WSP USA Expanding Program and Construction Management Services

The firm is focusing on growing its already established Program Management & Construction Management (PM/CM) services, which focused on delivering top-level PM/CM services and will cross-sell its expertise to WSP clients in the buildings, transportation, energy, federal, water and environment markets.

“With this new organizational focus, we will achieve trusted advisor status with a broader range of clients, across all markets,” said Bernie McNeilly, who was recently named WSP president of PM/CM.

McNeilly leads an organizational unit that will offer clients a broad range of services, including program/project management, program controls, project information management systems and construction management. The firm’s renewed emphasis on PM/CM strengthens the full range of its infrastructure services, offering robust support to our clients at each stage of project delivery, from concept to completion.

“Our PM/CM organization includes over 1,200 people located across the U.S., offering services from program/project management, program controls, project information management systems and construction management,” McNeilly said. “WSP has long been a trusted delivery partner on PM/CM assignments, and with the addition of Louis Berger’s resources, our U.S. presence is further strengthened.”

[In December 2018, WSP acquired Louis Berger, an international professional services corporation founded in 1953.]

The firm’s goal is to provide best-in-class PM/CM services to clients in all markets, drawing on its decades of experience in providing program management and construction management on some of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects in the U.S.

Some of the firm’s recent PM/CM assignments include the following:

Chicago O’Hare International Airport Modernization Program included the installation of three new runways, two air traffic control towers, and extension of the most active existing runway. WSP served as construction manager.

Avangrid, an energy company that provides electricity to 2.2 million customers in New York and New England through its transmission systems. As program manager and owner’s engineer, WSP manages and coordinates the activities of assigned projects from inception through commissioning.

Moynihan Train Hall and Farley Building Redevelopment is a New York City project that will transform the former U.S. Post Office building adjacent to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden into a grand transit hall for Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak passengers, providing 750,000 square feet of retail and office space. WSP, the program manager, has been involved with the project since 1991.

The largest environmental construction project in Florida’s history, the C-44 Reservoir/Stormwater Treatment Area, is restoring the natural habitats of the Everglades while improving the quality of water in the region. WSP is serving as construction manager on behalf of the South Florida Water Management District.

WSP is providing PM/CM services for the replacement of the Gerald Desmond Bridge in Long Beach, California (pictured above). It will be the state’s first long-span cable-stayed bridge for vehicles.

WSP is assisting a pharmaceutical company with expansion of its range of products, providing program management services to support the launch of a new solid dosage form for North American and European markets.

WSP is leading a joint venture providing program management support for the ATLNext capital development program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to optimize and expand operations at the world’s most traveled airport.

Since 1995, WSP USA has supported the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with program management services as a nationwide housing inspection contractor, evaluating homes damaged as a result of a presidentially declared emergency or natural disaster.

WSP served as construction manager for phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway in New York City, continuing an association with the city’s subway system that dates to the firm’s role in designing and overseeing construction of the original system, which opened in 1904.

City Place Santa Clara, a 240-acre site adjacent to the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium, is a 9.1-million-square-foot mixed-use project that features a multi-disciplinary WSP program management team.

WSP is providing construction management services for the redevelopment of Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport, creating a new three-level, 33-gate terminal to accommodate nearly 13.6 million passengers annually by 2027.

The firm also served as the construction manager, as well as providing bridge design, for the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project, which raised the clearance of the bridge to allow for the passage of the world’s largest shipping vessels while preserving the historic integrity of the 86-year-old bridge.

In addition to McNeilly as president, WSP’s leadership team for PM/CM also includes:

• Neal Weitman, chief operating officer, arrives at WSP from Louis Berger with 26 years of experience in various operational roles with a primary focus on program and construction services. He most recently served as the Louis Berger U.S. chief of operations and performance, responsible for overall operational management and financial oversight across eight U.S. division practices.
• Tamara Werkmeister, business development director, has 27 years of business development, marketing and sales experience, and has successfully led major strategic campaigns for large infrastructure pursuits. She previously served as a national strategic pursuit manager for transportation at WSP.
• Barb Arens will serve in an operations role focused on training, performance and delivery. She most recently served as regional business manager for transportation in WSP’s Central region, and has managed WSP’s national traffic engineering technical resource center.
• Gregory C. Johnson, national director of construction inspection/resident engineering and inspection director, will manage teams across the U.S. with a focus on delivery of value-added services to WSP clients. Greg previously served as the firm’s Michigan area manager for transportation and infrastructure.
• Ricardo Cardentey, finance director, has served in roles that integrate financial performance with client/firm performance over the past 25 years. He recently served as the firm’s Northeast operations director for transportation and infrastructure.
• Matt Henley, manager of strategic development, previously served as chief of staff on the California High-Speed Rail Program, one of WSP’s largest program management effort in the U.S., where he was responsible for implementing the strategic vision of the chief operating officer.

[To subscribe to Insights, contact the editorial staff at [email protected].]