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Facilities Department

Facility Services

Facility Services handles maintenance, landscaping, custodial, energy, water, trash and recycling across 13.0 million square feet in the educational and general buildings on the Columbia campus. The Facilities Customer Service Center closed out over 23,000 work orders in 2022-23 and takes an average of 48 calls per day. See more of what falls under this team's mission work.

Leadership

Jason Lambert, PE, SE, CEFP | Associate Vice President of Facility Services

Lambert has spent over 15 years working in college facilities, including as the senior director of facilities operations and infrastructure at the University of Georgia from 2017-22. He oversaw all aspects of campus maintenance, construction and utility production as part of his duties, and he managed, among other projects, an infrastructure and energy efficiency and recapitalization program in Athens. Previously, he led the skilled trades shop and construction project management office for the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. A structural engineer, he also worked with PCS Structural Solutions in Washington, helping rejuvenate a historical warehouse district at UW Tacoma, construct nearly two dozen K-12 schools, and functioned as the campus engineer for two regional health care systems. Lambert earned his bachelor's in Architectural Engineering at the University of Wyoming, his master's in Project Management at Colorado State University, and is actively pursuing his Doctorate of Public Administration at Valdosta State University.


Justin Shinta, MBA, FMP, PMP | Director of Special Projects and Initiatives

Shinta has worked on a wide range of construction management related projects and facility maintenance initiatives throughout his career, including eight years total at Santee Cooper, Dominion Energy and Lowes Foods. Prior to that, he spent eight years in the U.S. Army before attending the military veterans program at The Citadel, where he received his bachelor’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He earned his master's in Business Administration at Clemson in 2019 and is a certified Facilities Maintenance Professional. A native of Charleston, he is married Ashley and has two kids. He spends his free time watching sports, playing in the yard, tinkering on house projects and coaching his son’s baseball team.


Steve Vedral, NCARB, LEED AP | Director of Facilities Renovations and Infrastructure Construction

Vedral brings over 30 years of experience in architecture and construction to the University of South Carolina. His previous role came at the Northern Arizona University, where he was the associate vice president for facility services. There, his department handled planning, design and construction, custodial services, grounds, trade shops, fire life safety, utility services and the Office of Sustainability. Previously, he directed the capital projects teams at both Arizona State University and the University of Nebraska. Vedral holds a bachelor's degree of Architecture from New Jersey Institute of Technology and a master's in Construction Management from Arizona State University.


The various Facility Services teams maintain the following:
  • 400 acres of physical space
  • 65 acres of turf
  • Nearly 7,000 trees from more than 80 varieties
  • 189 miles in sidewalk
  • 57 acres of roofing
  • 28,400 miles of wires in buildings
  • 14,500 miles of pipes in buildings
  • 21 miles combined of underground electric wiring and steam, condensate and chilled water piping
  • 720,000 square feet of window glass.

And it delivers 1.2 million gallons of water daily and 600 million pounds of steam yearly, part of approximately $28 million of cost to power, heat, cool and provide water across the Columbia campus.


Directory

Name Title
Jason Lambert Associate Vice President, Facility Services
Justin Shinta Director, Special Projects and Initiatives
Steve Vedral Director, Facilities Renovation and Infrastructure Construction
Quinton Bolin Assistant Director, Energy Plants
Dale Branham Assistant Director, Maintenance Services
TBD Assistant Director, Custodial Services
Thatcher Hurt Assistant Director, Building Services
Zachary Kay Assistant Director, Facilities Work Management
Troy Nelson Assistant Director, Energy Management
Norman Stewart Assistant Director, Landscape and Waste & Recycling Services

For all issues that involve our group (maintenance, custodial, landscaping, emergency issue), please use the Submit a Request form or call our customer service center at 803-777-4217

Facilities Department


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