Panelists discussed economic development in Montgomery County and emphasized the need for owner’s representatives in commercial construction
The newly renovated Lakewood Country Club, located in Rockville, MD, was an ideal backdrop to this morning’s panel discussions on development and construction in Montgomery County. Bisnow - a media group that publishes free email newsletters about local businesses in various cities - organized the event, which was the first of its kind in the county and had 325 local political and business leaders in attendance.
Lakewood Country Club’s multimillion dollar renovation offered a unique construction challenge for the panel to discuss; it had to be complete in 76 days. It was a scenario brought about by the book-end nature of major social events at the club on December 22, 2009 and March 8, 2009. Only the days in between those events were available for the work to be done.
“We decided to invest in people who knew what they were doing,” Ian Altman, President of the Board of Directors for Lakewood Country Club, explained during the discussion.
That’s where Artisan Partners Construction Services came in; they are a full-service owner’s representative firm that believes that in a down economy, there is less room than ever for mistakes or oversight in the building process.
“The owners of Lakewood don’t specialize in construction, nor should they,” said Geoff Azaroff, principal of Artisan Partners along with his partner Adam Prill. “Our expertise in this field helps us ensure their best interest and keep the project on track. They don’t know that adding a certain element could set the project back three weeks, or that not asking that one right question could mean spending twice as much as they needed to. We streamline everything to make it a much smoother process for all parties involved.”
Other panelists, who focused on development in Montgomery County, included Steven Silverman, Director of the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, Phillip McCarthy, Senior Vice President of Transwestern, Rodney Lawrence, Executive Development Officer of JBG Companies, Roger Winston, Managing Partner of Ballard Spahr, and Jim Phelan, Contracting Officer for General Services Administration (GSA).
About Artisan Partners Construction Services:
Artisan Partners Construction Services (APCS) is a full service firm, providing construction management and owner’s representation services to businesses, associations and developers for new construction and renovation projects. Founded by partners Geoff Azaroff and Adam Prill - two DC-area construction executives with a combined 50 years of experience and $2 billion of construction projects - APCS oversees projects through all phases of development, design and construction, from start to finish. Artisan Partners is uniquely positioned to assist developers and facilities managers who don’t have the resources, time or expertise in-house to effectively and efficiently manage multifaceted construction projects. For more information, please visit www.artisanpartners.us.
Contacts:
Artisan Partners Construction Services
Julie Feldman,301-585-5034
julie@cfoxcommunications.com