VCU news

By Amelia Heymann

Building managers keep the university in top shape. They are the first point of contact for issues big and small, and they wear many hats while juggling ever-changing daily duties. The 2022 Building Manager Awards recognize two pros — Bob Burgess on the Monroe Park Campus and Scott Crenshaw on the MCV Campus — who have gone above and beyond to serve the buildings and tenants at the heart of the VCU community.

“I was shocked, really. I did not expect to win,” Crenshaw said.

Here’s more about these two, who stand out while often standing outside the limelight.

Bob Burgess

In charge of 15 buildings, Burgess said every day is different than the last. And he enjoys the challenge.

Burgess was building manager for 100 W. Franklin St. (third floor), 1000 W. Franklin St., 6-8 N. Harrison St., 920W. Grace St., 906 W. Broad St., Bird House, Blanton Carriage House, Hunton House, Lombardy Building, Millhiser House (third floor), Thurston House, White House and Williams House. He recently became the general operations manager for the new College of Humanities and Sciences STEM building at 817 W. Franklin St.

His biggest test with such a wide portfolio? Keeping everyone happy.

“There's a lot of people in these buildings, and [I] try to make everybody feel heard and feel like they're being taken care of,” Burgess said. “I think I do a pretty good job at it. … That's something that I always want to get done.”

He joined VCU in 2018 after working in the construction industry since college. After he got married and had children, Burgess was looking for a career that would allow more time with family.

“I started looking around to find something that was a little more forgiving, and VCU was hiring for a building manager and had all the right criteria,” he said. “We talked about work-life balance, and it just seemed like a right fit.”

Burgess said a highlight of his job is getting to interact with others.

“Creating relationships with the faculty members, the folks that help support the buildings with facilities and with housekeeping — that's what I enjoy, is being out and having those conversations and creating those relationships.”

Burgess said he shares the success with his team.

“I can put in tickets, and I can talk to them about what the issues we're having and solutions that I think might be right,” he said, “but they're the ones that really make it happen.”

Scott Crenshaw

Crenshaw, who oversees the Health Sciences Research Building and the Robert Blackwell Smith Building, joined VCU as a building manager in 2007. The job qualifications drew him to the role, but he said the people are what has made it a great place to work.

“I enjoy working with the folks here at the school and the university as a whole — just being a part of a team of a project, making accomplishments, making this a better place for students [and] everybody that comes and goes,” Crenshaw said.

There is no typical day, and he often has to juggle many issues at once. Tasks could be anything from a million-dollar contract to a clogged toilet, and in his words, he has to be “reactionary.”

“You're reacting to emergencies, requests — often things are last-minute — and that's just the nature of things in this role,” Crenshaw said. “I thrive in that type of environment.”

He lauded his colleagues in the School of Pharmacy, who are extra pairs of eyes and ears for him. Unable to make it into every room every day, Crenshaw said emails alerting him to issues are invaluable.

CJ James, MCV campus coordinator for VCU Facilities Management, said Crenshaw is a team player and top-notch in communicating.

“He exemplified all of those things,” she said of the attributes for the awards program.

Crenshaw noted that the best part of his job is making someone’s day better. He said he’s not a people-pleaser per se, but he is a problem-solver, which helps others do their jobs better.

“What may be a big, insurmountable problem to them, I can come in and usually solve it pretty easily,” Crenshaw said. “And it's just to see their reaction, their relief, a smile on their face — and they can get back to what they have to do.”