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Virginia C apitol C onnections, Fall 2015 7
“I’m proud of all the innovations we were able to put into the
system; better ways to do business, more cost-effective for the
taxpayers,” Sliwoski said. “When I came here, DGS was pretty
much viewed as providing merely mops and brooms. I think we
have developed an appreciation and acknowledgment of the
professionalism and excellent customer service that DGS provides.”
Sliwoski’s goal was to create a department that was viewed as
“entrepreneurs of state government,” he said. The U.S. Treasury
twice called on Sliwoski to travel oversees -to South Africa and
then to Slovenia -to teach about the capital acquisition process
and provide suggestions on how to improve their capital project
delivery processes.
He tries to talk to every new DGS employee on their first day,
stressing the importance of professionalism and explaining how
they fit into the labyrinth that is DGS.
“I tell them that they will be treated with dignity and respect
and that we appreciate their contribution at whatever level they are
because they all contribute to our success and our reputation,” he
said.
In a department with more than 640 employees, Sliwoski led by
example, Secretary of Administration Nancy Rodrigues said.
“Rich put the right people in the right positions at the right time
and then stepped back and let them shine,” Rodrigues said. “He
offers the perfect combination of support and direction, and he led
his staff with strength and empathy.”
Susan Clarke Schaar, Clerk of the Senate, has worked with
Sliwoski for over 15 years and calls him “a great professional and
friend.”
“Ihavetheutmostrespect
for his professionalism and
ability. He is always able
to see the ‘big picture’ on a
project and understand the
players on each project,”
she said. “It was my honor
to work with him on the
Capitol renovation and
expansion project. We are
very proud of the project
and that everyone was able
to put aside their turf battles
for the good of the building.”
House of Delegates
Clerk G. Paul Nardo called
Sliwoski a consummate
professional and “a valued
asset to theCommonwealth.”
“I have admired his
ability to balance competing priorities and personalities, while
always trying to get projects not just completed but done right, on
time and on budget,” Nardo said. “I’m especially grateful for Rich’s
many contributions to improving and preserving our Capitol and
Capitol Square for the use and enjoyment of generations to come.
I wish him continued success as he sets off toward new horizons.”
Sliwoski said his philosophy has been “just going out there and
doing what’s best for the Commonwealth.” And while he smiles
when he passes the plaque inside the Capitol that bears his name,
he says that’s not his greatest accomplishment as director of DGS.
So what is?
“Just the work DGS does,” he said. “I’m proud of the folks.”
Dena Potter is Director of Communications at the Department of
General Services.
Long after Richard F. Sliwoski leaves
his post as Director of the Department
of General Services, the Capitol Square
grounds that he presided over for nearly a
decade will continue to bear his mark.
When he first arrived to the department
in 2000 as its Director of the Division
of Engineering and Buildings, “there
were trees growing out of the side of the
Oliver Hill Building,” Sliwoski said.
Little by little, he led major renovation
projects to the buildings that dot Capitol
Square, including not only the Oliver Hill Building but also
the Patrick Henry, Washington, and Madison buildings, and the
current Ninth Street Office Building project. In the middle of it all
sits his crowning achievement: the construction, renovation and
underground extension of the historic Virginia Capitol, completed
in 2007.
“There are no words I can give you that describe the pride I have
for having my name associated with Mr. Jefferson’s Capitol for time
immemorial,” said Sliwoski, P.E., from his office overlooking the
Capitol.
Sliwoski will retire in October from the department he has lead
since 2006. His public service career spans nearly four decades,
including a decorated career with the Army Corps of Engineers.
Sliwoski’s reach as DGS Director extends far beyond the
Capitol grounds. When he couldn’t find a welcoming landlord
for the Richmond Health
Department’s new
Richmond office, he led
the effort to purchase a new
building downtown, along
with Main Street Centre.
His department has built
parking decks for state
employees, constructed a
new Virginia School for the
Deaf and Blind in Staunton,
the Albert G. Horton Jr.
Memorial cemetery in
Suffolk, the Sitter-Barfoot
veterans care center in
Richmond, the Southeast
Virginia Training Center,
a new forensics lab in
northern Virginia and new
facility for his department’s
Division of Consolidated
Laboratory Services, among others.
Still, construction is only a portion of Sliwoski’s responsibilities
running the state’s most eclectic department.
Under his watch, DGS transformed the way the Commonwealth
manages its real estate portfolio, resulting in over $125 million in
cost savings and avoidance. It performs over 7 million analytical
laboratory tests annually from suspected Ebola cases, to screening
newborns for rare but deadly disorders, to testing the food we eat
and the water we drink. It runs the Commonwealth’s electronic
procurement system, eVA; maintains a state vehicle fleet of 4,700;
runs a 7,000-space parking system; operates the federal and state
surplus programs; tends to the grounds of Capitol Square and over
3 million square feet of facilities; and runs the Virginia Distribution
Center that provides over $34 million of food and janitorial supplies
throughout the Commonwealth, with an annual cost savings of $15
million in each of the last five years.
General Services Director Leaves Mark on Capitol Square
By Dena Potter
V