KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Construction has reached a key milestone on the Northland Workforce Development Center, as JE Dunn Construction and project partners recently celebrated the topping out of the new facility. The event marked the placement of the final structural steel beam for the project, signaling��significant progress��on the 145,000-square-foot, two-story building designed to expand access to career and technical education across the Northland region.��

Prior to the��beam’s��installation, attendees��participated��in a traditional beam-signing ceremony, adding their names and messages to a steel beam bearing project and partner logos. The moment underscored the collaboration among the Platte County R-3 School District, partner school districts, project��stakeholders��and the broader community in advancing a shared workforce development vision.��

“This project is about creating opportunities and pathways for the next generation of skilled professionals in our region,” said Brad Hokanson, Project Executive at JE Dunn Construction. “Reaching the topping out milestone is a testament to the collaboration between the district, design team, and trade partners who are bringing this innovative learning environment to life.”��

The Northland Workforce Development Center is designed to support programs in skilled trades, manufacturing, health��sciences��and human services. Once complete, the facility will expand the capacity of Northland Career Center and its partners, serving both high school students and adult learners seeking industry-aligned training and credentials.��

Planned program spaces include flexible labs and classrooms, hands-on training��environments��and technology-rich areas that reflect real-world workplace conditions. Located in the Northland region of Kansas City, the project is progressing on schedule, with substantial completion targeted in 2027 and a summer opening��anticipated��following the structural milestone.��

“With support from the State of Missouri, local municipalities, businesses and industries, individual investors, and community foundations, we are making a long-term investment in the success of our students and the future of our region,” said Brian Noller, Executive Director of Business Services and NWDC Campaign Lead at Platte County School District. “The Northland Workforce Development Center will open doors to high-demand career opportunities, strengthen employers across the Kansas City area, and help ensure our community remains competitive for years to come.”��

JE Dunn is serving as construction manager for the project, working in partnership with the school district and design firm Clark & Enersen. The project team has emphasized safety, schedule��adherence��and coordination throughout construction, while��maintaining��communication with stakeholders and minimizing disruption to nearby facilities.��

The Northland Workforce Development Center��represents��a regional investment in workforce readiness, aligning educational infrastructure with evolving industry needs and supporting long-term economic development in the Kansas City area.��

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By Curtis DeLaquil

In July 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated public educational construction spending at $111.7 billion. School campuses across the country are ripe for renovations, expansions, and rebuilds as public schools address aging facilities and an influx of new students. In Florida alone, the population is projected to climb to nearly 26 million residents by 2035 – a more than 2.6 million increase from 2025. This growth translates directly into more students, more classrooms, and more need for modern, safe learning environments.

School construction presents particular challenges when work takes place on an active school campus. Unlike a closed jobsite, schools are often undergoing renovations while fully operational during the academic year, with students moving between classes and activities, and a steady flow of traffic at arrival and dismissal.

These projects require careful planning to ensure minimal disruption to students, teachers and administration alike. When managed well, construction becomes nearly invisible to the campus community, allowing the school to move forward seamlessly with improvements that will serve them for years to come.

It’s All in the Details

Operational campuses typically follow predictable patterns of activity, especially around arrival and dismissal. Beyond the daily schedule, schools and the builders must plan around academic testing periods and special events that require quiet or uninterrupted learning. Coordinating with administration to understand these patterns, then planning accordingly, can ensure a seamless partnership and minimal disruption to the campus. For example, arriving before peak traffic hours prevents congestion and alleviates safety concerns.

Weeki Wachee High School in Brooksville, Fla. highlights the importance of coordination. Recently, JE Dunn completed construction of a precast concrete building structure for a new classroom building that is located in the middle of the school’s bus loop. Careful planning and critical execution to complete this work during summer was the only successful plan around traffic flow – and ensured that the project moved forward without disrupting student transportation.

Certain spaces, such as media centers or administrative offices, cannot be taken offline during the school year. For these areas, summer becomes a critical window for work, allowing projects to move forward without disrupting essential operations.

In 2025, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that in Hillsborough County School District, one of Florida’s largest school districts, “63 schools are closed or partially closed over the summer for major projects. Eight projects are what they consider ‘large undertakings,’ while the others may include smaller upkeep like repaving driveways, replacing a chiller or installing new windows.”

Safety is Paramount

Safety and security are obvious priorities on an operational campus. All workers should be fully badged and background-checked regardless of how small their role. Additionally, strict compliance reassures administration and staff alike that student safety remains protected at all times.

In addition to considering exterior traffic patterns, interior traffic should be considered. Construction teams should note major circulation paths inside the school, such as hallways between classrooms and cafeterias. By staying out of these high-traffic areas, workers remain “invisible,” allowing the school day to proceed uninterrupted.

Pre-Planning Pays Off

Minimizing disruption requires looking ahead. Pre-manufacturing and pre-ordering equipment whenever possible ensures that critical materials are available when needed. This becomes especially crucial for the big summer push that many construction firms encounter.

“Pre-planning might be one of the most important aspects to a project’s success, and one that is oftentimes overlooked,” said Jake Nellis, vice president of JE Dunn’s Tampa office. “Having the right supplies and equipment staged and ready allows teams to hit the ground running and finish work before staff and students return.”

Embrace Swing Space

School renovations often require classrooms to be temporarily vacated. In these cases, “swing space” provides a flexible solution. The key is identifying unused rooms that can absorb displaced classes without the cost of portable units. Some schools have up to five or six classrooms available that can be repurposed for this need.

This type of rotation depends on accountability of keeping work on schedule and strong planning and clear communication. Teachers and students must know weeks in advance when and where their classes will move. Providing four to six weeks of schedules creates predictability, and even a simple weekly update to students, i.e. “English will meet in Room 312 next week”, helps avoid confusion and builds trust throughout the project.

At Tampa’s Historic Hillsborough High School, swing spaces played a key factor to success in the $16 million HVAC overhaul. While a portion of this project was able to be coordinated over the summer, it also took place during the academic year, and careful consideration had to be given to ensure students were not impacted. JE Dunn’s team worked closely with administrators to identify and rotate in and out of swing spaces, or six classrooms at a time while replacing air handler units. Once one set of rooms was completed, those spaces were returned and another set was taken offline. Ultimately, a new central energy plant with new chillers, 17 air handlers, and 157 air volume control units were replaced without interrupting instruction.

Collaboration is Key

School construction is about more than physical upgrades. It requires partnership with administrators, teachers, students, and families. By listening closely, communicating clearly, and aligning with the rhythms of campus life, construction teams can deliver facilities that address urgent needs while keeping learning on track.

Curtis DeLaquil is Group Manager at JE Dunn Construction and President of ACE Mentors of Tampa Bay.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—Returning to the Missouri State University (MSU) campus for the first time since the Great Southern Bank Arena project in 2008, JE Dunn Construction Company is thrilled to be back on campus, with two exciting projects set to break ground in early 2025. Collaborating with Dake Wells Architecture and MSU, JE Dunn will construct the new Judith Enyeart Reynolds Complex, partially renovate Craig Hall, and build a new Alumni Center, which will be known as the Clifton M. Smart III University Advancement Center.��

David Atkisson, JE Dunn’s Senior Project Manager, has many ties to the University and when asked what these projects meant to him, he said, “It is an honor as an MSU alumni to experience this full-circle moment by serving on the teams for both the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Complex and Clifton M. Smart III University Advancement Center projects.”��

The first project includes demolition of the Art Annex building and construction of the new 24,000-square-foot Judith Enyeart Reynolds Complex. This state-of-the-art facility will house a lobby/reception space, black box theatre, performance teaching rooms, and additional ancillary space. Craig Hall will also have a scene shop addition and partial renovations, along with site upgrades for both buildings. The construction costs for these projects total approximately $30 million. Both David and Project Superintendent, John Mann, also an MSU alumnus, have shown great dedication to giving back to their alma mater through this project. Dake Wells Architecture is leading the design of the projects.����

With over 30 MSU alumni employed at JE Dunn, the construction of the Clifton M. Smart III University Advancement Center is a special opportunity for alumni to contribute to their university.����

Zach Blanton, Project Superintendent and MSU alumnus, said, “I’m thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to build what will be an important facility to help advance the growth of an already awesome culture. To be able to do it at a place that was such a pivotal part of my own growth and development is the icing on the cake.”��

The new Clifton M. Smart III University Advancement Center will serve as the home for the Missouri State Foundation, Alumni Association, and university advancement staff. This two-story, 28,000-square-foot facility will feature a lobby/reception area, a large banquet hall, an executive board room, enclosed and open office spaces, multiple conference and meeting rooms of various sizes, ancillary support spaces, and an outdoor event courtyard.��

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DENVER—At the CSU Spur school at the National Western Center, the new Hord Coplan Macht-designed HYDRO Building offers students and the public interactive exhibits and other amenities to teach them about water conservation. The $85 million HYDRO Building features public art, interactive exhibitions and laboratories also focused on the important issues surrounding water use.

The design by Hord Coplan Macht features a large lobby and three levels connected via a “river eddy” staircase to a bridge on the top floor. The architects seamlessly integrated the 1930 McConnell Welders Building into the new structure, which emphasizes the importance of water sustainability especially in drier states such as Colorado. Furthermore, keeping the old McConnell Welders Building in place headed off the emissions equivalent of nearly 400 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

On the outside, the designers have incorporated a concept called “One Water,” a technique that shows, via educational materials, how interconnected the entire planet is in terms of the limited amount of water that exists.

The motif for the HYDRO Building entails a metal scrim artwork that mimics the look and flow of water itself. The building’s exterior features a textural concrete panel in a flowing pattern, while the upper levels entail gray and blue glass. The construction materials offer those inside the building the ability to see for some distance on the outside as well as for people on the outside to observe what is happening within.

The HYDRO Building emphasizes stormwater usage and other innovation techniques. A green roof encompassing 7,500 square feet will support CSU Spur research on water reuse and vegetation, while promoting habitat for local wildlife to thrive. The building’s innovative systems save over 20 percent of energy and use less water, while the exterior lighting scheme meets LEED requirements.

“We wanted the Hydro building’s design to encourage visitors to enter the building and learn about the importance of water in the West,” Jennifer Cordes, principal at Hord Coplan Macht and market sector leader for the firm’s higher education practice, said in a statement emailed to �Ӱ�ԭ��ҕ�l. “We designed the building to make sure that the building stood as a beacon of sustainability within the campus by featuring thoughtfully chosen materials and environmental impact.”

SmithGroup served as associate architect on the project. JE Dunn was the project’s general contractor.

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CLEARWATER, Fla.—General contracting firm JE Dunn recently commenced work on a $48.5 million modernization project of Clearwater High School for Florida’s Pinellas County Schools. Clearwater High School was built in the 1950s, and thus many of its oldest buildings are deemed unsuitable for use as 21st century classrooms. The project work entails demolishing 17 buildings that already exist at the jobsite, as well as constructing seven new buildings from scratch and renovating five others.

Those new buildings will house learning suites, science labs, a media center, an administration suite with multi-use collaborative space, as well as a central energy plant and cafeteria. Additionally, two-story classroom buildings will be constructed.

Renovation and remodeling of multiple structures will be undertaken, such as at the campus’s ROTC and digital media production laboratory. Other restoration and modernization work at other buildings entails painting exterior surfaces and installing new HVAC components and flooring for the gymnasium building’s lobby. Furthermore, certain of the existing classrooms will be converted for use as a new Family and Consumer Science room.

A brand-new entrance to Clearwater’s football stadium will be constructed and new synthetic turf laid down for the athletic area’s track and field.

Beautification efforts will be made to the area of the campus area that stands directly adjacent to Gulf to Bay Boulevard, which is a major thoroughfare of the surrounding community, and thus provide a welcoming visual for visitors.

JE Dunn personnel at the firm’s Tampa office are working at Clearwater in conjunction with architect of record Hepner Architects, which is based in Tampa.

In a statement to SCN, Jake Nellis, JE Dunn’s vice president, was enthusiastic about his firm’s work at Clearwater.

“We’re excited to be part of this significant renovation that will have a tremendous impact on the community,” Nellis said. “The new facade will in fact be remarkable, and will be a landmark in the [Tampa] Bay Area.”

Work at Clearwater High School is currently scheduled to be unveiled in the fall of 2023.

JE Dunn was founded in 1924 and provides construction management services through its 23 offices around the country. The contractor has undertaken construction and renovation jobs in Florida since 1989, and the firm re-established its Tampa office in 2015. The company has done extensive work previously with Pinellas County Schools: In 2018, JE Dunn worked with the school district to retrofit a career and technical education center into a technical high school for the district, which is now called the Pinellas Technical High School at Seminole.

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MINNEAPOLIS—The��Health Sciences Education Center at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is now complete.

The $83 million HSEC is the hub for all the university’s health professional school and was designed and built to promote interprofessional education and interaction, as well as foster a culture that prioritizes student and faculty well-being.

Spanning more than 200,000 square feet, HSEC is a unique addition to the U of M, already home to one of the most comprehensive health science centers in the nation. It’s also an asset that will benefit all Minnesotans, since the U of M teaches 70% of the state’s health professionals, including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians and public health professionals.

“The new Health Sciences Education Center is much more than a building; it is a catalyst for change as we prepare the next generation of health care professionals,” said��Mark Rosenberg, MD, vice dean for education and academic affairs in the Medical School, in a statement.

To welcome health science students to HSEC, the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost hosted a Welcome Week in mid September, with treats, giveaways and prize drawings. As part of the University’s efforts to mitigate its spread of COVID-19 on campus, physical distancing practices and facial coverings were required at all events.

“By preparing ourselves and our students for the future, we will have a significant impact on our state, our communities, and our personal and professional growth, all of which are closely aligned with our responsibility as a land grant University,” said��Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD, vice president for clinical affairs, in a statement.

To meet the academic needs of today’s health science students, HSEC is home to:

• state-of-the-art classrooms, designed for interprofessional learning with active learning and small group teaching spaces;
• the��Center for Health Interprofessional Programs, which allows health professions students a space to connect, collaborate, network and develop;
• innovation and learning support through the��Health Sciences Library��and��Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, which includes a rare book collection, virtual and augmented reality, makerspace and more to support problem-based learning;
• simulation and immersive training that allows health professional students to train in sophisticated, real-world care settings, trainer stations, briefing/debriefing rooms, and actor prep areas, and;
• student support and services.

Over the summer, HSEC was used in collaboration with the School of Public Health, Medical School, and the Medical Reserve Corps to assist the Minnesota Department of Health in COVID-19 contact tracing.

Also, M Simulation used HSEC spaces this past summer to train incoming residents and students on personal protective equipment in clinical environments. These are just the earliest examples of the building’s multipurpose usability and transformative potential for healthcare education.

“HSEC exemplifies the University’s commitment to academic and educational excellence,” said Executive Vice President and Provost��Rachel Croson, in a statement.

“It will provide space for interprofessional education and relationship-building and will serve as a place where formerly distinct components of knowledge can be connected into an interrelated whole. Interprofessional collaboration is the future of health care, and this space is further demonstration of how Minnesota is creating that future.”

Minneapolis-based Perkins and Will and��Connecticut-based SLAM designed HSEC and Kansas City-based JE Dunn served as the contractor.

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DENVER—The University of Colorado Denver recently celebrated its official “topping out” for its new City Heights Residence Hall and Learning Commons.

The 182,000-square-foot residence hall will add approximately 555 beds and is the first on-campus student housing complex for the university.

The $62.4 million project comprises a seven-story residence hall comprised of two wings connected vertically by internal communal scaled to encourage student interaction between floors.

Stantec is providing architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, lighting, and sustainability services on the project. JE Dunn is the general contractor

The residential tower offers students mountain or downtown views, and the L-shaped configuration of the building’s upper floors flank a sunny courtyard space that will provide a new campus gathering place and connection between the CU Denver campus neighborhood and the Tivoli Student Union.

The lower floors include a central campus dining hall on the ground floor, and a 30,000-square-foot student services center called the Learning Commons, designed to enhance faculty development and support students outside the classroom.

The Learning Commons will centralize student academic support and tutoring services into a collaborative facility that will serve residents and non-residents with the aim of making academic support approachable and convenient. The Learning Commons will also feature faculty development programs and expanded space supporting online education—a rapidly evolving and critical component of the academic landscape, even prior to the COVID pandemic.

As another prominent addition to the CU Denver neighborhood on the Auraria Campus, the project will complement the university’s refined masonry palate while showcasing public spaces with expanses of glass, including a new retail space.

The City Heights Residence Hall is pursuing a LEED Gold rating and will include a green roof on the Learning Commons, as well as five beehives to support the campus’ pollinator habitat.

“The City Heights Residence Hall is an exciting project that brings together on-campus student life and academic success by merging housing with student academic support services,” said Stantec Principal Dominic Weilminster, in a statement.

“Once complete, the facility will dramatically shift the campus culture, celebrating the diverse student body that makes CU Denver so special.”

Set to open August 2021 for residents, the building is in alignment with the potential ongoing impacts of COVID-19. Operational and physical design adaptations could include modified dining operations to allow for longer meal periods and reduced density at mealtimes, modified cleaning procedures, and touchless faucets for handwashing throughout.

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ATLANTA— A $9 million renovation of Russ Chandler Stadium, the home of Georgia Tech baseball has begun. JE Dunn Construction is the general contractor on the project, and Collins Cooper Carusi/Populous is the architect.

The project involves upgrading amenities and heightened experiences for fans and student-athletes. The demolition of an existing one-story building paves the way for construction of a 25,379-square-foot, two-story structure. The new facility will include three indoor batting tunnels, indoor pitching lab, event hall space, concessions and roof terrace. Interior renovation of 1,618 square feet will include new suites and ticket booth.

The concourse level will feature an atrium that also functions as a Georgia Tech Baseball Hall of Fame. It will be the first thing fans see when they enter the stadium—an iconic point of entry—intended to serve as both a welcome and a celebration. The atrium is also designed to convert into a 40-seat teaching auditorium on non-game days.

Other features include a new outdoor plaza; a new high-tech scoreboard; all-new, expanded restroom facilities and concessions (including a premium club area); a new alumni locker room; and an expanded training facility that will be open year-round for Tech players, and available to alumni/Major League Baseball players during the offseason.

To greatly enhance player development functions within the stadium, renovations will also include a training center, three 20-foot-wide batting cages, two 10-foot-wide pitching tunnels, and a video analysis room. The batting cages and pitching tunnels will be divided by retractable netting with turf flooring and a raised pitching mound.

With 400-plus student-athletes across 17 varsity sports, Georgia Tech competes at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics as a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), while also developing young people who will change the world. Georgia Tech has long been a leader in innovation in college athletics with the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program (known as the Total Person Program at GT), commitments to athletics scholarships until a student-athlete graduates and the use of virtual reality in recruiting among the many concepts that originated on The Flats.

The improvements are aimed at supporting player development, enhancing the fan experience, and celebrating the Yellow Jackets’ rich baseball history. The team has won five national championships during their illustrious history (four in football – 1917, 1928, 1952 and 1990; one in women’s tennis – 2007), appeared in two Final Fours in men’s basketball (1990 and 2004) and three College World Series in baseball (1994, 2002 and 2006). Combining world-class education with top-notch athletics, Georgia Tech has produced 87 Academic All-Americans.

The project is slated for completion before next baseball season.

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TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — May 26, 2020 — A substantial $18.1-million modernization of Tarpon Springs High School in Pinellas County, Fla., was completed recently by JE Dunn Construction, the project’s construction manager.

Improvements ran the gamut from resolving drainage problems and demolishing multiple buildings, to upgrading interior systems throughout campus facilities and constructing a 12,261-square-foot building to serve as the new home for Tarpon Springs High School’s widely acclaimed Leadership Conservatory for the Arts; JE Dunn’s work scope covered more than a dozen structures and numerous site upgrades.

Renovations and improvements included complete acoustical upgrades in the auditorium, along with replacement of flooring and carpet, painting, new doors and hardware sets, canopy installations, new plumbing systems, improved acoustics, updated electrical power sources, new walls and ceilings, and more-efficient HVAC systems.

Site improvements included courtyards and outdoor classrooms, new landscaping and sidewalks, storm water utility upgrades including improved storm water detention, and modified parking and drive lanes.

The project architect of record was Rowe Architects of Tampa.

JE Dunn Construction, founded in 1924, is one of the largest general building contractors in the United States, providing construction management services through 23 offices nationwide, and self-perform services in select locations. The company has performed work in Florida since 1989, and re-established a Florida office in 2015, in Tampa.

Rowe Architects Incorporated is a nationally known architectural design firm that evolved from the practice founded in 1965 by the late H. Dean Rowe, FAIA. The firm has an award-winning history of providing quality professional architectural services on educational, institutional, commercial, multi-use and historic preservation projects throughout Florida.

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DENVER—Construction has begun on a Colorado State University campus in Denver that is aimed to enable the public to explore and interact with educational content around water, food and health.

A recent groundbreaking ceremony for the $138.8 million project had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With a completion date slated for 2022, the new campus, called Spur, will bring the expertise of the three CSU System campuses—CSU in Fort Collins, CSU Pueblo and CSU Global. The campus will host families and tourists, K-12 student field trips, conferences and meetings,

in addition to researchers in state-of-the-art labs, college students pursuing degrees in fields related to agriculture and sustainability, and local artists creating spaces in onsite studios.

“The space will convene research experts from around the world related to water, food, sustainability, and human and animal health,” said Jocelyn Hittle, director of Denver programing for the CSU System, in a statement.

“It will not only be a place, but also a network—a launching point for collaboration across disciplines and sectors aimed at addressing global changes.”

The first of the three buildings to be completed will be named Vida and will focus on animal and human health. It will show the second location of CSU’s Temple Grandin Equine Center, which provides equine-assisted activities and therapies to humans.

The center will also partner with the Dumb Friends League to offer a donor-subsidized clinic for companion animals while providing hands-on education for CSU veterinary students.

Clark Enersen Partners was selected as the architect for this impressive project. JE Dunn is the general contractor.

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