Turner the Tops
Peter Davoren, James McKenna Named 2004 Contractors of the Year

by Natalie Keith

When the Shiloh Baptist Church was looking for a general contractor to build its new $10.6 million facility, church officials never dreamed that a company like Turner Construction would be interested in the job.

Known for its work on such mammoth projects as the Times Square Tower and Time Warner Center, Turner seemed an unlikely candidate to build the new 68,000-sq.-ft. Shiloh Baptist Church and Community Life and Cultural Arts Center in Plainfield, N.J.

But a church official - who also runs a small construction management firm - decided to contact the company anyway, and it was a decision the church didn't regret.

"Since their selection as our general contractor, Turner has provided the highest level of attention to detail," said Rev. Gerald Lamont Thomas. "We believe they have the capability to deliver a quality project on time and within budget."

Community involvement is among the reasons New York Construction magazine has named Turner Construction - with president Peter Davoren and senior vice president and general manager of the New York business unit James McKenna leading the way - as the 2004 Contractor of the Year.

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The sheer volume of work the company is completing, not just in the metropolitan New York area but around the world, is another. For the nine-month period ending Sept. 30, Turner reported that the value of new contracts secured was $5.2 billion, one of the highest nine-month sales figures in the company's history. Gross sales earnings were $189 million, the second-highest ever reported, according to a third-quarter report issued by the company in December.

With 5,000 employees worldwide and an estimated 1,500 projects each year, Turner is the largest contractor in the world. The company has 600 employees in New York, 200 in Connecticut and 200 in New Jersey.

When Turner Construction undertakes a construction job, the company looks far beyond the bricks and mortar to find success. It looks to the people and relationships - as well as the structures - built during the construction process.

"Anybody can build anything," Davoren said. "We have competitors all across the city that can build. We believe the asset that sets us apart is our people."

This is the second year the magazine has selected a Contractor of the Year. The award is granted to a contractor whose work - either through innovation or volume and scope (or both) - has most impacted the development of the New York metropolitan area. Last year Peter Tully, president of the Tully Construction Co. Inc., was given the honor based on the company's work at Ground Zero.

"We're very fortunate that we have Jim and Peter in leadership positions," said Louis Coletti, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers Association. "They're the type of leadership that the industry needs right now."

After former president and CEO Robert Fee announced that he was retiring last year, Davoren, a 25-year veteran with the company, was named his successor. McKenna, who has been with the company 24 years, has been in his current position since 2000.

With $2.06 billion in revenue for projects completed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Turner topped New York Construction magazine's list of top contractors in 2003. With $6.2 billion in revenue for projects around the world, Turner also topped the magazine's list for companies ranked by worldwide revenue.

Evidence of Turner's work can be found throughout the New York metropolitan area. Among large projects the company has completed in recent months is the office building at 300 Madison Ave., Times Square Tower and the reconstruction of the Winter Garden at Ground Zero.

Jerry Speyer, president and CEO of Tishman Speyer Properties based in New York City, said he has been satisfied with the work Turner has completed for the company over the years. Among projects Turner has been involved with are work at Rockefeller Center, 222 East 41st St. and the planned headquarters for the Hearst Corp. at Eighth Avenue and 57th Street.

"Turner has a very unique culture," Speyer added. "The concern they show for their clients is unique."

Speyer said Davoren is "first rate" and "a man of his word," and "he gets things done on time and on budget, and that's the best thing you can say about any contractor."

When seeking prospective work, Turner tries to put forth a bid that adds value to a project because private owners typically are not just looking for the lowest bidder for a job.

"Private owners normally pick the most comprehensive team," McKenna said. "We don't just want to win one job, we want to win the client."

The multibillion dollar company fosters the type of personal relationships critical to success in an increasingly competitive environment by creating an environment where employees want to spend many years, not just a few.

"We're not mercenaries. We don't go from company to company," said McKenna, who along with Davoren has been successful in ascending the ranks at Turner. "When we started with Turner, we tried to build a career with them."

Davoren joined the company in 1978 after completing a bachelor's degree from Pratt Institute's School of Architecture the same year. After working his way up through the ranks from cost engineer, his first executive assignment was as general manager of the interiors division.

In 1997, he was promoted to vice president and general manager of the New York business unit. In 2000, he was named senior vice president for the New York region and in January 2003 he was appointed president of the company responsible for 46 business units across the country.

McKenna joined Turner in 1979 as a field engineer assigned to the New York business unit on the Beneficial Management project. In 1980, he was promoted to PMCS assistant engineer and two years later to superintendent.

In 1996, he was promoted to vice president and deputy operations manager for the New York business unit and in 1998 was promoted to vice president and operations manager. In 2000, he was named to his current position.

Davoren and McKenna said they learned much from Davoren's predecessor, Fee, who spent 40 years at the company and worked his way up from an operating engineer to chief executive officer.

"He viewed Turner as if it were family," Davoren added. "Our greatest accomplishment will be to continue that legacy."

Both men have substantial involvement with industry organizations, a vital part of being a successful leader in the construction industry. Davoren was president of the Contractors' Association of Greater New York from 1998 to 2002 and is a member of organizations such as the BTEA, New York Building Congress and the Real Estate Board of New York.

McKenna is the current president of the Cement League, serves on the union contractors committee of ACE of America and is a member of the CAGNY and the Irish American Building Society, among other groups.

"Peter and Jim are extremely active in the industry," Coletti said. "They set an example that I hope others will emulate."

James Heyliger, president of the Association of Minority Enterprise in New York, said Turner has been involved with the organization for the past 20 years and the firm has done much to advance efforts on behalf of minority-owned businesses. Turner and AMENY sponsor a joint construction program, and Turner has mentored some of the organization's constituents.

"Turner has a whole different mindset than the rest of corporate America," Heyliger said. "They think doing business with minority-owned companies adds to the bottom line, not detracts from it."

Heyliger said it is common for Turner to do work gratis in a community to create good will. For example, the firm did work for York College in Queens for free. Later, when the federal Food and Drug Administration was looking to build a facility on the York College campus, Turner was awarded the job.

"If corporate America followed Turner's example, there wouldn't be a need for set asides," Heyliger said.

In looking to Turner's future, McKenna said much of the activity in the New York area will be focused in the institutional, industrial and residential sectors. One area of the company that is expected to be active is the health care division, headed by vice president and manager Charles Murphy and operations manager Chris Zegler. Currently, the company is doing $2 billion of work in New York alone.

If Thomas' reaction to the company is any indication, the company will also continue to build more churches.

"Shiloh Baptist Church is grateful for Turner's concern and support for our new facility," he said.

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