Photo: J.T. Magen
Photo: J.T. Magen

Microsoft’s tight turnaround times lead to North American store rollout for J.T. Magen

Senior project manager Tom Moran says he’s most proud of the fact that every single store built for Microsoft has been completed on schedule.

That’s no small feat, considering that J.T. Magen & Company Inc. and affiliate JTM Construction Group Inc. have built 116 Microsoft stores in 40 states, U.S. territories and Canadian provinces, with more in process.

The first two stores in Scottsdale and Mission Viejo were built in 12 weeks to meet the launch date of Microsoft’s Windows 7 product in 2009, explains Moran.

The Bellevue, Washington store was further fast-tracked, so J.T. Magen had to complete the structural steel in two-and-a-half weeks instead of the scheduled six weeks, and then build the store in eight weeks flat.

Additional store rollout

The Microsoft retail store in New York’s Times Square was built in just 13 days working around the clock to meet the launch date for Microsoft Surface in 2012.

The retail rollout’s showcase project was Microsoft’s largest flagship in the world, which is located on New York’s Fifth Avenue. Completed in 2015, J.T. Magen had to lift the existing building, excavate new foundations, add new pilings and structural steel, then lower the old building over the new internal structure. The 25,000 sq. ft. buildout features an impressive glass curtain wall façade five stories high.

Repeat client tally: 116 stores

“Microsoft continues to hire us because we understand their expectations on schedule, quality and cost,” says Moran. “We adhere to high construction quality standards to support the Microsoft brand, and to ensure consistency in the end-product.”

Moran adds: “The J.T. Magen team can produce under a tight time schedule when working with a great client like Microsoft. Together, we brought their global corporate standards into their retail build.”

J.T. Magen recently completed Microsoft’s latest store in Houston.