When the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) began awarding $1.9 billion in contracts for one of the largest military base expansions in the nation, the Parksite team was ready to capture a piece of the action.
Fort Lee is the third largest military installation in the country. According to the U.S. Army, approximately 3,200 military personnel live and work there, and up to 4,200 students are trained there each day. It is home to eight military agencies and schools, including The Army Logistics University.
Fort Lee is located in Virginia’s Gateway Region, which is also the territory of Parksite DuPont Senior Certified Tyvek Specialist Kevin Bartley. Bartley, and former Parksite employee Sam Phillips, determined that there were a number of opportunities for the company.
They realized early on that several of the general contractors who received contract awards had a big problem: They didn’t know how to meet and pass the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers’ stringent new air barrier requirements for ensuring air tightness and moisture management in new and renovation construction projects.
The Army also required that all of its new buildings be LEED certified. Parksite and the DuPont technical department were involved in similar challenges and testing at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and had the solution for all of the GCs.
In the past, they had used products like Tyvek CommercialWrap, DuPont FlexWrap, DuPont StraightFlash, DuPont Flashing Tape, Tyvek contractor tape, and Tyvek Wrap Caps, and knew they would be essential to satisfying the Army’s.
Parksite began building a relationship with Clark Building Group. Clark was awarded the $70.9 million design/build contract for AIT (Advanced Individual Training) barracks for military personnel. The project is daunting. There are two 77,000-square-foot buildings that need to be completed by spring of 2011. Clark was on the fast track, and needed to design and build at the same time. Parksite products had not even been considered as Clark originally looked at cheaper, lower-quality products that hadn’t been air barrier tested. Parksite delivered the expertise, hands-on assistance and quality products to ensure their success.
“There are really two success stories at Fort Lee,” said Kevin Bartley, Parksite Senior Certified Tyvek Specialist. “The first is about how our Parksite team identified a job-stopping problem and offered not only product solutions but also expertise in ensuring that the buildings pass the Army’s rigid air barrier requirements. If Parksite didn’t offer problem solving, quality solutions and technical assistance, we’d be just another distributor selling products. We provide true value and substance.”
“The second success story focuses on how three general contractors, three dealers, four Tyvek installers, one window flashing company and three independent consulting groups were able to work together to beat the air barrier challenge. We need to thank DuPont’s technical department for its hard work and dedication as well.”