TOENISKOETTER & BREEDING INC. COMPLETES RENOVATION OF SAN JOSE STATE BUSINESS SCHOOL
June 5, 2000

SAN JOSE -- Toeniskoetter & Breeding, Inc. (TBI) Construction has completed its construction management of the remodeling of the business classroom building at San Jose State University. Students returned this past semester to find impressive new classrooms and public areas and the capability of tapping into state-of-the-art technology from nearly every desk.

The completion of the project represented the culmination of more than seven years of planning, design, fund-raising and ultimately construction, and it was the first public/private project of its kind ever undertaken on a California State University campus. As a tribute to its major financial contributor, the 30-year-old remodeled Business College Classroom Building was renamed the James F. Boccardo Business Education Center.

Particular care was given to designing classrooms that meet the needs of both faculty and students, observed Ernest T. Yamane, vice president of The Steinberg Group, which was the project architect. The new networking system, he said, allows students to connect to the Internet and several multimedia sources from their desks.

TBI Project Manager James M. Lettire said seismic upgrading of the building was concealed by new ceilings and other finishes, but was a critical component in the renovation. The redesigned classrooms, he said, provide more open, efficient and interesting space. The use of industrial finish materials and the latest designs in classroom furniture help create a contemporary and comfortable environment for study.

During construction, classes continued in 45,000 square feet of portable buildings. The fact that the building was occupied on the first day of Winter Semester was testament to the close collaboration of construction team members, observed another TBI project manager, Anthony D. Vierra.

"Toeniskoetter & Breeding, General Contractor S.J. Amoroso, the San Jose State construction management staff and Business College representatives worked together closely to minimize schedule and budget impacts," Vierra said. "The net outcome was a successful project from all perspectives."

Toeniskoetter & Breeding utilized a modified version of the Multiple Trade Management Method that is gaining popularity in public works construction. Within this management format, the construction manager acts as the owner's agent and has authority to enter into contractual agreements with one of several trade-specific contractors such as plumbing, electrical and mechanical. In this relationship, the construction manager acts essentially as the general contractor with a similar level of control over the trade contractor as there would be in a general contractor/subcontractor relationship.

In addition to these contractual relationships and within the same project, the public agency may enter into a prime contract with a general contractor. This general contractor may be asked to bid on several components of the project and work with the trade contractors being coordinated by the construction manager, which was the case with the Business Classroom Remodel Project.

S.J. Amoroso worked as general contractor with several key trade contractors working under subcontract. TBI as construction manager had two trades under direct contract with the owner, hazardous materials abatement and demolition. The work of these contractors was substantially completed by the time the general contractor was chosen.

Toeniskoetter & Breeding employed the Multiple Trade Management Method in the $12 million rehabilitation of the Old Santa Clara County Courthouse, which was completed on time and under budget; for the $2 million district headquarters of the Santa Cruz City Schools; and for remodeling and expansion of the old Hoover School in the San Jose Unified School District. The Multiple Trade Management Method provides considerable flexibility in the number of prime contractors involved. The courthouse had a total of 22 contracts, the school district offices 18 and Hoover School 20. In order to serve the requirements of San Jose State, the process was modified to accommodate six contracts.

Since its inception in 1983, San Jose-based Toeniskoetter & Breeding, Inc. Construction has completed more than $350 million in projects throughout the Bay Area, including historical restorations, corporate headquarters, professional offices, religious institutions, buildings for public agencies and new buildings for its own portfolio and others. Additional information can be found by visiting www.tbionline.com.