It has been a pleasure both professionally and personally working with Jim Stephens and Stephens Construction over the past six years.
Our first project together was the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (CUIAB) tenant improvements. This was a difficult project from a standpoint of having to do an ADA Assessment of the existing building and applying that to the improvements for the State of California. The assessment triggered installation of a new elevator from street level and bridging the second floor. The challenge for the project was allowing continuous use of the space while phasing the work on the tenant improvements. The project was completed on time and on budget, much to the satisfaction of the owner.
Our latest project with Jim was a design-build delivery of tenant improvements for the Community Orthopedic Medical Group (COMG). This was a very complicated project involving the installation of a new MRI machine within an existing tenant area. The tenant had an existing MRI in an adjacent building, which, once the new machine was installed, had to be removed. I was personally very impressed with Jim’s ability to understand all of the scientific and medical criteria and safety provisions necessary to install an MRI. The shielding along with the technical support areas had to be done right the first time. No second chances. His attention to all of the details made this project come together with minimal impact on the medical and physical therapy practices. Added to this was the fact that we had to add an exterior elevator to the building for ADA access. This presented several structural issues which were complicated due to the fact that the as-built drawings were not clear as to the existing conditions. Jim was able to do some preliminary destructive testing and provide the necessary conditions for us to structurally marry the elevator to the existing structure.
In all, this was a very complicated and technical project that would have frustrated many contractors, but Jim’s unflagging efforts kept everything moving smoothly to completion.
I would be more than happy to work with Jim on any future projects.