Cogence accepted submissions in the following categories: Project Award (Small), Project Award (Mid-size), Project Award (Large), Individual Award, and Emerging Leader | Rising Star.  Submissions were evaluated by an independent panel of judges.

The awards were presented Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at the Cogence Town Hall in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Drive Awards were re-named in 2024 in honor of Cogence Founder and Board member, Walter Jones, who passed away in December 2023.  Walter was the driving force in developing the Cogence Drive Awards program.

The Walter Jones Drive Awards honor the best in project collaboration, while showing our community how their contributions are improving project outcomes in the industry.  The awards highlight the critical role and immense value that collaboration and innovation bring to building projects. The awards also demonstrate to the A/E/C community how their contributions are improving project outcomes.

 

2026 Walter Jones Drive Awards were presented in the following categories:

 

SMALL PROJECT:  UP TO $15 MILLION

Cleveland Metroparks – Mill Stream Run Reservation; Wallace Lake Improvements

The Wallace Lake Improvements project completed several updates to the existing Wallace Lake area within Cleveland Metroparks’ Mill Stream Run Reservation, including a new concession building with a fireplace and outdoor programming area, a new restroom facility, and a new guest plaza. The concessions building features a commercial kitchen and a convertible pavilion with overhead glass doors and a cast stone fireplace, making the space usable year-round. Architectural design was completed by the Metroparks, who also self-performed various scopes of work alongside their skilled trades staff, while PTA Engineering served as MEP engineer and Regency Construction Services served as Construction Manager at Risk, also self-performing carpentry scopes.

Submitted by: Regency Construction and PTA Engineering

Delivery Method: CMR

Cost: Initial $1,957,349 vs. Final $1,891,952

Timeframe: October 2023 – June 2024

Collaboration Highlights:

• Regency and Metroparks skilled trades self-performed blended scopes, coordinated through an intermediary superintendent
• Regency hosted a 3-session construction academy for Baldwin Wallace University students, turning the project into an educational partnership
• Close coordination kept formal RFIs rare and returned $51,101 of unused contingency to the Metroparks

MID-SIZE PROJECT: $15 – $50 MILLION

Ohio Health Canal Winchester Health Center

OhioHealth developed the 42,846 SF Canal Winchester Health Center to expand access to emergency, primary, and specialty care in a growing community, combining a 10,000 SF freestanding emergency department with a 32,846 SF medical office building. A high-pressure natural gas main bisecting the site limited building placement, and OhioHealth pursued an all-electric facility rather than defaulting to natural gas based on energy performance and lifecycle cost goals. The design-build team of OhioHealth, IKM Architecture, Heapy, and Messer Construction advanced design, permitting, procurement, and construction activities in parallel through phased permit packages, turning interconnected site, budget, and schedule challenges into informed, collaborative decisions.

Submitted by: IKM Architecture

Delivery Method: Design-Build

Cost: Initial $23,726,487 vs. Actual $24,487,454

Timeframe: August 2023 – August 2025

Collaboration Highlights:

• 63 biweekly core team and OAC meetings kept OhioHealth, IKM, Messer, and Heapy aligned start to finish
• A late fireproofing code change threatened a 3-month delay; Messer re-sequenced work to limit it to 6 weeks
• Collaborative value engineering saved $1,238,298 while preserving the all-electric, energy-efficient design

LARGE PROJECT:  $50 – $350 MILLION

Progressive Field Renovations

Opened in 1994, Progressive Field has long served as both the home of the Cleveland Guardians and a cornerstone of downtown Cleveland’s revitalization. The Progressive Field Renovations represent the most ambitious improvement program in the facility’s history, modernizing fan amenities, player facilities, administrative workplaces, and essential MEP infrastructure across the East 9th Street Building, Administration Building, Terrace Hub, Carnegie Club, and home and visiting clubhouses. The project required precise coordination within a complex, active ballpark: limited floor-to-floor heights, existing utilities, and long-lead equipment demanded creative routing and rapid evaluation of alternatives, all while construction was carefully phased around the Guardians’ schedule to minimize disruption to games and stadium operations.

Submitted by: Karpinski Engineering

Delivery Method: CMR

Cost: Initial $195,544,685 vs. Actual $201,366,808

Timeframe: October 2023 – April 2025

Collaboration Highlights:

• Four postseason scenarios and disciplined pull-planning let crews mobilize within hours of the final out, with zero missed home games
• An alternate electrical solution cut equipment procurement from 54 weeks to 16, saving 42 weeks and lowering cost
• Two major construction cycles finished on an immovable Opening Day deadline, holding a $1M contingency balance

EMERGING LEADER/RISING STAR AWARD

Justin Gleason, Plus Detail

As Project Director at +Detail, Justin leads multidisciplinary teams as an extension of the owner’s team on behavioral healthcare projects across Northeast Ohio. On crisis centers for Coleman Health Services and Behavioral Healthcare Partners, he spent full days shadowing clinical staff before designing, so the whole team understood client needs rather than assumptions. That same curiosity built trust with contractors, keeping questions answered quickly. Using detailed budget tracking as his self-described “secret weapon,” Justin balanced design ambition with strict grant funding deadlines, helping deliver projects on time and on budget while mentoring junior staff at +Detail.

 

 

 

INDIVIDUAL AWARD: 

Christopher Nance, Greater Cleveland Partnership

As Vice President of Construction and Inclusive Talent Initiatives at the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Christopher was a leading advocate and collaborator in developing, passing, and implementing Cleveland’s Community Benefits Ordinance (CBO). He fostered a collaborative culture through focus groups, surveys, and stakeholder conversations that brought government, developers, community leaders, and industry participants into shaping the final framework. Beyond passage of the legislation, he kept connecting developers, contractors, and public agencies to support implementation, creating the CUBE Symposium and the Pipeline Development Program, which has engaged 70+ firms to grow participation by underrepresented contractors and workers

 

Congratulations to all the Walter Jones Drive Award Winners!

Christopher Nance (Greater Cleveland Partnership), Justin Gleason (Plus Detail), Scott Wagner (Regency Construction), Tami Greene (IKM Architecture), Jonathan Lusin (IKM Architecture), Sean McDermott and Ryan Denker (Cleveland Metroparks) enjoy the recognition for their hard work. 

 

Additional Awards Available for Order.

Team members on any of the winning projects can order an award for their company by contacting Jodie at “The Glass Asylum” info@theglassasylum.com. Project awards are “Purple on top”.