CSM Group sees healthy gains in food-processing industry
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By Nathan Peck | MiBiz
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CSM Group transferred its expertise in clean environments for the medical and pharmaceutical industries into work for food processors that has generated $90 million in projects in 2010. COURTESY PHOTOS |
WEST MICHIGAN —Having built its reputation on high-profile health care and educational projects around the region, CSM Group has begun rapidly devouring projects in West Michigan’s growing food-processing industry.
The Kalamazoo-based construction management firm managed $90 million of projects in the food and beverage industry in 2010 and is on pace to grow the segment 10 percent in 2011, according to Lori Green, CSM’s director of business development. Food and beverage projects have quickly become the firm’s largest growth sector, representing nearly 40 percent of its business last year.
The firm got its first taste of the food business a few years ago when it was working on expansion projects for food clients’ office and administrative facilities. The experience helped CSM realize that its health care experience would translate to food companies’ production facilities.
“We saw that commodity needing more help,” Green said. “With health care, you are dealing with sterilization, clean rooms, and all these aspects of buildings we have to bring into FDA and food safety standards.”
CSM’s ability to help companies meet safety standards has proven a boon in an era where huge food conglomerates are buying up small companies to process and distribute food product, she said.
“We go in and are bringing the facility up to standards because they may not be meeting them,” she said.
CSM’s expertise in managing clean room projects for clients such as Bronson Healthcare Group also provided another benefit for clients such as Bell’s Brewery Inc. and Fabiano Brothers Inc. The phasing of projects in health care is much like those for food processors — contractors must schedule work so as to minimize the impact to the building’s operations.
“It was a natural fit for us,” said Brandon Duprey, project director for CSM. “We were coming from the health care industry, working in sterile environments and had to manage the phasing for projects. We are constantly working around production schedules. There are certain activities that can be done while the plant is running; some require us to wait until the plant shuts down.”
To help manage clients’ risks, the construction management firm sought out certifications including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Sanitary Design, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).
CSM developed relationships with engineering firms that serve the food and beverage industry, coupling the firms’ engineering expertise with CSM Group’s quality control and management experience.
“We are coming into the industry working with new clients. We use the same processes and procedures we use in all market areas and are applying (them) here. … We are bringing innovative practices to the projects,” Duprey said.
“Without a doubt, a lot of the companies that (food processors) are working with are strictly engineering and design companies that are trying to manage the project as well. We can step in and let them focus on what they’re best at — the engineering,” Duprey said.
In an environment where food processors fear food-borne illnesses that can sicken customers — and damage a company’s bottom line — maintaining safe and clean work environments is of paramount importance. Superintendents and project managers work directly with a processor’s food safety team to ensure that contractors are in compliance with their safety practices.
“Whatever industry we’re working in, our foremost concern is that everyone can go home safely at the end of the day. The primary focus is the people on site; the very close second is food safety,” Duprey said. “You can impact the safety of millions of people, and recalls can cost millions.”
CSM group is betting on significant growth — devoting approximately half of its staff to food and beverage projects. The training benefits the company as the natural scheduling timelines for food and beverage projects dovetail with those of education projects. As education projects slow down at the end of summer, food processors are often investing in their operations. The firm is adapting its CSM Select bidding process for the food and beverage industry, which rates contractors and sets out standards of service for work.
