DATE: June 05, 2009

CONTACT: Elaine Worzala, 864-656-3925
eworzal@clemson.edu

WRITER: Ross Norton, 864-656-4810
rnorton@clemson.edu

Metromont gift names Richard H. Pennell Center for Real Estate Development

CLEMSON — Metromont Corp. President and CEO Rick Pennell Friday honored his father — as well as a long-term family commitment to the development industry — with a gift to Clemson University that names the Richard H. Pennell Center for Real Estate Development.

The $2.5 million gift will support the center’s activities with students, faculty and professionals as they seek better ways to build more sustainable communities. The Richard H. Pennell Center for Real Estate Development is a joint venture between Clemson’s College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities and the College of Business and Behavioral Science, a relationship that mirrors the complex nature of real estate development.

“We are grateful to the Pennell family for the dedication they show to their industry now and the commitment they make to the future,” said Clemson University President James F. Barker. “This gift will have a tremendous impact on our efforts to produce the next generation of innovators and leaders in real estate design, construction and development.”

Rick Pennell said it was the center’s blend of disciplines, from building arts to finance, that inspired the gift. (See the related article for more information.)

“It intrigued me that the program has students from architecture, landscape architecture and business, and marries them in a unique curriculum,” he said. “The center touches on everything we do at Metromont.”

Pennell said the center brings together students from various disciplines, just as real estate development brings together various professions in the working world. Metromont serves those professionals with a business based on precast concrete.

The Greenville-based company has projects that range from parking structures and thermal-efficient wall systems for schools, office buildings and dormitories, to affordable hurricane-resistant housing in New Orleans.

“Metromont is clearly a leader in an industry that is vital to helping make a difference in building better and more sustainable communities," said center Director Elaine Worzala. "The work that this company does in helping us build better and greener buildings is exactly the type of thing we want the center to be involved in.”  

Metromont was founded in 1925 by Captain J. Roy Pennell. Richard H. “Dick” Pennell Sr. (Clemson Class of 1950) now serves as chairman of the board for Metromont Corp., and Richard H. “Rick” Pennell Jr., president and CEO, is the third generation to run the company. Metromont’s construction expertise spans from schools, office buildings and parking decks to industrial plants and stadiums. The company has completed more than 50 stadiums, including seven for the NFL, 15 sports arenas and more than 650 parking decks. The company has plants in Greenville; Atlanta; Richmond, Va.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Nashville, Tenn.

The Richard H. Pennell Center for Real Estate Development seeks to complement Clemson University’s academic programming by providing research and outreach opportunities that will enhance the real estate profession.

For more information about the Richard H. Pennell Center for Real Estate Development, go to http://www.clemson.edu/caah/pla/cred/.