Q&A with Senior Operations Manager Greg Zipfel, AIA, CSI CDT
What are your responsibilities on the Crestwood (Missouri) Planning, Zoning & Architectural Review Commission?
Let me start by saying that my wife and I are both proud, long-time residents of Crestwood – both born and raised here, now raising our family here, and we plan to continue to call this home into the future. It is a great community with caring neighbors, outstanding schools, and opportunities for growth and business development. I was compelled to give back to the community that has meant so much to us and have had the honor to serve as commissioner and as vice-chairman for the Planning, Zoning & Architectural Review Commission since 2014.
There have been several critical issues facing the city and the commission during these past 10+ years. To start, the commission pushed for the creation of the city’s first ever comprehensive plan to serve as a fundamental document to guide development decisions. On the heels of this was the consideration and review of redevelopment plans for the former Crestwood Mall. The old mall was shuttered as many malls have in recent years, and as such the city’s revenues were in decline. The commission, along with elected officials, considered a variety of redevelopment plans from several developers, and worked with the successful development team to bring life back to the city center with a combination of retail and residential units.
As commissioners, we also often are tasked to update the zoning code. Many articles we consider were drafted over a decade ago so we strive to understand the original intent and the factors that may have influenced the drafting of the code. Understanding history and community history is very important in these discussions.
Are there any challenges you’ve worked through?
The redevelopment of Crestwood Mall and the development of the comprehensive plan were certainly major challenges which took a lot of time and effort, but these helped me to appreciate and understand the bigger picture of how a city operates. On an individual property scale, the commission also considers requests for variances and conditional uses. These are either residents or businesses seeking approval to deviate from the code or for approval to operate a certain business that is not automatically approved. In either case, it is important to listen to and understand their perspectives and measure that against the intent of the code. Balancing these competing interests and making rulings in way that is thoughtful and compassionate has proven to be important, regardless of the final decision.
You also worked at BJC HealthCare for many years. What did you do in that role?
After working for several architectural firms in the St. Louis area, I took a chance to broaden my experience and accepted a position as corporate architect in 2009. This change afforded me the opportunity to witness the challenges and issues affecting an owner and how those responses drive project decisions.
At the time, the director of planning and design for BJC was assembling an in-house team of professionals to help manage projects. When I asked for a job description, she said I could develop that along the way since this was a new position but that I was to “fix whatever needs to be fixed.” The answer was not specific at all, but the opportunity to use my talents and create my niche was certainly most appreciated.
I discovered corporate-funded projects averaged more than 20% in post-design changes. I knew we could at least cut this in half, and in doing so would allow BJC to help more people and experience better clinical outcomes. This became my mission.
My immediate action was to implement a drawing review program that included the end users, corporate specialists and the A/E/C team. These mandatory reviews encouraged discussions during design and gave the end users more opportunity to be included in the design process.
As reviews progressed, similar questions and discussions occurred across different projects. To provide clear and consistent responses, and as BJC was developing room standards, I realized the need to share these policies, guidelines and standards with the A/E/C teams. In 2012, the first edition of the BJC Manual of Practice (affectionately known as “the MoP”) was published. Subsequent editions were published in 2014 and 2018 and the manual grew to more than 500 pages. Any approved policy, guideline or standard was added to the “MoP” which became a referenced document in contracts.
A third action was to align A/E companies with appropriate project types they had experience in. This was another tactic for us to reduce change orders. The firms validated their capabilities, and we aligned firms and projects more appropriately. Every firm appreciated the transparency and had the ability to present information when they gained new experience. This yielded experienced teams working on project types familiar to their business expertise.
All of these actions worked together to lower the construction change orders to under 6% on average in 2019.
How does all this experience influence and help you in your role with HERA?
The skills learned and experiences over the past 14 plus years on the Planning and Zoning Commission and the 11 1/2 years at BJC HealthCare play an integral part in my role for HERA. For instance, I am often in fee/contract negotiations with various parties and must work with our team – marketing, finance, attorneys and senior leaders – to resolve challenging terms and conditions. Being flexible but firm is a trait learned from both past experiences. My role also includes oversight of and support to our project managers to make sure the projects are being run effectively and efficiently. I also am engaged on securing proper licensure and certifications for HERA, streamlining our corporate business structure, and helping to set up our staff on projects to align with their strengths and skills.
I am always looking at historical data for trends to help predict future growth opportunities. As a licensed architect, I understand the nuances of our projects and with the experiences on the commission and with BJC, I am fortunate to have developed the tools necessary to help guide HERA toward continued success.