Expanding the Safety Envelope: Joe Burrus on the Vita Load Navigator

hen Joe Burrus, Project Executive of DPR Construction, Austin, TX, first encountered the Vita Load Navigator (VLN) during a demonstration in Houston, he admits he wasn’t sure what to expect. The system looked promising, but he wondered how it would perform once it left the testing ground and faced the realities of a live project.

That chance came on the Waterline project in Austin, Texas. Rising 74 stories and topping out at 1,024 feet, Waterline has redefined the city’s skyline and claimed its place as the tallest building in the Lone Star State. A mixed-use marvel, it is as ambitious as it is iconic, and it demanded tools and practices that could keep pace with its scale and complexity. For Joe, it was the perfect stage to see what the VLN could really deliver.

He had anticipated the system would offer an extra layer of safety for high-altitude operations, but what stood out immediately was its overall power and performance. “The system was a lot more powerful than I anticipated,” Joe recalled. Crews quickly recognized that the VLN could handle tough conditions with ease, and the longer-than-expected battery life kept it running throughout long workdays without interruption. When Joe noted the building’s height would not work with the control pendants' range of 600 feet, Vita was able to pair another remote with the unit, allowing the crew to have full control at all points of the operation.

The biggest surprise, however, came when the weather turned. Strong winds are often a project’s greatest enemy, shutting down operations and eating away at schedules and budgets. Joe explained that without the VLN, his crews would have been limited to working only on calm days with wind speeds under 25 miles per hour. With the system in place, though, they continued to operate safely in winds reaching 35–40 miles per hour. “The VLN basically doubled our operational days,” he said. “Instead of waiting around for calmer weather, we kept moving.”

Those extra days translated into real time saved. Joe estimated the system cut about a week off the overall project schedule, an enormous gain given the daily costs of running a project of that scale. When design changes required a formal change order, the VLN was included seamlessly, helping to offset costs and proving itself a worthwhile investment. “Once you experience what it can do, it’s not a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have,” Joe emphasized. The formal inclusion also created a precedent: future projects could point to Waterline as a case study where the VLN wasn’t just tested, but contractually integrated, paving the way for broader adoption across the industry.

For Joe, the safety benefits were just as important as the productivity gains. He described moments when panels being removed could have easily slammed back into the building or endangered workers on site. With the VLN, those risks were dramatically reduced. “That’s when it hit me,” Joe said. “This isn’t just a productivity tool. It’s a safety tool. And it works.”

Looking ahead, Joe is considering adding the VLN to DPR’s high-rise best practices, ensuring the system becomes a standard part of the company’s safety culture. What began as curiosity during a Houston demo has turned into a strong belief in the VLN’s ability to reshape the way complex projects are delivered. As Joe put it, “It gave us more time, more safety, and more confidence. That’s the kind of tool you want on every job.”

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