Integrity Consulting Group
Integrity Makes All The Difference
By Jan Wilson
In discussions about what they should name their new consulting firm, the partners at Integrity Consulting Group didn’t want to follow the path of countless other firms using some version of their names, and they didn’t want to use an architectural or construction reference. However, one word kept bubbling up to the surface. “We all thought—integrity—that’s what every client wants out of their advisor,” says Richard Jantz, LEED AP. “If there isn’t total trust in that relationship, you have nothing.”
ICG Partners Richard and Leslie Jantz, and Michael d’Orlando, having recently joined forces to launch their own owners’ representation/project management company, are clear that their experience as builders, working with design and architectural firms and as sales and marketing professionals will create added value for their clients and ensure the completion of many successful projects in the years to come. They are equally as proud of the fact that they are building the firm on the strength of forging new relationships. “We have won our new clients on the strength of our backgrounds and experience,” says Richard. “We were very clear from the beginning that our business would be built with clients who value our experience and approach.”
Timing is Everything
The firm’s principals realized that the positive direction in building trends meant that launching the business in 2011 would be best. “We saw a definite increase in new construction, leasing and relocation activity, and other key decision makers in the industry saw this as well,” says d’Orlando. “We wanted to launch this year with exciting new projects and a solid client base behind us.”
During their years in the industry, the partners had become increasingly frustrated with the commoditization of the project management industry and with firms that were just trying to “do as many jobs as possible, often without placing experienced project managers on the project to navigate the day to day requirements of a project,” says Leslie. “Not only did this result in clients who didn’t always get the result that they desired, but as professionals we could see so many ways that we could provide better service.”
The partners set up shop in midtown Manhattan and quickly garnered a roster of clients including Victorinox and Met Schools, who appreciate the expertise and personal attention that ICG brings to each project. It is a style honed by years in the industry and a belief that projects are best approached, “with a detail oriented hands-on approach supplemented by a strategic viewpoint to the benefit of our clients,” says d’Orlando.
Richard and Michael, have, over the course of 18 years, been industry leaders in project management and owners’ representation working on projects totaling more than 25 million square feet of space as senior members of some of the most influential firms in the area. Integrity’s third partner, Leslie Jantz, LEED AP, is also an accomplished project manager, whose areas of responsibility include all facets of the firm’s operations.
Richard Jantz has an impressive track record of experience in project management operations, strategic planning, and process engineering for projects encompassing over 15 million square feet. Trained as an architect, he started his career in construction management and quickly realized that his educational background would be a key to his success. “When you are trained as an architect, and have actually built buildings, you can bring immeasurable perspective to bear on behalf of a client. Understanding exactly what it takes to get a project constructed—and delivering that experience to every client—truly differentiates ICG,” he says. During his tenure as a senior vice president at the largest real estate services firm in the world he was instrumental in developing policies and standards that are still utilized today by thousands of project managers across the country. The lessons learned while managing some of the largest, most complex projects in the tri-state area uniquely position him to assist clients in all of their real estate advisory needs.
The depth of industry knowledge possessed by Michael d’Orlando is cemented in a lifetime spent in the design and construction industry. Beginning by working in his father’s cabinetmaking shop at 10 years old, he grew to hold full-time positions in design firms prior to graduating high school, and ultimately practicing architecture. The enormous benefit that this experience and perspective brings to his clients sets him apart from his peers. d’Orlando has been involved in the planning and implementation of over 10 million square feet of diverse commercial real estate projects. During his tenure as a vice president for leading real estate and project management firms, he successfully managed large numbers of employees, project teams and hundreds of projects over a distinguished 20 year career.
Leslie Jantz is a licensed real estate salesperson and experienced project manager, who provides a multifaceted approach to advising clients thanks to her work in sales and marketing, as well as other management experience.
Throughout their careers the partners have worked on prestigious projects such as the Time Warner Center, Madison Square Garden and the Empire State Building and for top clients such as New York Life, Columbia University, and Deutsche Bank.
A Wide Range of Services
The benefits of having an owners’ representative/project manager can sometimes be overlooked because clients don’t understand the wide range of services that these professionals can provide, as well as their unique position in the project. “Some people believe that there are overlapping responsibilities with the project architect or general contractor. The fact is that no one on the team is in the same position to manage a project like we can—from the clients perspective with no goal other than the project’s success,” says Leslie.
“The days of the architect as master project director began to fade in the 1980s as fee pressure, specialization, emerging technologies, and outsourcing caused many architects to dispense with tasks outside their core competency. It is hard for any client to maintain a dedicated staff that possesses a full knowledge of all aspects of today’s complicated information technology, design and construction, and regulatory environment so it makes all the sense in the world to hire the talent to protect your best interests. In choosing ICG, you get the benefits of a firm that manages these types of complex projects every day,” says Richard.
“If you have had a good experience with an owners’ representative/project manager, you know the unique perspective and specific benefits we provide,” says Leslie. ICG offers a comprehensive scope of services for businesses at every point in the real estate project lifecycle including:
• Due Diligence / Lease Review
• Real Estate Market and Needs Analysis
• Real Estate Operations Advisory
• Workletter Development
• Project Analysis
• Project Planning (Scheduling & Budgeting)
• Design Management
• Implementation Management
• Project Close-Out
• Expert Witness Service
• Ongoing Facility Planning & Implementation
The firm’s partners have worked in virtually every business sector including higher education, financial, legal, hospitality, retail, mission critical facilities, industrial, warehouse, cargo, media, sports and entertainment. Their experience in major building modifications, shell and core, and interiors round out a truly diverse product offering.
What appeals to ICG’s clients is its small company sensibilities coupled with its big company sophistication. “Our clients receive a level of service and principal involvement that is unparalleled in the industry,” says d’Orlando. “At the same time, they know that we are independent—working only in their best interest. That is how we become their trusted advisors.”
Clients as Partners
ICG’s partners believe that owners’ representatives/project managers should do much more than just keep a construction job on schedule and on budget. “In any real estate transaction, you have to understand what is of key strategic value to the client—anyone can run a schedule or check off boxes, but the real value of project management is in understanding the clients’ goals,” says d’Orlando.
The firm acts like an extension of its clients’ staff—managing the project team to the highest standards, with a clear understanding of the clients’ business drivers. “We are a touchpoint for our clients who come to rely on us as partners,” says Leslie. “The kind of experience that we add to their project team cannot be duplicated by people who are new to the business.”
Richard and Michael make it a policy of reviewing each client and project so their clients get the benefit of both partners’ experience. They have developed an internal review process ensuring that all of the firms’ employees are well versed in what is happening on all projects. As the firm continues to grow, the partners are prepared to grow very responsibly so that their core values are not compromised. “We have many contacts in the industry, and know who to turn to when our business expands.”
Perfecting the Retail Roll Out
Victorinox, the makers of the original Swiss Army Knife and currently positioned as a leading upscale retailer of fashion, fragrances, travel gear, timepieces and cutlery, selected ICG as program manager overseeing the roll out of their new retail concept, recently completed in Dusseldorf, Germany. “ICG demonstrated the most impressive understanding of the nuances of managing a retail program and a unique mix of personal attention and teambuilding attitude required to help us roll-out our new brand concept across the United States,” said Jason Gallen, Vice President Retail Operations. “As we get deeper into our program, our selection of ICG gets validated every step of the way.”
The initial roll out includes stores in major markets in the U.S. and Canada—including SoHo, Westchester, Short Hills, Beverly Center (LA), Bloor Street in Toronto, and Copley Place in Boston—with many more in the pipeline. “We are extremely excited to be partnering with Victorinox to deliver their brand concept. The stores are beautifully designed and we are working toward establishing standards that will make future build-outs faster and less expensive,” says Richard.
ICG is assisting the Victorinox real estate team in evaluating future sites as well as providing full scope program management of the retail stores.
Partnering with Schools
ICG is a founding member of the Business Continuity Group for the Consortium of Independent Schools. This organization is a voluntary group of professionals in New York City and surrounding areas to support schools to provide a better community response in the case of an emergency. “We are proud to be part of this organization and helping schools protect the vital interests of the children,” states Jantz.
ICG is working with the Rebecca School and the Aaron Academy, both under Met Schools Inc.’s ownership, to expand their educational spaces within their current building on 30th Street. The project includes the relocation of the existing administrative offices on the 4th floor to new pre-built space and reclaiming 4th floor space to better support the faculty and students while allowing their enrollment to grow. The plans also include the renovation of a long-neglected lower level storage space that will further expand the schools offerings.
“In the past we have always managed our projects in-house but after experiencing the professionalism of ICG we have rethought our process,” says Brian Koffler, General Counsel, VP Operations and Technology of Met Schools. “We recently expanded one of our schools and built out a 200,000 square foot space in Lower Manhattan and realized the importance of having someone advocating for us from an informed perspective. We are now working with the partners on a renovation within one of our schools in Midtown and see the same experience, intelligence, and dedication,” states Koffler. “With the Integrity team working on our project we are taking advantage of market conditions, meeting our budgets, and getting an end product our organization is proud of.”
All of the work will be performed with no disruption to the school’s operations, utilizing the natural breaks in the school schedule and the summer periods where the school traffic is greatly reduced. “We understand that the safety of the children and the purity of the educational experience are extremely important to our school clients; we are managing the team and the project activities surgically to protect the interests of Met Schools,” says d’Orlando.
ICG also has recently been retained by another well-known private school operator to assist them on the structure of their building operations and facilities department as well as ongoing advisory services in their building on Second Avenue. “We are extremely pleased as an organization to be helping such a prestigious organization,” says d’Orlando.
The firm is also working with the Next Steps Organization, who are advisors to dozens of private schools in the New York City Area, providing a unique resource to school business officials and facilities managers for every need from school planning, operations, and project implementation.
Media and Entertainment
ICG is the advisor to World Wrestling Entertainment for multiple projects underway in their Stamford, CT buildings. “Our experience in completing technical broadcast facilities and personalized service proved to be the right mix for WWE’s facility needs. We are very excited to continue our relationship with the incredible WWE Operations Team,” comments Jantz. The WWE broadcasts their shows in 30 languages to more than 145 countries reaching 14.5 million fans per week in the U.S.
The partners have completed projects including the CNN NY Bureau Headquarters in Time Warner Center and the Broadcast Facility for MSG Networks and they are currently working with clients evaluating space and funding for new network and broadcast facilities.
Office Space Expertise
Brownstone Investment Group engaged ICG in evaluating their sub-lease at 505 Fifth Avenue. The Group needed feasibility studies to ensure the pre-built space could be modified for their business needs, and cost analyses to ensure that the end product was affordable. “After getting through that initial work, the partners at Brownstone felt our input was invaluable and hired us to implement their renovations to make their vision a reality,” says Richard.
The main issue facing Brownstone was how to most effectively install 40 trading positions and a café serving the employees in a pre-built sub-lease scenario where core drilling was not allowed. ICG worked tirelessly with the entire team to evaluate the options in supporting the trading environment while living within the restrictions imposed by the lease.
ICG is providing full service project management to Brownstone and their project was scheduled for an October 2011 completion. Portware, a software firm, is renewing their lease in the historic Woolworth building and the landlord is performing a turnkey phased upgrade to the space to take advantage of the Downtown tax credits. “After meeting with the company founders to hear their vision for the space and comparing that to the lease and workletter, it was clear that the expectations were not aligned with a high risk of misinterpretation of the end product,” says d’Orlando. After presenting scenarios where these risks could be realized, ICG was retained to work with the Portware real estate team to provide comments to the lease, draft a detailed work letter outlining the expectations of the work to be performed, and establish the professional services scope of work for the architect and engineer, also retained by the landlord.
In an effort to differentiate itself, The Kaufman Organization, a diversified commercial real estate company, has pitched comprehensive agency services with ICG as an independent advisor to their potential clients. This highlights both organizations’ commitment to provide their clients with an independent, experienced team that services the full range of real estate needs in an objective way that the larger service providers cannot. “By working with Integrity,” states Grant Greenspan, Principal, Kaufman Leasing, “it rounds out our service offerings when we compete for larger leasing assignments and maintains a level of objectivity that they can’t deliver.”
Building for Non-Profits
Jamaica Service Program for Older Adults is a multi-service social services agency founded in 1972 that serves over 5,000 adults directly and reaches another 15,000 people indirectly each year. In an effort to expand the scope and quality of the services provided to the community, JSPOA is relocating their current space in Queens. ICG is providing full service project management representing JSPOA’s best interests through the project lifecycle ranging from lease review, funding agreements and approvals of the NYC Economic Development Corp., scheduling and budgeting to coordination of the design and construction team, and overall project management to ensure project completion with no discernable downtime for the organization and the people it serves. The new senior center is anticipated to be 12,000 square feet and will house administrative offices as well as a series of functional community activity spaces in support of the programs managed by the JSPOA.
Eye on the Future
The partners at ICG sense a tremendous pent up demand in the real estate market due to the slowdown in the last few years. Clients have maximized their ability to concentrate their employees into their current space or have exercised short term renewals as their leases expired without expanding. Some projects are taking longer to develop but more and more clients are quite active in the market and are presently evaluating their options. Relocations, both large and small, will be increasing as the economy warms up and the pent up demand is released.
“We are seeing expansion in the school and retail sectors but corporate and financial services firms are now joining the party,” says Richard. Additionally ICG is working with a few select hotel operators in their feasibility studies for new locations in New York and across the U.S. “Hotel operators like the experience ICG brings to the table in developing the early schedule and budgeting that rounds out their pro formas,” says d’Orlando.
“In every market sector and specialty space, clients see the value that Integrity Consulting Group delivers to their project through deeply experienced principal involvement” says Leslie. “Integrity makes all the difference, and that’s what counts.
For further information please visit www.icgpm.net or call (212) 216-0630.
