Higher Education
University of North Carolina School of the Arts Phase 2
Client
FLB
Project Owner
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Location
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Project Value
$51,000,000
Industry
Higher Education
Account Executive(s)
Joshua Harden, Trey Wilson
Services Provided
Presentation Coaching |
Presentation Development |
Higher Education
University of North Carolina School of the Arts Phase 2
Client
FLB
Project Owner
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Location
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Project Value
$51,000,000
Industry
Higher Education
Account Executive(s)
Joshua Harden, Trey Wilson
Services Provided
Presentation Coaching |
Presentation Development |
Project Overview
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts pursued a Construction Manager at Risk for the $51 million Phase 2 renovation of the historic Stevens Center Performing Arts Center in downtown Winston-Salem. The scope encompassed a comprehensive transformation of the audience chamber, full renovation of the stage and back-of-house areas, a complete MEP systems upgrade, renovation of the 10th-floor event space, enhanced IT infrastructure, and improvements to accessibility throughout the facility. The Stevens Center stood as a landmark performing arts venue, making the stakes of both the renovation and the selection process significant. The client engaged PRESWERX to develop their presentation and prepare the team for the live interview.
Client Challenges
Pursuing a CM at Risk contract for a historic performing arts renovation required the client to address challenges that went beyond standard construction qualifications:
Conveying the team's ability to manage a technically complex renovation inside a historically significant building while minimizing disruption to an active performing arts institution.
Communicating relevant experience across a scope that combined historic preservation sensibility, specialized performing arts systems, and a full MEP overhaul in a single project.
Preparing the team to deliver a confident, cohesive live interview to a university owner who expected the CM at Risk partner to demonstrate both technical depth and collaborative approach.
The presentation needed to match the cultural weight of the Stevens Center and the owner's expectations for a trusted renovation partner.
Scope of Work
PRESWERX built a structured interview presentation for the client and then worked directly with the team through focused coaching sessions ahead of the live selection event. The presentation was designed to carry evaluators through the client's qualifications, their approach to the Stevens Center's specific renovation challenges, and their plan for managing the project as a CM at Risk. Key scope elements, including the audience chamber transformation, stage renovation, MEP upgrade, and accessibility improvements, were addressed in context rather than as a checklist, connecting the team's experience to the owner's priorities. Coaching sessions sharpened the team's delivery, refined their responses to anticipated questions, and built the confidence needed to perform well in front of a university selection committee.
PRESWERX Approach
PRESWERX approached this pursuit as a preparation challenge as much as a presentation challenge. Getting a team ready for a live performing arts interview required both strong materials and practiced delivery:
Structured the presentation around the owner's renovation priorities, ordering content to build evaluator confidence progressively from the team's relevant experience through to their specific project approach.
Developed messaging that spoke to the cultural significance of the Stevens Center, framing the client's approach in terms of stewardship as well as construction management.
Ran coaching sessions that moved the team from prepared to polished, including rehearsal of question-and-answer scenarios likely to surface in a university CM at Risk interview.
The combined effort produced a team that walked into the selection room with a clear story and the delivery to back it up.
Results Delivered
PRESWERX delivered a complete interview package and a coaching program held to the standard of a high-profile university performing arts pursuit. Each component served a distinct purpose:
A structured presentation that gave evaluators a clear, compelling picture of the team's qualifications and approach, organized around the specific demands of the Stevens Center renovation.
Coaching sessions that sharpened individual delivery and team cohesion, ensuring the client's presenters could speak fluently to every dimension of the scope under live interview conditions.
A pursuit narrative calibrated to a university owner with high expectations for both technical competence and cultural awareness in a renovation partner.
The client entered the selection event prepared, confident, and presenting as a team worthy of one of Winston-Salem's most important civic venues.
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