kcollins@mgac.com

202-427-1142

When cultural clients embark on a major renovation, repair or new building project, how do they stand up and manage the contracts, budget, schedule and process? As an independent advocate for owner’s interests, MGAC has been helping clients with cultural projects since 1996. Our project approach is customized for each assignment, to develop a project plan, actively engage with the stakeholders, identify/manage risks, and be a trusted advisor to clients, so that the process is successful for the client’s mission. It’s the greatest challenge to help clients speak with a single “owner’s voice” and it’s the greatest honor to have cultural clients say “go be me”.

Museum projects are particularly challenging because of the multitude of designers - often with competing interests – are working on technically challenging buildings. By building trust within the team, and proactively addressing problems, an owner’s representative should be in position to dissolve “budget bombs” during the design process, instead of waiting until it’s too late.

Even though our primary role is the Owner’s Representative, MGAC’s cultural team has been hired to work under structural engineers, general contractors, exhibit fabricators and artists. These assignments came from our reputation as industry thought-leaders, talented problem solvers and proven success in project delivery.

Kris serves as a Managing Director of Cultural projects for MGAC, an Owner’s Representative and Project Management firm with offices in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Toronto. Last year, MGAC collectively management over $7 billion of cultural, hospitality, corporate, retail, historic, data center and government building projects across three continents.

Kris’ profile: attended University of Oregon (B. Arch), licensed architect, LEED accredited professional, and obtained a Masters in Management from University of Maryland, while working for a national developer. Trained as a carpenter, he has designed and built many custom homes, has actively participated in his community as a baseball coach, Scout Master, and was pleased that nobody died when Troop 15 boys (not the adults) built a functional 18’ trebuchet for real live Punkin’ Chunkin’. He has been a speaker at annual AAM meetings, and was featured in Art World Conference, leading a workshop for artists: Surviving Public Art Commissions: Best Business Practices for Artists.