Megaprojects Specialty Team
SERVICES:
Strategy, Project Stewardship, Owner Audits, Technology Advisory, Market Advisory, Finance Advisory, Feasibility Studies, Organization Start-Up, Planning and Resource Management, Labor Policy, Community Affairs Advisory
The Texas Center Megaprojects Team has successfully guided megaprojects on four continents for more than 25 years. Representing the fields of change management, economics, finance, project management, medicine and engineering, the team is proven in megaprojects, multidisciplinary in nature and highly skilled in cross cultural development.
The team has worked closely together for years and is able to adapt to circumstance and project requirements. Under the auspices of a university research center, the team is positioned to serve only the mission of the project, and in doing so, provide honest and direct feedback that is essential to megaprojects success.
The team is poised to leverage the resources of the Center: research and normative data bases for start-up’s and expansions, young talent, established curriculum and advanced educational systems, access to experts at Texas Tech University and dozens of other universities around the world, and the integrity mandated by the Center’s charter.
Megaprojects are complex undertakings that require experience and precision in strategy, preparation and launch of: environmental permitting, labor policy, human resource development and training, infrastructure development, international financial institution engagement, finance, engineering/procurement/construction (EPC) coordination, and governmental affairs impacting health, education, welfare and major policy such as energy, natural resource utilization, homeland security and trade. Megaprojects are typically valued at a billion USD or more, and substantially impact a community, region or society for many years.
A new era of human development is emerging from Mid East/North Africa (MENA) to Asia-Pacific (A-P). Driven by advancing markets and population growth, the need for infrastructure, clean water, energy, food, medical care, manufacturing, logistics and transportation is accelerating. Many projects are moving at the same time, placing stress on the availability of talent, materials and equipment/technology. In this new era of Megaprojects, the successful will be those projects which are high performing, innovative and sensitive to local needs. These elements for success are the earmarks of the Texas Center Team’s contribution to megaprojects.
In the early eighties, at the end of the last Megaprojects boom, the Texas Center team was first formed to support the then $ 3 Billion Cerrejon Coal Project in Colombia … a joint venture of The Government of Colombia and Exxon to build a port, railroad and one of the world’s largest open pit mines that continues to service global markets decades later. Dr. Barry Macy, Director of the Texas Center, and Dr. James Jonish, Director of the Texas Tech University Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Land Studies advised Mr. Gary Ralls, Advisor and Division Manager for Organization Development to the Joint Owners Board of Directors. Their contribution was credited with significantly improving project performance as reflected in accelerated schedules enabling early market entry as well as in cost reduction.
Since that time, the Texas Center Megaprojects Specialty Team has been augmented with leading experts in various fields, cultures and global regions of commerce. They offer understanding of advanced technologies, telecommunications, logistics, advance computation, and ‘brick and mortar” industries that often compose industrial infrastructure. The Megaprojects Specialty Team is further supported by the experts and specialist of the Texas Center for Innovative Organizations from around the world.
Practice Leaders
Dr. Barry Macy, Director of the Texas Center for Innovative Organizations (Texas Center) who has advised on megaprojects around the world, including numerous start-up’s of high performing and innovative organizations for clients such as ExxonMobil, Proctor and Gamble, Monsanto, General Dynamics, Boeing and many others. Dr. Macy orchestrated one of the world’s largest and most complete data bases on high performance, in particular as applied to start-up’s.
Dr. James Jonish is an economist and the retired Director of the Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Land Studies. His clients include ExxonMobil, The Organization of Oil Producing/Exporting Countries (OPEC), The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and more. His economic models have been used in dispute resolution, corporate trouble-shooting in area such as oil loss, and for the development of new communities.
Mr. Gary Ralls is a principal in both C&C Project Managers LLC, a New York private equity fund manager and Tiburon Asset Management of California LLC, a venture capital firm focused on technology transfer serving the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) countries. He is also a consultant to multinationals, governments and high worth families around the world. His technology transfer work engages the U.S. industrial and government communities with global partners for economic development.
Team Members
Dr. Nazir Khaja serves on the faculty of The University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical School, is a medical practitioner and an advisor on human development to heads of state in the Organization of Islamic Conferences countries and Presidents of the United States. He is Chairman of the Islamic Information Service and a renown international journalist. Dr. Khaja is actively engaged in technology transfer in business in life sciences and high technology.
Mr. Willis Brown is the former President of Huges Mid East and Director of ITT Defense Systems. He has advised on aerospace, telecommunications and homeland security. Mr. Brown is a market analyst and procurement expert.
Dr. Tom McCann recently retired as Senior Vice President of Engineering at Disney’s Imagineering Company. He is a physicist who taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy and led research at leading aerospace companies and national laboratories. His megaprojects include the major resorts and amusement parks for Disney around the world … the start-up of major parks in Europe and Asia as well as in park improvements on established properties.
Mr. Mark Gonda is an entrepreneur and engineer who was previously a program manager for the Boeing Company. Mr. Gonda is skilled at orchestrating complex systems and optimizing their business and operational performance. He has an extensive background in advanced technology and played a crucial role in Boeing’s Corporate Innovation Study.