Project Management Case Study
CCI Inc.
Challenge
CCI Inc. has a thriving business coordinating nationwide roundtables for Board and Committee Chairs, CEOs and senior executives of primarily the Health Care Industry. Facing lease expiration in ordinary class A office space, CCI Inc. viewed the end of their previous lease as an opportunity to move their team to space that complimented their collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit. They were looking for an earthy space, and one where they could control their parking and office areas. They didn’t want to share any longer. They ultimately short listed three sites but didn’t understand the financial tradeoffs well enough to make a decision.
Solution
CCI hired Jack Kozakar for due diligence and then ultimately for management of the entire project. Jack evaluated and analyzed their options of commercial office park space, downtown adaptive reuse and westside medical office re-development opportunities, and helped steer CCI to the Westside option. Initially it was thought that the westside option had inadequate parking, but Jack demonstrated that the surrounding property could be re-entitled from courtyards to parking without losing the building’s charm. Jack also showed that with minor changes the building could meet their company's square footage requirements with room to grow. And ultimately Jack demonstrated that project had the best overall return on investment of the options in front of them. Unfortunately, the property they now wanted the most was held up in bankruptcy proceedings and when the proceedings finally cleared, the expected 9 month project duration was reduced to 5 months. CCI faced significant hold-over costs. The
property, originally built as a plant nursery and landscape architect’s office before being developed into a medical office, had decades of deferred maintenance. And the building had hundreds of code deficiencies.
Results
Jack created a project delivery approach that allowed simultaneous design, entitlement and construction. This allowed the project to be completed on time and under budget. While entitlement and planning was finishing, Jack completed all of the technology, demolition, landscape and utility improvements needed. Jack was able to save the owners over three hundred thousand dollars in lease costs, hold over avoidance, operations interruptions avoidance, competitive bidding, change order management, contract negotiations and schedule collapse.
Most importantly, Jack helped the owners of CCI move into a location that celebrated their company’s culture. If your lucky, you’ll be invited to one of their regular garden parties set in dramatic landscaping with twinkling lights and live music.