Client Focused. Results Driven.
David Buckland
Director of Project Management
David, in his role as Director of Project Management, is responsible for the delivery of all commercial real estate and construction of commercial projects. He is a highly skilled Project Director with over 20 years in the industry. His vast experience working on all facets of these projects, from design management to project planning to construction management through closeout, gives him an acute understanding of every aspect of large-scale projects and programs. His international project experience ranges from large multi-story residential developments to Primary Care Health Centers and Airports. David is a highly motivated individual with outstanding communication skills with project partners, suppliers and external stakeholders.
Prior to joining SLS, David served as a Director of Project Management overseeing a portfolio of real estate projects which included the following activities; schedule and scope definition, design management, preconstruction, contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, and delivery. His largest project to date comprised building over 1,000 apartments in 5 buildings ranging in size from 23 to 31 story's. David began his career working as a Geotechnical Engineer performing many onsite investigations and designing foundations for new build projects.
David is from Ontario Canada and attended both the University of Waterloo and the University of Western Ontario where he received his bachelor's and Master's degree in Civil Engineering. He has spent a lot of his professional career living overseas in the UK and has been living in Dallas for the past 5 yrs.
George Watts
Director of Project Management
For more than forty years George has formulated project teams and led the charge to deliver more than $6 billion in aggregate completed project value. George is a strong advocate of Lean Construction Practices and aims to implement the methodology across numerous project delivery systems including Progressive Design Build and Integrated PD. In his career George has served in several roles including real estate investment banker, real estate developer, general contractor, and since 2009 he has exclusively represented Owners in their major capital programs including Mixed Use Commercial; Professional and Collegiate Sports; Higher Education, and Healthcare.
George is an experienced public speaker and presenter on a variety of construction industry topics including team building; Lean; contract negotiations; alternative project delivery systems; and leveraging the benefits of technology for trustable data exchange across project teams. He currently serves on the faculty of instructors for the American Institute of Architecture as well as the Construction Managers Association of America where he also serves as a Board member. He has taught exam prep courses for Certified Construction Managers (CCM) as well as LEED AP. He has chaired national conferences on IPD, as well as Preconstruction. He is a past Board member of the US Green Building Council and former Core Group (Board member) of the Lean Construction Institute. George’s articles have appeared in Construction Tech Review Magazine. His white paper on IPD, “Only as Strong as Your Contract” was published by Hanson Wade (London).
Mandy Squib
Director of Preconstruction & Cost Management
In her role as Director, Mandy is ultimately responsible for all facets of the Preconstruction, Cost Estimating & Cost Management process for all projects in North America. Mandy oversees the SLS Preconstruction team and supports all regional leaders with her expertise while also diving into the details of highly complex cost planning projects locally in the Central Region. Mandy has almost 20 years of industry experience and before joining SLS she worked for a couple of very reputable General Contractors across the US. Her previous experinece allows her to offer unparalleled expertise in overseeing all aspects of the preconstruction process by providing continuity from planning and design through procurement while managing teams and procedures with both strategic and analytical strength. Mandy is highly versed in GMP negotiation and commercial contract management as it pertains to the financial aspects of the contract.
The belief that collaboration, consistency, accurate budget development, detailed cost processes and accountability are the cornerstones of good relationships is what has rendered Mandy’s excellent reputation in the DFW market with Clients, General Contractors, Trade Partners & Design Professionals. Mandy's individual work product speaks for itself and she has been an integral and dynamic part of changing the DFW skyline throughout her career by working intimately with clients to achieve viable and constructible projects. The planning and budgets for these projects are not only developed within optimum value margins but are also set-up for mutual success of the Client's proforma and industry partner success as her attention to detail adds value to all involved.
In Mandy's free time, she enjoys hanging out with her husband and her children, managing/coaching/cheering on their sports teams, traveling to new places, laughing during a moms' night out, and reading a good story.
David Freswick
Director of Project Management
East
David is a driven project management professional with over 16 years of experience. In his role as Director, David is responsible for overseeing all Mission Critical projects and supporting numerus Project Mangers across the US. His background prior to SLS includes expertise in heavy civil and complex MEP environments, general contractor management and owners’ representation, of projects in excess of $600M. His experience includes projects in the sectors of government, aerospace, light rail, healthcare, higher-education and mission critical. He is adept at leveraging his negotiation and team building skills to mediate contracts and create profitable relationships with all trade partners, David has successfully undertaken complicated and highly technical projects, from conception to completion, while meeting or improving timeline targets and staying within budget requirements. He has a proven track record of creative problem solving and uniting stakeholders, which improves efficiency, increases productivity, and fosters cooperation toward the common goal of project completion.
After graduating Cum Laude from the University of Alaska, Anchorage with a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, David moved to the continental US to be closer to family. He enjoys his time with his wife and three children, reading, traveling, and spending time outdoors hunting, fishing, and snowboarding. He also enjoys investing in the next generation of construction professionals and has served as a mentor for teams competing in the Associated Schools of Construction heavy civil and commercial competition.
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Adam Wnuk
Senior Project Manager
Adam, in his role as Senior Project Manager, is responsible for the financial health and successful project delivery of commercial and mission critical construction projects. His experience spans all aspects of the development lifecycle including site selection, due diligence, proforma development, contract negotiation, project controls, project management, change and contract management through closeout. His international project experience ranges from mission critical program level engagements (including speed and go-to-market strategies) to multi-story interior white-box fit-outs for Fortune 500 technology companies. Adam is an expert in site selection, contract negotiation, project management, and financial analysis.
Prior to joining SLS, Adam served as a Director of Real Estate overseeing all real estate portfolio related activities including preliminary site selection, underwriting, execution, and project design, development and delivery. His deal experience eclipsed 9 million square feet spanning all markets across the western half of the United States and Canada. Adam began his career working in the debt capital markets in various sectors of fixed income, most notably real estate and public infrastructure.
Adam is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Pennsylvania State University where he received his bachelor's degree in Finance. He has spent his professional career living between New York, Los Angeles and most recently Dallas.
Andrew Bautista
Senior Project Manager
Andrew is a well-versed Senior Project Manager in the Biopharmaceutical and Life Science sectors. He is responsible for executing all aspects of the project life cycle, from pre-construction through technical project execution and commissioning. With 7 years of experience in high-rise ground up construction, Aviation, and Life Sciences, Andrew has developed a keen attention to detail, with a strong communication skill set, to ensure that both end user and design intent is translated to successful constructability. Andrew has proven to be an integral player in projects ranging from $200,000k to $2B, offering monetary and schedule saving solutions to complex technical problems found during construction and engineering.
Andrew was born and raised in Ventura County, California. He graduated from California State University, Chico with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He found interests in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) competition teams for Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys snowboarding, wakeboarding, camping/off-roading, and spending time with his family.
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Paul Collins
Senior Project Manager
Mr. Collins is an accomplished senior MEP project manager with vast expertise managing, executing, and planning highly complex MEP, BMS and EPMS projects in live facilities and across large campuses. In addition to his MEP expertise, Mr. Collins is also a seasoned senior project manager and can lead any type of construction project from inception to completion. His skills and knowledge range from the preconstruction process, strategic planning through project management, and commissioning. Mr. Collins has excellent communication and organization skills and has a depth of experience when it comes to managing and coordinating with multiple stakeholders in large organizations to ensure that all owner requirements are met.
Adam Nikssarian
Senior Project Manager
Adam in his role of Senior Project Manager, is a highly skilled leader with a deep understanding of technical project collaboration. Through his tenure in the industry, he has had significant exposure to multiple market sectors in which he’s proven capability to deliver at a very high level. He has had the opportunity to work with many clients in Forbes Top 500, allowing him to refine his ability to quickly adapt and add immediate value to every endeavor in which he is involved. Adam’s expertise in project controls, construction management, and budget / schedule oversight.
Prior to joining SLS, Adam was a project manager for a top GC nationally, handling projects from commercial, to Labs/ Cleanrooms, and MEP Utility enhancements. Adam began his career in San Francisco and has since relocated to Arizona where he now resides as a Senior PM for SLS.
Adam is a graduate from the California State University Chico where he received is Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management. At Chico he met his wife Kasey and currently has two daughters, Brynn and Hallie.
Patrick Mitchell
Senior Project Manager
Patrick is a motivated and driven Senior Project Manger with a wide range of construction and project management experience. His 10 years experinece in the industry includes primarily highly complex and technical "mega" projects in the oil & gas, semiconductor and mission critical industries. Prior to joining the SLS team, Patrick worked as the Senior Site Manager for a Mechanical Contractor in the semiconductor industry in Arizona. Patrick has a proven track record of successfully driving project teams to deliver projects on budget and on schedule. He has an excellent communication and organizational skill-set, especially when dealing with complexity and ambiguity in a complex mega project environment. Patrick is an expert at solving technical problems and implementing efficient processes within a team to increase productivity.
Patrick was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Patrick enjoys the outdoors (hiking, camping, off-roading), scuba diving, traveling, real estate, and spending time with family and friends.
Matt Branch
Senior Project Manager
Matt is a dedicated construction industry professional that has over 20 years of experience. During his career in the construction industry, he has held many roles spanning from Licensed Electrician, O&G Commissioning Specialist, to Sr. Project Manager. Prior to joining SLS, Matt spent the bulk of his career working in Alaska in the Oil & Gas sector. During his time there, he worked numerus complex infrastructure and controls upgrade projects. Matt was able to use his skill set to progress out of the field and transition into supervisory and project management roles. Most of his projects had a heavy focus on complex live plant integration, commissioning, and start-up where he was key in leading multi-disciplinary teams of Construction Contractors, Operations, Engineering, and Financial Stakeholders to collaborate and drive the successful outcome of the project. Most recently Matt has spent the last 3 years working in the Mission Critical sector managing moderately complex projects across the US and in several US territories.
In Matt’s free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids doing just about anything outdoors, but more than anything getting out in the RV or remote primitive camping.
Kyle Lawson
Project Manager (QA/QC/QX)
Mr Lawson is an experienced project manager who specializes in quality control / quality assurance and commissioning. Kyle has over 12 years experinece in the industry and has predominantly focused in the hyperscale mission critical environment . In his numerous years of experience, Kyle has had exposure to many facets of mission critical construction projects from pre-construction, planning, OFE procurement to field installation and L2-L5 commissioning process. Kyle has led multiple teams with excellent communication and organization to execute high profile projects successfully, his meticulous pre-planning skills are extremely valuable when working on highly technical hyperscale projects in pressure situations through the commissioning phases in order to meet turnover dates. Kyle is also well versed in working in critical live environments and understands how to navigate technical facility upgrades by implementing processes and procedures with all parties involved in the project. Through his prior experience as an electrician, he was responsible for managing technical MEP campus upgrades and he learnt how valuable it is and how to coordinate with multiple stakeholders and ensure that all owner’s requirements are met.
Justine Phan
Cost Manager
Justine is a self-motivated construction professional. Her background prior to SLS includes experience in field engineering and estimating for a major General Contractor. While Justine was a field engineer, she was the lead on underground utilities, concrete foundations, and tilt panel walls. Furthering her career, Justine utilized the knowledge from the field to help her transition over into estimating. With her time in Preconstruction, Justine has successfully done detailed quantity takeoff, created estimates for complex projects, cultivated relationships with Trade Partners within the industry, and has helped clients hit their target budget with value engineering options. She has a great mentality to harness positive communication and improve efficiency within her projects. Justine's experience includes reviewing documents at a conceptual level all the way up to finished 100%CDs. She is a highly driven individual that is quick to learn, quick to listen, and determined to give her clients the best support.
After graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in Construction Science and a minor in Finance, Justine moved back to Texas to pursue her career. She enjoys cooking and spending time with her Fiance, working out, playing tennis, and lots of reading.
Steve Stephenson
Project Manager - Loan Monitoring
Steve is a hard worker with an entrepreneurial spirit driven by his continuous service for excellence to the construction industry. His industry knowledge was developed from hands-on experience in the field and project managing complete projects. His field knowledge ranges from residential remodels to commercial ground-up construction projects working with various trades. With more than ten years of experience, Steve has developed site monitoring, project management, and project cost control skills.
Before joining SLS Consultants, Steve had a general contracting business managing multiple skilled labored trades. As a business owner, Steve focused on the operations of running a construction business and training and developing his subcontracting team to help continue growing his business. With hundreds of completed residential and commercial projects under his belt, he is excited to bring his skill set to the SLS Consultant team.
Steve grew up in East Texas, an hour outside of Dallas, Tx, where he helped his dad with their family construction business. After graduating high school, he moved to Dallas, where he received his undergrad at the University of Texas Dallas. With his excitement for the construction industry, Steve went on to receive his Masters’s in Construction Management from Oklahoma University. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family in East Texas.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
"Stephens ability to provide detailed cost estimates and constant feedback on design options helped the owner make smart decisions in good time. His creativity and knowledge around sequencing of construction helped us design the most cost efficient project we could while keeping the design intent. I hope to work with Steve again in the future."
— Russell Carr, P.E
Associate
Arup