Augusta Georgia Call Center – R.W. Allen Inc.

In October 2015, Augusta, Georgia, scored a victory for economic development when state and local leaders cut the ribbon on a new Augusta Georgia Call Center. The new facility for a global information technology (IT) company, will bring approximately 700 new jobs to the area. The construction project was the first phase in an overall repurpose of a building that previously held the Fort Discovery museum. The scope of services performed included preconstruction, demolition, remediation and construction management.

General contracting services for the Augusta Call Center were awarded to R.W. Allen Inc., a commercial construction firm based in Augusta. Founded in 1976, R.W. Allen has established itself as a reputable leader in the commercial construction industry based on its consistent delivery of high-quality projects on time and within budget.

A tight schedule

R.W. Allen is proud to be celebrating its 40th anniversary. With its long history and strong reputation, the company was able to leverage its relationships with some of the highest quality local subcontractors to maintain the high-speed pace of the Augusta project. This proved to be crucial as the phase one was on an extremely tight schedule with a hard deadline.

“The client had to be able to move in immediately and begin taking customer service phone calls,” says John Robertson, project manager for R.W. Allen. “This meant we had to keep a close eye on the delivery schedule of every component of the build-out, whether it was included in our scope or not. Our scope needed to dovetail seamlessly with the owner’s low voltage, furniture, audio/video and security vendors due to the fact that each of these trades touched our scope in numerous ways.”

The site of the new call center is an air rights parcel with a city-owned parking deck below and 18-story condominium tower above. The building face represents the property line bordering privately owned commercial lots, a public park and a church on three respective sides of the project. “This meant that there was virtually no lay-down area,” says Robertson. “All materials had to be brought on-site only as needed to avoid congestion.” Building material staging while maintaining adequate work space for all trades was also a critical component of R.W. Allen’s logistics plan. Throughout the entire project, the company was able to maintain a clean and safe work environment for subcontractors and vendors.

Scopes of work

Robertson notes that key scopes of work that contributed to the success of the Augusta Call Center included the mechanical and electrical. R.W. Allen worked with longtime strategic partners Gold Mechanical Inc. and Bryant Electric. The server room for the call center was conditioned with 100 percent redundant computer room air conditioner units that required close coordination with all trades for installation in a tight room. Additionally, Bryant Electric was charged with installing three 600-kilovolt diesel emergency generators, associated paralleling gear and a 100 percent-capacity uninterrupted power supply system.

Working in the commercial market, R.W. Allen has grown accustomed to completing call and data centers for numerous clients. The company will continue to work with its current client as the tech company is planning a phase two for the facility that will add 400 seats and 40,000 square feet.

Upon completion of each project, Robertson utilizes numerous metrics to gauge the success of each job with the top priority being customer satisfaction. “To me, you have not accomplished anything unless the client is 100 percent satisfied,” he shares. “We are a relationship-based construction firm and pride ourselves on tailoring our services to fit the client’s needs.”

As a privately-held commercial contracting firm, R.W. Allen operates in six states throughout the Southeast. The company maintains a staff of more than 50 professionals and field employees. The commitment that R.W. Allen has made to its people has made it an employer of choice in the construction industry as many of its superintendents and field personnel have been with the company for more than 25 years and others since its founding.

Distinguished by solid corporate values and philosophies including leadership, commitment to new and innovative technologies, and providing exceptional value and superior service to its clients, R.W. Allen Inc. will carry on its service capabilities into phase two of the Augusta Call Center project.