Please join us for a Site Tour and Panel Discussion, sponsored by JE Dunn, of the new, highly anticipated VA Health Care Center nearing completion in Charlotte, NC. This impressive 5-story, 431,666 square foot, design-build, LEED Silver complex will be the largest leased facility of the VA. Upon completion the facility will provide outpatient primary and mental health care as well as specialty clinics; including 295,000 square feet of net usable space for radiology, cardiology, pharmacy, mental health, podiatry/orthopedic, sterile processing, pathology/lab, canteen, dialysis, ambulatory care, education/research, operating rooms including cysto, urology; endoscopy, women’s health, eye, dental, pulmonary, neurology, surgical, audiology, gastro intestinal and administrative offices. The facility will serve nearly 150,000 veterans in North Carolina and provide 1,000 permanent jobs to the community.

Moderator: Melissa Countryman, CHC, Vice President, JE Dunn Construction

Melissa is Vice President at JE Dunn Construction and oversees the Healthcare and Life Sciences Groups for the JE Dunn Charlotte office. She received her Master’s in Architecture and Construction Management from Virginia Tech and has over 16 years of experience focused on healthcare construction. Melissa’s experience includes active involvement in over $1 billion in medical facilities, ranging from small and critical healthcare renovations to large, state-of-the-art medical facilities. She has led the JE Dunn Construction team for the VA Health Care Center project since the early design phases, which currently employs over 350 subcontractors on-site daily to deliver the facility in early 2016 for our Veterans. 

Panelist: Frank Freeman, AIA MBA, Associate Principal, RPA Design, P.C.

Frank is an Associate Principal at RPA Design and has over 19 years of experience in architecture with 16 years dedicated to healthcare design.  His experience extends from modest hospital renovations to new hospitals and healthcare centers.  He has broad experience in institutional design as well as energy plants, parking decks, and medical office buildings.  His experience includes renovation of older buildings with outdated systems and components and bringing them to current codes. Frank has been involved in the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Center since the initial solicitation in the Spring of 2013.  The project was awarded in September 2013 and has been supervised regularly since.  He has been involved in all aspects of the design and construction, including planning, LEED, blast resistance, equipment planning, signage, and exterior aesthetics.  

Panelist: Ken Cornell, LEED AP, General Superintendent, JE Dunn Construction

Ken is a General Superintendent for JE Dunn Construction with over 33 years of construction experience in a wide range of public and private market sectors including large, technical projects where specific intel and expertise are critical to the success of the project. This experience includes a $100 million LEED Gold Center for Science for California Polytechnic University, $95 million BSL 4 Laboratory Building for the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease, $100 million Johnson and Johnson Manufacturing Plant, $50 million Maryland Forensic Medical Center, multiple medical facilities, office buildings, residential towers, hotels, apartments, and detention centers. Ken leads the onsite team of 10 JE Dunn employees and over 300 subcontractors for the VA Health Care Center project.

 Panelist: Steven Parris, P.E., Project Manager, Dept. of 
 Veteran Affairs

 Steven Parris has been a Project Manager for the Dept. of 
 Veterans Affairs for three years.  He is responsible for
 coordinating facility requirements and planning the activation
 of the Charlotte Health Care Center project.  His involvement in the project includes development of the contractual documents, design, equipment selection, submittal reviews, monitoring construction progress and activation coordination.

Steven is a licensed Professional Engineer with over 20 years of engineering, construction, and project management experience.  A graduate of the University of Miami with a degree in civil engineering, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. Steven was project manager for airport, office building, and maintenance and renovation projects in the U.S., Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.  After his military service, Steven worked as project manager for an ENR Top 100 design build firm, managing over $200M in education, supply chain, manufacturing, mission critical, office and commercial interior projects.

Panelist: Daniel Reynolds, Senior Project Manager, JE Dunn Construction   

 Daniel is a dedicated healthcare construction professional,
 having successfully managed over $670 million in quality
 healthcare projects. His experience ranges from renovations
 on occupied campuses to new, state-of-the-art facilities. Most
 recently, Daniel has played an important and integral role in
 the VA Health Care Center project. He brings considerable knowledge and expertise in healthcare construction management for both public and private clients.

Program Sponsor:  

PPE (hard hat, vest and flat closed toe shoes - boots are preferable) is required for the site tour and will be provided for those who don’t have their own.

If you have any questions, please contact Sara Riggenbach at 704.594.8968 or [email protected].

Cancellation/Refund Policy
Cancellations made 72-hours prior to the event will receive a refund. Due to our commitment with the meeting facility for food and beverage quantities, all other cancellations or no-shows will be invoiced for the full cost of the event.