Senior Living Executive - July/August 2011

a deciding vote when decisions are made. Standing outside the day-to-day workflow, “I can have a nonbiased opinion,” he says.

That nonbiased view can save the
owner money as work progresses. “I
have been in projects where things
come up that really aren’t issues, but
they have to be decided,” Lakin says.
“When we get into finishes, for exam-
ple, it may be something as simple as
the transition from one type of mate-
rial to another. The contractor or the
architect may recommend a way of do-
ing that is more expensive, but I can
see that from the owner’s perspective a
less expensive approach is not going to
impact things very much.”
regional people to staff the new site.
Mostly, though, he’s busy getting his
team revved up.

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ramento, so we are starting to get the buzz going.” ❏

Adam Stone is a contributing writer to Senior Living Executive. Reach him at astone@alfa.org.

Preparing for Rain

Finishes can cost a few bucks, but Carlton would face a much bigger and more serious expense if work came to a stop—for example, because of a lack of materials. The possibility of a materials shortage can start with something as simple as a truss-joist calculation. It isn’t especially hard to get those numbers right, but it has to be done on time so that the manufacturer can get parts ready for delivery.

“The schedule that you get from a
contractor is going to be based on what
they’ve done in the past. But when you
get into a project, things change,” Lakin
says. “So you want to always be pushing
the project forward. There are all these
timing issues, all these long-lead items
that have to be addressed in order.”
In addition to the break-out sched-
ules, Lakin keeps a master schedule for
just this reason. While the contractor
tracks a three-week calendar of activi-
ties, Lakin weaves that timeline into his
larger agenda.

It’s all running like clockwork and it likely will continue on that way—unless the weather turns.

As summer ticks away, “We’re starting to think about rain,” Lakin says. The first drops likely won’t fall until October, but Lakin has to look ahead. He’s tracking to ensure the money for waterproofing is available as autumn rolls in.

Back at the home office, it’s time to start building enthusiasm. Senior Vice President, Community Operations Andrew Badoud is thinking about recruiting and how he might rearrange

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