< Previous330.615.7035Specializing in: Metal Stud Framing Drywall Partitions Acoustical Ceiling Systems Door and Hardware Installation Finish Wood Trim and Cabinet InstallationProud to assist the professionals at Premier Development Partners in many successful projects, past, present and future.quality service from inception to handover and beyond, often still taking care of maintenance more than 20 years later. As a developer of some of the most distinguished properties in the area, the team understands ownership and the responsibilities and complexities that come with this responsibility. As such, the company is well-versed in assisting new owners in seeing projects from a proprietary perspective, helping them to make wise decisions that will serve their investments well over the long term.By the company’s own description, the word ‘partner’ is part of its name due to the fact that it views and treats every single team member, customer and sub-contractor as a valued part of its team. This northeastern Ohio giant is a partner in every sense. “Nobody works for us. Instead, we all team up to assist our business partners together,” says Jerry Gruszewski, Founding Member and Senior Partner. By spending time listening to clients and identifying their exact needs, Premier Development Partners designs facilities, offices, and healthcare and educa-tional institutions that fulfill their functions and exceed their clients’ needs. In fact, the company is Ohio’s trusted supplier when it comes to handling new office and indus-trial expansions. Its sterling service includes helping clients clearly identify and outline their needs, design their dream building, price it, finance their project and build it. In addition, where clients are unable to take sole proprietorship of a property, the company will own the building with the client, or own it exclusively and lease it to the client. Premier Development Partners is structured across three overall divisions, namely the construction group, who manages all construction projects; the development and leasing team, who searches for and secures projects; and the property manage-ment group, who oversees the daily management of the com-pany’s properties. “Our customers continue to enjoy the same level of finish as when the building was completed,” says Jerry. The team prides itself on being excellent communicators and on working with customers to meet schedules, goals, and objectives on time. Most importantly, it fosters high-qual-ity rela-tionships. It is for this reason that every single one of Premier’s close-knit group of experts treats each project as their own, and this is a trait that extends into encouraging new owners to leverage market trends in order to increase the value of their property investments. Part of this well-honed skill in property investment is paying attention to the smallest detail. With their real estate knowledge, these market-savvy leaders guide clients in everything from acquiring land to securing Arhaus15,000 SF Arhaus Mock StoreNOVEMBER 201830 guarantees, adhering to environmental standards, and design all the way through to moving in. Nothing escapes their scrutiny, ensuring a smooth process throughout.As with any solid relationship, this entire process pivots on clear and regular communication and the team makes it its foremost priority to keep all stakeholders fully informed throughout all projects. Integrity is the mainstay of Premier’s success and all team members are accounta-ble to themselves and each other to uphold this standard. “We handle our contracting differ-ent-ly than other people in that we make each of our partners in the design team responsible for their individual category. This lessens change orders and confusion and creates a better value engineering project,” says Linda Sherman, Senior Partner and Founding Member.Premier Development Partners was founded in 2006 when Spencer Pisczak and Ross Farro obtained 330 acres of land in Northeast Ohio from Duke Realty Corporation, where both part-ners had been Senior Vice Presidents prior to the company diversifying into new markets. The two leaders established the new full-service development and construction firm with the sole purpose of serving corporate property partners in the state and beyond. Its two other founding members, Linda Sherman, and Jerry Gruszewski, also share the two leaders’ extensive experi-ence in real estate and commercial construction. With a phenomenal drive to exceed expectations, the company is particularly well-known for three major projects that it completed to the satisfaction of its clients. One of these was the 175 000 square foot office building and headquarters of Developers Diversified, a real estate investment trust based in Beachwood, Ohio. The beautifully modern project came with a $35 million price tag and holds the Building Owners and Managers Association International’s (BO-MA) coveted Class A ranking, a classification reserved for only the most highly sought-after and desirable office buildings in the world. “Nobody works for us. Instead, we all team up to assist our business partners together.”Premier Development Partners was also responsible for building the national headquarters and distribution center of Arhaus Furniture, the high-end furniture designer and manu-facturer. The facility stretches across all of 775 000 square feet and was the largest building of its size to be erected in the greater Cleveland market in decades. Third on the company’s long list of distin-guished construction projects is College 31CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Town Kent, a mixed-use project in the City of Kent that was started in 2013 and concluded in 2015. The game-changing project was a collaboration between the City of Kent and Kent State University, Ohio’s second largest university. At a cost of $35 million, this multi-faceted development comprised res-taurants, retail spaces, offices and a five-story block of student residence apartments, and brought a much-needed economic upturn to the area. This star accomplishment was awarded the Commercial Real Estate Development Association’s (NAIOP) 2013 Construction Project of the Year – a great industry honor that the company holds in high regard. Apart from its prestigious property portfolio, part of the compa-ny’s popularity is the fact that it believes in transparency – espe-cially when it comes to the pricing and design process. As such, its projects tend to come in under budget, ensuring that there are no shocks at handover. “Be-cause we are owners, we think like owners and therefore we can help our clients to process decisions and designs and help them see it as an owner,” says Jerry. This habit has stood Prem-ier in particularly good stead and its team has grown by 20 percent over the past year. Flow is an important part of this operation and everyone is cross-trained in order to be able to pick up the reins when work speeds up. A spirit of teamwork binds the group and there are no one-man-bands to be found, here. As a result, its profes-sionalism and consistently sterling results are highly prized by global players. “We work with Xerox; Ametek, the global electronics manufacturer; Progressive Insurance; AT&T Inc., the KentDavey Tree sunset skyHudson Crossing ParkwayNOVEMBER 201832 world’s largest telecommunications com-pany; OverDrive, Inc., an American global distributor of digital reading material and film, and many more high profile clients who trust us to deliver the best facilities and office spaces out there,” says Nicole Delguyd, Director of Marketing. The company’s 40 percent annual growth rate of the past ten years, although phenomenal, comes as little surprise consid-ering this team’s premier work ethic and unique approach to business. In fact, the firm has been awarded two Weatherheads awards for ‘best example of leadership, growth, and success in the region.’ Despite the escalating cost of construction mate-rials globally, Premier Development Partners is dedicated to delivering quality construction at reasonable prices.And its heart is as big as its drive to deliver. Employees are encour-aged to give back to their communities in whatever ways they can and are even allotted special days during which they are able to work for the charities of their choice. Each senior partner supports their own causes like Young Life and other operations as far afield as Nicaragua, Ecuador, and other countries. “The team makes it its foremost priority to keep all stakeholders fully informed throughout all projects.”Having spread from northeast Ohio to the Chicago area, Indiana and Florida, this company’s goal is set on growing its reach even further. With the healthcare industry growing exponential-ly, Premier is very much focused on expanding its portfolio in this specific field. However, or-ganic growth is what it is aiming for and, as Jerry pointed out, Premier Development Partners will continue to build its market share “one brick at a time.” One of the many things that stand out about this formidable group is that it knows what it is talking about, and as Linda points out via Abraham Lincoln, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” We’ll be following Premier Develop-ment Partners’ growth with great excitement as 2019 no doubt holds even greater suc-cesses for this elite team of go-getters. 33CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS NOVEMBER 201834Watkins Landmark Construction is a general contractor operating in California that specializes in building landmark projects. “We pride ourselves on the quality of service we bring to difficult projects that require a higher level of expertise,” says Dean Schumacher, Vice President of Business Development. “We don’t shy away from a challenge.”Written by Ryan CartnerThe company was established in 2004 by founder Jody James Watkins in San Diego, California. In the employ of another company, Watkins had acquired a great deal of industry experience working on a number of major projects in the area including Petco Park, Indian Wells Tennis Garden, and the Pacific Athletic Club. He decided that he would apply that experience to opening his own contracting business, and in the fall of 2004 he formed Watkins Landmark. The company started small, doing primarily site-development work, but within a few years it was working on much larger ground-up projects that were more challenging in nature and more impactful to their surrounding communities. Watkins’ vision was to focus on landmark projects that would leave a lasting impression, and throughout the course of the compa-ny’s existence it has delivered consistently on that promise.In 2005, Watkins hired Dean Schumacher as the company’s first employee, and since that time the business has grown consis-tently. Today, Watkins Landmark Construction has roughly 70 employees operating out of three offices in Carlsbad, Indian Wells, and Anaheim and has delivered on a large number of very challenging, prominent landmark projects throughout Southern California. “The company has consistently adapted to the ever-evolving needs of customers.”35CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS “The best terminology for this type of work is projects with hair on them,” says Schumacher. “These are the difficult projects that Watkins Landmark embraces; these projects challenge us to do more and think outside the box.” One noteworthy example that helped the company build its reputation for quality work on difficult projects brought Jody James Watkins back to his roots. In 1998, when he first came to California, he was involved in the construction of the 16,000 seat Stadium One for the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens. In 2009, he returned with his new company to work on a number of reno-vations and updates, and eventually was hired in a design-build and general contractor capacity for Stadium Two. The project was a major undertaking that challenged the company in every possible way, but with ambition, perseverance, and hard work, Watkins Landmark delivered an exceptional landmark project and secured a working relationship that will continue long into the future. “We take pride in the projects we’re involved in,” says Schumacher. “Ultimately, the result of the project is our repu-tation and our name is on the line so we want something we can stand behind – something we’re proud of that will be a landmark in the community.”Watkins has done exceptional work on many major projects throughout Southern California. The company’s corporate headquarters is located in Carlsbad and serves all of San Diego County. A second office, located in Indian Wells, serves the Coachella Valley, and a third in Anaheim serves Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties. Between these three offices, Watkins is ideally situated to provide its services to customers throughout Southern California and has built a stunning portfo-lio of landmarks in that region. These include hotels and resorts for the hospitality industry, stadiums and indoor sports facilities, a wide range of faith-based projects including churches and schools, and much more. Faith-based projects are an impor-tant component to the company’s portfolio because, while it has worked on many projects that are massive in scale, its true goal is to focus on projects that will be recognized as important pillars in the community. There is a high level of complexity built into many of projects that Watkins Landmark takes on. In order to manage these effectively, the company has consistently invested in leading edge management technology solutions. From the precon-struction phase, throughout the project, and into closeout, the company implements state-of-the-art software to improve effi-ciency and productivity at every step. NOVEMBER 201836Procore is the world’s leading construction management platform, and its implementation has helped Watkins Landmark to become a highly efficient operation. It provides a wide range of features that help to improve operating procedures at every level of a project. It gives owners, clients, architects, and Watkins project managers deep insight into a project so that they can all share direct access to documents, pictures, plans, and more. Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, the project can be prepared in precise detail long before the con-struction phase of a project begins. Watkins and the customer can collaborate closely on every aspect of the design in order to get it right first, and work directly from the models afterwards to minimize the likelihood of any mistakes being made. After the preconstruction phase, software helps the company keep track of workflow and log every step. “It goes all the way from preconstruction through to closeout,” explains Schumacher. “It lets us turn over a very complete and organized package as opposed to an archaic system of paper and red ink.”As the industry and its relevant technologies advance, the company has consistently adapted to the ever-evolving needs of customers in the construction marketplace. The leader-ship has been consistently reactive to these changes, but the company’s vision and its values have stayed mostly the same throughout. Watkins takes great pride in the quality of its work-force because it recognizes that every worker is a representative of the company as a whole. It empowers its project managers and superintendents by giving them a great deal of leverage, but also by giving them a great deal of responsibility. From its inception, Watkins’ vision has been to build landmark projects, and the company’s culture has grown around that vision. The leadership has high expectations of its people because it aims to build landmarks that the entire company can be proud of. It’s this commitment to its workforce and to the quality of their work that has enabled Watkins Landmark to thrive in such a com-petitive marketplace. During the economic downturn of 2008 the company faced significant challenges in being able to find and pursue the kinds of projects that were suited to its vision. Through great perseverance the company was able to overcome economic challenges that many competing companies could not. Indeed, persistence and pride are the qualities that have allowed Watkins Landmark to maintain this course. As the economy recovers, labor shortages have become the new central chal-lenge industry-wide, but the company continues on. “Pride and Persistence is what differentiates us,” says Schumacher. “We’re persistent from the start with pursuing the work, with winning the work, getting in front of the client to make sure we’re selected, and then we’re persistent throughout the work until completion. And we take pride in what we do. If you’re not proud of what you’re doing then you’re not putting your blood, sweat, and tears into it. Pride and persistence is what separates us from the competition.”Going forward, the company is determined to grow in a man-ageable way. Having developed over fourteen years an exper-tise that suits a particular kind of product, the company plans to continue seeking work that is suited to its specialty. The goal is to be the best that it can be, rather than the biggest. Watkins Landmark’s motto has always been “Build To Serve,” and it truly considers itself a service company. When asked about what has led to the company’s success, Schumacher says, “There’s no secret to it. We put it out there for everybody to see. We build to serve, and if we’re doing that then we’re going to be successful.” Since its founding, Watkins Landmark Construction has aimed to be more than a construction company. Through a powerful commitment to service and quality, it has aimed to build not only landmark projects, but long-lasting partnerships with its many customers. Trust, Integrity, Quality, Safety, Respect, Persistence, and Teamwork are cited on the company’s website as the principles it holds to, and these are reflected by the many client testimonials listed alongside them. A principled and ded-icated approach has led to satisfied clients and landmark build-ings for this successful company. “If you’re not proud of what you’re doing then you’re not putting your blood, sweat, and tears into it.”37CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS It is not often that the term ‘paladin’ comes up in everyday conversation, and it may even generate blank stares. For those not familiar with the term, a paladin was a hero, a champion of the court of Charlemagne and an elite soldier Established in 2005, Paladin Crossings is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta with offices in Regina, Saskatchewan and Vancouver, British Columbia. With a specialization in trenchless construction work, Paladin Crossings offers turnkey solutions to industries including energy, forestry, infrastructure, and utilities, among others. The company is a member of the Canadian Construction Association and the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT).Written by Anne Lindert-Wentzellon the battlefield of medieval tales. For Paladin Crossings Incorporated, the term also serves to define it as a champion for a cause, devoted to seeing a successful outcome for any endeavour. NOVEMBER 20183839CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Next >