Providence, RI – March 8, 2012 – Gilbane President William J. Gilbane, Jr. was a featured speaker recently at the University of Tampa’s 2012 Fellows Forum, a program that gathers executive officers from successful area businesses to share their thoughts and advice with students and members of the business community.
Gilbane Building Co.’s projects in the Tampa Bay area include the St. Joseph’s Hospital, BayCare Health System Central Energy Plant and the St. Petersburg College Veterinary Technology Building. Over 1,000 people attended to hear from Mr. Gilbane along with the chief executive officers from Mosaic Co. and the American Gas Association.
Mr. Gilbane spoke about the energy efficiency revolution that the building industry is facing and ways his firm is working with clients to find smarter and better ways to build facilities.
“Now it is all about how to build a better building,” he said. “That’s a common goal across all of the industries we work in. We’ll actually go out and conduct energy benchmarking surveys for clients, identifying specific areas of their existing buildings where they can be saving on energy.”
In addition to modern and sophisticated energy efficiency standards, Mr. Gilbane said technology has allowed his industry to improve communication among owners, architects and builders to avoid redundancies and work more efficiently.
“Technology has significantly improved the way our teams communicate with one another. Digital project management tools encourage collaboration and teamwork, which are fundamental elements of the way we do business.”
The Board of Fellows was established in 1972 and sees its mission to serve as "goodwill ambassadors" within the community, as well as to provide financial and other support to the university. The goal of the Fellows Forum is to bring together a distinguished panel of business CEOs to share their perspectives with the Tampa Bay business community on current issues of importance.
High-resolution photos available upon request
Photo by Jessica Leigh/University of Tampa
About Gilbane, Inc.
Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services – from sustainable building to the latest in construction technology – for clients across various markets. Founded in 1873 and still a privately held, family-run company, Gilbane has more than 60 office locations around the world. For more information, visit www.gilbaneco.com.