Design-Build Team of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

The McKissack & McKissack/Turner/Gilford/Tompkins Team is a highly qualified, experienced and diverse design, management and building team.  Founded on mutual goals, trust and character, each member of this Design-Build Team has contributed their key corporate strengths as well as best and brightest professionals for this landmark project.

Team members have relevant experience working together.  To illustrate, McKissack and Turner have had a successful relationship since 1996.  Together, the two firms have completed many high-profile projects, including the New Washington Convention Center, Renovation of RFK Stadium and the Multi-phased Renovation of the U.S. Treasury Building.  McKissack and Turner are currently managing the construction of the New Nationals Major League Baseball Stadium as well as providing project management services in support of the Washington Convention Center Headquarters Hotel and Expansion Space project.  Furthermore, Gilford Corporation and Turner are jointly performing comprehensive preconstruction services for Broadcast Center One in Washington, DC, and are both working with McKissack on the District of Columbia Public Schools Modernization Program. Gilford Corporation is also teamed on the new National Harbor project in Prince George’s County with Tompkins Builders, Inc.

McKissack & McKissack of Washington, Inc. is an African-American, woman-owned full service architecture and program/construction management firm.  Deryl McKissack, PE, PMP, founded the company in 1990, which now has offices in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Chicago and Miami.  McKissack employs 140 professionals and is certified by the District of Columbia as a Local, Small and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (LSDBE).  It is ranked by the Washington Business Journal as one of the top 25 Design firms in the Washington Metropolitan Area and by Engineering News Record as one of the nation’s leading Construction Management firms. 

When Deryl McKissack established the company, she was the fifth generation of her family to carry on the building tradition.  McKissack is an outgrowth of the oldest, continually minority-owned architecture/engineering firm in the United States.  Its roots go back to before the Civil War, when a slave in Tennessee named Moses McKissack learned the building trade from his overseer.  It was his grandson, Moses III, who launched the first McKissack & McKissack in Nashville, Tennessee.  The year was 1905.  

The year that Ms. McKissack’s father took the helm of the Nashville firm, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel.  A civil rights center was later constructed within the motel that would help visitors better understand the history and lessons of the American Civil Rights Movement.  McKissack & McKissack of Nashville provided full architectural and engineering services for the $9.9 million renovation and addition for the civil rights center.

Today, the fifth generation of McKissacks still understands the importance of legacy and tradition, especially in the historic preservation of landmarks and erection of monuments, notably its performance as prime contractor on the design-build work at the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.  For the past six years, McKissack has provided services for the restoration and security improvements for both the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.  The firm’s memorial experience has also included construction management for the U.S. Air Force Memorial site preparation. Moreover, in celebration of the McKissack family’s centennial year, in 2005 Ms. McKissack’s firm bequeathed the concept design for the fundraising effort for the new Cape Coast Museum in Ghana. The museum was designed to represent the seven stages Africans went through in being taken from their homeland, to becoming slaves, to some eventually becoming free in the United States.

Turner Construction Company was founded by Henry C. Turner in 1902.  Throughout his career, Mr. Turner referred to his clients as “respected friends”.  The company quickly built a strong reputation for integrity, teamwork and commitment.  One of the largest and most established General Contractors in the United States, Turner put in place more than $8.5 billion in construction in 2006.  With its 5,500 employees worldwide, the firm consistently ranks number one or two in the Engineering News Record major building category rankings.

Turner has maintained a full service local office in the Washington region since 1975 and employs more than 420 professionals.  The company offers the following benefits: 105 years of financial strength and stability; local, national and international resources and operations; and unmatched design-build, preconstruction and construction experience.

Turner has a long, positive track record in utilizing small firms and Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs). Turner’s objective is to increase visibility, improve economic viability, and expand opportunities for these businesses.  Since 1979, Turner’s total awards to M/WBEs and involvement with M/WBE joint venture partnerships exceeds $14.4 billion.  It has established an annual goal of 20% relative to the utilization of M/WBEs in the areas of construction, subcontracting, prime contracting, joint venture relationships/associations, and goods and services.  Moreover, Turner has developed a successful Construction Management Training Program for M/WBEs, an eight-week course taught by professional Turner staff volunteers on such topics as risk management, construction estimating, safety and effective marketing. Today, more than 15,000 people have successfully graduated from this program.

Gilford Corporation is a leading minority-owned firm established in 1984 as Gilford & Chase, a civil engineering firm.  In 1995, the firm’s focus became construction, changed its name to Gilford Corporation, and became certified with the Small Business Administration 8(a) and the District of Columbia as a Local, Small and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (LSDBE), among others.  Since that time, Gilford Corporation has experienced significant growth and completed over 350 projects with an aggregate value of more than $180 million (excluding joint ventures).

Gilford Corporation currently employs an ethnically and culturally diverse staff numbering approximately 180 and offers multidiscipline services through its four operating divisions:  general contracting and construction management; demolition and environmental services; information technology and network services; and international construction and network services.

Tompkins Builders, Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Turner Construction Company in 2003.  Tompkins is an important asset of Turner because of its long standing history of service in the District of Columbia.  Frequently, Turner and Tompkins Builders share staff, technologies and resources to provide the best project team and performance available to clients.

Tompkins Builders is responsible for some of the District’s most unique, prominent, and historically significant projects, including: National World War II Memorial; National Museum of Natural History renovations; Ronald Reagan Building; National Gallery of Art East Wing; National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden; Thomas Garrigue Masaryk Memorial; US Capitol East Front Extension; National Air and Space Museum renovation; Old Post Office Pavilion; and American Red Cross Headquarters.

Deryl McKissack, PE, PMP, McKissack & McKissack—Executive Oversight.  Ms. McKissack is President and Chief Executive Officer of McKissack.  She founded the company in 1990 as a sole entrepreneur working with very limited financial resources.  Through her leadership, vision, and passion for excellence, she has defined the culture of the firm.  Prior to launching her own company, Ms. McKissack worked directly with the President of Howard University.  Her leadership at the institution was marked by successfully managing a $32 million operating budget and capital budget exceeding $200 million, which covered three campuses, 133 buildings and 900 employees.  Earlier in her career, she worked for both Turner Construction Company and Dames & Moore Group.

Ms. McKissack serves on the Board of Directors of the National Building Museum, Living Classrooms Foundation and DC Economic Club.  She participates on Advisory Boards for the DC Lottery and University of the District of Columbia Foundation.  Additionally, Ms. McKissack is a member of the Federal City Council in Washington, DC, Metropolitan Planning Commission in Chicago, the Executive’s Club of Chicago, National Forum of Black Public Administrators, Corporate Advisory Council (National, Chicago and Washington, DC Chapters) as well as the Construction Management Association of America and is a former member of the Architecture/Engineering Review Board for the Department of Housing and Community Development.

Hilton Smith, Turner Construction Company—Senior Vice President, Corporate and Community Affairs.  In his current position, Mr. Smith is responsible for managing the company’s corporate affairs, Minority/Woman-owned Business Enterprise Program, equal employment and educational programs.  He coordinates business development and strategic marketing programs with senior executive officers in the company.  Mr. Smith has actively led Turner’s efforts in awarding over $20 billion to thousands of minority- and woman-owned business enterprises.  In 2005, Turner reached the $1 billion mark in its M/WBE program.

Mr. Smith’s education includes a BA in Sociology & Political Science from St. Augustine’s College as well as Urban Studies at Cleveland State University, completion of the Urban Ministry Program at Yale University, and Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary) from David Meyers University.

Christian E. Jahrling, Turner Construction Company—Vice President and General Manager of Turner's Mid-Atlantic regional office. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the firm with particular focus on the technical and contractual aspects of government, commercial, and healthcare projects. He has 25 years of experience with Turner.

Prior to becoming the regional General Manager, Chris headed Turner's Government Services division. Under his leadership Turner successfully installed baggage screening equipment at all U.S. Airports under a TSA national design-build contract - 447 in all. Chris also has experience as the General Manager of Turner's Detroit offices, overseeing major Turner projects including the Green Bay Packers stadium renovations, Comerica Ball Park, and the General Motors Headquarters renovations.

Henry Gilford, Gilford Corporation—Executive Oversight.  As President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Gilford oversees the corporation’s strategic management, marketing and business development. He also has executive responsibility for firm operations.  Mr. Gilford provides leadership and executive supervision for all projects, proposal development, contract negotiations, and client relations.  He is personally involved in all project aspects to ensure the firm’s mission is accomplished in each project. Under Mr. Gilford’s leadership, Gilford Corporation accomplishes this objective through partnership, teamwork, planning, training, communication, attention to detail and the belief that excellence and professional relationships are paramount to the firm’s success.  Mr. Gilford earned a BS in Construction Engineering from Alabama A&M University. He holds Civil Engineering Certifications and Registrations in the District of Columbia and elsewhere.

Ken Terry, Tompkins Builders, Inc.—Project Executive.  Mr. Terry has nearly 15 years of experience in the construction industry.  His background includes historic and new construction projects.  He has repeatedly demonstrated his results-oriented approach by progressively being assigned many of Tompkins most challenging projects.  During the span of his tenure in the industry, Mr. Terry has executed construction assignments that have had difficult site restrictions, complex excavation, and intricate sheeting and shoring and structural requirements.  Among his most notable projects are the National World War II Memorial, Saint Elizabeths New Hospital, Gallery Place Mixed-Use Redevelopment, and the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center Structural Concrete and Exterior Stone Facade Packages.  Mr. Terry received his BS in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Lisa Anders, McKissack & McKissack—Sr. Program Director.  Ms. Anders possesses over 18 years of construction project management experience in both the public and private sector markets. Over the course of her career, Ms. Anders has acquired extensive hands-on project management and field experience in all phases of programming preconstruction, construction administration, cost estimating, scheduling, contract negotiations, and project close-out. Prior projects include, National Archives II, Pentagon Renovation, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Ms. Anders received her BS in Civil Engineering from Howard University and an MBA from University of Maryland.