Blog
Thoughts from the field
The key players at VPCS have a lot to say about the state of the industry, because we’ve been in the thick of it for years. Read current and archived posts for insights and perspectives.
Thoughts on Abundance
At this time of year, we always pause to acknowledge all that we’re grateful for and express thanks to the people who brighten our lives, both at work and at home. This year in particular, during such unprecedented times, it seems especially important to count the...
Arts and Crafts and Four-Legged Friends: Getting to Know Christine Diamond
In the more than two decades since Operations Manager Christine Diamond joined VPCS, she has been instrumental in helping us adapt and grow into what we are today. But Christine brings so much more to our team than what her title implies. Yes, she’s skilled at the...
Building Safety into School Projects
These days, teams responsible for new construction or modernization projects on school campuses know that safety and security are just as critical as structural integrity. In my role as a VPCS project manager, I work closely with project teams to prioritize student...
The Beauty Is In the Details for Patti Llamas
Patti Llamas’ official title at Van Pelt Construction Services is project manager, although she admits her job responsibilities change all the time, depending on the demands of the work, the status of the program, and the needs of the client. In the context of the...
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Self-Assessment
Like communities around the world, businesses are asking important and long overdue questions about equity and bias: How can team rosters be strengthened by diversity? Are hiring practices fair? Do systemic prejudices exist in our industries? What might be done...
Jenny Choi on Working, Playing, and Dreaming
To say that Jenny Choi is a rising star here at VPCS is a bit of an understatement. In just the three years since she joined us in 2018, she has gone from being an administrative assistant to serving as a project manager within the $297 million Pleasanton Unified...
Controlling School Site Rumors
Managing construction projects means tracking an enormous number of details. It also means communicating information to key audiences when those details affect them. On K-12 school sites, we share this responsibility with districts, site staff and other local...
25 Years of VPCS
VPCS is thrilled and humbled to be celebrating our 25th anniversary this year. We’ve kicked off the festivities with an updated company logo and a spruced-up website, now expanded to include rich details on our portfolio, our team and more. Please take a tour to see...
Kicking Back with Ray Green
Senior Project Manager Ray Green has been part of the VPCS family for many years in several different capacities, currently focused on our work for the Napa Valley Unified School District. In this Q-and-A, Ray tells us a bit about the arc of his career, his history...
Taking Stock
As we close out 2020, we reflect back on this unusual and challenging year. In spite of all the difficulties, we remain grateful for so much: our families, our friends, our community, and our work. At VPCS, we feel fortunate to have been able to operate without...
A New Level of Sustainability
Like Van Pelt Construction Services, the green building movement came to be in the 1990s. The growth of our firm has paralleled the growth of sustainable practices in the construction industry – particularly on school sites. In fact, our founders, Mark and Mike Van...
Program Management: One Client’s Perspective
In 2016, VPCS was proud to receive the program management (PM) assignment for the San Rafael City Schools’ (SRCS) $269 million district-wide improvements funded by bond Measures A and B. Since then, our team has worked side by side with district staff, architects,...
Mid-COVID Project Spotlight: Napa Junction Elementary
In last month’s blog, we took a big-picture look at what it’s been like to adjust to coronavirus-related changes in our industry. Here, we’re digging into the particulars of how the pandemic has affected a single project: the all-new Napa Junction Elementary School in...
Pandemic Pivots
The coronavirus outbreak has changed the way we’ve all done things, both at work and at home. Here at VPCS, we’re fortunate to be part of an industry deemed essential per California’s directives. Because of that, we’ve been allowed to continue working virtually...
Notes from the Home Front
Like professionals across the country and around the world, VPCS employees have been working mostly from home during the coronavirus outbreak. It’s been a bit of a transition, but our people have always been a dedicated and hard-working bunch. Not even a...
Finding Our Way to the Other Side of COVID-19
The COVID-19 outbreak has affected individuals, communities and economies around the world. Never in our lifetimes have we experienced such an abrupt shift in how we go about our daily lives and conduct our business. At VPCS, we take our commitments to our projects...
Warm Wishes from VPCS!
Even amid the busiest moments of the holidays, we remind ourselves to pause and focus on what matters most: the people who surround us at home and at work. We are immensely grateful for all branches of the VPCS family for allowing us to do what we love, day after day....
Pushing Contractors Without Harming Relationships
Construction project managers (PMs) like me are responsible for tracking all the large and small details related to the job (or jobs) we’re overseeing. We’re the bridge between the owner and the people who design, engineer and build the projects. It’s up to us to make...
Rock-Solid Detail Work
My official title here at VPCS is Administrative Assistant. But sometimes I think I should change it to Mortar Assistant, given all the ways I fill in the gaps. When people ask me what I do at work, I usually answer with a very enthusiastic, “Whatever’s needed!” In...
Let’s Get Fiscal: Excellence in Bond Accounting
When I was hired by Mark Van Pelt, a little over three years ago, I never would have imagined that my responsibilities would include categorizing, tracking and reconciling budgets totaling more than $268 million dollars. After all, I have a literature degree and I...
OSHPD B’Gosh
Around here, I’m known as the VPCS “oshpod guy.” That’s because I’m considered the in-house expert on all the regulations related to California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, commonly referred to by the acronym OSHPD. This is the agency that...
Keeping the Beat While Juggling Multiple Projects
Even the most talented percussionists, the most eloquent string players, and brass instrumentalists with world-class cardio strength aren’t much use without a conductor. The conductor pulls those individually talented elements together to produce the symphony. That’s...
A Career Highlight: George Mark Children’s House
Last month, my (younger!) brother Mark wrote a piece for the VPCS blog reflecting on his first 40 years in the construction industry. It’s hard to believe that we’ve both been in this business for as long as we have. I suppose one of the reasons the time has flown is...
A Polaroid Guy in a Hashtag World
I started my career in construction on June 16, 1979 at 7:00 a.m. (The photo above was taken that very week.) Since then, I’ve collected paychecks from two companies: Lathrop Construction Associates and Van Pelt Construction Services, the latter of which I co-founded...