Meyer Najem has been awarded seven VA Outpatient Clinics — all out of state. The clinics are now in various stages, with six completed and one under construction. On a massive project scale, the seven clinics total approximately one million square feet of space.
The VA Outpatient Clinics that were awarded are in: Columbus, Georgia, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Mobile, Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama, Tallahassee, Florida, and two in Jacksonville, Florida.
With their headquarters rooted in Fishers, Meyer Najem is widely recognized for their work in Indiana. However, they have completed work over the years in 16 states and are certified contractors in 36 states across the country.
Purdue University fraternity brothers Karl Meyer and Anthony Najem, started Meyer Najem Construction thirty-five years ago. It was always their goal to establish Meyer Najem as a ‘best-in-class’ construction company.
Throughout the years, Meyer Najem has built thousands of buildings through higher standards of safety, quality and service. It’s a company that truly cares about the people and communities it serves.
“I consider these VA Clinics to be some of the most meaningful work that we have ever done,” said Najem, Meyer Najem CEO. “It is an honor to serve those who have dedicated their lives to our country.”
VA Outpatient clinics are decided and built based on the population of veterans. In many areas, new clinics were desperately needed. Veterans were traveling hours for care, and sometimes to multiple locations because not all healthcare services were offered under one roof. Wait times were long, and space was limited. But with the new VA Outpatient clinics, that has all changed. They are now built to be inviting, functional, and cost effective.
“These buildings are state of the art,” said Chris McCracken, Chief Operating Officer of Meyer Najem. “Our success in these projects with our repeat development partner shows that we do competitive and efficient work out of state.”
VA projects are quite involved, and built to government standards. Specifications include higher levels of security, codes and unique ADA requirements. Each of the seven projects required extreme coordination and communication. While the VA was the end client, each region has specific users that have different ideas on how they wanted their building constructed, which added in another layer of complexity.
Meyer Najem has created a niche in complex healthcare projects. And furthermore, have crafted their success model for large scale projects out of state. One tactic includes having contractors travel with their team. Meyer Najem believes in strong, lasting relationships with contractors, because they have found that this supports producing successful projects.
At the VA job sites, pride was apparent. Throughout construction, elected officials often visited, along with high-ranking military officers. At the Jacksonville VA Outpatient Clinic ribbon cutting ceremony, the Navy band played in celebration.
“It’s all about increased care for veterans. With that goal in mind, coming to work every day was extremely meaningful and service focused. There was a sense of camaraderie at all levels,” said Ben Cox, Executive Vice President of Operations at Meyer Najem.
During construction at the VA Chattanooga Outpatient Clinic Project in Tennessee, Meyer Najem Senior Project Manager, Derrick Ferguson, started a movement called #FortheVets. Banners, t-shirts, and posters were made to show respect and appreciation for the veterans. Many contractors shared their military stories and were thankful for the future healthcare opportunities the new buildings will serve. The 65 exam rooms that the clinic houses, will help offer services to 21 counties in Tennessee, including Northern Georgia and Northwest Alabama.
“These projects transform a community and we are grateful for the opportunities to work on these projects. It was meaningful to see everyone come together for the veterans,” said Ferguson.
As Meyer Najems’ latest VA Outpatient Clinic pushes into construction, the team will continue to leverage their talents and experience by creating healing environments.
Just like Meyer Najem’s first healthcare project in 1989, an Indiana University Hospital on IUPUI’s campus, they will persist with integrity to fulfil their number one goal of providing high quality service, while building strength in the communities that they serve.
At the close of the VA in Chattanooga, Rick Baier – US Federal Properties, Managing Member said, “Everyone at Meyer Najem knew what our end goal was and did a great job interacting with the end client – the VA. This was by far the best team and project closeout we have had on a VA project yet!”
See Meyer Najem’s work for the VA:
Chattanooga VA Outpatient Clinic
Jacksonville VA Outpatient Clinic
Montgomery VA Outpatient Clinic