Highwoods Properties awarded 110,000-sq-ft GSA contract

Highwoods Properties Inc., one of the largest owners and operators of suburban office properties in the Southeast, recently announced that it has been awarded a build-to-suit contract by the U.S. General Services Administration to develop a $31.7 million field office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jackson, Miss.

The 110,000-sq-ft, three-story Class A office building and annex, with structured and surface parking, will be built on a 10-acre parcel of land the company is acquiring.

As part of the GSA requirements, the building will also be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building. Construction will commence in the third quarter of this year and is expected to be completed in the first quarter 2009.

JBHM receives award for interior design of Mississippi Departrment of Employment Security

JBHM Architects recently received an award of recognition for the firm’s design of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security building in Jackson, Miss. from the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

The award of recognition is a part of the 2007 RE Awards, which stands for Recognizing Excellence in interior design.

The awards honor outstanding examples of designed interior spaces. Entries are placed into one of the following six categories by the judges: Governmental/Institutional, Residential, Healthcare, Corporate, Hospitality/Retail and Student. JBHM received an award of recognition in the category of Governmental/Institutional Design

“Our firm is honored to receive this award,” says Richard McNeel, partner of JBHM’s Jackson office. “The credit for any successful project is due to the entire team, and I am thankful to work with such talented and hardworking people,” he adds.

Mississippi contractors graduate from surety bond program

Sixteen Mississippi-based small and emerging contractors recently received their certificates for completing an eight-week educational program based on the Model Contractor Development Program of The Surety & Fidelity Association of America.

The educational program was the result of a Memorandum of Understanding among the Mississippi Development Authority, SFAA and the National Black Chamber of Commerce to establish such a program with the specific purpose of assisting Mississippi minority and small businesses in increasing their bonding capacity.

The Mississippi initiative is part of SFAA’s national effort to assist contractors in becoming “bond-ready.” The program culminated in the recent awards ceremony for the graduating contractors.

The current MCDP is comprised of two distinct components: education and bond readiness. The educational component offers eight comprehensive workshops on topics.

“Now these Mississippi contractors are ready for the bond readiness component,” says Sam Carradine, SFAA’s Director of Diversity and Development. “This is where the contractors meet individually with surety bond producers, underwriters and other professionals to talk about the steps their company needs to take to get bonded.” 

Corrections Corp. of America begins construction of new prison, expansion of existing prison

Corrections Corp. of America, the nation’s largest provider of corrections management services to government agencies, announced today the commencement of construction of a new 1,668-bed correctional facility in Adams County, Mississippi.

Construction of the new facility is estimated to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2008 at an estimated cost of approximately $105 million.

The company does not currently have a management contract to utilize these new beds, but expects to market the new beds to various existing and potential customers.