Cumming, Gilbane Joint Venture Leads to Successful University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business Opening

COLUMBIA, S.C. – (Sept. 12, 2014) – Cumming, an international project management and cost consulting firm, in conjunction with joint venture partner, Gilbane Building Company, announced today the opening of the new $106.5 million Darla Moore School of Business. The 252,891 square foot building opened for the first day of classes on Aug.21, and the University of South Carolina will hold a dedication ceremony and grand opening for the targeted LEED Platinum facility on Sept. 12.

The Darla Moore School of Business building houses more than 35 classrooms with a total of 2,554 classroom seats, 40 meeting rooms and project spaces, multiple rooms equipped with advanced distance learning and collaboration technology systems, 136 faculty offices and space for 85 staff; and additional space for approximately 70 doctoral students, a 250-seat lecture hall, a 500-seat auditorium, an onsite Café, electronic trading room and areas for individual and group study.

“Being intimately involved from the very beginning of pre-construction through the successful on-budget completion as a trusted cost and construction management partner has been such an honor,” said Jeff Holstein, executive vice president at Cumming. “Cumming prides itself on delivering cutting-edge educational facilities, and the new Darla Moore School of Business building will allow the school to continue to provide an unmatched educational experience for years to come.”

The joint venture team of Cumming and Gilbane was selected early on to provide full construction management services, from the beginning of the design phase, into contract packaging and throughout the entire construction and post-construction phases.

The Darla Moore School of Business is U.S. News and World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek’s top ranked undergraduate international business program for public universities. The graduate international business program is also ranked No. 1 for U.S. News and World Report. The Moore School will share the 500 seat auditorium with the university’s School of Music.

Since its inception in Columbia in 1989 as a construction management firm specializing in the education sector, Cumming, formerly Southern Management Group, has partnered with countless districts, school boards, universities, designers, teachers, students and superintendents in South Carolina to deliver exceptional educational environments for this and future generations. On a national level, Cumming has provided project and cost management services on more than $10 billion in educational work.

Rafael Viñoly Architects of New York served as the design architect for the new state-of-the-art facility.