News
May 21, 2009
Hillsborough Street Contractor Is Mentor To Small Builder
To Jamal Mention, Phase I of the Hillsborough Street Roundabouts Project is more than just another construction zone in Raleigh. It represents an opportunity to participate in a major road project and see firsthand how the contractor, Hamlett Associates, handles all aspects of the work, from the initial groundbreaking to completion.
The Climax-based Hamlett Associates is an unofficial mentor to Mr. Mention and his two-year-old licensed general contracting and development company, The Mention Group LLC of Greensboro. The arrangement has allowed Mr. Mention to learn the trade from a big contractor, one that has provided quality construction services in North Carolina and five other states in the Southeast since 1978. With the $9.92 million Hillsborough Street Roundabouts Project --- for which a formal groundbreaking was held May 20 by the City of Raleigh --- Mr. Mention gets to apply the knowledge he has gained from Hamlett Associates.
“The relationship I have with Hamlett Associates was not planned, it just sort of happened,” Mr. Mention said. “I wanted to learn more about site work, site development, anything dealing with the infrastructure. Hamlett Associates has helped me with that.”
The relationship was borne out of a meeting that Mr. Mention had with Lynn Craig of Hamlett Associates. At the time, Mr. Mention’s company had often been invited by Hamlett Associates to bid on projects. The Mention Group is a Minority Business Enterprise and a North Carolina Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) certified in the state’s four major cities, including Raleigh.
“We hit it off really well,” Mr. Mention said of Mr. Craig.. “The first thing he told me was that he would not set me up to fail. He started to show me how to do things as it relates to infrastructure and site work. He took me under his wing. We spent hours in his office on such things as plans, actual site work, contract negotiations, bidding, how to estimate plans, how to contact suppliers for construction materials and how to order equipment for projects.”
Mr. Craig would later introduce Mr. Mention to Joe Craig, vice president of Hamlett Associates and Lynn Craig’s brother. They too would hit it off well. “We spent an hour discussing how to establish a mentor relationship between Hamlett Associates and The Mention Group.”
Lynn Craig would subsequently be named Hamlett Associates’ project manager for Phase I of the Hillsborough Street Roundabouts Project. He brought Mr. Mention with him to Raleigh to gain valuable experience in helping to oversee a major project.
A graduate of N.C. A&T State University, Mr. Mention brings strong communications and public relations skills to Hamlett Associates, freeing up Lynn Craig from these duties to concentrate solely on the nuts and bolts of constructing the Hillsborough Street Roundabouts Project, Phase I. Mr. Mention is Hamlett Associates’ project liaison with the City of Raleigh, the Hillsborough Street Partnership, N.C. State and the general public.
“I have to know everything that is going on,” Mr. Mention said.
Mr. Mention is a member of the Carolinas Association of General Contractors (CAGC) and a board member of the United Minority Contractors of North Carolina. He is a graduate of the N.C. HUB Academy sponsored by CAGC and is certified by the American Society for Healthcare Engineering to construct health-care facilities. Though he is proud of his trade certification accomplishments thus far, Mr. Mention is just as proud of his “mentoring” relationship with Hamlett Associates that has allowed him to be a valuable partner in the Hillsborough Street Roundabouts Project, Phase I.
“My relationship with Hamlett is very special and unique,” he said. “It came with a kindred spirit. The Hillsborough Street project is a very important one for the City of Raleigh, and I am looking forward to being a part of it.”
Phase I of the Hillsborough Street Roundabouts Project will extend along Hillsborough Street from Gardner Street to Oberlin Road. The project will convert Hillsborough Street to a two-lane, median-divided facility with on-street parking on both sides, a seven-foot wide raised median, sidewalk bulb-outs at the intersections and mid-block location, and several pedestrian signals. Two roundabouts will be constructed, at Hillsborough Street and Pullen Road and at Oberlin Road and Pullen Road Extension/Groveland Avenue. The project will replace the existing concrete and brick sidewalks. The work also includes replacing both water and sewer utilities throughout the length of the project, putting overhead utilities underground, adding infrastructure to accommodate possible future charging stations for electric plug-in vehicles, and installing LED street and pedestrian lighting.
Prepared by:
John Boyette
Public Affairs Specialist
Public Affairs Department
For More Information Contact:
Jamal Mention
Chief Executive Officer, The Mention Group
PO Box 78071
Greensboro, NC 27427
336-240-0924
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