Answer extracted from the Forum Focus podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the timeline of a major healthcare campus construction project?
McCarthy was brought onto the BJC Healthcare Campus Renewal Phase 3 project in December 2019, but when COVID-19 struck, BJC leadership paused the initiative for evaluation, creating approximately a nine-month delay. The construction was rescheduled from spring 2021 to November 2021, but the team remained unified and found ways to keep the design process moving forward throughout the pause.
The pandemic's impact on large healthcare construction projects forced difficult decisions at the leadership level. BJC's evaluation period wasn't merely a shutdown—it was a deliberate pause to assess pandemic implications for a major, long-term campus investment. During those months, the project team at McCarthy didn't disband or lose momentum; instead, they used the pause as an opportunity to refine strategy and maintain continuity through remote collaboration.
As Joe Lewandowski explains in the episode, the team's resilience during this nine-month window proved critical. Rather than losing institutional knowledge or relationship continuity, McCarthy and BJC kept stakeholders aligned and kept the design advancing. This proactive stance meant that when construction finally launched in November 2021, the project was ready to move forward without starting from scratch—a significant advantage given the complexity of replacing Queenie Tower at one of the city's most congested intersections.
The pandemic delay also allowed the team to refine procurement strategies and finalize partnerships with trade contractors and suppliers. The extra planning time created a buffer that would prove valuable once the project ramped up to its peak workforce of 300 to 325 workers. By the time shovels hit the ground in late 2021, the foundation for execution was solid.
"We not only take pride in building for BJC, who's a national leader among health care organizations, but also feel special to be building a hospital that's so important to the people in and around St. Louis."
Joe Lewandowski — Project Director, Central Region at McCarthy Building Company. Lewandowski has been with McCarthy since 2005 and has dedicated his entire career to healthcare construction across the country. He previously led the New Orleans VA Medical Center replacement project (2013–2016), a billion-dollar campus that replaced critical medical infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The real impact of the pandemic delay extended beyond the calendar. This episode details how the team used those months to strengthen diversity and inclusion planning for the project—25% minority-owned and 5% women-owned business enterprise participation targets, along with corresponding workforce diversity goals. The pause gave leadership space to embed these commitments into project culture from day one, rather than retrofitting them later.
For anyone managing large construction projects in healthcare, the lesson is clear: a coordinated team pause is not the same as project failure. With strong leadership communication and deliberate collaboration, nine months of pandemic disruption became an opportunity to sharpen execution, deepen partnerships, and embed organizational values into the project before breaking ground.
See also
What makes healthcare construction project logistics in congested urban hospital settings particularly challenging?
The intersection of Kings Highway and Barnes at the hospital plaza is an extraordinarily congested space. Lewandowski's team works to remove traffic obstruction while maintaining hospital operations during construction.
What is the current workforce size and trajectory for a growing minority-owned construction contractor?
Sled Rock Construction expanded from specialty carpentry to small general contracting and became signatory to both carpenters and laborers unions. This growth trajectory reflects the industry's increasing focus on minority-owned business participation.
What are the most damaging payment term practices in the construction industry?
Cordell Sawyer identified 60, 90, and 120-day payment terms as standard in construction, which he called unfathomable and particularly harmful to small and minority-owned contractors.