Man of many (hard) hats

Given there are 49 separate tasks related to three major construction projects, looking around Bill Glatts' base of operations at first glance doesn't inspire confidence that anything will get done, much less on schedule.

His is a cramped office, and a somewhat messy one at that.

Can this guy really get the rebuilt Sam Boyd Stadium, the renovated Thomas & Mack Center and the spanking new Cox Pavilion completed on time?

In this case, looks are absolutely deceiving.

There's a method to Glatts' juggling madness. He knows precisely where each of UNLV's three major athletic construction endeavors is, to the last nut and bolt. His timetable tells him the Thomas & Mack will be ready for business again come Sept. 4 and the stadium will host the UNLV-Iowa State football game Sept. 18. The Rebel basketball team probably will get to work out in the three-story, 60,000 square-foot Cox Pavilion in early March.

What looks like chaos in Glatts' office is totally under control at the construction sites.

"It's all up here," he said, smiling, pointing to his head. "I'm mentally organized."

And that might be as close to bragging as you're going to get from this 49-year-old Philadelphian, who is the Thomas & Mack's facilities and operations director.

If Glatts had his way, he'd just as soon not see this story appear in print. He'd prefer to let the final products speak for themselves, having been completed on time and within budget, and let the facilities get the publicity.

He sees himself more as a lineman than a quarterback, a power forward instead of a point guard. That mentality must have derived from his days working at Bethlehem Steel. He's more shot-and-a-beer than Chardonnay.

"You tell me who to hit and how long to hit," he said. "Just point me in the right direction and let me have at it. I have tunnel vision."

Still, he has to be adept at juggling. To oversee three major building projects simultaneously takes a bit of wherewithal. Fortunately for UNLV, Glatts has been through it before.

"When I was at Brown, we did $85 million worth of construction over two years," he said. "We built new dorms, a new gym, a medical facility.

"It's three projects, but it's three manageable projects."

The Thomas & Mack is undergoing an $11 million renovation. A lot of the changes will be noticeable come September -- escalators leading to a new entry way, new concessions and restrooms, padded seats and a new scoreboard complete with state-of-the-art video capabilities.

But the most important changes are to the infrastructure. The plumbing, electrical wiring, lighting and air conditioning systems are all being overhauled so there won't be a need to rebuild from scratch down the road.

The $8.5 million Cox Pavilion will be the easiest of the three projects. It's a brand new structure so there won't be any surprises per se.

Sam Boyd Stadium? It is virtually being rebuilt from scratch. For Glatts, who enjoys taking something old and modernizing it, the stadium is the ultimate fixer-upper.

The $20 million price tag not only includes all the infrastructure improvements the T&M is getting, but the new seating, restrooms, concessions, club seating, luxury suites and press box will give the impression this is a brand new stadium.

Today, workers will "top off" the steel girders for the seven-story press box and luxury suites. It was only a couple of months ago the old press box was imploded.

"You can get a lot done quickly here (in Las Vegas)," Glatts said. "Even though we lost a month over the dispute, we'll still get it done on time."

The initial bid for contracting work on the stadium was not accepted by the university and the matter went to court, causing a 4-5 week delay. But the matter was settled and work continues unabated on the project.

Credit Glatts' background and his on-campus connections for things going so smoothly. He had worked in purchasing at both Brown and Texas A&M prior to arriving at UNLV in 1991. And anyone who has tried to do business with a state entity knows how grueling it can be.

Glatts forged relationships across campus and quickly learned the ropes on how to deal with Nevada's red tape. In purchasing, it is a fact of life that you have to go through certain channels to get what you need. And Glatts knows how to navigate those channels.

"He gets things done," Thomas & Mack director Pat Christenson said. "He's a tireless worker, he knows how to make adjustments and he's right on top of it.

"You can't do this unless you know the system and he's a guy who you can just point and let him go."

Glatts said: "It's important to be plugged in. You need help from a lot of people if you're going to be successful."

He makes sure the contractors assigned to the projects have what they need. He also has a keen eye for detail as well as the ledger. If he can save a few bucks while not compromising the quality, he does it.

He has conferred with football coach John Robinson about the new field being installed at the stadium. Things like how high the crown should be (Robinson wants as little crown as possible) or how he wants the new locker rooms to look.

He has talked to basketball coach Bill Bayno about what he wants for the new locker rooms at the pavilion and how he wants the practice court to be set up on the building's second floor. He makes sure athletic director Charles Cavagnaro is kept up to date on the status of the three projects so he can answer questions, be it at president Dr. Carol Harter's cabinet meeting or for a television reporter working on a story.

For Glatts, the satisfaction comes from his daily checkups of the three projects. When he sees progress being made, it brings a smile to his face.

"You see a change every day, so there's instant gratification," he said. "I've always enjoyed the college environment. When you're dealing with young people, it's rewarding. And it helps keep you young, too."

Glatts came to UNLV during a turbulent time. It was Jerry Tarkanian's final season as basketball coach. The athletic department was undergoing drastic changes. And Glatts, who was negotiating soft-drink contracts and finalizing television bids, found himself spending a lot of time at the T&M, which was preparing to undergo a major renovation to its concourse.

"I was interviewing at UNLV the day they had the fire on the catwalk before the basketball game from the fireworks," Glatts said. "I should have taken it as an omen," he added, laughing.

He wound up taking it as a challenge. He was the first to realize the deteriorating conditions in the Mack's infrastructure and that got the ball rolling in 1995 to find ways to fund the needed improvements.

Of course, the stadium was in disrepair and everyone knew that. And as the need for practice space in the Thomas & Mack for basketball grew, the idea of a separate practice facility grew.

And Glatts has been at the forefront, making sure the work gets done. His job wasn't to secure the financing (that fell to Christenson). But once the money was in place, he was responsible for making sure it was spent wisely and within budget.

Glatts may not see himself as the point guard on these projects, but he's calling the plays and that's fine with Christenson.

"You couldn't have a better person in charge," he said.

Glatts? He'll be glad when it's business as usual at the Thomas & Mack and at Sam Boyd Stadium this fall.

"I'm having a lot of fun doing this," he said. "Just watching this every day makes me happy."

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