As Granger Construction Company built the $67.75 million addition and renovation for Michigan State University’s (MSU) Tom Izzo Football Building in East Lansing, Michigan, they faced an extremely fast-paced schedule on a tight, busy site. Through just-in-time (JIT) design and a new program to onboard and extensively involve trade contractors early, the team overcame supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and construction challenges to meet the university’s goals and aggressive timeline.
Those efforts recently earned the 2025 Baldwin Group Build America Award for best construction management renovation project under $99 million (see “Recognizing Project Excellence” section), as well as a 2025 Build Michigan Award from Associated General Contractors of Michigan.
MSU initiated the project to right size the building, originally constructed in 1980, for its NCAA Division I football program. Compared to new and renovated facilities in the Big Ten and other comparable conferences across the country, the building was undersized by approximately 40 percent.
The 65,000-square-foot addition and renovation of the former Skandalaris Football Center and Duffy Daugherty Football Building occurred on a small site in the heart of the bustling campus, surrounded by heavily traversed roads and sidewalks. A key scope of work involved demolishing a portion of the existing building within the horseshoe-shaped complex, then rebuilding it in the same footprint adjacent to occupied buildings. Granger also reworked spaces in the existing structure and tied the new addition into those spaces.
Since all utilities for the remaining buildings ran through the section being demolished, the project team spent considerable time developing a phased demolition plan that ensured the safety of building occupants and pedestrian traffic while maintaining operations in the rest of the buildings. After the demolition phase, Granger completed 16 months of construction and renovations using seven-day work weeks with two shifts each day to meet the aggressive schedule.
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But the complexities did not end there. MSU’s football program needed to occupy the new locker room portion three-and-a-half months prior to completion of the rest of the project. Final construction of those spaces occurred in the middle of the Big Ten football season.
Granger worked with the university and their design partner, Integrated Design Solutions (IDS) of Troy, Michigan, throughout the project to overcome those challenges. They started by involving stakeholders from early design through construction to enable timely decision-making and ensure no surprises popped up on the tight schedule.
"From day one, this project was all about collaboration and precision,” said Bill Bofysil, Granger’s Project Director. “It wasn’t just about building fast; it was about building smart, together.”
That included a new project delivery process they called Early Onboarding Trade Partner (EOTP) for critical trades, including mechanical, electrical, and structural.
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“By bringing key trade partners on board early through our new EOTP process, we were able to integrate their expertise into design and procurement decisions right away,” Bofysil said. “With the locker room turnover scheduled at just over a year and the rest of the building at 16 months, it was critical to immediately develop the procurement plan and get the trades with long-lead equipment items and crucial design input involved almost immediately.”
In addition, although skilled labor shortages can intensify with fast-paced projects, the EOTP process gave trade partners time to prepare.
To increase collaboration, the team required key subcontractors to participate in weekly, trade-specific workshops by making them part of the Specific Instructions to Bidders — a first for Granger and MSU. Workshops began as soon as awards were made. Because decisions in the meetings were often driven by MSU, the university’s Project Manager Jason VanZee and Football Lead Representative Dylan Marinez always attended to provide immediate direction and guidance.
“The weekly workshops — covering everything from BIM coordination to safety audits — created a rhythm of communication and trust that kept us aligned and agile,” Bofysil said. “That level of engagement was critical to navigating long lead times and hitting our aggressive schedule.”
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Designed to identify and mitigate potential constraints, the weekly meetings included:
- Owner, architect, and contractor discussions each Monday
- BIM coordination each Tuesday and Friday
- Trade workshops by discipline on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
- Safety and quality audits each Thursday
- RFI and submittal reviews on Fridays
“The meetings were long and intense, but this format proved to be a huge factor in the project’s success,” Bofysil said. “The level of expertise these contractors brought to the table was invaluable.”
For instance, early sessions of the 30-minute mechanical workshops each Thursday involved planning for Make Ready Work, which relocated existing utilities in order to keep the rest of the facility online during demolition and reconstruction. During this time, subcontractors Myers Plumbing & Heating, Inc., of Lansing, Michigan, and Dee Cramer of Holly, Michigan, surveyed the existing utilities and made plans for relocation in west and north elevations of the new addition.
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At the same time, IDS and MSU began design for the new addition. Once the team completed Make Ready Work, the subcontractors turned their focus to assisting with design, providing costing information and advising on procurement to help the team’s decision-making.
One-hour electrical workshops each Wednesday provided similar benefits.
“The expert contributions in these sessions to the procurement of electrical equipment and light fixtures, and later their weekly update on the status of every single piece of electrical equipment on order — with dates for fabrication, shipping, and when it was arriving in town — proved to be critical in the timely procurement and delivery of these major, long-lead items during a time when the supply chain was very unpredictable,” Bofysil said.
For instance, just a few weeks into the workshops, the team ordered the air handling unit — which at the time was tracking about a year out — as well as chillers and variable frequency drives (VFDs).
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“After only 10 months, we were lifting the air units on the roof to connect a functioning space for the football team,” Bofysil said. “And while some VFDs were delayed, the constant communication allowed the team to put a contingency plan into place with temporary VFDs.”
Beyond the EOTP process, Granger kept work flowing smoothly by making the project a preferred bidding opportunity for other trades, breaking down bid packages and providing clearly defined scopes.
The design process also contributed to clear expectations and a smooth workflow.
“To meet the aggressive schedule on the tight site, we implemented a JIT design and construction model — building while still finalizing design,” Bofysil said. “This required exceptional coordination, constant communication, and a flexible mindset from all stakeholders. By mapping interior flow units and aligning design milestones with construction phases, we kept the project moving efficiently.”
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With the JIT process, construction was already 60 percent complete when the final BIM model received approval. That accomplishment required constant coordination and communication among the owner, architect, engineers, contractor, suppliers, and subcontractors. Any breakdown in communication could lead to delays, errors, or rework, Bofysil noted.
To avoid problems, Granger made sure that everyone understood when changes could no longer happen in a particular zone or sequence in the building. The team developed a map outlining interior flow units of construction, accompanied by a flow unit milestone schedule.
“As the design evolved, we discussed deadlines that correlated to the interior flow units,” Bofysil said. “We knew adjustments might be necessary to accommodate new information, but the team had to work within the developed schedule for each flow unit.”
With tight timelines and limited buffers, maintaining quality became more challenging. To achieve the necessary standards, Granger’s Site Manager Marc Arthur and Superintendent Dylan Niadna utilized constructability reviews, pre-task planning, and inspections as work was installed. The team also arranged numerous walk-throughs with building users and stakeholders to ensure the finished product met their expectations.
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MSU’s new facility provides training areas and amenities to help student-athletes excel on and off the field. That includes a focus on player development through three primary areas:
- Performance: An expanded 19,000-square-foot weight room, sports science area, and multiple nutrition stations
- Rest and recovery: Renovated athletic training areas and recovery modalities
- Enhanced social experience: A new player locker room, lounge, and Nike Gear Lab
The project also improved operational flow within the existing football practice facility. Hallways, the locker room, team rooms, and lounge spaces in the new building feature sleek graphics and branding, along with entertainment and recliner seating where players can relax and bond with teammates.
A new marquee entry space with trophies recognizing MSU’s six national championship teams and a long, angled video wall adds to the experience designed to help attract recruits visiting the facility. Throughout construction, Granger engaged the community, working closely with MSU’s Professional Women Builders student organization and offering local high school students tours of the project.
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Despite all the challenges in the high-profile project, Bofysil said that “the weekly workshops, early trade partner onboarding, and a strong focus on quality control helped us navigate supply chain disruptions and labor shortages while delivering a high-performing facility.”
2025 Baldwin Group Build America Award winners, including the Tom Izzo Football Building, were announced at the annual convention of the Associated General Contractors of America in Columbus, Ohio.
“This year’s award winners exemplify a remarkable fusion of ingenuity and project excellence, setting a new standard that propels the entire construction industry forward,” said Joe Charczenko, Partner and Construction Practice President for The Baldwin Group. “These thoughtfully executed projects do more than just transform blueprints into reality; they breathe new life into our cities, fortify our communities, and strengthen our nation’s infrastructure.”
For 43 years, the Build America Awards have recognized excellence in the construction industry. A panel of judges representing all areas of construction evaluated this year’s submissions for complexity, use of innovative construction techniques, client satisfaction, and other criteria.
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- Owner: Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
- Construction Manager: Granger Construction Company, Lansing, Michigan
- Designer: Integrated Design Solutions, Troy, Michigan
- MEP Engineer: Myers Plumbing & Heating, Inc., Lansing, Michigan
- Other Contractors: Dee Cramer, Holly, Michigan; Bluewater Technologies Group, Wixom, Michigan; Jack Porter, Greenville, South Carolina
