Construction Today - Sept Oct 2015

188 CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

Project PartnersGORTON & PARTNERS BRINGS A ‘HOLISTIC’ APPROACH TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT. BY ALAN DORICH

Gorton & Partners is not the sort of fi rm that seeks awards, Part-ner Patrick Muldoon says. “The thing that we’re proud of is we

are well respected by professionals in this industry,” he says. Developers and designers that Gorton & Partners has worked with regularly recom-mend them to potential clients. “We feel that speaks well enough for us,” Muldoon says, noting that the company also enjoys strong repeat business. Based in New York City, Gorton & Part-ners provides project and development management services for owners and de-velopers. Partner Robert Gorton started the company in 1994. A longtime veteran of the industry, his career began in construc-tion management when he worked for a major New York City-based owner/builder in the mid-1970s. “He went to work for another developer for about six years, and he realized he was taking a holistic approach to the devel-opment process,” Partner Raymond Del Savio explains. Gorton’s approach involved managing and overseeing the entitlement and pre-construction processes, as well as construction and closeout procedures. When Gorton realized there was a mar-ket for this service, he launched his new company. As momentum started to build

Gorton’s portfolio includes 45 East 22nd Street, a luxury

high-rise condo in New York City.

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Gorton & Partnerswww.gortonpartners.com• Headquarters: New York City• Employees: 35• Specia� ies: Project and development management� ervices

“We know how to navigate all � e agencies wi� a capital ‘A’ to get an approval for a project.”– Raymond Del Savio, partner

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189SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM

for Gorton & Partners, “We added more sta� of varying special-ties,” Del Savio says, noting that all of its employees have had tenures with construction managers, designers and developers. Gorton & Partners frequently works with foreign and domestic developers who are not familiar with the New York marketplace. “[We also work] with families that have been long-term owners of land to help them understand the entitlement process in New York City, which is a potential minefi eld,” Del Savio notes. “There are no guarantees of anything,” he continues. “It’s been fraught with problems within New York City, but we know how to navigate all the agencies with a capital ‘A’ to get an approval for a project.” Gorton & Partners also generates hard-cost and so� -cost budgets for owners, Del Savio adds. “We do this on a conceptual basis so an owner can make a ‘go’ or ‘no go’ decision on a project,” he states. Today, Gorton & Partners is currently managing $2 billion worth of projects. However, “We’ll be growing,” Partner Patrick Muldoon predicts. “We’ll end up managing much more than that.”

A Winning Team

Gorton & Partners’ management team is highly experienced in diverse projects. In addition to founder Robert Gorton, Partner Raymond Del Savio is a registered architect and has worked on design, construction and development projects since 1975. Del Savio joined Gorton in 1995 and has led projects for private clubs, hospitality, and commercial and residential developments. Partner Patrick Muldoon is a licensed professional engineer with more than 30 years in construction management. Before joining Gorton in 2008, he was a senior vice president at AMEC Construction Management Inc. Warren Elghanayan, a partner at the fi rm, has nearly 25 years in real estate and construction and gained early experience in construction management. Elghanayan has served as an owner’s representative for commercial, institutional, residential develop-ment and private resident projects, the company says. Partner Eric W. Hahn is a licensed professional engineer with 25 years’ experience in construction. “[He] has a broad range of experience throughout the construction cycle, from all aspects, due to his roles as a design engineer, construction manager and institutional owner,” Gorton & Partners says. Partner Dennis Rauchet holds nearly 20 years in construction. The company says Rauchet “has extensive experience in the planning, design and execution of development projects with involvement in construction oversight, as well as pro-forma development and cost management.” Tom Rosenberger, a partner at the fi rm, is a licensed pro-fessional engineer with project experience that “encompasses diversifi ed projects from core and shell to major infrastructure with a specialization in the [mechanical, electrical and plumbing] design and implementation,” the company says. Partner Jim Errante has worked in the private residence sector of real estate and construction. “[He] manages a portfolio of luxury, single family residences and maintains an extensive network of architects, contractors, designers and consultants that understand quality workmanship,” Gorton & Partners says.


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Experts at ChallengesDemand for Gorton & Partners’ services has increased in the 21 years since its founding, Muldoon says. Gorton & Partners is the go to for more-challeng-ing projects. One example is Gorton & Partners’ work on the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, for which it provided services on multiple projects. This included the expansion of the Greek and Roman wing, the Fi� h Avenue Plaza

renovation, and its 19th Century and Impressionist galleries. These projects, Partner Eric Hahn explains, provide good examples of how Gorton & Partners can help separate con-struction from everything else that goes on at a location. The Metropolitan, he notes, “gets more than 6 million visitors a year. “A large part of what we do is conveying to the construction team the need to do major expansions safely and separating

Standing 19 stories, 551 West 21st Street is a cast-in-place

luxury residential development.

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Overseeing Renovations

Gorton & Partners’ project portfolio includes landmarks such as the University Club of New York. The company provided owners’ representative services for the building located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street in New York City. The project, which spanned multiple phases, included renovations of the club’s exte-rior façade, hotel rooms, ballroom and College Hall. In addition, it included the design/build of its building management system, modernization of its elevator and other capital improvements. “[The] projects were done while the club was fully operational,” Gorton & Partners says. “[The] façade restoration included masonry and terra cotta, stone, structural steel, waterproofi ng, new windows, architectural metal railings and grills, etc., as well as inter-face and coordination with [the] Landmarks Preservation Commission on all submissions, mock-ups and approvals.” Gorton & Partners also managed the gut renovation of 170 Broadway in New York City. The building, built in 1904 as an 18-story offi ce building, was converted into a hotel. “The new construction consists of 240 guestrooms and a total area of 150,000 square feet,” Gorton & Partners says. “The building is a sensitive historic site, though not landmarked,” the company con-tinues. “In consideration of this, all effort was made to maintain and respect the original façade and external appearance. “Due to being located in a high traffi c-congested area, and its proximity to the World Trade Center site, complicated site logistics played a major part in the management of this project,” Gorton & Partners adds.

the construction activities from the visiting public so they don’t know construction work is happening on the other side of the wall,” he says. “[We look at] how do you do construction without creating vibrations that damages the art, and how do you do this work without disrupting the sta� , visitors and special events at the museum?” Many of Gorton & Partners’ e� orts, he notes, involve working with the owner and design team to establish protocols to ensure projects are executed properly, and in line with budgets and schedules. “The other part of it is establishing a good communication protocol so that as things change, everyone in the museum is prepared for what the next steps are going to be,” he says. An important key to keeping track of all of this information is the ability to choose the right partners, including the right con-tractors. Fortunately, a� er being active in the New York City market for 21 years, “[We] understand who those players are and we bring the right team to the tables,” Partner Dennis Rauchet says. A similar project, Muldoon adds, was the renovation of Sotheby’s world headquarters in New York City. The project included the renovation of 160,000 square feet of existing space and the addition of six fl oors that totaled 240,000 square feet. Floors were added above ongoing opera-tions in Sotheby’s galleries and o� ces. The project also included a complete upgrade of the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Although it was chal-lenging for the project team to work around major art collections and keep the facility running and safe, Gorton & Partners helped manage that feat, Muldoon asserts. The company also managed the reorga-nization of several fl oors to accommodate increased storage needs for valuable goods

and o� ce space, years a� er occupancy. Additionally, Gorton & Partners assisted on several private gallery installations, execu-tive o� ce renovations and moves, and Local Law façade work. The recommendations from Gorton & Part-ners’ previous collaborators o� en have led to its most complex, out-of-ground projects, Partner Warren Elghanayan adds. Recently, a client approached the company a� er its

construction manager recommended that Gorton & Partners establish the project pro-forma and manage the pre-construction process to ensure the project is established with the strongest consultant team for a high-end residential condominium project. The fi rm thought Gorton & Partners would be best, considering the logistical issues of the project. For example, “It’s up against a subway station,” he says. “We are


By the Numbers

• 21 – Years Gorton & Partners has been in business

• 35 – Associates • $2 billion – Value of its current

projects • 40 – Projects currently underway


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coordinating with the MTA and 21 landmarked residential building owners adjacent to the project. The phasing and staging plans are currently being fi nalized and presented to the MTA for review and approval. This is necessary to ensure there are no structural impacts to the subway line as well as maintain the Development Schedule.”

Staying Trustworthy Gorton & Partners’ clients can trust them to keep their informa-tion confidential, Del Savio says. “In New York City, there was a history of confidential information leaking during the bidding process,” he explains. The company also does not mind if clients look into its own back-ground. Del Savio recalls a meeting with a client 15 years ago that coincided with a breaking news story that two owners’ representa-tive fi rms had leaked information. “The potential client threw the New York Times newspaper [that fea-tured the story] on the table and said, ‘If we go any further with you guys, would you mind if we have you investigated?’” Del Savio recalls. “We said, ‘Only if you publish the fi ndings on the cover of the New York Times.’”

In Feast ModeGorton & Partners is happy to have a full slate of projects, Rauchet says. “It’s interesting how our business is really feast or famine, and we’re in feast mode,” he says. “We’ve fortunately got a lot of work coming in the door.” But the infl ux of projects can bring its own challenges, including fi nding the right design teams to sta� them. Fortunately, “One of the strengths we bring is getting those teams to the table,” he says. “It’s been a tough market to get the right fi rms ... [but] at the end of the day, we won’t embark on the project with the wrong team.” The complexity of the projects also can be challenging, Muldoon admits. “In New York, we are working on several very high-end condo projects where developers get substantial sales prices for the units they put on the market,” he explains. “They employ what we call ‘starchitects.’ We are working with many high-end architectural fi rms,” Muldoon continues. “These star archi-tects want to create an architectural masterpiece to meet the develop-ers’ program goals. We work to execute those goals while maintaining the budget and schedule.”

Club Construction

Gorton & Partners has brought its talents to country clubs, including Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. The project included multiple facilities upgrades, including the restoration and construction of its beach facility, locker rooms, foodservice and ancillary support facilities. In addition, the project included the installation of a water source heat pump system that uses geothermal technology. “It also includes the com-plete installation of a new hot/cold domestic water system and electrical system upgrade,” the company says, noting that the restoration included new fi nishes. “All work was done in multiple phase operations in order to maintain tenant/guest occupancies and all support operations, including ballrooms, conference facilities, administrative offi ces, etc., and complete various stages prior to the commencing the annual Buick Classic Golf Tournament,” the company says. Gorton & Partners also was hired to manage work on the Winged Foot Golf Club in Rye. “[This] included the construction of several new build-ings as well as the renovation of the existing clubhouse men’s locker room and existing pool,” the fi rm says. The added facilities included a pool locker room building, entry pavilion, a children’s activity center and a grill building with a kitchen and bar. “Some major challenges faced during the project were delays caused by Hurricane Sandy, which required that the project be fast-tracked once it began, and the necessity of extensive rock excavation,” Gorton & Partners says. The company also provided complete project management services on the Scarsdale Golf Club in Rye. “The project consisted of the planning, design, demolition and construction of the renovation of the existing clubhouse, terrace expansion and a new elevator,” Gorton & Partners says. “A critical part of this project was the development and management of the site’s safety plan, as well as the overall coordination of the site construc-tion activities with the club’s activities.”


Although these masterpieces can be beautiful, it can be a challenge to help create them cost-e� ciently. However, “We have been very successful in doing just that,” he asserts. “A client will get the design they want and keep it within their budget by [us] looking at details and how things get put together,” Muldoon says. “[We fi nd the] practical solutions to minimize the scare factor that contractors see in these elabo-rate, complicated designs.”

Complex CondosGorton & Partners’ current portfolio of projects includes 45 East 22nd Street in New York City. “That’s an extremely challenging project,” Muldoon says, noting that the lux-ury high-rise building stands 800 feet and features 60 stories of condominiums. “It’s on a piece of property that’s 75 feet wide by 100 feet deep,” he continues. “The building also rises and cantilevers west over an adjoining building by 25 feet.” With a multi-faceted, sculpted façade

that slopes in multiple directions, “It was a challenge to design,” he admits. “It’s also a challenge to fi nd contractors willing to work on a project like this.” Site logistics have been challenging, as well. “[We’ve had to] shoehorn this vol-ume of work into a postage stamp site,” he describes, noting that the project team has persevered, despite the tight space. “It’ll be coming online in early 2017.” A similar project is 551 West 21st Street in the Chelsea neighborhood. Standing 19 sto-ries, the building is a cast-in-place concrete luxury residential development that will have 44 units as well as commercial space on the fi rst and second fl oors. Foster & Partners is serving as the archi-tect on the project, which features “a very complex interior design,” Rauchet says. “We decided to go open shop on that one. “We have a combination of union con-tractors and some non-union contractors providing a precise level of fi nish with little tolerances,” he continues. “We’re trying to get the non-union world to meet those standards.

“It’s going to be a really spectacular build-ing when it’s done,” Rauchet says, noting that 551 West 21st Street also will feature three custom penthouses with custom-de-signed fi nishes. “We’re hoping to get the fi rst units online in early 2016 and have the rest of the building online later that year.” Del Savio adds that the company also

DHI Construction is about celebrate a huge milestone, our 25th anniversary! Over that period DHI has carved out a solid niche in both country club and private school additions and renovations. DHI’s country club projects include prestigious clubs such as the Westchester Country Club, Quaker Ridge Golf Club and the Scarsdale Golf Club. In addition their private school clients include the Hackley School, the Rye Country Day School and the King School. DHI has teamed with Gorton & Partners on many of these successful projects. Working together with Gorton we have proven that teamwork and proper planning is the key to a successful project. DHI would like to congratulate Gorton & Partners on their success and look forward to working together on future projects.


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is managing the development of a project on Leroy Street, a 200,000-square-foot condominium project that will stand 12 sto-ries in New York City along the Hudson River. “The construction manager is going to build [it] in 21 months,” he says. But the process has not been easy. “We’re spending an equal amount of time getting approvals below grade as we are above grade,” he says, noting that nearly fi ve months were spent gain-ing permits. Gorton & Partners had to bring the project through a rezoning process that lasted 18 months. “Because there are anomalies on our site, we had a major geotechnical engineering fi rm put together the argument to grant us the approval to build this building,” Del Savio recalls. Despite all the hardships, “That’s the kind of thing we thrive on,” he says, noting that the company works with the best land-use attorneys and zoning consultants. “We [can] navigate through the process here in New York City, which is driven by community boards.” This also illustrates the kind of expertise that Gorton & Partners can bring to a developer, Del Savio says. In some cas-es, “The developer, who only develops a building once every several years, did not have any of this in-house expertise,” he

20 East End Ave. in New York City includes the demolition of an existing building for a new, high-end residential condominium.

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says. “We feel that this is the greatest value we can bring.”

Outer BoroughsGorton & Partners’ work has taken it to Long Island City, N.Y., where it is aiding in the construction of a 130,000-square-foot con-dominium building with 100,000 sellable square feet, Elghanayan says. The project, designed by Dieguez Fridman Architects, marks the fi rst in New York for its developer. “[They have] done many high-end resi-dential projects all over South America,” he describes, noting that condo projects have been rare in Long Island City. “Typically what’s been built in that area over the past eight to 10 years are large, residential rental buildings. “This is a market that is growing in Long Island City and they’re looking to take advantage of that,” Elghanayan says. “They’re gearing this building towards families and the unit mix is predominant-ly larger units (3 bedrooms). It is one stop train access to Manhattan.” The building is on a complicated site, as it is adjacent to a subway line to the north and twenty-one residential landmark buildings to the south,” he adds. “We’re starting the excavation and foundation work in the new year,” he

predicts, noting that the building will be finished in 2018.

The Right IngredientsMuldoon predicts a strong future for Gorton & Partners. “We see continued growth and getting very well established here in New York,” he says, but asserts that the company will not limit its regional reach. “We’ve expanded into the adjoining

areas, including the northern suburbs, New Jersey and Connecticut.” The company also is branching out into other markets. “We’re starting to get involved in big-box retail as well as more general retail,” he says, noting that the company is also taking on healthcare and nursing home projects. “We have all the ingredients that we need for growth and the opportunity lies in front of us.”


McGowan Builders is a premier provider of construction services for ground-up and interiors projects. The fi rm is headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J. and remains active throughout the NY Metro and South Florida markets providing a full complement of pre-construction, project cost and construction services to a wide range of market sectors. Mc Gowan recently worked closely with Gorton & Partners on several projects for clients in education, hospitality and offi ce interiors. “They’re great collaborators,” says Martin Mc Gowan, President of Mc Gowan, when asked to describe the fi rm’s project interactions with them. “Given Gorton & Part-ners attention to detail and their construction knowledge, the quality of our project team’s interactions with them was a key factor to our successfully completing projects together.” Mc Gowan continues to expand its project activity in NYC and South Florida’s robust construction marketplaces. We look forward to embarking on our next project with Gorton & Partners.

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Construction Today - Sept Oct 2015