First-Yates Construction, a joint-venture formed as part of the SBA mentor/protégé program, was awarded the design and construction for the Headquarters of the Environmental Laboratory at the Engineer Research and Development Center located in Vicksburg, MS. This two-story facility provides individual office space for 316 employees in a campus like environment. Because the building primarily called for single-occupant offices, a plan was designed to maximize use of windows for as many building occupants as possible. The project design included enclosed offices along the exterior walls, a large conference room, administrative areas, additional internal offices, coffee bars, meeting rooms, and miscellaneous support areas – all accessed through an internal circulation system. This facility has received USGBC LEED Gold Certification.