Project management as partnership is credo of tenant/owner rep

Real Estate Weekly, July 14, 1999

"Dennis or I are involved in every single project we direct," Quartararo boasts, proud of his commitment to his clients. "You'll see me at Empire BlueCross' offices in the morning, and then it's up to 919 Third Avenue in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Dennis will be at J&H Marsh McLennan all day today, then up to PriceWaterhouse Coopers for a late meeting. When we take on a project, we create a partnership with our clients - a partnership in which there is no handoff, but rather a commitment to personally be an integral part of that team."

Q&A's clients agree that the principal involvement provides an added comfort level for them throughout the project. "Since Dennis has been in the business a long time, and is a principal in Q&A, he carries a tremendous amount of clout, so having him involved in our project in a very visible manner has been extremely valuable," said Valerie DiFebo, a partner and group director of Deutsch, Inc., the 80,000 square-foot advertising agency that is working with Q&A on its relocation project. "We have our senior management involved in our business, and so we are delighted with the investment that Q&A is making to us and our project through their regular principal-level involvement."

Keeping clients happy is only one part of his job, Quartararo says. In addition, the firm and all its professionals need to stay on top of technological advances and trends that support modern corporate infrastructures, and develop working relationships with teams of contractors, architects, vendors, consultants and engineers who each work with their own hallmark style. "As a young firm, we recognize the importance of continuing the education of our staff," Squilla explains. "It is not unusual for weekly staff meetings to include presentations from real estate professionals or telecom consultants. The quality of our staff is even more evident when you hear they are meeting on their own time to work on a company project management manual."

All this training and dedication comes into play when the armies of consultants, contractors, sub-contractors and specialists get to work on a relocation or redevelopment project - all at the same time. Q&A's primary job becomes the coordination of efforts to achieve the desired results. Solid coordination leads to hard-fast results, including cost-savings for the client.

"The savings we are realizing by their involvement - through value engineering, maintaining tight control of the process and keeping their eye on the ball - far outweigh the fees associated with their services," said Thomas Gress, vice president of J&H Marsh & McLennan, Inc. for which Q&A is currently managing the development of its World Trade Center headquarters offices. "That's the bottom line. But there's no price-tag that we can put on the value their objectivity brings to the overall success of the project. Q&A was able to secure, evaluate and disseminate critical project information, enabling us to make the most informed decisions. They are an invaluable partner for us."