Sessley-Miles-McClellan is one of 17 small and emerging businesses that are part of the construction project to build the new Franklin County Crisis Care Center at 465 Harmon Ave. The business is a joint venture between Sessley Building Services and Miles-McClellan Construction.
Robert Sessley, president of Sessley Building Services, said the partnership stems from the two contractor’s mutual vision of bringing more diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to the central Ohio construction industry. The partnership was formed in 2021 and is a Minority Business Enterprise.
“In the Columbus market there’s a lack of diversity in construction managers and there’s a real demand for it from construction project owners,” Robert said. “We’re focused on our vision, mission and values and that’s all about providing central Ohio a really strong DEI contractor focused on adding value, community and partnership.”
Sessley-Miles-McClellan has previously worked on the Crew stadium, Adelphi Bank and various Meta, Google and Intel construction projects. When it came to working on the crisis care center, Robert said that the project's DEI initiatives were a significant motivator for the contractors to take it on.
As construction managers, Sessley-Miles-McClellan has been with the crisis care center since the start of the project and will continue work until its finished. Their partnership manages a general trades package, which combines several smaller scopes (relative to the project size) into one package. In addition to helping manage the general trades package on this project, the Miles-McClellan portion of the partnership is also handling small-scale carpentry installations.
While working on the crisis care center fulfills the DEI vision Sessley-Miles-McClellan looks for in projects, Robert said having the opportunity to be a part of its construction is personal.
“I’m a part of the African American community, and all my life mental health is something we’ve pretended wasn’t real,” he said. “So, I’m an advocate of providing mental health care across the spectrum, whether it’s just mild or a complete crisis. I think the crisis care center will make our community a better place because people should be able to get the care they need, so I’m happy we’re engaged in it.”
