City Grill

Rachael Frohardt
Marketing Manager
PCL Construction Services

The health care construction market remains strong across Florida, and that includes the greater Orlando area. With that in mind, the Central Florida chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) held a half-day panel discussion on Feb. 20 with several health care owners who provided their perspective on project delivery expectations. Rachael Frohardt, president of SMPS Central Florida, noted that the panelists echoed a consistent theme of looking for firms that can work as partners in the budgeting and construction processes. Panelists included Brad Pollitt with UF Shands; John Maze, Central Florida Health Alliance; and Tim Burrill, with Florida Hospital.

“Owners are keenly aware that designers, engineers, contractors and subcontractors are incredibly busy … and that is affecting performance,” Frohardt says. She added that one panelist described his organization’s A-team construction partners as currently deserving a failing grade. “They want people to understand their unique needs, and to bring ideas, knowledge and a partnership mentality to each project—not only with the owner, but with each other.”

One project to start construction recently was Winter Park Memorial Hospital’s Nicholson Pavilion, which adds nearly 80 private rooms and a new patient lobby via a five-story, Mediterranean-inspired pavilion. The hospital reported a September 2017 construction start for the project, which it called “the largest investment in Winter Park Memorial Hospital’s history.” Brasfield & Gorrie is the lead contractor for the project, which is scheduled to open in 2019.

The Winter Park pavilion isn’t the only area health care project to make news though. Recently,  Orlando-based Ponte Health proposed a “vertical medical city” to be located in downtown Orlando. Early plans include a three-tower complex that could rise to nearly 1,000 ft, according to the firm. Tabitha Ponte, founder and lead architect, unveiled plans for the project before a group of engineering and architectural firms at a meeting held at Lake Nona Medical City. Ponte touts the proposed development as featuring “never-before-seen technologies,” including artificial intelligence.

Firm in Focus

Williams Co.
2301 Silver Star Road, Orlando
CEO: Robert Lipscomb
Employees: 100
Founded: 1920
What’s New: Orlando-based Williams Co. Southeast recently broke ground for the 69-acre Vineland Pointe project, which will feature 450,000 sq ft of retail space. The shopping center is one of the largest new retail developments of its type to break ground in years in the Central Florida region, according to the company. The Vineland Pointe project—located at Interstate 4 and Daryl Carter Parkway near Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets—is a joint development by O’Connor Capital Partners and LaSalle Investment Management. Williams Co. previously built O’Connor’s 427,000-sq-ft Crosslands retail development. The new project was designed by Eleven18 Architecture, Orlando. Harris Civil Engineers LLC, also of Orlando, is the project’s engineer.