Tony Thompson meets with SLU Executive MBA Students

Twice each year, Kwame Building Group CEO, Tony Thompson, shares his wisdom with Executive MBA students at St. Louis University. Tony shares candid reflections and lessons learned from his decades of experience working for Fortune 500 organizations, government entities and running a successful construction management firm. 

Some of the key messages that impacted the students this semester were about breaking through barriers as an African American business owner, the importance of a ‘why’ in your business, management best practices, lessons for growing a business and the importance of giving back. 

Students provided detailed feedback about how the presentation impacted them at this important stage in their careers. 

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Construction team completes structural steel and pre-cast phases of the St. Louis CITY SC’s Major League Soccer stadium project

 
Photo Credit: HOK and Snow Kreilich Architects


More than 900,000 craft hours of work have been completed to date

ST. LOUIS, MO – The construction team has completed the structural steel and pre-cast phases of the St. Louis CITY SC’s state-of-the-art Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium project. The final steel beam of the stadium’s superstructure was put in place last month by the joint venture of Mortenson | Alberici | L. Keeley (MAKjv) with Kwame Building Group as the construction project manager and ownership group representative. This milestone begins to integrate the stadium into the St. Louis skyline and the growing urban landscape in Downtown St. Louis. The concrete floors on all of the decks also have been placed, marking the end of the pre-cast phase.

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St. Louis construction firms invited to event about bidding opportunities for the Cervantes Convention Center expansion project this Friday, September 24


Photo credit: Fentress Architects

ST. LOUIS, MO – St. Louis construction firms are invited to an informational event this Friday, September 24 to learn about bidding opportunities for the Cervantes Convention Center expansion project at The America’s Center (AC Next Gen.) The event will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Cervantes Convention Center, 701 Convention Plaza, Room 100. Guests should use the entrance at 8th Street and Washington Avenue. Contractors representing all trades are invited to attend and should pre-register at https://acnextgenproject.com/contractor-informational.

 

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Kwame Building Group is selected for Port of Seattle’s new PortGen Accelerator program

ST. LOUIS, MO – Kwame Building Group has been selected as one of 12 businesses to participate in the Port of Seattle’s inaugural PortGen Accelerator program. The PortGen Accelerator works to connect minority and women-owned small businesses with the training and tools to make them more competitive in the bidding. Based in St. Louis, Kwame Building Group operates a location in Seattle to manage projects in the Northwest United States. Clients include Washington State Convention Center and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

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Kwame Foundation Golf Tournament to fund scholarships for first-generation, college-bound students

ST. LOUIS, MO – Kwame Foundation will host its 17th Annual Golf Tournament on Thursday, August 19, 2021 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Topgolf in Chesterfield. Proceeds will fund scholarships for students who otherwise might not attend college because of financial constraints.

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St. Louis Construction News and Review: Diversity Goals Met via Holistic Bidding Opportunities, Data Tracking

Minority participation goals for construction projects in the private sector should be achieved in the same data-driven, specialty-inclusive manner as with public-sector jobs, general contractors agree.

“Your minority participation goals are like your high school GPA,” said Tony Thompson, CEO of Kwame Building Group.  “If you expect to achieve a 4.0 when you graduate, you need to earn 4.0s every year. You can’t just wait until your senior year to make that goal.”
Thompson draws a comparison with how some contractors strategize to reach their minority participation goals on a construction project.
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Construction Business Owner Magazine: Kwame shares IDIQ project management best practices

 

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8 project management best practices to keep projects on time & within budget
by Anthony Simmons
Wednesday, March 31st, 2021

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Indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts, which may secure a construction manager for an undefined number of projects during an extended time period, are highly beneficial for owners with ongoing construction needs. IDIQs allow owners to use one construction manager for multiple projects, help the team to operate more nimbly and create management team consistency.

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Kwame Building Group has completed renovation at Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School Athletic Complex

ST. LOUIS, MO – Construction is complete on the expansion and renovation of the new weight room at Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School in St. Louis. Kwame Building Group (KWAME) served as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR). The project included updating the building’s footprint in order to expand the current weight room by approximately 1,200 square feet. The upgraded facility will help Cardinal Ritter develop and extend their athletic program and create a space that enhances the learning experience for students.

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Kwame Building Group receives American Concrete Paving Association Award for taxiway and runway rehabilitation at St. Louis Lambert International Airport

ST. LOUIS, MO – Kwame Building Group (KWAME) has received the American Concrete Paving Association (ACPA) Excellence in Concrete Paving Award for taxiway and runway rehabilitation work at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). KWAME, via their joint venture with HR Green, Inc., provided project management for the $6.07 million, four-phase reconstruction of .2 miles of the taxiway known as Kilo (Taxiway Foxtrot to the cargo apron, an area leading to STL’s North Cargo Area). The highly complex project included removing existing Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavement and replacing it with 23,996 square yards of new concrete while portions of the taxiway were in operation.

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Kwame Building Group hires Vama Garrimella as Project Engineer

ST. LOUIS, MO – Vama Garrimella, of DeBaliviere Place, MO, has joined Kwame Building Group, Inc. (KWAME) as a Project Engineer. Garrimella’s responsibilities include developing design documents, creating 3D renderings, responding to RFPs and submittals, managing project scopes and reviewing change orders for various KWAME projects, including the St. Louis Major League Soccer Stadium. She previously was an intern at KWAME.

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