Project management as partnership is credo of tenant/owner rep

Real Estate Weekly, July 14, 1999

In the fast-evolving world of Project Management, a firm established less than five years ago has secured a firm foothold on some of the largest corporate redevelopment projects in the tri-state area.

The combination of a multi-faceted staff in excess of 20 professionals and principal involvement in every project makes for a successful formula. Today, even though just about every major renovation or relocation has a project manager on board, Quartararo & Associates (Q&A) remains among the firms to put corporate finance, facilities and construction professionals together for the benefit of the project and the clients.

"There's no question that a corporate relocation or redevelopment project benefits from the input of a professional project manager," says Raymond Quartararo, president of the firm. "Now take that single project manager and turn him or her into a comprehensive team that spans many disciplines, and tackles issues from the technical aspects of the lease and analysis of plan through to the move-in, and you've increased the benefit ten-fold. That's what we do."

The sophisticated Q&A method of project management is a far cry from the days when office managers and facilities managers were burdened with their companies' multimillion-dollar renovation. Similarly, building managers had traditionally been directed to manage massive capital improvement programs at major office buildings. "Project management takes extreme focus on the literally thousands of macro and micro aspects of the project," says Dennis Squilla, executive vice president of Q&A. "Although facility managers and building managers are perfectly competent at their jobs, they are too busy managing the day-to-day business for which they're responsible to take on a major, all-consuming project. Also, these projects might crop up only every 10 years for an in-house manager, while we are immersed in the ever-changing progress of this business every day."

Beyond the execution of the relocation or redevelopment, project management produces benefits in the initial planning stages of a project. Whether the task is the evaluation of potential relocation sites or preliminary budgeting for a new building facade, Q&A produces great value in providing strategic planning input that eliminates problems before they develop down the road. "We are called project managers, but really we manage the process that draws all aspects of a relocation or redevelopment together," Squilla says. "We provide value-added project management consulting services to corporate and institutional clients. It's not an easy concept to fit into a two-word description, but it becomes crystal clear when you take a look at the scope of our work and our accomplishments."

Q&A is currently directing more large-scale corporate facilities development projects than any other project management firm in the tri-state area, the principals say. Projects include the massive tri-state redevelopment and consolidation of 15 facilities into three major corporate campuses for PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PWC). In this case, Q&A is helping PWC create new, cutting-edge facilities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to house its newly merged practices throughout the tri-state region.

Another project, albeit smaller in scale, that Q&A recently completed was equally complex: the restoration/renovation of the French Institute/Alliance Francaise (FIAF), a 75-year-old townhouse re-envisioned by famed architect Michael Graves.

"The bottom line is that I run a cultural institution and have never managed a construction project; I needed a project manager who would walk me through it, protect the interest of this not-for-profit organization, and deliver the project in not only a timely fashion, but also under budget," explains David Black, the Institute's Executive Director. "Q&A delivered on all counts. They held my hand when needed; they ran the project with FIAF's interests in mind; they saved us money; they delivered the project in a professional, timely manner; and they created and lead a unified team of FIAF, the architect and the construction company."

In other ongoing business, Q&A is also coordinating the relocation of Empire BlueCross & BlueShield from its former Midtown headquarters into a 400,000 square-foot facility at One World Trade Center. This is the headline-grabbing portion of the firm's work for Empire, which also includes the integration of additional facilities throughout New York State.

The firm is also engaged by J&H Marsh & McLennan, for which it just completed the consolidation of two major Manhattan facilities (including the relocation of 800 people over six months in multiple phases). Currently, Q&A is managing the company's 350,000 square-foot relocation from 125 Broad Street to a newly leased facility at One World Trade Center.

As impressive as its work for tenants, Quartararo & Associates has carved out a niche as a powerful partner for institutions and owners of property that are planning major renovations or improvement programs. Today, the firm is nearing completion of the $25 million capital improvement program at 919 Third Avenue on behalf of J.P. Morgan Investment Management, and has handled similar projects for Prudential Insurance.