
Q: Describe the photo of you at the woodworking table.
FS: That’s when I was applying a mix of stain and wood conditioner to a couple of reclaimed beams that my dad and I salvaged to create a fireplace mantel. Woodworking was something I picked up during the pandemic when there wasn’t anything to go out and do. I just love the challenge of it and I can do it right in my backyard. Mostly, I’ve been focusing on refinishing different types of furniture. It’s fun to work with reclaimed pieces, especially given how so much furniture these days is made to be basically disposable. There’s something really beautiful about taking an older piece that just needs love and knowing how to restore it to something that can have a long life again. My next challenge is learning how to use a miter saw. I bought one – now I just need to figure out how to unlock it and start using it! I do call my dad every now and then if I get stuck on a project that he’s not working on with me. And, in a pinch, YouTube is a great alternative.
FS: Yes – that was taken on Barton Creek in Austin, Texas. I’m crazy about paddleboarding. In fact, I consider the most important thing on our wedding registry to be the inflatable paddleboard that we hope to get so we can take it in the car and go anywhere! Even our dog loves to paddleboard. I picked up the sport when I first moved to Sonoma County for college. There’s just so much access to nature here that I didn’t have growing up in urban San Jose. So my fiancé and I love taking advantage of everything that’s close by – rivers, beaches, forests, all of it. It all sparks joy.
Summertime is anything but lazy in the world of K-12 construction management. The weeks spanning the end of one school year and the start of the next tend to be the busiest for us. It’s when we kick things into high gear and tackle projects of every size without worrying about disrupting the important work of our clients’ bustling campuses while school is in session. The harder we work during the summer, the more campus improvements get completed by the time students and staff return to school in the fall.
The summer of 2023 was no exception. In addition to the support we provide clients planning for future improvements, we’ve been busy on many active sites in recent months. Here are a few snapshots:
Berkeley Unified School District. The Berkeley team wrapped up several projects by summer’s end. They put in new windows at the Adult School, painted at Thousand Oaks Elementary School, repaired damages on the Emerson Elementary façade and completed the first phase of work on the Berkeley Technology (“B-Tech”) Academy CTE project, as shown in the photo above. (The second phase of the B-Tech project is now underway.) Project Manager Eduardo Rivera-Garcia noted that small modernization projects like these always come with surprises, but the team was ready for them all. “Our contractor and design team on the B-Tech CTE project were great about communicating in a direct, expeditious manner to find solutions for unforeseen challenges – all with minimal impact to the project allowance,” said Eduardo.
Windsor Unified School District. Team VPCS has been busy in the North Bay this summer, finishing some important work in time for the new school year in Windsor. Notably, the new two-story portable replacement building at the Cali Calmécac Language Academy now offers 14 classrooms, fresh paint, a new play area and two shade structures. Plus, new roofs, gutters and downspouts can now be found at Windsor High School and Windsor Middle School. Our team also assisted with the facility master plan update to support the bond that the district plans to put on the ballot in the fall of 2024. We completed the new two-story building under budget and within our construction schedule, even though we were up against supply chain issues and weather events that could have delayed our construction timeline. Our long-time partners at Arntz Builders contributed immensely toward the success of this project. We also commend VPCS newcomer Project Engineer Aaron Brazier, who came onto the team with an enthusiastic willingness to dive right in.
Piner-Olivet Unified School District. In this Santa Rosa district, we put the finishing touches on a handful of projects in time to welcome students back to school this fall. We oversaw IT upgrades throughout the district, replaced the roof at Northwest Prep Charter School and completed the modernization of Olivet Elementary School’s multi-purpose room.
Wright Elementary School District. VPCS spent the summer leading the effort to replace the roofing and HVAC mechanical systems at Robert L. Stevens Elementary School in Santa Rosa – one of the firm’s greatest accomplishments of the season, according to Senior Project Manager Brian Cameron. “We came into the project with virtually no input on design or procurement, but worked closely with the contractor, architect and client to ensure that the school would have HVAC and power by the start of school,” said Brian. “When we ran into supply chain issues with the HVAC units and some of the required electrical panels, our team worked together to come up with a contingency plan to make sure the R.L. Stevens students could return to school with a fully functioning facility.”
East Side Union High School District. Of our many active ESUHSD projects, two were completed this summer: site utilities fire service work at Mt. Pleasant High School (part of a district-wide effort) and renovations to the library/multi-purpose room at William C. Overfelt High School. Additional projects that we kicked off and are still underway include the performing arts building at Piedmont Hills High School, modernization efforts in Building 500 at Mt. Pleasant High School, the Building K modernization at Oak Grove High School and the site utilities fire service work (now 75% complete) at Oak Grove High School. According to Project Assistant Evelyn Te Policriti, “It takes a village to make these projects come to fruition. Our ESUHSD construction management team is dedicated to working hard to ensure that the client is happy and satisfied,” said Evelyn.
Atwater Elementary School District.Senior Project Manager Mary Ann Duggan reported that her team has completed work on Juniper Elementary School, a new 10-acre, 600-student campus that is now ready to welcome students after an 18-month construction period. The $34.2 million effort delivered 26 classrooms; new administration, library and multi-purpose buildings; play and shade structures; a track and field; parking lots and off-site traffic and pedestrian features. Mary Ann credited the project partners for their good work, including CT Brayton & Sons (general contractor), Meehleis Modular Buildings, Teter Architects & Engineers, United Inspections, KI (furniture) and Miracle Play Systems (play structures).
Pleasanton Unified School District. Our team in Pleasanton maintained a steady pace this summer, completing approximately $12 million worth of projects as part of the $395 Measure I-1 bond passed in November 2022: roofing and HVAC replacements at four sites; room upgrades at Pleasanton and Harvest Park Middle Schools; new fencing and signage at Lydiksen Elementary School; exterior wall waterproofing at Hart Middle School and exterior painting at Donlon Elementary School. The team also started multiple other projects throughout the district that are close to completion. Project Manager Jenny Choi, who helps run VPCS’s efforts in Pleasanton, said, “It feels great to know we created a plan for summer construction and executed things so well. Minh Dao and Ben Kerr did an especially great job picking up pieces and managing unforeseen details around the district all summer, while Thida On and Merry Te provided a lot of support as well.”
Napa Valley Unified School District. Our Napa team has been busy planning the first few projects that will move forward as part of the American Canyon Measure A2 bond program that passed last November. These initial projects will include exterior improvements at two elementary schools, a new track/field for the middle school and new construction and modernization of existing buildings at an elementary school. Project Manager Jennifer Kerr praised all members of her team, singling out the great work of the newest member, Project Engineer Felicia Silveira. “Felicia started with us this spring and has quickly gotten the hang of things, already running some of our smaller construction projects. We appreciate all of her hard work,” said Jennifer.
Winters Joint Unified School District. Work was completed this summer on the new state-of-the-art Winters High School Physical Education and Music Building, which features all-new equipment and spacious classrooms designed to inspire excellence in the fields of PE and music. A grand opening and special ribbon cutting ceremony was held earlier this month, attended by community leaders, educators and students.
Palo Alto Unified and Washington Unified School Districts. Once school construction projects wrap up at the end of the summer, the last critical piece of the process is moving into new or renovated spaces. From mapping out what goes where to ensuring teachers’ classroom layouts match their preferences, move coordination is a bit of an art form – and it’s just one more service we provide, whether or not we’ve overseen the construction itself. Project Assistant Melanie Griffiths, who has become our resident move coordination expert, worked with Business Development Coordinator Jake Jurgenson and Asset Manager Scott Marshall to support move-in efforts in Palo Alto. Melanie also did the pre-move planning for moves on behalf of Washington Unified, where Brian Cameron, Project Assistant Angie Ramich and Director of Business Development Jennifer Gibb handled the day-of duties.
The VPCS home office. As project teams stayed busy in the field, our headquarters staff kept things running smoothly on behalf of all of us. Operations Manager Christine Scheffer oversaw the annual employee review process, navigating a complex web of individual work schedules to coordinate reviews, while Operations Assistant Corinne Figueira handled the numerous details related to our upcoming office move. (More details on the move to come.) Everyone at VPCS is indebted to our home office crew for their ability to keep our entire company in top working order, every season of the year!
In 2024, Californians will vote on Assembly Bill (AB) 247, a statewide general obligation bond act that would provide $14 billion for construction and modernization of education facilities. Officially referred to as the Transitional Kindergarten Through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2024, the measure passed the Assembly Education and Higher Education Committees in April and the Senate Committee on Governance and Finance earlier this month. It will go next to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, which will vote on it in late August. We assume that AB 247 will make it to the ballot next year, although the state legislature has not yet determined whether it would be presented to voters in March or November 2024.
Improving California’s educational facilities is at the heart of the VPCS mission, so we strongly support AB 247. We encourage all voters to review the full text of the bill to make their own decisions. And we invite our industry partners and other interested parties to join us at a campaign fundraiser on Thursday, September 28th at 4:00 p.m. at juju kitchen & cocktails in Sacramento. (Email us to RSVP or request more information.)
Here are six reasons why we believe AB 247 is good for our state:
1. We agree with its authors.
AB 247 was jointly authored by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and Mike Fong (D-Alhambra). Mr. Muratsuchi summarized the need for the measure by saying, “Thirty percent of the state’s K-12 classrooms are over 50 years old and 10 percent are over 70 years old. Californians face critical school facility needs including transitional kindergarten and early childhood education, natural disaster response, universal high-speed internet access, lead abatement, and extreme heat and other climate change adaption.”[1]
2. The timing is right.
If it passes, AB 247 will be the first statewide education bond to be approved in California since 2016, when voters passed Proposition 51. (Prop 13, which would have authorized $15 billion in bonds, failed in 2020.) That means that by 2024, eight years will have passed since new funds have been added to the state’s “pot” to which districts have access. And school facilities experience a lot of wear and tear in eight years. Districts throughout California have been doing their best to maintain aging buildings in their portfolios, but deferred maintenance and modernization costs add up. The funds that would be available via AB 247 would go a long way toward enabling much-needed facilities upgrades in districts all around the state.
3. State and local funding would work together to support communities.
AB 247 would deliver matching funds to school districts that apply for them, which would allow a combination of local and general obligation bond dollars to pay for new construction and modernization projects, as well as several other important programs mentioned in the language of the bill – including but not limited to career technical education, charter facility programs, minimum essential facilities and facility hardship. These efforts would improve local education facilities while potentially boosting local economies.
4. It reflects updated realities.
The measure was carefully written to accommodate the particular types of funding needs that school districts now face. One example is interim housing that might be required following a wildfire or earthquake. Another is a revamped methodology for calculating construction costs based on actual rather than theoretical scenarios.
5. It would allow districts to deliver what they’ve promised.
School districts working with funds from local bonds that were passed several years ago might be finding it difficult to complete projects, given the increasing cost of goods and services. In other words, districts that committed to new facilities or improvements to existing facilities that were estimated in 2020 dollars might now find themselves having to modify scope or value-engineer original plans in order to stretch their now-outdated budgets. AB 247 would help districts see such efforts through to completion and satisfy their commitments to voters.
6. It’s all in service to the kids.
At VPCS, nearly everything we do comes down to serving California’s students. We support AB 247 because it is designed to support the public schools where our state’s children learn, grow and thrive. Research proves it – just take a look at the California School Facilities Research Institute report on The Impact of School Facilities on Student Learning and Engagement. The bottom line is this: The better our kids’ educational environments, the stronger our communities. Flourishing school districts benefit everyone, which is why we believe so firmly in the value of state and local school bonds.
When Senior Program Manager Kevin Little joined VPCS in 2020, he brought years of experience building, managing, operating and maintaining world-class facilities, including a stint with the Los Angeles public school system – the second largest district in the country. Kevin’s professional resume was impressive enough. Then we really got to know him and learned that there’s much more to this construction professional than serious industry talent. Discover a few of Kevin Little’s many sides in this conversation:
Q: Which VPCS projects do you work on?
KL: I support the project management and program planning teams at the Cloverdale Unified School District, the Old Adobe Union District in Petaluma and the Marysville Joint Unified School District in Yuba County.
Q: You grew up in the U.K., correct?
KL: That’s right. I was raised in Chester on the English-Welsh border about 30 miles south of Liverpool. I got my bachelor’s degree from Chester College, right there in my hometown. But my goal was always to come to the U.S. – and I always aspired to be a coach – so I landed here in 1979 and started teaching karate and soccer.
Q: Have you kept up with both karate and soccer?
KL: Yes. I still practice and coach both sports. I hold a fifth-degree black belt in Shotokan karate and a sixth-kyu green belt in Kyokushin full-contact karate. I’m registered as a karate instructor at three different dojos. On the soccer side, I was ranked as a semi-pro in England back in the day. And I’ve coached soccer here in the U.S. for about 30 years. I’ve coached people of all ages, including my own daughters starting when they were about four years old. And now both of my grandsons are on soccer teams, so I’m getting out there on the pitch and having a go with the next generation of players.
Q: Getting back to your education, tell us about your law studies.
KL: Back when I was working in biotech, I spent a lot of time interacting with my company’s legal department getting deep into construction contracts. That sparked an interest in going to law school. So I enrolled in law classes at St. Mary’s College in Moraga (which offers an undergraduate Law and Society minor) and I even took the LSAT. I ended up with a certificate as a registered paralegal, but never formally pursued a law degree because my career ended up taking me further into construction. But I learned so much about critical thinking, how to write and how to look at things through a risk management lens while studying the law; those skills have really served me in my professional life.
Q: Speaking of your professional life, describe your career highlight.
KL: Easy – that’s when I worked on the Jonas Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego. I was hired by the firm overseeing the programming/design phase of a new freestanding addition to the research institute, and they asked me to run the project for them. So I’d go down to San Diego for these weekly OA [owner-architect] meetings and there’d be multiple Nobel Prize winners sitting at the table. First, of course, there was Jonas Salk, whose 1955 publication of his research was a major breakthrough in the development of a vaccine for polio. Then there were two more scientists at the other end of the table who were Nobel Laureates. Salk was in his 70s by the time I worked on the project, but he still had all his wits about him. He would have me sit on his right side in the OA meetings because he was deaf in that ear. And I’d have to whisper to him to let him know everything that was going on. It was wild. And I got to be part of adding to that beautiful, beautiful building. So that was a lot of fun.
Q: Your LinkedIn photo shows you wearing a boutonnière and a mini microphone. What’s the story there?
KL: That picture was taken at the wedding of my son’s best friend, which I officiated! I got ordained through the Universal Life Church so I could legally marry them. I was pleased to do it; it was such an honor. Plus, it earned me my new nickname: “Rev Kev.”
Q: What are your other hidden talents?
KL: Well I don’t know if they’re talents necessarily, but I’ve always been around music. My dad was a band manager back in England in the ‘60s and I’d go around with him when I was a kid as he’d try to get the band gigs. His group was called The Heartbeats, which was on the same circuit as the Silver Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, Jerry and the Pacemakers, Petula Clark and others. Keep in mind: we were only about 20 minutes from Liverpool. It was a really interesting time and place for music and it really sparked an interest in me. When I was about 13, I hitchhiked with a friend on a milk truck all the way from Chester to London – which felt like the other end of the world at the time – to see the Rolling Stones at their free concert in Hyde Park. We were kids and away we went! Now I’m making sure my grandkids understand and appreciate the classic music that influences what they listen to today.
Q: Is there an inner rock star hiding inside the construction PM?
KL: Not necessarily. But I know that world pretty well. In fact, one of the craziest experiences I’ve ever had was when I was hired to be a bodyguard for Dee Snider, the lead singer of the band Twisted Sister. This was in the early ’80s; I’d already moved to the U.S. but was back in England for a visit. Twisted Sister was scheduled to play at Wrexham Stadium in Wales, which is very close to my hometown and it’s a pitch I know well because I’d played a lot of soccer there when I was coming up. I’d also worked as a doorman in a lot of pubs around the area, and they were hiring doormen to add to the band’s security and convey a sense of crowd control at this large venue. They said to me and a friend of mine (and about 40 other guys), “We’ll give you each $10 and you can wear these yellow tee shirts that say SECURITY and you can basically have a day out on us.” But when my friend and I got to the stadium, they pulled us aside and told us that our job was to keep an eye on Dee Snider himself as he went from his dressing room to the stage. Sounded easy enough, but it was total chaos. Wales wasn’t really ready to see anything like those guys. Still, it was a great day. Then the promoter tried to tell all of us wearing yellow shirts – we looked like a bunch of canaries – that he couldn’t pay us. That didn’t go over well, especially with one Liverpudlian who threatened to take the band’s drum kit as payment instead! So they ended up giving us our $10 and we went on our way. It was all just hilarious.
Q: From taking care of rock stars to taking care of construction projects …
KL: I’m not sure if my background as Dee Snider’s bodyguard ties directly to my role as a PM, but I’ll tell you that I do enjoy the responsibility of taking care of school facilities. And one of the reasons I love working for VPCS is that even though I report to Mark [Van Pelt], he isn’t always looking over my shoulder. This company values relationships and treats people very well. If you know your stuff, then your boss will check in with you and will always be available to you but mostly trusts you to do your job well. I guess it’s all part of the Van Pelt Way and it’s a nice way to work.
