Nov 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ABACUS Project Management, Inc. Named Project Manager of Chapman University’s Construction Program

Newport Beach, Calif. — ABACUS Project Management, Inc. (ABACUS) of Newport Beach, Calif. was selected by Chapman University (Chapman) to provide program and project management services for the multi-million dollar renovation and expansion of the private school’s main campus in Orange, Calif.

Under the direction of principal, Russell Thompson, ABACUS is working in concert with the University’s own construction management department to manage all aspects of Chapman’s construction program including development of the management plan, budgets, and schedules; cost estimating; selection of the project team; and the hiring of contractors. Projects recently completed on campus include the installation of an upgraded high voltage loop as well as demolition of the pre-existing 32,000 square-foot Thurmond Clarke Memorial Library making way for new construction.

Projects concurrently under construction on Chapman’s campus include the 100,000 square-foot Leatherby Libraries that will house the university’s six individual libraries; the 25,000 square-foot Oliphant Hall expansion to the Bertea Music Hall, which is also undergoing renovation; and the Wallace All Faiths Chapel, which will provide students, faculty, and the community with a place of worship. “Managing a program of this size, it is impossible to be in more than one place at a time making time management as well as delegation of tasks key factors to our success,” said senior project manager, Kurt Riedl.

Currently in the design phase, the School of Film and Television’s new “Chapman Studios” — a fully operational production facility and backlot — is scheduled to begin construction late 2004, bringing all aspects of the film-making industry to its students. “Maintaining the budget is always the single largest challenge we face with any project,” Thompson said. “With the new film school facility, we are often times required to upgrade elements of the project or the surrounding offsite areas in order to get approval to proceed through the City Planning Commission. These upgrades usually result in a significant dollar increase that may or may not have been anticipated when the project was originally budgeted.”

Chapman’s new Lastinger Athletic Pavilion/Folino Aquatic Center is also in the design phase and is scheduled to begin construction late 2005. This facility will include an Olympic-size swimming pool, a new stadium, as well as new practice fields.

Chapman University’s construction program could extend to the end of the decade as future projects are currently being reviewed for potential implementation.

ABACUS offers full-service program, project, and construction management services, representing both owners and lending institutions across the country. The firm’s corporate office is located in Phoenix, Ariz. with other full-service locations in California, Colorado, and Texas. ABACUS’ list of experience comprises of a wide variety of projects in both public and private sectors such as fire stations, libraries, school and college facilities, civic centers, commercial office buildings, and multi-family and retail developments.

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