Donna Nardella with Suffolk Construction Company Receives 2021 Gary E. Bird Horizon Award for Adoption of an AI-Led Forecasting Platform
Release Date:
Nov 8, 2021
Dallas, TX, November 8,
2020—Donna Nardella, director of planning for Suffolk Construction
Company, received the 2021 Gary E. Bird Horizon Award
today at the International Risk Management Institute,
Inc. (IRMI), Construction Risk Conference (CRC) for her submission “Applying
Deep Learning Techniques To Derive Construction Risk Insights and Deliver
Improved Project Performance.”
Ms. Nardella’s submission
detailed her adoption of a forecasting platform led by artificial
intelligence (AI) to approach project analysis from a new angle. This allowed
her organization to have improved confidence in schedule delivery and
mitigated risks in a large construction project.
The Gary E. Bird Horizon
Award, sponsored by Travelers, is presented annually by IRMI to recognize a
demonstrated commitment to improving construction risk management through
the implementation of innovative, cost-effective, and efficient risk
management techniques.
Submissions are judged by an
independent panel of seven industry professionals. The 2021 judges are as
follows.
-
Steve
Bird, director, risk management, Zachry Industrial, Inc.
-
Kathleen Creedon,
owner/consultant, Wrap Strategies
-
David Dolnick, president,
Dolnick Risk Advisors
-
Karen Keniff, vice
president, national lead for large and complex construction risk,
CNA
-
Jennifer Lee, vice
president, national practice lead, loss-sensitive and wrap-up,
construction, Travelers
-
TJ Lyons, safety
professional, DPR Construction
-
Joseph Russo, executive
vice president, regional construction industry leader—Northeast, Willis
Towers Watson
“The concept of using AI to
make this industry more productive by a better evaluation of risk is
innovative and a potential game changer,” Ms. Lee noted.
“I find the application of
artificial intelligence and machine learning to improving a construction
contractor’s understanding of a project’s risks to be of very high
value,” added Mr. Bird. “Too often, unforeseen circumstances lead to project
delays, and before anyone knows what hit them, substantial liquidated damages
are being incurred. A better, more accurate evaluation of a project upfront
could help avoid some very big problems all too common to contractors on
large projects.”
The other finalist for the
award was the Risk Management Department of Jordan Foster
Construction, LLC, for their submission, “Creating Future Construction
Leaders.”
About IRMI
For more than 40 years, IRMI has helped save lives and livelihoods as the
premier provider of risk management and insurance information, tools,
education, and training. IRMI helps risk management, insurance, and legal
professionals make better decisions for their companies and clients with
unbiased expertise and balanced, comprehensive content. For more information,
visit https://www.irmi.com.
Contact: Heidi Vincent, (800)
827–4242