With more than 60 active projects — each with its own complicated set of moving parts — it’s hard for Eric Paulantonio, director of Special Projects at Design and Construction Management, to describe any day as typical.

Between troubleshooting complex challenges, serving as an intermediary between project managers and clients, and improving longstanding processes, Paulantonio “wears a few different hats,” in his role.

“My goal is to provide a great customer experience,” Paulantonio said. “Projects should be quick and efficient, and even when clients don’t have the funding for everything they want, I want them to still feel like we made the best of their resources.”

Paulantonio has brought this philosophy to DCM since he started as associate director in 2017. Paulantonio’s career in construction began right out of college working for a general contractor and continued across the globe in a decade-long career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before landing at UC Davis.

“The university is really its own city and we’ve been granted authority over this jurisdiction. That gives us a lot of responsibility, but it's also a privilege,” Paulantonio said. “It’s our responsibility to interpret and enforce building code and University policies. It provides us with some flexibility and saves time and money.”

Paulantonio is committed to refining procedures that might otherwise be taken for granted by analyzing, codifying and standardizing them. So far this has included implementing a formalized process for closing out projects that ensures clients swiftly get any additional funds back.

One of the most impactful projects Paulantonio has led in his time at DCM is the general assignment classroom renovation program, a years-long project which improved dozens of classrooms to make them more pleasant and effective learning spaces. A unique aspect of the program was that no one department owned the classrooms being worked out, which gave the Special Projects team a higher degree of flexibility.

“It was really rewarding to have so much freedom to make decisions and see tangible results,” Paulantonio said.

The result of this effort is renovations to nearly 75% of general assignment classrooms in less than a decade, including major updates in Wellman Hall and the Chemistry Building. Read more about these transformations (and see before and after shots).

As director, Paulantonio only takes point on a handful of projects, usually the “small, weird ones” — projects with complicated extenuating circumstances or undefined plans. “It’s really rewarding to start with a squishy idea and be able figure it out and say, ‘alright, here’s the plan.’”

Paulantonio also finds fulfillment in supporting his team’s growth. To promote team building and professional development, Paulantonio has instated biweekly presentations, where a team member presents a five-minute slideshow on a (construction- or project management-related) topic of their choosing.

“It’s been a lot of fun and the team has been engaging,” Paulantonio said. “I think it's important to continue to work on your public speaking and communication skills.”

Outside of work, Paulantonio enjoys working on his skiing skills in the winter, often alongside his son, or playing a casual game of golf.