One GE Capital project leads to six more in Connecticut for J.T. Magen
GE Capital illustrates the J.T. Magen ethos that when you provide the same high quality to all projects, no matter the size or complexity, clients will appreciate and reward you for it. That’s why a 25,000 sq. ft. interior renovation project for GE Capital in New York City led to projects totaling nearly 650,000 sq. ft. of space in Connecticut.
Robert Bernier, J.T. Magen senior project manager, says the first project for GE Capital was at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and included an executive dining room and conference facilities. Happy with the results, the client invited J.T. Magen to bid on a project at 901 Main Avenue in Norwalk, Connecticut.
“We won the bid, and hit all our dates with an aggressive schedule, handcrafted finishes and ongoing design changes nearly to completion,” he explains. “Our team went to great lengths to line up the wood grain of the veneers on the extensive millwork. The architect was thrilled with the quality of the finishes,” says Bernier.
Eight-floor re-stack
Next was an eight-floor re-stack of offices at 201 Main Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut. “Pre-construction was an exhaustive process that was tough on the design team and tough on us due to the number of budget changes,” explains Bernier.
Meantime, J.T. Magen pre-purchased materials and lighting to stay on schedule, and built a swing space at another location to facilitate renovations in the occupied building. They had to work around the company’s main data center and revamp infrastructure, adding a new UPS and commissioning it without losing continuity.
J.T. Magen went on to build at four more addresses in Connecticut for GE Capital through an open-bid process. “We became known as GE’s builder,” says Bernier. “They were a collaborative-yet-demanding client – every floor had a half-dozen budgets.”
Wow-worthy cafés
Each of the six major projects J.T. Magen built for GE Capital was different in style and design, but they all incorporated big, fancy cafés, explains Bernier. “They featured baristas, food service, quartz countertops, stone floors and banquettes. That was their wow factor.”
After completing nearly 650,000 sq. ft. of space in Connecticut for GE Capital, the corporation moved operations to Massachusetts. “I was proud that J.T. Magen became a preferred vendor for one of the largest corporations in the world in a short period of time,” says Bernier, “especially with their demanding agenda.”
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