ESI’s Cory Wiltshire Leading the Charge on Design-Build
Cory Wiltshire, Director of ESI’s Commercial Division, has been certified as a Designated Design-Build Professional® through the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). Certification requires rigorous coursework, verified project experience, a comprehensive exam, and signals a proven command of the principles that drive successful project design-build delivery.
The achievement comes as ESI works to expand design-build’s footprint in the intermountain west. The traditional design-bid-build model is still popular and fits many customers’ needs, but design-build offers a highly collaborative option that may be a better fit for some projects. This approach forms an integrated team primed to take responsibility for both design and construction, aligning everyone around the owner’s budget, schedule and goals from the start.
“Design-build asks for more trust and collaboration up front, but it pays off in outcomes,” Wiltshire said. “When the whole team is at the table early, we catch issues before they become change orders, and owners get a partner instead of a hand-off.”
Cory (center, back) and the CWI Project Team open up the new Student Success Center
Further, the benefits of this delivery method increase exponentially when ESI’s self-perform capabilities are taken into consideration. From earthwork and concrete to tenant improvement services, integrating trade expertise informs design decisions from the earliest planning stages rather than after the fact.
Few general contractors in the region can back that up like ESI can. The company’s more recent design-build portfolio includes CWI’s Health Science and Horticulture buildings and Student Success Center along with Middleton School District’s career technical education building.
For public agencies and education customers especially, design-build has proven its worth over multiple phases of construction. Project owners in these spaces are sensitive to risk and cost overruns, so this approach can facilitate timely problem-solving and predictability throughout construction. Wiltshire’s certification can give customers more peace of mind as they have a credentialed, experienced guide to walk them through the process if they are interested in pursuing a design-build project.
Design-bid-build and CMGC remain solid, proven paths and the right fit depends on a project’s goals. What Wiltshire’s certification adds is a credentialed expert who can walk owners through every option, design-build included, so they can make informed decisions with break ground with confidence.