Tallahassee-based Culpepper hired as construction manager for Legacy Hall

The Florida State University College of Business hit another Legacy Hall milestone with the hiring of Culpepper Construction Company as construction manager for the college’s new $88 million, 218,392-square-foot home.

Legacy Hall is the 38^th project on FSU’s campus that the Tallahassee-based company has had a hand in constructing. Past work includes buildings for the University Center, Psychology, Materials Research, the Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy (AME) Center, the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship. 

Beyond its work on the FSU campus, the company was responsible for the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital expansion, the federal courthouse, the Capital Circle Office Center and the 201 E. Park Avenue office building.

Work on Legacy Hall is a labor of love for many members of the Culpepper team. Several are FSU business graduates, including executive vice president Chris Sumner (ACG/FIN ’01), project manager Jamie Stovall (BUS ADMIN ’14), director of risk management Joseph Shuler (REE/FIN ’98), and director of preconstruction Allan Franklin (MBA ’12).

“Everyone in the company is looking forward to working on this job, and as a College of Business alumnus, I don’t believe I’ve been so happy to work on a project in a long time,” Franklin said. “FSU has always been a main client of ours and every time we have an opportunity to work with the university, we go for it.”  
 

Culpepper beat out a slate of highly qualified competitors to win the contract, said Lawrence R. Rubin, a registered architect and the university’s director of design and construction.

“The Culpepperteam clearly demonstrated they knew the project and were prepared to jump on board,” Rubin said. “They have experience with this type of project for FSU; they have a good handle on local contractors and materials suppliers, which means they will be able to secure the best prices; and, we felt they could work well with us and the architects.”
Culpepper is teaming up with the Boston, Mass.-based architectural firm Goody Clancy. Hired in early spring, Goody Clancy is known for designs that enhance student collaboration, both within the academic community and throughout the global business network, and for integrating sustainable design principles and the latest instructional technologies into their design process.

The timeline for Legacy Hall, which depends on funding, has groundbreaking set for the second half of 2019, followed by a 22- to 24-month construction phase, with an anticipated grand opening date in fall 2021.

“I think Legacy Hall is going to be one of the nicest buildings on campus,” Franklin said. “It’s gratifying to know that this building will be standing when our grandchildren are in college and will be instrumental in the College of Business being one of the most preeminent business schools in the country.”

By Barbara Ash