The Christman Company has announced its national “Christman Way” awards with one superintendent and two project teams in Knoxville recognized for excellent performance, attitude and achievement.

The Christman Company, founded in 1894, is one of the country’s leading professional construction services firms. Established in 2001, the annual Christman Way awards are based on internal nominations, which are evaluated by a committee of employees from across the nation who represent multiple specialties. The company’s senior management makes final selection of honorees.

Butch Hale, senior construction project superintendent, earned the Cornerstone Award for his leadership at the company and in the construction industry. Hale leads the Knoxville office’s superintendents’ training program and conducts a supervisor-in-training class for the Knoxville chapter of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Tennessee. He also serves as a mentor and volunteer in the Knoxville community.

“Butch honors commitments with integrity, always meets deadlines and holds team members accountable,” said Marty Gibbs, vice president and general manager for The Christman Company’s Knoxville operations. “Our regional office and the regional industry have benefited immensely from Butch’s performance, commitment and attention to safety. He embodies ‘The Christman Way’ on and off the clock.”

The State Street Garage expansion earned the Project Team Award for projects under $20 million, and the construction of the Ken and Blaire Mossman Building at the University of Tennessee Knoxville earned the Project Team Award for projects over $50 million.

“The Christman Way awards represent our company’s best work,” Gibbs said. “The purpose of the awards program is to recognize our employees’ commitment to the highest level of excellence.”

The $11 million State Street Garage expansion added 570 parking spaces in downtown Knoxville. The project also enhanced the garage’s appearance with new landscaping, better signage and new entry canopies and included features in the garage and surrounding pedestrian travel paths.

Throughout the construction, the project team also was able to safely and effectively retain at least 50% parking capacity so that the garage could still be used by downtown workers, residents and visitors.

The Ken and Blaire Mossman Building is a six-floor structure designed for collaborative research, science and sophisticated technology. The project team delivered a complicated project on time and exceeded the client’s expectations.
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The $83 million, 224,000-square-foot building includes laboratory space, support lab spaces, shared core labs, teaching labs, general purpose classrooms, and student and administrative spaces. The departments using the building for teaching and research include biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, nutrition and psychology.