Leesburg, Va. — Shockey is pleased to announce that that Watson Mountain Middle School in Leesburg, Virginia has won the 2025 Award of Excellence in Education Category from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Metropolitan Washington and Virginia Chapters.
What is the EIC award?
The Excellence in Construction Awards (EIC) recognizes and celebrates outstanding projects built by Washington-area ABC members annually. The awards competition serves to raise the level of construction standards throughout the industry by recognizing the workmanship of those who contribute and by showcasing the results of their dedication. Outstanding teamwork and cooperation between general contractors, specialty contractors, and material suppliers must be demonstrated by the award winners.
What made this project a winner?
No one thought this new four-story, 210,650-square-foot school could be built in the timeframe allotted. Given the exceedingly tight schedule, no other contractors dared to even bid on the job. Shockey won the job, value-engineered the job to bring it to contract, and built the project — all in record time, with the school opening right on track at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year.
With capacity for 1,445 sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders, the new school includes classrooms, a media center, and cafeteria, an auditorium, main and auxiliary gyms, and athletic fields.
While the school merits attention for achievements on several fronts, it’s the warp-speed, critical path, fast-track scheduling success that makes this project truly exemplary. It was all made possible because of focus and experience, with the entire team dedicated to a single goal – delivering a top-quality school on time.
Partnership made the difference
Watson Mountain Middle School is a testament to the power of true partnership, of a team coming together to deliver a successful project despite the odds.
The award was presented on September 18 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Receiving the award were Senior Project Manager Garrick Staubs and Senior Superintendent Caleb Trowbridge from Shockey, along with colleagues Mario Zampiello (William A. Hazel) and Steve Stotler (Stantec.)
