Project Profile: Cerner Innovations Campus
Cerner Corporation, the world’s largest publicly traded healthcare information technology company, hit a major growth spurt, and with that growth, a marked increase in company employees. To accommodate this growth and specifically to house their software development team, a 16-phase, 4.7 million square feet campus was built to hold 16,000 company associates. Each element of the new Kansas City, MO, campus was to reflect the company’s culture and focus on providing cutting-edge solutions and services for health care organizations.
As with any large-scale construction project, typical construction challenges can compromise the schedule, making it imperative that the general contractor, JE Dunn, partnered with an experienced, customer service-oriented supplier. American Direct and JE Dunn had worked together on other Cerner campuses, and have a long-standing relationship on many other projects, so partnering on this project was a natural fit.
Along with traditional hollow metal frames, hollow metal doors, wood doors, electronic locks, finish hardware, American Direct provided Openings Total Door systems for fire and smoke protection. Total Doors feature integrated full length continuous hinges and factory integrated hardware to provide a clean architectural look. The doors provide a way to fuse beautiful design and perfectly integrated function. Total Door systems are engineered to have few moving parts and few service components; and they offer simple installation without the need for field assembly. The result is a cost-effective solution for comprehensive fire and smoke protection that maintains the integrity of the architect’s design.
There were many last minute changes on this project, and American Direct’s seasoned team of associates was the key to making it a success. According to JE Dunn project manager, Mike Schmelig, having a fine-tuned project manager like American Direct’s Kellie Volz was a “game changer.”
Schmelig said, “Kellie’s general in-depth knowledge makes me feel at ease on the supply side, while American Direct’s Regional Sales Manager, Jason Plotner, assisted with pricing input. Their internal team had to face many construction change directives during the construction process for this job, and their reactions to the changes were excellent.”
“We relied on our suppliers, like American Direct, to help us maintain our deadlines. Work was added mid-stream, but we never actually moved the schedule. Instead, we worked together to make it a great success.”
