Over the past eight years, the general contractor Swinerton went through an up and down growth trajectory that was limited by where it operated and the products it focused on.
In 2018, the company—which dates back to 1888—came out with its March to 2030, a blueprint for future growth that emphasizes product and geographic diversity. Since that plan came to light, the firm has expanded into Texas, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Raleigh. And now, it is making its boldest move by opening its first office in New York City, which Swinerton envisions becoming its hub for the Northeast.
That’s a tall order, given that the company had virtually no presence in that part of the country outside of some work in New Jersey by its renewable energy group. But the COVID-19 pandemic created what Swinerton’s CEO Eric Foster calls “an opportunity in crisis.”
“We feel the need to answer the call to build back better and stronger in post-pandemic New York,” says David Callis, Swinerton’s president and COO.
Running the New York office is Andrew Pearl, a 14-year company veteran who grew up in northern New Jersey but had spent his entire career, until now, with Swinerton in San Diego and San Francisco. “I never intended to stay in California,” Pearl tells BD+C, and he’s been pushing the company to open a branch in New York practically since he joined the firm.
After the coronavirus hit, Swinerton’s executives approached Pearl in the spring of 2020 about accelerating the company’s growth plans for the Northeast. Swinerton officially opens its New York office today at 292 Madison Avenue with 10 fulltime employees.
HOMING IN ON EXISTING ACCOUNTS
Andrew Pearl, Swinerton's New York division manager, has been urging his firm to expand into New York City for more than a decade. Image: Swinerton.
Pearl, whose title is Vice President and Division Manager, says that for the next 12 to 18 months, the New York office’s strategy is to serve the firm’s 75-plus accounts with which it has master agreements. These include technology companies, big banks, and insurance companies. Indeed, the first job the New York office booked is a “small” project for one of its tech clients.
“Many of these clients have been asking us to expand east to do work for them, and now we can finally say ‘yes,’” says Pearl. He adds that the types of projects Swinerton’s New York office is focusing on initially are corporate interiors, aviation, and healthcare/life sciences.
LEVERAGING DIFFERENTIATORS
The New York metro area is the largest and one of the most competitive commercial construction markets in the U.S. Prior to the pandemic, the value of commercial and multifamily starts in the area stood at $30.9 billion in 2019, according to Dodge Data & Analytics estimates.
To get the word out about its new office, Swinerton has hired a local P.R. agency, Cathy Callegari Public Relations, whose client list includes several other construction and engineering firms. Pearl is also in the process of joining a nonprofit that specializes in community building and neighborhood revitalization, and that Swinerton is part of in nine other cities.
And while Swinerton is the new kid on the block in New York, Pearl believes that this $5 billion company, with 20 offices in nine states, can leverage several “differentiators” when pitching new and existing customers. For example, earlier this year Swinerton launched its Timberlab brand for mass timber delivery and integration. Its renewable energy group is active in 28 states. It has a real estate redevelopment business, and a design-build collaboration called Perq with the engineering firm Walker Consultants.
Pearl says the company also has operations in Philadelphia and northern Virginia that now fall under the New York office umbrella.
Related Stories
| Dec 2, 2010
GKV Architects wins best guest room design award for Park Hyatt Istanbul
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, PC won the prestigious Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design for best guest room, Park Hyatt Macka Palas, Istanbul, Turkey. Park Hyatt Maçka Palace marries historic and exotic elements with modern and luxurious, creating a unique space perpetuating Istanbul’s current culture. In addition to the façade restoration, GKV Architects designed 85 guestrooms, five penthouse suites, an ultra-hip rooftop bar, and a first-of-its-kind for Istanbul – a steakhouse, for the luxury hotel.
| Dec 2, 2010
U.S Energy Secretary Chu announces $21 Million to improve energy use in commercial buildings
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that 24 projects are receiving a total of $21 million in technical assistance to dramatically reduce the energy used in their commercial buildings. This initiative will connect commercial building owners and operators with multidisciplinary teams including researchers at DOE's National Laboratories and private sector building experts. The teams will design, construct, measure, and test low-energy building plans, and will help accelerate the deployment of cost-effective energy-saving measures in commercial buildings across the United States.
| Nov 29, 2010
Data Centers: Keeping Energy, Security in Check
Power consumption for data centers doubled from 2000 and 2006, and it is anticipated to double again by 2011, making these mission-critical facilities the nation’s largest commercial user of electric power. Major technology companies, notably Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, and International Business Machines, are investing heavily in new data centers. HP, which acquired technology services provider EDS in 2008, announced in June that it would be closing many of its older data centers and would be building new, more highly optimized centers around the world.
| Nov 29, 2010
New Design Concepts for Elementary and Secondary Schools
Hard hit by the economy, new construction in the K-12 sector has slowed considerably over the past year. Yet innovation has continued, along with renovations and expansions. Today, Building Teams are showing a keener focus on sustainable design, as well as ways to improve indoor environmental quality (IEQ), daylighting, and low-maintenance finishes such as flooring.
| Nov 29, 2010
Renovating for Sustainability
Motivated by the prospect of increased property values, reduced utility bills, and an interest in jumping on the sustainability bandwagon, a noted upturn in green building upgrades is helping designers and real estate developers stay busy while waiting for the economy to recover. In fact, many of the larger property management outfits have set up teams to undertake projects seeking LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EBOM, also referred to as LEED-EB), a certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
| Nov 23, 2010
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.
| Nov 23, 2010
Honeywell's School Energy and Environment Survey: 68% of districts delayed or eliminated improvements because of economy
Results of Honeywell's second annual “School Energy and Environment Survey” reveal that almost 90% of school leaders see a direct link between the quality and performance of school facilities, and student achievement. However, districts face several obstacles when it comes to keeping their buildings up to date and well maintained. For example, 68% of school districts have either delayed or eliminated building improvements in response to the economic downturn.
| Nov 16, 2010
Brazil Olympics spurring green construction
Brazil's green building industry will expand in the coming years, spurred by construction of low-impact venues being built for the 2016 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee requires arenas built for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro meet international standards for low-carbon emissions and energy efficiency. This has boosted local interest in developing real estate with lower environmental impact than existing buildings. The timing couldn’t be better: the Brazilian government is just beginning its long-term infrastructure expansion program.