RESCON Gets the Job Done Right, Right Now

Mark Boulter has been with Northeastern University for 35 years and in that time has seen it grow to become one of the most well respected colleges of its ilk. As the Director of Building Services, he plays an integral role in the school’s overall operations managing facilities for the Boston area campus and its other buildings in the region. This responsibility includes everything from snow removal and pest control to event set ups and breakdowns for more than 25 thousand events annually. An urban location with more than 18,000 students, the university maintains nine million square feet of property spread across 130 buildings, many of which are over a century old. The infrastructure needs to be continuously maintained and updated to ensure operations and classes continue as normal and interruptions are minimized.

After frustrating experiences with a handful of restoration companies, Mark and his team sought to hire a strategic emergency response partner that could provide the level of responsiveness and communication required for an organization of Northeastern’s size. They needed a partner that could not only quickly get the job done, but work in concert with the university’s group of facilities resources including both in-house and contract cleaning companies and construction teams.

“As an academic institution, our department has customers all over campus and beyond. From students to school leadership, parents to professors, we need to proactively communicate the status of any building or maintenance issues and outline the plan for resolving such challenges. Immediacy is critical, and our department cannot be beholden to outside organizations who are slow to communicate or slow to respond.”

The demand for responsiveness and proactive communications is what led Mark to RESCON. For the past twelve years, RESCON has served as the strategic partner for Northeastern University. When an emergency arises, Mark and his team quickly make an assessment and then immediately contact RESCON to develop a remediation plan. As part of the process, RESCON assigns a project manager to oversee the job and then organizes a cohesive response providing the right crew and the right equipment to mitigate any damage.

“Our institution continues to grow rapidly, but real estate in the local area is incredibly competitive. As such our classroom utilization rate is near 95% so if there is a problem in multiple rooms we have to move quickly to remedy the situation and bring things back online as soon as possible.”

For example, water issues can cause a significant problem for the university as it not only reduces the amount of available classroom space but can pose a health hazard as well. In early 2018, the northeast region experienced a deep freeze that created a series of problems for many property owners including Northeastern University. Mark and his team discovered the unusually cold temperatures were causing sprinkler heads to freeze and pop open in one of the university’s student dorms. Water damage was assessed in nearly 40 rooms over the holiday break. With RESCON, Northeastern was able to minimize the damage thanks to the rapid response, conduct mold and moisture readings, and remove any materials that may have been affected. The water was cleaned up and dried out well before the students needed to return to campus.

“My team and I are always relieved to see RESCON on site when we have an issue. I am confident the job will be done well and that I will be kept up to date by the project manager. Unlike other companies who bounce you around from person to person or whoever may be on call, RESCON provides a consistent project manager for the duration of the loss and mitigation process.”

RESCON is Top of the Class in Communication Excellence

To ensure communication remains uninterrupted, RESCON provides a daily report at the close of each day during each and every job conducted for Northeastern. The project manager provides an overview of the work that was completed, flags any roadblocks that may have arisen, notes the equipment status, and outlines the plan of attack for the next day. This information is then funneled to the larger university audience through Mark’s daily update email which is delivered to the key stakeholders across the institution.

“RESCON is a true partner and their ability to deliver time and time again is a defining factor. And yet, it is their responsiveness and commitment to ongoing communication that sets them apart from the rest.”

Does your educational institution need a reputable partner in restoration? Please contact RESCON today and we’ll discuss the ins-and-outs of your immediate needs, what to prepare for, and how we can help you develop a priority response plan.