The TLM Group
Teamwork. Leadership. Management.
By Jan Wilson
“In many instances, owner’s representative firms are looked upon as an additional layer of management, says Michael Carron, Principal, TLM Group. “What makes TLM different is the fact that on each and every one of our projects, we identify cost savings for our clients that are greater than our fee.”
When a client lacks either the experience or resources to self-manage a project, the role of the owner’s representative could make the difference between a successful project and a failure, and between an orderly implementation and expensive disruptions to the client’s daily operations. Owner’s representation firms provide oversight throughout the design and construction phases of a project, overseeing their clients’ fiscal bottom line, protecting their best interests, anticipating and preventing problems, and ensuring that the delivery of projects is on time and within budget.
The TLM Group, an owner’s representative & project management firm, was founded in 1999 by partners Michael Carron, Leslie Dunkley and Tony Osborn. “In the 1990’s, owner’s representative firms typically supported real estate brokers and corporate interior work, often helping companies manage relocations and build outs,” says Carron. ”If you wanted to construct a new trading floor or data center though, you needed a specialist.” Having previously worked at NatWest Group, the partners were confident their new firm would provide a level of service and expertise that was unique, cost effective and highly beneficial to the financial services sector as well as the corporate interiors clients. “We had a great deal of experience in these areas,” says Osborn, “and we knew we could build a roster of clients by leveraging our collective backgrounds.”
Thanks to their professional reputation in facilities management, engineering, construction and technology, the partners quickly found new clients---which included some divisions of their former employer, the NatWest Group. “We were retained by First Union Bank during our first year in business,” says Dunkley, “and it wasn’t long before we secured Merrill Lynch & Co. as well as other financial services clients.”
Twelve years later, the TLM Group manages a wide variety of construction projects with budgets approaching $400 million and sizes up to 650,000 SF. The firm has also expanded far beyond the New York tri-state area, having completed projects across the nation as well as in the United Kingdom, Canada, Iceland, Puerto Rico and South America. The TLM Group is known throughout the construction industry as one of the ‘go-to’ firms for companies who need consultants with superior technological and construction expertise.
“We aren’t trying to be prosecutors or policemen on a project,” says Dunkley. “That’s not our goal. If there is a problem, we address the issue and work together with the entire team to achieve the best solution.” Adds Carron: “We promote a smarter way to build a project. Our employees have backgrounds as architects, engineers and builders and have a thorough understanding of how to design and construct the projects we manage. During the course of a project, we may wear many hats and our business cards may say TLM, but we always become an extension of our clients’ staff.”
A Family, Not Just a Company
Over the years, TLM has grown steadily and successfully thanks largely in part to the firm’s ability to achieve definitive savings for its clients despite the challenging economic environment. “With each satisfied client we have been awarded more assignments, and in turn are able to retain additional team members,” says Dunkley. “We are all proud of the work that we do here and as long as we continue to keep our clients satisfied and our employees happy, we know that we must be doing something right.”
Indeed, many TLM employees have seen their careers blossom as the firm has grown. “Since starting here in 2004, I’ve worked on a wide variety of projects,” says Daren Rogers, one of TLM’s project managers, who started at the company as an intern while completing his studies at Cooper Union’s School of Architecture. “Learning to respond to the unique challenges of each project helped broaden my skill set and allows me to provide a better value to our clients.”
An aspect of TLM’s culture that strengthens the bond to the firm and one another is the firm’s focus on philanthropy. “We believe that it’s important to give back,” says Osborn, “and we look to support the charities that our employees believe in.”
The firm contributes its expertise on a pro bono or sharply discounted basis to several non-profit organizations. TLM has also raised over $100,000 for the Nassau/Suffolk Autism Society of America as well as having a longstanding relationship with The Robin Hood Foundation, both in providing services as well as contributing to charities that the organization supports.
Promoting the sharing of information within the industry is also important to TLM, which is why it is a member of The 7x24 Exchange, the leading knowledge exchange for those who design, build, use and maintain mission critical enterprise information infrastructures. Carron sits on the organization’s board, which provides college scholarships to students through a number of annual fundraising events.
Advice Owners Trust
“TLM owes its success to its ability to take on a multitude of different projects,” states Richard Sowinski, a senior project manager at TLM. “We have the ability to adapt for many different clients, and to their individual needs,” he says. “We recognize that our business isn’t built on a single type of project, but rather the many different types of projects our clients have.” The result of this approach is that over 90 percent of the firm’s revenue comes from repeat business.
“On each and every project, our teams are actively headed by one of the firm’s principals,” says Osborn. It’s crucial that clients understand that TLM’s position is not just another layer of management. “We aren’t simply following clients around and taking notes to see that their wishes are followed,” says Dunkley. “Beginning the first day of every project, our goal is to identify cost savings and efficiencies to reduce the project costs and improve the schedule. Our involvement in a project results not in additional cost, but in overall savings.”
Data Center Expertise
After New York went dark in the summer blackout of 2003, one of TLM’s major financial services clients was ready to act on an electrical disaster recovery plan for its headquarters that it had put on hold at its headquarters. “Originally scheduled to take 22 months, the project, which entailed designing and installing a mobile generator plant for its one million square foot commercial building, was given a very tight budget and now required being completed in eight months,” says Carron. Having managed several projects for this client and knowing their requirements well, Carron recalls taking on the project knowing that failure was not an option. TLM proceeded to complete the project in precisely eight months from start to finish, including commissioning the new system’s four, 2-megawatt medium voltage generators and paralleling gear over President’s Day weekend in 2004. So satisfied with TLM’s oversight and technical contributions on the project, the client has since used TLM extensively on data center buildouts and infrastructure upgrades in New Jersey, Texas and New York.
Another major financial services firm came to TLM for guidance on where to situate its new Tier 4 data center. “At our client’s request, we looked at many different locations in the tri-state area but found nothing fulfilled the client’s criteria as well as the initial site it was considering,” says Carron. “We performed a comprehensive due diligence study and confirmed it was the best option even though some of the original plans had to be adjusted.” Overseeing the changes to the conceptual design of the building while ensuring the client’s original expectations were fulfilled became a pivotal aspect of TLM’s role.
“TLM’s ability to analyze the technical and operational merits of several designs,” asserts Rogers, “is what established us as the ideal representative to oversee the UPS replacement and chiller upgrade at the firm’s New York headquarters. “Our primary responsibility was ensuring the new UPS and chiller systems would operate flawlessly with the existing building infrastructure. Perhaps our most important responsibility was ensuring that the installation of these new systems would in no way affect the ongoing trading operations,” he adds. This required detailed weekly meetings, phased shutdowns of critical building infrastructure, coordinating overtime work permits with city agencies and having to close down a portion of Times Square twice during the holiday season to ensure the safe rigging of rooftop equipment.
Working for another large financial firm on a data center project in central New Jersey, TLM was faced with a complex program that required input from many individuals before any decisions could be made. “On these types of projects, it is important for clients to have an owner’s representative with experience working in these kinds of situations,” says Dunkley. In TLM’s case, Paavola, the senior project director who came to TLM with extensive experience after running a New Jersey data center for a major global insurance company, was given charge of the project. “I understand how to manage situations where wholesale changes are being made during the design phase and still meet the clients’ needs,” says Paavola. “We take each project personally, consider the owner’s investment and make it our responsibility to get the best value for that investment. The firm has also worked on major data center projects for healthcare, media and industrial companies throughout the country.
The Open Office Trend
Because of TLM’s proven expertise, clients in the commercial, educational and institutional industries often choose TLM to ensure achievement of their goals. When JetBlue decided to remain in New York and subsequently move its corporate headquarters from Forest Hills to Queens Plaza, they engaged TLM to provide all the necessary project management services. Having previously used TLM for infrastructure upgrades and feasibility studies, JetBlue believed TLM was best suited to manage the 223,000 SF interior renovations of their new Support Center, including a 24/7 critical system operations center akin to a Tier III data center. “This is a perfect example of how small projects can turn into larger projects once the client sees how the diversity of our staff enhances our approach,” says Osborn.
TLM leveraged its in-house mechanical, electrical and telecommunications engineers during the early technology phase, which included roof top equipment, a UPS room, generators and the pre-purchase of long lead items. Likewise, TLM’s staff with experience in architectural design and procurement of FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) was used extensively during phase two, which consisted of all the interior work and architectural finishes. “We are converting this space from a closed office environment to an open, high density environment that reflects the JetBlue brand,” says Carron. The space will also include a highly integrated audio/visual and technical platform, and a Systems Operation Center built to the Uptime Institutes’ Tier II standards for infrastructure redundancy.
The open office aesthetic is something TLM is quite familiar with, having also managed the design and build out of the 50,000 SF office for Audible.com in Newark. The initial buildout of the project was completed in only five weeks, which included gutting the top two floors of an occupied office building, retrofitting the existing MEP infrastructure, installing all new architectural finishes, setting up the new furniture systems and commissioning Audible’s new data center. Other aspects of the project included a steel stair interconnecting two adjacent floor plates, a custom designed suite of new sound recording studios and post-production rooms as well as other unique Audible-branded design elements.
“In both of these projects, the most significant element was completing the work within schedule while maintaining not only our clients’ business operations, but also those of adjacent tenants,” says Osborn. “The more time the contractor spends on site, the greater the chance of business disruption. To prevent this, we typically pre-purchased furniture, light fixtures and HVAC equipment, which saved our clients both money and time. We also provided dedicated on-site project managers who interacted directly with the crews and vendors, making sure they were working efficiently while maintaining our client’s best interests.”
The firm was retained by a large Midwestern healthcare company and is using TLM as a technical consultant for a pair of Tier III projects including a 20Mw, 250,000 SF greenfield data center project and a 50,000 SF addition to a live data center. Both projects are Tier III. The client recalled the reasons for why they selected TLM Group for these mission critical projects: “They are not just engineers…they have actually run enterprise data centers so they understand all of the intricacies from an operational perspective. When they look at plans and specifications it is not only from the perspective of ‘does it work and meet the design intent but can you actually repair and maintain it’.” He continued further by stating that: “They also have personal relationships with the major vendors so they can work things out before they become an issue. I met TLM when they were the owner’s rep for a data center buildout at the previous company I worked for. I intend to use them again on future projects.”
Other industry leaders also believe in TLM Group. “I’ve known the folks at the TLM Group for many years and they are best in class and a pleasure to work with,” states David Schirmacher, Chief Strategy Officer, FieldView Solutions, Inc. “I’ve used them to manage a major fast track enterprise data center buildout and found them invaluable in driving budget, schedule and quality from inception through final turnover. Their focus on detail and quality led to a extremely successful project that came in on schedule and many millions of dollars under budget.”
A Focus on Charter Schools
Prior to JetBlue and Audible, TLM’s first non-mission critical client was Bronx Preparatory Charter School in 2002. The project, courtesy of a referral from an existing client, entailed overseeing the construction of a new 70,000 SF facility. Built in phases based on available funding, the building housed both middle and high school classrooms in addition to science labs, a library, gymnasium and dedicated music, art and computer rooms. “Thanks to our knowledge of MEP systems and our ability to coordinate highly complex projects in a timely manner, we were able to quickly devise cost effective solutions and build relationships with several charter schools,” says Rogers. “We understand that the educators who operate schools must meet certain immovable milestone dates. Having the doors open to students on time requires classrooms to be set up and organized, furniture delivered, computer systems online and construction complete. We ensure all of this happens properly so the educators can focus on their own responsibilities.”
TLM has acted as owner’s representative for Uncommon Schools on several projects, including one of its flagship facilities, The Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Housed in an 1800’s-era, former public school building in Brooklyn, the deteriorated condition of the original structure had most people wanting to demolish the historic structure and start anew. “We prepared a budget analysis that showed keeping the building’s original façade would actually result in a significant cost savings to the client,” says Carron. “As a result, the decision was made to restore the façade, which upon completion, received an award from the New York Historical Society.”
At Uncommon School’s Leadership Preparatory Charter School, also in Brooklyn, TLM managed the phased fitout of 15,000 SF of new classrooms and offices. “In order for the school to bring on new classes each Fall, we had to design and build new classrooms and ancillary spaces each summer within an occupied facility,” says Rogers. “To ensure our schedules were always maintained, we often pre-purchased equipment and materials on behalf of the school so that when the contractor was brought on board, there was no delay in completing the critical work.”
Coordination was also an issue when TLM acted as owner’s representative to Civic Builders, the developer of the Carl Icahn Charter School. Housed in a 125,000 SF facility built in conjunction with the NYC School Construction Authority, “this project represented the first time that a facility was built to house both a charter school and a traditional New York City public school,” says Carron. “The challenge was that the Department of Education would likely occupy the facility for 100 years, while the charter school might have a more limited time horizon. We had to identify materials and a design that were cost effective enough for the charter school but durable enough for the Department of Education.” The schools stand side-by-side, each with their own entrances, classrooms, administrative offices, and cafeterias, but share, sometimes simultaneously, many spaces including the kitchen, auditorium, gymnasium and a rooftop play area.
Other charter school projects include:
• New Heights Academy Charter School, Harlem – which included the renovation of a landmarked, occupied multi-tenant building
• Achievement First Endeavor Charter School, Brooklyn - which included the con-version of an old ice cream factory into a charter school in Brooklyn, NY
Non-Profit Clients
After achieving such significant results with schools, TLM began building a solid history of working with non-profit clients. “Non-profits need a project manager who understands the budget constraints that they work under and will help them achieve cost savings before the work has begun,” says Carron.
The Leaguers, a social services agency in Newark, turned to TLM for help when they found out the preliminary budget for its new headquarters and Head Start pre-school project was significantly higher than available funding. If not for the quantifiable savings TLM found---an amount nearly ten times TLM’s total fee for the project---the entire project would have been canceled. “By value engineering the building’s mechanical and electrical systems and recommending a local, qualified construction management firm, we were able to bring the project in under budget and maintain the original construction schedule,” says Rogers.
Other projects TLM managed for non-profits include the rehabilitation of the Junius Playground in Brooklyn for Women In Need, as well as Citywide Harm Reduction and Abraham House, both in the Bronx, for the Robin Hood Foundation. The firm has also worked with the Irish Arts Center on preliminary budgeting for a planned move from their current headquarters to a new facility.
Future Vision
Principals of the firm say that the fourth quarter of 2010 was one of their best, and that their mission critical expertise helped them maintain business stability in the midst of economic uncertainty. “Mission critical work is so crucial to so many different industries,” says Carron. “For instance, we see significant growth in the healthcare sector as new government mandates for the increased use of electronic medical records lead to a surge in data requirements as existing paper records are converted and new records are recorded electronically.”
In the last several years, efforts to make construction more eco-friendly has been on all owners’ radar screens, and TLM offers advice to guide them in that process. “Data centers consume a significant amount of power, and because of that, making them greener can have an even greater impact,” says Osborn.
Facility owners can now routinely employ several tactics in order to minimize mission critical energy use where possible, such as:
• Locating in cooler climates, such as Iceland (or Minnesota, domestically) to get more free cooling days
• Using ‘heat wheels,’ a device which pre-cools incoming warm air before it reaches the cooling coil
• Evaporative cooling, a system by which air is cooled through evaporating water into it
• Raising room temperatures, whereby TLM recommends equipment/suppliers that operate well at higher temperatures
• Exploring alternative designs to maximize efficiency, including reducing uptime requirements for specific applications
While other owner’s representative firms and project management firms may enter the market, they will be hard pressed to match TLM’s role as a trusted advisor. “We have the knowledge to educate our clients and support them through the entire process of designing these facilities,” says Dunkley. “Clients keep returning to us because they know we have the skills to get the job done right the first time.”_
