The efforts of the Louisville VA Medical Center construction team’s quality assurance team were recently recognized as the Quality Team of the Year for the 2024 Engineering and Construction Awards Program.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers E&C Awards Program recognizes employees & teams contributions of excellence in performance, leadership, professional development and community support throughout the fields of Engineering and Construction.
Scott Hearne, chief of quality assurance for the Louisville VA Medical Center project, said it’s an honor for his team to be recognized for the work they are doing on the new medical facility.
“I’m certainly proud of the team and glad to see them receive some well-deserved recognition for doing what they do every day. This team is dedicated in delivering a high-quality product that will meet our veterans’ needs for decades to come,” he said. “Quality is the foundation for everything we do. It’s a factor in every decision and in every action. Quality is a critical measurement of success for the project.”
“This award speaks to their commitment and dedication to the project. Everyone here recognizes the significance of this project and the importance of building a first-class facility for our veterans. The team has a lot of pride in what we’re doing here,” Hearne said.
Jayson McDonald, the resident engineer over the technical support section, said his team works hard to ensure quality goals are met throughout the construction process.
“We have the technical knowledge and background with the experience to provide quality assurance to the area office in all aspects of construction. I feel that quality means that I know it was designed and built in a manner that the final product will be providing state of the art care and has the facilities to do so,” he said. “For me, it’s important to know everything that has crossed any one of our desks was right and has technically met everything that it was supposed to and gone above that.”
Tara O'Leary, Deputy Chief of the Louisville District’s Veterans Affairs Division, said she is happy to see her team recognized for the work they are putting into the new medical facility.
“I am excited that the Louisville VAMC was presented this award. This is a well-deserved recognition from the USACE Headquarters Engineering and Construction Community, and it is even more exciting since it is the inaugural year for this award,” she said. “The team has established themselves as a model of excellence in construction management, innovative problem solving, collaboration, and partnering to execute a critical mission for USACE and the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
“Quality is a factor in everything that this team does from project management to construction management, execution to personnel management, and development to customer and community relationships,” O’Leary added. “The team has overcome several significant challenges during the solicitation, award, and execution of this project. However, the team has approached every challenge with a focus on safely and successfully executing the overall mission in a quality manner.”