As New York City begins its reopening phase from the more than year-long pandemic that sent office workers and companies scrambling to other states, suburbs and the outer boroughs, construction services firm Swinerton stakes its claim on the gold coast of the East with its first New York office in the company’s 133-year-old history. Located at 292 Madison Avenue, the new office will be managed by Andrew Pearl, life-long Yankees fan and former New Yorker, who returns to his roots from Swinerton’s California headquarters to head up the New York operation.
“Despite the uncertainty due to the pandemic that adversely impacted New York City, particularly in the office market sector, Swinerton sees opportunity in crisis,” says Eric Foster, CEO of Swinerton. “We build nationally and will connect with our long-standing clients to serve them best in one of the hardest hit areas of the country.”
Swinerton is not your typical construction services company. It not only brings to New York its 133-year-old legacy in building expertise, but also its self-perform capability in key trades such as drywall, concrete, doors/frames/hardware; with Timberlab, mass timber delivery and integration; SAK Builders Division 3 concrete services; Swinerton Renewable Energy; and Perq, a first-of-its kind product in collaboration with Walker Consultants that is an innovation to design, build, and deliver pre-designed and pre-engineered parking solutions in 13 months. It is betting on bringing its expertise and national reputation in building Affordable Housing, Aviation, Education, Corporate and Critical Facilities, Gaming, Healthcare, Hospitality, Interiors, Residential, Retail, Life Sciences, and Renewable Energy to New York as it builds back stronger and better. The company is currently working for Fortune 500 Corporate Services clients in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia, and has already secured work in New York City.
“At Swinerton, we don’t see New York City at the end of its glory days in construction and real estate growth, and one would just need to look to Facebook’s 730,000-square-foot lease at Farley Post Office this summer as proof,” adds Andrew Pearl, Swinerton VP, Division Manager. “As others see a decline in urban centers, in a post-COVID climate, we are targeting corporate interiors as a sector presenting for change with many more hard-walled offices as opposed to open spaces. As people return to the city, the spaces in which they live, work, and learn will need to be re-configured.”
Swinerton has thrived and survived the test of time by emerging into a $5 billion national commercial construction company with great financial strength, national clients, project diversity, and a company culture that is proud of its 100% employee ownership. Many Swinerton buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places and architectural preservation lists. It currently has 20 offices in nine states across the country and is ranked #17 on the ENR 2021 list of top contractors in the country. The company adapted its construction strategies and pivoted to survive two World Wars, a Great Depression and a Great Recession, two global pandemics, as well as many crises and national disasters.
“Swinerton is staying true to its DNA by expanding the markets we explore and targeting opportunities to build in locations where our clients have needs,” adds David Callis, Swinerton President and COO. “We are a very hands-on company with a white glove approach to building and feel the need to answer the call to build back better and stronger in post-pandemic New York.”
The company, which was founded in 1888 as a masonry and contracting firm, put down roots by following the post-gold rush era in Los Angeles. When disaster struck San Francisco in 1906 and a major earthquake destroyed 28,000 structures, the only buildings left standing were built of concrete by Swinerton, making them the first to pioneer reinforced concrete as a building material to withstand the pressures of California earthquakes.
Swinerton has been a 100% employee-owned company since 1980 in which nearly 5000 employees, half of which represent the trade, share in the company’s profits and are thoroughly committed to its success. The Swinerton Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that helps build sustainable cities and neighborhoods by partnering with community-focused non-profit organizations to support health, social services, cultural, education, and environmental programs that benefit all members of the community.
“Being in the New York market has accelerated the company’s 15-year business plan to expand both geographically and through sector diversification,” concludes Andrew Pearl. “For now, we are bullish on office interiors as our target sector and fulfilling our East Coast expansion plan.”
Related Stories
| Dec 27, 2011
Ground broken for adaptive reuse project
Located on the Garden State Parkway, the master-planned project initially includes the conversion of a 114-year-old, 365,000-square-foot, six-story warehouse building into 361 loft-style apartments, and the creation of a three-level parking facility.
| Dec 27, 2011
Nova completes $60M Clearwater Conference Center
Comprising an entire city block, the 450,000 sq. ft. facility features over 400 meeting rooms, six theaters, a full-service health spa, complete with an indoor running track, and a commercial kitchen that can efficiently accommodate over 1,000 diners
| Dec 27, 2011
BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit update
The two-day Under 40 Leadership Summit continued with a Leadership Style interactive presentation; Great Solutions presentations from Under 40 attendees; the Owner’s Perspective panel discussion; and the Blue Ocean Strategy presentation.
| Dec 27, 2011
Suffolk Construction celebrates raising of Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum cupola
Topping off ceremony held on 238th Anniversary of Boston Tea Party.
| Dec 27, 2011
State of the data center 2011
Advances in technology, an increased reliance on the Internet and social media as well as an increased focus on energy management initiatives have had a significant impact on the data center world.
| Dec 27, 2011
USGBC’s Center for Green Schools releases Best of Green Schools 2011
Recipient schools and regions from across the nation - from K-12 to higher education - were recognized for a variety of sustainable, cost-cutting measures, including energy conservation, record numbers of LEED certified buildings and collaborative platforms and policies to green U.S. school infrastructure.
| Dec 21, 2011
DOE report details finance options for PV systems in schools
The report examines the two primary types of ownership models used to obtain PV installations for school administrators to use in selecting the best option for deploying solar technologies in their districts.
| Dec 21, 2011
AIA Chicago & AIA Chicago Foundation 2011 Dubin Family Young Architect Award announced
The Dubin Family Young Architect Award is bestowed annually and recognizes excellence in ability and exceptional contributions by a Chicago architect between the ages of 25 and 39.
| Dec 21, 2011
Few silver linings for construction in 2012
On the brighter side, nearly half of respondents (49.7%) said their firms were in at least “good” financial health, and four-fifths (80.2%) said their companies would at least hold steady in revenue in 2012.
| Dec 21, 2011
BBI key to Philly high-rise renovation
The 200,000 sf building was recently outfitted with a new HVAC system and a state-of-the-art window retrofitting system.