Mike Day—Empowering Teams To Build A Bright Future
April, 2021
Change is part of any company, but it’s the plans and actions taken in anticipation of a transition that differentiates those that thrive on the new from those that just can’t adapt. As DAY CPM joined forces with Otak and becomes a part of the Otak brand, Mike Day is a central component of ushering in a bright and successful future.
With a long history of experience in project management, from his days as a construction contractor to his roles as project manager and on to being the founder of DAY CPM, Mike brings a lot to the table. But it’s not just the skills he’s picked up along the way, it is also his philosophy of how team dynamics make or break a project, that has made him a critical part of Otak’s strategic plan.
Mike set his views on teamwork based on an experience from his work as a general contractor when he was part of a team for an OSU College of Forestry project. The architects, contractors, and the school worked closely together throughout the complex project and delivered on time and under budget with a high level of trust from the client. Mike recalls that the team came together at the project’s completion to celebrate and people were crying happy tears. It was that camaraderie—how they connected both personally and professionally—that he credits with the project’s success and ultimately realized he wanted to have as an outcome on every future project.
Mike is able to make that happen as he has transitioned from his position as president into the role of consultant to support the ongoing legacy of both DAY CPM and Otak. In this capacity, he has stepped up to lead the oversight of the Multnomah County Library bond project that was won by Otak in the first quarter of 2021. “I was attracted to this project because it filled a need for the underserved communities who will benefit from the education, learning centers, career development, and all the services that a library provides,” he said.
DAY CPM has worked as PM/CM on several bond programs over the last few years, including a variety of K-12 renovations and new construction. This experience has built their teams’ skill and confidence in undertaking bond projects that are such a critical piece to communities and put the company in a prime position to win the library project. It was decided that Mike would be best suited to take on the job of point person, to be the liaison to the county and the library, because the role fits well with his experience and background.
Multnomah County set forth program principles for its capital bond that frame the community’s desired outcomes including equity, accessibility, community resilience, and partnership, topped by a design that is flexible, innovative, and inspirational. These principles were found from a long-visioning process to ensure the community gets what it wants and needs.
To achieve these goals, Mike will stick to what he knows works best—empowering the team. He champions an open and safe work environment where people share ideas and know they are heard. To this end, Mike has introduced to the project an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) process which is based on the idea of building high functioning teams through a foundation of trust, transparency, and teamwork. In IPD, teams are encouraged to debate ideas but commit to final decisions and then hold each other accountable to the plan of action. For Mike, the ultimate goal is to achieve results that will help clients realize their visions and dreams—ideally on time and under budget.
“Projects generally fail when there’s a communication breakdown. Having a truly integrated team has been a core driver for me. It is what we built into our culture and what we will continue to create,” he said.