Jorge Arroyo and Charley Mock Earn National DBIA Certification
Jorge Arroyo, Treatment, Transmission and Utilities Engineer in Central Texas, and Charley Mock, Sales Manager in North Texas, have successfully completed the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) comprehensive education, training and certification testing program earning each of them the design-build industry’s designation as a nationally certified Associate Design-Build Professional. These additions to our certified design-build staff are the newest examples of our commitment to collaborative project delivery solutions for our clients. Jorge and Charley are Freese and Nichols’ eighth and ninth certified DBIA professionals to date. These certifications expand the firm’s resources for clients and contractors looking to work with teams who understand the nuances and best practices of the design-build method.
Current Market
Freese and Nichols is partnering with clients on projects with a variety of collaborative project delivery options, such as design-build and CMAR, or EPC, a method often seen in markets outside of the public sector. The industry is changing, and while some design-build work is only recently growing in popularity in Texas, it seems to be the preferred method for our markets in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.
In Jorge’s role promoting alternative water supplies, design-build is often the tool of choice for delivering projects. “If clients choose to utilize collaborative project delivery methods, we need to have a strong design-build knowledge base to help our clients succeed in alternative water supply. The DBIA training covers key design-build best management practices proven to help clients deliver projects on time and successfully.”
In his sales role, Charley’s motivation for earning the certification comes back to client relationships. He said, “In a design-build project, we are collaborating with the contractor, versus a more traditional owner’s engineer role, so it is important that I help verify that we are providing high-quality work, maintaining good client relationships, and providing enough people to deliver projects well, even with shorter timelines that you typically see in a design-bid-build project.”
A Growing Legacy of Collaborative Project Delivery Expertise
Jorge and Charley have joined a growing number of Associate Design-Build Professionals at Freese and Nichols, the first of whom was Doug Herbst. Herbst who is heavily involved in DBIA served most recently as Chairman of the Design-Build Institute of America Certification Board, and previously as past president and chairman of its Southwest Region. Doug, Lead Technical Professional in Program Management/Construction Management, and is one of the co-authors of the DBIA’s Water and Wastewater Best Practices, which is part of its broadly-used Best Practices document. Prior to joining Freese and Nichols, he was instrumental in helping pass legislation to allow alternative delivery methods. As a key subject matter expert, Doug also helped develop the DBIA exams and certifications.
With Doug’s influence, DBIA expertise and certification has become an important part of Freese and Nichols’ business. Doug was one of the first to bring DBIA certification to our now growing group of certified staff. Currently, Chuck Wolf, Western Gulf Coast Division Manager, teaches courses on design-build at Texas A&M University. Our certified staff members are spread across a variety of regions and roles within the firm. As a firm, our committees focusing on Collaborative Project Delivery and Design-Build provide resources and work to develop our firm-wide capabilities so that teams have a strong understanding of the best practices for the pursuit and delivery of projects through non-traditional methods.