R. A. Yarling & Company, Inc. - Project & Facility Management


	R.A. Yarling wins major contract with Wyndham

By Rod Kackley
MiBiz Network


	Wyndham Garden Hotel, Novi, Michigan

PORTAGE — Wyndham International Inc. has awarded a major contract to R.A. Yarling and Company Inc., a project and facilities management firm based in Portage.

Yarling will assist Wyndham, one of the world’s largest hospitality and lodging companies, as an owner’s representative in completing 17 major building renovation and remodeling projects in four states.

“We are working on interior renovations to guest rooms, public space, façade and roof projects and PIP (project improvement plans) for their hotels,” Yarling President Rick Yarling told MiBiz.

Together the projects total over $8 million.

Yarling has an annual design, construction and procurement process management contract with Wyndham that could include other projects that would add to the total.

The Wyndham contract is a good example of what Yarling does for a variety of clients.

He said, “We are a true owners’ representative. I have associated myself with many leading architects, engineers, interior designers and specialty contractors. I am like an orchestra conductor who makes sure everyone is playing from the same sheet of music.”

Yarling has more than three decades of experience in architecture, engineering and construction management working for major corporations.

“I have various ways that I want work done, and there are various quality assurances and quality control steps that we implement to make sure we complete the project within the owners’ schedule, within the owners’ budget while meeting their quality expectations.”

He said Wyndham made the decision to outsource after the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. Yarling also said outsourcing project management is a trend that is growing.

Said Yarling, “In today’s world, companies are finding they have to be leaner and they are not carrying big staffs anymore. When I was the director of hotel architecture for Marriott International in the (19) 80s and early 90s, we had 1,500 people in our division. That was a lot of overhead.

“Instead of carrying that kind of overhead, corporations are now looking for ways to streamline and be more efficient. Many have decided to expense this kind of work by hiring outside consultants.”

Yarling concentrates his work in hospitality, corporate and institutional project management and counts Marriott International, Host Marriott Inc. and Wyndham as three of his major clients. He has also done work for Pharmacia Corp. and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, among others.

“You have to be very diversified in todays’ world because if one sector gets shut down, you can respond with another,” Yarling said. “After 9-11, the hospitality industry was really hurting for a few months. I was fortunate enough to be doing work for Pharmacia, doing some master planning for their office utilization in Kalamazoo County. Now the hospitality industry is rebounding and I got the Wyndham contract.”