Richard Mandell talks with GCA about the status of his projects amid the coronavirus pandemic and how work is progressing during this uncertain period.

“We have had delays to two projects already,” said Mandell. “The third phase of a tee and bunker renovation project in St. Petersburg, Florida, has been delayed indefinitely, but we are hopeful it will get going in the coming months. It was originally slated to begin the last week in April. 

“Another project of ours which was scheduled to start this fall in Cleveland, Ohio, has been delayed for a year. That club was debating a delay long before the pandemic anyway. If we could have gotten things lined up in time, they would have moved forward but now out of caution, they have decided to shoot for a fall 2021 timetable, which gives us a longer window to get construction and bid documents in line as well as contractors. 

“We have one more project in Fayetteville, North Carolina, for some forward tees which was scheduled for this spring, but it is also delayed for the time being.”

Mandell’s other projects are all in the design stage, and other than the projects that have been delayed, the virus has not affected his travel plans. His only scheduled trip was to St. Petersburg in late April.

Since 12 March, Mandell has stayed at home in Moore County, North Carolina, where there have been 10 documented Covid-19 cases so far.

“It is easy for us to stay productive, thankfully, because of the projects we currently have that are in the design stages,” said Mandell. “We are in the fortunate position for the next month or two to go strong with design work without immediate input from clients for the time being. Hopefully after sixty days or so, we will be able to get to our clients in person to review plans and gather input to move forward. If we need to communicate remotely, we can at any time. 

“So, for now, it is business as usual for us. With just two of us physically in the office, we are not tied to any work restrictions so far and don’t anticipate our situation to change, whether we are considered non-essential or not. The fact that we routinely communicate digitally and can send large files such as drawings, etc, on a regular basis does not change our business model at all.”