Main Board Room
The design used custom cherry millwork on every en-
trance and in certain accents like bookshelves and cabinets.
Doors were to be custom-built, hinting at Japanese shoji [rice
paper] screens and installed with pivot hinges. (“The entry is
an ‘event,’” architect Kevin Zupnik said.) The client wanted
the work done in two months.
“One bidder couldn’t touch the schedule...[he] submitted
a courtesy bid only,” said senior project manager Lisa Cas-
torina. But Partner’s could.
Partner’s found a supplier in New York who was able to
lay up the veneer and ship it much faster than the “go to sup-
pliers” which was key for the successful completion of this
project. “They were able to generate shop drawings in 4
days,” Viscardi said, which helped Partner’s speed up their
work.
The first phase of the work was completed a week early
with only three items on the punch list, Castorina said.
The second phase, all millwork, including large bookcases
“Pete Viscardi and his entire staff are attentive, timely and
and a entire wall unit that had to be hauled in after the client
deliver when promised. We have used Partner’s Contracting,
had moved in, was completed two days ahead of schedule
Inc. for full floor tenant build-outs as well as numerous small
with no punch list at all.
jobs and the quality of workmanship is always first rate,” said
Even unexpected delays didn’t snare Partner’s. When they
Jacqueline Rizik, president of 1100 Connecticut Avenue As-
found that the air conditioning unit wouldn’t fit where the
sociates, LLC, the owner and property manager of the build-
engineer’s drawings specified, they decided to put the unit
ing.
above the conference room table, building a bulkhead to con-
Viscardi attributes his success in this building and in other
ceal the ductwork. Shaped like the underside of a pontoon
projects to his straightforwardness and fairness.
boat, “even the sprinkler guys were joking, ‘I think that’s the
“We pride ourselves on...being honorable and inclusive of
most beautiful bulkhead I’ve ever seen!’” said Castorina.
all aspects of the job,” he said. “Often we go against com-
Normally, a project of this magnitude would take a com-
petitors that are leaving out key details and key pricing...in
pany of Partner’s size a minimum of three months, Viscardi
order to give an artificially low number to get in the door.
said. “The broker, the construction manager,the architect,
When we present somebody with [our] pricing, it’s broken
and the client were all amazed of the amount of work accom-
down per trade...everything’s very comprehensive. There’s
plished so quickly and so professionally.”
not a lot of games being played.”
Speed does matter: when clients expect a job to be done
In addition to Partners’ office interior jobs, the company
on time, they assume that the moment the keys are handed
also constructs SCIFs (Sensitive Compartmented Information
over, the work is complete. But with some contractors, that
Facilities) for top-secret government facilities.
means the beginning of possibly weeks of last-minute fixes.
“It seemed to dovetail well with the interior work that we
“At the end of the day,“ Castorina said, “the client doesn’t
did,” Viscardi said. Since the work requires special documen-
care what you’ve done for them; they just don’t want to see
tation and must meet stringent physical requirements, “from
you in their space anymore....the last five jobs I’ve done, the
a profitability standpoint, it made good sense.”
punch lists have been minimal.” And that makes a big differ-
ence.
Partner’s also performs work for repeat customers to the
nth degree: “There’s a building downtown...I’ve been working
in that building [1100 Connecticut Ave] for 20 years,” Viscardi
said. “I think I’ve done every floor in the building four or five
times over.”
Most of the tenants were law firms, which presented their
own set of challenges. “These guys were very demanding and
usually worked crazy hours, so we had to work around them
and be sensitive to noise and dust.” In addition, deadline
pressure was even more intense: “You can imagine the con-
sequences of not turning over a law firm in a timely fashion,”
Viscardi said. “All those billable hours...I guess I’d be liable
for them,” he joked.
Sitting Area Outside Main Board Room
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